Edward Sullivan, 81, MN Veterans Home, Luverne, died Monday, Sept. 30 at Sioux Valley Hospital, Sioux Falls. Memorial services will be Saturday, Oct. 5 at 1:30 p.m. at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Luverne. Burial will be in National Memorial Cemetery in Arizona. Engebretson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Johanna Mathilda Kraayenhof, 79, Luverne, died Friday, Sept. 27, 2002, at the Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center in Luverne.

Funeral services were Tuesday, Oct. 1, at American Reformed Church, Luverne. Burial was in Eastside Cemetery east of Steen.

Mathilda Medema was born Sept. 6, 1923, on the family farm near Rock Rapids, Iowa to Peter and Anna (Van Ommeren) Medema. Her early years were spent on the farm, but as a young girl she moved into Rock Rapids with her family. She received her education in Rock Rapids. She spent her early womanhood as a domestic helper for other families in Rock Rapids. On April 19, 1943, she was united in marriage to Ed Kraayenhof on Ed's family farm near Steen, MN. The couple lived on Ed's family farm and eventually took over operating the farm. In 1975, they retired from farming and moved into Luverne.

Mrs. Kraayenhof was a former member of the Steen Reformed Church and a current member of the American Reformed Church in Luverne. She always had a big garden and enjoyed sewing for her family and neighbors. She loved to go to auctions and was a collector of bells and Delft china.

Survivors include, her husband, Ed Kraayenhof, Luverne; 4 sons, Ed (Peggy) Kraayenhof, Sioux Falls, S.D., Dennis (Jo) Kraayenhof, Easton, Doug (Nancy) Kraayenhof and Brian (Darla) Kraayenhof, all of Hills; four daughters, Helen Kraayenhof, Hills, Joyce (Dale) Helmke, Kandiyohi, Glenda (Rodney) Kuehl, Beaver Creek, and Mary Kraayenhof, Luverne; 18 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; one sister, Johanna DeBoer, Eldon, Mo.; two sisters-in-law, Pearl Medema, Rock Rapids, Iowa, and Delma (Don) VanGeest, Okoboji, Iowa; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives, and friends.
Mrs. Kraayenhof was preceded in death by her parents; three brothers, John, Tony, and Joe Medema; three sisters, Anna Fluit, Marie Ver Meer, and Henrietta Kruse.

Engebretson Funeral Home of Luverne was in charge of arrangements.

Vernon Granberg, 73, Valley Springs, S.D., died Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2002, in Avera McKennan Hospital, Sioux Falls, S.D.

Services were Saturday, Sept. 28, in Beaver Valley Lutheran Church, Valley Springs. Pastor Jerry Merkouris officiated. Burial was in Beaver Valley Lutheran Cemetery, Valley Springs.

Vernon Dale Granberg was born Aug. 25, 1929, on the family homestead near Valley Springs. He graduated from Brandon High School. After high school he attended Sioux Falls College and then returned to the farm where he continued to farm until his death.

He married Donna Rueb April 13, 1952, in Sioux Falls. Mrs. Granberg died April 29, 1978.

Mr. Granberg was a member of Beaver Valley Lutheran Church and a former member of the Sioux Falls Air National Guard. Farming was his life, but he enjoyed antiques, family history and the sciences.

Survivors include three sons, Richard, Sioux Falls,
David and Dallas, both of Valley Springs; one sister, Janet Scott, Brandon; one brother, Leland Granberg, Minneapolis; and many other relatives and friends.

Mr. Granberg was preceded in death by his parents.

Arrangements were by Minnehaha Funeral Home, Garretson, Baltic, Colton & Dell Rapids, S.D.

By Jolene Farley
After a growing season with below average rain through July and above average rain in August, Rock County's harvest will be mixed, good and bad, this fall.

Yields so far are all over the board, according to Rock County Farm Services Director Roger Carlson.
"There is going to be a big variation in Rock County from one area to another," he said.

