Ray and Lois Nelson attended the Boston Brass Concert Friday night at the Washington Pavilion and on Sunday afternoon the Premier Concert of the Dakota Wind Ensemble at Jeschke Auditorium, both in Sioux Falls.Dick and Luella Lewellen, Wessington Springs, S.D., spent the weekend in the home of Kay and Dana Dahlquist. Kim Vis, Sioux Falls, and Adam and Laurie Dahlquist and Avery, Luverne, were additional dinner guests on Sunday.Dr. Ernest and Ina Thorsgard, Thief River Falls, were overnight guests Saturday in the home of his sister, Kathryn and Wendell Erickson. Kirsten and Pat Anderson, Sioux Falls, joined them for the evening meal Saturday.Sheldon and Ellie Sandager and Charlie Sandager returned home last Monday after spending a couple of days in the Cities area. Sheldon and Ellie visited in the home of Nita and Hal Johnson at Stillwater and Charlie visited his cousins. Martha Lindrud had a birthday Saturday, March 13, and to help her observe the event Craig and Carla Dohmen, daughters, Callie and Courtney, Newman Grove, Neb., came to see her. Ruben Vestlie, Sioux Falls, also came and the group enjoyed dinner "out."Joshua and Micah DeBoer, Garner, Iowa, were overnight guests in the home of their grandparents, Chuck and Rheta DeBoer, while their parents were away.Bob and Twila Kirsch met Bob and Lorraine Nerison in Sioux Falls for lunch Friday. We are happy to report that Mona Rozeboom has now been released from the hospital and is at her California home.Ian Sandager is home from college at Ames, Iowa, on his spring break and was a dinner guest Sunday in the home of his grandparents, Vic and Fran Sandager. On Thursday of last week, Howard Hoyme was a dinner guest of the Sandagers. Bill and Judy Top, Sibley, Iowa, took his mother, Mae Top, out to supper Thursday at the Red Lobster in Sioux Falls, and all took in the movie, "The Passion" following supper. Charles Erickson spent a few days this week in the home of his parents, Wendell and Kathryn Erickson.

This past week we had a taste of spring. Do you suppose she is playing peek-a-boo with us? I always think of spring as a little girl with ribbons in her hair, peeking around the corner to see if it was time for her to come! And perhaps wondering what mischief she was going to get into. After all of our warm weather we had last week, the snow really melted, leaving little puddles in strange places. The ditches were filled with water as were all of the little creeks that had been dry for so long. And don’t forget about the mud puddles! All of these things should certainly tempt spring into arriving. With all of the strong winds we have been having we couldn’t have heard the "Rustle of Spring" or seen the beauty of "Springtime in the Rockies" as the old songs used to serenade us with.However, after hearing that the Asian beetles are back by the shovelfuls in the East, I am not so sure I am as anxious for spring as I thought I was. We probably shouldn’t get too excited about spring anyway as Monday morning the snow was falling and more is predicted. Oh well, we can’t win them all!The Steen, Hills and Beaver Creek communities were saddened to hear of the death of a long-time resident and teacher, Avis Hazelton, on Feb. 26 at Tuff Home where she had been a resident for some time. Funeral services for her were Tuesday, March 2, at First Presbyterian Church in Luverne. Our sympathy goes out to her many friends and family.Sunday dinner guests in the Orrin and Bernice Aukes home were Lisa Telford and daughter Taylor from Sioux Falls.Fellowship of Christian Athletes will be in charge of the evening service beginning at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 21, at Steen Reformed Church. They will share their experiences from the Guatemala mission trip last summer. The Praise Team for the Steen church will lead the music. A fellowship hour will follow. Everyone is welcome.Mildred Keunen and Joyce and Jo Aykens were Saturday afternoon supper guests at the Paul and Carole Aykens home in Orange City, Iowa, to help Joyce celebrate her birthday. Paul and Carole’s family were also home. They were Andrea Aykens and a friend, Natalie Brown, from Cedar Falls, Iowa, Vince and Lauri Kurtz and daughter, McKenzie, from Aplington, Iowa, and Susan Kurtz and daughter, Jadeyn, from Orange City. Mildred, Jo and Joyce returned home that evening. Rock County Townships had their annual meetings and election of officers on Tuesday, March 9. Those elected from Clinton Township were Lowell Bonnema, township clerk, and Henry Zwaan, supervisor. Continuing in office were Larry Bosch, treasurer, Lewis Loger and Steve Top, supervisors. Many relatives and friends of Henrietta Huenink helped her celebrate her birthday on Saturday. However, many came prior to the day. Delwyn