By Sara QuamThe Luverne City Council could put funding for a Fire Hall expansion on a special election ballot sometime this year.There isn’t a cost estimate yet, because an architectural firm hasn’t made plans. However, longtime local contractor Virgil Christensen has drawn preliminary plans for the expansion. He built the original in the 1960s.Fire Department Chief Don Deutsch said, "Our goal is to have everything under one roof."A new truck coming in just three weeks has to be temporarily stored in the city’s electric department building because the Fire Hall is too low for it to fit.The preliminary plans call for an addition to the west that would double the length of the building and bring it up to code.While handicap accessibility may not seem necessary for firefighters who have to pass physical tests in order to serve, it is necessary to be handicap accessible as a public building. The Fire Department hosts public education activities and annual visits from school children, who may have disabilities or be in wheelchairs.The addition of more bays will bring all the equipment inside one building and make everything easier to access for emergencies. The drive-through bays will mean fire department members won’t have to back out in every case.The addition of four bays leaves one open for the future growth of the department.The 37 firefighters are also a part of rope rescue teams and deal with hazardous materials, and space is needed for that equipment.The building can expand on existing property without having to purchase more land to the west. However, parking may be an issue in the future.The Luverne City Council will decide at a future meeting whether to get detailed cost estimates from an architect. Then the council will decide whether to put borrowing money for an expansion on a ballot.

By Sara QuamCounty Commissioners have more information to help them decide what to do with the Law Enforcement Center — whether to rebuild or remodel.Building a new facility by the Rock County Highway Department on Blue Mound Avenue would cost about $2,122,252.Remodeling and adding on to the existing Law Enforcement Center would cost about $2,465,669.Both plans have allowances for new furniture and fixtures, contingencies and inflation costs because the work won’t be done in 2005.Bryan Paulsen, architect, presented the two plans to the Rock County Board Tuesday.One of the biggest issues for commissioners is finding a new occupant for the existing LEC if they do rebuild.County Administrator Kyle Oldre said, "There’s going to be a lot of discussion for the board and a lot to work through."Commissioners may decide in as soon as a month and are meeting more to look over plans and to get public input. If they make that decision, work could start in the spring of 2006.The County Board passed a capital improvement plan recently, giving it the authority to bond for more than $1 million to spend on any LEC project.Other than the two options of rebuilding or remodeling, commissioners may also decide to do nothing.RebuildingThe county owns land between the current Highway Department and Human Services buildings that could provide the site for a new LEC. The preliminary plans give a new LEC 9,280 square feet.The space would include interview rooms, a secure entrance and exit, more office space and additional storage. It also has space for a community meeting room and holding cells for prisoners.It has more windows and a single floor plan, so work space would be brighter and more efficient there.Paulsen said the construction can be done mostly in wood. Some parts, for security, will be other materials, but wood saves money in most cases.The surface of a new building would be stucco and brick. The roof would be pitched, so all mechanical systems would be inside.The design allows for easy future expansion, if that is ever needed.Paulsen said the positives about building new versus remodeling are: obuilding new is the less expensive optionothere is room for expansion in the futureothe horizontal design is more efficientoBlue Mound Avenue provides good access othere is a community meeting roomogreater square footageRemodelingPaulsen said the positives about remodeling versus new are:othe existing facility is next to the courthouseousing it saves a historic buildingorelocating servers and dispatch equipment won’t be necessaryothere may not be another appropriate use for the building if it is not the LECThe surface would be a pre-cast, textured concrete made to match the Sioux quartzite of the old LEC. The rooflines would be separate and the original structure will be preserved as much as possible.The plans for remodeling and expanding the existing LEC give it almost 11,000 square feet, but much of that is not usable space.Paulsen said, "Your net to gross square footage is really whacked and you’re still compromising your goals because things are not on the same level."He said those efficiency issues are always problems when renovating instead of building new.An addition to the LEC gives it a secure garage entrance and holding cells, two major needs in the department now.A consideration in remodeling the existing facility is how operations will continue during the work.

