By Lexi MooreBeaver Creek Township resident Glenda Kuehl was honored Friday as the Minnesota Township Leader of the Year in the category of "Under 400 Population."The Leader of the Year awards recognize accomplished township officers nominated by their peers and chosen by an independent panel of judges. Kuehl has been a township officer for 24 years. During this time she spent 22 years as an "exemplary treasurer assisting the township through some pretty heavy debts from unexpected flooding and heavier than usual snowfall," according to the Minnesota Association of Townships."Her sound fiscal diligence helped get these debts paid off on time and resulted in a positive operating expense for many years, all while Beaver Creek Township maintains a levy in the lower end of surrounding communities’ average."This year Kuehl’s leadership led to the purchase of a new maintenance building and new township building in a cooperative effort with the City of Beaver Creek.The township’s building had been occupied since the early 1900s and its condition was deplorable. When Kuehl heard that the City of Beaver Creek was looking to build a new city hall and fire department, she saw an opportunity.The Association said, "Glenda, with her mind and financial expertise, went to work organizing meetings which resulted in cooperative negotiations and a final project which pleased all. The township now has a newer, larger office building, as well as a new maintenance area, which provide a better working environment for all."Awards were presented by the Minnesota Association of Townships President, Loren Ingebretsen, at the Association’s annual conference held in St. Cloud.

By Lexi MooreGeorgina Kusi grew up in Ghana, Africa. When she was 16 she visited relatives in New Jersey and New York City and immediately decided to plan a return trip to America.After finishing school in Accra, Ghana, Georgina enrolled in the Center for Cultural Interchange. Through this program she was given the opportunity to spend 10 months with the Merle and Shelly Knobloch family in Hills, Minnesota.Accra, Georgina’s home town, is an urban city in the warmer region of Africa. She has been adjusting to the many changes since moving to southwestern Minnesota. There aren’t many farms in the area near Accra, where farming is not considered a respectable occupation.The size of Hills was also a shock to Georgina. "There is always something going on," she said of her home town. "There is church, family and laughter." Naomi, Georgina’s mother, encouraged her to learn and speak English in addition to French and her native language Twi. An English book, "Little Red Riding Hood," was given to her when she was only 3 years old. Her language skills have made her adjustment to American life much easier. Transitioning to school in AmericaAttending Hills-Beaver Creek has been very different from the schooling Georgina received in Ghana.There were 500 seniors in her graduating class. At H-BC every class is small and students get more individual attention from teachers. Georgina was accustomed to having 40 students in a room at one time.Another difference is the absence of religion from American schools. Every day at her former school started with prayer. "I miss praying in school. Also I miss the politeness of my classmates."She has noticed that students at H-BC are not as respectful toward their teachers and peers. She doesn’t hear "thank you," "excuse me" or "I’m sorry" as often as she did in Ghana.Georgina has volunteered at the H-BC elementary school, where she spoke with the sixth grade class about her experiences in Africa. She said students were excited about her photos and stories, but they wondered why she couldn’t say more about African animals, despite her explanation that she grew up in a large city. Next summer when Georgina’s time with the Knobloch family is over, she hopes to continue her adventure in America. When asked about her plans for the future, Georgina replied, "My future is so bright we had better wear shades."She has applied for several scholarships from the University of Minnesota and would like to get her pre-law degree. Her family has encouraged her to use all of the resources she can while she is here.Georgina said her placement in Hills has opened her eyes to a different side of America than she had expected. She said she’s grown to appreciate many of Hills’ qualities. "It is so peaceful here. I think I will build a house in this area someday," she said. "There are no thieves, and the people are so nice."

