Rock County’s biggest news in 2022 generally follows the 2021 theme of progress and growth, with ribbon-cuttings and grand openings after last year’s big announcements and ground-breaking ceremonies.
A well-attended Luverne All-School Reunion and 150th anniversary in July highlighted recently completed construction at the school, but also celebrated many of the good things going for the community.
Many are among the highlights we review for the Star Herald’s 2022 year in review.
 
More housing
For example, a 2021 ground-breaking set the wheels in motion for the 2022 grand opening of PrairiE Loft I and II apartments.
In October residents began moving into the long-awaited $8 million project (on the former Sharkee’s and Mert’s Repair lots) named with a capital E for “environmental sustainability and smart building practices.”
The two buildings each have 27 one- and two-bedroom market-rate rental units on three floors with elevators and off-street parking.
The units have varying sizes and amenities with rents ranging from $900 to $1,450 per month.
By year’s end, the first 27 PrairiE Loft apartments were rented, and the second building was on its way to being filled, a testament to the need for housing in Luverne and Rock County.
 
Luverne child care center
As state and national child care shortages continue to stifle business growth, Luverne leaders are tackling the issue with a city-subsidized day care center.
The city paid $515,000 for the former Tri-State Insurance Building (recently Total Card Inc) on Roundwind Avenue to accommodate up to 186 children from infants through school ages.
The 1974 building (just north of the pool and fitness center) has 30,000 square feet on 4.7 acres of land, with adequate “green space” required by the state.
On Dec. 20, city officials learned they were approved for a $2.6 million state grant, a crucial funding piece for the $6.4 million project.
The city will own, maintain and insure the building, and a commercial or non-profit day care business will operate in it.
Child care and housing can’t come soon enough for a community that’s about to see 200 more jobs with business growth in the industrial park.
 
Lineage Logistics $50 million cold storage warehouse
In Luverne’s biggest development news of 2021, Lineage Logistics announced construction of a 235,000-square-foot cold storage warehouse on land near Premium Minnesota Pork.
The warehouse, with an estimated construction value of more than $50 million, went up this summer, its size looming at roughly the size of four football fields.
It is built to store food products requiring temperatures ranging from minus 20 to 45 degrees and will require up to 75 new “quality paying” jobs in the area when it's complete in the summer of 2023.
 
Premium Minnesota Pork builds smokehouse
Premium Minnesota Pork is building a $70 million processing facility that will add nearly 100 jobs in Luverne’s industrial park near its current pork processing facility along County Road 4 west of town.
The new facility, set for completion in 2023, marks a significant investment for the company that already spent $30 million in 2019 to expand the 78,000-square-foot building to 145,000 square feet.
Following a 10,000-square-foot, $7 million cooler addition, the once shuttered IBP property is now a 4,000-hog-per-day operation that employs more than 450 workers.
 
Luverne puts $14 million into wastewater improvements
PMP negotiated a wastewater treatment agreement with the city of Luverne to improve the city’s water treatment capacity, and 2022 saw the completion of that massive $14 million project.
The city, which was already planning to refurbish its 1950s equipment, negotiated with Premium Minnesota Pork to pay for nearly half, $6.7 million, of the improvements.
PMP is now guaranteed a 300,000-gallon-per-day treatment capacity, which accommodates higher production goals, and the city is well-situated for future industrial water treatment capacity.
 
Power plant upgrades
The city of Luverne in 2022 also completed an $11 million upgrade in the historic power plant on East Main Street at the Rock River.
The project, which includes two new 3,100 kW generators, will ensure Luverne’s backup generators keep the city’s lights on in the event of a power outage.
They will also provide increased backup power for Missouri River Energy Services, which contracts with Luverne for supplemental electricity.
In times of severe weather in other parts of the country served by MRES, Luverne can now fire up the new generators to meet additional need.
 
