By Sara QuamRock County Commissioners turned down requests Tuesday to allow more landowners into Judicial Ditch 2.The ditch in northern Rock County is at capacity as it is, the board ruled, and can’t handle any additional water.Kevin Hunstad and Ryan Hunstad together turned in one petition, Kevin Hunstad turned in one, and Orin Oye turned in another.Ditches direct water drained from agricultural properties in order to make them more productive.The area of Ditch 2 is labeled as the "Big Marsh" on historic maps, and Kevin Hunstad testified in a hearing Tuesday that that’s still the case today."I’m willing to pay into it," he said. Hunstad said he loses crops and is working on a tiling bid for improvements to his property, so time is money for him.He can’t improve his situation, however, until he gets approval to join the ditch that was originally constructed in 1912.The commissioners said they understood his issues, but the ditch can’t handle more water and it will have to be improved before more landowners can use it.Ditch 2 is in parts of Rose Dell and Denver Townships.Commissioners voted against the property owners joining the ditch partly based on a recommendation from the Ditch Advisory Board.Commissioner Ken Hoime said, "I hope we can open this up and find out what we can do to improve it."An improvement in 1982 met with opposition from some landowners and the full recommended improvements were not done.Landowners are assessed for ditch improvements.Hoime said, "I encourage them to file for improvements. I feel for the people who are in this situation."The county itself can’t initiate an improvement.The Rock County Board of Commissioners scheduled another hearing for a petition to improve Ditch 3. That will be at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 21, in the Family Services building.Prairie Ecology BusChrystal Dunker, executive director of the Prairie Ecology Bus Center met with commissioners Tuesday.The bus comes to Rock County for some programming, but not as often as Dunker would like."You have the state park, Touch the Sky Prairie and the Rock River. Those all present us with great educational locations."The bus is a traveling science lab that exposes children from kindergarten through high school to various environmental lessons and information.She said that sponsors from Rock County are needed in order to bring the bus more often. It has been at the county fair. Workers from Prairie Ecology Bus Center also give recycling lessons to Luverne students, but they don’t get the outdoor activities that Dunker said are more important.On one trip to Luverne, students hand-harvested seeds from prairie plants to be planted elsewhere on Touch the Sky.Dunker said it’s important for young people to know about where they live and to relate concepts of the natural environment to their lives."It’s not just agriculture here. We’ve got these other pockets of unique environment around the agriculture," she said.The bus is based out of Lakefield. In other county business Tuesday, commissioners:
Entered into an agreement to receive Federal-aid Safety Funds. The county will put the $18,000 toward a study by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, which will look into safety issues on three Rock County intersections.County Engineer Mark Sehr selected the intersections that will have safety audits. They are: the intersection of County Road 4 and 9 by the radio station; the intersection of County Road 4 and 17, known as the Manley corner, and the intersection of Highway 75 and County Road 5 by the Luverne High School.
Received a gravel tax collection report from County Auditor/Treasurer Gloria Rolfs. In 2005, local gravel companies paid a total of $36,364.17 in county gravel tax.Of that total, the road and bridge fund received $21,818.51. The special reserve fund received $3,636.40. Townships in the county received $10,909.26.

