Luverne cross country boys’ and girls’ varsity teams won at their home Luverne Invitational Thursday, Oct. 6.
It was a narrow win for the LHS girls, with the Cardinals beating Canby-Minneota by one point. The Luverne boys’ varsity team won by 23 points over Canby-Minneota.
“For them to come away with both team titles being short-handed was a huge boost of confidence for the kids heading toward the postseason meets,” said Luverne cross country coach Pete Janiszeski.
Luverne runners won individually as well.
Owen Janiszeski won the 5,000-meter run for boys in a time of 16:40.07, and Jenna DeBates won the 5,000-meter run for girls in a time of 18:42.24.
“I thought we really competed well as a team and rallied around each other,” Janiszeski said. “I was very pleased with how hungry they were to perform at their best.”
 
Other Luverne girls’ varsity results:
Ella Schmuck, 5th, 20:43.30
Khloe Visker, 8th, 21:17.07
Grace Ingebretson, 11th, 21:29.06
Tiana Lais, 23rd, 22:33.69
Maria Rops, 37th, 23:21.50
Makena Nelson, 46th, 24:15.62
Andrea Luitjens, 72nd, 28:37.96
 
Other Luverne boys’ varsity results:
Ryan Fick, 4th, 17:10.11
Sage Viessman, 15th, 18:13.19
Leif Ingebretson, 23rd, 18:36.03
Carsen Tofteland, 24th, 18:37.05
Kaleb Hemme, 38th, 18:58.85
Dylan Ommen, 45th, 19:08.94               
Zach Terrio, 61st, 19:51.97
Camden Hoven, 62nd, 19:58.42
Eli McLendon, 93rd, 21:14.29
Riley Ripka, 118th, 23:22.33
 
Girls’ Junior High 3,200-meter results:
Grace Kempema, 2nd, 15:13.14
Reinha John, 3rd, 15:13.22
Emma Wieneke, 30th, 20:28.41
 
Boys’ Junior High 3,200-meter results:
Marcus Papik, 2nd, 12:55.27
Zander Fountain, 28th, 16:34.78

As construction of the seven-mile Luverne Loop comes to completion, future trail work will focus on “enhancing the trail experience and making additional connections in community.”
The Luverne Economic Development Authority on Monday reviewed plans for the Bike Trail Wayfinding Signage Master Plan, presented by EDA director Holly Sammons.
“The plan includes recommendations for sign types and locations and identifies opportunities to help promote the trails and additional amenities within the city of Luverne,” she said.
The Loop will be marked by several different types of signs, ranging from large to small, but the trail kiosk signs will have the most information.
They’re double-sided with a map of the complete Luverne Loop on one side, and on the other will be a broader map including all three local trails — the Loop, the Blue Mound Trail and the Ashby Trail.
The maps will also identify local parks, provide directions to trail amenities (such as bathrooms) and include distance information from starting points.
Five kiosks are planned along the Loop route:
•at the Trailhead on East Main Street.
•at the intersection of 131st Street and Blue Mound Avenue.
•at the School Prairie View Complex.
•at Rotary Park on South Highway 75.
•at Redbird Field.
She said maps at these locations will catch state park users on the north end of town to alert them that there’s more trail experience in Luverne.
It will catch travelers from the interstate at the dog park, some of whom may want to take their dogs for walks along the Loop.
It will inform visitors to school on the west edge of town and at the ballfields on the east side.
“They give people a visual idea of how long the trails are and how to get around and experience them,” Sammons said.
“These maps are a work in progress and will need to be constantly updated between our signages, website, brochures, community guide, visitors’ maps … it’s really good to have a nice base layer that’s constant and then we can go in and make changes as they happen.”
Trail directional signs are tall and narrow and will be placed along the Loop easements to direct users to trail amenities and provide distance information along the route.
Sammons said the recent work to widen the path on the north end of town by the hospital will also be helpful for users to see exactly where the trail goes.
It’s 10 feet wide with a total 30-foot easement, which distinguishes it from regular sidewalk routes.
Interpretive panels (with angled table tops) will acknowledge trail funding, the RIM (Reinvest in Minnesota set aside acres) property. One will be placed along the river near the wooded area the newest part of the trail.
“It will talk about the importance of taking care of what we have,” Sammons said. “That’s one of the pillars of Legacy funding … to talk about the prairie, to talk about the land, the native grass and habitat and the river and conservation methods that are used.”
The final portion of the Loop project received an $839,300 Legacy Grant through the Greater MN Parks and Trails Commission.
The trail wayfinding signage project is planned for 2023 with a budget of $50,000 to $75,000, some of which may be offset by additional grant funds.
Sammons said she is working on promoting the finished Loop to encourage more visitors to Luverne.
“We’re now in a position where we can market our trail, not just to local and regional people, but in statewide publications,” Sammons said.