By Lexi MooreA tractor from Steen resident Bill Kroon’s collection will be nationally recognized in the 2005 Classic Farm Tractors Calendar released by Classic Tractor Fever out of Rockland, Del."I have been collecting tractors for years," Kroon said. "Ever since I was a kid, I suppose." He chose to collect Oliver tractors because he grew up with them on his family’s farm. He has 20 Oliver tractors that he has been restoring in the winter months over the past five years.The 1964 Oliver 66 diesel featured on the July page of the 2005 calendar was once owned by his father, Herman Kroon. Kroon was approached last summer at a tractor show by a photographer interested in his tractor. The photographer submitted the photo to the calendar publisher, who selected it to be included in the calendar.The 16th edition of the Classic Farm Tractors Calendar is a nationally circulated calendar featuring full-size pictures of various makes of farm tractors from the past century that have been restored to like-new condition.Classic Tractor Fever also produces a 90-minute companion video, "New Life for Old Iron." Collectors featured in the calendar drive and describe their restored tractors in the video.Kroon has mixed feelings about his newfound fame. "You can only enjoy looking at yourself in a calendar for so long before it isn’t interesting anymore," he said,

Parade of HomesThe ever-popular Parade of Homes will feature another four homes for you to take in this year as part of the Winterfest activities.This year the homes of Dr. Don Smith, Rick and Carrie Van Santen, Jeff and Kathy Dietrich and Steven and Terri Steensma will be on parade.The homes will be decorated with the help of Luverne Flowers, Prairie Smoke Floral, Grapevines, Glen’s Floral Department and The Final Touch.The tour will run from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 4. The shuttle service to the Van Santen and Dietrich homes departs from the Carnegie Cultural Center.Tickets for the event will be available at the Winterfest Craft Show in the Luverne Elementary School Commons on the day of the tour or at the Carnegie Cultural Center from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday. All funds raised from the Tour of Homes are used to help promote the Luverne Hockey program.Minnesota Senate is seeking your input into public schoolsWhat we expect from our schools and how to fund those expectations has become an increasingly popular topic of conversation.This is particularly true in places like Luverne, since the voters rejected requests for additional funding on Election Day.The Minnesota State Senate would like to hear from you on our public school system.Senate Majority Leader, Dean Johnson, and LeRoy Stumpf, Chair of the K-12 Education Budget Division, have created an e-mail address for Minnesotans to share opinions and possible solutions for funding schools.From a recent report that indicated that schools are not adequately funded, the Senators hope to spark community discussion on the topic.Stumpf cited two recent reports released by the Pawlenty administration that indicated that Minnesota failed to adequately fund K-12.One report projected that the funding shortfall could be off by as much as $1 billion.Gov. Pawlenty’s task force on education earlier released a report indicating similar conclusions.According to Stumpf, the information gathered from the e-mails will help the Senate members decide what we expect from schools and the cost of those expectations.Stumpf said he felt Minnesota had three choices:
Significantly change our delivery system so that the current funding can meet our expectations.
Reduce our expectations for schools by eliminating mandates and limiting curriculum.
Fund schools at the level these reports indicate is necessary to meet expectations.The responses the Senate receives from the public will be compiled in anticipation of the upcoming legislative sessionSchool funding accounts for 41 percent of the State’s budget.If you would like to add your comments, the e-mail address is schools@senate.mnThe full report will be available at http://education.state.mn.us/contents/080511.pdfNudie fund-raising calendar features Luverne Fire TruckEver since the movie "Calendar Girls" came out, it has become increasingly more popular for women past their "youthful prime" to pose nude for local fund-raising calendars.One such recent calendar was published in Carmel by the Sea, California.Women