Walleye Wind Farm
In other local energy news, the 109-megawatt Walleye Wind Farm was completed in 2022 in western Rock County after two years planning and construction.
NextEra built 40 wind turbines on a 49-square-mile (31,000 acres) footprint, bringing more than 200 workers to Rock County communities and businesses.
Late in 2022, the turbines started spinning up to their 109 MW capacity, enough to power roughly 40,000 homes per year.
The Walleye Wind Farm will generate $400,000 to $600,000 in annual local tax revenues and feed electricity to the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency through a 30-year agreement.
 
THC edibles
Rock County was among the first in Minnesota to pass an ordinance for the sale of hemp-derived products since the state legalized the sale of THC (tetrahydrocannabinols) food and beverages on July 1.
When the state’s legislation failed to specify provisions for licensing, rules and sales of the THC products, counties imposed a moratorium through Dec. 1.
Rock County’s ordinance now stipulates license fees, identification parameters, enforcement and compliance checks similar to those in place for tobacco sales.
At the Commissioners' Dec. 13 meeting, THC permits were issued to Herb N' Legend and Rock River Apothecary, both in Luverne.
 
School board election draws 18 candidates
Local elections made headlines in 2022 with 18 candidates filing for five seats on the Luverne School Board.
Four were elected out of 15 candidates vying for the four-year terms on the board. They include Zach Nolz (1,173 votes, 11.27 percent), Randy Sasker (1,020 votes, 9.8 percent), Michael DeBates (913 votes, 8.77 percent) and Eric Hartman (902 votes, 8.67 percent).
Ryan DeBates was elected to fill the remaining two years of the seat vacated by Jeff Stratton who left the board to become the school resource officer. DeBates captured 1,288 votes (46.53 percent) in the three-way contest.
 
Pool and Fitness Center
The Luverne Area Aquatics and Fitness center reopened this spring after completing a $5 million remodel and expansion.
Improvements include an outdoor splash pad, new locker rooms, four family changing rooms, flat space rooms for group aerobic exercise, new office space and staff area, larger rooms for 24-hour weightlifting and aerobic exercise machines and a new mechanical and heat, ventilation and air-conditioning system.
Membership fees were increased slightly, but the city of Luverne subsidizes the facility’s operations as a “quality of life” amenity for residents.
 
Loop and Ashby Trail
Another public amenity completed this year was the Luverne Loop Trail, which connects to the Blue Mound Trail for 13 total miles of hard surface riding and walking between the city and the Blue Mounds State Park.
The final portion of the Loop follows the scenic Rock River south of the wastewater treatment plant to connect with the existing trail behind the Econo Lodge hotel on South Highway 75.
It intersects with the 1.95-mile Christopher Martin Ashby Trail, funded by Gene and Barb Ashby in memory of their late son.
 
National Guard Readiness Center
Another major development continuing in 2022 is the $17.5 million Minnesota National Guard Luverne Readiness Center on 15 acres west of Papik Motors along I-90.
The 47,902-square-foot facility includes assembly halls, work bays, storage areas, classrooms, a learning center and fitness center with locker rooms. It’s expected to open in 2023.
The project received more than $6.2 million in private funds from the K.A.H.R. Foundation of Luverne native Warren Herreid II and his wife, Jeanne Rivet.
 
Drought, wind, blizzards make news in 2022
On May 12, a billowing wall of dust and debris rose from a blackened western sky, and damaging winds wreaked havoc on the ground as it stretched for 500 miles from eastern Nebraska to northern Minnesota.
It barreled through Rock County around 5:15 at roughly 70 mph, downing trees, overturning vehicles and flattening buildings and scattering pieces of tin and shingles for miles across nearby tilled and planted fields.
And as quickly as it struck, it abruptly ended, with a smattering of much-needed rain and a temperature drop of more than 20 degrees.
Meteorologists say record heat (94 degrees in Sioux Falls) and humidity fueled the complex system that tore through five states.
Then on May 30, a series of tornado-like cells ripped through the county starting at 2:30 a.m. with another midday and a third later in the afternoon causing extensive property damage, including downed power lines and outages.
In their wake were reports of trees falling on houses and vehicles, downed powerlines and outages, and livestock buildings and machine shops either collapsed or missing rooftops.
The year continued with extreme heat in late June and drought conditions affecting local crop yields, and 2022 ended with a long blizzard week, closing roads and affecting holiday activities and family gatherings.
 