Not everyone would take on a 4,000-mile bike ride, and that’s why completing the trip is so satisfying to Luverne’s Walt and Beryl Moser.
“If you like bicycling and if you enjoy travel — do it,” Walt said.
The couple will share information about their three-month cross country adventure Sunday evening, Oct. 16, at First Baptist Church, where Walt is the pastor. The program begins at 6:30 p.m.
The idea for this summer’s bike ride from Portland, Oregon, to Washington, D.C., began with a simple purchase 20 years ago.
“We bought each other bicycles for our 25th anniversary,” Beryl said. “We had bikes before, but we didn’t do a lot of riding.”
They recently celebrated their 45th year together.
Walt’s interest in staying physically active after retiring from the Army led him to biking.
“I never enjoyed running. Of course, in the military, you ran,” Walt said. “We tried a variety of things.”
The Mosers purchased a recumbent tandem bicycle, and a passion for enjoying the outdoors was born.
They switched to the single riding on Salsa Fargo bikes to complete their first cross country ride in 2015, the year before they came to Luverne.
Seven years ago, they rode the northern tier of the United States. “It was something I wanted to do — ride across the U.S. — just to see if I could do it,” Walt said.
Beryl had a simpler explanation of joining Walt and climbing on a bike and pedaling every day for 90 days.
“He’s crazy and I am stupid for going along,” she said with a laugh.
The Mosers carried all supplies with them during this summer’s ride.
Not including the weight of water or food, each carried 30 to 35 pounds of gear that consisted of a tent, two sets of biking clothes, sleepwear, rain gear, cooking equipment and coats for riding in the mountains.
 
Bike ride began
May 22 from St. Paul
They began their ride May 22 when they boarded an Amtrak train in St. Paul for the trip to Portland, Oregon, where they would begin their bike ride to Washington, D.C.
Family joined the Mosers during the first weeks of the ride, but the majority of the time it was just the two of them.
The couple followed a map developed by the Adventure Cycling Association for the 1976 bicentennial. It showed campgrounds, motels, water stops, places to buy food and area attractions.
The map took them on county roads, where they often met other bicyclists following the same map.
They planned their route every day, making sure they stopped for water along the way.
“The goal is to try and drink every 15 minutes,” Walt said. “Some of this depends on the heat of the day, and we try to drink whether you want to drink or not.”
In Montana they rode in 31-degree temperatures and light snow.
“My feet were so cold I couldn’t feel anything from here (points to ankle) to my toes,” Beryl said. “It was so cold.”
A detour around Yellowstone National Park due to recent floods took them off the plotted route.
“That was probably the scariest part because traffic was so heavy,” Walt said.
Coming into Rush, Colorado, which was not part of the mapped route, they found only a church and a café where people were accommodating.
“They let us spend the night in the church,” Walt said. “The next day was 67 miles with no place to get water.”
The Mosers carried extra bottles of water to make sure they stayed hydrated.
“The vast majority of the people are really good people,” he said. “We never felt threatened by an individual.”
They left the cold behind weeks later when they entered Kansas and Missouri and days of 100-degree heat.
Some nights, instead of setting up a tent, the Mosers opted for a motel and air conditioning to escape the heat and to let their bodies recover.
 
