Memorial services for Ruth Arp will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 13, at Bethany Lutheran Church in Luverne with the Rev. Paul Fries officiating. Visitation is from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, at Engebretson Funeral Chapel in Luverne, with the family present and resuming one hour prior to the service in the church. Ruth Ann Arp, 79, Luverne, died Monday, Feb. 9, 2004, at the Hospice Cottage in Luverne. Ruth Kadinger was born to Harold and Georgia (Woodruff) Kadinger on Dec. 29, 1924, in Humboldt, S.D. She was raised on the family farm and attended grade school and Hartford High School, Hartford, S.D., graduating in 1942. She attended Nettleton Business School in Sioux Falls, S.D., for bookkeeping. She entered the U.S. Navy on May 31, 1945, serving during World War II in Cleveland, Ohio. She was discharged on July 11, 1946, at Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Chicago, Ill. She returned to Luverne. She married Richard C. Arp on Oct. 7, 1950, in Sioux Falls. Following their marriage, they lived their entire life in Luverne. She worked for Cliff Millard in Luverne and later, for Dr. Ken Getman. She also did bookkeeping at home for many small businesses in the area. She later worked for more than 10 years at Schoon Motors until her retirement. She and her husband enjoyed their retirement years by living more than 20 years in Texas during the winter months, predominately in the Harlingen area. Mrs. Arp was a member of Bethany Lutheran Church in Luverne. She was also a member of the Luverne American Legion and the VFW Auxiliary. She enjoyed golfing, and playing bridge. She also did quilting and sewing. Survivors include her husband, Richard Arp, Luverne; four children, Randy (Deb) Arp, Lakewood Colo., Ron (Betty) Arp, Hills, Sandy Smith and Becky (Doug) Eeten, all of Luverne; eight grandchildren, Andy and Nick Smith, Ryan and Ricky Arp, Jamie and Jessica Arp, and Austin and Katelyn Eeten; three brothers, Frank Kadinger, Security, Colo., Jim (Carol) Kadinger and Charlie (Joyce) Kadinger, all of Kennewick, Wash.; and two sisters, Bette Colbeck, Luverne, and Helen Dukelow, Virginia Beach, Va. Mrs. Arp was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Bob Kadinger. A tree will be planted by Hospice of Luverne Community Hospital in memory of Ruth Arp.Hartquist Funeral Home-Engebretson Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

By Jolene FarleyJustin Hinks attended a Tuesday meeting hoping to persuade the council to build a skate park in Hills. "I did go and get a petition made up and 45 people signed it," Hinks said. He gathered prices from Internet sites on the cost of ramps and estimated the park would cost about $11,000."Hills has parks, but nothing really for people my age," Hinks said. Councilman Linus Svoboda asked if the ramps could be built at Hills-Beaver Creek High School. "I think that would be an excellent project for the school," he said. Hinks said there are plans available on the Internet for the ramps. The area would have to be fenced in and the council questioned who would open and close the park. Hinks volunteered to take responsibility for opening and closing the park. The council reviewed insurance quotes for the venture and found insurance is substantially more expensive if ramp heights exceed 48 inches. Hinks said Sioux Falls parks make skaters sign a waiver so they aren’t responsible for accidents. The council tabled the item until their next meeting.Mutual aid with Luverne Fire DepartmentLuverne Fire Chief Don Deutsch attended the meeting to explain minor changes to the mutual aid agreement between the Luverne Fire Department and the Hills Fire Department. The last time the agreement was updated was in 1981, according to Deutsch. With the wording change, if the Luverne Fire Department is called to a major disaster it could bill the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for time and equipment usage. "Our intent is not to charge locally," Deutsch said. Hills volunteer firefighter Jeff Bass assured the council that the update to the agreement is a formality and area fire chiefs have seen and approved the changes.The council briefly discussed the fire hall roof, an item included in the 2004 city budget. They discussed the pros and cons of replacing the roof with shingles or tin. "If it was my building I’d shingle it," Bass said. He said tin was more expensive, but lasts longer. But, he said he was concerned about snow and ice falling off the building during the winter and the esthetics of the building. Keep snow clear from fire hydrantsCity employee Wayne Ward informed the council he removed snow from around fire hydrants in town.Residents are asked to help keep the area around the hydrants clear of snow. Trying to dig out a fire hydrant could add precious moments to any attempts to fight a fire.

