By John RittenhouseAfter watching his Cardinals struggle at the free-throw line during the first two games of the South Section 3AA Boys Basketball Tournament, Luverne coach Tom Rops knew something had to change.In order to be successful in Saturday’s championship game against Pipestone at Southwest State University in Marshall, Rops identified improved shooting from the line as one of the keys to victory against the Arrows.The way things turned out, the Cardinals met the challenge in a big way.After making a sloppy 50 percent (32 of 64) of their charity shots in the first two postseason games, the Cards cashed in on 72 percent (23 of 32) of their charity shots from the Arrows. And it was Luverne’s success at the line that carried the Cardinals to a 46-37 victory over rival Pipestone."The kids knew we had to do a better job at the free-throw line. Fortunately for us, we were able to do that," Rops said.The win gave the Cards their first South Section 3AA championship in school history and the first post-season tournament title since 1996. Luverne advances to tonight’s Section 3AA championship game at SSU. The 18-8 Cardinals play 22-3 Benson, the top-seeded team from the north half of the section, at 8 p.m.Luverne received a boost of confidence before Saturday’s championship game against the Arrows started. Senior Jared Pick, who was unable to dress for Thursday’s semifinals due to back spasms, was fit enough to return to the starting line-up. Pick made his presence felt immediately by converting a three-point play 40 seconds into the game to give the Cards an early lead."Having Jared back on the floor was important to us both physically and psychologically. The kids knew he was there, and that was important," Rops said.Pipestone scored the next six points after Pick’s three-point play, but the Cards ended the quarter with a 9-0 run capped by two free throws from Nick Heronimus with 14.9 seconds remaining to give LHS a 12-6 cushion.The Arrows scored the first two points of the second quarter before Luverne received three-point shots from Heronimus and Brandon Deragisch to gain an 18-8 advantage at the 4:13 mark of the period.The Arrows trimmed the difference to six points (20-14), and they appeared to be happy with the position they were in when they let Luverne hold the ball for more than a minute before putting up the last shot of the first half. Deragish made Pipestone pay for that decision by nailing a three-point shot with six seconds left to give his team a 23-14 lead.Deragisch, who led the Cards with 19 points in the contest, came up with the game’s biggest play after Pipestone scored the first five points of the third quarter to trail 23-19.With 2:56 remaining in the stanza, Deragisch drained a three-point shot and was fouled in the act of shooting. Deragisch made his free throw to complete a four-point play and sank two more charity shots with 4.2 seconds left in the quarter to give the Cards a 32-21 lead."Brandon hit two huge shots for us," Rops said. "His three-pointer right before halftime was big, and his four-point play took the momentum away from Pipestone after they pulled to within four points."The Arrows were unable to offer the Cards a serious challenge in the fourth quarter. Pipestone did trim the difference to seven points (35-28) with 2:29 left to play. Luverne, however, made 11 of 16 free throws in the final 1:41 to ice a nine-point victory."This was a big win for our program, and I give all the credit to the seven kids who played tonight (Saturday)," Rops said. "As a coach, all you can do is try and put the kids in a position where they can be successful. But it’s up to the kids to knock down the shots, and they did that. Give the credit to the kids because all seven of them did what was asked of them tonight."Box scorePick 1 0 1-1 3, Herman 0 0 0-1 0, Deragisch 2 3 6-8 19, Hendricks 0 1 1-2 4, Antoine 1 0 3-4 5, Tofteland 0 0 6-8 6, Heronimus 1 0 6-8 9.Team statisticsLuverne: nine of 20 field goals (45 percent), 23 of 32 free throws (72 percent), 14 rebounds, eight turnovers.Pipestone: 14 of 27 field goals (52 percent), eight of 10 free throws (80 percent), 22 rebounds, 17 turnovers.

