By Sara StrongJob Opportunity Building Zone tax breaks may bring another business to Luverne.Jeff Ernst is a local partner in Twisted Chopper, a rural Sioux Falls business that needs room to grow. Twisted Chopper makes parts for custom American v-twin motorcycles — frames, fenders or gas and oil tanks.Ernst said, "Our phone rings non-stop from people from Florida or Arizona saying they want our products."Twisted Chopper has been featured in national magazines."The workers are nationally known for their talent and skills," Ernst said.Ernst isn’t one who actually works on the bikes. He got into the business when he worked with Twisted Chopper as a marketer with his business, Lavaflow.Twisted Chopper is considering expansion in a few cities, including Luverne.It has been in business for four years and has five employees. Ernst estimates the business will grow by up to four employees a year.The city of Luverne is considering making the company a loan offer on top of the JOBZ benefits.

By Lori EhdeA woman and her 14-year-old son are recovering at home in Lexington, Ken., from serious injuries they received in an Aug. 6 accident on I-90 near Luverne.The man who allegedly rear-ended their mobile home and fled the scene was arrested 30 miles away that night and was charged with several counts of felony driving while impaired and criminal vehicular injury.Before facing those charges in Rock County District Court, however, 32-year-old Abel Snell, Windom, posted bail and left the state.Snell, who has a long felony record, was arrested Aug. 16 in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., on charges of "endangering safety with use of a dangerous weapon."He served jail time there on those charges, and Wisconsin officials returned him to Luverne on Rock County’s warrant.He appeared Monday in Rock County District Court, where Assistant County Attorney Terry Vajgrt requested Snell be held without bond while awaiting trial.He is scheduled for his next hearing on Oct. 18.Snell is charged in Rock County with 13 felony counts and nine gross misdemeanor counts. The most serious charge, first-degree driving while impaired, carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison, a $14,000 fine or both.The other counts of criminal vehicular injury were related to causing "great bodily harm," "substantial bodily harm" and "bodily harm."The Aug. 6 accident sent a 2004 model 28-foot motor home into the median a few miles west of Luverne. A family from Lexington, Ken., was involved in the accident, which happened around 10:30 p.m.Fourteen-year-old Steven Barnett was airlifted from the scene to Sioux Valley Hospital, Sioux Falls, with internal injuries, including a lacerated liver and injury to his lungs.His mother, 39-year-old Dayna Barnett, was taken by ambulance to Luverne Community Hospital and then airlifted to Sioux Falls. She suffered multiple injuries including a shattered pelvis, broken back, lacerated liver and kidney, broken eye socket and multiple external injuries.She underwent surgery to stabilize her condition to transport her to the Mayo Clinic, Rochester.Her husband, 40-year-old Mark Barnett refused treatment for head and facial cuts, and their other two sons, Christopher, 12, and Michael, 16, were treated at the Luverne hospital and released.The motor home driver, Mark Barnett told officers he was traveling eastbound in the right-hand lane with his cruise control set at 65 mph when the accident happened.He said the back of the motor home suddenly whipped to the right, causing the vehicle to enter the median and roll.Barnett said he had not seen a vehicle coming up behind him prior to the impact.Snell was not injured and his 1998 GMC pickup received moderate front-end damage, including a length of plastic bug deflector that was later used specifically to tie him to the scene.According to the complaint, witnesses told state troopers they saw a white pickup or SUV leave the accident scene and head east.The Minnesota Highway Patrol alerted Worthington authorities to watch for the vehicle, and at about 11 p.m. city officers there reported they’d found the vehicle. Officers noted front-end damage on the pickup, and it was missing a piece of plastic bug deflector strip that later matched the one found at the accident scene.Snell was reportedly driving erratically and acting intoxicated, and officers recovered numerous containers of beer from his pickup.A blood sample was sent to the BCA lab in St. Paul to test its alcohol content.His driving history shows two DWI convictions in 1998 and another in 2000. His driving privileges were revoked in June this year.