Huenink, Worthington, also came to help her celebrate.The Northwestern College Band Concert will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 25, at Steen Reformed Church. Everyone is welcome.The Inspiration Hills annual meeting and silent auction will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 25. If you have any questions call Diane Diekevers or Glenda Bonnema. Everyone is welcome. We will observe St. Patrick’s Day this week. When I was a child living on a farm, all of our neighbors were Irish. Consequently, St. Patrick’s Day was always observed. At that time, I really didn’t know a thing about him and to tell you the truth, I didn’t ever learn much about him. When I came upon the story of his life I decided to share it with you as I found it very interesting. March 17 is supposedly the anniversary of the death of St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland. It is the day on which the Irish commemorate their great national saint. For more than four centuries, this same spirit of reverence for his memory has survived in the heart of Irish men and women in every part of the world. The first mention of him was when, as a young lad, he was taking care of a flock of sheep near his home in England. It was here that a roving band of Irish raiders took him back to their country and sold him into slavery. The next legend said he was a tender of hogs. Later, he was put in charge of a herd of cattle and then given the care of a flock of sheep. While tending the sheep he was permitted to take the flocks over the hills and valleys and where he learned to play the flute.During the six years that Patrick was a slave he devoted many hours to prayer and became subject to religious visions and dreams, making his years of servitude less miserable. He escaped from his cruel master. When he reached the coast he boarded a vessel going to France.Once again he was to have the care of animals, only this time it was a cargo of vicious dogs. Possessing an unexplainable power over animals he had no trouble with the dogs. Patrick escaped once more from another crew.After a long and painful journey, he made his way back to the home of his youth. However, according to legend, he did not remain long because of the recurring dream that he should return to Ireland to look after the Lord’s sheep and convert them to Christianity. It is said there were no Christians in Ireland when St. Patrick started his work, and no pagans when he died.

Hills-Beaver Creek guard Tyler Bush lays up a shot over Ellsworth’s Adam Sieff (23) during Saturday’s championship game of the South Section 3A Basketball Tournament in Marshall. H-BC sported a lead in the fourth quarter before falling to the Panthers 65-60.By John RittenhouseA spirited effort wasn’t enough to lift Hills-Beaver Creek to a victory over Ellsworth in the South Section 3A Boys’ Basketball Tournament championship game Saturday at Southwest State University in Marshall.The Patriots gave the defending South Section and Section 3A champion Panthers all they wanted in the form of a challenge.Unfortunately for H-BC, it wasn’t enough to extend what ends as a 20-9 season.Ellsworth senior and former H-BC-E football quarterback Curt Schilling sank four free throws in the final 30 seconds of the game to give the Panthers a 65-60 victory.Ellsworth returns to SSU tonight, where it will take on Russell-Tyler-Ruthton in the Section 3A title tilt at 8 p.m.H-BC, which was playing in its first postseason championship game since 1998, looked like it might bag the Panthers when it took a 53-51 lead with 5:59 left to play in the game. Ellsworth, however, countered with a 10-0 run to open an eight-point lead and withstood a late challenge by the Patriots to prevail by five points.A disappointed H-BC coach Steve Wiertzema thought his Patriots played well enough to win the game when the contest was over. H-BC simply gave Ellsworth too many second chances to score during the clash."Their offensive rebounding killed us," Wiertzema said. "Offensive rebounds basically are automatic points, and I bet they got 20 points on offensive rebounds. We held Schilling down in the first half by doubling him from the front and behind, but we had to switch things up because we were getting killed so bad with their offensive boards."The Patriots got off to a strong start in the first quarter and led 6-3 when Tyler Bush drained a pair of free throws at the 5:06 mark of the period.H-BC reserve Travis Broesder made a field goal at 1:58 of the period to give the Patriots their second three-point lead of the stanza at 10-7, but Ellsworth scored the last five points of the quarter to take a 12-10 edge into the second period.The Patriots trailed 13-12 when Ellsworth went on a 7-0 run that gave it a 20-12 