Local government lobbying takes a 12.7 percent jumpLocal governments in Minnesota increased their lobbying dollars by more than 12 percent during 2003.According to Minnesota State Auditor Pat Anderson, local governments spent a total of $6,082,003 on lobbying activities in 2003.That adds up to a 12.7 percent increase in spending over the previous year.Sixty-one percent of reporting local governments directly employed or hired contract lobbyists in 2003.These local governments spent a total of $2.9 million on staff and contract lobbyists. This represents a 3.3 percent decrease from the amount spent in 2002.Eight of the local governments that directly employed or hired contract lobbyists reported over $100,000 in lobbying expenditures. These local governments accounted for 49.3 percent of all contract and staff lobbying in 2003.So the question is, how much taxpayer dollars should local governments spend to try to get more taxpayer dollars?I should probably point out that whatever lobbying dollars Luverne spent to convince the Minnesota legislature that Luverne is the right spot for the veterans home was certainly worthwhile.This could be your shot at the big leaguesIf you’re a big league wanabee, make your way to Dell Rapids next Monday.The Pittsburgh Pirates will be holding their annual tryout camp in Dell Rapids, on Monday, June 14.The camp will be under the direction of Hank Krause, scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates.Participants should be from age 15 to 18.All tryouts will be at the Dell Rapids City Park beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 2 p.m.Besides representatives from the Pirates organization, a number of scouts and college coaches will also be in attendance.Gutknecht’s staff to visit Luverne TuesdayRepresentatives from Congressman Gil Gutknecht’s office will be in Luverne on Tuesday afternoon, June 15.Cally Eckles, will visit Luverne Tuesday from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the basement of the Luverne Public Library.Eckles is based out of Gutknecht’s Fairmont office and serves as a field representative for southwest Minnesota.The purpose for her visit will be to assist constituents with casework and legislative matters.Brandenburg offers reward for Starfires photosPrior to being known for his photographic skills, Jim Brandenburg was known in high school for playing in a popular local band, Steve Ellis and the Starfires.So, it may seem odd that this world class photographer has no photos of his early days as a musician.He would like to rectify that.If anyone out there has old photos of the Starfires, Jim would like to talk.He may even work out a deal to trade one of his photos for one of yours.Steve Ellis and the Starfires were popular in the area in the early ‘60s. Jim left the band in 1964.If you would like to have more information, contact Jim through Heidi Brandenburg Ross at Ravenwood Studio, 11 E. Sheridan, Ely MN 55731 or call Heidi at (218) 365-5105.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

Newspaper reporters aren’t the only ones who can write storiesThe longer I write for the Star Herald, the more I believe the most compelling stories often don’t make it to print.That’s especially true of local war veterans and stories about their contributions to our nation’s freedom.For every account we publish of one veteran’s experiences, there are several more veterans with equally newsworthy stories that are never told.This week marked the 60th anniversary of D-Day, the day in which the United States and Allied forces invaded the German stronghold on France during World War II.On the 50th anniversary of D-day, I interviewed Luverne’s Brick Bowen, and that conversation at his kitchen table deeply affected my views of war and the price of freedom.The story 10 years ago began, "On June 7, 1944, 22-year-old Army Pvt. Brick Bowen sunk his combat boots into chest-deep waters just off the coast of Normandy, France, and waded into what would be some of the bloodiest fighting in history."Today, 82-year-old Bowen holds a Purple Heart for his contributions, which nearly killed him.The story was published in the June 2, 1994, Star Herald:"He suffered shrapnel wounds in his neck - dangerously close to his jugular vein - and in his left leg above the knee and in his left foot.