The bike adventure
ended on Aug. 16
The Mosers, ages 66 and 62, carried cell phones and listened to audiobooks along the ride. They talked about the subjects after riding anywhere from 60 to 80 miles a day once they were out of the mountains.
When they reached the eastern U.S. bike trails, the Mosers’ pace slowed down. The last 355 miles were by bike path.
“Seeing the U.S. at 10 miles per hour, it looks different,” Walt said. “You see all the crops — you see objects you’ll never see at 55 mph-plus.”
They prepared for the bike ride across the U.S. by training around Luverne. For mountains, they repeatedly pedaled up and down the state park’s hill north of Luverne.
The Mosers are planning their next bike ride that will take them along the southern tier of the country. They may also complete a bike trip to Alaska.
For now they’ll enjoy sharing their biking experience with others.
“We’ve learned about ourselves, each other and the greatness of God,” Walt said. “We enjoyed Amtrak, family, great views, rivers to follow, a few detours. Some places we strained to push up the hills and a few rain-filled days and campsites. We were both ready to be home and with our church family.”

Ron Fick combines soybeans Thursday afternoon, Oct. 6, east of Hardwick. Harvest in the state is closing in on the five-year completion average, just one day behind, according to the Oct. 3 state crop report. Corn harvest is two days behind the five-year average. Both corn and soybean prices rose significantly throughout the current growing season and have remained quite strong during harvest. This has improved the overall profitability projections for most Upper Midwest grain producers for 2022. As such, many producers have had some difficulty making grain marketing decisions for the 2022 corn and soybean crops, according to farm management anaylst Ken Thiesse. In his weekly Focus on Ag column, Thiesse parses out some of these pricing decisions in light of the current market conditions.

Rock County Commissioners want local residents to bring voting concerns to them, rather than to the local auditor’s office.
Auditor Ashley Kurtz and her office staff answer questions regularly about voter registration and other procedures outlined by the office of the Secretary of State.
However, questions about election integrity and possible irregularities should be directed to the County Board, which oversees the auditor’s office, according to discussion at the Oct. 4 County Board meeting.
“Rock County has taken compliance to the Nth degree,” said Board Chairman Jody Reisch. “If they have that big of a concern, we would like to hear it.”
The board meets the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, unless otherwise rescheduled. The meetings begin at 9 a.m. in the courthouse commissioners’ room.
Reisch told Kurtz at the board’s Oct. 4 meeting that any changes in the county’s election process needs to come to the commissioners.
Her office doesn’t make the rules; it only follows them.
“If something needs to be changed locally, we as a board need to look into it and make those changes,” he said.
Commissioners recently authorized $13,700 from a state election security grant to place cameras at the county courthouse. One camera monitors the drop-off ballot box.
Contact the Rock County Administrative Office at 507-283-5065 to be placed on the commission’s next agenda.

Six blocks of Highway 75 in Luverne will be closed between Main Street and Dodge Street for a sewer lining project starting Oct. 17.
The monthlong infrastructure work includes sewer lining, spot repairs, installing new manholes and replacing water service lines beneath the highway by direction boring new service lines.
The 2022 sewer and utility improvements are related to the 2025 Minnesota Department of Transportation mill-off and overlay of North Highway 75 from Main Street to the North city limits. 
City officials looked at the infrastructure in the Highway 75 right of way and determined there is underground infrastructure that needs to be replaced ahead of the state’s upcoming road resurfacing.
The idea was to do the underground work this summer so that that the newly asphalted road wouldn’t have to be dug up for utility repairs in the near future.
The work was postponed this summer for several reasons, according to City Administrator John Call.
The route needed to be open to haul materials for major construction projects in the area, such as the Lineage Logistics warehouse, Walleye Wind Farm and resurfacing Main Street and Blue Mound Avenue.
Also, there were additional community events, such as the school reunion, that affected visitor traffic on Main Street and Highway 75.
Call said on Tuesday that there was finally a window to complete the work this fall and the contractor indicated work could be done in October.
In an Oct. 4 memo to the council, city engineer Gary Kurth of DGR welcomed the fall work.
“There will be some extra cost due to the delays, increase in price of materials since the spring and additional traffic control,” he said. “If we waited until spring of 2023, the additional costs will be higher.”
Hulstein Excavation of Edgerton was awarded the contract in February after submitting the low bid of $567,000, including alternates.
The city is using the federal funding in the American Rescue Plan to pay for the project.