lead 3:04 into the second quarter.H-BC pulled within three points (20-17) of EHS when Bush converted a three-point play with 3:57 remaining in the first half, but the Panthers rebuilt an eight-point cushion (29-21) before settling for a seven-point (31-24) halftime advantage.The Patriots got the better of EHS in the third quarter, slicing Ellsworth’s lead to four points at five different occasions.A pair of three-point shots by Zach Wysong trimmed the difference to two points (45-43) with 1:03 remaining in the quarter, and H-BC remained within two points (47-45) of the Panthers at quarter’s end.Ellsworth led by four points early in the fourth quarter before H-BC’s Tom LeBoutiller knotted the score at 51 with a field goal at 6:22 of the period before Bush converted a layup 23 seconds later to give the Patriots a 53-51 lead.The Panthers answered the challenge by going on a 10-0 run that ended with a field goal from Lee Farrell with 3:09 remaining and gave EHS a 61-53 advantage.Kale Wiertzema, who scored 18 of his game-high 27 points in the second half, drew the Patriots within one point (61-60) when he connected for a field goal with 1:32 left to play.Ellsworth’s Schilling iced the game by making two free throws with 29.7 seconds remaining before adding two more with 14.4 seconds left.Wiertzema and LeBoutiller grabbed five and four rebounds respectively for H-BC. Bush and Wysong charted six and five assists.Box scoreH-BCBush 4 0 3-4 11, Wysong 0 2 0-0 6, Broesder 2 0 0-0 4, Wiertzema 9 2 3-6 27, Van Wyhe 5 0 0-0 10, Spykerboer 0 0 0-0 0, LeBoutillier 1 0 0-0 2.EllsworthCr.Schilling 7 0 8-11 22, Janssen 2 2 0-0 10, Co.Schilling 0 1 0-0 3, Sieff 1 1 0-0 5, Alberty 8 1 0-0 19, Herman 0 0 0-0 0, Farrell 3 0 0-1 6.Team statisticsH-BC: 25 of 43 field goals (58 percent), six of 10 free throws (60 percent), 21 rebounds, six turnovers.Ellsworth: 26 of 50 field goals (52 percent), eight of 12 free throws (67 percent), 28 rebounds, five turnovers.

Hills-Beaver Creek senior post Erin Boeve puts up a shot during the second half of Friday’s Section 3A championship game against Wabasso in Marshall. Boeve scored 14 points, nabbed seven rebounds and blocked five shots in what proved to be her high school basketball finale. By John RittenhouseHills-Beaver Creek’s bid to earn its first berth in a state basketball tournament was denied during the Section 3A Girls’ Basketball Tournament championship game played at Southwest State University in Marshall Friday.The Patriot girls, who won the first sub-section title in 13 years three days earlier, were hoping to become the first team in school history to advance to a state tournament.Standing in H-BC’s way in the section finals was Wabasso, a tall and talented team that was gunning for its first state tournament, too.In a game that was closer than the final score indicates, it was the Rabbits who punched their ticket to Minneapolis by defeating the Patriots 54-42.H-BC’s 17-11 season comes to an end. Wabasso, 28-4 overall, plays 23-5 Barnesville at 3 p.m. in today’s Class A quarterfinals at Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota campus.The Patriots can take pride in the fact that they made the Rabbits fight hard to advance to state.Although H-BC never led in the game, it trailed by as little as one point in the second half.In the end, Wabasso’s constant defensive pressure and pure athleticism prevailed as the Rabbits wore down the Patriots enough to outscore them 14-6 in the fourth quarter."It was their quickness and their length," said Patriot coach Tom Goehle, when asked what settled the issue in Wabasso’s favor."They start a 5-10 guard and 6-0 and 6-1 posts. The other two starters are extremely quick. Their girls are long and athletic, and they cover a lot of ground on the press."Wabasso’s team quickness was evident throughout the game, as was H-BC’s determination to play with the Rabbits.The game was tied at two early before Wabasso scored four straight points to take a 6-2 lead.H-BC’s Erin Boeve tied the game at six with a field goal at the 4:31 mark of the first quarter, and the score was knotted at eight when the Rabbits went on a 10-0 run to open an 18-8 advantage as the period progressed.Boeve, who led the Patriots with 14 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots in the game, scored with 1:18 remaining in the first quarter to make it an 18-10 game at period’s end.The Rabbits led by 10 points twice in the first 1:25 of the second quarter and sported a 13-point cushion (25-12) with 5:41 left in the first half, but the final five minutes of the period belonged to H-BC.A 13-5 run capped a field goal by Cassi Tilstra with 51 seconds remaining in the second quarter and brought the Patriots within five points (35-30) of the Rabbits. The teams