‘When I came to I was all full of blood,’ Bowen said. He remembers looking around, seeing bodies, but nobody moving. He didn't know where he was.His unit had become separated from each other. ‘I was the only one out of the whole platoon that made it out of there that day ... They were all blown apart,’ Bowen recalled sadly. ‘There was a path, and I followed this path ...’After stumbling over dead American soldiers to get there, Bowen said he finally found a small enclave of American troops. There was a plane about to leave for an England hospital, and it had just one spot left."We’re lucky to know Bowen’s story, but he’s part of a shrinking group of World War II veterans still alive to share their stories. It’s time to start recording them …We can all be newspaper reportersRecognizing the importance of these stories to U.S. history, Congress has created the Veterans History Project.Star Herald reader Tammy Krogmann sent me literature on the project and she suggested I share the idea with other readers."Every veteran has a story to tell, no matter where you served, your rank or branch of service," the postcard reads. "Preserving the memories of wartime veterans and civilians who served in support of them was the goal of Congress when it created the Veterans History Project."Here’s how to contribute to the project.Step 1: Go to www.loc.gov/vets, or call 888-371-5848, for a memoir project kit (which includes sample questions, a registration form and instructions).Step 2: Find a veteran who served in World War I, World War II, Korean, Vietnam or Persian Gulf Wars and record their story.Step 3: Fill out the registration form and assemble photographs, maps, diaries, audio and videotapes you want to be preserved.Step 4: Send the kit to Veterans History Project, Library of Congress, 101 Independence Ave., SE, Washington, D.C., 20540-4615. The Star Herald will continue to publish stories about local veterans, but this is one way we can all help current and future generations learn history from those who lived it.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne Redbirds ran their record to 4-0 by posting three victories since Wednesday, June 2.The Redbirds beat Heron Lake by four runs during Luverne’s home opener June 2 before securing an eight-run home win over Worthington Friday. Luverne ended the stretch by nipping Heron Lake by two runs in Heron Lake Sunday.Luverne, which played a game in Fairmont Wednesday, June 9, travels to Milroy Friday before hosting Hadley Wednesday, June 16.Luverne 10, HL 2Jon Jarchow’s grand-slam home run in the top of the ninth inning kept the Redbirds undefeated for the season Sunday in Heron Lake.Luverne trailed 7-6 after the Lakers scored three runs in the seventh inning before adding another counter in the bottom of the eighth. The Redbirds, however, moved in front 10-7 with Jarchow’s blast and limited the Lakers to one run in the bottom of the ninth to prevail by two.Tony Sandbulte reached base on an error, Eric Edstrom singled and Brian Weber was hit by a pitch before Jarchow cleared the bases with his homer.After a scoreless first inning, both teams scored two runs in the second.Jesse Kuhlman drew a bases-loaded walk and Joel Nath stroked an RBI single to account for Luverne’s runs in the second.The Redbirds took a 4-2 lead with a sacrifice fly from Weber and a fielder’s choice by Jarchow in the top of the third, but HL countered with one run in the bottom of the frame to trail 4-3.A two-run triple by Jake Studer gave the Redbirds a 6-3 lead in the sixth before HL moved in front 7-6 during the next two innings.Luke Iveland pitched one and one-third innings of one-run ball to pick up the win in a relief role. James Fisher recorded two outs in the ninth to earn a save. Kuhlman yielded six runs in six and two-thirds innings of work as Luverne’s starting pitcher. Studer gave up one run and recorded one out in relief of Kuhlman.Box score AB R H BIStuder 4 0 1 2Sandbulte 4 2 1 0Edstrom 5 2 3 0Weber 2 2 0 1Jarchow 4 2 1 5Fisher 5 0 2 0Kuhlman 3 1 1 1Nath 5 0 2 1Iveland 2 1 1 0Luverne 9,Worthington 1The Redbirds rolled to an easy eight-run victory over the Cubs in Luverne Friday.Luverne led 8-0 after seven innings of play and maintained an eight-run margin of victory at game’s end.Mike Boen singled and scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the first when Brian Weber grounded out.Edstrom delivered an RBI single and Jarchow chased home two runs with a single to give the Redbirds a 4-0 lead in the third.Weber recorded a sacrifice fly and two more runs scored on errors when the