We can run, but apparently we can’t hide from government rules and guidelines. Shortly after entrepreneur Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, announced plans to make space travel "as ordinary as a Caribbean cruise," the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) came up with passenger guidelines. The newly drafted suggestions cover pre-flight physical exams, risk waivers and safety training. In other words, what originally sounded like an adventure now resembles another day at work. It’s only a thought and it might cost less, but the FAA could more easily revise passenger guidelines already in place for domestic flights: Pack essential items, such as prescription drugs and dental floss, in your carry-on bag. There is always the possibility that checked-through baggage may be misdirected to another planet, if not another galaxy, and you will never see it again. You will undoubtedly experience weightlessness during this trip. However, there is no need to change the somewhat embarrassing weight listed on your driver’s license to "zero." Unlike your actual weight, the weightlessness of outer space is short-lived. Pack for extreme weather changes. Sunscreen lotions might be needed if the aircraft veers too closely to the sun. Insulated underwear would be advisable for side trips around the dark side of the moon. Passenger use of cell phones and other transmitting devices is strictly forbidden after lift-off. In addition to compromising the space ship’s communications system, possibly sending the craft into an unpleasant "graveyard spin," the roaming charges on your next phone bill might easily send you into cardiac arrest. It is highly recommended that you bring along at least 114 brown-bag meals from home for the duration of the trip. Your only other alternative will be to purchase the same number of in-flight meals from the flight attendants. The menu choices for your flight include plastic bags of nutritious, space ready meals in the following colors — mud gray, brown and tan. Smoking is not allowed in either the main cabin or the lavatories. Because of the length of this trip, roughly 38 days, heavy smokers might want to reconsider their flight plans. If you are caught lighting up, your pilot may be forced to make an unscheduled stop and drop you off on some uncharted star. Your total luggage weight limit is 10 pounds. Let’s face it, you won’t be seeing anyone at some final tropical destination, so there won’t be a need to dress to impress. This is truly a round trip. You get on, you travel in a big circle, you get off and that’s it. As far as unexpected medical emergencies are concerned, don’t go whining to the flight crew about heart palpitations or other discomforts. Our flight attendants are busy enough with handing out unidentifiable food bags, keeping a lookout for destructive asteroids, switching us over to reserve tanks of fuel whenever needed and fluffing pillows. Deal with it. Exercise calm and restraint for the duration of the trip. It does no good to shout, "Oh, no! We’re falling apart!" or "The entire ship is on fire!" when we’re 350,000 miles from Earth and the nearest rescue squad. Such outbursts, while they may be true, only serve to demoralize the flight crew and your fellow passengers. Don’t spread dread. Finally, be on a constant vigil for extraterrestrial terrorists. You can never be too careful.

New people in Hills are Ron and Starla and their two sons, Thomas, 10th grade, and Andrew, 7th grade. They moved from Steen on Feb. 24. They live in the south part of Hills, having purchased the home built by Rodney Verhey. Welcome to Hills!Mary Carter returned home Thursday after visiting her sons and families for more than a month. At Sun City, Nev., she spent time with Ron and Joyce Carter and at Camarillo, Calif., she visited John and Julie Carter. Last Tuesday Shirley Olson and her brother, Bob Nerison, Renner, S.D., attended funeral services for Ove Nerison at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls. Burial was in Flowerfield Cemetery, Hills. Wendell and Kathryn Erickson have been visiting their son-in-law, Patrick Anderson, in Sioux Falls. He underwent surgery on his leg from a gunshot injury he had received earlier. Patrick’s parents, Carl and Laverne Anderson, Stanchfield, were also visiting him.Coffee guests Wednesday afternoon in the home of Harriet Skattum were Martha Hoyme of Sioux Falls and her son Terry of Texas.Vi Van Wyhe visited her brother, Marvin Warner, at the Fellowship Village in Inwood, Iowa, on Wednesday. John Sandager left for his home in Colorado Springs, Colo., after spending several days with his mother, Fran Sandager. Pastor Doug and Grace Barnes and children, Michael, Sam, Luke, Jacob and Joanna, returned home Saturday from Pennsylvania where they attended funeral services for Doug’s uncle who was in his 70s.Wendell and Kathryn Erickson spent a few days in the home of their son, Hans and Susan Erickson, at Eagan, and they helped their granddaughter, Siri, celebrate her third birthday. Frada Erland, 81, died March 5 at the Madison, S.D., Community Hospital. Funeral services were Tuesday, March 8, at St. Thomas Aquinas Church with the Rev. Robert Vinslauski officiating. Burial was in Belle View Cemetery, Howard, S.D. Freda was the wife of Chester Erland, who survives and who is the brother of Violet Hecht, Hills. Chester recently celebrated his 95th birthday. Orv and Bonnie Sundem and Ashley spent the weekend in Champlin and got acquainted with the new baby boy born to Aric and Amy Sundem. They returned to Hills Sunday night. Guests over the weekend in the home of Dick and Audrey Heidenson were their son, Steve, his wife, Deb, and son Max of Battle Lake. On Friday night they joined another son, Ray, and his family of Brandon, S.D., for dinner out.

