By John RittenhouseA momentum switch late in the second game of Friday’s South Section 3AA Volleyball Tournament game against St. James in Jackson led to an early exit from the event for the Luverne Cardinals.Playing the third-seeded Saints in the quarterfinal round, No. 6 LHS was poised for an upset when it pulled out a tight victory in Game 1.Luverne was on the verge of gaining a 2-0 lead in games when it rallied to take a 24-21 advantage in the second game, but that’s when the momentum of the match swung in favor of SJ.The Saints rallied to pull out a two-point victory in the second game to knot the match at one win each, and they proceeded to outscore LHS 50-33 in Games 3 and 4 to record a 3-1 win over the Cardinals.With the victory the Saints earned the right to take on No. 2 Windom in the tournament’s semifinals. SJ beat Windom 3-0 in Jackson to advance to the championship match against Jackson County Central tonight in Windom.Luverne’s 13-13-2 season comes to an end."I really don’t know what happened after the second game," said LHS coach Lori Oechsle. "We came out and played a great first game, and we had a 24-21 lead in the second game. After that, I don’t know what happened to us."All things considered, summing up what happened to the Cardinals is rather simple. SJ picked up steam after coming from behind to win Game 2, and they never relinquished the momentum.Luverne got off to a good start in the second game, opening a 6-2 lead when senior Cassi Pap delivered a service point.SJ countered with a 12-4 surge to move in front 14-10, but the Cardinals regained the lead at 21-19 with an 11-5 spurt capped by a service point from senior Traci Evans.The score was tied at 21 when Luverne reeled off three straight points with Jessa Dahl recording the final one with a kill to give the Cards a 24-21 advantage.After the Saints scored the next three points to knot the game at 24, Luverne took a 25-24 edge before SJ scored the next three points to steal a 27-25 victory.Luverne didn’t appear to play with the same purpose after dropping the heart-breaking second game.The Cards did bounce back from a pair of four-point deficits to tie the score at five and nine early in the third game, and the contest became deadlocked at 13 when Evans delivered a kill moments later.The Saints, however, put together a 9-2 run to open a 22-15 lead that set the stage for a 25-20 victory in Game 3.Game 4 was tied at two when SJ embarked on an 18-6 surge to take a commanding 20-8 advantage.Luverne closed the gap to nine points (20-11) when Evans delivered a service point, but the Saints outscored the Cards 5-2 the rest of the game to clinch a 25-13 win."Give St. James credit, because they played a good match," Oechsle offered. "I thought we played them a lot better than we did the last time we faced them (a 2-0 loss to the Saints in the Subway Tournament in Marshall Oct. 15)."The Cards played their best game of the match in the opener.The score was knotted at three before Ashley Heitkamp served an ace to cap a 4-0 run that gave LHS a 7-3 lead.SJ battled back to move in front 10-9, and it sported a 19-18 edge when the Cards scored two straight points to move in front 20-19.The Saints regained the lead at 22-21 when Luverne put together a 4-0 run capped by a service point from Heitkamp to ice a 25-22 win.Heitkamp, who charted six digs for the Cards, led Luverne in serving by completing all 20 of her attempts and scoring 12 points. Evans, who had seven kills in the match, went 15 of 17 serving with eight points and two aces.Maggie Kuhlman led the Cards with 11 kills. Pap chipped in four kills and paced the Cards with eight digs. Dahl charted a team-high six blocks. Chelsea Park contributed 22 set assists to Luverne’s cause.