hosts scored three runs in the sixth inning to make it a 7-0 game.Boen slapped an RBI double to make it 8-0 in the seventh.Both teams scored one run in the eighth inning. Mike Wenninger singled and scored on a double by Edstrom to account for Luverne’s tally.Jarchow fanned 13 batters in a six-inning stint as the starting pitcher. He got the win. Joel Nath pitched three innings of one-run, four-strikeout ball in relief of Jarchow.Box score AB R H BIBoen 5 2 3 1Sandbulte 5 1 0 0Wenninger 4 2 2 0Weber 5 1 1 2Sehr 4 1 1 0Goebel 1 0 0 0Edstrom 4 1 3 2Jarchow 3 0 1 2Nath 2 0 0 0Fisher 3 1 1 0Iveland 4 0 0 0Luverne 8, HL 4The Redbirds raised their record to 2-0 with a four-run home win over Heron Lake Wednesday, June 2.Jeff Sehr tossed six and one-third innings of shutout ball to secure the pitching win, and his Luverne teammates scored eight runs in the first five innings to give the hurler a comfortable lead.The teams battled to a scoreless draw through two and one-half innings before Luverne broke through for a run in the bottom of the third.Boen singled and scored on a double by Sandbulte to open the scoring.Luverne proceeded to score two runs in the fourth inning and five in the fifth to gain an 8-0 advantage.Jarchow and Iveland slapped RBI singles to make it a 3-0 game in the third.Fisher supplied the big blow in the fifth when he delivered a three-run triple. Edstrom singled home a run before Fisher’s bases-clearing triple. Jarchow plated Fisher with a sacrifice fly.Sehr fanned four batters, walked two and yielded one hit during his stint on the hill. Edstrom surrendered four runs in one inning of relief. Nath pitched one and two-thirds innings of scoreless relief.Box score AB R H BIBoen 5 1 2 0Sandbulte 3 0 2 1Sehr 3 1 1 0Weber 3 1 1 0Goebel 1 0 0 0Edstrom 3 2 1 1Nath 2 1 0 0Fisher 4 1 1 3Jarchow 2 1 1 2Pick 1 0 0 0Iveland 4 0 2 1

By John RittenhouseAfter experiencing two weekends full of rain-shortened and cancelled events, clear skies allowed area racers to compete at different tracks Friday, Saturday and Sunday.Rock County was well represented at Friday’s races at Rapid Speedway, in Rock Rapids, Iowa, where area drivers posted feature victories in three different classes.Adrian’s Mark DeBoer had a great night in the late model street stock class, winning the second heat race before taking the checkered flag in the feature event.Four more area drivers competed against DeBoer Friday.Former Rock County resident Darrin Korthals won the first heat race and placed second in the feature, Luverne’s Scott Overgaard placed third in the first heat and third in the feature, Luverne’s Jesse Akkerman placed fifth in the first heat and fourth in the feature, and Adrian’s Brad Klaassen placed fourth in the second heat and fifth in the feature.Ellsworth’s Greg Roemen had a good night in the sportsman class, placing third in the first heat before winning the feature title.Former Luverne resident Anthony Mann placed third in the third heat and third in the feature in the sportsman class. Kanaranzi’s Colter Deutsch finished fifth in the third heat and 12th in the feature.Deutsch experienced more success in the hobby stock competition Friday.On the eve of his wedding, Deutsch won the first heat and took top honors in the A feature.Ellsworth’s Mike Deutsch won the third heat race and placed 10th in the hobby stock A feature. Magnolia’s Josh Klay finished second in the first heat and 12th in the A feature. Luverne’s Mike Buss finished sixth in the first heat and third in the B feature.Luverne’s Josh Reisch traveled to Murray County Speedway in Slayton Friday, where he placed second in the modified feature.Saturday night drew racers to Nobles County Speedway in Worthington, and Lake County Speedway in Madison, S.D.Luverne’s Mike Steensma won the modified feature in Worthington.Adrian’s DeBoer placed fifth in the first heat and second in the street stock feature in Madison. Ellsworth’s Mike Deutsch placed second in the second heat and third in the feature in the hobby stock class.Colter Deutsch had another big night at Huset’s Speedway near Brandon, S.D., Sunday.Deutsch won the third heat race and took the checkered flag in the feature event in the hobby stock class.Magonlia’s Klay also raced in the hobby stock class at Huset’s, placing third in the third heat and 13th in the feature.Luverne’s Akkerman placed second in the second heat and fourth in the feature in the street stock division at Huset’s.

