By Lori EhdeLuverne School Board members received a crash course in the federal No Child Left Behind Act during their Thursday, Sept. 25 meeting.Cliff Carmody, director of the Southwest West Central Service Cooperative, Marshall, talked about how the legislation will affect the way education is delivered in Luverne. And that’s not so easy to explain, considering the implications of the law are still taking shape. "It changes daily, so a meeting you went to a week ago, may no longer be relevant today," Carmody said.He said the law set out to ensure stronger accountability for results and increased flexibility and local control."I would say there is no such thing as local control," he said. "Right now, ‘local control’ means local people can complain to you (board members) about things you can’t do anything about."He talked about districts being tested for Adequate Yearly Progress, but said it’s not necessarily fair. "If you have one group of kids that doesn’t make the grade, you don’t meet AYP," he said, adding that average citizens may not be aware of why their district didn’t meet AYP."Start communicating with your public today about some of these things, so that if and when you don’t meet AYP, your public isn’t banging on you about it."He called the tests "heat-seeking missiles that will find and punish failure," because district’s not meeting AYP stand to lose funding.As part of the No Child Left Behind intent to improve quality of education, it requires higher quality staff in schools.For example, paraprofessionals (formerly known as teacher’s aides) now need to have two years of post-secondary education or demonstrated skills on a formal state or local academic assessment.While the intent is good, Carmody said, it will cost districts money. "The minute we require more certification for paraprofessionals, you’re going to see them ask for higher pay, and they should," he said. "But it’s going to squeeze an already restricted budget."He said law, despite it’s good intentions, is asking districts to do the impossible. He compared districts to private businesses, which, in hard times, can’t afford to be innovative; they concentrate on being efficient."You’re being asked to be both innovative and efficient, and I don’t hear the state offering any money," he said. "The law is asking you to do something I’m not so sure you can do."In other business:
The board adopted the proposed property tax levy at $1.49 million payable in 2004. This is the maximum levy amount allowed by the state, but it represents a decrease of $63,306 from last year’s levy. The board will certify the final levy amount in December.
District principals reported that students will attend assemblies on the subject of harassment following the Cold Spring shooting initiated by a boy who had been relentlessly harassed.
Board member Don Bryan asked Middle School Principal Stacy Gillette if students can accept cash donations in lieu of buying magazines.While 40 percent of magazine sales benefit the school, Gillette said cash donations can be accepted, and that she’d instruct students selling magazines as such.
The board approved a resolution supporting the local JOBZ application, which would mean the district agrees to tax abatement on new businesses if the zone is approved.
The board approved hiring retired Middle School Counselor Keith Erickson as part-time Alternative School math teacher.
The board approved the district’s policy on the Pledge of Allegiance, per new Minnesota legislation requiring districts to have a Pledge policy on record.
The Oct. 23 School Board meeting was rescheduled to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28.

By Sara StrongCommunity Pool and Fitness Center Manager Carol Wessels said the last 12 1/2 years on the job have been "a pleasure."She’s leaving Oct. 20 to work as a paramedic.After that, the facility will probably hire another part-time staff person and shift administrative responsibilities to others who will report directly to City Administrator Greg LaFond. He said it’s all a part of "improving internal controls" which will save money in the end. Public Works employees probably will be in charge of chlorination of the pool.LaFond said the facility has potential to work more closely with Sioux Valley and the future Luverne Community Hospital and Clinic. Partnerships with other organizations could also keep it heavily used and reduce taxpayer contributions.Next year, the county and city of Luverne are both contributing $61,598.In other business, the Pool Commission:
Learned that there was room in the budget for three new equipment purchases: an elliptical stepper machine, a treadmill, and another low-impact machine ideal for cardio rehab patients and people with joint problems.