Carlson said many farmers were in the field earlier this week in the southern portion of the county, but in the northern portion of the county soybeans are too wet to combine.

"If rain would hold off in the next week," he said. "A lot (of farmers) would get started."

Jon Finke harvested 200 acres of soybeans from a field north of Steen on Monday.

He said he is pleased with yields so far.

"I was dry for awhile," he said. "But the rain came just in time, the way it looks."

In the northern portion of the county, beans and corn are shorter than in the rest of the county, according to Carlson.

"They might not be able to get the combine head down low enough to get them all," he said.

Rock County, along with Nobles County and Jackson County, applied for a federal drought disaster declaration in August.

Officials have not heard if Rock County is eligible for the declaration, according to Carlson.

Rainfall in southwest Minnesota was three to six inches below normal until an August storm dropped six inches of rain overnight. By the end of August, the area was four to eight inches above normal.

The August rain came too late to help most drought-stunted crops. Fields with sandy soil sustained more crop damage from the dry conditions earlier in the growing season.

"There is obviously some pressure to get some more disaster aid out there," said Carlson.

A disaster declaration, typically issued if there is 30 to 35 percent crop loss, would ensure farmers would be eligible for emergency loans through the Rock County Farm Service Agency and any additional compensation programs made available by Congress.

He said this year's crop prices are anyone's guess. Markets were up earlier this fall, but fell 14 cents on Monday. On the bright said, Carlson hopes this year's disasters will drive a price increase.

Rock County Commissioners meet
Sept. 17
Rock County Human Services Bldg 9:00 AM
Community Room Sept. 17, 2002
Chair Wildung called the meeting to order with all Commissioners present.

Robin Weis of the Southwest Area on Aging presented a number of program updates and informational items regarding programs currently conducted by the agency; no action was taken.

Mark Sehr, Engineer, requested authorization to bid let (7) box culvert projects; motion by Boyenga, seconded by Hoime, to authorize the bid letting process, declared carried on a voice vote.

The Engineer requested authorization to replace (3) disc mowers and presented the following bids:
(3) model HM 2007-2 Bush Hog Disc mowers $10,135.00
Mark Jacobson, Inc.; Luverne
(3) Kuhn GMD 500 Disc mowers $12,150.00
Dave's Repair & Farm Equipment; Hills
Hohn Implement; Luverne Ð bid was rejected as it did not meet specifications
Motion by Boyenga, seconded by Jarchow, to accept the low compliant bid from Mark Jacobson, Inc. for $10,135.00, declared carried on a voice vote.

The Administrator provided an update on the phone system replacement project at the Human Services Building and Highway Building. Currently, the project is in the process of receiving bids for a system that would service the Human Services Building and the Highway Building with an interconnect between the two buildings.

The County Board directed that an article be placed in the newspaper regarding the rural addressing and the projected timelines of when the individual addresses will be assigned and released.

Family Services Agency Financial Workers JoEllen Benson and Jean Hoven presented an update of a conference they had attended in Arkansas entitled "National Eligibility Worker's Conference."

Karen DeBoer of the Southwest Minnesota Opportunity Council and FSA Social Worker Carol Wulf provided a Day Care update to include vacancies and long range issues facing day care providers in Rock County.

Family Services Director Randy Ehlers introduced new employees Jessica Sandbulte, Child Protection Worker and Wendy DeLaRose-Gacke, Collections Officer to the County Board.

The FSA Director informed the County Board of an employee resignation from Ryan Flogstad, Social Worker effective December 31, 2002.

The FSA Director reviewed the consent agenda with the County Board with the addition of contract #52-788-02 w/Luverne Community Hospital for outpatient chemical dependency with an expiration date of 04/30/03. Motion by Jarchow, seconded Erickson, to approve the following consent agenda to include the addition, declared carried on a voice vote.