traded baskets before the half was complete, leaving Wabasso sporting a 32-27 lead.The Rabbits scored the first two points of the third quarter to extend their lead to nine points. H-BC countered with a 6-2 spurt that ended with Kelly Mulder draining a field goal at the 4:15 mark of third quarter to trim Wabasso’s lead to one point at 34-33.Wabasso led 36-35 before scoring four straight points to extend its lead to five points (40-35). Boeve hit a free throw with 27.7 seconds remaining in the third quarter to make it a 40-36 difference at period’s end.The Patriots, however, were unable to cut into Wabasso’s four-point lead in the fourth quarter.The Rabbits led by six points at two different occasions in the early stages of the fourth quarter, and they sported a 12-point (50-38) lead after outscoring H-BC 10-2 in the first 5:31 of the stanza.A field goal by Boeve with 1:10 remaining made it a 50-42 game before the Rabbits scored four unanswered points in the final minute of the contest."I think their constant pressure and not letting us get into our offense finally wore us down in the second half," Goehle offered. "Our kids played extremely hard, and they did everything we asked them to do. We made Wabasso earn the win, and that’s what you want to do."Tilstra turned in a 10-point, seven-rebound, five-assist effort for the Patriots.Senior Amanda Olson, who played her final game with H-BC along with classmates Boeve, Melinda Sandstede and Alissa Hoyme, pulled down five rebounds. Box scoreRozeboom 1 0 2-2 4, Fransman 0 1 0-0 3, Bush 0 1 0-0 3, Sandstede 0 0 0-0 0, Tilstra 5 0 0-0 10, Hoyme 0 0 0-0 0, Boeve 6 0 2-4 14, Roozenboom 0 0 0-0 0, Olson 1 0 2-2 4, Mulder 2 0 0-0 4.Team statisticsH-BC: 17 of 36 field goals (47 percent), six of eight free throws (75 percent), 23 rebounds, 14 turnovers.Wabasso: 24 of 63 field goals (38 percent), five of seven free throws (71 percent), 28 rebounds, seven turnovers.

Gift shop & flee market to open next weekTreasure Gifts and Flea Market is scheduled to open next week on Luverne’s Main Street.Owners, Richard and Nancy Waddington, Luverne, will open the new store at 210 E. Main, in the Shear Reflection’s building.The space was formerly occupied by Brother’s Vacuum.The couple will sell new items including decorator accent pieces and NASCAR collectables.The store will rent booths for the flea market part of the business.The flea market booths which have already been rented will sell products which include crafts, antiques and clothing. As of press time, five booths were still available to rent.Hours for the new business will be Tuesday through Saturday, and closed on Sunday and Monday.Troopers stop 120 vehicles during Child Passenger Safety weekParents who didn’t put their kids in proper child restraint seats were the targets of state patrol’s Safe and Sober Campaign over Valentine’s weekend.Additional troopers from the Marshall office of the Minnesota State Patrol took part in the campaign.The purpose of the campaign was to give parents and caregivers education in the proper use of restraint devices for their children.The campaign coincided with National Child Passenger Safety week.In 2002, 2,200 injuries and deaths to children under the age of 15 cost the state $33 million.In Minnesota, 76 percent of child safety seats are used incorrectly.During the recent campaign, 120 vehicles were stopped for various violations resulting in 36 speeding and 32 seatbelt violations.AARP offers tax help for low-income and elderlyAARP tax aides will again provide tax-filing help to the low-income and elderly.Julie Schuur, Luverne, and Marilyn Sudenga, Windom, are the volunteer tax preparers and have been involved in the program since it started in 2000.The word about the service must be getting out. In 2003, 15 to 20 people came in to take advantage of the service. So far this year, 43 people have already participated.The next dates for tax help are March 15 and April 5, in the Rock County Community Library.Call 283-2555 to make an appointment, or just drop in.ARC starts annual rose saleIn conjunction with National Mental Retardation and related Disabilities month, you can now order long-stem roses, until March 18.The pickup date for orders is March 30.ARC Southwest helps individuals with developmental disabilities live, learn, work and play in their own communities.If you would like to help their cause by purchasing a dozen roses, contact Bernadine Merrill at 283-8769.The Minnesota Bookstore has 2004 maps availableThe Minnesota Bookstore, a division of the Minnesota Department of Administration, now has the updated list of Minnesota maps.An updated list of these has been compiled in a new 24-page catalog that can be requested by phone or printed from the bookstore’s Web site at www.minnesotasbookstore,comMaps featured in the catalog include:
Lake depth maps from the Department of Natural Resources
County maps from the Department of Transportation
County plat booksIf you want to order a free printed copy of the catalog, call 800-657-3757.The bookstore sells publications produced by Minnesota state agencies. Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

By Sara StrongCo-chairs of this year’s Relay for Life are looking for teams to join the cancer fund-raising cause.Glenda Schomacker and Nancy Kaczrowski are co-chairing the event, which takes months of planning in order to run smoothly.This year’s goal is to raise $35,000, the same goal as last year. By the time all totals were tallied, last year, however, the group raised $57,763."I think people are getting more advanced, more long-term in their fund-raising," Schomacker said.Many teams have year-round events or activities that earn money for Relay for Life. Offices where workers pay to wear jeans on Friday, ongoing homemade food sales within teams, and craft and silent auction sales in offices are all examples of fund-raising that’s already earned money for the charity.The co-chairs are working on a unique fund-raiser of their own, which Schomacker refers to as "pink pots."With it, some people might find a pink toilet delivered to their front yard. In order to get it removed, they have to make a donation to Relay for Life. To get it delivered to a specific location, they can make another donation. "They will probably start making their appearance in May," Schomacker said.Relay for Life is planned for June 18 and 19 in the Luverne City Park. New at the park this year are silent auction items that will be available for bidding.A supper with free-will donations will start at 5:30 p.m.; the survivor’s walk will begin at 7 p.m.; the luminary lighting will commence at dusk, and entertainment will continue through the night.Honorary chairs are cancer survivors Everett and Jan Brandenburg, Luverne.All proceeds from Relay For Life go to the American Cancer Society.Schomacker can be reached at 283-8677. Kaczrowski can be reached at 283-9261.

Matt Stensland-Bos enjoys practicing on one of his seven chess sets. He loves the game so much, he took on the task of organizing a new tournament in Luverne.By Sara StrongAt 13, Matt Stensland-Bos has long surpassed most of his chess opponents — including his dad, Doug Bos.He traveled to four chess tournaments this year, and placed in all of them. Matt now wants the competition to become a part of what Rock County offers for sports competition. "I think the school focuses too much on contact sports, and we need more mental activity," Matt said. "Chess is a real sport too."In order to bring the competition closer to home, Matt decided to plan a local tournament, following all the rules and regulations of the ones he attends."I did it just because I like to play, and there aren’t many places to play," he said. Matt, also the son of Lynette Stensland-Bos, said there’s a lot to like about the game: the competition, the strategy, the intensity."It has nothing to do with life’s problems. You play chess and focus all your thinking and intellectual powers on the game," Matt said.The tournament is planned for Saturday, April 3, at an undetermined location, with trophy prizes in each age category.Matt hopes to get about 30 competitors.Checkmate Matt practices on his own as often and for as long as he can, up to four hours a day.That involves playing speed chess against himself, reading about game strategies or playing a computer chess game.It all started at home. Matt learned the game at age four by playing against his dad. "He beat me all the time, but my family doesn’t want to play with me anymore because they haven’t beat me since I was about six," Matt said.He has such a love for the game, that he even incorporated it into his 4-H activities. Matt created a beginner’s guide to chess that helps people learn the game.He also works with elementary students after school to help them learn the game he loves."I think I might have taught about 100 people. I teach them the moves first, then have them watch a game and then they play a game," Matt said.The upcoming tournament isn’t just for the well practiced. It is also for beginners or for people who want to start to learn. Matt hopes this might be the start of a local weekly chess club.Dan Nath will serve as the Luverene tournament director. Tournament sponsors are the Luverne Country Store, American Family Insurance, Cragoe Realty, Buffalo Ridge Insurance, Sears, Minnwest Bank, M&M Distributing and the Pizza Ranch.Registration for the tournament will start at 8 a.m. Call Matt at 283-4738 with questions. Registration forms are available at www.sdchess.org.