By Sara QuamContrary to plans, Greg La Fond didn’t start a new job in Sturtevant, Wis., this week.He was scheduled to begin duties as city administrator there Monday but backed out of it at the last minute, citing family issues.The Journal Times covers news for Sturtevant and quoted Village President Steven Jansen in an article. Jansen said, "After soul-searching and further consideration, he decided to withdraw. Family comes first. I’m disappointed. I thought out of all the candidates we had, Greg was the head of the pack."La Fond is the former Luverne city administrator who was terminated without cause in May.The city of Luverne is still working on plans for a replacement, which a search committee hopes to find by September.The committee members are Mayor Andy Steensma, Council member Esther Frakes, David Smith, Steve Perkins, Connie Connell and Barbara Berghorst.Existing staff is being asked to fill in where La Fond left off, and department managers will receive temporary raises for their extra work without an administrator.The city hasn’t settled with La Fond on a specific severance package yet and isn’t paying unemployment for him.

By Lori EhdeThe bright lights and long lenses of the Ken Burns documentary film crews were in town again last week, interviewing veterans and families and filming landmarks in Luverne and Rock County.The New York production company, Florentine Films, is working on a documentary film series about the American experience during World War II.The movie will focus on the war-time experiences of four American cities: Sacramento, Calif.; Waterbury, Conn.; Mobile, Ala., and Luverne.Unlike other war documentaries, this one illustrates what was happening at home while the soldiers were away.To do that, producers have solicited help from the respective town residents.Anyone with photographs or home movies of Luverne or Rock County during the World War II era (1935-1945) was asked to share their collections with the producers of the film.A Saturday gathering in Luverne yielded some fruitful results, according to Rock County Historical Society President Betty Mann."People were steady coming in all day from 10 a.m. until about 3:45," Mann said. "It was mostly scrapbooks and pictures."Research started two years agoBut this wasn’t their first stop in Luverne for research. Producers have leaned heavily on Mann and other local historians in the past two years for Luverne information."They wanted to know my recollections of the time period during the Second World War," she said. "But I was too young at the time to have remembered enough."But what Mann doesn’t know first-hand she works hard to find out or uncover for the film"I’m really excited about it. We’re accumulating all these pictures and all this information," she said. "It’s just exciting to know it’s happening to us."Of particular interest has been the Star Herald negative archive. Tollefson Publishing recently donated the collection to the Historical Society, and among the thousands of 4-by-5 black-and-white negatives have been some treasures.More than 100 of these negatives have been printed for use in the film.Tom Hanks will be voice of Star Herald writer Al McIntoshIn the process of poring over Star Herald bound copies, researchers came across personal columns written by former Star Herald editor and publisher Al McIntosh.Script writer for the film, Geoffrey Ward, said it was as if McIntosh was writing for the movie."He’s an absolutely astonishing writer … He’s such a good storyteller, and he writes with such emotion," Ward said Saturday from the front porch of the former McIntosh home.Ward said one column, for example, described the grim duty of the local telegraph man in delivering news of loss from overseas."He wrote about that and the awfulness of it," Ward said. "Everyone could tell something bad had happened by the way he walked down the street and they knew someone was getting bad news."He said that small-town familiarity is what sets Luverne apart from other cities featured in the film."In a larger city, they wouldn’t know the guy who delivers telegraphs from anyone else, but there’s something about a small town where we do know everyone and things affect people more visually," Ward said.Producers said Saturday that actor Tom Hanks heard about the movie and asked to be the voice of Al McIntosh.Luverne role started with Quentin AanensonThe McIntosh information will be a big part of Luverne’s role in the movie, but that’s not what led to Luverne’s inclusion in the production.Luverne native Quentin Aanenson produced "The Fighter Pilot’s Story" in 1993, and it was picked up by PBS and aired in 1994."