ranging in age from 50 to 83 posed in the buff in a money-raising effort to help retrofit the town’s 67-year-old fire station.Several months later and $23,000 in the bank, the city has now decided they cannot accept the money because, among other things, they could get sued for sexual harassment.Bob Lippi, Luverne native and graduate of the LHS class of 1970, is currently a resident of Carmel by the Sea and is always keeping his eyes open for any memorabilia from his home town.He recently sent me a copy of the calendar with post-it notes pointing out that on three of the months the women are posing on their recently restored Luverne Fire Truck.No word yet on what the women plan on doing with their funds.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

By Mark HaugenTim Homan coaches wrestling, but he teaches his athletes more than just takedowns and reversals.After nine years at Sioux Falls Roosevelt and 12 at Brandon Valley, Homan takes over a Luverne team that was 0-17 last season, has no seniors and more than half his team is in the ninth grade or younger. So as his young wrestlers concluded a recent practice, they sat with eyes closed in a silent circle with Homan in the middle. You could’ve heard a pin drop."It’s what I call imagery," Homan said. "We have to get our minds set and focused. If we’re going to be wrestling, all I want them thinking about at that time is wrestling."He teaches focusing on the task at hand before moving on to the next."You have to get your life set, get your priorities in order, live your life the right way," Homan said. "You have to learn to focus when you are an athlete or when you do anything. If you learn to focus, you get more out of it."So when his athletes wrestle, that’s where he wants their focus."They can’t be worrying about problems in school or about their friends when they are out there on the mat. You can’t have a zillion things on your mind. If you can get focused, you can do well and tackle the problems one at a time much better than if you just let them all float around."He said he’s been emphasizing that for 15 years and often hears from former athletes who testify to its effectiveness."When kids come back they talk more about that than they talk about wrestling," Homan said. "They found out that there’s more to life than what sports you were in. It’s how you learn from the sports you are in and how you deal with life."As a coach he wants to help give his athletes a good base. "Later in life it will come in handy. I’ve even had people come back from Iraq who said that imagery helped them over there. The one young man wasn’t even a varsity wrestler. It’s nice to know you can have an influence. That’s what coaching is all about."It’s something he learned from his coaches, including legendary Augustana College coach Paul Kendle. "All the way back to high school, my coaches emphasized being a total person. Coach Kendle helped me a lot and is still doing that today."Homan graduated from Augustana in 1981, coached two years at Webster, S.D., before moving to Brandon Valley and then on to Roosevelt.When his wife, Pam, was named superintendent of the Sioux Falls School District last summer, Tim decided to look elsewhere for employment. Pam, ironically enough, started her education career in Luverne as a special education teacher in 1981. They live north of Brandon."It’s the same commute I had going to Roosevelt, so it’s worked out well," he said. "When she was considering the superintendent’s job, I told her I would look elsewhere. I could’ve stayed in the district but felt there could have been a conflict of interest down the road. It would’ve worked fine for a while, but sooner or later somebody would’ve had a problem with it so we thought it was best."Homan said he wanted a position where he could coach and teach. "I felt if I was going to go into a coaching situation, I also wanted to be teaching in the school. I came over here and the people here have really been nice."He teaches sixth-grade social studies and also coaches ninth-grade football. The Homans have two daughters and an adopted son. Fenecia is a senior at Augustana and Betsy a sophomore there. Felix, originally from Guatemala, joined the National Guard after graduating from Roosevelt last year and now intends to go full-time in the Army."It’s pretty neat that a kid from another country comes over here and now wants to serve his new country," Homan said.