By Lori EhdeThe Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce will sponsor its Home, Health and Garden Show Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Cardinal gym and commons.What used to be the Luverne Home Show will now include health and garden issues."By broadening the base, we felt we would attract more people, which will be good for all our vendors," said Chamber Director Dave Smith.He said Sioux Valley Luverne Hospital has played a big role in promoting the health aspect of the event, offering health information and free tests."They’re going to have three booth spaces along one side of the commons," Smith said. "We want to encourage people to come up and avail themselves of that free service."The Luverne Housing and Redevelopment Authority used to put on the show in the Blue Mound Ice Arena in April, when it no longer conflicted with ice activities.The new location at the school allowed the Chamber to schedule the event earlier in the year."We felt the previous shows were too late in the season, and many exhibitors had already booked their summer business," Smith said."We also feel the area is more user-friendly with plenty of parking and easy access," Smith said.When the Chamber offered to take over the event as a fund-raiser, Smith worked with former HRA members who had worked on the Home Show in the past.The current committee includes Sam Berghorst of Luverne Building Center, Scott Adams of Cragoe Realty, Jim Boeve of Minnwest Bank, Sue Schneekloth (HRA member), Lynn Lopau of the Master Gardeners, and Darci Pap of Sioux Valley Luverne Hospital.Along with nearly 50 vendors from the home, health and garden fields, demonstrations will also be available in the commons area throughout the day. "We’re hoping that this will be the start and grow from here on," Smith said. "I think this is going to develop into a real plus for the community and for the Chamber."No admission is charged to those attending the event, but vendors are charged per booth space, and those proceeds go to the Chamber.Presentations include:o9:30 a.m. Nate Golla from the Luverne Farm Store will talk about lawn care tips including how you can prepare your lawn for spring.o10:30 a.m. John Ball, professor of forestry at South Dakota State University, will present a program concerning trees and shrubs in southwest Minnesota.o11:30 p.m. Holly Sehr, a physical therapist with Sioux Valley Luverne Hospital, will present a session dealing with proper lifting techniques. The lifting techniques can also be used as an exercise program to prepare you for your outdoor spring activities.o1 p.m. Mitch Moe from Wausau Supply will present a program on composite decking materials and construction.o2 p.m. Teresa Meyer from Sioux Valley Home Medical Equipment will discuss home air purification. Advantages of clean air systems designed to clean your entire home through your furnace will be discussed.In addition to free admission, visitors can register for door prizes, and concessions will be available.For more information contact the Luverne Chamber at 283-4061.

By Lori EhdeMyrtle Gehrke said she wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for her crocheting needle.It’s not that crocheting has saved her life, but on more than one occasion she said it’s saved her mind."I have to keep busy with my hands," she said. "When I’m crocheting, I have to concentrate on that, and I forget about everything else."At 82, she said her nerves are fragile and if she’s not careful, she’s prone to nervous breakdowns."I’ve had three," she said. "And one time, it was so bad I almost drove my car into the river."But she knows what to do to manage her condition, and she’s convinced that crocheting has kept her healthy and happy to this point."I get so involved with it, and so focused," she said. "Today I almost missed dinner because I was crocheting."Actually, Myrtle’s good at anything involving a needle and thread.She turns out afghans like a one-woman textile factory (she’s made nearly 100 in the past 20 years) and it’s nothing for her to put together a quilt on a moment’s notice.She made one quilt out of all her dresses in 2002 when she moved into Poplar Creek assisted living apartments. "I couldn’t wear dresses anymore because I wear surgical stockings, but now I have this," she said about the colorful, hand-stitched block quilt.But crocheting is her first love.She remembers her mother, Frances Ross, teaching her the art when she was about 10 years old.At 14 she began doing housework for Walt and Violet Anderson, who ran the Gamble Store in Luverne.She remembers spending all her spare time crocheting then, as well as when she and her husband, Orey, ran Orey’s Café for 17 years.In more than 70 years of crocheting, she’s not afraid to say she’s good at it, and there’s not a doily pattern she can’t master.She recently bought a book of doilies. "I’ve done every one in the book," she said.There’s no way of knowing exactly how many doilies, crosses, or lettered names she’s completed through the years.But the countertops and coffee tables in Poplar Creek are graced by Myrtle’s artwork, and she has dresser drawers and boxes under the bed filled with priceless works, including her mother’s tatting.She enjoys giving them away as gifts to friends, family and staff at Poplar Creek. "I can crochet just about anything anybody wants," she said. "One woman just told me she’s always wanted embroidered pillowcases with crocheted lace edging, so I did that for her."While she has arthritis in one leg, Myrtle knows she’s fortunate her hands are limber.And it’s a blessing she hasn’t wasted.Her friends and acquaintances at Poplar Creek have asked her to help them with minor clothing repair and tailoring.She’s peeled 80 pounds of potatoes for Poplar Creek since moving there, and she’s helped frost cookies, too. "They always come to me to do these kinds of things," Myrtle said. "I’ve really had a good time in here."