Directed members to think of a replacement for Paul Alink, chairman, who has moved from the county and can’t serve on the Pool Commission.City memo: No perksAlthough it wasn’t discussed at the Pool Commission Tuesday, some issues at the Pool and Fitness Center were addressed by LaFond in a Sept. 26 memo.It said in part, "My office recently became aware that certain city employees were receiving ‘discounts’ or ‘special pricing’ at the Rock County Community Pool & Fitness Center apparently due to their status as ‘city employees.’"Such discounts are in conflict with the city's Personnel Code and may reflect violations of State Ethics Code provisions. An individual’s status as a ‘public official’ or a ‘public employee’ does not entitle any official or employee to discounts or other considerations that are not available to the general public, unless such discounts or considerations are included in labor agreements or are authorized by the City Council and incorporated in the City's Personnel Manual."No elected or appointed official, or any employee of the city of Luverne shall offer or receive a discount or other consideration for any product or service provided by the city due to the individual's employment status with the city of Luverne, one’s status as an elected or appointed official. This directive applies to all full-time, part-time and seasonal employees of the city of Luverne, and to all elected and appointed officials."

By Lori EhdeAfter sitting empty for six months, the former Glen’s Food Center Building has a new occupant, according to a purchase agreement finalized Tuesday.Mike Schwalbach, Windom, bought the 18,000-square-foot building on East Lincoln Street from Glen Gust and plans to convert it into an all-purpose Ace Hardware store.Schwalbach, who also owns Ace Hardware stores in Windom and Worthington, is planning to be open in time for the busiest shopping day of the year, the day after Thanksgiving.The store will have nine basic departments, including housewares, paint, lawn and garden, plumbing and heating, electrical, automotive and tools.Schwalbach said Ace will carve out its own little niche in the Rock County market, not directly competing local existing businesses."We’ll have several departments that are similar," he said, "but we probably have a little different focus, in terms of depth and width of selection."He hired Rock County native John Aanenson, who has lawn and garden management experience, to manage the store full-time.Aanenson recently moved back to the area from Florida and is currently training at Ace in Windom.He’ll be in charge of hiring six additional employees, in both full- and part-time capacities.Schwalbach said the former Glen’s Food Center building is well-suited for what he needs, and work will begin soon on the interior and exterior to transform it into an Ace Hardware.His experience in the hardware business dates back to 1978 when he worked at his father’s OK Hardware store in Windom. He purchased that business in 1985, and it became Ace Hardware in 1991. In 1995, he relocated the store in Windom, and in 2000 expanded it to 31,000 square feet. In March 2002, he opened an 8,000-square-foot Ace in Worthington.Schwalbach said he chose Luverne for the location of his new Ace store for several reasons, but the main reason was its similarity to his hometown."It’s a very similar community with size, mix of people and types of businesses there," he said. "I would say there aren’t two communities in southwest Minnesota that are more similar than these two."He encourages Ace shoppers to get involved early on with inventory planning. "We want them to have input if they have requests for any needs they may have," Schwalbach said. "If it’s something they’d like us to stock, we’d like to be able to have everything they need."Gust said he’s glad to have found a buyer for his former grocery location."He contacted me last spring that he wanted to come to Luverne," Gust said. "It will certainly be another draw for our community, and he’s an independent operator, which is great."Gust purchased the former Jubilee Foods building in January from Brent Bosch and Larry Goebel, who co-owned the business since opening it in the new location south of downtown in August 2000.Gust moved his Glen’s Food Center into the 30,000-square-foot space in March, and his East Lincoln building has been for sale since then.After True Value on South Highway 75 was burned by an arsonist in December 2002, True Value/Country Store opened in the old Jubilee Foods building just south of Main Street on Estey in July.