By Jolene FarleyThe Hills-Beaver Creek School District may have to change the school calendar to make up two snow days.The H-BC School Board and Superintendent Dave Deragisch explored options at their Monday meeting."We’re at minus two days right now and counting," said Deragisch.He showed the board the current school calendar and made suggestions for makeup dates.Options included a whole day of classes instead of a half-day on Thursday, Feb. 12, a full day either Friday, Feb. 13, Monday, Feb. 16, Monday, April 12 (Easter Monday), or at the end of the school year on Tuesday, June 1, and Wednesday, June 2.Deragisch suggested having class a full day today and rescheduling the affected elementary conferences. Talking to parents by phone could be an option for the teachers, according to Deragisch."It’s going to put a little more pressure on staff to reschedule," he said. Deragisch said scheduling classes on Friday and Monday of this week would cause conflicts because some staff members have purchased tickets for trips or made plans."We have a number of conflicts," he said. "I don’t know if we could find enough subs to cover the conflicts we have."Deragisch cautioned that the district could have more snow days to make up yet this year.Since the state no longer requires a minimum number of class days, the board could change the school calendar, if the staff agreed.A number of sporting events were also postponed due to the weather.Heating systemDeragisch reported that two companies looked at the heating system in the high school. At last month’s meeting, he told the board that over Christmas break a defective thermostat on the third floor allowed temperatures to climb to more than 90 degrees. Other areas in the building also have thermostats that aren’t accurate and parts for the heating system are no longer manufactured.Repairmen suggested removing or capping some of the radiators to solve the problem. After walking through the building, one of the companies estimated $100,000 to revamp the heating system. The other company suggested using wrenches as a quick fix to turn down the heat or spending $25,000 on repairs. "I think we are going to keep using the wrenches," Deragisch said."When the bills come in at the end of this month, hopefully we can see a decline."Choir tripHigh School Choir Director Jodi Ackerman presented the itinerary for a choir trip to Minneapolis in May. More than 20 students are interested in the trip. The group will tour the State Capitol and St. Paul’s Cathedral, attend the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre and a performance of the Pirates of Penzance at the Guthrie Theater, and shop at the Mall of America. "We do have some chaperones lined up and they are aware we don’t have the funds to pay for them and they are very willing to pay," Ackerman said.Crisis preventionAt the Monday, Jan. 26, high school in-service, staff reviewed the high school crisis prevention plan. The plan was implemented last fall at the elementary school when an escaped prisoner from South Dakota was reportedly heading to Beaver Creek.Staff members at the high school are now familiar with the procedure and are prepared in case the need arises to use the plan.

By John RittenhouseZach Wysong and Kale Wiertzema scored a combined 44 points to lead the Hills-Beaver Creek Patriots to a 72-63 boys’ basketball win at Sioux Falls Christian Monday.Wysong canned seven of 12 field goals during a 22-point offensive performance.Wiertzema, who led the Patriots with nine rebounds and six assists, made nine of 13 free throws while matching Wysong’s 22-point offensive output.The Patriots were able to notch a victory with their play in the second and third quarters, when they outscored SFC 40-27.The game was tied at 15 after eight minutes of play before H-BC opened a 10-point halftime advantage (41-31) by outscoring the hosts 26-16 in the second quarter.H-BC increased its lead to 13 points (55-42) with a 14-11 scoring edge in the third quarter.SFC made up the difference with nine points at game’s end after outscoring the Patriots 21-17 in the fourth quarter.Tom LeBoutiller scored 10 points for H-BC, which outscored SFC 26-10 at the charity stripe during the game.Tyler Bush added four assists and three steals to the winning cause.Box scoreBush 0 0 5-7 5, Wysong 4 3 5-7 22, Jackson 0 0 0-0 0, Broesder 0 0 3-4 3, Wiertzema 5 1 9-13 22, Van Wyhe 2 0 2-2 6, Spykerboer 2 0 0-0 4, LeBoutiller 4 0 2-4 10.Team statisticsH-BC: 21 of 40 field goals (53 percent), 26 of 37 free throws (70 percent), 24 rebounds, nine turnovers.SFC: 25 of 49 field goals (51 percent), 10 of 13 free throws (77 percent), 24 rebounds, 10 turnovers.

By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek girls’ basketball team dropped its third consecutive game in Slayton Tuesday.Taking on Murray County Central in a Red Rock Conference clash, the Patriots fell behind early and couldn’t recover during what ended as a 49-38 setback.MCC led 9-6 after eight minutes of play and led 19-11 at halftime before going on an 18-8 run in the third period to open a 37-19 advantage.H-BC battled back to outscore the Rebels 19-12 in the fourth quarter, but they never seriously challenged the hosts.Cassi Tilstra led H-BC with nine points, three assists and three steals. Erin Boeve and Amanda Olson pulled down six rebounds each.The 10-8 Patriots play road games against Southwest Christian tonight and Fulda Saturday before hosting Adrian Monday.Box scoreRozeboom 1 0 0-0 2, Fransman 1 2 0-0 8, Bush 2 1 0-0 7, Sandstede 1 0 0-0 2, Tilstra 3 1 0-0 9, Hoyme 0 0 0-0 0, Boeve 2 0 4-7 8, Roozenboom 0 0 0-0 0, Olson 1 0 0-0 2, Mulder 0 0 0-0 0.Team statisticsH-BC: 15 of 48 field goals (31 percent), four of seven free throws (57 percent), 31 rebounds, 18 turnovers.MCC: 19 of 47 field goals (40 percent), nine of 18 free throws (50 percent), 38 rebounds, 14 turnovers.