By Lexi MooreHills’ only café, Donatello’s Café and Deli, was added to the local real estate market this week.The café is owned and operated by Eugene and Diane Immediato of Jasper. The couple decided in January to sell the restaurant they opened last June."I have accomplished what I wanted here and have other projects to move on to," said Eugene."I am a task-oriented person and I have been successful in this task. It is time for me tackle the next task."Their goal when purchasing the building from the City of Hills in December 2003 was to fill a need of the community. The couple feels they have fulfilled that need and now hope someone local buys the restaurant."It would be nice if someone local, who knows the pulse of Hills, takes over," he said.The opening of the restaurant changed the look of Main Street in Hills. In the opening months, cars, lawnmowers and bicycles filled formerly empty spaces on the road.Eugene said the business has been profitable and fun to operate.Both his wife, Diane, and his son, Eugene Jr., said they are sad to see the place leave the family’s hands.Eugene Jr. said, while making a sandwich, "I love this place – the people, the work — it has been great for me."Community excitement changed to an overall positive response to the quality of food and the prices. After their sixth month anniversary in December, the couple reported being pleased with sales.They said the business has several untapped areas of potential, including pizza, catering and increased advertising.The Immediatos listed their business with Keith Elbers of Real Estate Retrievers.The listing, found on the Real Estate Retrievers Web site, describes the business as a "new restaurant and the only one in town, very profitable and productive."Eugene encourages interested buyers to contact Elbers to see the financial books and complete lists of mechanical inventory.The couple plans to sell the restaurant as a turnkey operation. They will train and assist new owners on every aspect of the business.The sale includes all of the equipment, training and the 140-by-67-foot building, which includes a large basement.The Immediatos say community support has been overwhelming, and leaving will be like leaving behind a family."People come in and you feed them, and that is an important relationship," Diane said. "I got used to seeing the same faces every day. It has been nice."

By John RittenhouseThe Adrian boys’ basketball team ended a three-game slide by defeating Southwest Star Concept 75-60 Friday in Adrian.Adrian, which lost a 72-36 decision when the teams met in Okabena Dec. 20, evened the score with the Quasars by putting together an outstanding second half.SSC led 28-26 at the intermission and expanded its advantage to six points early in the second half.Adrian proceeded to make 17 of 25 field goals during a second half in which it outscored SSC 49-32 to win by 15."We were patient offensively and we took good shots in the second half. We had good looks with every possession, and we made 68 percent of our shots," said AHS coach Chris Rozell.Lee Stover, who helped the Dragons rally from a 12-point deficit in the first half, led the winners with 28 points. Brad Brake chipped in 19 points and nine rebounds. Ryan Lonneman scored 13 points. Cody Kontz recorded eight assists.Box scoreSwayze 1 1 0-0 5, Lonneman 4 0 5-7 13, Kontz 2 0 0-1 4, Haken 1 0 1-2 3, Stover 5 4 6-9 28, Erlandson 1 0 1-2 3, Brake 8 0 3-4 19.Team statisticsAdrian: 27 of 52 field goals (52 percent), 16 of 25 free throws (64 percent), 30 rebounds, 10 turnovers.SSC: 25 of 57 field goals (44 percent), 10 of 15 free throws (67 percent), 30 rebounds, 13 turnovers.