See the B Section for sports highlights in 2022, and see a related year-in-review story about local business highlights from 2022.

Winter weather affected Christmas plans for millions of Midwest families, including those in Rock County where roads were closed Thursday afternoon, Dec. 22, through Christmas Eve, Dec. 24.
The storm arrived on the heels of heavy snowfall earlier in the week and brought with it even more snow that combined with sub-zero temperatures with winds gusting over 30 mph to create blizzard conditions.
Christmas programs and school activities were canceled or postponed from Wednesday evening through Saturday morning, and students in area schools were dismissed with e-learning or snow days during the blizzard.
I-90 closed across much of South Dakota Thursday, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation followed suit closing its portion of the interstate from the border to the St. James exit, along with state highways in much of southwest Minnesota.
Eventually, I-90 closed all the way to Albert Lea and state roads closed as far north as Willmar.
No-travel advisories were issued, along with warnings that motorists who needed rescuing would be liable for expenses resulting from their decisions to venture out.
With wind chills hovering around minus 30 degrees, officials warned that outdoor exposure would result in frostbite after only minutes, and that prolonged time in the elements could be deadly.
That didn’t stop some from attempting travel and requiring rescue.
Statewide, between 4:30 p.m. Friday and 11:30 a.m. Saturday, there were 350 crashes, 30 with injuries, 282 spin outs and one jackknifed semi, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. That’s not counting incidents along county and township roads involving local emergency responders.
In Rock County, the Luverne Fire Department was dispatched twice with its new four-door Ranger that’s equipped with tracks.
“The drifts were hard, so it barely sunk in,” said fire chief David Van Batavia. “We were able to drive on top of the snow.”
Just ahead of the storm last week, he said Rock Motor Sports swapped out the UTV’s wheels for tracks.
“It worked really well,” Van Batavia said.
 
‘I can’t believe anyone would want to live here’
The first call came in around 3:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 23, to rescue two individuals stranded in a semitrailer at 160th Avenue and 91st Street south of the country club.
Van Batavia said the two had driven from the Badlands to Minnesota and were headed back to Nebraska on back roads after I-90 and state highways closed.
“They were pretty far off track,” Van Batavia said.
Their trailer slid into the ditch and after 24 hours in the cab, they were running low on fuel and called for help.
“The one guy was from Kentucky and said he couldn’t understand why anyone would want to live here,” Van Batavia said about the blizzard conditions.
“Our eyelids were freezing to our eyes in no time.”
The Ranger, with its heated interior, travels up to 30 mph on the tracks. It carried Van Batavia and assistant fire chief Jordan Siebenahler to the stranded semi and returned the truckers to the Super 8 in Luverne.
“They were pretty happy to get to the hotel,” he said.
The fire department and its ranger were dispatched again at 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 24, for a motorist stranded in a drift on Highway 75 near the Steen blacktop.
The caller reported his Chevy Cruz was stuck in the driving lane and the heater wasn’t working.
 
Calmer Christmas Eve
On Christmas Eve morning, residents awoke to calmer winds and improved visibility, with rural residents seeing a horizon for the first time in nearly two days.
By 11 a.m. I-90 reopened from the South Dakota border to Albert Lea and no-travel advisories were also lifted on state highways in southwest Minnesota.
Motorists were advised that drifting and blowing snow would continue to make travel difficult that day as snowplows worked to clear large snowdrifts.
Further complicating their work were stalled vehicles stuck in drifts and needing to be dug out and towed.