… it has helped purge some of the devastating memories that have haunted me for almost 50 years," he says at the start of the movie. "So this is my story. It is being told so the children and grandchildren of those who were involved in this mortal storm can have a better understanding of what our world of war was really like."For that reason, Aanenson said he’s honored to be part of the making of "The War." He was also in Luverne over the weekend."It gives me a thrill to realize I can come back here so many years later and still find it’s an area I can relate to."McIntosh and Luverne’s historic appearance have turned out to be icing on the cake, according to Ward."It’s a quintessential American town," Ward said. "All towns experienced the war, but Luverne hasn’t been transformed completely since then. At least remnants appear to be very much the same as they were during the war."Working relationshipsFlorentine Films Associate Producer Meghan Horvath has been assigned to Luverne for the movie.During an early visit Horvath said she was impressed by the national military presence Luverne has had throughout history."Everyone has a sense of Luverne’s military role in the country," she said in a July 2003 Star Herald story. "I was surprised by that, because for such a small town, there are a lot of veterans here."Associate producer Sara Botstein said Friday, "This is our favorite town. Every town has a different reason for being our favorite town. But here, it’s the kindness of the community. … We feel like we know everybody."PBS crews were also in Luverne over the weekend, filming the producers doing their jobs, as were Minneapolis Star Tribune reporters.Film producers shot footage of the palace at night (with the marquee advertising Bing Crosby and Rita Hayworth), 1940s automobiles parked on side streets, Al McIntosh’s former home and rural farm residences.Some specific items they were looking for this time include photographs or home movies of the following:oLuverne places: such as the Omaha railroad bridge, the Luverne train depot at night, Gimm and Brynes’ RestaurantoLuverne people: such as men who were wounded or killed in action in the war or Luverne residents at home or at work.oLuverne war activities or events: VE Day, VJ Day, scrap drives, people saving fat, civil defense wardens in the neighborhood, people listening to the radio for war news, funeral or memorial services.oHolidays in Luverne: ChristmasoSeasons in Luverne: spring and winter especiallyoPost-War Luverne: parades and returning Vets.For more information about possible contributions, call Mann at 283-2913.

By Lori EhdeIt’s as if the weight of the world has been lifted from her shoulders … 190 pounds, to be exact.One year ago, Emilie Brands had gastric bypass surgery, and since then, she’s shrunk to nearly half her original size."I used to dream about being thin," she said Friday, "and now I’m living my dream."Emilie celebrated her new weight by free-falling from a plane at 10,000 feet last week. The tandem jump with the South Dakota Skydivers at the Luverne airport was the perfect culmination of a year’s worth of weight loss."It was awesome," was the best way Emilie could describe the experience. "And one of the best parts about it was that I fit in the jump suit."Describing the skydiving experience was easier than describing what it’s like to lose 190 pounds."I feel like a new person … literally," Emilie said searching for words. "The old Emilie haunts me on a regular basis, like a sad spirit that sits on my shoulder and reminds me where I’ve been and what I’ve gone through."‘I felt horrible’She weighed 387 pounds at the time of surgery, and she hasn’t forgotten how that felt. "I felt horrible," she said.At age 27 she had reached a low point in her life, physically.Her weight was sapping her energy, making her more lethargic, which, in turn, slowed her metabolism and caused more weight gain."Climbing stairs was an effort," she said. "It hurt."Her obesity also weighed in on her pregnancy. She had high blood pressure, vomited much of the nine months, spent the last several weeks on bed rest and suffered a difficult delivery.When her daughter was a few months old, Emilie was included in a family photograph that she now labels "fat me" in her digital album."I couldn’t play with my daughter the way I wanted to, because it was too hard to get up and down off the floor," Emilie said.But she said the physical side effects of obesity were easier to handle than the emotional aspects of it."It’s not easy being fat," Emilie said. "I was ashamed to go out in