Meetings
Luv1LuvAll Board will meet at 8 a.m. Friday, Oct. 14, in the Blue Mound meeting room of Sanford Luverne. Luv1LuvAll unites the community to support dignity and create opportunities for people to move out of poverty. All are welcome to attend. Call Holly, 605-413-5415, with questions.
Beaver Creek Township Board will meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 17, in the township hall.  
MS Support Group will meet at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, at the Pizza Ranch in Luverne. All persons with MS, family and friends are invited. Call 283-2069 or 283-2964.
 
Duff Dog Backyard UltraOct. 15
The Duff Dog Backyard Ultra is set for Saturday, Oct. 15, in the Blue Mounds State Park. Start time is 8 a.m. at the walk-in campsites and registration is open at https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=93946.
The backyard ultra is a form of ultramarathon race where competitors must consecutively run the distance of 6,706 meters (4.167 miles) in less than one hour. When each lap is completed, the remaining time within the hour is typically used to recover for the next hour's race. The competition is for anyone to join and challenge themselves by running one hour, two hours or more.
 
Extra evening hours at Food Shelf
The Rock County Food Shelf is now open for an additional evening shift from 5 to 6 p.m. the first and third Thursdays of the month. Call Mary at 507-227-5548 or Katie at 507-227-3531.
 
Atlas sets dates for One Warm Coat distribution
Atlas Ministries accepts donations for Rock County One Warm Coat from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 10 to 7 Thursdays and from 10 to 4 Saturdays at Redeemed Remnants.
Donations can also be left in the Luverne Elementary School commons during normal school hours.
Distributions dates are from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 27, from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 29, from 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 10, and from 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 12.
Accepted are new or gently used, clean winter wear, including coats, hats, gloves, boots, scarves and snowpants. Call Destiny Ripka at 507-220-0030.
 
Indoor marching band concert Oct. 17
The Luverne High School marching band will perform an indoor concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 17, in the high school gym. Rootbeer floats will be served after the concert by the Luverne Music Boosters.
 
‘Rock the Aqua’ swimming and pizza event Oct. 21
“Rock The Aqua” free area-wide youth event is from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, at the Luverne Aquatics and Fitness Center for grades 9-12. The event, which includes swimming, door prizes and pizza, is sponsored by Rock the Edge and the Substance Free Coalition of Rock, Nobles, and Pipestone Counties. Call 507-227-1978 with questions.
 
Food distribution is Oct. 20
New Life Celebration Church’s third Thursday monthly food giveaway is at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, at the Atlas building at 101 W. Maple St. in Luverne.
Enter from Maple Street and stay along the west side of the building. Parking lot opens at 3 p.m. Do not block the Redeemed Remnants parking lot, intersection or alley entrance. Food will be loaded into vehicles, which exit via the alley going west. Call 507-283-8963 or 507-283-4366 with questions.
 