By John RittenhouseThe legacy of the comeback kids from Luverne continues after another improbable rally during the Section 3AAA Football Playoffs Saturday in Fairmont.After posting two second-half rallies to defeat Windom and Minnewaska Area in less than one week, the Cardinals added Fairmont to the list of teams that couldn’t deny LHS a late-game win during the semifinal-round of the tournament.After second-seeded Fairmont outscored Luverne 14-0 in the first quarter and led 20-8 at the intermission, the third-seeded Cards rallied to score 13 unanswered points to secure a 21-20 victory.The win ups Luverne’s second record to 8-2, and gives the Cardinals a berth in the section championship Friday in Redwood Falls. Luverne will take on Redwood Valley, a team that handed LHS a 27-7 loss in Redwood Falls Oct. 15, in a 7 p.m. title tilt.No. 1 RWV used a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to best Pipestone Area 14-7 in a section semifinal game played in Redwood Falls Saturday.Luverne will play in its first section championship game since the 2000 season, and taking on a team that beat the Cards earlier in the season gives extra motivation to the LHS players and head coach Todd Oye."It’s the rematch we wanted," Oye said. "RWV is the team that won the conference championship, and we placed second in the conference. The first time we met them, RWV played a very good game and beat us. They are a good team that can run the ball, pass the ball and play solid defense. We struggled in that game, but I give RWV credit because it executed well both offensively and defensively."RWV will face a confident Luverne team that posted three consecutive come-from-behind wins.All things considered, Saturday’s rally may have been Luverne’s most impressive win in the series.The situation didn’t look good when the Cards trailed by 12 points at the intermission, but it didn’t seem to bother the comeback kids."In high school football, you’re lucky to have one come-from-behind win in a season," Oye said. "Now we have three come-from-behind wins in a row. Our kids just don’t quit. They want to keep on playing, and they want to play in the state tournament."Luverne, which turned the ball over four times Saturday, nearly dug a hole that would have been too big to climb out of when a fumble was recovered by Fairmont’s Jamie Hanson on the LHS 39-yard line on the third play of the second quarter.The Cards dodged a bullet nine plays later when Fairmont missed a 39-yard field-goal attempt that would have given the hosts a 15-point cushion.Inspired by the missed kick, the Luverne offense took the field and put together its most impressive drive of the season. The Cardinals marched the ball 80 yards in 19 plays, and the drive featured three successful fourth-down conversions.Facing a fourth-and-two situation on Luverne 28, Oye made the bravest coaching decision in his three-year career when he opted not to punt the ball into strong winds. The Cardinal mentor came away looking like a genius when Fairmont jumped off-sides and was flagged for a five-yard penalty.Fate worked in Luverne’s favor again during a fourth-and-11 situation on the Fairmont 15 later in the drive. Senior tight end Brad Herman, who was triple-covered on a pass headed his way, drew a pass interference penalty that gave the Cards a new set of downs.Then, with a fourth-and-goal play from the Fairmont five, junior quarterback Nick Heronimus tossed a five-yard touchdown pass to Herman to cap the drive with 10:34 remaining in the fourth quarter. When Heronimus added the extra point, the Cards trailed 20-15.Luverne’s defense, which has played well all season, came up with three key stops in the final 10 minutes of the game to help settle the issue.During the possession following Herman’s touchdown, Fairmont moved the ball to the Luverne 36. The hosts tried to run the ball on a fourth-and-one play, but the LHS defense stopped the play short of a first down.The Cards had to punt after three unsuccessful offensive plays, but Fairmont gave the ball away three plays later when LHS senior defensive back Jared Pick picked off a pass and returned the ball to the Fairmont 13-yard line with 3:47.A penalty on the Cardinals during Pick’s interception return pushed the ball back to the 28, where Luverne started what turned into a seven-play drive. It ended with Heronimus throwing a six-yard touchdown pass to Pick during a fourth-and-four situation with 52 seconds left in the game. Luverne’s pass for a two-point conversion failed, but the Cards still sported a 21-20 edge.Fairmont had one more chance to win the game after receiving the ball on its own 28 with 51 seconds left, but a sack on second down by Luverne’s Tony Willers