By John RittenhouseAn Adrian High School senior earned a trip to the Minnesota State Class A Track and Field Championships in Blaine this weekend with her performance in the Section 3A meet in Luverne Thursday.Sarah Kruger will make her first appearance at the state classic after placing second in the 400-meter dash at the section meet.In a tight battle for second place, Kruger overcame a slight deficit in the final 20 yards of the race by leaning over the finish line in front of Pipestone Area’s Faith Tinklenberg to qualify for state.Kruger produced a personal best time of 1:00.14 during the race.The top two individual finishers, the winning relay teams and any individual or relay that meets the state-qualifying standard in place for the section event advance to the state classic.Kruger, who becomes the first AHS athlete to advance to state since 2002, will run in Friday’s 400-meter dash preliminaries at 4:25 p.m. If Kruger qualifies for the finals, she will run at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.The AHS girls, who placed 11th in team competition with 21 points, secured three more top-eight performances during the section meet.Kruger placed seventh in the 200-meter dash with a time of 27.27 in the finals.Morgan Lynn made a bid to qualify for the state meet in the 1,600-meter run before placing third. Lynn’s time of 5:23.41 bettered her school record in the event.The 3,200-meter relay team placed fourth with a time of 10:08.95. Lynn, Erica Thier, Leslie Stover and McCall Heitkamp formed the team.The 2004 season came to an end for the Adrian boys, who placed 15th as a team with 18 points at the section meet.The Dragons did earn five top-eight finishes, but no AHS athletes qualified for the state meet.Casey Knips turned in Adrian’s best effort by placing third in the discus with a toss of 142-6.Kyle Knips placed fourth in the 400-meter dash and sixth in the 200-meter dash with respective 53.18 and 23.8 times.Lee Stover finished eighth in the 800-meter run with his 2:07.2 effort.Stover, Chad Janssen, Billy Anderson and Kyle Knips placed seventh in the 1,600-meter relay in 3:39.47.

By John RittenhouseFive members of the Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth/Edgerton boys’ track team extended their seasons during the Section 3A Track and Field Championships staged in Luverne Thursday.The Patriot boys earned the right to compete in three events during this weekend’s Minnesota State Class A Track and Field Championships that will be staged at the National Sports Center in Blaine based on their performances during the section event.The top two individual finishers in every event, the winning relay teams and any individual or relay team that meets the state qualifying standards that are in place for the section meet qualify for the state classic.H-BC-E-E’s five boys won a combined three section championships to earn their trips to Blaine.Junior Tyler Bush will be a busy athlete this weekend. Bush won an individual title and ran legs for a pair of section champion relay teams.Bush’s individual title came in the 800-meter run, an event he placed fifth in during last year’s state meet.Bush won the section championship for the second straight year with a time of 1:58.43 Thursday.The boys’ 3,200-meter relay team won a section championship for the third consecutive season.Todd Alberty, Kale Wiertzema, Derek Haak and Bush produced a time of 8:18.96 to win the race handily.The Patriots also took top honors in the 1,600-meter relay with an H-BC-E-E program record time of 3:31.58.Alberty, Wiertzema, Lee Jackson and Bush formed the team.The H-BC-E-E boys will compete at the state meet Friday and Saturday.Bush will run in the second heat of Friday’s preliminaries in the 800 at 5:22 p.m. The 800 finals will be at 2:27 p.m. Saturday. The 1,600-meter relay may have to make an appearance in the preliminaries at 6:38 p.m. The 1,600-meter relay finals are at 3:23 p.m. Saturday. The 3,200-meter relay is an all-finals event that will be staged at 9:58 a.m. Saturday.The Patriot boys placed eighth in the team competition at the section meet with 40.5 points.Tom LeBoutillier and Cody Scholten registered performances in the top eight without advancing to the state meet for the Patriot boys.LeBoutillier covered 19-5 1/2 to place fifth in the long jump and finished seventh in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 16.41.Scholten cleared 6-1 to place fourth in the high jump.The 2004 season came to an end for the H-BC-E-E girls, who scored 14 points to place 14th as a team in Luverne Thursday.The Patriots did place in the top eight in three events during the meet without qualifying for the state classic.H-BC-E-E’s best effort came during the 3,200-meter relay, when Mya Mann, Ashley and Jocelyn Bucher and Cassi Tilstra established a new H-BC school record with a time of 9:55.44.The Patriots placed third in the event, missing the state qualifying standard by 3.16 seconds.Tilstra shaved some time off her H-BC school record in the 800-meter run by placing fifth with a 2:23.9 performance.The girls’ 1,600-meter relay established a new H-BC-E-E program record by placing fifth with a time of 4:12.41.Mann, Ashley Bucher, Amanda and Cassi Tilstra formed the team.