By Sara StrongThe city of Luverne is still considering a contract for Missouri River Energy Services to take over management of city electric employees.The city would have to pay Missouri River a management fee, and three employees would no longer be with the city.They would report to Missouri River and still do their work, or most of it, in Luverne. Missouri River could have employees do some electric work for other Missouri River projects out of the city, if there wasn’t enough local work to keep them busy. The city wouldn’t necessarily save money as the result of farming out current employees. The savings would come from not hiring a new Utility Director to replace Red Arndt.The city could rent out extra equipment for specific projects in other Missouri River towns (Ortonville or Benson) and the city could use their specialized equipment instead of renting from another contractor.Employees are meeting with Missouri River, which appears to pay as well, or better, than the city does.Last year, lineman wages, including overtime and on-call pay, averaged $43,635. The city wage range is from $14.87 to $19.32 per hour for linemen.Along with earnings, benefits are a big concern to employees.In comparing benefits: oLuverne’s PERA employer contribution is 5.23 percent of earnings, and employee contribution is 5.23 percent of earnings.oMRES contributes 10 percent of earnings and employees can contribute up to 15 percent of earnings.oFor health insurance, Luverne pays 75 percent of the premium cost, and MRES pays 100 percent of the employee premium cost plus 80 percent of the cost for spouse and dependents.oBoth have flexible spending plans.oFor dental plans, Luverne has no provision, but MRES pays 100 percent of employee premium cost, plus 80 percent of the premium cost for spouse and dependents.Missouri River Energy Services also has better short and long-term disability policies, where employees don’t pay as much for the coverage. Sick leave policies are similar, as are vacation day accumulations and holidays.

By Sara StrongVolunteers combed city parks for evidence. They found carcinogens and toxins – enough to fill two two-gallon containers ... with cigarette butts. No one disputes that smoking cigarettes is unhealthy, but people’s right to smoke them in public is under debate in cities across the state.Luverne could be the first in southwest Minnesota to ban smoking in parks and recreational areas if the City Council passes a policy at the request of Partners in Prevention.The non-smoking advocacy group spoke to the Luverne City Council Tuesday.Public Health Educator Paula Anderson said, "It would show a positive commitment to youth in the community by keeping tobacco out of the recreation areas. ... We’re not here asking for a ban on smoking in restaurants."Anderson has also been working with Kari Lais, high school health teacher. They, along with student members of Partners in Prevention, said that it is well within the city’s right to sign on to a policy banning smoking on all city property. The policy, if passed, would be largely self-enforced. The city would receive signs to post in public areas, but it wouldn’t be an ordinance that required Sheriff’s Department enforcement.Anderson said that when prevention program funding has decreased in the past, smoking in youth has increased.With the state holding back some prevention funds, Anderson said the city’s own regulations could help discourage young people from smoking.Lais said that in her classroom, she sees the effects of smoking in students from families who smoke in their homes show up as respiratory infections and asthma. She said, "A lot of people don’t have a choice if they’re going to get second-hand smoke, in cars or homes. But when we’re out in a public place, we should be able to avoid it."The group said the outdoor air doesn’t carry away the Class A carcinogens in cigarette smoke, as people would assume. (Class A carcinogens also include arsenic, mustard gas and asbestos.)Anderson said, "We’re not trying to take away the rights of the smoker; we’re just trying to promote health."Promoting health is something she said the city has a duty to do. Other arguments for banning smoking in city recreational areas were: oDogs can’t be in parks, and "at least their waste is biodegradable."oPeople will still enjoy outdoor games and activities. When schools and businesses banned smoking, people feared a backlash, but smokers adapted.oThere will be less time spent in clean-up and maintenance by city workers picking up cigarette butts.oNot only are cigarette butts toxic and non-biodegradable, but children often pick them up and try smoking them.The council will discuss the proposal further before passing a ban on smoking in parks.In other business Tuesday, the Council:oDecided to become a part of the Minnesota Living Well Senior Friendly Community Project. The surveys will gauge how senior-friendly Luverne is, and favorable results could be a useful marketing tool to future residents.oRecognized Economic Development Director Dan Statema for his work in marketing the Job Opportunity Building Zone. Print ads are being published in the region, illustrating the tax breaks Luverne can now offer. The city’s new economic development and Chamber of Commerce Web site is nearly complete.oPassed a resolution opposing tax and expenditure limitation proposals which the Minnesota Legislature is considering. It may impose property tax and expenditure limits on local units of government. The League of Minnesota Cities and the Greater Minnesota Coalition oppose the legislation as well. The council said local budgets should be left up to local governments.