Community Ed
Community Education will offer the following classes in the next few weeks. Call 507-283-4724 to register.
Children 0-5 years along with parents are invited to the Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom for Outdoor Play Time on Oct. 18. There is a morning or evening session. No fee, but registration required.
Students (grades 4-6) will follow along with the instructor step by step to create a painting at Paint & Snack class on Oct. 24. Fee is $33.
Men’s Basketball meets on Wednesday nights November through February starting Nov. 2. Register by Oct. 26. Fee is $35 for the 4 months.
Learn how to rescue and repair your wardrobe at the Basics of Mending on Oct. 29 at The Sewing Basket. Fee is $15 plus cost of supplies purchased at the store.
 
Library Happenings
For more information about library happenings, call 507-449-5040 or email rockcountystaff@gmail.com.
Story Time with Bronwyn is Fridays from now through. Dec. 2. The event starts at 10 a.m.
Afternoon movie and snacks takes place from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20. The movie is “The Addams Family.”
Zombie Appreciation Day is Friday, Oct. 21. A zombie scavenger hunt and zombie costume contest will take place. At 10 a.m., a zombie story time will take place and from 2 to 4 p.m. come-and-go zombie activities will take place including spooky cookie decorating, Frankentoy craft and zombie trivia.
Trivia Night is at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of every month at Take 16 in Luverne. Team registration begins at 6 p.m.
Reminiscence Kits are available featuring various topics such as gardening, pets, baking, sewing, farming and hunting. The kits are designed to use with a loved one experiencing memory loss, encouraging the loved one to open up about activities they once loved in the past.
 
CoffeeBreak Bible Study meets Tuesdays
CoffeeBreak Bible Study meets each Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Christian Reformed Church in Luverne. There will be StoryHour Bible stories and playtime for ages 3 to kindergarten, and a nursery is available. It’s free for all faiths and no prior Bible knowledge is necessary. Call Kristi Stroeh at 507-227-5102 or email atkristi.stroeh@hotmail.com
 
A.C.E. respite care available, volunteers needed
A.C.E. of SW Minnesota (A.C.E.) offers respite care services in Rock County for those needing a break from caring for a loved one.
The respite program offers short-term (1-3 hours), temporary care for families and caregivers by providing a brief period of reprieve from the daily cares they provide to their loved one.
Volunteers provide non-professional supportive services to caregivers to give them time for themselves, relieve their stress and help them remain healthy.
Respite care volunteers are also needed. Trained A.C.E. volunteers provide respite care to family caregivers of adults age 60 and older who are suffering from long-term health conditions.
Contact Linda Wenzel at 507-283-5064 or ace.rock@co.rock.mn.us.

There are races in the Luverne City Council Ward 2 election and in the Minnesota House of Representatives District 21A election.
To assist voters in their General Election choices, The Star Herald reached out to the candidates with questions for them to respond to with the intent to be published.
City Council candidates answered the questions, “Why are you the best candidate for Ward 2 City Council?” and “If elected, what would be your top three priorities and why?”
They were directed to respond to these questions, plus provide biographical information about themselves in 750 words or less.
Those responses are below.
On the opposite page, Minnesota House candidates were asked to provide their top three priorities and also answer the question, “What specifically will you do to improve the partisan divide and ensure that legislative responsibilities are completed within a normal session timeline?”
The two city candidates and two state candidates will face each other in a televised forum on Thursday, Oct. 20, starting at 2 p.m. in Luverne City Hall council chambers.
Meanwhile, the 18 candidates seeking election to five seats on the Luverne School Board have been video-interviewed and those can be found on the Star Herald website, www.star-herald.com. No subscription is necessary to view them.
Marlin 'Mert' Kracht, candidate for Luverne City Council
What do you currently do for a living and who are your wife and family?
I own and operate Mert’s Machine and Repair, a welding and general machine shop in Luverne. We have been in business for 14 years. I have lived in Luverne for 12 years with my wife, Bobbi, and our six children, Trevor, Jackson, Kacie, Cade, Allie and Caleb.
 
