By Lori Ehde
Two Luverne men are in custody in the Nobles County Jail following a traffic violation that yielded a trunk full of stolen firearms.

According to information from the Rock County Attorney's Office, 47-year-old Oliver Crawford and 18-year-old Scott Wentler were pulled over in Luverne for speeding 42 mph in a 30-mph speed zone.

The time was 1:15 a.m. and the car, owned and driven by Crawford, was headed south before it was stopped in front of Taco John's on Highway 75.

When Crawford consented to a search of the car, 23 handguns and a weapon described as an "Uzi" were found in the trunk. The items were later found to have been stolen from Harvey's Trading Post.

According to store owner Kevin Kramer, the stolen items are estimated to be worth nearly $15,000. Included in that figure is the Uzi, a semi-automatic rifle, which costs $1,300 to $1,400 by itself.

Kramer said he's turning that information over to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the federal agency that gets involved whenever a gun dealership is broken into.

Entry was gained through a broken storefront window, and little damage was done inside, except to locks on display cases.

"I would say they could have been in and out in a couple minutes or less," said Kramer, who worked until after 8 p.m. Thursday night.

Had the men gotten away, he said it wouldn't take long to catch up with them. "Every gun is registered with the ATF," he said. "It would have come up stolen if they tried to sell it."

Assistant County Attorney Terry Vajgrt said registration wouldn't help in a case like this. "Stolen guns are not typically sold to people who run registration checks," Vajgrt said. "They're sold to people who want stolen guns, and they're used to commit crimes."

He said law enforcement did a good job of getting the guns off the street.

Kramer's security system reportedly had not been turned on at the time of the break-in, and it was pure coincidence that the Crawford vehicle was pulled over for speeding.

Wentler faces charges of felony-level burglary and theft. No bail has been set, as he is awaiting sentencing on another unrelated case. He pled guilty earlier this year to making terroristic threats.

Crawford's bail has been set at $30,000. He faces felony level charges of receiving stolen property and possessing stolen property.

Both men are scheduled to appear in Rock County District Court Monday.

By Jolene Farley
Dave Deragisch begins his duties as superintendent of Hills-Beaver Creek Schools on Jan. 1, and it's a homecoming of sorts for the Hills native and H-BC graduate.

"It's going to feel very natural," said Deragisch. "It's going to be a nice transition. I know a lot of people."

Deragisch grew up in the Hills area and graduated from H-BC in 1979. His father, Dean, was principal in the H-BC district from 1958 to 1973.

After graduating from Sioux Falls College with a bachelor of arts degree in social sciences, Deragisch taught for two years in the Chandler-Lake Wilson district before returning to Hills to teach from 1986 to 1991.

He left Hills to become middle school principal in the Jackson district, and in 1993 he became middle school principal in Luverne.

Deragisch lists two things among his favorites in Luverne. "The students and the staff," he said. "They are really great people. They are fun to work with - just a wonderful group of people."

Deragisch signed a three-year contract with the H-BC district for $79,000 per year, prorated this year since heÕs starting in the middle of the school year.

The Luverne School Board released him from a middle school principal contract for $77,947 that expired at the end of this school year.

That salary included compensation for other duties such as middle school counselor and middle school activities director.

Deragisch earned his master's of counseling from South Dakota State University, Brookings, and his principal licensure from Mankato State University, Mankato.

Deragisch will fill the position in the H-BC district vacated by Tom Knoll after eight years. The position was filled temporarily by Darold Williams.

Deragisch and his wife, Lori, have four children, Danielle, 17, Brandon, 15, Kaitlyn, 12, and Hilary, 8, and currently reside in Luverne. They will continue attending school in Luverne, according to Deragisch.

By Sara Quam
The Dec. 7 robbery and arson at Luverne's True Value are still holding up the Novotnys from continuing their business operations.

"There have been a lot of people coming and going, but we don't know where we're at yet," co-owner Mark Novotny said.

Deputy State Fire Marshall Steve Kellen is investigating the crimes. He said he "occasionally" sees arson as a cover-up to burglary as in the case of True Value.

Investigating arsons is a complicated task. "It's hard to describe," Kellen said. "There's so much to go through to look for [clues.]"