helped set up a fourth-and-13 play. Fairmont tried to pass again, but Luverne’s Jake Clark intercepted the attempt to ice the win with 23 seconds remaining.Fairmont played its best football of the game in the first half.The hosts received the opening kick and put together a 13-play, 67-yard touchdown drive. The march was kept alive when Luverne was penalized for having 12 players on the field when Fairmont was trying to punt, but it ended with a nifty trick play.Fairmont faced a third-and-long situation on the Luverne 30 when quarterback Erich Kliewer completed a 10-yard pass to Jacob Payman. Immediately after catching the ball, Payman pitched the pigskin to Andy Melchert, who ran into the end zone untouched. Brett Busch added the ensuing extra point to give the hosts a 7-0 lead at the 6:49 mark of the first quarter.Luverne’s second offensive possession of the game, which was preceded by a three-and-out series, ended with Fairmont’s Brad Smith recovering a fumble on the Cardinals’ 14.Six plays later, Fairmont back Mike Wubbena scored on a one-yard touchdown plunge with 14 seconds left in the first period. Busch added the extra point to make the difference 14-0.The Cardinals got back into the game when their next possession developed into a 13-play, 80-yard drive.Heronimus hit Pick for a 20-yard pass completion during a fourth-and-10 situation on Fairmont’s 38 to keep the drive alive.Sophomore tailback Derek Elbers then capped the march with a two-yard touchdown plunge. Elbers, who ran the ball for 100 yards in the game, carried in the ensuing two-point conversion to make it a 14-8 game with 8:57 remaining in the second quarter.Fairmont extended its lead to 12 points before the second quarter was complete.After Payman intercepted a pass on Fairmont’s 39 with 3:41 left in the first half, Wubbena dashed 61 yards for a touchdown on the next play from scrimmage. Fairmont’s pass for a two-point conversion fell incomplete, leaving the hosts with a 20-8 advantage that was erased by Luverne’s fourth-quarter comeback.Team statisticsLuverne: 174 rushing yards, 57 passing yards, 231 total yards, 14 first downs, seven penalties, four turnovers.Fairmont: 130 rushing yards, 95 passing yards, 225 total yards, nine first downs, six penalties, three turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Elbers 26-100, Jake Hendricks 3-3, Ben Nath 9-44, Scott Goebel 2-0, Heronimus 3-10, Nate Siebenahler 1-1, Herman 1-16.Passing: Heronimus 5-14 for 57 yards.Receiving: Herman 2-22, Pick 2-26, Mike Kunstle 1-9.Defense: Willers one sack, Pick one interception, Seth Goembel one sack and one fumble recovery, Clark one interception, Jose Saravia one sack.

By John RittenhouseLuverne cross country coach Bruce Gluf received an honor after Thursday’s Section 3A Cross Country Championships in Adrian, but he didn’t think the timing was appropriate.He took awards platform after being named the Section 3A Girls’ Cross Country Co-Coach of the Year, but Gluf would have preferred remaining in the background.With both the LHS boys’ and girls’ teams qualifying for the Minnesota State Class A Cross Country Championships in Northfield for the second straight year, Gluf thought all of the attention should be directed toward his runners instead of on himself."I shouldn’t have gotten anything," Gluf said after the meet. "It’s the kids who should get the credit, because they are the ones who put in all the hard work and log all the miles. I just stand around holding a clipboard and tell them what to do. I just can’t say enough about these kids."Gluf, however, deserves a lot of credit for turning Luverne’s program into one of Southwest Minnesota’s best in recent years. Luverne has been represented at the state meet for the last seven seasons, and that number will improve to eight straight years when the Cardinals compete at St. Olaf College this Saturday.Just like the 2003 season, the Luverne teams earned their trips to state by placing second in 17-team fields at the section event.The top two teams and top 10 individual finishers advance to state from the section level.The Luverne girls, who will make their third straight appearance at the state meet as a team, moved on by a narrow margin. The Cardinals nipped Martin County West 86-88 to finish second behind Canby-Minneota-Lincoln HI (77) in the team standings.Luverne’s boys finished 20 points behind (50-70) champion Southwest Christian in the standings, but the Cardinals outscored third-place Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth by 67 points (70-137) for the second spot."We went to the meet thinking we could win both the boys’ and girls’ divisions," Gluf admitted. "It just didn’t happen. But it doesn’t really matter. Only