Above, Courtney Bullis tries out a bear hug with her recently-completed Valentine's Day artwork Monday in Peggy Goettsch's kindergarten class.

At right, Peer Helper Stephanie Morgan helps Kenda Blomgren compose a Valentine message during a Kids in the Commons activity Tuesday after school.

Valentine's Day is a major holiday for elementary students, who will celebrate with parties Friday.

Photos by Lori Ehde

The Patriot Partners sponsored a Whopper Feed Monday before the Hills-Beaver Creek boys’ basketball game against Sioux Falls Christian. Although the Whopper maker didn’t work, the crew came up with an alternate plan to feed the hungry crowd. They borrowed a grill from a local person and the Whopper Feed went on as planned. Patriot Partners use the proceeds from the fund-raiser to award three $250 scholarships to graduating Hills-Beaver Creek students every year. Additional funds raised are earmarked for the high school locker room project.

Photo by Jolene Farley

Donald Ray Kruger, 56, rural Hills, died Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2003, at Luverne Community Hospital.

Services were Saturday, Feb. 8, at First Lutheran Church in Valley Springs, S.D. The Rev. Ray Heidenson officiated. Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery, Luverne.

Donald Kruger was born to Donald Delbert and Jennie (Ruby) Kruger on July 10, 1946, in Slayton. He grew up and attended school in Hills. He began his own business, Ray’s Gravel and Repair, in rural Hills where he worked for more than 30 years.

He married Jerri Guenther on May 20, 1978, at Palisade Lutheran Church, rural Rock County. After their marriage the couple lived in rural Hills on an acreage that Mr. Kruger built.

Mr. Kruger enjoyed working at his business and fishing and hunting in his spare time.

Survivors include his wife, Jerri Kruger, rural Hills; one daughter, Wendy Kruger, rural Hills; one brother, Jack (Kathy) Kruger, St. Paul; and one sister, Martha Boomgaarden, Blue Earth.

Mr. Kruger was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Betty.

Dingmann Funeral Home, Luverne, was in charge of arrangements.

By Jolene Farley
An open house and public forum is planned Monday, March 3, for the proposed locker room and fitness facility project at Hills-Beaver Creek High School.

"There is absolutely nothing on the school calendar that night," said Superintendent Dave Deragisch. "That’s a week before (the vote), which is perfect timing."

Beginning at 6:30 p.m., voters will have the opportunity to tour the locker rooms. The public forum, with School Board present, begins at 7:30 p.m. and locker room tours will continue after the forum.

Voters will go to the polls Tuesday, March 11, to decide on the proposed $400,000 levy to fund the project. The levy would increase taxes by $.35 cents per acre on agricultural land and $5 on homes with a market value of $40,000, according to estimates by Deragisch.

Initial cost estimates for the project without a weight room, range from $398,144 to $439,552.

A weight room would add $113,302 to the cost of the project, handled by Group II Architects, Sioux Falls.

If the bond issue passes, bids could be opened as early as April 1 and the locker rooms could be completed by September.

By Sara Strong
The pollution investigation under the former Jubilee parking lot will be ongoing, but the city is getting reimbursed for most of the costs so far.

After the latest round of environmental testing, the Luverne Economic Development Authority, as one-time owner of some of the property, is getting reimbursed through a petroleum clean-up program, for all but $1,600.

That will be split with Papik Motors, which used to own some of the property under investigation.

The process started about five years ago when city water tests showed levels of trichlorethylene (TCE) and other chemicals. Although the trace amounts of TCE were considered safe for drinking water, the chemical has been linked to cancer in humans exposed to the chemical over a period of 30 years.

Contaminated soil under the pavement was identified as a probable source of the TCE and other petroleum-related chemicals.

TCE is used for degreasing metal, which is consistent with some of the activities reportedly having occurred on the property, which included A.R. Wood.

The monitoring wells are still in place and most recent tests showed chemicals from any polluted areas weren’t likely going toward current water supplies.

There’s still monitoring and reporting to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency before the process is complete.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek boys’ basketball team had little trouble recording its 12th Red Rock Conference victory of the season Friday in Round Lake.

The Patriots outscored the Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster Raiders by 19 points in the first three quarters of play to set the stage for a 68-49 win.

Along with giving the Patriots their 12th straight RRC victory, H-BC extended its longest winning streak of the season to seven straight games with the win.

Strong second and third quarters by the Patriots proved to be the difference in the game.

H-BC led 15-13 after eight minutes of play before outscoring the Raiders 19-12 in the second quarter to make it a 34-25 game at the intermission.

The Patriots padded their lead to 19 points (43-34) with a 19-9 scoring advantage in the third quarter, and they protected the lead by playing the Raiders to a draw at 15 in the fourth quarter.

Tyson Metzger recorded a double-double to lead the Patriots to victory. Metzger, who had four assists in the contest, scored 22 points and charted 10 rebounds. He made eight of 16 field goals in the game.

Kale Wiertzema, who was nine of 10 at the charity stripe, added 18 points and nine assists to the winning cause.

Trey Van Wyhe canned six of nine shots during a 15-point performance. Jesse Leuthold collected 10 rebounds and blocked a pair of shots, and Tyler Bush contributed nine assists and four steals to the winning effort.