public. I didn’t want to run into anybody I knew. … You get to the point where you notice everybody looking at you, and you know what they’re thinking. They hope they don’t ever look like that."Emilie said obesity runs in her family, but she also admits she was addicted to food. She knew she had a problem, but in a society where social functions center around food, controlling the addiction was difficult."It’s not like tobacco or alcohol addiction where you just quit," she said. "With food, you have to eat. But I was an emotional eater. I ate when I was sad, I ate when I was angry … I used food as a reward."Emilie recalls how she felt soon after the surgery. "I felt something I don’t remember ever feeling – the ache of being full," she said. "My reason for eating is no longer comfort, but to have energy."She said she tried to lose weight on her own."I had tried everything – Weight Watchers, hypnosis, you name it," she said. "But after you’ve failed so many times, basically you give up on yourself."About the time she gave up, Emilie met her husband, Bryan Brands. On a side note, they met on the Internet only to find out they were both from Luverne. "It’s a very small world," she said.Emilie’s parents are Peggy and Dave Hewitt and Bryan’s parents are Bernie and Sue Brands, and Janice and Paul Nath, Dovry."He made me feel good about myself again," she said. And her relationship with Bryan inspired her to look into the surgery.Not the easy way outEmilie said she’s bothered by the assumption that surgery is the easy way to lose weight."It was by no means easy," she said of the past year’s ordeal.Her procedure, known as the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass, staples off a part of the upper stomach, creating a stomach pouch about the size of an egg.The stomach, duodenum and several feet of upper small intestine are bypassed, and the remaining small intestine is reconnected to the new small stomach pouch. The old stomach remains and shrinks, even though it can still function.Emilie now has the scars from 44 staples that crossed her stomach vertically, from her sternum to her navel.It was major surgery, but growing accustomed to her tiny stomach was more difficult than the recovery from surgery.Using an infant spoon and timer, she slowly and carefully fed herself two tablespoons of liquid every two minutes.When she finally could eat solids, she had to chew them to puree consistency. "The exit tube from my stomach was the size of a No. 2 pencil. That’s why if I didn’t chew my food well enough, it can get lodged, and it hurts," she said."My intestine is shorter, so food goes through my system quicker. That’s why I have I to eat the right foods."Those first few days and weeks after surgery were difficult, she said, and she was often sick.But the effects were immediate.Two weeks after surgery, she’d lost 19 pounds. In the second week she lost another 17 pounds. By the eighth week, she’d lost a total of 62 pounds.By that time, she was introducing new foods to her small stomach, and exercise was getting easier."One of the hardest parts was learning to eat to fuel my body, not for comfort," Emilie said. "Exercise was hard at first, but the more weight I lost the more excited I got with the quick results."But she’ll never eat the same again. She needs to eat constantly, in tiny portions, all day long, because her stomach is too small for the typical three larger meals a day."If I want to splurge on a sugar cookie, I can have a few bites, but if I ate the whole thing, I’d be in trouble," Emilie said.The typical weight loss from gastic bypass is 30 percent of a person’s body weight. Emilie lost 51 percent of her body weight.She attributes that partly to the fact that she’s so strongly embraced her new lifestyle of eating healthy foods and exercising.She enjoys water aerobics and she and Bryan recently bought a new elliptical exercise machine.The operation was covered by her health insurance, because the procedure was determined to be necessary, not cosmetic.Insurance may also cover plastic surgery to remove excess flesh that now hangs from her upper arms and stomach. She’ll find out after a consult in August.The new EmilieThe procedure was painful and recovery has been demanding, but Emilie said the transformation has been remarkable."When I look back on surgery, that was the day the old Emilie died and the new Emilie was born," she said, fighting back tears.As the pounds fell off, Emilie discovered new abilities and a new body under the fat layers."I remember when I could first cross my legs," she said. "That was an accomplishment."Her wedding