1. Day care relicensing Ð Lisa Durst, Peggy Fisher, Peggy Nelson, Evonne Top, Joni Wynia, Denise Wysong

2. Voluntary day care closing Ð Kami Bibber, Heather Peterson

3. FSA Contract 105-186-02 w/New Dawn, Inc. to provide home and community based services to individuals with developmental disabilities; effective 09/01/02 Ð 06/30/03

4. Approval on Food Stamp Employment & Training contract w/SWMN Private Industry Council; effective 07/01/02 Ð 06/30/03.

Motion by Erickson, seconded by Jarchow, to approve the September 17, 2002 County Board agenda, declared carried on a voice vote.

Motion by Erickson, seconded by Boyenga, to approve the September 3, 2002 County Board minutes, declared carried on a voice vote.

Motion by Jarchow, seconded by Hoime, to accept the Local Advisory Council Annual Report, declared carried on a voice vote.

Margaret Cook, Auditor/Treasurer, presented a budget report with no action taken.

The Auditor/Treasurer presented the claims for payment; motion by Jarchow, seconded by Erickson, to approve the claims, declared carried on a unanimous vote. A complete listing of claims is available at the Auditor/TreasurerÕs office at no charge.

General $ 44,586.49
LEC 74.43
Road & Bridge 24,984.34
Judicial Ditch .00
Welfare 45,312.53
Landfill 1,371,16
TOTAL $ 16,328.95

Motion by Hoime, seconded by Boyenga, to accept the fund balance report, declared carried on a voice vote.

Motion by Hoime, seconded by Erickson, to cancel #40844 for the amount of $881.00 issued in July of 2002; check #40999 has been issued to include the outstanding amount of $881.00. Motion was declared carried on a voice vote.

The County Board agreed to enter into a project development agreement with Johnson Controls; motion by Hoime, seconded by Jarchow and declared carried on a voice vote.

Motion by Jarchow, seconded by Erickson, to establish a Feedlot Inventory Task Force and limit the members to 20; appointed to the Feedlot Task Force thus far are: Grant Binford, Pete Bakken, Tom Skattum, Randy Scott, Mike Hoiland, Mike Sandager, Jeff Ahrendt, Jim Remme, Denny Holtrop, Lynn Petersen and Doug Bolt to the Feedlot Task Force; members will be paid a $35.00 per diem plus mileage and will meet on a quarterly basis during the Level III Feedlot Inventory only. Motion was declared carried on a voice vote.

Commissioner Hoime stated that he had attended a Murray County Board meeting with Administrator Oldre for the purpose of presenting gravel tax information.

Commissioner Boyenga directed that fire protection be discussed at a future meeting as per a request from a township chairperson from his district.

The County Board discussed the proposed DAC Supported Living Facility; the Administrator will draft a resolution of support for that project and present it at the October 1st County Board meeting.

Commissioner Erickson informed the County Board that the Friends of the Library would be having their annual book sale on September 18-20.

Commissioner Erickson also provided an Environment Bus update; no action was taken.

Motion by Erickson, seconded by Hoime, to send a letter of congratulations to Warren Herreid for his selection into the Camp Ripley Court of Honor, declared carried on a voice vote.

Motion by Jarchow, seconded Erickson to adjourn the meeting, declared carried on a voice vote.

Jane Wildung, Chairman of the Board
Attest:
Kyle J. Oldre, Clerk to the Board
(10/3)

By Sara Strong
The community approach to law enforcement, drug prevention and a healthy county are already starting with the Rock County Sheriff's Department undergoing community policing training that will continue through May 2003.

In forming a partnership with the community, Rock County Sheriff Ron McClure said Tuesday he will meet with parents and neighborhoods whenever asked to discuss crime issues.

McClure said the department is learning more about community policing and wants to improve. But he also cautioned a group attending the Rock County Board of Commissioners meeting not to take the law into their own hands. "We still have to follow the law," he said.

People at the County Board meeting said they feel they know where drug activity is occurring and feel unsafe. A few mentioned buying guns for protection.