By John RittenhouseThe Adrian girls capped a 12-12 regular season by dropping a pair of Red Rock Conference tilts.Edgerton nipped the Dragons by four points in Adrian Thursday. The Dragons fell by 10 points to Southwest Christian in Edgerton Monday.Adrian drew the fifth seed for the Section 3A South Tournament. Adrian plays No. 4 Southwest Star Concept at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Worthington.SWC 58, Adrian 48The Dragons ended the regular season with a four-game losing skid after bowing to the E-Gals by 10 points in Edgerton Monday.Adrian never sported a lead in the contest, which was ultimately decided by an extended scoring run by SWC during the second half.Adrian, which trailed 23-20 at the intermission, received a three-point shot by Samantha Lynn at the 17:00 mark of the second half to cut SWC’s lead to two points (25-23). The E-Gals countered with a 23-12 run to gain their biggest lead of the game (48-35) with 6:45 remaining. The Dragons whittled the difference to six points two different times in the final 2:23 of the game, but they couldn’t catch SWC.The score was tied at six in the first half before SWC put together a 15-6 run to gain a 21-11 lead with 4:48 remaining. The Dragons countered with a 9-2 surge that ended with Brittany Bullerman sinking two free throws with 1:52 left to make it a three-point difference at halftime.Lynn played a solid game by scoring 15 points, charting six assists and registering five steals and five rebounds. Bullerman netted 10 points. Katlin Wiertsema led AHS with six rebounds.Box scoreEr.Thier 1 2 0-0 8, Em.Thier 2 1 0-0 7, N. Lynn 0 0 0-0 0, S.Lynn 5 1 2-3 15, Reisdorfer 1 0 0-0 2, K.Bullerman 0 0 0-0 0, B.Bullerman 2 0 6-10 10.Edgerton 59, Adrian 55Some clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch lifted the Flying Dutchmen to a four-point victory over the Dragons in Adrian Thursday.Edgerton, which trailed 26-25 at halftime, nailed 10 consecutive free throws late in the game to complete a successful comeback against Adrian.Led by a 19-point, 15-rebound effort from Amy Kallemeyn during the game, Edgerton outscored the Dragons 34-28 in the second half.Samantha Lynn pumped in 20 points and nabbed five rebounds for Adrian, which dropped its third consecutive game.Brittany Bullerman recorded a double-double by scoring 12 points and pulling down nine rebounds. Wiertsema collected nine caroms. Natalie Lynn, who was sited for playing a strong game defensively, finished with six rebounds, five assists and three steals.Box scoreEr.Thier 2 1 0-0 7, Em.Thier 2 0 0-0 4, Tjepkes 2 00-2 4, S.Lynn 6 2 2-3 20, B.Bullerman 3 0 6-12 12, Kt.Wiertsema 2 0 4-4 8.Team statisticsAdrian: 20 of 65 field goals (31 percent), 12 of 21 free throws (57 percent), 39 rebounds, 11 turnovers.Edgerton: 19 of 71 field goals (27 percent), 15 of 22 free throws (68 percent), 32 rebounds, 11 turnovers.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne boys’ basketball team locked up second place in the Southwest Conference after splitting a pair of home games.After falling to league champion Marshall by seven points Thursday, Luverne completed its 9-3 league season with a 12-point victory over Jackson County Central.The 16-6 Cardinals end the regular season by hosting Murray County Central tonight.Luverne 81, JCC 69A big night from Marc Boelman carried the Cardinals to their ninth conference win of the season Tuesday in Luverne.With Boelman scoring a team-high 29 points to lead the way, Luverne pulled away from JCC late in the game to secure a 12-point victory.Along with Boelman’s effort, the Cardinals received some much-needed offensive punch from Andrew DeBoer and Jake Clark, who chipped in 14 and 11 points respectively."We were able to get the ball inside to Marc most of the night, and he did a good job of finishing his shots," said Cardinal coach Tom Rops."It was nice to get that type of offensive production out of DeBoer and Clark, too."Luverne