By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek boys improved their Red Rock Conference basketball record to 7-4 with a 74-47 win over Murray County Central in Hills Tuesday.The home-standing Patriots found themselves trailing 20-19 after eight minutes of play, but they turned things around after that to outscore MCC 55-27 the rest of the night to prevail by 27."We gave up 20 points in the first quarter, and we talked about that at the quarter break," said H-BC coach Steve Wiertzema. "We played a little bit better after that, especially on the defensive end."The Patriots assumed control of the game by outscoring the Rebels 23-9 in the second quarter to open a 42-29 cushion at the intermission.H-BC went on to outscore MCC 17-6 in the third quarter to make it a 59-25 game before using a 15-12 scoring edge in the fourth quarter to pad the final margin of victory to 27 points.H-BC, which made 53 percent of its field goals, received a 21-point effort from Kale Wiertzema. Zach Wysong and Trey Van Wyhe added 16 and 11 points respectively.Wiertzema added 10 assists and five rebounds to the winning cause. Van Wyhe led H-BC with eight rebounds. Wysong snared five rebounds, while Tyler Bush charted six assists, five rebounds and four steals.The 13-7 Patriots host Southwest Star Concept Friday before playing in Round Lake Tuesday.Box scoreBush 1 1 4-4 9, Elbers 0 0 1-2 1, Wysong 2 4 0-0 16, Broesder 1 0 1-2 3, Wiertzema 7 1 4-6 21, Haak 0 0 1-2 1, Van Wyhe 5 0 1-2 11, Spykerboer 2 0 0-0 4, LeBoutillier 4 0 0-0 8.Team statisticsH-BC: 28 of 53 field goals (53 percent), 12 of 18 free throws (67 percent), 28 rebounds, 15 turnovers.MCC: 18 of 50 field goals (36 percent), nine of 15 free throws (60 percent), 18 rebounds, 18 turnovers.

Hills-Beaver Creek Dist. 671Minutes1-12-04The Hills-Beaver Creek School Board met for its semimonthly meeting at 7:30 pm in the library in Hills. Board members present were Larson, Leuthold, Harnack, Baker, Boeve, DeBoer and Esselink. Also in attendance was Superintendent Deragisch.The meeting was called to order by Superintendent Deragisch.Superintendent Deragisch recognized the visitors to the meeting. Visitors to the meeting were elementary principal Mr. Holthaus and Brenda Winters of The Crescent. Patriot Pride: The elementary students are participating in the National Geography Bee Erin Boeve was named MVP from the girls’ basketball team H-BC won 3 out of 4 games at the Albert Lea tournament with the girls’ team winning the championshipElementary report was given by Mr. Holthaus.High School report was given by Superintendent Deragisch.Election of school board officers: Motion by DeBoer, second by Leuthold to nominate Alan Harnack for school board chairman. Motion to cease nominations made by Esselink. Motion by Boeve to nominate Gary Esselink for school board vice-chairman. Motion by DeBoer for nominations to cease. Motion by Esselink to nominate Ann Boeve for school board clerk. Motion by Larson for nominations to cease. Motion by Larson to nominate Lloyd DeBoer for school board treasurer. Motion by Boeve for nominations to cease.Committee assignments: (first name listed is the committee chairperson)a. Personnel / Negotiations / Budget – Esselink, Harnack, Boeveb. Building and Grounds – DeBoer, Boeve, Larsonc. Transportation – Esselink, Leuthold, Bakerd. MSHSL – Baker, Harnacke. Policy – Leuthold, Esselink, Larsonf. Curriculum – Boeve, Leuthold, Harnackg. Safety – DeBoer, Larsonh. Grad Standards / Staff Development / Continue. Ed. – Boevei. Community Education / ECFE – Leutholdj. Gifted and Talented – Bakerk. Legislation – Esselinkl. TAB – BoeveMotion by Esselink, second by Leuthold, and carried to approve committee assignments. Motion by Baker, second by Larson and carried to hold school board meetings for the second and fourth Monday of each month at 7:30 pm. Minutes stand approved as sent.Motion by DeBoer, second by Boeve and carried to approve the bills. Chairman Harnack withdrew from the discussion and vote concerning the hiring of Scott Harnack as a management assistant in the high school. Motion by Leuthold, second by Boeve and carried to hire Scott Harnack as a management assistant. Motion by Boeve, second by DeBoer and carried to hire a 1/2 time teacher for the 5th grade position for the remainder of the year. Motion by Esselink, second by Larson, and carried to approve the 2003-2004 Seniority List. Motion by DeBoer, second by Larson and carried to approve the 2004-2005 calendar.Meredith Mammon of Turbes Drealan Kvilhaug & Co. P.A. gave the board the report on the district’s 2002-2003 audit. Motion by Leuthold, second by Esselink, and carried to approve the 2002-2003 audit. Information about the lighting study for the high school gym was presented to the board by Superintendent Deragisch. Dates to Remember: January 14 – 16 School Board Convention January 26 Staff inservice. January 26 School Board meeting 7:30 pmMeeting adjourned at 9:35 pm. Ann Boeve, Clerk(2-12)