rings no longer fit. "My rings are Size 11, and my fingers are now Size 8, so they fall off," she said.She also noticed definition in her shoulders and other limbs. "I said to Bryan, ‘Did you notice I have shoulder blades?’" Emilie said. "Every day was a new adventure."Now she rewards herself by going shopping instead of eating. She was a size 30-32 and is now a size 14/16, so she enjoys shopping in regular department store aisles, rather than in plus sizes. "That’s a nice feeling," she said.Just recently, she enjoyed a girls’ night out with her sister and friends. "I had never been hit on in a bar before and I wanted to know what that felt like," she said. "It happened six times, and it was awesome. Before, I was always the fat girl sitting alone with her drink while her friends were dancing."She made it clear the outing was only an experiment, and that Bryan had given his blessing. "I just wanted to experience that, just once," she said.Emilie has more energy now to keep up with her three jobs – home day care, CCSI in nights and evenings and freelance graphic designing.Without the physical limitations of obesity, Emilie said she wants to try other new things, like scuba diving, snorkeling, bungy jumping and maybe a trip to Valley Fair – because this time, she’ll fit in the ride seats. "Who knows?" she said. "The sky’s not the limit – I did that already."Still the same EmilieBryan said it was hard to see Emilie suffer while recovering from surgery, but he said the end result has been worth it."I’m just proud of her and all the things she’s accomplished," he said."She’s still the same Emilie to me. She’s still the same beautiful person I knew the day I met her. She was beautiful inside and outside, and she still is."The end result has been good for the entire Brands family, he said, admitting he’s lost more 30 pounds himself because of healthier eating."The things we used to enjoy doing, like eating out, aren’t the same," he said, "because we don’t eat like that anymore."Instead of eating at a restaurant for a night out, they go for a walk or play cards.Emilie said she still remembers the old Emilie. "She’s still with me, reminding me how painful that was to wake up in the morning and try to put on clothes that don’t fit and to see people looking at me that way."… And to know that my husband still loved me despite what I looked like."Bryan takes it all in stride."She’s still the same person I fell in love with," he said. "To me the only thing that’s changed about her is her outside appearance."Emilie attributes her success so far to Bryan and the support of others around her. "In order to have this surgery, I was told I’d have to have a good support group in place, and that support group has been God, my family, my church family and my friends," she said. "It was a struggle, but when they’d notice my weight loss and praise me, I was encouraged to go on."Emilie will need to take a B12 shot and mulitvitamin for the rest of her life.She wants to get the message out that heavy people are the same as everyone else on the inside. "You may not realize it, but 90 percent of what you don’t say can be more hurtful than that 10 percent you do say," she said."I heard a lot from people around me ‘You have such a pretty face, if you could only lose some weight …’ And I hated that."If nothing else, she wants to be an inspiration for others."For the first time, I’m comfortable being me," she said. "I’m at the top of the world, and it’s only going to get better."

By John RittenhouseHills-Beaver Creek High School graduate Zach Wysong will spend part of his summer playing baseball in Luverne.Wysong is listed on the Luverne American Legion and Luverne Redbird rosters this year.Wysong had a big night when the Legion squad opened the season by hosting two teams for single games June 14.During a 10-0 victory over Fulda, he went 2-4 at the plate, scored two runs and drove in two counters. One of his hits was an RBI triple.Wysong slapped a two-run triple, scored twice and went 1-4 at the plate in a 12-3 win over Adrian later that night.The H-BC standout athlete made his debut as a member of Luverne’s amateur baseball team June 11 in Pipestone.Wysong was hitless in two plate appearances during a 6-5 loss.Wysong made a good impression with the Redbirds during games against Worthington June 15 and Fairmont Sunday in Luverne.During an 11-0 victory over Worthington, he went 3-4 at the plate, scored two runs and registered two RBIs. Wysong singled home two runs in the second inning.Wysong went 4-5 at the plate with one run and two RBIs during an 8-7 win over Fairmont Sunday.