By Sara StrongA Luverne woman is closer to meeting her goal of righting a wrong.Jodie Smook was the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit in which U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence Piersol ruled in her favor.He determined that Minnehaha County Juvenile Detention Center employees violated rights of minors when conducting strip searches on every juvenile, no matter the severity of the crime.Smook was 16 and in Sioux Falls in August of 1999 when she and three friends noticed the oil light turned on in her car. She stopped to get oil and to call friends in Brandon, S.D., for help. By then, it was past Sioux Falls’ 11 p.m. curfew, and a police officer stopped them.Without the police hearing their story of car trouble or letting them use the phone, the girls were taken to the juvenile detention facility, questioned and strip searched. Smook’s parents, Vicky and Randy, were called only after the questioning and strip search, at about 2 a.m.The lawsuit was based on that strip search and questioning that included religious preferences. Religious questioning isn’t all that Smook had to answer to, though. Some of the more than 200 questions included which parent they most resembled, whether they had an STD, which parent they would rather live with after a divorce and whether they were ever pregnant.The former policy of the Detention Center was brought to light by Smook, who wrote a letter to the editor to the Sioux Falls newspaper, complaining of her treatment. The Argus Leader then contacted Smook to do a story.The case has gotten regional and national attention, including Smook appearing on The Montel Williams Show.The judge has told the two parties involved to find an appropriate monetary award to plaintiffs in the class action suit.They have until Monday to file a plan for resolving the case. They also have to come up with an end date for others to join the class-action lawsuit. Any juvenile who was strip-searched and charged with either minor offenses after Nov. 1, 1997, or non-felony charges after April 16, 1999 may qualify.

By John RittenhouseThe Ellsworth volleyball team snapped out of mid-season slump by posting a pair of road wins since last Thursday.The Panthers recorded a four-game win in Lake Benton Thursday before prevailing in five games at Edgerton Public School Monday.Ellsworth, 11-7 overall, plays Lakeview in Cottonwood tonight. The Panthers play at the Harris-Lake Park (Iowa) Tournament Saturday.Ellsworth 3,Edgerton 2The Panthers climbed out of a 2-0 hole to defeat the Flying Dutchmen during a five-game match played in Edgerton Monday.After sporting a 24-19 lead in Game 1, Ellsworth was outscored 8-1 the rest of the tilt and took a 27-25 loss.The stunned Panthers fell 25-16 in Game 2, but rallied to secure 25-16, 25-20 and 15-12 wins to complete an improbable comeback late in the match."It showed a lot of composure to fall behind 2-0 and come back to win," said Panther coach Jason Langland. "We really didn’t do anything different in the last three games. We just quit making mistakes. Instead of hitting the ball out of bounds, we stayed inside the lines."Amy Tiesler had a big match for Ellsworth. She recorded 20 kills, 10 digs and completed 14 of 16 serves with two aces.Amanda Deutsch had 10 digs and was 12 of 12 serving with one ace. Brittney Kramer completed all 25 of her serves and charted seven kills. Laurel Drenth charted 10 digs, eight kills and four blocks. Rosie Lewis led the team with six blocks. Lynette Drenth added 28 set assists to the winning cause.Ellsworth 3, LB 1The Panthers evened their Camden Conference record at 2-2 with a four-game victory in Lake Benton Thursday.Ellsworth, a team which had dropped six of its last seven matches entering play Thursday, was looking for a boost in confidence that could be provided by winning a match on the road.The Panthers accomplished their mission by winning the first two games of the match and bouncing back from a loss in Game 3 to take the fourth game."We needed this one," said Panther coach Langland. "We worked hard on our coverages in practice this week, and we did a lot better job. We also mixed our hits up, keeping LB off-balance."EHS rolled to a 25-11 win in the opener before securing a 25-20 win in Game 2.The Panthers opened a 20-14 lead in the third game, but the Bobcats rallied with an 11-1 run to post a 25-21 victory.Ellsworth bounced back in the forth game to post a 25-15 win.Kramer completed all 18 of her serves and recorded 10 blocks and 10 kills for the winners. Lynette Drenth also played a strong match for Ellsworth, completing 24 of 25 serves with 14 points and two aces, and leading the Panthers with 22 set assists.Laurel Drenth led EHS with 14 kills, while Lewis added nine blocks to the cause. Tiesler and Marla Groen charted 11 digs each.

