Helen Louise (Whitaker) Wiese, 93, Rapid City, S.D, formerly of Luverne, died Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2002, at Wesleyan Health Care Center in Rapid City.

Services were Saturday, Nov. 23, at First United Methodist Church, Rapid City. The Rev. Doug Diehl officiated. Burial was in Mt. View Cemetery.

Helen Bachman was born to George and Anna (Plautz) Bachman on Sept. 12, 1909, in Odebolt, Iowa. She grew up on a farm near Beresford, S.D., and graduated from Beresford High School in 1926. She received her teaching certificate from Eastern State Teacher’s College, Madison, S.D., in 1927, and taught in a country school for two years. She attended Nettleton Commercial College in Sioux Falls, S.D., from 1929 to 1931. She then worked for three companies with adjoining offices doing bookkeeping and secretarial work.

She married Harold Whitaker on Aug. 20, 1934. They moved to Rapid City and began a heating, air conditioning and roofing contracting business known as Whitaker & Mattson. Mr. Whitaker died in 1966. She went back to work in the office of Whitaker & Mattson.

She married Emil Wiese on Feb. 14, 1973, and moved to Luverne. Mr. Wiese died in 1986. She returned to Rapid City to be near her family in 1996.

Mrs. Wiese was active in church work, Eastern Star and the United Commercial Travelers Auxiliary.

Survivors include one son, Dr. Ren (Beverly) Whitaker, Prairie du Chien, Wis.; one daughter, Janice (David) Grow, Rapid City; one stepson, James (Gail) Wiese, Brooklyn, N.Y.; grandchildren, Janna and James Morris, Blackhawk, S.D., Jodi and Reese Kor, Piedmont, S.D., Jeff and Jenny Grow, Hillsboro, Ore., Jay Grow and special friend Linda Bruss, Lake Crystal, Rohm and Debbie Whitaker, Casper, Wyo., Jody and Monte Stull, Lees Summit, Mo., Jill and Michael Koch, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; stepgrandchildren, Anna and Ben Miller, Brooklyn, and Allison Wiese, Houston, Texas; 12 great-grandchildren; four stepgreat-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Mrs. Wiese was preceded in death by her first husband, Harold Whitaker, second husband, Emil Wiese, one brother, Albert Bachman, and one sister, Margaret Young.

Memorials have been established for the Methodist Church and the Grow Family Scholarship fund at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

Osheim-Catron Funeral Home, Rapid City, was in charge of arrangements.

Food Drive 2002
Luverne members of Future Leaders of America collected 733 food items for the Rock County Emergency Food Shelf at their Halloween party. The middle school and high school students took stock of their food collection Friday before delivering items to the food shelf.

Photo by Lori Ehde

Rod Viland, 52, Florissant, Colo., formerly of Luverne, died Saturday, Nov. 16, 2002, in a motor vehicle accident near Cripple Creek, Colo.

Services were Wednesday, Nov. 20, at Our Lady of the Woods Catholic Church.

Rod Viland was born to Larry and Ruby (Thompson) Viland on June 23, 1950, in Luverne. He graduated from Luverne High School. He served in the U.S. Army.

He married Martha DiMercurio on May 22, 1988. He was self-employed as a building designer.

Survivors include his wife, Martha Viland, his parents, Larry and Ruby Viland, Luverne, one brother, Jim Viland, Luverne; and one sister, Jeanie (Steve) Ellsworth, Rock Rapids, Iowa.

Mountain Memorial Funeral Home, Divide, Colo., was in charge of arrangements.

Orey D. Gehrke, 82, Luverne, died Saturday, Nov. 23, 2002, at Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center in Luverne.

Services were Tuesday, Nov. 26, at St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne. The Rev. Gary Klatt officiated. Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery in Luverne.

Orey Donald Gehrke was born to Gust and Minnie (Wallenburg) Gehrke on Oct. 18, 1920, in Beaver Creek. Growing up he helped his parents on the farm near Beaver Creek. The family then moved to a farm south of Luverne. He worked as a truck driver for E.A. Hermann for four years and then worked for Bert Lease at his gas station for a couple of years before returning to work for his parents on the farm.