Kellen said the arson tip line hasn't gotten any calls on the case yet, but he thinks it will. He said time is usually on the side of investigators and someone knows something and will likely come forward.

"We can only hope someone decides that they want to call in that they know who did this," Kellen said.

A safe recently found in Luverne was rumored to be True ValueÕs, but the safe was a private individual's that had been thrown in a dumpster and was unrelated to the True Value robbery.

The Dec. 7 robbery and arson left the Novotnys without the company safe, along with more than $1,200 in it. Their computer hard drives were sent to a company that may be able to retrieve information.

Damage was originally estimated at more than $600,000 on the building and contents destroyed at a time when shelves and storerooms were overstocked for holiday sales.

A new freight shipment worth about $8,000 had just arrived the night before the fire, and included 1,200 gallons of paint.

Mark and Beth have owned the Luverne True Value for six years and employ seven people full- and part-time.

A $2,500 reward is offered by the Minnesota chapter of International Arson Investigators for information leading to the identification of persons responsible for Friday's fire. The arson hotline is 1-800-723-2020.

Unsolved crime
As if the unsolved Carrie Nelson murder weren't enough for one small town, Luverne and Rock County communities fell victim this year to repeated burglaries and vandalisms.

Many burglaries of both town and rural residents occurred when residents were in their homes, often sleeping.

One of the most recent and disappointing burglaries ended in arson earlier this month when burglars attempted to cover the theft of True Value's safe by setting fire to the business.

Owners Beth and Mark Novotny are still reeling from the loss, and future plans remain uncertain as they continue to measure the financial impact.

Rock County rallies behind Relay for Life
On a happier note, and in a story that truly reflects the generosity of local residents, Rock County's first Relay for Life was a resounding success.

During the kick-off meeting Thursday, March 15, more than 30 teams of Relay For Life walkers indicated interest in participating in the June 15 event.

The American Cancer Society had instructed local organizers to shoot for 15 teams as a goal for a first-year event.

"This area is such a committed community for supporting things," said one organizer, Helen Saum. "Certainly cancer has touched a lot of families in this area, so I think people want to do something about it."

When it was all said and done, 41 teams and nearly 550 walkers raised more than $49,000 for the American Cancer Society.

School district
faces budget cuts
It wasn't an easy year to serve on the Luverne School Board - or any school board for that matter - as state Legislatures approved school funding that fell short of rising school costs.

In a painful process, Luverne School Board members cut nearly $400,000 from its budget. Those cuts represented programs and staff near and dear to students and families, many of whom protested loudly at emotional meetings.

To help ease budget woes, many school districts went to their voters to pass operating referendums to stay above water.

In September, voters in the Luverne district approved a 10-year $234,000 operating referendum.

Fledgling Field
debate continues
For the second year running, the debate over the future of Fledgling Field continues to dominate local headlines.

The piece of ground along Highway 75 once served as the site of a Luverne school building, constructed in 1895 from Blue Mounds quartzite.

In 1956, students moved into the present Luverne High School building and the old stone structure was soon razed.

The ground was used as an outdoor play area for Luverne elementary students who walked there from the former Luverne Street building. When the new elementary school was built on the high school campus, the district no longer needed the property.

Cornerstone Construction purchased the land for $41,000 in an April 2000 auction. Cornerstone specializes in architectural services and construction management for designing and building funeral homes. Holm-Dingmann Funeral Home has said it will buy the constructed building, if developed.

A conditional use permit for a funeral home in the residential neighborhood was denied earlier this year. This month, a request to have the property rezoned from R1 to R2 was withdrawn from a City Council meeting agenda.

Cornerstone has said that if that happened, it will develop as many single or two-family dwellings as space allows.

Ethanol smell
doesn't go away
Another tired topic that keeps resurfacing is the debate over what to do about the ethanol smell.

The Luverne business community was thrilled by the economic benefit of Luverne's Agri-Energy ethanol plant which started operations in 1998.

Residents in the southwest part of town, however, have been less than thrilled by what they consider an offensive odor emitted by the plant's grain drying process.