By John RittenhouseEfficiency on offense and defense in the first half led the Adrian football team to its fifth-straight victory Friday in Canby.Adrian, the state’s No. 2-ranked Class A team, scored four touchdowns with its first four offensive possessions of the game on the way to a 35-6 win over the Lancers.The Adrian defense played well at the same time, stopping Canby’s first four offensive possessions without yielding a first down.With everything falling in place for the Dragons, Adrian strolled to a 29-point win during a contest that allowed the AHS coaching staff to play its reserves most of the second half."We did all right," said Dragon coach Randy Strand. "Our offense clicked by scoring on five of our first six possessions of the game."Adrian iced the game by halftime by scoring 28 points in the first 22:42 of the contest.The first of four straight three-and-out offensive series by the home-standing Lancers to start the game set up a 63-yard, 13-play drive that put the Dragons in front to stay.Senior quarterback Levi Bullerman completed a key pass for a fourth-down conversion by hooking up with Billy Anderson for a 13-yard gain. Bullerman capped the drive with an 11-yard run at the 5:39 mark of opening period.Bullerman added his first of five extra points to give the Dragons a 7-0 cushion.The script of Canby experiencing three-and-outs with Adrian countering with touchdown marches remained in tact as first and second quarters played out.Adrian was able to double its lead (14-0) before the first quarter was complete.The Dragons moved the ball 47 yards in five plays with Bullerman tossing a six-yard touchdown pass to Clint Metz at the 2:28 mark of the stanza.Adrian got the ball back before the first quarter was complete, when it started a six-play, 51-yard drive capped by Anderson scoring on an eight-yard run 50 seconds into the second quarter.The drive, which gave the Dragons a 21-0 cushion, featured a 35-yard run by Bullerman.Adrian’s fourth possession of the game turned into its most impressive drive of the contest.The Dragons marched 80 yards in 11 plays with Tony Sauer scoring on a one-yard plunge with 1:18 left in the first half.Anderson, who carried the ball 19 times for 143 yards in the game, broke loose for a 36-yard run to keep the drive alive when AHS faced a second-and-26 situation.Adrian’s perfect first half was tainted when Canby produced its best offensive series of the game in the final minute of the second quarter.The Lancers moved the ball 62 yards in five plays with quarterback Logan Oellien throwing a 30-yard touchdown pass to Erik Stewart with nine seconds remaining in the first half.The pass for a two-point conversion failed, leaving Adrian with a 28-6 halftime lead.Adrian put the game away when it received the opening kick to start the second half and scored the final seven points of the contest.The Dragons mounted a three-play, 55-yard drive with Anderson scoring on a three-yard run at the 11:07 mark of the third quarter.The series featured a 33-yard pass completion from Bullerman to Brett Block.The teams played to a scoreless draw in the final 23:07, but Adrian proved it was the better team before that."Canby is a little down this year," Strand said. "They didn’t like to hit, and they didn’t execute very well. They are going one way, and we’re going the other way."The 5-0 Dragons will play their 2004 Homecoming game Friday.Adrian entertains 3-2 Minneota.Team statisticsAdrian: 360 rushing yards, 62 passing yards, 422 total yards, 20 first downs, seven penalties for 55 yards, one turnover.Canby: 76 rushing yards, 55 passing yards, 131 total yards, four first downs, eight penalties for 60 yards, one turnover.Individual statisticsRushing: Anderson 19-143, Bullerman 7-87, Sauer 10-38, Jory Haken 9-46, Metz 2-8, Jordan Brake 2-11, Glen Kruger 2-10, Tyler Vaske 2-13, Reid Strand 2-4.Passing: Bullerman 5-10 for 62 yards.Receiving: Sauer 10 tackles, Cody Reverts eight tackles, Casey Knips 10 tackles, Nick Weidert one interception.