Preliminary flood insurance rate maps may be incorrect due to several key omissions.
Local municipality and county leaders reviewed the preliminary flood maps earlier this month.
The public may view the maps online at https://hazards.fema.gov/femaportal/prelimdownload/.
Local leaders noticed the flood plain areas through the city of Luverne were not significantly decreased, even after the completion of several flood mitigation projects almost 20 years ago.
Chad McClure, Luverne’s building inspector, pointed out the possible discrepancies in the flood plain surrounding Poplar Creek to the FEMA representatives hosting the meeting at the Rock County Courthouse.
“I am thinking, in reality, the plain should be smaller than what is shown on the (preliminary) map — from the north side of town down to Highway 75,” he said.
The preliminary map updates maps developed in 1980.
FEMA representatives first met with municipal and county officials in 2016, when local officials first pointed out the mitigation improvements.
The city of Luverne worked with FEMA after the 1993 flooding event to construct two water retention basins, said County Administrator Kyle Oldre.
One basin is located near Maplewood Cemetery and the other is located northwest of the school. The projects were finished in 1996.
Since then, several smaller flood mitigation projects have taken place in Luverne to increase water flow under the Buffalo Ridge Railroad and under South Highway 75.
“There were vast improvements to control those floodwaters and improve what happens when it does rain,” McClure said.
As a result of the retention efforts, damage from the 2014 flood event was limited.
“It (water) stays within the (Poplar Creek) banks is how they were designed,” Oldre added.
McClure noticed between 30 and 40 additional homes now appear in the flood plain area. These homeowners may be required to purchase flood insurance and would be notified about the new stipulation if the preliminary maps are finalized and no appeal with FEMA is filed.
Ceil Strauss is the State National Flood Plain Insurance Program coordinator.
She explained FEMA’s appeal process where residents work with their municipal representatives to submit documentation outlining any flood mitigation efforts not included on the flood maps.
“Because we know the maps are not perfect,” Strauss said.
Individual homeowners’ efforts to build above the flood plain are often not known at the federal level unless an appeal is filed, she said.
In the case of large projects like that completed by the city of Luverne, FEMA may redo the maps to include the missing information.
“We will go back to the beginning and release new maps,” Strauss said.
In addition to reviewing flood plain maps online, each city clerk’s office has printed flood maps of their individual municipalities for public viewing. The Rock County Courthouse has printed maps of the unincorporated areas in the county.
This spring, communities are encouraged to adopt the new flood risk data before the new flood insurance rate maps go into effect.
Residents in communities that fail to meet the adoption deadline would be able to buy premiums through the National Flood Insurance Program.

There was a flurry of business news in Rock County in 2022.
Merlin Cleveringa announced in December his retirement and the sale of his longtime construction business to his foremen Adam Uithoven and Derek Sandbulte.
The long-awaited Fareway Meat Market opened on the corner of Main Street and Highway 75 in September.
Buffalo Ridge Insurance purchased Estenson Company from Dave Gangestad, and Tim Knoll opened his own business, Knoll and Associates.
The legendary Luverne Farm Store closed, and Gary and Nate Golla sold the business to two local entities. The feedmill was sold to Pro Partners Milling and the lawn and fertilizer business was sold to Luverne Lawn Care.
Mel and Minnie Van Batavia retired from the automotive repair business in Steen and sold their M&M business to Dylan Tieszen who opened Tieszen Automotive LLC.
Deon Carriere and Sheri Moucka bought Willie’s Bar in Hills and renamed it Brody’s.
New Vision replaced the Beaver Creek elevator with a new office and scale. Its new bins were damaged in a storm. New Vision also sold its bins in Hills.
Rock County approved a tax abatement for New Vision’s $2.35 million grain handling expansion in Magnolia.
Among other business news in 2022, Luverne Area Chamber Director Jane Wildung Lanphere has compiled an additional list of business news for 2022.
 