DISTRICT COURTPROBATE DIVISIONFIFTH JUDICIAL DISTRICTNOTICE AND ORDER FOR HEARING ON PETITION FOR DESCENT OF PROPERTY (MULTIPLE DECEDENTS)STATE OF MINNESOTACOUNTY OF ROCKEstate of Bonnie Freed, Decedent; Jerry Freed, Decedent; Decedent, Court File No.:Gordon JarchowDecedent, Court File No.:Mary Wagner, formerly known as Mary JarchowDecedent, Court File No.:Multiple Petitions for Determination of Descent have been filed with this Court. The Petitions represent that each of the Decedents died more than three years ago, and that Decedents died leaving property in Minnesota. The Petitions request the probate of each of Decedent’s last will, if any, and the descent of such property be determined and assigned by this Court to the persons entitled to the property in a consolidated proceeding. IT IS ORDERED that the proceedings are consolidated into a single proceeding. Any objections to the Petitions must be filed with the Court prior to or raised at the hearing. If proper, and no objections are filed or raised, the Petitions may be granted. IT IS ORDERED and Notice is further given, that the Petition will be heard on December 13, 2004 at 9:00 (a.m.) by this Court at the Rock County Courthouse, 204 East Brown, Luverne, Minnesota. (1) Notice shall be given to all interested persons (Minn. Stat. 524.1-401) and persons who have filed a demand for notice pursuant to Minn. Stat. 524.3-204.(2) Notice shall be given by publishing this Notice and Order as provided by law and by:Mailing a copy of this notice and order at least 14 days prior to the hearing date./s/ Timothy K. Connell 11/18/2004Timothy K. Connell Judge Date/s/ Sandra L. Vrtacnik 11/18/2004Sandra L. Vrtacnik Court Administrator DateAttorney for PetitionerDonald R. KlosterbuerSkewes, Klosterbuer & Vajgrt, L.L.P.120 N. McKenzieBox 538Luverne, MN 56156-0538507 283-911156674(11-25, 12-2)

Law Library 9:00 A.M.Rock County Courthouse November 9, 2004Chair Jarchow called the meeting to order with all Commissioners present. Motion by Bakken, seconded by Hoime, to approve the November 9, 2004, County Board agenda, declared carried on a voice vote. Motion by Wildung, seconded by Boyenga, to approve the October 19, 2004, County Board minutes, declared carried on a voice vote. Motion by Boyenga, seconded by Bakken, to approve the following consent agenda items, declared carried on a voice vote.1. MCIT Delegates — Bob Jarchow and Kyle Oldre (alternate)Eric Hartman, Land Management Office Director, presented a conditional use permit for livestock expansion above 1000 animal units for Binford Farms; motion by Hoime, seconded by Bakken, to approve the conditional use permit with the conditions stated by the Planning & Zoning Committee, declared carried on a voice vote. The LMO Director presented a 2005 County Feedlot program work plan; motion by Wildung, seconded by Boyenga, to approve the work plan, declared carried on a voice vote. The LMO Director also presented the 2004 County Feedlot program annual report; motion by Bakken, seconded by Hoime, to approve the annual report, declared carried on a voice vote. Mr. Hartman presented an update of the county feedlot inventory and stated that the Level III inventory for Rock County should be completed on schedule and by the end of the year. Motion by Hoime, seconded by Boyenga, to purchase an F250 pickup from Herman Motors in Luverne, Minnesota with the trade-in of Unit No. 328 and to pay for the purchase from the Environmental Fund, declared carried on a voice vote. The following bids were presented: oMacQueen Equipment (state bid) $20,267.00oHerman Motors $20,000.00Gloria Rolfs, Auditor/Treasurer, presented the fund balances; motion by Bakken, seconded by Wildung, to approve the fund balance report, declared carried on a voice vote. Motion by Wildung, seconded by Hoime, to approve the claims as presented, declared carried on a unanimous vote. A complete listing of the claims is available by request at the Auditor/Treasurer’s office. General $ 99,429.09LEC .00Road & Bridge 49,315.41Welfare 51,298.78Landfill 7,041.62TOTAL $207,084.90Motion by Hoime, seconded by Boyenga, to approve Resolution No. 31-04, a Rock County Rural Water split on parcel 07-0019-000 located in the SE 1/4 of 10-102-44, declared carried on a voice vote.Motion by Wildung, seconded by Bakken to approve a solid waste abatement of $42.00 on parcel number 20-0878-000 located in the Kniss Park Addition, in Lot 1 of Block 5 in the City of Luverne, declared carried on a voice vote. The Auditor/Treasurer informed the County Board of AS400 software needs to re-calculate taxes as a result of the JOBZ classification. The Auditor/Treasurer requested $5,150.00 payable to Computer Professionals, Inc. to make those software program changes; motion by