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne defense served up a homecoming treat to its fans during a Southwest Conference football game played in Luverne Friday.The Cardinal defense limited Jackson County Central to 183 yards of total defense and created four turnovers to set the stage for a 20-0 victory over the Huskies.Luverne, which had not beaten a Jackson team since 1996 (a 22-0 decision), recorded its second shutout of the season Friday.The effort helped extend Luverne’s current winning streak to three straight games.The win came at the expense of a Huskies team that has been shut out in two consecutive games."Our defense’s ability to stop JCC’s running game was the key," said Cardinal coach Todd Oye. "JCC tries to pound the ball at you while utilizing their size on the offensive line. It didn’t work Friday."The Luverne defense, which has been the strength of the 2004 team, had a lot to do with the lack of JCC’s offensive success. The Cardinals limited the Huskies to 92 rushing yards in the contest, and came up with big stops to thwart all three of JCC’s best scoring opportunities during the game.Luverne’s defense also set up the game’s first touchdown when it came up with the first of four turnovers (two fumble recoveries and one interception).JCC just completed a pass when the Huskies’ receiver was stripped of the ball, which was recovered by Luverne linebacker Brad Herman on the Cardinal 44-yard line.Herman came up with his second straight big play on the first play of Luverne’s ensuing possession, when the Cardinals resorted to some trickery to take a 6-0 lead.Herman took a handoff from quarterback Nick Heronimus during what looked to be a running play to the JCC defense, but it was actually a reverse pass.Herman then delivered a 56-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Brandon Deragisch to open the scoring at the 1:18 mark of the first quarter. A failed extra-point attempt left the Cardinals sporting a six-point cushion.The Cardinals expanded their lead to 14-0 with a drive that yielded eight points late in the first half.Taking over on the LHS 43 late in the second quarter, the Cardinal offense put together a six-play, 57-yard drive that ended with Heronimus tossing a 47-yard touchdown pass to Jared Pick with 52 seconds remaining in the first half.A key play in the series came during a third-and-15 situation on the Luverne 38, where Heronimus threw a 22-yard completion to Herman for a first down.The Heronimus-to-Pick combination also clicked for a successful conversion pass.JCC made a bid to score in the final 50 seconds of the first half when it advanced the ball to the Luverne 15, but Pick batted down a pass in the end zone to end what was the final play of the second quarter.The Luverne defense forced JCC to punt four plays into the third quarter, which set up the offense’s most impressive drive of the game.The Cardinal offense advanced the ball 70 yards in nine plays with senior fullback Nate Siebenahler capping the march with an eight-yard touchdown run at the 6:18 mark of the third quarter.A run for the two-point conversion failed, but the Cards sported a 20-0 cushion that JCC was unable to challenge."Our offense did a nice job of keeping things balanced," Oye said. "Our rushing and passing yards have been pretty balanced this year, and that has worked for us."The Luverne defense shut the door on JCC the rest of the game.JCC had a great field position when Tyler Skow blocked a Luverne punt and teammate Nathan Kolander recovered the ball on the Cardinal seven-yard line.After three unsuccessful runs, JCC threw a pass toward the end zone that was picked off by Herman six inches in front of the goal line.JCC forced the Cards to punt six plays later, giving the visitors the ball on the Luverne 42 with 9:14 left to play. The Huskies, however, lost the ball on downs when a fourth-and-one pass fell incomplete with 7:19 left to play.The Huskies never threatened to score the rest of the night.The 4-1 Cardinals will face another stiff challenge when they play the annual Battle Ax game in Pipestone Friday.The 4-1 Arrows are a team that runs the ball well, and Oye said the Cardinals need to be aware of that."Their tailback leads the SWC in rushing, so we’ll have to stop their running game," he said. "We also need to control the ball on offense, which means we’ll need to mix things up with our passing and running games again."Team statisticsLuverne: 120 rushing yards, 158 passing yards, 278 total yards, nine first downs, nine penalties, zero turnovers.JCC: 92 rushing yards, 91 passing yards, 183 total yards, 10 first downs, five penalties, four turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Siebenahler 10-27, Jake Hendricks 9-35, Derek Elbers 4-15, Heronimus 14-22, Ben Nath 6-16, Ben Uphoff 2-5.Passing: Herman 1-1 for 56 yards, Heronimus 5-11 for 102 yards.Receiving: Pick 2-49, Deragisch 2-64, Herman 2-45.Defense: Herman one interception and one fumble recovery, Heronimus one interception, Elbers one fumble recovery, Siebenahler one sack, Jose Saravia one sack.