He married Myrtle Ross on May 20, 1943, at St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne. They lived and farmed in Mound Township for a few years before moving to a farm in Luverne Township in 1951. They relocated to Denver Township near Hardwick in 1966, and farmed until 1976 when he sold the farm. They moved to Luverne and purchased a café. He retired in 1993.

Mr. Gehrke was a life long member of St. John Lutheran Church, serving as an elder and an usher. He loved playing cards, especially pinochle. He was an avid collector of clocks and enjoyed an occasional trip to Flandreau.

Survivors include his wife, Myrtle Gehrke, Luverne; one son, Gene (Ruth) Gehrke Jasper; three grandchildren, Larry Gehrke, Donald (Nancy) Gehrke, and Vikkijean (Scott) Kessler; three great-grandchildren, Brandie Leigh Gehrke, Orvil John Swenson, and Dyllon Wyatt Gehrke; one sister, Effie Gertz, Appleton, Wis., numerous nieces, nephews, cousins; and his 13-year-old Pomeranian, Sandy.

Mr. Gehrke was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers, Alvin, Harvey and Willie, two sisters, Liddy and Esther, and one grandson, David Gehrke.

The Luverne Hospice Program will plant a tree in Orey Gehrke’s memory.

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

Luverne goalie Alyssa Wieneke stops a shot by a Marshall player during Thursday’s home game against the Tigers. Wieneke made 22 saves in a 5-4 overtime loss to Marshall.

By John Rittenhouse
Luverne girls’ hockey team experienced a first when they entertained Marshall at the Blue Mound Ice Arena Thursday.

After winning a pair of Southwest Conference championships without losing a game in two years of competition, the Cardinals found out how it feels to lose a league game.

With 6:55 remaining in overtime, Marshall’s Ashley Verdeck netted her second goal of the game to clinch a 5-4 victory for the Tigers.

Luverne, which lost two games prior to Thursday’s league opener, looked on in shock as the Tigers celebrated in a pile near the net they scored in to win the game.

Although the Cards lost in overtime, the game did not lack in entertainment value.

Luverne sported 1-0 and 3-2 advantages during the contest that featured a wild second period of seven combined scores by the two teams. Five of the seven goals in the period came in a span of 2:13.

The Cardinals received goals from four different players and took a 1-0 edge into the second period.

Marshall moved in front 2-1 with counters from Kayla Kaas and Sasha Sook at the 14:14 and 9:38 marks of the stanza, but Luverne’s Stephanie Morgan knotted the score at two after being set up by Jenny Braa with 6:05 remaining in the period.

It was Morgan’s goal that ignited the second-period scoring surge.

Suzanne Gluf put the Cards in front with an unassisted goal with 5:24 remaining in the stanza, but the Tigers countered with goals 12 seconds apart by Verdeck (4:40) and Sook (4:28) to regain a 4-3 advantage.

Luverne’s Taylor Nelson scored 30 seconds later at 3:58 to tie the game at four.

The teams were unable to produce a goal while registering a combined 17 shots in the third period, setting up a 10-minute overtime session.

Luverne directed two shots on net in the early stages of the overtime period. Marshall’s first shot on goal in overtime, an unassisted goal by Verdeck, settled the issue.

Luverne’s first-period goal came off the stick of Natalie Domagala. Maggie Vanden Hoek received an assist for the counter, which came at the 10:18 mark of the stanza.

The Cardinals outshot the Tigers 39-27 in the game.

Alyssa Wieneke stopped 22 of 27 shots in net for LHS.

The 0-3 Cardinals played in Fairmont last night. Luverne hosts Albert Lea Tuesday.

Hills-Beaver Creek sophomore Melinda Feucht drives to the basket under pressure applied by Ellsworth’s Kayla Boltjes during Friday’s girls’ basketball game in Hills. H-BC opened the season with a 46-28 win over the Panthers.