Why are you the best candidate for Ward 2 City Council?
I am the best candidate for city council because of what I have done for a living for the past 30 years, and how I grew up. People bring problems to me, and I come up with ways to solve the problems by listening to what they want. I do it with hard work and common sense, not just throwing money at it. I was raised on a 200-acre farm in the 1980s. I learned how to get things done by working together and sharing ideas.
 
If elected, what would be your top three priorities and why?
My top priority is to ask the hard questions. Why are we spending this money on whatever it may be? Has anyone looked into what this will bring to our city by spending this money? Do we need this or do we just want it? Is this what the taxpayers of Luverne support? Or does it just benefit a certain few of our population?                 
We need to get more businesses with good paying jobs into Luverne, as well as keeping the existing businesses here. The goal is to grow the town. If the residents of Luverne are driving to another city every day for work, they are spending their money there, not here. When considering trying to get a company to build in Luverne, the question no one seems to ask themselves is, “Would you work there?”               
 We have more equipment and personnel than cities twice our population. Yet we hire out a good deal of the work that has to be done. I think we have a beautiful town. I also think we can have a beautiful town by using hard work and common sense.
Kevin Aaker (incumbent) Candidate for Luverne City Council
What do you currently do for a living and who are your wife and family?
I am majority owner of Luverne Body Shop. Mary, my wife, and I have two children and six grandchildren from 2 months old through 21 years old. Our daughter and her family live here in Luverne, and my son and his family live in Roseville, Minnesota.
 
Why are you the best candidate for Ward 2 City Council?
While I am running for Ward 2 I keep the interests of all citizens of Luverne in mind when making decisions. We have a city with its eye on caring for what we have while preparing for the future. There are many small cities that have given up and are just trying to get by.
That’s not our city. We have banded together and jumped in to start building a city that people want to live in.
I am working hard to set in place budgets that plan for replacement of equipment and facilities so as not to overburden citizens in any given year that something expensive needs replacement or repair.
I have always been goal-driven, not just for this year and a couple years in the future. I believe in planning out as far as 40 to 50 years. This is the only way to have a chance at having the water, sewer, power and everything else a city needs to provide a quality of life that draws people to live in the community.
I use the facts that are available to make decisions in the best interest of residents. Sometimes it may seem that nothing is happening even though the background research is going on to make the best decisions for Luverne’s future.
There are countless stories of towns that rushed into decisions that landed a city in trouble or cities that were not willing to plan now for needs of the future and pay ahead so that we are not leaving a problem for our children to deal with that we could have dealt with when the cost was more reasonable in the long run.
I want to help build a city that our children not only want to return to as adults but a city that has the infrastructure, housing, day care and employment opportunities that allow them to come home and thrive.
 
If elected, what would be your top three priorities and why?
The three projects I would like to focus on in the future are day care, housing across a wide range of affordability, and laying the groundwork for growth into the future.
Our in-home day care providers are finding it increasingly difficult to care for our children and earn a reasonable living. Many have left the profession, and the lack of day care is affecting families and employers alike.
We have been working on this issue for years, laying the groundwork and researching options and are now at a point where we are close to having a privately operated day care center in a city-owned building.
Additionally, we have been working with local entities and county, state and even federal representatives to find ways to make day care affordable and practical.
For housing, I’d make it a priority to cooperate with developers as well as state and federal entities to provide affordable housing in this area for all who work here and want to make a life here.
For future growth, I will continue to press for development of all infrastructure needed for industrial and business development.
This is the broadest of the three topics. It entails the next steps to have more of our industrial park ready when a company wants to build in Luverne.
 Additionally, we need to make sure we have dependable utilities to support the additional needs for them. Then we need to have the people available who want to work and have the skills to produce the products and services needed for these companies.
We are blessed to live in a city with citizens who are not afraid to do what needs to be done for our city to provide a place to thrive. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard, “Luverne is amazing. When they see something that needs to be done, it gets done!”