New businesses in 2022
First Comes Love – Mary Brown
Benson Tech Solutions – Brock and Ashley Benson
Novo Aesthetics
Elevate Appraisal LLC
Yellow Rose Cookie Shoppe – Janet Marshall
PrairiE Lofts Apartments – Aaron Smith
Children’s Remembrance Garden
Randy Rogers Farmers Insurance Agency
 
Businesses with change of ownership in 2022
A & B Pressure Washing (Dave Hup)  becomes J-N-J Power Washing (Greg & Sandy Johnson)
Vast Broadband becomes Blue Peak – Jeremy Davidson           
Grand Prairie Events becomes Generations
HilCom sold to Skie Peltier-Anderson & Jill Boltjes
Fulda Area Credit Union becomes Leading Edge Credit Union
Spotlight Dance (Cindy Crable) to Spotlight Dance Center (Maddie Stegenga)
Culligan Water (Rolf Berg – family ownership from 1946) becomes Culligan Water SW MN (Dave Cone)
Stroeh’s Auto to Doug’s Auto Repair (Doug Flier)
 
Closed businesses in 2022
Alpha Sigma Health Group
HilCom Enterprises
Time to Delegate
Red Rock Oil
Prairie Rock Honey
Grand Prairie Events
Vinnie’s Dang Fine Dine
Heath Peterson Agency

The Luverne and Hills-Beaver Creek girls’ basketball teams faced off in Hills Tuesday, Dec. 20, with the Cardinals topping the Patriots 79-21 in the non-conference win.
With the win over Hills-Beaver Creek, Luverne’s season record is 5-0, and they lead the Big South West Conference with a record of 2-0.
H-BC now stands at 2-4 for the regular season with the loss to Luverne, but the Patriots are leading the Red Rock Conference with a record of 2-0 after wins over Edgerton and Murray County Central.
“We have made it through the stretch of tough non-conference opponents,” H-BC head coach Dylan Gehrke said. “These games will hopefully help prepare us for our conference games coming up.”
The Patriots struggled to score in the first half Tuesday night, leading to the Cardinals taking a commanding lead of 55-7 at the half.
 “I think our defensive pressure set the tone early. We were able to get turnovers and push the ball up the floor for easy buckets,” said Luverne head coach TJ Newgard.
In the game H-BC turned over the ball 32 times to Luverne’s 15.
Leading the scoring for the Cardinals was senior Elizabeth Wagner with 27 points, followed by junior Kiesli Smith with 13, senior Emma Beyer with 12, and eight points by  junior Sarah Stegenga.
Defensively junior Kira John grabbed eight rebounds, one steal, two assists and five deflections.
Senior Christina Wagner contributed seven rebounds, three steals, seven assists and three deflections.
Senior Elizabeth Wagner posted six rebounds, three steals, five assists and a team high for the night of seven deflections.
Helping out were senior Averill Sehr with six steals and two assists and senior Jocelyn Hart with four rebounds, two steals, one assist and two deflections.
For the Patriots junior Layla Deelstra posted four points, four rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot.
Freshman Abbie Harris had three points, six rebounds and one assist.
Senior Olivia Bork had three points, one rebound, one steal and one blocked shot.
Eighth-grader Olivia Deelstra made three points, one rebound, one assist, two steals and one blocked shot.
Defensively junior Lanae Elbers grabbed six rebounds and one steal.
Junior Brynn Rauk had eight rebounds.
After the Christmas break, Luverne is scheduled to travel to Windom Tuesday, Jan.3, and then host Marshall Friday, Jan. 6
Hills-Beaver Creek has an away game at Elkton-Lake Benton Tuesday, Jan. 3, and then hosts Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda Thursday, Jan. 5.