Lila Bauer, who spoke on behalf of concerned parents Tuesday, said, "I know a woman who locks her door when she goes outside to water her own lawn."

The SheriffÕs Department is participating in a Parents: The Anti-Drug and Violence Task Force meeting Tuesday, Oct. 22, in the Pizza Ranch, Luverne.

"We're working and going to school and trying our best. I've got a great staff," McClure said.

He wants to share specifics about how the department gathers evidence for search warrants and arrests.

Stan Nelson also spoke at the meeting and said that parents and teachers and others who work with young people should be educated about drug use and abuse. "But," he said, "teaching them when they're young is the best place to start educating."

Although the group met with the County Board to discuss what the county could do, discussion turned to other issues like education and the school system.

After comments that the school isn't informative enough with parents and doesn't help students get on track after drug problems, Luverne High School Principal Gary Fischer said, "The school offers to help these kids. It's not the school's fault. There are 450 kids that I can't parent."

High School Superintendent Vince Schaefer said, "I would agree that it's time we do something - that it's well past time. We are all adults and we're letting society slip, but be careful of a knee-jerk reaction because we built this problem over time and we need to fix it over time."

That statement, along with a sign of support for community cooperation from Luverne Mayor Glen Gust, received applause.

As a beginning phase of the community policing initiative, the department has just composed a mission statement.

Sheriff's Department Mission Statement:
"Our mission is to promote the quality of life in Rock County by providing police service with integrity and a spirit of excellence, in partnership with our communities."

Department values
We believe that we (the Sheriff's Department) derive our powers from the people we serve.

We will never tolerate the abuse of our police powers.

We recognize that our personal conduct, both on and off duty, is inseparable from the professional reputation of the Sheriff's Department.

We are committed to protecting the constitutional rights of all individuals.

We view the people of our county as our customers who deserve our concern, care, and attention.

We believe our basic missions are to prevent crime and to deliver vigorous law enforcement service when crime occurs.

We are committed to efficient resource management and superior service delivery.

We believe in open communications and partnerships with the people of Rock County.

We believe we can achieve our highest potential by actively involving our employees in problem-solving and improving police services.

We support an organizational climate of mutual trust, and respect for one another.

We encourage the pursuit of higher education by our employees.

We are committed to contributing to the advancement of the police profession.

By Sara Strong
Citizens turned to the Rock County Board of Commissioners Tuesday for answers to and assistance with the area's drug problems.

Those attending the meeting ranged from parents of addicts, residents who saw problems in their neighborhoods and school and city of Luverne leaders.

Specifically, the group wanted some issues, pertinent to the county, addressed by the board. They also look forward to working with the schools and other county towns.

Commissioners said they will spend about a month researching in order to address:

Officer numbers or assignments in the Sheriff's Department. One statistic estimates that there should be 14 to 20 officers to cover a population like Rock County's. Here, there are now 14, including three part-timers, an investigator and the sheriff.

The work load of the corrections officer. It is difficult to do follow-up drug tests on offenders on probation to ensure they are substance-free.

The disbanded Drug Task Force. The task force used to have trained swat team officers and utilized regional resources for drug arrests. Since it is no longer available, does the county have other similar options?

A specialized drug enforcement officer. The board is almost sure it can't fund another officer but said it would look into grants or other funding sources to bring more resources to the department.

The county is strapped for funds because of a state-imposed limit on what it can collect from taxpayers, but commissioners made a commitment to help in whatever way possible.

County Attorney Don Klosterbuer said he was pleased that the requests came in a positive tone and noted that taxpayers offering to spend more money was a rare sentiment.

'This is my daughter'
The board's meeting room was filled to capacity, but the presentation was led by Lila Bauer and Elaine Fick, both of Luverne, and Stan Nelson, Hills.

Bauer held up a picture of her daughter, Leslie, and said, "This is my 19-year-old daughter and right now, she's in jail."

Bauer has known about her daughter's methamphetamine addiction since August, when Leslie called 911 after having paranoid delusions of a break-in when she was coming off a high.