Hoime, seconded by Bakken, to authorize the payment to Computer Professionals, Inc. of $5,150.00, declared carried on a voice vote. Motion by Bakken, seconded by Boyenga, to approve a property abatement that removes homestead credit on parcel 13-0061-000 located in the Original Plat, a portion of Lots 1 & 2 of Block 12 in the City of Beaver Creek increasing the real estate tax on that parcel by $40.00; declared carried on a voice vote. Motion by Bakken, seconded by Wildung, to approve a property abatement that increases the real estate tax by $30.00 on parcel 15-0014-100 located in the NE corner of Lot 7 Block 2, of the Lars O Kolsrud Addition in the City of Hills, declared carried on a voice vote. Randy Ehlers, Family Services Director and Nancy Lange, Social Services Supervisor presented a review of mental retardation and related conditions funding allocation that pertains to a request from the Rock County DAC authorizing an individual client to receive additional units of DAC service. Following the presentation, motion by Wildung, seconded by Hoime, to deny the request for additional DAC service due to the additional exposure contingent that it does not impact the health and safety of the client, declared carried on a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Boyenga voting nay. Rock County employee D’Lisa McKenzie, Social Worker at Family Services Agency submitted her resignation effective November 30, 2004. Motion by Wildung, seconded by Boyenga, to accept the resignation and to express the county’s gratitude for her service to Rock County and wished her well in her future endeavors, declared carried on a voice vote. Mark Sehr, Engineer, presented a request for final payment for the 2004 Seal Coat project of $173,376.25; motion by Hoime, seconded by Bakken, to approve the final payment to the Astech Corporation for $173,376.25, declared carried on a voice vote.The Engineer presented the following construction updates: oBridge L2148 on CASH 17 west of Beaver Creek – the contractor is constructing the deck form and anticipates the deck pour within two weeks. oBox Culvert Project – one location is complete and all other locations are proceeding as scheduled with the exception of the Beaver Creek township location. The road has been closed since 10/29/04 with no construction activity. The Engineer will be discussing the incident with the contractor.The Engineer led a discussion regarding the US Highway 75/131st Street project stating that he will be bidding the project as one project and would like to offer an incentive for early completion of the highway 75 portion of the project; motion by Wildung, seconded by Hoime, to authorize the incentive funding up to $50,000.00 or $5,000.00/day up to 10 days, declared carried on a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Bakken voting nay.Don Klosterbuer, County Attorney, discussed the issues involving the Rock County Pool & Fitness Center. He informed the County Board that as a result of the termination of the joint powers agreement effective December 31, 2004, between the county and the City of Luverne, the county would be exposed to an increase in liability. The County Attorney stated that the City of Luverne would be submitting a proposal back to the county. Motion by Hoime, seconded by Boyenga, to table the pool issue until the November 23rd County Board meeting and that the county requests to see a proposal from the City of Luverne prior to November 23rd, declared carried on a voice vote. Motion by Wildung, seconded Bakken, to enter into the AAT Communications agreement, declared carried on a voice vote. The final report of the Community Policing review was tabled until the November 23rd County Board meeting. Sheriff Mike Winkels and staff will be invited to the meeting to present the information. Motion by Wildung, seconded by Hoime, to authorize a permanent transfer of $20,000 to Community Corrections to shore up their fund balance, declared carried on a voice vote. Motion by Bakken, seconded by Boyenga, to authorize the National Association of Counties Deferred Compensation Program allowing the deferred compensation plan (Nationwide Retirement) to loan money from a 457 deferred compensation account to qualified participants, declared carried on a voice vote. The County Board was in receipt of the Extension quarterly report; no action was taken. Motion by Bakken, seconded by Hoime, to authorize Terrie Gulden as the Volunteer Coordinator for Habitat for Humanity, declared carried on a voice vote. The County Board was also in receipt of the Ag Society annual report and the Minnesota Counties Insurance 2003 Annual Report; no action was taken. The County Board was informed that the DAC has started building a residential home on its own property west of the current DAC building. Commissioner Boyenga informed the County Board that the Rock County Rural Water is having an issue with discolored water due to the feeding of chemical phosphate. They have discontinued the use of the phosphate and have notified their customers. With no further business to come before the County Board, meeting was declared adjourned. Bob Jarchow, Chairman of the BoardATTEST:Kyle J. Oldre, Clerk to the Board(11-25)