The Luverne boys’ basketball team hosted conference rivals Jackson County Central Tuesday, Dec. 20.
The Cardinals lost to the Huskies 77-67 and are now 3-2 for the season.
“Jackson County Central is a very good team, and we battled with them in the first half,” head coach John Sichmeller said.
The Huskies led the Cardinals at the end of the first half 28-25.
Jackson County Central played hard under the net all night where they scored 50 of their 77 points.
Luverne was able to keep the ball moving with 13 steals and 15 points off turnovers.
“Our shots weren’t falling all game and they shot very well in the second half,” Sichmeller said.
The Cardinals shot 52 percent inside the paint and only made three of 20 3-point shots.
The Huskies shot 63 percent inside and made six of 11 3-point shots.
“Our guys didn’t give up and tried to make a run at the end but it was too late,” Sichmeller said.
The Cardinals are scheduled to travel to Windom Tuesday, Jan. 3, and then host Marshall Friday, Jan. 6.

City Administrator John Call will live out his retirement in Luverne where he’ll enjoy the amenities he’s helped with during the past 17 years.
“One of my goals in retirement is to wear out the Loop trail with my bicycle or my feet,” Call said.
“That’s another great part of retiring here. We can take advantage of the projects we’ve worked to bring here.”
 
From Iowa to Minnesota
Call grew up in Spirit Lake, Iowa, and earned a political science and economics degree at Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, Iowa, and a master’s in public administration from USD in Vermillion.
“When I interned in the city manager’s office in Storm Lake, I liked the idea of working with city leaders and building relationships,” Call said.
“I saw projects they were working on, like storm sewers and water towers and buying a fire truck. They were basically community building, and I thought that was pretty cool.”
He said it’s what he appreciated about 35 years in city administration.
“It wasn’t just a job working in an office,” Call said. “I liked working with people on projects and learning about them. We were doing important things to make a difference in people’s communities.”
 
Mending fences
Call was city manager in the Iowa towns of Pocahontas, Eagle Grove (where he met and married his wife, Brenda), Fort Madison and Storm Lake, spending roughly five years in each city before coming to Luverne in 2005.
“Storm Lake was a town of about 12,000 people at the time, and I kinda thought Luverne was a nice little town and it would be a nice, slower work pace,” Call said.
“I was pleasantly surprised that they didn’t let me rest between projects.”
For one thing, Luverne was recovering from a previous administrator (Greg LaFond) who had threatened city-county cooperation on law enforcement, library, rec center and more.
“I remember Mayor Andy Steensma — what a nice man and God bless him,” Call said.
“One of his priorities for me was mending fences with the county. The good thing was that Kyle (Oldre), county administrator, also wanted a good relationship with the city, and we made a fresh start.”
Call also navigated an airport runway expansion in 2008 that closed a township road and acquired land through eminent domain.
Today the airport is among Luverne’s important economic tools, attracting air traffic from many regions of the country.
“They needed somebody with a certain personality who would work with people and build relationships,” Call said,reflecting on those early days.
“I guess that’s something I was successful at and I’m very proud of.”
 
Building trust, industry and infrastructure
In addition to the Loop and the airport work, Call said he’s proud of housing developments, industrial park improvements, the new pool and fitness center, the Lewis and Clark water connection.
“Lewis and Clark secured a water source for the next 50 to 100 years,” Call said.
“We don’t have to depend on a shallow wellfield, and we can have economic development without having to be worried about water.”
He said his Saturday morning routine is to drive around town checking on projects and improvements.
In recent years, that’s included new roads and infrastructure and new industry like PMP, Lineage Logistiscs and the National Guard Armory near I-90.
“I remember when that was the Marty Mayes property, and it was a cornfield,” Call said.
 