Leslie is now in jail on grand theft auto charges, which her mother instigated to try to force her into drug treatment through the court system.

"Kids make bad choices, but the drugs are there to help," Bauer said.

That's where she said law enforcement should come in - to take away the availability of drugs.

"We're losing good kids to this," Bauer said.

She said, "If workload is the issue with law enforcement, then we should hire more."

Fick's son has been through treatment, and she said she is worried for the safety of the community - not just the health of meth users. She pointed to crimes like burglaries in the county that are probably drug-related.

Nelson echoed Fick’s statement. "What I'm concerned about is the violence," he said.

Nelson is the father of Carrie Nelson, who was killed during an apparent robbery at Blue Mound State Park more than a year ago. That crime is unsolved.

Nelson's emotions came to the surface as he cried and showed pictures of Carrie to board members.

"I don't know that whoever killed Carrie was a tweaker, but my gut just burns that it was...Meth causes violent behavior and causes chemical reactions in the brain that change people."

Nelson said he advocates the county having a narcotics officer to deal solely with drug enforcement issues.

"It's not drinking beer and smoking pot and getting goofy anymore," Nelson said.

Country Kitchen owner Raney Israelson said, "We keep talking about meth here, and law enforcement is trying to clean up the drug labs and that's great. But what about the marijuana that's getting kids addicted first?"

Legal substances like cigarettes and alcohol are also being illegally consumed, and Israelson said enforcing those laws might stop those users from moving up to other drugs.

With law enforcement such a part of the discussion, Sheriff Ron McClure addressed the group, saying he's generally proud of his department, but he is continually working to improve standards and outcomes.

He said he takes the role of law enforcement seriously - professionally and personally. "We care," he said through tears. "We care as much about your kids as you. We are patrolling and walking around more and checking in with people more often, but we do have to stay within the law."

Fick said she's gained respect for McClure and the department as she's related to them more recently. "They care," she said. "They truly, truly care about our kids and our community."

Commissioner Wendell Erickson said, "This is probably the most important one hour I've ever put in on the County Board."

Board Chairman Jane Wildung said, "The last nine months, the city and county have been working with law enforcement on ways to improve life. The city and the sheriff have been wonderful partners in improving service in Rock County."

County staff, Wildung and board member Ron Boyenga will meet to address the specific concerns outlined at the meeting.

By Lori Ehde
The 37th Annual Rock County Red Arrow drive will start Monday with the theme "Sharing and American Spirit."

The goal for this year's drive, which continues until Oct. 25, is $35,000.

The purpose of Red Arrow is to simplify giving for local residents who would otherwise be solicited by many organizations throughout the year.

Red Arrow collects for 24 causes, allowing givers to contribute to all of them through one lump donation.

One of the local agencies receiving Red Arrow funds is the American Red Cross.

Luverne's Carol Morgan is executive director of the Southwest Minnesota chapter of the American Red Cross, which includes Rock, Nobles, Pipestone and Murray counties.

Morgan said Rock County Red Arrow is one of many sources of revenue that keeps the organization running.

"It is appreciated," she said. "We have some very generous individual donors in Rock County. It all helps provide services we're here to do."

Among the many local causes benefiting from the Red Arrow drive, donors may appreciate knowing what they're getting for a donation to the Red Cross.

"First and foremost, our job is disaster relief and preparedness," Morgan said.

In fiscal year 2002, which ended in July, the Red Cross assisted eight local families who were displaced by fires and 70 individuals who were stranded on Interstate 90 in blizzards.

"When I-90 closes and there's nowhere to go, we feed them and keep them warm, provide air mattresses and basically make sure they have a safe place to stay," Morgan said.

"Whether it's a fire, flood, tornado or whatever Ñ we make sure their immediate needs are met."

In the line of disaster relief and preparedness, Morgan said sheÕs also in charge of community disaster education.