It looks like the groundhog knew what he was doing when he predicted the spring weather would continue. We have really been fortunate as our spring-like weather continues nearly every day. Sunday was an absolutely perfect day. The sun was shining and the wind wasn’t blowing. The geese were saying goodbye to us as they were flying to their homes further south. I haven’t seen anyone in the fields as yet, but they are working on their equipment so that they will be ready when the time is right. Several families have gone to the lakes to get away from the old routine and enjoy the great outdoors. Just remember what the predictions are for the end of March. If they come true, we had all better hang onto our hats.The Steen Senior Citizens had their March meeting Monday afternoon at the Town Hall in Steen. Cards and games were played. Lunch was served by Henrietta Huenink. Among those attending the World Day of Prayer service at the Presbyterian Church in Beaver Creek Friday afternoon from the Steen area were Bernice Aukes and Mildred Paulsen.The Hills-Beaver Creek schools will have their spring break on Friday, March 25, and there will be no school on Monday, March 28. Mildred Keunen and Jo Aykens were Sunday dinner guests at the Joyce Aykens home in Worthington. Other guests were Paul Aykens and his wife, Carole, and Susan and Jayden Veldkamp from Orange City, Iowa. The Living Last Supper will be presented at the Ellsworth High School gym. Performances will be at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 23, and at 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday, March 26. A free will offering will be taken to help defray expenses. The Inspiration Hills Women’s Auxiliary will have their annual meeting on Thursday, March 24. Registration and coffee will be at 9 a.m. with the meeting to begin at 10 a.m. Cost for the day is $8.50.The Hills-Beaver Creek girls and boys basketball tournament will be on Saturday, March 12, at the elementary school in Beaver Creek.In the hustle and bustle of our world today, it almost seems like we never have any time to ourselves. I love all of the activity but there are times one needs some personal time. I thought it was just I who needed to have some time to myself. However, when I found this article titled "Take Time for These Things," I decided it was a good idea, so I am sharing it with you today.Take Time for These Things
Take time to worship. It is the highway of reverence which leads, cleanses and restores the soul.
Take time to work. It is the price of success.
Take time to think. It is the source of power.
Take time to read. It is the foundation of knowledge.
Take time to help and enjoy friends. It is the source of happiness.
Take time to play. It is the secret of youth.
Take time to love. It is the one sacrament.
Take time to dream. It hitches the soul to the stars.
Take time to laugh. It is the singing that helps with life’s loads.
Take time to plan. It is the secret of being able to save time to take time for the first nine things.

10 years ago (1995)"Hills-Beaver Creek has two of the best this year. Two of the best Mock Trial teams, that is.And one of its best is off to the state Mock Trial competition. The group earned the state berth after recording an impressive 165-158 win over Luverne in the regional finals on Monday. The team is coached by Edna Langerock and Luverne attorney Donald Klosterbuer and is made up of Sam Vahey, Dawn Fick, Teresa Bly, Heather Van Wyhe, Janel Rozeboom, Matt Ebert, Sara Walraven, Jerad Van Maanen and Jim Berdahl." 25 years ago (1980)"Craig Olson and David Beyenhof have been named to the all-conference team for their play for the Hills-Beaver Creek Patriots basketball team in 1979-80. Also honored for his performance in Tri-County league play this year was Durant Kruger, who received an honorable mention." 50 years ago (1955)"Recently The Crescent moved in its second automatic job printing press. This will add to services previously offered with its Kluge automatic, purchased in 1946. The newly added press is a Webendorfer-built Little Giant, capable of handling a 12x12 sheet of paper at speeds from 2,900 to 3,700 impressions per hour. It operates from one and one-half to two times as fast as the Kluge."75 years ago (1930)"The basketball season is over and the sport news is rather scarce. Marbles seems to be the main pastime for the grade boys. The baseball season will soon be at hand and we hope for a good season." 100 years ago (1905)"Nelson & Christopherson have their gasoline engine now in place in the new house. The machine has been completely overhauled and has the appearance of a new one. Other important changes have also been made and from now on the city blacksmith shop will be the busiest place in town."