By John RittenhouseHills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth fullback Tom LeBoutiller played a homecoming game to remember Friday in Hills.LeBoutillier, a senior, scored on touchdown runs of three, 64 and 46 yards and hauled in a 40-yard touchdown pass to lift H-BC-E to a 34-14 victory over Lincoln HI-Lake Benton.Along with his four-touchdown effort, LeBoutillier compiled a total of 194 offensive yards to help the Patriots snap a two-game losing streak.LeBoutillier also recorded nine tackles, three sacks and recovered one fumble to lead a solid defensive performance for H-BC-E."Our defense kept us in the game," said Patriot coach Dan Ellingson. "We had some really good individual performances on defense, and that made us stand out. We needed a game like this from our seniors. They really came through."LeBoutillier made his presence known early and often during the game.LH-LB was running its fifth offensive play of the game when LeBoutiller forced a fumble in the process of sacking the quarterback.Patriot Chris Nuffer recovered the fumble on the LH-LB 34-yard line, setting up a seven-play drive capped by LeBoutillier’s three-yard run at the 7:10 mark of the opening quarter. Adam Finke added the extra point to make it 7-0.After H-BC-E’s defense stopped LH-LB on downs as the first quarter progressed, LeBoutillier hauled in a screen pass from quarterback Cody Schilling on the first play of the second quarter and raced 40 yards to a touchdown.When Finke booted the extra point, the Patriots sported a 14-0 lead that would stand up until the third quarter.The Patriots drew first blood in the second half.H-BC-E received the ball to start the third quarter and came up with a big play during a third-and-13 situation early in the possession.Making his first varsity start at quarterback, Schilling hooked up with Cody Rozeboom for a 32-yard pass and a clutch first down. Moments later, Kerry Fink scored on a 47-yard run to give the hosts a 20-0 advantage.LH-LB made a bid to get back into the game when Rebel quarterback Josh Prosch tossed a 29-yard touchdown pass to Cody Plueger to trim H-BC-E’s lead to 14 points (20-6), but LeBoutillier crushed the visitor’s hopes of a comeback in the fourth quarter.LeBoutillier, who carried the ball eight times for 154 yards in the game, scored on runs of 64 and 46 yards in the final 12 minutes of play. Fink carried in a two-point conversion after LeBoutillier’s first score of the fourth quarter, helping the Patriots open a 34-6 lead.LH-LB capped the scoring when Prosch scored on a two-yard run late in the game.Ellingson was proud of the way Schilling handled himself as a quarterback during his initial varsity start. Schilling completed seven of 10 passes for 124 yards."For his first start, Cody did fine. It was kind of nice that we only had to throw 10 passes in the game. We were able to choose when and what passes we would throw, and it really worked out well for us," he said.The Patriots will play Lakeview, a team that H-BC-E beat 32-12 in Cottonwood during the first week of the season, in Ellsworth Friday. The contest against the 1-4 Lakers will serve as Ellsworth’s Homecoming game."We beat them earlier in the season, but things are different now," Ellingson said. "They have all of their players back now, and we do not."Team statisticsH-BC-E: 259 rushing yards, 124 passing yards, 383 total yards, nine first downs, three penalties for 25 yards, zero turnovers.LH-LB: 175 rushing yards, 95 passing yards, 270 total yards, nine first downs, zero penalties, three turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: LeBoutillier 8-154, Fink 16-91, Schilling 2-3, Rozeboom 3-6, Jon Klaassen 1-6, Finke 2-minus 1.Passing: Schilling 7-10 for 124 yards.Receiving: Rozeboom 3-41, Klaassen 1-6, LeBoutillier 1-40, Fink 1-13, Nuffer 1-24.Defense: LeBoutillier nine tackles, three sacks and one fumble recovery, Cody Scholten 10 tackles, Nuffer five tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery and one blocked punt, Brian Gacke 10 tackles, Fink one interception.