‘We all do better when we all do better’
And he also enjoys tallying the city’s tax increment financing districts like the former Sharkee’s lot which now houses 54 apartment units valued at $8 million.
“The new taxes on those apartments will pay off the improvements the city made in that area,” Call said. “And then once the improvements are paid off, the money goes into the tax rolls.”
On a smaller scale, he appreciates the city’s efforts to keep up residential neighborhoods and redevelop properties for better uses.
“We always feel proud when people say that the first thing that strikes them about Luverne is that it’s a really clean community,” Call said. “I think what they’re basically saying is there are no ramshackle parts of town.”
He said that’s due to the City Council’s mission to redevelop blighted lots.
“There is a certain amount of property in every community that reaches the end of its life,” Call said. “And if you can reach an agreement with sellers, where they end up with a little cash in their pockets to do something else … It’s a benefit to everybody.”
The improvements, whether residential or commercial, generate additional tax revenue to benefit all involved.
“I’m really glad we’re retiring here in this town, and I can drive by some of these neighborhoods and remember what they looked like before we completed projects,” Call said.
“To quote Paul Wellstone, ‘We all do better when we all do better,’ and we’ve all been better for all those projects.”
 
‘Like a good marriage
… It was meant to be’
He said he’s grateful for city leaders and staff he’s worked with over the years.
“We’ve always been blessed here in this community with elected officials who are in it for the right reasons, the betterment of everyone,” Call said.
“I’m retiring with a lot of friends in the community.”
Call has been the longest-serving city administrator in Luverne’s history, and he’s worked in Luverne longer than he has in any other city in his 35-year career.
The reason for that, he said, is simple: “It’s like a good marriage,” he said about his work with council and department heads. “It worked out. It was meant to be.”
During Call’s final City Council meeting earlier this month, Luverne Mayor Pat Baustian thanked him for his leadership.
“He’s been one of the most involved city administrators that I’ve ever worked with,” Baustian said.
“Many, many other city administrators look up to Mr. Call. … You’ve given them guidance and mentorship. As mayor, I’ve been very proud to work with you on the city council.”
In retirement, Call said he and Brenda look forward to traveling and spending time with their nephews and nieces. He will also continue as a mentor in Rock County’s Big Buddies program.
“My wife and I fell in love with Luverne and Rock County. Now that I’m retired, I really want to be here because of our friends here, our church, Big Buddies and also because I can see and enjoy the progress we’ve made,” he said.
“I can’t imagine anywhere else I’d like to be. It really has been good.”
Call said it’s a good time for anyone to be living in Luverne.
“I think the future’s bright with the things we have going on here,” he said, adding that he’s confident in Luverne’s new administrator, Jill Wolf.
“I feel the community is going to continue to prosper, and that makes me happy.”

Ryan DeBates of Luverne took the oath of office Thursday night, Dec. 22, becoming an official member of the Luverne School Board.
DeBates won his board seat in a special election in November, filling the position vacated by Jeff Stratton. Stratton resigned the post in July after being hired as the district’s resource officer.
DeBates will serve the final two years of Stratton’s four-year term.
Retired school board member Colleen Deutsch was appointed to fill Stratton’s position until after the election.
In his report to the board, Superintendent Craig Oftedahl thanked Deutsch and retiring board members Katie Baustian, Jodi Bosch and Reva Sehr.
“Thank you for your service and a special thanks for the guidance to the school and community through the building project. Your vision and energy fueled the fire to not only instigate the project, but to see it through,” he said.
Elected to replace the three retiring board members were Mike DeBates, Zach Nolz and Randy Sasker. They will officially take office in January.

Luverne Mayor Pat Baustian administers the oath of office to Luverne’s new city administrator, Jill Wolf, at the start of the City Council meeting Tuesday night, Dec. 20, in council chambers of Luverne City Hall. Wolf, who worked from 2004 to 2009 as Luverne’s Economic Development Authority director, replaces City Administrator John Call who retired this month after 17 years in the position. Wolf has been training with Call and department heads in the past few weeks. Baustian said the entire council was in agreement about hiring Wolf in October. “We were looking for an administrator who could make a seamless transition, who understood that we have no ‘issues to be fixed’ and someone who will keep Luverne on the path it has been on in terms of housing, day care and economic development,” Baustian said. “Jill has worked here before and understands our priorities.”