overcame some good shooting by the Huskies in the first half to gain a 40-36 lead at the break. The Cards outscored JCC 41-33 in the second half to ice the win.Jake Hendricks scored 10 points and charted five assists for the winners. Derek Boeve added 10 points and two blocked shots.Box scoreBoelman 10 0 9-11 29, Hendricks 2 1 3-4 10, Clark 4 1 0-0 11, Sawtelle 1 0 0-0 2, Boeve 2 2 0-2 10, DeBoer 4 2 0-1 14, Heronimus 1 0 2-2 4, Ward 0 0 0-1 0, Miller 0 0 1-2 1.Team statisticsLuverne: 30 of 58 field goals (51 percent), 15 of 23 free throws (65 percent), 28 rebounds, six turnovers.JCC: 27 of 54 field goals (50 percent), five of nine free throws (55 percent), 17 rebounds, 13 turnovers.Marshall 65, Luverne 58The Cardinals nearly accomplished something no other conference team has in the last two seasons in Luverne Thursday.Luverne was in a position to hand the Marshall Tigers their first league loss in two seasons late in the second half, but the Tigers cashed in on six free throws in the final 2:30 of the game to help pull out a seven-point victory.The Cardinals appeared to be in trouble when Marshall scored the first six points of the second half to open a 44-28 lead with 15:10 remaining.Luverne, however, countered with a 27-12 run and trailed by one point (56-55) when Boelman drained a pair of free throws with 2:41 left to play.After Marshall extended its lead to six points at 61-55, Luverne’s Hendricks hit a three-point shot with 31 seconds left to make it a three-point difference (61-58). The Tigers then hit four free throws in the final seconds to win by seven."I was happy we were able to comeback against Marshall," said LHS coach Rops."I was proud of the kids because they didn’t give up after being down. If we would have made a few more free throws, I think we could have beat them."Free throws did settle the issue. Marshall went 17 of 20 from the line. Luverne was 19 of 38.Luverne, which scored the first point of the game for its only lead in the contest, trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half before trailing 38-38 at halftime.Boeve led the Cards with 22 points. Boelman chipped in 11 points. Clark and Nick Heronimus collected seven and six rebounds respectively. Hendricks recorded five assists and Tim Miller had three steals.Box scoreWard 0 0 0-0 0, Haakenson 0 0 0-0 0, Boelman 4 0 3-8 11, Miller 1 0 0-0 2, Hendricks 2 1 0-2 7, Boeve 1 3 11-17 22, DeBoer 0 1 2-3 5, Heronimus 1 0 2-5 4, Clark 3 0 1-2 7.Team statisticsLuverne: 17 of 54 field goals (31 percent), 19 of 58 free throws (50 percent), 29 rebounds, 13 turnovers.Marshall: 21 of 51 field goals (41 percent), 17 of 20 free throws (85 percent), 26 rebounds, 15 turnovers.

By John RittenhouseThe 2005-06 gymnastics season came to an end for the Luverne Cardinals during the Section 3A Championships staged in Jackson Saturday.In what was a disappointing meet for the Cardinals, Luverne placed seventh in a 10-team field by scoring 125.825 points.Martin County West won the section team title with 142.175 counters.Jackson County Central (138.375), Worthington (136.9), New Ulm (134.775), Marshall (128.825) and Redwood Valley (128.475) also topped the Cardinals in the team standings.Pipestone (123.45), St. James (120.45) and Windom (114.025) finished behind LHS.Along with the championship team, the top four finishers in each individual event at section competition qualify for the state meet. No Cardinals met the qualifying standards as their 17-13 season is complete.Victoria Arends and Brittany Mulder turned in Luverne’s best efforts on the vault.Arends shared sixth place with JCC’s Kylla Bargfrede with identical 8.95 efforts.Mulder and MCW’s Danielle Sandberg tied for seventh place with 8.925 efforts.Arends turned in Luverne’s best score on the bars, an 8.1. Mulder paced LHS on the beam (7.4), floor (8.25) and in the all-around competition (32.175).Claiming section titles are MCW’s Sabrina Steen (9.525 on the floor) and Kristeena Patsche (36.675 all-around), Worthington’s Kayla Block (9.15 on the vault) and Christina Sorenson (9.4 on the beam), and Marshall’s Amy Daniels (9.425 on the bars).Individual resultsVault: Arends, 8.95; Mulder, 8.925; Morgan Bosshart, 8.9; Courtney Fodness, 8.475; LaRae Kor, 7.95.Bars: Arends, 8.1; Fodness, 7.875; Bosshart, 7.65; Mulder, 7.6; Krista Van Dyk, 5.75.Beam: Mulder, 7.4; Fodness, 7.375; Brittany Sandager, 6.625; Arends, 6.15; Van Dyk, 6.05.Floor: Mulder, 8.25; Fodness, 8.225; Bosshart, 7.825; Arends, 7.5; Sandager, 7.0.