By Sara StrongTonight’s Comprehensive Plan meeting will result in a rough draft for what is supposed to guide the city of Luverne through the next 10 years.The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the Luverne Elementary School Commons.People who haven’t attended previous meetings won’t have difficulty stepping in at this point. Anyone can get involved because meetings are designed to be an open exchange of ideas.The previous two meetings have familiarized people with the city and its areas of attraction and areas that need attention.The meeting tonight will focus more clearly on specific areas — south Highway 75, the future hospital and clinic on the north edge of Luverne and the Highway 75 corridor through town.The area on Kniss Avenue or Highway 75 known as Fledgling Field will likely be a hot topic at the meeting. Supporters of keeping it residential have shown up at previous meetings, but that could change this time.Luverne resident Tom Serie has advocated changing the zoning of Fledgling Field for years. It was purchased from the school district with the intent to make it a new Dingmann Funeral Home, but that was stopped because it is zoned low-density residential.Serie spent time around town Tuesday, passing out flyers, encouraging people to attend tonight’s meeting in support of changing the zone and allowing Dingmann to construct a new funeral home there. The flyer said in part, "This meeting is very important for the future of Fledgling Field. "oDo you want it for a funeral home which will pay $8,000 to $10,000 per year in real estate taxes? "oDo you want the city to spend $150,000 to make it into a park?"oDo you want to leave it as an alfalfa field?"Although everyone will get a chance to be heard, consultant Rusty Fifield said the loudest voices won’t necessarily dictate the results. He said there’s a delicate balance between accepting public input and applying individual ideas toward the broader good of the entire community.Luverne Economic Development Director Dan Statema said the governing of the city is directed by what people want from the city."I hope we get a good turnout, not just a large number of people, but a good representation," Statema said.The city purpose of a new Comprehensive Plan is to set a general course for the city of Luverne for the next 10 years, mostly in land use, but in other areas, such as economic development, too. It can influence all parts of the city from traffic patterns to park locations to specific downtown business signage.The last Comprehensive Plan wasn’t used much by the city, as evidenced by development decisions that are contrary to the last plan.Current leadership, however, has indicated it will make following the plan a priority.

German exchange student Miriam Hertz became friends with Ginger the horse on the Bos farm.By Jolene FarleyGerman exchange student Miriam Hertz arrived in the United States Sunday, Aug. 24.Hertz, her mother Renate, father, Frank, and brother, Stefan, 19, are from Duesseldorf, Germany. She is attending Hills-Beaver Creek High School as a senior this year.Her hosts, Ron and Noreen Bos, Hills, and their children Jacob, 9, and Caleb, 7, volunteered to host an exchange student to explore other cultures. "I thought it would be good for the boys to have a girl around, besides mom," Noreen said. "We thought it would be good to learn about different cultures and languages."She said it’s been a good experience for the Bos family. "We talk about everything, different schools, different religions, cooking different," Noreen said. In Germany, Hertz attended a school with 1,300 students. When she returns to her native country she will be required to complete two more years of high school before graduating.Hertz enjoyed participating in the local homecoming traditions at H-BC a few weeks ago. Noreen said it was difficult to explain the game of football, which isn’t played extensively in Germany."Once she played the powder puff game, she understood a little how football works."Hertz was happy to discover the Bos family had horses she could ride on their farm. She volunteered as a stable hand in Germany, jumped German Warm Blood horses and competed in dressage (training horses in precision movement) competition.Hertz plans to pursue a career in architecture or equestrian science (to be a horse doctor) after she graduates from high school.Hertz will remain with the Bos family for her entire nine-month stay in the United States.