four teams from our section are going to state, and two of them are wearing Luverne uniforms. That’s just a great accomplishment."The Cardinal girls needed five strong performances, including three top-10 efforts, to nip MCW for second place.Lexi Heitkamp set the pace for LHS by placing third in 13:39, while Amanda Saum and Kayla Raddle finished fifth and sixth with respective 15:46 and 15:47 times.Kelsey Dooyema and Amanda Kannas turned in point-scoring runs by placing 33rd and 39th with 17:15 and 17:23 efforts.Kristy Heikes (59th in 18:11) and Amanda Kannas (39th in 17:23) ran without influencing the scoring for LHS.A well-balanced team effort carried the Cardinal boys to their second straight appearance at the state meet as a team Thursday.A total of nine places separated the top-five finishers at meet’s end.Tom Ward led the Cardinals by placing ninth in 17:44.Thomas Pinkal placed 13th in 18:06, Nick Otten 14th in 18:07, Steve Schneiderman 16th in 18:11 and Dusty Antoine 18th in 18:26.Travis Halfmann and David Nelson placed 31st and 62nd in 18:58 and 20:12 without influencing the team effort.Luverne’s runners will compete Saturday morning in Northfield. The girls run at 10 a.m. and the boys run at 11 a.m.The LHS girls placed 13th and the boys 15th in their respective fields at last year’s state meet."We’re just going to go up there and give it our best shot. Hopefully we can improve on our finishes from last year," Gluf concluded.Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth and Adrian gained representation at the state meet during Thursday’s section event, too.H-BC-E senior Tyler Bush, a two-time state qualifier and two-time all-state performer, will represent the Patriots at the state meet.Adrian eighth-graders Morgan Lynn, who qualified for state as a seventh-grader, and Leslie Stover are Dragons who earned berths in the state classic.Bush led the Patriot boys to their third-place finish as a team by placing third individually with a time of 17:29.Kale Wiertzema (17th in 18:13), Dustin Verhey (30th in 18:56), Derek Haak (40th overall, 38th adjusted finish in 19:12) and Tyler Paulson (53rd overall, 51st adjusted finish in 19:42) round out the scoring for H-BC-E.John Sandbulte and Brent Kramer placed 77th and 81st in 20:33 and 20:41 without contributing to the team effort.Lynn and Stover helped the Adrian girls place fourth as a team while extending their seasons at the section meet.Lynn, who placed 38th at the state meet last season, finished second individually with a time of 15:34 on her own course Thursday. Only Tracy-Mliroy-Balaton junior Jillian Tholen beat Lynn to the finish-line with a time of 15:02.Stover will make her first appearance at the state meet after placing 10th with a time of 16:05 during the section race.Erica Thier (19th in 16:41), Megan Henning (21st in 16:44) and Kelly Banck (61st in 18:18) helped the Dragons place fourth in the team standings.Krissi Thier finished 77th in 18:50 without impacting the scoring.The Adrian boys finished the 2004 season by placing fourth as a team with 160 points.Lee Stover led the Dragons with a 19th-place effort in 18:29.Brandon Bullerman (27th overall, 26th adjusted place in 18:53), Ethan Wieneke (34th overall, 32nd adjusted place), Jarod Boltjes (38th overall, 36th adjusted place in 19:09) and Robert Swayze (49th overall, 47th adjusted place in 19:25) padded Adrian’s team tally.Aaron Mormann and Bryce Antelope placed 51st and 54th in 19:37 and 19:46 without influencing the scoring.The H-BC-E girls capped their season by placing eighth as a team with 180 points.Cassi Tilstra set the pace for the Patriots by placing 13th in 16:22.Mya Mann (25th in 16:55), Rayna Sandoval (43rd in 17:30), Amanda Tilstra (44th in 17:33) and Ashley Bucher (55th in 18:01) made contributions to the team effort.Amanda Connors and Jill Weitgenant placed 57th and 60th in 18:05 and 18:17 without impacting the team’s performance.Boys’ team standings: SWC 50, Luverne 70, H-BC-E 137, Adrian 160, Redwood Valley 163, Canby-Minneota-Lincoln HI 175, Jackson County Central 181, Windom 211, Springfield-Cedar Mountain 241, Renville County West 266, Southwest United 289, Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin 289, Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s-Sleepy Eye-New Ulm Cathedral 300, Martin County West 306, Westbrook-Walnut Grove-Red Rock Central 338, BOLD-Buffalo Lake-Hector 426, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 452.Girls’ standings: C-M-LH 77, Luverne 86, MCW 88, Adrian 113, RWV 164, ML-B-O 170, S-CM 172, H-BC-E 180, T-M-B 249, Windom 293, SM-SE-NUC 306, Murray County Central 312, JCC 341, Yellow Medicine East-Echo 350, BOLD-BL-H 394, W-WG-RRC 428, RCW 429.