"We need to work more on that," she said, "and, of course, now we're working on preparing communities for bioterrorism and, God forbid, weapons of mass destruction."

In addition to disaster assistance the American Red Cross has a congressional mandate to provide blood and blood products nationwide, whenever and wherever it's needed.

She said the Sioux Valley Community Blood Bank is filling an important need locally, but Sioux Valley still needs to buy from the Red Cross to keep up with demand.

"It's not important who you give blood to; just give," Morgan said.

Other services the Red Cross provides include:

Emergency military messaging: The Red Cross can get a message to those in active duty for instances such as a death in the family. Thirteen such messages were delivered in the past year.

International services: For example, the Red Cross recently delivered a message to a woman in Worthington from a refugee camp in Ethiopia.

Health and safety education. For example, certified Red Cross instructors taught swimming lessons to 2,161 kids in three counties in the past year, and gave 1,444 people CPR training.

Morgan said she's enjoyed working with volunteer youth, such as Peer Helpers and 4-H on various fund-raisers, but more volunteers are always needed.

Morgan can be reached at 372-4702.

How to give to Rock County Red Arrow:
Luverne High School Peer Helpers will deliver packets of brochures and pledge cards to businesses, and they'll pick up employee donations at pre-arranged later dates.

That will coincide with a blanket mailing to all Rock County homes, which is in lieu of door-to-door solicitations this year.

"We thought this would be a convenient way for people to give," said Sara Van Nieuwenhuizen, who co-chairs Red Arrow fund-raising this year with Brian Wohnoutka.

"When we go door-to-door, how many do we catch? Some people donÕt like it when someone comes to the door, so we thought this year we'd give this a try."

Red Arrow solicitations will be mailed today.

In addition, Red Arrow drop boxes are located at all the Rock County banks and at Jubilee Foods and Glen's Food Center.

Last year's goal was also $35,000, but donations brought in a whopping $59,000. The Red Arrow Board then agreed to give an additional $3,000 each to Habitat for Humanity, Hospice, DAC, Rock County Family Coordinating Council, RSVP and the Southwest Crisis Center.

By Lori Ehde
Luverne School Board members set the district's preliminary levy during their Thursday, Sept. 26, meeting.

The good news for local taxpayers is that it will decrease by nearly 24 percent for taxes payable in 2003.

Last year, the district levied roughly $2,042,480 for taxes paid this year. On Thursday, the board set the preliminary at the maximum allowed by the state, which comes to $1,554,317.

While the lighter burden for local property taxpayers is good news, the bad news is that the current state funding source for education is seen by most districts as unstable.

The Legislature and Gov. Ventura approved switching general education funding from a combination of state aid and local levy to state aid.

That state aid is generated primarily from sales and income tax.

In a strong economic climate, this works well, but if the economy sours, and those funding sources decrease, state education funding risks cuts.

With limited local levy options, this makes district financial officials feel vulnerable, according to Luverne District Finance Officer Marlene Mann.

"We're dependent on the state. If they have a deficit they may reduce the amount we recieve," she said. "If the state cuts funding after we're into our budget year ... it creates a lot of uncertainty."

The state funding shift is one reason for the decreased Luverne District levy, but another, Mann said, is that two years ago the district approved a two-year health and safety levy for improvements such as the heating-cooling system in the middle school and high school building.

Last year, district taxpayers covered $827,000 of that levy. This year, their bill comes to $276,000. ThatÕs a difference of more than $550,000 on this yearÕs tax statements compared with last year's.

Districts are required to set preliminary levies in September, but the actual district levy will be certified in December. It can be decreased before then, but it cannot increase.

Student discipline
In a closed portion of Thursday's meeting, board members considered the expulsion of two ninth-grade students.

The students were suspended in late September after a minor incident involving matches and paper towels, according to district attorney Don Klosterbuer.

After considerable discussion, the board agreed the students could return to regular classes on the condition they each perform 65 hours of community service work.

That work will be performed in the form of assisting district janitorial staff.