By Jolene FarleyAs of Wednesday, Sept. 24, the Cargill facility north of Hills belongs to New Vision Co-op, Worthington.New Vision Co-op General Manager Frank McDowell said the purchase has been in the works for a couple of months.Cargill is a large, family-owned corporation with headquarters in Wayzata, near the Twin Cities.McDowell said he approached Cargill officials about purchasing the facility after Hills-Beaver Creek Farm Service merged with New Vision Co-op March 1."When we went through the merger process, back six to eight months ago, it was evident to us that it (Hills-Beaver Creek Farm Service) didn’t really have a viable grain market," McDowell said. Grain was sometimes shipped 30 to 40 miles to the closest terminal, increasing freight costs for producers, according to McDowell.New Vision Co-op plans to correct that problem by expanding the Hills facility. "We’ve got some expansion to do for rail and track," McDowell said. Plans call for doubling track capacity for the facility from 54 rail cars to 110 rail cars. McDowell said the project, including additional track and increased storage, may be complete this fall if the weather cooperates. Rock County producers raise 22,000,000 bushels of corn and beans in any given year, according to McDowell. He estimates decreased freight expenses should increase the gross value of grain in Rock County by a million dollars in one year."It’s a big economic gain to producers in the area," he said. "It’s really a sign of the times. It seems in agriculture you have to continually seek ways to reduce costs. We think this could be, or is, a solution to those marketplace demands." The well-maintained facility’s accessible, out-of-town location was another selling point, according to McDowell.Of three Cargill employees at the Hills facility, one chose to remain. Two New Vision employees, one from the Hills location and one from the Beaver Creek location, are working at the rural Hills facility. More employees may be added in the future, McDowell said.

By Jolene FarleyWhen Brenda and Jayme Plimpton, Hills, attended this year’s Miss America Pageant they were rooting for Miss Nevada. Miss Nevada, Christina O’Neil, is Brenda’s niece. The competition was broadcast live Saturday, Sept. 20. Brenda and Jayme left for Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Wednesday, Sept. 17, and returned Sunday, Sept. 21.Christina, Carson City, entered the Miss Nevada pageant hoping to win scholarships to further her education. Her dream is to teach music at the university level. "That’s why she went into the competition, because it’s a scholarship competition," Brenda said.After hearing Christina had captured the Miss Nevada title, Brenda and Jayme immediately decided to attend the Miss America pageant. The duo became two of ten family members and friends Christina invited that were able to attend the pageant."It was just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Jayme and I to do that alone," she said. Plimpton said when she was younger she admired the poise and intellect of the contestants. "People think of it as just a beauty pageant," she said. "But this (the pageant) is much, much more."Brenda and Jayme’s family passes allowed them to attend a Parent’s Breakfast on Thursday and to tour the backstage area of the pageant. They attended special events, rehearsals and the preliminary judging of the 51 women.Brenda said because of strict restrictions on contestants about whom they could talk to, they didn’t see the contestants offstage much. Brenda speculated the rules were due to safety precautions and a rigorous schedule. Friday was a parade on the Boardwalk. All the Miss America contestants in the parade wore shoes decorated to represent their states. Brenda said the tradition is to yell, "Show me your shoes," as the contestants go by.She also said they saw KELO television weatherman Shawn Cable several times during their trip. Cable and the South Dakota Survivor contestant, Mitchell, were in the parade. Saturday, before the final pageant, Brenda and Jayme attended a formal dance gala for parents and guests. Preparing for competitionAfter winning her title, Christina was sent to Utah by the Miss Nevada Organization to polish her image. She worked with a voice coach to streamline her opera performance for the talent portion of the contest. "They had to make her style a little more viewer friendly," Brenda said. "She dealt with trainers to sculpt her body… She spent weeks working with teams of people on the question-and-answer segment."It is ironic that Christina’s singing talent was discovered much earlier in her life during voice and speech lessons she took to improve her language skills. She was born with a cleft pallet and endured many surgeries to correct the problem, according to Brenda. Her vocal talent blossomed and she began singing opera, and later, became a music teacher. Christina’s platform issue for the pageant was ending teen dating violence, a cause that evolved from her work as a teacher in Carson City. "When I researched how students in this situation could get help, I was shocked to find a lack of information," Christina said in an earlier interview. "I decided to make a difference by providing these young people with information about dating violence."Although Christina didn’t win the pageant, Brenda described it as an amazing opportunity. "Truly, truly there are no losers because each contestant comes away with grand scholarship funds," Brenda said. Christina will have the opportunity to promote her platform and other causes in Nevada throughout her reign as Miss Nevada. Stormy weatherOne harrowing part of the trip was the onset of Hurricane Isabelle in Atlantic City, which closed down Thursday night because of the weather.Brenda and Jayme watched the Atlantic Ocean rise and "get pretty wicked" from their hotel on the ocean."It (the hurricane) threatened to cancel the parade," she said. Best part of the tripJayme said one of the highlights of the trip was watching American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken’s live performance. She also enjoyed visiting the ocean.Brenda liked seeing how the pageant was produced. "Being a part of the rehearsals was amazing," she said. "… How they do the cameras, just to watch the whole setup behind the scenes."