A year ago at this time, a new 175-foot-stack was erected that is 30 percent taller than the original and disperses emissions a greater distance before odors fall on the city.

Residents so far haven't been impressed by improvements, if any, and now plant management is considering installing a $1.5-million thermal oxidizer, which is nearly guaranteed to fix the problem.

Ethanol plant representatives requested help from the Luverne City Council in paying for the equipment. So far, the council hasn't acted on that request.

Perseverance pays off
Luverne's labor-intensive border city bill became law this summer.

Two years of testimony and lobbying seem to have paid off, and now the city has to figure out how to use its new economic development tool.

The border city initiative was designed to help compensate Luverne businesses for lower tax rates in bordering states. The city of Luverne hopes that fewer businesses will move to South Dakota and that more will relocate in Luverne.

The city is working with Moorhead and lawyers who wrote the bill to help it use the incentives in the best possible way. The first business to use border city legislation could be Netbriefings, a Webcasting company that has preliminarily decided to expand a customer service office in Luverne.

Learning to
play well together
At the 2000 year end, local elections topped the annual story list.

LuverneÕs mayoral race drew the most attention, with challenger Glen Gust ousting incumbent Bill Weber by a count of 1,460 to 1,006.

Two other newcomers joined the City Council. Challengers Dave Hauge and Tom Martius took their places in council chambers next month.

Throughout 2001, it's been a year of initiation for the newcomers as they've put their own new spin on old controversial topics, such as Fledgling Field, the fitness center, tax increment financing and others.

By Lori Ehde
The terrorist attacks on America Sept. 11 rocked the nation to its core. Those not directly in its path watched on television broadcast around the world as two hijacked airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center launching the United States into war.

In Rock County, thousands of miles from the immediate danger, local residents instinctively turned their thoughts to friends and family on the East Coast.

That local reaction to a national tragedy tops the annual Star Herald review of news highlights for the year.

9-11-01
Luverne High School graduate Eric Steinhoff had been interning in Sen. Tom Daschle's office for only a week when he was ordered to evacuate the Senate Office Building.

"When planes hit the towers, that was bad, but it was still in New York. But then, the Pentagon was hit, and they said, 'That's it. Everybody's clearing out,'" said Steinhoff, son of Dave and Joan Steinhoff, Luverne.

Hills-Beaver Creek graduates Chris Fagerness and Matt Ebert were roommates in Washington, D.C., and also contacted their parents in Hills after the terrorist attacks.

Their apartment is less than a mile from the Pentagon, and they spent a good share of their morning trying to get home - mostly on foot.

Ebert, son of Gregg and Cyndi Ebert, described the scene as something he'd seen in the movie, "Independence Day."

"Cars were honking, people were scrambling to get out of the area and sirens were going," he said.

In the weeks and months to follow, Rock County mobilized with the rest of the nation in a show of patriotism and support for victims of terrorism.

Murder in Rock County
The murder of Luverne High School graduate Carrie Nelson was likely the biggest news to hit local media in more than a decade.

Nelson, 20, was found beaten to death at the Blue Mounds State Park entrance building in the afternoon of Sunday, May 20.

The 1999 Luverne High School graduate was a park employee and had been working the 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift at the park when she was killed.

State and local investigators have been working on the case, but unfortunately, the crime remains unsolved.

A $50,000 reward offered for useful information will expire at the end of this year.

Nelson's friends and family continue to mourn her death, and many still wear orange ribbons in memory of the young woman whose favorite color was orange.

Deep snow, high waters and damaging winds
It wouldn't be a normal year in this part of the country if weather didn't occasionally make the news.

In the case of 2001, Rock County residents saw more than their share of news-making weather.

A harsh winter of near record snowfall forced schools to cancel classes, extending the school year into spring. Frigid temperatures took their toll on livestock, and ice-coated roads and streets made any form of travel - even on foot - a dangerous venture.

Local government units nearly went broke in their snow-removal budgets, and sky-rocketing fuel prices put a strain on both private and public budgets.

When all that snow finally did melt, it overloaded the Rock River, which spilled its banks in April. Wet conditions into spring delayed planting and set the stage for a stressful crop year for farmers.

