Barbara Jean Loosbrock, 77, Luverne, died Friday, Oct. 14, 2022, at the Sanford Hospice Cottage in Luverne.
Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, at the Dingmann Funeral Home in Luverne. Visitation will also be from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, at St. Catherine Catholic Church in Luverne with a funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m. Burial will be in the Maplewood Cemetery in Luverne.
Arrangements are provided by Dingmann Funeral Home of Luverne, dingmannandsons.com.
(1020 DN)

Rock County Planning and Zoning hearing for Prairie Estates set for Oct. 31
Notice of Public Hearing for Prairie Ridge Estates 
Subdivision Preliminary Plat 
Pursuant to the Rock County Zoning Ordinance, notice is hereby given by the
Rock County Planning and Zoning Commission that a public hearing will be held at the Rock County Law Enforcement Center located at 1000 North Blue Mound Avenue, Luverne, Minnesota at 7:05 p.m Monday, October 31, 2022. The purpose of this hearing is to take public comment on a Final Plat proposed for a Suburban Residence Subdivision, for the following tract of property:
The easternmost 1625 feet of the 60.40 acre tract of land located in the S 1/2 of Section 12 of Luverne Township, T102N, R45W. This tract lies South of the Ellis and Eastern railroad right of way in the SW 1/4 of the SE 1/4 and the SE 1/4 of the SW 1/4. The property is owned by Dean and Jennifer Tofteland. 
All persons interested may appear and by heard at said time and place, or submit views in writing by 4:00 p.m. on October 31, 2022, to the Rock County Land Management Office, 311 West Gabrielson Road, Luverne, MN 56156.
 
By Order of the Rock County Planning and Zoning Commission
Eric Hartman, Zoning Administrator
311 W. Gabrielson Road
Luverne, MN 56156
507-283-8862
(10-20, 10-27)

Richard Lee Buss, 77, Luverne, died Friday, Oct. 14, 2022, at Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Visitation will be from 9 to 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Hartquist Funeral Home in Luverne, with a service at 10:30 a.m. Burial will be at Maplewood Cemetery after the service.
Richard Lee Buss was born on Oct. 9, 1945, to Tony and Edna Buss in California, but he was a lifelong resident of Rock County, Minnesota.
Rick married Pat on Jan. 26, 1974. The family lived in Hardwick and attended Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hardwick. The family later settled on a farm near the Blue Mounds State Park. Rick was a dedicated lifelong farmer, a lifestyle that gave him great pride.
Later in life Rick also worked at the rest area near Adrian where he enjoyed meeting many new people. Rick also served on the township board for several years including a term as president.
When Rick’s health declined in 2016, he retired and moved to Edgebrook Care Center.  He remained living at Edgebrook until October of 2022, when he was transferred to Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Rick loved to fish. Being out on water brought him a deep sense of joy and peace. He also served as a volunteer firefighter in Hardwick for a number of years.
One of his favorite things to do was watch his daughter’s sporting events, especially softball. In addition, he and his wife, Pat, could often be seen driving around the countryside trying to determine who had the “cleanest” field. When his grandchildren came along, he enjoyed traveling to Shakopee for all their important events and milestones. They were his pride and joy. Rick also cherished his dog, Alex.
Rick is survived by his daughter, Tricia (Jason Sudenga) Aiken of Shakopee; grandchildren LilyAhnna and Sullivan Aiken; and a brother, Jerry (Liz) Buss of Luverne.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Pat, and his parents.
Arrangements are provided by Hartquist Funeral Home of Luverne, hartquistfuneral.com.
(1020 F)

Notice of City of Luverne general election
NOTICE OF GENERAL ELECTION
CITY OF LUVERNE, MINNESOTA
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2022
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that regarding the City Election, which shall be held in
and for the City of Luverne, State of Minnesota, on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, between the
hours of 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., the following offices shall be filled:
 
          One Council Member, North Ward, for one four-year term
          One Council Member, South Ward, for one four-year term
 
All polling places will be at the Luverne Middle-High School Gymnasium,
709 N. Kniss Avenue, Luverne, MN.
Qualified voters planning to be absent on Election Day may obtain absentee
ballots from the office of the Rock County Auditor-Treasurer, 204 E. Brown Street,
Luverne, Minnesota, until 5:00 p.m. on November 7, 2022.
Jessica Mead, City Clerk
City of Luverne, Minnesota
(10-20, 10-27)

Children (and adults) at the Luverne Volunteer Fire Department open house during National Fire Prevention Week were able to climb onto the large red trucks and use a fire hose to knock rubber ducks off pylons. The Thursday night, Oct. 13, event included hotdogs, chips and cookies for those at the annual event.