By Jolene FarleyClimb Theatre brought a message about respect to Hills-Beaver Creek High School Tuesday.Professional actors performed interactive dramas that taught students respectful behaviors, including respect of things, respect of others and respect of self. "Respect is a choice," the actors told students. "You don’t have to be disrespectful. You can create a community where people listen to each other."Through the skits, students learned how to recognize disrespectful behavior in their own and each other’s conduct. They were encouraged to create a classroom civility code fostering a caring, cooperative school.Climb Theatre, based in the Twin Cities, is a pioneer in "instructive theatre," a unique and accessible type of theater that empowers students to examine and change their thinking or behavior in ways that benefit themselves and society in general."Theatre is a very powerful tool for promoting change," Climb Producer Ralph Remington said. "Students learn strategies to improve their lives – all while being engaged as a participatory audience." Climb Theatre’s programming is available in a variety of formats, including plays, interactive classroom activities, and professional development workshops for students and administrators.More schools are seeking assistance in helping youth create and support a respectful community in and outside the classroom, according to Climb Theatre’s founder Peg Watli. "Our programs reached nearly 300,000 students last year," Watli said. "Now in our 30th year, I believe our programming is the best it’s ever been." During the 2003-04 school year, Climb Theatre presented programs to more than 58,000 students in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, North Dakota and South Dakota.

The theme for this year’s National Fire Prevention Week is "Test Your Smoke Alarms."According to information from the National Fire Protection Association, that simple message could reduce the amount of property loss, injury and death in communities.Although smoke alarms are in 90 percent of Minnesota homes, many don’t work due to lack of maintenance or dead batteries. The average homeowner may not be aware that smoke alarms have a ten-year life expectancy and that most alarms will lose up to 50 percent of their effectiveness after that period. Hills Fire Chief Doug Chapman encourages residents to replace smoke detectors after 10 years and change batteries twice a year, even if the batteries are still good. While fire extinguishers protect property, smoke detectors save lives. "In the middle of the night a fire extinguisher doesn’t do you any good, but a smoke alarm may," Chapman said.Batteries taken out of smoke detectors can be used somewhere else not as critical to saving lives, according to Chapman. "When you set your clocks ahead and back is a good time to change batteries," he said. Chapman uses the example of the last house fire in Hills. He said that working smoke alarms likely saved the resident’s life. Since the majority of the fires the Hills Department responds to are grass or trash fires, Chapman wants to remind everyone to use caution while burning during the dry fall months. "If you’re going to burn stuff, you need to watch it and be conscious of wind conditions," he said.Disturbing statisticsAccording to the Fire Protection Association, 65 to 75 percent of fire deaths result from fires in homes without working smoke alarms.Death by activity:Escaping 36%Sleeping 33%Unable to act 22%Rescue 3%Irrational acts 3%Fire Control 2%Fires by areas of origin:Kitchen 33%Bedroom 20%Living room 18%Laundry 10%Heating area 8%Garage 8%Pancake Feed …The Hills Fire Department is serving pancakes and sausage from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 14, at the Hills Legion Hall. There will be a free-will offering."Those in our coverage area and everybody else is welcome," Chapman said.The pancakes the firemen make are "the best," according to Chapman. They will be served with smoky sausage from the Hills Locker.The fire department is also selling raffle tickets for various prizes with the proceeds going toward purchasing either an infrared camera to locate people in burning structures or a jaws-of-life, according to Chapman.