There are races in the Luverne City Council Ward 2 election and in the Minnesota House of Representatives District 21A election.
To assist voters in their General Election choices, The Star Herald reached out to the candidates with questions for them to respond to with the intent to be published.
City Council candidates answered the questions, “Why are you the best candidate for Ward 2 City Council?” and “If elected, what would be your top three priorities and why?”
They were directed to respond to these questions, plus provide biographical information about themselves in 750 words or less.
Those responses are below.
On the opposite page, Minnesota House candidates were asked to provide their top three priorities and also answer the question, “What specifically will you do to improve the partisan divide and ensure that legislative responsibilities are completed within a normal session timeline?”
The two city candidates and two state candidates will face each other in a televised forum on Thursday, Oct. 20, starting at 2 p.m. in Luverne City Hall council chambers.
Meanwhile, the 18 candidates seeking election to five seats on the Luverne School Board have been video-interviewed and those can be found on the Star Herald website, www.star-herald.com. No subscription is necessary to view them.
Joe Schomacker (incumbent) candidate for Minnesota House of Representatives
Joe Schomacker, seeking re-election to Minnesota House District 21A seat as the Republican candidate
 
Biographical information
I am a Main Street business owner. My parents, brother and I operate Schomacker Cleaning, Schomacker Home Galleries (selling flooring, appliances and mattresses), and The Sewing Basket.
I understand what it means to make payroll, how it feels to have Governor Walz say my business is not essential and close my doors, and how gas prices affect every portion of the local economy.
I am honored to serve the people of southwestern Minnesota in the Minnesota House.
I have focused on Health and Human Services, serving as the policy committee chair when Republicans were last in the majority.
I work on rural health care needs and do so on a bipartisan basis. This is how I earn the endorsements from nursing homes with Care Providers of Minnesota as well as the leading health care labor union, SIEU Healthcare.
I am asking for another term as Rock County’s state representative because we need a responsible, common-sense approach to the nearly $10 billion budget surplus. I prefer to return the surplus to the taxpayers, starting with the Social Security income tax. If we don’t have the votes to get that done, I could support road and bridge funding or water infrastructure as long as it took care of the issues for the next generation.
I’m not running with a backup plan to get a job in the Governor’s administration after the election or anything like that. I sincerely respect the values of southwest Minnesota and appreciate bringing that to St. Paul. I hope the voters are gracious enough to send me there again.
In this campaign I have earned the endorsements of other bi-partisan and non-partisan political groups including the pro-life group Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL), Minnesota Doctors (MEDPAC), the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association and Minnesota Farm Bureau.
 
Top three priorities:
Law enforcement is under attack, yet we wonder why crime in our state rises.
I talk with constituents daily who don’t feel safe going to a Twins or Vikings game, or express concern for their friends and family that live up there.
I support stiffer penalties on criminals. That includes repeat offenders of violent crimes, fleeing law enforcement recklessly, fentanyl dealers and carjackings.
I support more grants and funding for programs that support law enforcement and promote more good actors in the system. I support funding the police.
Skyrocketing inflation affects our pocketbooks hard. We should not use state funds to subsidize inflation like they did in Washington. We must find ways to reduce spending and decrease demand. We can’t stop inflation on our own, but we can avoid contributing to it.
A global recession is on the horizon. We can fend some of it off with tax incentives that encourage private investments in local economies, keeping them strong.  We cannot spend our way into prosperity.
Our education policy decisions get taken away from parents by activists in St. Paul. We need to ensure that parents take back their child’s public education and that local school boards have the power to make more decisions.
 