By John RittenhouseHills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth fell from the unbeaten ranks in football when it came up on the short end of a 30-22 decision to Lincoln HI-Lake Benton in Lake Benton Friday.Playing their first game without senior leader Curt Schilling (quarterback-linebacker), who was lost for the season with a knee injury the week before, the Patriots needed to pull together as a team to overcome his absence.H-BC-E met the challenge by battling LH-LB to a draw at 22 as late as the fourth quarter, but the hosts scored the game’s final eight points to hand the 4-1 Patriots their first loss of the season.In the end, it was LH-LB’s ability to run the ball against H-BC-E’s revised defense that proved to be the difference in the game. LH-LB ran for 405 yards and scored two of its four touchdowns on the ground Friday."We had a hard time topping their power running plays," said Patriot coach Dan Ellingson. "That is something we’ll have to work on."LH-LB showed the ability to move the ball early in the game when its first offensive possession turned into a scoring-drive capped by a 27-yard touchdown run by Justin Jerzak. LH-LB quarterback Josh Prosch tossed a successful conversion pass to Dayton Heard after the touchdown to make it an 8-0 game.The Patriots answered the challenge by putting together a touchdown drive with their first possession of the game.Zach Wysong, who carried the ball 20 times for 166 yards, stunned the hosts when he dashed 65 yards for a score to end the possession. H-BC-E tried to run for a two-point conversion, but the attempt came up short, leaving the hosts with an 8-6 edge.LH-LB put some extra pressure on the Patriots by scoring touchdowns with their second and third possessions of the game.Garret Peterson found a hole in the H-BC-E defense while running 47 yards for a touchdown before the first quarter was complete. A run for a two-point conversion failed, leaving the hosts with a 14-6 advantage.A LH-LB drive early in the second quarter ended with Prosch tossing a five-yard touchdown pass to Jerzak. Peterson ran in the conversion to make the difference 22-6.The H-BC-E defense provided the team with a big play when lineman Brian Gacke forced Prosch to fumble while sacking the quarterback.Gacke recovered the loose ball, and it set up a three-yard touchdown by Wysong late in the first half. Patriot quarterback Tom LeBoutillier tossed a successful conversion pass to Chris Nuffer after the touchdown, trimming LH-LB’s lead to eight points (22-14) before the intermission.After the teams played to a scoreless draw in the third quarter, H-BC-E tied the game at 22 on the first play of the fourth quarter as LeBoutillier tossed a 32-yard scoring strike to Wysong. LeBoutillier ran in the conversion to tie the game after the touchdown.LH-LB regained the lead at 30-22 when its next possession ended with Prosch throwing an 11-yard touchdown pass to Heard. Peterson ran in the two-point conversion to make it an eight-point difference.The Patriots were in position to tie the game again when a 35-yard LeBoutillier-to-Wysong pass advanced the ball to the LH-LB six-yard line, but a fumble on the next play was recovered by the hosts with 3:30 left to play.LH-LB then ran the remaining time off the clock to ice the win.The Patriots will play 5-0 Lakeview in Ellsworth Friday. The game will be Ellsworth’s 2003 homecoming tilt.Team statisticsH-BC-E: 212 rushing yards, 101 passing yards, 313 total yards, 16 first downs, five penalties for 30 yards, two turnovers.LH-LB: 405 rushing yards, 35 passing yards, 19 first downs, four penalties for 25 yards, three turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: LeBoutillier 8-45, Wysong 20-166, Cody Scholten 7-3, Travis Broesder 3-minus 3.Passing: LeBoutillier 9-11 for 101 yards.Receving: Wysong 6-89, Broesder 2-4, Nuffer 1-8.Defense: Scholten 12 tackles, Gacke 11 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery, Greg Van Batavia 11 tackles, LeBoutillier four tackles and one sack, Wysong one interception, Jason Martens one fumble recovery.