By John RittenhouseZach Wysong ends his high school baseball career as a two-time selection to the All-Southwest Conference Team.Wysong, who made the honorary team as a junior in 2004, is one of three Luverne High School players selected to the 2005 team early this week.The Hills-Beaver Creek High School graduate played shortstop and pitched for the Cardinals, who finished tied for second place in the conference with an 8-4 record.Seniors Jared Pick (pitcher-outfielder) and Taylor Graphenteen (outfielder) also graced the all-league roster from Luverne.Senior Brad Herman (pitcher-outfielder) and junior catcher Ben Nath drew honorable mention selections for LHS.Marshall and Worthington led all teams by drawing four all-conference selections each.Seniors Tony Shaikoski, Jesse VanOverbeke and Nick Gjorvad and junior Cory Krogen made the team for the Tigers. Seniors Justin Saufley, Jay Scheidt, Joe Klumper and Brad Nankivil are the Trojans on the team.Pipestone, the SWC and Section 3AA champion, drew three all-league selections in seniors Dan Morrison and David Steenstra and junior Matt Paulsen.Windom juniors Mike Nesseth and Brent Fredin, and Jackson County Central senior Caleb Rossow and junior Corey Polz round out the roster.Pipestone seniors Nick Schneider and Tim Stotz, Marshall sophomore Nate Baumann, Windom senior Brett Mattson, JCC senior Matt Bezdicek and sophomore Marcus Schultz and Redwood Valley senior Mark Yrjo join Herman and Nath as honorable mention selections.

By Lexi MooreLast June the Exchange State Bank in Hills invited customers and community members to an appreciation picnic at the city park. The event was so successful the bank decided to make the customer appreciation picnic an annual event.Tuesday night the bank served hamburgers, brats, hotdogs, ice cream and all of the fixings to nearly 450 people at the Hills-Beaver Creek High School.The event was scheduled to take place at the Hills City Park, but event planners worried about the weather and changed the location.For several years the bank hosted customer appreciation picnics at their branches in Inwood and Larchwood. Bank personnel received such positive response from the customers that they decided to plan similar events for patrons in Hills and Ellsworth.Bank President Tim Plimpton wants residents to know that this is a "tradition we’re starting.""We want to thank each and every one of our customers for their patronage and invite community members to the park to learn about our services."In addition to food, there were door prizes for kids and adults, ice cream served by the Rock County Dairy Barn and a legion of clowns giving out balloon animals.Door prize winners were:oGirls Bike: Kourtney RozeboomoBoys Bike: Logan BoschoFire Pit: Cheryl Elbers

By Lexi MooreResidents in Hills may have noticed that the "Kevin’s Transmissions" sign was recently removed from the building on Main Street. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before it was replaced by a new sign that said "Scott’s Automatic."The new sign was the first indication that the business was changing.Scott Kruger worked with Kevin Van Veldhuizen at Kevin’s Transmissions for 4 1/2 years. Last winter Van Veldhuizen began talking about retiring from his five years in the transmissions business to focus on his hog farm.Kruger’s reaction to Van Veldhuizen’s retirement was to propose taking over the business."I enjoy working on transmissions. I’ve done so many different jobs, but I really like this one."He made an arrangement with Van Veldhuizen to lease the building and business for a short time while he gets used to running things. He has the option to purchase the building in the near future.Kruger enjoys delivering reliable and affordable transmission work to local residents."I believe vehicles leave the area when they need to be worked on. I would like to bring back that business."Now that the new sign is up and Scott feels comfortable in his position, he is ready to host an open house so that residents can meet him and learn about Scott’s Automatic.The open house will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Friday afternoon at the shop on Main Street in Hills. In addition to offering food and refreshments, Scott plans to give away several door prizes. He has arranged to give transmission work discounts, oil changes and promotional products.Scott’s Automatic offers the same services that Kevin’s Transmissions did for the past five years with new hours. Kruger plans to have the shop open most Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The shop offers general maintenance, oil changes, brake work and transmission repair.Kruger has a lengthy background working on vehicles. He grew up working on his father’s racing team, the Quick Silver Team, and helping scrap transmissions at Kruger Salvage, owned by his uncle Barney.