Ann L. Leskinen, 67, Ellsworth, died on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022, at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Visitation was Tuesday, Oct. 18, at Hartquist Funeral Home in Luverne. Burial of cremains was at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, at St. Mary Catholic Cemetery in Ellsworth.
Arrangements were provided by Hartquist Funeral Home of Luverne, hartquistfuneral.com.
(1020 DN)

It is Monday and the wind has been and is making short work of our beautiful fall color. That is not unusual for this part of the plains. That is why I encourage those of us who live here to take a picture or two of how amazing the fall color can be on a sunny day before it is demolished by the weather!
And speaking of the weather, a couple of weeks ago I mentioned the importance of your landscape plants being hydrated going into winter. I was hoping we would have appreciable rainfall, but that has not happened and likely will not, according to the long-range forecast.
The shrubs, evergreens, and perennials have been stressed through the growing season this year as well as last, so that’s strike number one. Not having adequate moisture going into winter is strike two. A cold winter with not much snow cover could be the final strike for plants already compromised.
Nothing you can do to correct strike number one, and we don’t know about strike number three. That means that strike number two is the only one you can remedy.
Evergreens in particular have a very shallow root system. They need to be hydrated going into winter because once the ground freezes, they have no way to replace moisture that is lost through  the needles (foliage) by transpiration, and the result will be winter burn, which will not show up until it is too late to do anything to prevent it.
Young trees, perennials, and deciduous shrubs all depend on moist soil to survive the harsh Midwest winter. Other than evergreens, these plants are not using moisture to sustain their growth because they are going dormant. However, their roots need moisture if you want to see them back next year.
We had pretty much the same scenario a year ago, and this spring, I heard countless complaints from people about all types of plants that did not survive the winter. Likely, inadequate hydration was the basis for this preventable plant loss.
Also, earlier in September, I mentioned the bud initiation period for poinsettias was Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 and the importance of no supplemental light during that crucial month.
Well, my poinsettias have suddenly begun to develop their red leaf color. I never fail to appreciate how exact this process goes! The color and flowers will be perfect the day after Thanksgiving to begin the next holiday season!

The 4-2 Hills-Beaver Creek Patriots won their biggest football game so far this season Friday, Oct. 14, in Lamberton when they took down the 4-2 Red Rock Central Falcons in a convincing 22-0 victory.
The win put the Patriots in a good position for the Section 3 nine-man playoffs and proved they can start a game fast and finish strong.
The visiting Patriots started the game with an impressive 10-play, 63-yard drive that culminated with a one-yard blast by Sawyer Bosch to put the Patriots up 6-0 with 6:56 left in the first quarter.
During the drive, Patriot wide receiver Brock Harnack averted a near disaster on the fourth play of the drive when he pounced on a Patriot fumble that kept possession and led to the game’s first score.
Looking back on that first scoring drive, head coach Rex Metzger said, “I thought our first drive set the tone for the game.”
The Red Rock Central Falcons were kept out of sorts by the stellar Patriot defense for the entire game, while H-BC’s offense scored more than enough points to secure the victory in the first half.
During the Falcons’ first offensive drive, Patriot defensive end Beau Bakken made the first two tackles, forcing the Falcons into their first three and out. RRC punted four times during the Patriot defensive shutout.
The Patriots did not score on their next possession and were forced to punt. However, they returned the favor and secured possession of the ball with a Falcon punt on their next possession.
The Patriots took over after they pressured the Falcon punter and caused a 15-yard punt to the 21-yard line.
It took only five plays for the Patriots to score their second touchdown of the game on another Sawyer Bosch scamper from five yards out. Bosch then took the ball over the goal line on the two-point conversion and the Pates widened their lead to 14-0.
The Falcons went for a fourth and four yards to go from their own 41-yard line on their next possession.
Senior Brock Harnack broke up the Falcon pass, and the Patriots took over on downs with 7:34 remaining in the half.
With the Patriots on offense, because of the running of Beau Bakken, the passing of Jamin Metzger, and the receiving of Riley Tatge, the Patriots scored their third touchdown of the game with a 2-yard run by Sawyer Bosch.
Bosch hit Riley Tatge with a strike to add a successful two-point conversion to bring the score to 22-0 with 3:13 left in the half. The Patriot defense held the Falcons to another punt, and the half ended without scoring.
During the scoreless second half, the Patriot defense forced one Falcon punt and two turnovers on downs. The defense also held Red Rock Central to a paltry one of 11 on third down conversions.
After scoring 22 points in the first half, the Patriot offense iced the game in the fourth quarter when they took over the ball with 8:50 left in the fourth quarter and controlled it for the remainder of the game.
After two kneel-downs at the Falcon five-yard line, the Patriots moved to 5-2 and the Falcons fell to 4-3 on the season.
“Our guys came out and played tough, and I thought they did a great job playing that way the whole night,” Metzger said at the end of the night.
The Patriots will play Edgerton Oct. 19, the Wednesday before MEA break, in the last regular season game.
This game will be instrumental for both teams in the Section 3 playoff seedings.
It will be the 84th meeting between Hills-Beaver Creek and Edgerton since 1965, but it will be the first “Battle of the Red Rock Trophy” to start a new traveling trophy tradition between Edgerton and Hills-Beaver Creek football teams.
 