By John Rittenhouse
A pair of girls’ basketball teams from the Star Herald coverage area opened the 2002-03 season in Hills Friday.

Ellsworth and Hills-Beaver Creek, two former members of the dissolved Tri-County Conference, locked horns in their only scheduled meeting of the year.

The game was tight for three quarters, but a great fourth-quarter start by the home-standing Patriots set the stage for a 46-28 victory.

Actually, H-BC put together extended runs in the beginning of the third and fourth quarters. Ellsworth was able to counter one of the runs, but not both of them.

H-BC led 15-14 at the intermission before starting the third quarter with an 8-1 surge featuring three field goals by Erin Boeve and another from Brittney Rozeboom to open a 23-15 cushion in the first four minutes of the second half.

A three-point shot by freshman Stacy Bush gave the Patriots their biggest lead of the game at 28-16 as the period progressed, but the Panthers closed the quarter with a 10-1 run featuring five points from Laurel Drenth to trail 29-25 heading into the final eight minutes of play.

Ellsworth was in a position to catch the Patriots at that point. H-BC, however, didn’t let it happen.

An 11-0 run in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter put the Patriots in front 40-25. Ellsworth never got any closer than 12 points to H-BC the rest of the way before falling by 18 points in the end.

H-BC, which outscored EHS 17-3 in the final period, received seven points in the decisive 11-0 run to start the fourth quarter. Boeve scored 13 of her team-high 16 points in the second half.

The game’s first half was very tight.

A three-point shot by Ellsworth’s Jenna Groen opened the scoring, and the Panthers led 5-4 before Rozeboom converted a field goal and one free throw in the final 36 seconds of the first quarter to give H-BC a 7-5 edge.

The second quarter featured ties at seven, nine and 12 before Rozeboom hit a field goal and Amanda Olson added a free throw to give the Patriots a 15-12 edge that was sliced to one point (15-14) by period’s end with a field goal by Groen.

Boeve led the Patriots with 12 rebounds and four blocked shots in the game. Sarah Rozeboom had seven rebounds, Cassi Tilstra six steals and Brittney Rozeboom four assists for the winners.

Groen, who netted 12 points in the first half, finished with a game-high 17 counters. Janice Leuthold and Laurel Drenth collected 10 and eight rebounds respectively for EHS. Missy Leuthold charted four assists.

H-BC plays in Edgerton Friday before taking on Central Lyon in Rock Rapids, Iowa, Monday. Ellsworth plays in Edgerton Monday.

Box score
Ellsworth
Deutsch 0 0 0-0 0, Boltjes 0 0 2-5 2, M.Leuthold 0 0 0-0 0, Ly.Drenth 0 0 0-0 0, Lr.Drenth 3 0 1-1 7, J.Leuthold 0 0 2-2 2, M.Groen 0 0 0-0 0, J.Groen 3 3 2-3 17, Kramer 0 0 0-0 0, Timmer 0 0 0-0 0.
H-BC
B.Rozeboom 6 0 2-6 14, Bush 0 1 0-0 3, Feucht 0 0 0-0 0, Tilstra 2 0 0-2 4, S.Rozeboom 1 0 1-2 3, Hoyme 0 0 0-0 0, Boeve 5 1 3-7 16, Wassenaar 0 0 0-0 0, Olson 0 0 2-4 2, Mulder 2 0 0-0 4.

Team statistics
Ellsworth: nine of 48 field goals (19 percent), seven of 14 free throws (50 percent), 35 rebounds, 32 turnovers.
H-BC: 18 of 56 field goals (32 percent), eight of 21 free throws (38 percent), 40 rebounds, 10 turnovers.

By Lori Ehde
After receiving no rainfall during the critical growing periods of July and early August, things looked bleak for Rock County corn and soybean producers.

"We were predicting a 35 percent yield loss for corn and 30 percent for beans," said Rock County Extension Educator Fraser Norton.

Thirty-percent losses qualify for disaster aid, so local officials applied to get Rock County designated a drought disaster area.