What specifically will you do to improve the partisan divide and ensure that legislative responsibilities are completed within a normal session timeline?
I will request that those negotiating the bills have jobs outside of the Capitol to get back to when session wraps up. A full 20 percent of current legislators list their occupation as “retired” or “legislator” – both Republicans and Democrats. If being in St. Paul is their full-time job, they’re going to drag things out.
It’s especially a problem in the current environment where politicians think that the other side must lose in order to win. I’ve been in business long enough to know that’s not the case. I was involved with training this summer on strategies to get beyond winners and losers in negotiations.
We need to break down the large spending bills and portion them out so when it’s ready, it can be voted on. So much time is wasted trying to bring these omnibus bills together just to consolidate power over the bill. We’ll also see more bi-partisan votes on bills this way.
Finally, I am advocating for a House Rule which requires budget bills to only have language in them that affect the budget spreadsheet. This will reduce policy from being slipped into bills and make it easier to pass the bills.
Even with the partisan divide and the social media lies that stir up the base and the amount of money that pours in to persuade legislators, it remains a privilege to serve the people of this state.  
Patrick Baustian candidate for Minnesota House of Representatives
Patrick Baustian is seeking election to Minnesota House District 21A seat as the DFL candidate
Biographical information
I was born in Luverne and raised on our family farm northwest of Luverne with my six other siblings by my parents, Walter and Jean Baustian. I graduated from Luverne High School and entered the United States Air Force in 1981, where I served on active duty for five years and three months as an Electronic Warfare Systems Specialist.
Upon my honorable discharge from active duty, I enlisted with the South Dakota Air National Guard where I continued to work in avionics for the next 14 years and the last 19 years in cyber systems, network infrastructure, and finally as the Chief Enlisted Leader for the 114th Fighter Wing Communications Flight. I deployed five times in direct support of military contingencies throughout my career.
I retired from the South Dakota Air National Guard as a federal technician in January 2020 and militarily in May 2020, attaining the rank of Chief Master Sergeant with over 38 years of military and federal service to our country.
I have been happily married to my wife, Katie, for over 31 years. We have four grown children, all of whom have been born in Luverne and graduated from the Luverne Public School system. They are also all currently serving in the Minnesota and South Dakota Air National Guard.
I served as a Luverne City Council member for eight years and was elected as the mayor of Luverne for the last 12 years, for 20 consecutive years of civic service to our community.
 
If elected, my top three priorities would be to:
1. Address the ever-growing statewide day care shortage that has significantly affected growth in Greater Minnesota communities for the last 20 years. Lack of day care is affecting economic development in many communities and has affected families that want to have more children but are told they can’t or must wait because no infant slots are available.
For many parents the decision has to be made to either both continue to work or decide that one parent will stay home to take care of the children. Some couples decide not to have children at all.
The farming community is the most recent area that day care is affecting. Young farm families are voicing concerns about where they can take their newborns for day care, which is directly affecting our family farming operations.
2. Address inflation. Financial experts have stated that the inflation peaked in January 2022 at 27 percent and currently inflation is at or below 5 percent. This is affecting the bottom line of many businesses, farming operations and working families. During the last legislative session, Minnesota had a $9.4 billion dollar surplus. We are lucky to have a state with such a robust economy. My priority would be to support the tax cuts that were agreed to by the House, to support the elimination of the state income tax on social security, and to work on how to best reduce income tax on those that it affects the most.
3. Support public education: I would work to ensure local, high-quality public education is funded to the highest degree possible and to ensure that our schools have the tools and funding they need to teach our children. I would also work to get more young adults to go into teaching to help the teacher shortage issue. We need to be creative with this so we don’t have a train wreck with the lack of teachers in the near future.
 
What specifically will you do to improve the partisan divide and ensure that legislative responsibilities are completed within a normal session timeline?
One must look at last year’s legislative session that has been referred as the “do-nothing session.” This is one of the biggest reasons that I am running. When the current elected legislators don’t listen to their constituents’ priorities and issues and instead take the priorities of their caucus over them, one must ask if we are truly being represented out here in District 21A.
If elected, I intend to represent everyone. I have always tried to work with everyone on local issues because that’s the only way we move forward. Relationship-building across the aisle pays many dividends and will be a tool that I use to get things done. You can agree to disagree, but on the legislative items you agree on, then legislate them into law.