Although it’s not common knowledge, current Adrian High School head wrestling coach Gregg Nelson nearly became a coach in the Luverne High School program in the mid-1990s.Nelson, who guided AHS to three state team championship berths and tutored two individual state champions during a six-year tenure as head coach in Adrian, thought he was going to be coaching in Luverne in the spring of 1995.A 1989 Owatonna High School graduate who wrestled his way to a state runner-up finish as a senior, Nelson was a first-year teacher in Ellsworth during the 1994-95 school year. Ellsworth was in the final year of a sports sharing agreement with Adrian, and Nelson represented EHS as an assistant coach on Jim Carr’s coaching staff at Adrian that season.The sharing agreement between Adrian and Ellsworth was discontinued in the spring of 1995, and EHS entered a wrestling sharing agreement with Luverne starting the next season. At that time, it looked like Nelson would work with then LHS head coach Dave Duffy for the 1995-96 season."It was a possibility," Nelson recalled from his home in Adrian Sunday night. "I was living in Luverne then. I was a lot younger, and I would have gone to Alaska to coach if I would have had to back then."The way things turned out, Nelson never did enter the LHS coaching ranks.Adrian offered Nelson a teaching position before the 1994-95 school year was complete, and he’s been there ever since. Nelson served as an assistant coach to Carr for five years before taking over the head coaching position for the 1999-2000 season."If I would have been back in Ellsworth (for the 1995-96 school year), I would have coached in Luverne that season," Nelson admitted.Considering Adrian’s recent success in wrestling, Nelson made the right choice for himself and the AHS program.My apologies tothe good doctorI’d like to apologize to Luverne optometrist Dr. George McDonald and another reader I sent on a wild goose chase Thursday Feb. 24.In last week’s Star Herald story about the Ellsworth-Hills-Beaver Creek girls basketball game, I released some bum information. The story said H-BC would play Fulda in Worthington Thursday night, but the game actually was played Friday night.The misinformation I relayed in the story sent McDonald into a frantic scramble to get his seat in the Worthington gym for a game he desperately wanted to witness in person. Once he found out there was no game in Worthington, the eye doctor traveled to Fulda to see if it was taking place on the Raiders’ home floor. Instead of the girls’ game he wanted to see, McDonald found himself watching the play-off games of the South Section 3A Boys Basketball Tournament.In his usual good-humored manner, Dr. McDonald, the first person I ran into in Fulda, confronted me with the question, "Where are the Fulda and H-BC girls playing tonight?" I couldn’t come up with a reasonable response, and we ended up laughing at each other.Sorry, George. It’s not a good excuse, but sometimes I get confused with all the tournament games taking place on different nights at different sites.Upon further reflection, I consider it to be fortunate that basketball is played in the winter rather than the summer.Dr. McDonald, you see, is an accomplished golfer. If the mistake I made came at a different time of the year, I’m sure McDonald’s golf clubs would have been in the trunk of his car. Instead of being greeted with a question when our paths crossed in Fulda, I may well have been greeted with a blow to the head from a 5-iron.

By Sara QuamRock County Engineer Mark Sehr is requesting that the Department of Natural Resources investigate modifying the dam on the Rock River near the Luverne City Park.Sehr said he is concerned about safety and drowning hazards.He said the dam’s design causes strong undercurrents, which are unsafe, even though the dam is usually just 4 feet deep.He asked for the city’s support last week, but concerns about protecting the water source prevented Council action.City of Luverne Water and Wastewater Supervisor Al Lais said a study by the United States Geological Survey found that the dam influences 30 to 35 percent of the city’s wells.Understanding that, Sehr is waiting for an opinion from the DNR."If we could modify the dam to make it safer during the 2008 bridge construction project, the cost to the city and county would be negligible."There are special dam safety funds available through the DNR, and labor and equipment would already be on site.City Administrator Greg La Fond last week said the city could consider other safety enhancements while not affecting the water supply.The dam was built as part of the city’s electrical generation system, but is no longer used for that.In August of 1993, 15-year-old Jesse Saum drowned while walking across the dam.

By Sara QuamThe city of Luverne is marketing itself as a place to visit, live and start a business.The Luverne City Council and Luverne Economic Development Authority voted to spend up to $20,000 on a marketing campaign through the television station KELO in Sioux Falls. The actual budgeted amount is $18,500, but the city allowed for $20,000 so film crews could update the video seasonally, or for special events, such as Buffalo Days.Economic Development Director Jill Wolf said, "I think it is a good market, and that it will draw people to visit, or move here."The $18,500 buys 50 30-second spots per month, with at least 25 of those in prime time. There may be up to 60 spots per month through a special package for cities. KELO, a CBS affiliate, will also run some of the commercials on the UPN station it owns. Wolf said it might be difficult to quantify the success of the campaign. "Only 5 percent of viewers are ‘today’ customers, looking for a place to visit or move or start a business. The other 95 percent might remember Luverne a month or more later."Wolf said the TV campaign will probably draw more people to visit or live in Luverne, while other advertising efforts will draw more businesses through the JOB Zones tax breaks.Chamber of Commerce Director Dave Smith said, "I think it’s a good project, a good use of the money."Council member Esther Frakes sat in on the presentation from KELO. Frakes said, "I really pushed for this to go through. … I hope we can present Luverne’s good business climate along with its beautiful residential areas."Along with the funds for KELO, the city approved an overall $40,000 advertising budget for the year. The KELO money comes from that budget.The $40,000 will be spent from utility funds, not the general fund, which is generated from tax revenues. It’s the same budget as 2004.The city will approve an overall marketing strategy before spending the money. Wolf said she hopes to target the other advertising efforts to metropolitan areas with businesses that would like to use JOBZ.