Nelson’s Open Wholesale GroceryThe following appeared in the Rock County Herald on June 23, 1905:Nelson BrothersAnnounce Important Extension of BusinessTo Open Wholesale GroceryLuverne’s Department Store Will Fight Big Chicago Mail Order Houses — Enterprise Only One of its Kind in Southern Minnesota — Project Contains Large Possibilities for Development of Big Business That will Mean Much to Luverne’s Commercial Interests. The important announcement of the enlargement of their business by the establishment of a wholesale grocery department was made Wednesday by Nelson Brothers. The new department which is to be in operation by July 15 is instituted primarily for the purpose of meeting the local competition of the large wholesale mail order houses of Chicago, but if the venture meets with the success expected the business of the firm in this department will be extended to other counties. The goods will be sold directly to the trade by traveling representatives, and Messrs. Nelsons state that they will not only meet every price quoted by legitimate catalogue concerns but in many instances will undersell them. The fact that Nelson Brothers are a home concern of well established reliability and depend for their business upon the good will of their patrons is sufficient assurance of the high quality of the goods they will sell. The new department will be located on the second floor in the room formerly used as a lodge hall, and will be conducted entirely separate from the retail grocery department. All of the goods sold at wholesale prices will be in the original packages, and as is the rule with all catalogue houses, the buyer must purchase a certain amount to be entitled to the wholesale price. The fact that the goods are handled only in the original packages greatly reduces the expense of clerk hire, etc., which, coupled with the buying of the goods in large quantities, makes possible the low prices that will be quoted. For the first few weeks Messrs. Nelson will have but two solicitors in the field — Messrs. Robert and Rollo Cobban — who will confine their work to Rock county, but by the opening of fall they will have men and teams in at least five counties. This will be the first wholesale establishment in Luverne and the only one of its kind in Southern Minnesota. The possibilities for the development of the business to a large scale are very great, and under the able management of this enterprising firm its success is well assured. Donations to the Rock County Historical Endowment Fund can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, P.O. Box 741, Luverne, MN 56156.Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

Nothing endures but change … even in the sports departmentTomorrow is John Rittenhouse’s last day as sports editor here at the Star Herald. His two-week notice put the news department in a tailspin.Sara and I panic if we have to cover for John on vacation (a journalism degree doesn’t include sports writing — it’s a completely different language), so his resignation nearly caused a coronary. For 18 years John has covered four different school districts in the Star Herald coverage area — Adrian, Ellsworth, Hills-Beaver Creek and Luverne — reporting on four different varsity sports per school. In the height of high school athletic seasons, that can mean more than 30 events per week. Needless to say, it’s a position we can’t afford to leave vacant.John hails form Breckenridge and came to the Star Herald in 1986 from the Ada, Minn., paper.When he started here, Bob Osterday was head football coach in Luverne and Laurin Carroll was head boys’ basketball coach.John shot 35 mm black-and-white film and processed and printed his own photographs in the darkroom. His stories were printed out in column-widths and manually pasted on the page on press day.Today he digitally edits his color images, and his pages are composed electronically and e-mailed to press.Amid all this change, it seemed we always knew we could count on one thing to stay the same — John’s reliable, thorough sports coverage.Alas, his departure proves once again that nothing endures but change.John will be sorely missed, but the Star Herald is fortunate to have hired a highly-qualified person to fill his shoes.Twenty-year sports writing veteran Mark Haugen, Valley Springs, will be the new face of sports reporting at the Star Herald, and we can’t wait to introduce him to readers in next week’s edition.John declined to be interviewed for a farewell story, but if I know John, his parting words of advice might include:
Mind your own business and get your work done promptly,
Avoid the office food court and don’t participate in office politics
Keep the company car radio tuned in to Rush Limbaugh and always vote Republican
Stay home on New Year’s Eve. "That’s amateur night."