Box score
Bush 0 0 0-0 0, Wysong 0 0 0-0 0, Jackson 0 0 0-0 0, Roozenboom 0 0 2-2 2, Broesder 0 0 2-2 2, Wiertzema 3 1 9-10 18, Metzger 5 3 3-6 22, Leuthold 3 0 3-5 9, Van Wyhe 6 0 3-4 15, Spykerboer 0 0 0-0 0.

Team statistics
H-BC: 21 of 45 field goals (47 percent), 22 of 29 free throws (76 percent), 29 rebounds, 11 turnovers.
SV-RL-B: 20 of 48 field goals (42 percent), two of five free throws (40 percent), 20 rebounds, 11 turnovers.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek girls’ basketball team turned in one of its best performances of the season during a game in which a Patriot player reached a personal milestone.

Playing Edgerton in a Red Rock Conference game in Hills Thursday, H-BC opened a commanding 17-point halftime lead to set the stage for a 49-32 victory.

Junior post Erin Boeve, one of the players who helped H-BC take control of the game early, had a night she’ll never forget.

Boeve, who turned in a 31-point, 16-rebound effort, became the second H-BC girl to reach the 1,000-point plateau for her career.

The standout post needed 14 points to join Leanne Goehle in the 1,000-point club, and Boeve got all 14 in a first quarter that ended with the Patriots sporting a 16-11 lead.

With that done, Boeve and the Patriots were able to concentrate on the task in hand, which was beating a solid Edgerton team. H-BC didn’t have any trouble in that respect as it outscored the Flying Dutchmen 33-21 in the final three quarters to nail down a 17-point win.

"The girls came out strong and did an excellent job of attacking the basket," said H-BC coach Tom Goehle. "We also did a super job of contesting every shot defensively."

After opening a five-point lead in the first quarter, H-BC outscored the Flying Dutchmen 16-4 in the second quarter to open a 17-point (32-15) cushion at the intermission. The difference was 18 points (49-32) after three quarters of play before ending as a 17-point spread at game’s end.

Melinda Feucht charted eight assists, while Cassi Tilstra had seven assists and five steals for the 11-8 Patriots.

The winner of two straight games, H-BC plays Southwest Christian in Edgerton tonight before hosting Murray County Central Tuesday.

Box score
B.Rozeboom 1 0 0-0 2, Bush 0 0 0-0 0, Feucht 2 0 1-2 5, Sandstede 0 0 0-0 0, Tilstra 2 1 0-0 7, S.Rozeboom 1 0 0-0 2, Boeve 11 0 9-14 31, Olson 1 0 0-0 2, Mulder 0 0 0-0 0.

Team statistics
H-BC: 19 of 56 field goals (34 percent), 10 of 18 free throws (56 percent), 40 rebounds, seven turnovers.
Edgerton: 14 of 54 field goals (26 percent), four of six free throws (67 percent), 43 rebounds, 20 turnovers.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek boys’ basketball team saved its best for last during Tuesday’s game against Edgerton in Hills.

The Patriots were sluggish in the first three quarters, and it led to deficits at each quarter break.

Just when it looked like H-BC might be upset by the Flying Dutchmen, the Patriots put together a 17-2 run late in the fourth quarter to pull out a 52-46 victory.

The win was H-BC’s eighth straight, leaving it with a 15-4 record for the season.

The victory upped the Patriots’ Red Rock Conference record to 13-0 heading into an important game against Southwest Christian in Edgerton tomorrow. The Patriots host Sioux Falls Christian Monday.

If not for the 17-2 run against Edgerton, H-BC might have fallen for the first time in league play. The rally started with 4:00 left in the fourth period and ended when Edgerton buried a three-point shot in the final seconds of the game.

"We went on a 17-2 run in the last four minutes to win the game," said Patriot coach Steve Wiertzema. "We really didn’t play very well until then."

Tyler Bush helped the Patriots turn things around when he converted a three-point play early in the 17-2 run.

Bush, who had three steals in the game, scored nine of his 13 points in the decisive fourth quarter.

Tyson Metzger and Trey Van Wyhe, who scored 19 and 15 points respectively, scored six points each in the fourth quarter.

Edgerton controlled play in the first three quarters of the game as it sported 14-4, 28-16 and 36-28 leads at the first three quarter breaks.

H-BC outscored the Flying Dutchmen 24-10 in the fourth quarter.

Metzger, Leuthold, Van Wyhe and Bush took down seven rebounds each. Wiertzema registered eight assists and three steals.

Box score
Bush 4 0 5-6 13, Wysong 0 0 0-0 0, Roozenboom 0 0 2-2 2, Wiertzema 0 0 2-4 2, Metzger 4 1 8-10 19, Leuthold 0 0 1-2 1, Van Wyhe 6 0 3-4 15.

Team statistics
H-BC: 15 of 41 field goals (37 percent), 21 of 28 free throws (75 percent), 30 rebounds, 11 turnovers.
Edgerton: 17 of 51 field goals (33 percent), eight of 14 free throws (57 percent), 29 rebounds, seven turnovers.