10 years ago (1994)"The Hills-Beaver Creek One-Act Play cast and crew won third place honors at Sub-Section competition. Members of the cast and crew are, Samantha Vahey, Alicia Sandager, Corey Nuffer, Laressa Sandstede, Austin Cragoe, Matt Ebert, Jeff Ebert, Brent Taubert, Andy Anderson and Beth Jansma. Director is Kay Dahlquist."25 years ago (1979)"The Hills-Beaver Creek Patriot boys have been seeded No. 1 in the District 8 boys’ basketball tournament, just as many of the fans in the area had predicted. Luverne was picked in the No. 2 slot with Southwest Christian taking the No. 3 slot." 50 years ago (1954)"Merle Thompson accompanied Clarence Rollag, DeKalb seed corn dealer, to Redwood Falls recently where the winners of DeKalb’s 1953 corn growing contest met for a banquet and where the winners received their awards. Merle’s yield was 120.02 bushel per acre, the highest in Rock County."75 years ago (1929)"The county graveled road which goes through our town has been closed to auto traffic for more than a week now. A bunch of men from town were out Friday and shoveled east to the new gravel and Tuesday morning the snowplow came through finally!"100 years ago (1904)"During the schoolhouse fire on Jan. 7, many of the children lost all their books, which most of them could ill afford to do, and a public entertainment will be given by the pupils and teachers at the Opera house Friday evening, as a benefit entertainment to reimburse the pupils for their loss. An admission of 25¢ will be charged and we trust that every man, woman and child in the district will turn out and assist in this worthy enterprise. A good program has been prepared which is well worth the price of admission."

Last week we told you about the Sioux Empire Farm Show in Sioux Falls and that the general chairman was a former fellow from our area, Tom VanWyhe of Sioux Falls, who had this responsible job. The Farm Show was conducted at various buildings, the Fairgrounds, Expo building, etc., and the finale, the Ramkota Inn.Today we have more to tell you, as Eric and Amy Gaughler, Hills, also attended the banquet at the Ramkota Inn, along with the VanWyhe folks. Eric and his brother, Jesse, and their wives, Amy and Karen, became residents of Hills last year. The brothers, together with a sister, Sarah, and their parents operate a ranch near New Salem, N.D. which is about 35 miles west of Bismarck. Because of the lack of enough moisture and also the declining prices of cattle last year the boys decided to seek other paying jobs so they headed to South Dakota and Sioux Falls to seek employment. Sarah remained on the ranch with her parents to help care for the smaller herd. When she heard about the popular Farm Show in Sioux Falls, she decided to take some animals there. She enjoys taking animals to shows, sometimes five or six shows a year, to county and state fairs, and other stock shows. She has also taken cattle to the Denver Stock Show. The 21-year-old Sarah though it would be a good opportunity to attend the stock show and also pay a visit to her two brothers. So she loaded up three animals and accompanied by her mother, came to spend about a week here. Sarah stayed with Eric and Amy and her mother stayed with Jesse and Karen. The Best of Show was Friday evening at the Ramkota which she, Eric and Amy, attended. The 3-year-old Gelbvieh bull took a prize and was sold. The ladies returned to North Dakota on Saturday, Jan. 31. Berneta Johnson, Russell, spent from Wednesday until Saturday in the home of Bob and Twila Kirsch. Ron and Lexia DeWit, Sioux Falls, entertained Tom and Matthew VanWyhe and Lindsey, Sioux Falls, and Cliff and Vi VanWyhe, at supper in their home Sunday evening. Floyd and Jo Wulf and Beth Sandager came from Herrick, S.D., Sunday to spend a couple of days in the parental, Sheldon Sandager, home. Having supper Sunday night in the home of Mae Top were her sons, Bill and Judy Top, Sibley, Iowa, and Allan and Judy Top, Hills. A couple from Bismarck, N.D., friends of Amy and Eric Gaughler, were overnight guests in the Gaughler home Saturday, Jan. 31.