The day Rock County applied for federal drought relief, it rained.

And it continued to rain until the final tally for Aug. 21 came to nearly 6 inches in Rock County.

Rock County Emergency Management Coordinator Kyle Oldre mailed the drought disaster that day, and he joked that he better get started on the flood disaster application.

The rain was a welcome sight, but as far as most people knew, it was too late to help the drought-beaten crops.

Rock County’s average rainfall during the growing season of May 1 through Sept. 30 is 16.76, but by the second week in August, local fields had seen less than half that amount.

"We had almost no rain in July, when corn needs it, and we had no rain in early August, when beans need it," Norton said.

Yields are ‘average’ despite disaster prediction
Hind sight is 20-20.

He was right about the Aug. 21 downpour having little effect on the yields, Norton and most local crop producers underestimated the power of good soil and improved genetics.

With the local harvest nearly complete, average yields this fall are coming in right in line with Rock County’s four-year average (1998-2001): 148 bushels per acre for corn and 46 bushels per acre for soybeans.

"I have heard people say time and time again how surprised they are at both soybean and corn yields," Norton said.

"Beans have been in the 50s in some fields and corn has been in the 170s."

He said this year’s growing conditions in most regions would have resulted in a drought disaster.

"But we’ve got good, rich soil here," he said. "And it’s amazing how genetics have progressed. This would have never turned out this way in the old days."

Rock County’s heavier soils are in the southwest townships, and that’s where the higher yields are reflected,

Dave Leenderts, agronomy production specialist at Hills-Beaver Creek Co-op, Hills, said corn yields there averaged 140-175 bushels per acre, and soybeans were in the upper 40s to upper 50s.

Those yields are typical for Hills, but Leenderts said farmers were bracing for the effects of drought.

"It was a lot better than what we anticipated," Leenderts said. "The guys were pleasantly surprised."

He said soybean yields dropped in the second week of September when a hail storm in the southern half of the county dropped yields by at least 15 percent.

Though the soil is typically lighter in northern Rock County, some fields there also showed some surprising yields.

Lloyd Bergman, who farms land near Kenneth, said corn yields varied from 20 to 150 bushels per acre on their land.

"I’ve never seen anything like it," Bergman said. "On the good soil, we saw good yields, but on the poor soil, we didn’t do so good."

He said stalks growing in lighter soil got too dry during pollination, but those that were able to pollinate produced large, full ears.

Considering the county was headed for disaster, Norton said the end result is positive.

"People are so happy with their yields because they were writing off getting anything from some fields, and even those produced something," Norton said.

"I’m certainly not seeing a disaster here."

Prices are up
To top it off, market prices are higher this year than they were last year at this time.

"Corn and beans are well above what they were a year ago," Norton said.

According to Monday’s data, the price of corn was $2.12 per bushel, and soybeans were at $5.29 per bushel. That compares with last year’s data on the same date of $1.69 corn and $3.99 beans.

"We’re well above the loan rate, so there’s risk in storing. Last year was a year for storing. This year is not," Norton said.

"Sell at harvest and don’t store … especially for soybeans. They’ll pay you more today than they will in January, and they’ll pay you more in January than they will in February. Get rid of it and move on."

Disaster aid
approved Friday
Despite the positive outcome of this year’s harvest, some producers, may qualify for low-interest emergency loans through the Farm Service Agency.

In an FSA statement released Friday, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman encouraged qualified producers to apply.

FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.

Producers who don’t qualify for the emergency aid may benefit from other FSA programs. For example, earlier this year, Veneman authorized emergency grazing on Conservation Reserve Program acres.

Signup for the Livestock Compensation Program ends Dec. 13.

Rock County FSA director Roger Carlson can be reached at 283-2369. More information about the drought disaster relief can be found at www.fsa.usda.gov.

By Lori Ehde
Nearly 20 years ago, Luverne’s Lona Klosterbuer took a call at home from Ione Bush at Rock County Family Services. She wanted to know if Klosterbuer could do some Christmas shopping for a local family who needed some help.