By John RittenhousePropelled by some outstanding individual performances, the Luverne boys’ track team placed second at the Section 3A Track and Field Championships in Luverne Thursday.The Cardinal boys compiled 75 points in the event, finishing second to Redwood Valley, which scored 89 points, in the team competition.Along with a solid showing in the team competition, three LHS athletes will advance to compete in six events in the state meet in Blaine this weekend.Individuals qualify for the state meet by placing first or second at the section level in their respective events, and the winning relay teams also earn an automatic in the state field. There also are qualifying standards in place during the section meet that, if met, can send an individual or a relay to the state meet.LHS senior Tim Rust qualified for the state meet by winning one section title and placing second in two events. Senior Justin Van Wyhe placed second in a pair of jumping events, and sophomore Jake Hendricks advanced by finishing second in one running event."We are very pleased and proud of our boys," said Cardinal coach Craig Nelson. "We had a great team showing, placing second at the biggest meet of the year."What has been a rewarding senior season for Rust continued Thursday during the section meet.Rust cleared 13-3 to win the section championship in the pole vault. He also finished second in the 100- and 200-meter dashes with respective 11.52 and 23.19 efforts.Van Wyhe proved he is one of Southwest Minnesota’s best jumpers when he placed second in the long and triple jumps with respective 20-2 1/4 and 41-8 3/4 distances.Hendricks opened the door for what looks to be a promising future when he placed second in the 400-meter dash in 52.24.All three Cardinals will compete at the Minnesota State Class A Track and Field Championships that will be staged at the National Sports Center in Blaine Friday and Saturday.Rust has a busy schedule on Friday. He will compete in the pole vault at 3 p.m., run in the 100-meter dash preliminaries at 3:35 p.m., and race in the 200-meter dash preliminaries at 5:42 p.m. If he qualifies, Rust will run in the 100- and 200-meter dash finals that are set for 11:25 a.m. and 2:55 p.m. on Saturday.Van Wyhe will compete in the long jump competition at 2:30 p.m. Friday. The triple jump event will be staged at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.Hendricks runs in the 400-meter dash preliminaries at 4:35 p.m. Friday. The finals are set for 1:35 p.m. Saturday.Along with the efforts turned in by the state qualifiers, LHS athletes earned medals by placing in the top six in six events Thursday.Ryan Wynia cleared 10-6 to place fifth in the pole vault. Tyler Elbers, who placed third at the state meet in the high jump last season, was unable to make a repeat appearance at the state classic after clearing 6-1 and finishing sixth in that event at the section meet.Luverne’s 3,200-meter relay team made a bid to win a section title before finishing second with a time of 8:27.81. Scott Goebel, Nick Otten, Thomas Pinkal and Ruston Aaker formed the team.Luverne placed sixth in the 400-, 800- and 1,600-meter relays with respective 46.6, 1:37.5 and 3:39.19 times.Chris Ashby, Ben Cornish, Jordan Siebenahler and Van Wyhe ran the 400. Cornish, Siebenahler, Ben Uphoff and Andy Stegemann formed the 800-meter team. Hendricks, Aaker, Goebel and Otten teamed up in the 1,600.Cornish padded Luverne’s team tally at the meet by clearing 10-0 to place eighth in the pole vault.Aaker (12th in the 400 in 55.53) and Otten (13th in the 1,600 in 4:56.38) competed in individual events without impacting the team scoring.