"It’s a woman’s world" is a wise mantra for the only male employee in the office.John’s leaving the Star Herald, but he’s not leaving town. He and his wife, Astrid, and 10-year-old Nick and 3-year-old Melanie are staying in Luverne, and John’s considering a career move in construction work.He can still be found at the Eagles Club on Saturday nights, on the Larchwood Golf Course in the summer and at his own kids’ athletic events (now as a spectator, not as a press person).Best wishes, John. Enjoy your evenings and weekends at home, and feel free to impose your personal political opinions as Letters to the Editor.

City staff received a number of phone calls and letters regarding the potential expansion of Culver’s restaurants to Luverne. A large number of the items raised in the conversations and letters is based on misinformation, innuendo and rumor. For the record we would note the following.oCulver’s approached the city regarding the potential expansion project. The city did not seek to bring a Culver’s restaurant to Luverne.oCity staff supported the potential project from several perspectives: 1) the expansion was consistent with a high priority identified by residents during the Comprehensive Plan process, namely, the addition of another "family type restaurant" to the community; 2) the expansion provided a significant opportunity to attract substantial additional traffic off the Interstate which would benefit numerous other businesses: 3) the addition of a $1 million facility and an annual payroll of $350,000 would have a significant positive impact on the city; and 4) the involvement of the city in the project would result in a higher investment return on city funds than the city could otherwise obtain.oThe city proposed to waive the electric demand charge for the Verne Drive-In for the months of April, May and October. The Verne Drive-In would continue to pay all other normal monthly electric charges just like any other business. oThe Drive-In is a great asset to the city and the entire community as it draws a large audience from an extended regional area. oOffering a small incentive to encourage the Drive-In to stay open longer benefits the entire community. (The exact number of customers in last week’s Star Herald was inaccurately presented, considering some customers are paying adults, and some are children. Those numbers were presented at the LEDA meeting.) Many consumers going to the Drive-In stop to eat at local food retailers; customers buy gas at local establishments; and some even come early to do a little shopping.oCity staff is considering waiving the electric demand charge as a business incentive, regardless of a Culver’s Restaurant opening. We tend to think of "community" as a group of people working together for a common goal. In regard to economic development, our common goal is to make Luverne a better place to live, visit and run a business. We value our existing businesses and understand that they are the base of our community, and we will strive to assist them in being successful. We would also like to welcome new businesses that we feel would be a good fit in our community and would complement our existing businesses.We also value your input and encourage a "working together" attitude rather than a "working against" attitude. Any comments or suggestions about the economic development in our community would be greatly appreciated. The city of Luverne is a great community to be a part of; it offers wonderful opportunities and has great potential for growth and expansion. We are working on potential opportunities for the city, and in order for its success, we need to take a united approach and work together for the common good of our community.