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne girls’ basketball team locked up its first winning season in eight years by defeating Jackson County Central Tuesday night in Luverne.The win was preceded by a nine-point home loss to St. James, a team the Cardinals could meet in the second round of the South Section 3AA Tournament.Luverne drew the third seed for the section event. The 13-10 Cardinals host No. 6 Redwood Valley in a quarterfinal-round that begins at 7 p.m. Saturday.Luverne 43, JCC 38The Cardinals clinched their first winning season since the 1997-98 campaign when they bested the Huskies by five points in Luverne Tuesday.Playing the game without senior leader Maggie Kuhlman, who is nursing a knee injury sustained during Saturday’s game against St. James, LHS had to pull together as a team to knock off JCC.The Cardinals got the job done by overcoming a two-point (21-19) halftime deficit by outscoring the Huskies 24-17 in the final 18 minutes of play."It’s great to have a winning season, but I would like to see it carry over into the playoffs," said LHS coach Jason Phelps."We worked hard to get to this point, and now we’ll see if we can win a couple of games in the playoffs."Tuesday’s game was up for grabs until the final two minutes, when fate seemed to favor the Cards.After LHS missed two free throws down the stretch, Gacke rebounded both misses and turned them into field goals to put the Cards in front to stay.Gacke finished the game with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Mindy Nieuwboer led LHS with 14 points.Box scoreKlein 0 1 5-10 8, Nieuwboer 1 2 6-7 14, Snyder 3 0 2-3 8, Vogt 1 0 0-0 2, Gacke 3 1 2-5 11, Hoiland 0 0 0-0 0.Team statisticsLuverne: 12 of 42 field goals (29 percent), 15 of 25 free throws (60 percent), 33 rebounds, 15 turnovers.JCC: 16 of 48 field goals (33 percent), five of 10 free throws (50 percent), 29 rebounds, 20 turnovers.SJ 59, Luverne 50The visiting Saints snapped Luverne’s five-game winning streak when the teams squared off in Luverne for a Saturday afternoon tilt.In what could be a preview of a South Section 3AA Tournament semifinal clash, Luverne made an early statement by taking a 24-19 lead in the first half.St. James, however, outscored the Cards 40-26 in the second half to win by nine.The Saints led 5-3 early in the game before Luverne countered with a 12-4 surge capped by a three-point shot from Alyssa Klein at the 5:37 mark of the first half to give the hosts a 15-9 advantage.After the Saints knotted the score at 19, Luverne received a field goal from Gacke and a three-point shot from Maggie Kuhlman in the final minute of the first half to gain a five-point halftime cushion.Luverne led by three (28-25) when Nieuwboer drained a pair of free throws at 13:17 of the second half, but the rest of the game belonged to SJ.The Saints used a 30-12 run to open a 55-40 lead with 2:08 remaining before settling for a nine point win.Klein led the Cards with 10 points, four steals and three assists in the game. Nieuwboer collected nine rebounds. Gacke had five rebounds and blocked three shots.Box scoreKlein 3 1 1-2 10, Nieuwboer 3 0 3-5 9, Snyder 4 0 1-2 9, Kuhlman 0 3 0-0 9, Hoiland 1 0 2-2 4, Vogt 1 0 0-0 2, Gacke 3 0 1-4 7.Team statisticsLuverne: 19 of 57 field goals (33 percent), eight of 15 free throws (53 percent), 28 rebounds, 17 turnovers.SJ: 21 of 40 field goals (53 percent), 15 of 24 free throws (63 percent).