Lyle D. Authier Sr., 71, Buffalo, formerly of Luverne, died Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, in Buffalo Hospital.

Services were Saturday, Sept. 15, at United Methodist Church in Thompson, Iowa. The Rev. Wendy Trone officiated. Burial with military rites was in Rose Hill Cemetery.

Lyle Authier was born to Cyril and Goldie Authier on Nov. 28, 1929, in Pipestone. He graduated from high school in Thompson in 1947.

He married Norma Pierce on Aug. 8, 1949, in the Little Brown Church, Nashua, Iowa. He served with the U.S. Air Force followed by a career in law enforcement which he dearly loved. He began his career with the Tucson Police Department, Tucson, Ariz., served as chief of police in Luverne and retired with the Winnebago County Sheriff Department in 1991.

Survivors include his wife, Norma Authier, Buffalo; four children and their spouses, Kathy and David Noll, Alexandria, Diane and Kevin Mulligan, Delano, Kirk and Brenda Authier, Vinton, Iowa, and Lyle Jr. and Jamie Authier, Highlands Ranch, Colo.; 12 grandchildren, Christopher, Justin, Matthew, Adam and Steven Noll, Keely and Chelsey Mulligan, Philip, Andrew and Allison, Authier, and Travis and Shelby Authier.

Peterson Chapel, Buffalo, was in charge of arrangements.

Vernon "Pete" Pedersen, 72, died Saturday, Sept. 29 at his home. Memorial services will be Wednesday, Oct. 3 at 10 a.m. at Bethany Lutheran Church, Luverne, with Rev. Paul Fries officiating. Burial will be in Maplewood Cemetery. Visitation will be one hour prior to services. Engebretson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Fannie Van Maanen, 89, Beaver Creek, died Saturday, Sept. 29 at the Luverne Community Hospital. Services will be Wednesday, Oct. 3 at 2 p.m. at the Reformed Church of Steen with burial at East Side Cemetery, rural Steen. Visitation will be Tuesday, Oct. 2 from 2 to 8 p.m. with the family present from 6 to 8 p.m. at Engebretson Funeral Home.

Mary Patricia Soyer, 77, Sioux Falls, S.D., formerly of Luverne, died Thursday, Sept. 20, 2001.

Services were Saturday, Sept. 22, at Christ the King Catholic Church in Sioux Falls.

Mary Patricia Corbett was born to Lloyd and Margaret (Stewart) Corbett on Sept. 26, 1923, in Fargo, N.D. She grew up in Luverne, graduating from high school in 1941. After high school she began working for Northwestern Bell.

She married Johnny Soyer on July 23, 1946, in Luverne. For several years she traveled with her husband and his band throughout the country, and in 1961 they made their home in Sioux Falls. She went to work for Westward Ho Country Club and later at Irv's and the Elks Club before returning to Westward Ho, retiring in 1988.

Mrs. Soyer was a longtime member of Christ the King Catholic Church, St. Joseph Church Guild, Catholic Daughters, Ladies of the Moose and the Elks.

Survivors include her husband, Johnny Soyer, Sioux Falls; two sons and daughters-in-law, Jim and Yolonda Soyer, Pierre, S.D., and Tim and Kim Soyer, Sioux Falls; one daughter, Sandi Ragels, Sioux Falls; five grandchildren, Gina Ragels Penisten and her husband, Jim, Nicole Cholik, Jordan Soyer, Tyler Soyer and Heidi Soyer; one sister, Audrey Walgrave and her husband, Ardean, Luverne, and a host of other relatives and friends.

Miller Funeral Home, Sioux Falls, was in charge of arrangements.

Lucille Smith, 86, Luverne, died Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2001, at Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center in Luverne.

Services were Saturday, Sept. 22, at First Presbyterian Church in Beaver Creek. Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery, Luverne.

Lucille Nuffer was born to Alfred and Elizabeth (Taubert) Nuffer on Dec. 5, 1914, on the family farm in Martin Township near Hills. She attended Luverne High School and graduated in 1931. She continued her education at Westmar College in Le Mars, Iowa. Upon completion of her education she worked in the office of Nelson Brothers Department Store in Luverne until 1939. She then moved to Washington, D.C., where she was employed as a senior typist in the Civil Service for the U.S. Housing Authority. She returned to Luverne in 1941 and worked at First National Bank in Luverne for a number of years.

She married Henry Smith on Feb. 12, 1949. Following their marriage they lived and farmed near Hills for 33 years. Mr. Smith died Feb. 28, 1982, in Mesa, Ariz. In June 1985 she moved to Luverne. She entered Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center Feb. 5, 1999.

Mrs. Smith was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Beaver Creek where she held offices in Sunday School, Presbyterian Church Women and served as an elder. She enjoyed singing, traveling and keeping scrapbooks.