By John RittenhouseFive members of the Luverne High School girls’ track program will compete at the state meet after turning in solid performances during the Section 3A Track and Field Championships staged in Luverne Thursday.Eighth-grader Lexi Heitkamp qualified for the event individually in the 1,600-meter run. Heitkamp also is a member of Luverne’s 3,200-meter relay team that will advance to state. Senior Tera Boomgaarden and sophomores Kelsey Dooyema and Victoria Arends are the remaining members of the 3,200-meter relay.Individuals qualify for the state meet by placing first or second at the section level in their respective events, and the winning relay teams also earn an automatic in the state field. There also are qualifying standards in place during the section meet that, if met, can send an individual or a relay to the state meet.Heitkamp earned her trip to the state meet by placing second. The 3,200-meter relay team met the qualifying standard.Heitkamp ran a 5:20.02 during her second-place performance in the 1,600-meter run.She ran the anchor leg of the 3,200-meter relay, which finished second with a time of 9:49.21. The qualifying standard for the race was 9:52.18."We were really happy with the way our kids in the relay ran," said Cardinal coach Craig Nelson. "When you meet the standard, you usually have a good chance to place in that event at state. We thought Lexi had a good chance to qualify in the 1,600, but the relay was a pleasant surprise."The Luverne foursome will compete Saturday at the Minnesota State Class A Track and Field Championships at the National Sports Center in Blaine.The 3,200-meter relay is an all finals event that takes place at 9:45 a.m. Heitkamp will run in the 1,600, another all finals event, at 12:18 p.m.Luverne placed eighth in the team competition at the section meet with 45 points. Cedar Mountain won the team title with 79.5 points.Along with the performances that led to berths in the state meet, Luverne received four more medal-earning efforts that go to athletes who place in the top six in their respective events.Marissa Stewart and Maggie Kuhlman made strong bids to advance to state as individuals.Stewart, who placed seventh in the shot put with a toss of 33-4, finished third in the discus with a distance of 111-1.Kuhlman, who cleared 4-8 to place 13th in the high jump, finished third in the 300-meter hurdles in 49.06.Senior Jenni Christensen picked up two medals. She placed fifth in the 200-meter dash in 27.12, and ran a leg with the sixth-place finishing 1,600-meter relay team that turned in a time of 4:14.74. Arends, Amanda Dooyema and Heitkamp round out the 1,600-meter relay.Arends secured a medal in the 300-meter hurdles by placing sixth in 50.47.Luverne placed seventh in two events, which helped pad the team tally.Amanda Saum ran 3,200-meters in 12:25.84 to finish seventh, and the 400-meter relay team consisting of Callen Bosshart, Amanda Dooyema, Cassie Pap and Nicole Willers placed seventh in 53.49.Kayla Raddle capped the team scoring by placing eighth in the 3,200-meter run in 12:30.38.Other LHS athletes competing at the section meet as individuals included Bosshart (ninth in the 100-meter dash in 13.5), Boomgaarden (15th in the 800-meter run in 2:37.95), Kesley Dooyema (12th in the 1,600 in 5:54.8), Pap (ninth in the triple jump with a distance of 32-3) and Katie Schneiderman (14th in the pole vault by clearing 7-0).Luverne was disqualified in the 800-meter relay.

Rock County Sheriff’s Office will be accepting sealed bids for 911 ANI/ALI controller – 911 PC Answering positions w/Windows NT answering position software – Centralized ANI/ALI printer – Dedicated individual UPS systems (3 for PC, 1 for controller) – 2 ALI data modems – 1ALI fax transfer modem – Specifications may be obtained at the Rock County Sheriff’s Office, 213 E. Luverne, St., Luverne, MN Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Bids must be received by 4:00 p.m. on June 30, 2004. Contact Mike Winkels, Sheriff, for more information. Rock County Sheriff’s Office reserves the right to reject any or all bids. (6-10, 6-17)