By Lori EhdeLuverne High School graduate Jennnifer Iveland is playing a big role on the front lines of the war in Iraq.Sgt. Iveland is a mental health specialist in the Army Reserve’s 785th Medical Company out of Fort Snelling.Specifically, she’s working as a stress counselor for troops in combat zones of Baghdad."We give them the opportunity to talk about their experiences and we try to help them normalize their reactions," Iveland said in an e-mail interview with the Star Herald Tuesday.In the Civil War, it was "melancholia," World War II soldiers were "shell shocked," and Vietnam veterans suffered from "post-traumatic stress disorder."Today, it’s called "combat stress," and the U.S. military and mental health professionals have learned it’s best to deal with it in the field, as close as possible to the fighting.That’s where Iveland comes in.She and three others from her company spent a week earlier this month in Sadr City, a Shiite neighborhood of Baghdad where eight U.S. soldiers were killed and 52 were wounded.Iveland and her team arrived at the scene a few hours after the first casualties and began working with the group that lost four of 10 men."Seeing them suffer has been difficult," Iveland said. "Many have seen a lot of combat and been through traumatic experiences, and it can be hard to see them in such emotional pain."Iveland, who has been in Iraq since February, said working with the soldiers involved in the Sadr City ambush is the hardest thing she’s done yet."Many of the guys we talked to lost their leaders, fellow soldiers and best friends in that ambush," she said.She describes the most challenging part of her job as trying to get the word out to the different military units that Combat Stress Control resources are available."Many of the soldiers we have come in contact with did not even know that they could get help in dealing with the combat and occupational stress they were dealing with," Iveland said.From the most difficult experiences, Iveland is finding the deepest professional rewards."Seeing the changes in the soldiers from when we first meet them can be remarkable," she said. "Dealing with the soldiers who were involved with the ambush at Sadr City has been my most rewarding experience."When we left that group after spending a week at their camp, so many of them thanked us for being there, and several said they did not know how they could have made it through without us."When asked if her work is putting her in harm’s way, she said, "We are definitely in harm’s way. We are hit by mortars and rockets on a consistent basis. One rocket hit about 75 feet from our house and blew out all the front windows. Luckily no one was hurt."When she and her co-workers are not in their quarters, they carry M-16s, just in case."Any time we go out on convoys we have to be especially aware of our surroundings," she said. "We constantly scan for IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and suspicious activity."Iveland, daughter of Dan and Deb Iveland, Luverne, is a 1996 graduate of Luverne High School and has a psychology degree from Moorhead State University.While Deb speaks of her daughter’s work with pride and respect, she tries to downplay her deepest maternal worries about her daughter’s safety."It makes me so proud of Jenn being in it, but it’s a bad situation that makes her do it," Deb said.She said they communicate via e-mail once every three or four days, but if five or more days go by without word, the anxiety mounts.But they try not to let on how much they worry.Iveland told her parents how important it is to her that they’re supportive of her work there. She said a young 19-year-old in her unit shared with the group prior to departure that she was struggling with the upcoming leave, because every time she talked to her parents all they did was cry."So, I have to bite down on the insides of my cheeks to keep from crying, because I know she needs us to be strong," Deb said."With everything she’s dealing with over there, the last thing she needs to worry about is her family at home."So they pray. And the community prays.Deb said people in her church and around Luverne tell her all the time how much they’re thinking about Jenn and praying for her.She said she believes with every prayer spoken, God releases an angel."I told Jenn one time that she’s carrying a lot of weight on her shoulders," Deb said, "but it’s not just the weight of the world, it’s all those angels perched on her shoulders."She said "Pray For Our Troops" magnets are now available in Luverne at the Luverne Style Shop, Pizza Ranch and Korner Gas Stop.