Bush had received an anonymous cash donation at the office to be used for that purpose, and Klosterbuer remembers taking that envelope of cash around town and seeing how much she could buy with it.

"I never knew who gave her my name," Klosterbuer said. "I guess someone must have thought I’d have some time to do that."

As it turns out, Bush picked a good errand runner, because Klosterbuer has been taking lists and running errands every December since then. "Little did I know …" she said.

It was the start of what is now a Christmas charity tradition in Rock County that serves hundreds of families with thousands of dollars in donated cash and items.

A system of caring
In the early years it didn’t have a name, but it was the start of Sharing Hearts Are Helping Everyone, or SHARE.

By definition, SHARE Inc. "is a program whose purpose is to administer, by means of volunteers, the collection of donations and distribution of Christmas gifts and food to persons in Rock County."

Last year, SHARE provided 121 families, consisting of 176 adults and 175 children, with groceries, clothing and toys. An undetermined number of persons benefited from clothing and other items from used and new tables at the Luverne Armory, where donations are distributed annually.

The program is uniquely Rock County’s and it helps Rock County’s own. "All of the money is spent here and it all stays here," said Mary Tilstra, another long-time volunteer.

"If every county in the United States took care of its own, everyone would have something at Christmas."

In the months following Klosterbuer’s first shopping trip, Family Services staff kept their eyes open for additional local people who might need extra help, and accepted donations from local people who wanted to help out these families.

Tilstra joined the effort in 1985 and recalls an early grocery shopping experience with Klosterbuer.

"Ione gave us $300 cash to buy groceries for 19 families," Tilstra said, "and we jumped into Lona’s little car and drove to Kenny’s Super Foods."

The carts filled up with fruits, vegetables, meats and other perishables not typically available at the local food shelf.

"We had no system whatsoever," Lona said. "We just had our cash and a couple of carts and headed down the aisle."

The two women laugh when they recall their haphazard methods.

"Larry (Goebel) opened a register for us and we kept asking how much money we had left to spend," Tilstra said. "And then, when we were done, there was this huge pile of groceries, and all we had was Lona’s little car."

As it turned out, Goebel delivered the goods (to Family Services) with the store van, and that was the start of his longtime involvement in the program as well.

"I still remember the apples and oranges rolling around the human services building as we tried to divvy up the grocery into 19 bags."

Well-ordered system
The women soon developed a system for taking and filling orders, not only for groceries, but for clothing, household supplies and gifts as well.

Today, families fill out forms that ask what they’re in need of (food, clothing, toys, etc.), the number of household members, and the age, gender and size of family members requesting specific items.

Former Family Services employee Norma Stewart is credited for coming up the name for SHARE, which incorporated in 1986.

"She told me years ago that she had a dream of coming up with a good system of helping needy people at Christmas time," Klosterbuer said. "And she wanted to call it SHARE."

The point of the program would be to provide things not typically covered by welfare and for families that may not qualify for welfare.

SHARE offered something extra for the holidays.

"Ione knew there were these people who needed help but who fell through the cracks, and there were all these people who wanted to help," Tilstra said.

She said SHARE especially mobilized in 1987, with the help from Del Brakke,who retired that year from Family Services. Brakke had an inside track to the families who needed help, and was able to connect SHARE resources where they were needed most.

At its peak, SHARE served 550 people in 1991, but the average number of people helped through the years is 350.

Strong core of volunteers
The volunteer board now includes 12 people, and those core members enlist help from their spouses and anyone willing to lend a hand.

Many of today’s volunteers are the same ones who helped start the program 20 years ago.

It’s often stressful work to match needy families with an adequate amount of donated cash and items and to get it all distributed in an orderly manner.

"We’re so relieved at that point," Klosterbuer said. "I’d go home and bawl sometimes, it was so stressful."
"We prepare for months, and then it all goes out the door in about an hour," Tilstra said.