Wild weather early in the growing season hailed out many acres in the southwest part of the county. Later in the summer, straight-line winds wreaked havoc on tender corn stalks that hadn't yet firmly rooted.

Helen Laabs' fourth-grade class is the featured Luverne Elementary class of the week this week. Pictured are (front row, from left): Jordan VonHoltum, Josh Boomgaarden, Kayla Kruger, Callan Sawtelle, Caitlin Miller, Paige Olson, Rachel Saum, Joshua Petersen (middle row) Tabitha Sanderson, Erick Phommaracksa, Nicholas DenHerder, Cody Lape, Krista VanDyk, Ashley Siebenahler, Christine Stassen, Kelsey Wessels, Tanya Tacuban (back) Alyssa Reese, Austin Richters, Eric Kor, Jacob Dressen, Jonathan Kruger, Jordan Huls, Danielle Schilling, Taylor Luke and Mrs. Laabs.

"The pre-holiday season has us all jumping," Laabs said. In social studies the students are finishing work on the southeast region, and in writing they are learning how to put together persuasive paragraphs, "which has them thinking," she said. In math, the students are looking at solids and silhouettes, and science takes them to the Amazon rainforest. In addition, Laabs said, "Accelerated Reading lets us read books we like."

Churches around the county decorated for their very important season, which is winding down now. The decorations are sometimes professional and sometimes done by congregation committees, but either way, aren't seen by many outside of church members.

The First Presbyterian Church's congregation enjoys its white Christmas inside the sanctuary. The Luverne church is decorated in white poinsettia clusters with white lights woven through. The large Christmas tree also holds white lights and ornaments.

Photo by Sara Quam

Lucile Emma Cronberg, 93, Luverne, died Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2001, at Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center in Luverne.

Services were Saturday, Dec. 22, at St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne. The Rev. Mark Mumme officiated. Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery, Luverne.

Lucile Stroh was born to Dave and Dora (Schmidt) Stroh on June 26, 1908, near Reinbeck, Iowa. At the age of 4 she moved to Minnesota with her family and grew up on a farm northwest of Luverne where she attended country school.

She married Frederick Cronberg on April 9, 1936, in Luverne. Following their marriage they lived and farmed near Luverne. Mr. Cronberg preceded her in death on Aug. 3, 1971. She remained on the farm until 1983 when she moved to Luverne. She moved to Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center on Nov. 18, 1997.

Mrs. Cronberg was a member of St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne where she was active in the church circles and WomenÕs Society. She enjoyed crocheting afghans and playing cards.

Survivors include three sons and daughters-in-law, Alvin and Ruth Cronberg, Broomfield, Colo., Richard and Fran Cronberg, Roscoe, Ill., and John and Cheryl Cronberg, Luverne; six grandchildren, Michael, Lisa, Stacie, Heather, Jeffrey and Meghan; and two great-grandchildren, Natalie and Jonnalyn.

Mrs. Cronberg was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, four brothers and five sisters.

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

Erma Braa, 95, Enumclaw, Wash., formerly of Rock County, died Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2001, in Enumclaw.

Services were Monday, Dec. 17, at WeeksÕ Enumclaw Funeral Home in Enumclaw. Burial will be in Jasper Cemetery, Jasper.

Erma Dorothy Schmidt was born to John and Tena Schmidt on March 16, 1906, in Rock County. She grew up and attended grade school near Luverne. The family moved to a farm near Sherman, S.D. She graduated from Sherman High School, Sherman.

She married Clarence Braa on Sept. 1, 1925, in Sioux Falls, S.D. They farmed in the Sherman area. In 1957 they moved to Seattle, Wash. They later moved to Enumclaw. She was a homemaker.

Survivors include one son, Roger (Fran) Braa, Enumclaw; one daughter, Cleo (Gordon Greenwalt) Fellers, Shelton, Wash.; nine grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-granddaughters.

Mrs. Braa was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Clarence, and one son, Ronald, who was killed in a tractor accident in 1950 at the age of 14.

Memorials may be sent to Providence Hospice of Seattle, 425 Pontius Ave. N. #300, Seattle, WA 98109.

Weeks' Enumclaw Funeral Home, Enumclaw, was in charge of arrangements.