By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth-Edgerton cross country runners played the role of hosts during the first Patriot Invitational staged at the Beaver Creek Golf Course Monday.The meet, which was the first one hosted by an H-BC squad since 1983, featured eight area teams, including Adrian High School.Adrian and H-BC-E-E battled each other for the girls’ varsity team title, and it was the Dragons that came out on top with a 42-43 win.Morgan Lynn set the pace for the Dragons by winning the individual title with a time of 14:43.Kelly Banck (seventh in 16:28), Krissi Thier (10th in 16:49), Megan Henning (14th in 17:07) and Sarah Kruger (22nd in 18:12) padded Adrian’s team tally.Cassi and Amanda Tilstra placed fifth and sixth with respective 15:52 and 16:03 times to lead the Patriot girls.Mya Mann (13 th in 16:59), Jill Weitgenant (15th in 17:09) and Rayna Sandoval (17th in 17:22) round out the varsity runners for the Patriot girls.The Adrian boys placed third out of four complete boys’ varsity teams on hand for the meet. H-BC-E-E was incomplete.Brandon Bullerman led the Dragons by finishing 13th in 16:57.Lee Stover (18th in 17:21), Chad Janssen (19th in 17:27), Paul Honermann (20th in 17:50) and Pete Jensen (27th in 18:11) padded Adrian’s team tally.Kyle Knips and David Brake finished 30th and 31st in 18:57 and 19:38 without influencing the scoring.H-BC-E-E’s Tyler Bush won the boys’ varsity individual title with a time of 15:33.Todd Alberty placed 11th in 16:48, Kale Wiertzema 12th in 16:55 and Derek Haak 28th in 18:12 for the Patriots.Here is a look at the varsity team standings and the rest of the individual efforts turned in by H-BC-E-E and Adrian runners during Monday’s meet.Girls’ varsity: Adrian 42, H-BC-E-E 43, Murray County Central 54, Worthington 74.Boys’ varsity: Southwest Christian 22, West Lyon 57, Adrian 62, Worthington 78.Boys’ junior varsityH-BC-E-E: Devin DeBoer 10th, 11:53; Adam Finke 11th, 12:03; John Sandbulte, 13th, 12:13; Tom Janssen, 17th, 12:39; Jared Drenth, 18th, 12:41; Stephan Harsma, 30th, 13:41.Adrian: Ethan Wieneke, fifth, 11:26; Aaron Mormann, sixth, 11:27; Kelly Seeman, 14th, 12:15; Brad Brake, 20th, 12:46; Dustin Lonneman, 23rd, 13:11; Eldon Vaselaar, 28th, 13:44; Michal Berrie, 31st, 13:45; Trent Lutmer, 36th, 14:57.Girls’ junior varsityH-BC-E-E: Amanda Connors, third, 14:10.Boys’ junior highH-BC-E-E: Dustin Verhey, first, 5:48; Cody Penning, sixth, 6:19; Grant Hoogendoorn, 10th, 6:24; Luke Tiesler, 13th, 6:31; Tyler Larson, 14th, 6:32; Derek Drenth, 23rd, 7:05; B.J. Kruse, 28th, 7:28.Adrian: Ross Wieneke, third, 6:04; Jarod Boltjes, fourth, 6:05; Kyle Henning, ninth, 6:22; Collin Lynn, 17th, 6:38; Zach Runia, 18th, 6:41; Jordan Pater, 25th, 6:59; Jared Altman, 35th, 7:43.Junior high girlsAdrian: Anna Sauer, sixth, 8:11.