Team statistics:
HBC- 164 rushing yards, 93 passing yards, 257 total yards, 18 first downs, one penalty for 10 yards, one turnover.
RRC- 63 yards rushing, 36 yards passing, 99 total yards, four first downs, six penalties for 35 yards, zero turnovers.
 
Individual statistics:
Rushing: Beau Bakken 22-83, Sawyer Bosch 22-71, Cooper Gehrke 2-12,
Team 2-(minus 2)
Passing: Sawyer Bosch 2-3 for 49 yards, Jamin Metzger 3-5 for 44 yards.
Receiving: Luke Fuerstenberg 1-43 yards, Riley Tatge 2-31 yards, Beau Bakken 1-13 yards, Jackson Gacke 1-6 yards.
Defense: Braden Metzger 4.5 tackles & 1 TFL, Beau Bakken 4 tackles, Riley Tatge 3 tackles, Sawyer Bosch 2.5 tackles, Luke Fuerstenberg 2.5 tackles, Micah Bush 2.5 tackles.

The LHS girls’ tennis team competed in the first two rounds of the Section 3A individual tournament in Sioux Falls Thursday, Oct. 13.
Luverne had two individuals playing singles and two doubles teams competing for the right to move on to semifinals and finals that were scheduled to be played Tuesday, Oct. 18, in Sioux Falls.
In singles competition Thursday, Cassi Chesley, the No. 9 section seed, was defeated by the No. 8 seed Tayte Nokleby from MACCRAY Coop 6-0, 6-0. 
Luverne’s second singles player and No. 11 seed, Morgan Hadler, lost to No. 7 seed Brielle Kulm of Pipestone 6-2, 6-4, also in the first round. 
“Both Cassi and Morgan faced girls that were playing very good tennis,” said LHS coach Jon Beers.
“I wish that they would have been able to play more than one match each.”
In doubles play, Sarah Stegenga and Katharine Kelm won both matches and will now play Oct. 18 for a chance to compete in the individual state tournament.
They defeated Brianna Nelson and Sarana West from Yellow Medicine East 6-1, 6-3 in the first round, and they beat Hanna Oie and Kalista Borman from Lac Qui Parle in the second round.
Caitlin Kindt and Augusta Papik also competed in doubles for LHS and were defeated by Claire Lowry and Kayla Jahn of Lac Qui Parle 7-5, 6-2.
“Sarah and Katharine are now two wins away from state, and I feel they have a great shot at making it,” Beers said.
“I was really pleased with the way they played in their second match.” Stegenga and Kelm were scheduled to continue their season Tuesday in Sioux Falls with a chance to represent LHS in the State Individual Tournament in Minneapolis.