But there’s a reason they continue to do it year after year: for the personal rewards of seeing families benefit from their efforts.

"I remember one year we had all these donated Pound Puppies, and some little kid came along and saw a Pound Puppy sticking out of a bag. He was so tickled to get that Pound Puppy," Klosterbuer said.

Tilstra remembers the year Dayton’s donated Santa Bears. "I remember a little kid came along and hugged the bear through the bag," Tilstra said.

To donate to SHARE:
Drop off items from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, and from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, at the Luverne Armory on South Freeman Avenue.

Items needed include new and used clothing (only seasonal items), toys and household items. Prior approval is required for donations of large household items or large appliances.

Do NOT wrap either new or used gifts.

Cash donations can be mailed any time of year to SHARE, P.O. Box 792, Luverne, MN, 56156.

Distribution will be from noon to 2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16, at the Luverne Armory.

The form must be completed and mailed by Dec. 7 to SHARE, P.O. Box 792, Luverne, MN, 56156.

For information call 283-4310 or 283-2810.

By Sara Strong
The Luverne airport drew a crowd Monday as final plans were the subject of a public meeting in Luverne council chambers.

The airport expansion has been a long-time goal of the city of Luverne, meeting with objection from some of its rural neighbors.

Engineer plans are ready for the Airport Board to review and recommend to the Luverne City Council. From there, the Planning and Zoning Board will determine whether the expansion project will continue.

Federal funding of 90 percent for the $2 million project is secured for the expansion, which would almost double the length of the runway.

Luverne City Councilman David Hauge also serves on the Airport Board. He said, "Right now we have funding. … Luverne’s trying to make itself more hospitable to businesses and anything we can do to be more appealing in negotiations is an asset."

Even though businesses are a motivator to getting a bigger airport for bigger planes, Rock County Commissioner Ron Boyenga pointed out that the county’s biggest business is agriculture.

Part of the objection to the location of the airport is the closing of a township road just south of the current airport. The township road runs east and west and is reportedly used heavily as access to Highway 75 to the east and to farm area to the west.

People at Monday’s meeting said moving the airport even farther south would keep that road open and keep the airport farther from town and potential development areas.

The Airport Board reasoned that no matter where the runway is constructed, a gravel road will have to be closed. It’s just a matter of moving the problem to a different group of rural residents if it were moved farther to the south as Monday’s group favored.

If the airport were farther south, however, it would probably lose federal funding.

Federal funding is given to airports certain distances away from each other. With Sioux Falls, Rock Rapids, Pipestone and Worthington, Luverne’s current location is ideal for guaranteed federal funding.

"We’re trying to take care of as many people as we can," Pat Baustian, Airport Board Chairman, said.
The plans allow room for growth closer to the interstate.

Ray Sleiter attended the meeting. He said, "I don’t like how [the federal government] can dictate to people how the money will be spent. I don’t like it and I don’t think it’s fair. We’ve got people here who can spend money just fine."

Sleiter would like the county to be involved in setting the location, but realized the federal funding could be lost if the location was changed.

The township road
Other implications of closing the township road would be heavier wear and tear on the existing smaller roads. Farm equipment operators don’t necessarily want to drive across Highway 75, so traffic would probably be diverted to other township roads.

They may have to be widened or built up to some extent to handle the heavier use and likelihood of large vehicles meeting on the roads.

The township road is recommended to be closed with, or without, the runway extension.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has cited the airport for the liability to the township and the city the road poses.

If an accident were to happen between a plane and anything on that road, the township and city of Luverne would be held liable because at least three years of inspections have noted the clearance problem on the road.

Baustian said, "Even if we don’t do this, MnDOT will close the road anyway."

The Airport Board is also waiting for an environmental study that will find whether the airport is in the 100-year flood plain or just on the edge of it, as it now appears.

Airport facts to pull
Luverne’s airport was first built in 1959.

This year there has been 4,000 flights out of the airport.

The runway is the shortest in the state at 2,500 feet.

The runway condition is in the 70th percentile, meaning it’s structurally sound.