November is National Caregivers Month. In Rock County we can be proud of the excellent care-giving facilities and workers we have available. It is not everyone’s strong point to be a caregiver, so we commend those who are willing and able and who so capably care for us and those we love when we need them.To assist in the care-giving needs in Rock County, our county RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program) has organized a new Respite Care Program in the past year. We have trained volunteers who are available to stay with a care-receiver, to relieve the caregiver for a short time (2 to 3 hours weekly), during a weekday, so the caregiver can get out of the home for a break. This would allow the caregiver to go for a cup of coffee with a friend, get a haircut/groceries, attend a church meeting, get in an hour of fishing or whatever it is that would give the caregiver some free time away from the care-giving situation. Our volunteers are not certified to do any professional health care but are prepared to visit and/or do a meaningful activity for a short time with the care-receiver in the absence of the regular caregiver. The Respite Volunteers have had background checks, and we will make a home visit to find out the interests of the care-receiver to help us decide who would be the best fit for this assignment. We try to place a volunteer who has similar interests and may even be a friend or acquaintance of the care-receiver. For more information, contact RSVP at 283-5064, or write to RSVP-Respite Care, 319 E. Lincoln, Luverne, MN 56156, or rsvp.luverne@co.rock.mn.usAgain — Thanks to all our Rock County Caregivers. You are appreciated!Greta VanDer BrinkRock Co. RSVP CoordinatorLuverne

The headline of the Oct. 28 issue of the Star Herald reads, "City may help landlords with delinquent tenants." I can’t think of a more misleading line. Maybe worse than current political ads. It would have been more truthful to have printed, "City may soak landlords less."Only in America, if tenants get behind in their utility payments, would the city then notify the landlord that he or she is stuck should this continue. If the landlord elects not to be stuck anymore and requests that utilities be shut off to their own property, the city says, "Sorry, we provide the utilities and you have no say!" Can you say, "Conflict of interest?"The article goes on to say that this happens because landlords are making money by renting the property to tenants. Sounds like the landlords have a monopoly. I’ll be the first person approaching people, hat in hand, asking for donations for our local utilities. Since they are not monopolies, they must need help to keep their heads above water. But … there is a silver lining! The city has spent tens of thousands of dollars on housing surveys, and every time these surveys indicate that we need more low income housing. Ordinances like this will insure that these surveys will be correct far into the future.So … (I know you’re with me now) can you see the headlines? "City gives free land and utilities to develop low income housing."Bill FrakesLuverne

By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek volleyball team couldn’t defend its 2003 South Section 3A Tournament championship when the annual postseason event opened in the Luverne Elementary School Friday.The eighth-seeded Patriots drew a tough task when they were pitted against No. 1 Southwest Christian in the tournament’s quarterfinal round.In the end, the pre-tournament seedings held their form. Favorite Southwest Christian dominated play by outscoring the Patriots 75-34 on the way to a 3-0 victory.The loss ended what was a disappointing 6-16 season for the Patriots. SWC advanced to the tournament’s semifinals with the victory, where the E-Gals beat Edgerton Public 3-0 in Luverne Monday.According to H-BC coach Curt Doorneweerd, the Patriots couldn’t put anything together against SWC. He thought the Patriots might be able to surprise the E-Gals after putting in a spirited week of practice prior to Friday’s match, but it didn’t carry over into the contest."We just didn’t show up ready to play," Doorneweerd said. "It was kind of weird, because we probably had the best week of practice coming into the match that I can remember us having all season. We just came out flat and couldn’t recover."The Patriots didn’t offer the E-Gals much of a challenge in Game 1, which developed into a convincing 26-6 win for SWC.H-BC played progressively better in the final two games, but it couldn’t record a victory against SWC.The E-Gals recorded 25-13 and 25-15 victories in the second and third games to earn their berth in the tournament’s semifinals."It was hard for me to tell how well SWC played because we didn’t make them earn any points," Doorneweerd said. "I think they can win the sub-section, but we’ll just have to wait and see how it turns out."H-BC, which dropped its last eight matches of the campaign, received a six-kill, two-block effort from Kelly Mulder in the finale.Cassi Tilstra was eight of eight serving and charted three kills for H-BC.