By Lori EhdeToilets are flushing more smoothly and sinks are draining more quickly in Kenneth homes since the city’s new wastewater treatment facility was installed this fall.Walt Kopp said it’s one of the most difficult projects he’s tackled in his many years as mayor."This past year has been hard on me," he said Monday. "You have to make decisions where you can’t please everybody." Environmental hazards forced the city to consider a uniform method for handling its wastewater. "They were running it over the ground and in ditches," Kopp said. "There were pools of sewage in the alley behind the liquor store, and there were guys pumping it out in their back yards."Kopp said it wasn’t hard to show that individual septic systems weren’t working well in the city of Kenneth."But on the flip side, there were those who didn’t want it," he said. "Some had just put in new tanks. … So everybody starts riding ‘old Walt.’ But you gotta start someplace."The biggest sticking point for Kenneth residents was the cost of the project, roughly $650,000.Of that, $360,000 was covered by a federal grant, and $220,000 was loaned by the Minnesota Rural Water Finance Authority.The rest, $70,000, for service lines, will be paid for by users. For the 32 homes connected to the system, that comes to $42 per month that didn’t used to be on their utility bills. That amount, to be paid for 20 years, includes the monthly portion of their annual $96 tax assessment plus a little extra to cover future wastewater maintenance.The system includes an 8,000 to 10,000 gallon tank that works like a residential septic system, with two automatic pumps."They don’t run all the time, because Kenneth doesn’t use that much water," Kopp said.The 2.2-acre drain field is located east of Kenneth and has 1 1/2-inch pipes buried about a foot beneath the surface. The pipes have one-quarter-inch holes every 5 feet.The contractor for the work was Midwest State Utilities, Slayton.Because of the cost, and because the construction work affected streets and yards, Kopp said the process was tedious and unpopular."Decisions about when you run a line and how you run it aren’t always what people think are the right decisions," Kopp said. "You do what you have to do. That’s the way it is."For example, some residents had to part with favorite trees, and others had their yards torn up for a while. But Kopp said many ended up with better sidewalks and driveways and had trees and junk removed for them.In general, he said most residents are satisfied with the new system."People are having way less trouble in their homes," he said. "Toilets are flushing better, water is draining away a lot better. … This was the way to go."

By Sara QuamA crime scene investigation involving DNA testing resulted in Christopher Lee Virkus pleading guilty to third-degree burglary.According to the sentence order, signed Oct. 25, Virkus, Luverne, has been placed on probation for five years and will spend 120 days in jail. He will also pay a $1,065 fine and pay $407 restitution to Smooky’s Pizza. According to court records, Virkus, then 20, broke into Smooky’s Pizza March 15 and got away with about $120 in cash.But in the process, he left behind blood from glass that cut his hand when he broke the door. This key evidence, combined with clues that the burglar was an employee, led to Virkus’ arrest.According to Investigator Jeff Wieneke, Smooky’s owners Richard and Brenda Latten suspected the burglar was someone familiar with the business because it appeared the cash machine was opened by someone who knew the till.Also, a tin can with $60 cash was missing. It was kept in the back of a closet, where only an employee would know of its location. Based on recommendations from the Lattens, four Smooky’s employees were questioned as potential suspects.They all submitted DNA samples which were turned over to state crime labs to test for a match on the blood found on the cash register.When questioned, Virkus voluntarily submitted to a saliva sample for DNA testing.Wieneke told Virkus that his DNA matched the blood collected at the crime scene, and Virkus admitted to the crime. In criminal investigations, the state pays for the cost of DNA testing, which is being used more often in Rock County, especially for prosecuting sexual assaults.