Survivors include one son and daughter-in-law, Larry and Rhonda Smith, Luverne; three grandchildren, Laurie Dahlquist and her husband Adam, Erica Smith and Chad Smith, all of Luverne; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Gerrit and Inez Smith, Luverne, Marvin and Charlotte Park, Flandreau, S.D., and Frances Caulde, Healdsburg, Calif.; and several nieces and nephews.

Mrs. Smith was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Henry, an infant daughter, Grace, one sister, Lillian Kongslie, and one brother-in-law, Ben Smith.

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

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth football team prepared for its homecoming game by spoiling one for Edgerton High School Friday.

Taking on winless EHS in Edgerton, the Patriots scored 41 consecutive points in the first three quarters while spoiling homecoming festivities for the Flying Dutchmen.

The Patriots did throw EHS a bone by allowing the hosts to score a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but the game that ended with H-BC-E winning 41-12 already had been settled at that point.

H-BC-E upped its record to 4-0 and 3-0 in the Southwest Ridge Conference with the victory. The Patriots, Westbrook-Walnut Grove and Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster lead the league with identical 3-0 marks.

The Patriots will be gunning for their fifth-straight win when they host 2-2 Lincoln HI for their homecoming tilt tomorrow.

"Lincoln HI is coming off a 30-8 win over Lakeview," said Patriot coach Dan Ellingson. "They are playing a lot better right now than they were early in the season. They are a very good defensive team, and they have a good quarterback on offense that they like to move around a lot. We'll have to take care of their mobile quarterback."

LH will have to contend with an H-BC-E offense that has been putting up a lot of points in recent weeks.

During Friday's game in Edgerton, the Patriots showed off their big-play capability while scoring 41 points in the first three quarters.

"We did a good job of making big plays offensively. We had three runs of 50 yards or more in the game. Our backs did break some tackles during the long runs. We also received some good down-field blocking," Ellingson said.

The Patriot offense squandered some good field position provided by an interception from the defense by losing the ball on downs to start the game, but it made up for it by scoring 20 points with the next three possessions.

Senior quarterback David Top, who threw for 63 yards and two touchdowns in the game, helped get things rolling when he hit Brad Haak for a five-yard touchdown pass to cap H-BC-E's second offensive possession of the game. A failed extra-point attempt followed the touchdown.

Playing his first game of the season, Patriot senior Lyle DeBoer made an instant impact when he broke loose for a 71-yard touchdown run to end H-BC-E's third possession late in the first quarter. A Top-to-Haak conversion pass increased H-BC-EÕs lead to 14-0.

Chris Reid, who toted the ball 15 times while gaining 184 yards in the game, joined the offensive outburst in the second quarter. Reid scored on a 30-yard run to give the Patriots a 20-0 advantage that stood until the third quarter.

Any chance of an Edgerton rally in the second half was wiped away when the Patriots exploded for 21 points in the third period.

The Patriots received the kick to start the second half and moved in front 27-0 when Reid scored from 55 yards away. The first of three consecutive extra points by Tyler Bush followed the touchdown.

H-BC-E got the ball back moments later and moved in front 34-0 when Top and Reid connected for a 15-yard touchdown pass. The Patriots were faced with a fourth-and-two situation deep in Edgerton territory.

DeBoer recovered an Edgerton fumble as the third quarter progressed, setting up a 57-yard touchdown run by Reid that capped H-BC-E's 41-0 run.

Edgerton got three-yard touchdown runs from Jeremy Landhuis and Kyle Landin in the fourth quarter. Both scores, which occurred with H-BC-E's top defenders watching the game from the sidelines, were followed by unsuccessful two-point conversion attempts.

"We played our positions really well defensively," Ellingson said. "Edgerton is a team that likes to run a lot of reverses and other misdirection plays. We did a good job of staying at home and not letting any of those plays develop."

Team statistics
H-BC-E: 341 rushing yards, 86 passing yards, 427 total yards, eight first downs, six penalties for 60 yards, zero turnovers.

Edgerton: 166 rushing yards, 53 passing yards, 219 total yards, seven first downs, five penalties for 30 yards, three turnovers.

Individual statistics
Rushing: Reid 15-184, DeBoer 7-99, Lee Jackson 4-28, Chris Tiesler 3-13, Jordan Scott 4-17, Travis Broesder 1-1, Clint Roozenboom 1-minus 1.

Passing: Top 5-10 for 63 yards, Curt Schilling 1-2 for 23 yards.

Receiving: Haak 2-8, Matt Buck 1-25, Roozenboom 1-23, Reid 1-15, Kevin Van Batavia 1-15.

Defense: Schilling 15 tackles, DeBoer two tackles and one fumble recovery, Reid four tackles and one interception, Haak two tackles and one interception.

Loel Olson's fifth-graders are among all Luverne Elementary School students participating in the new reading program. Pictured are (front row, from left) Matt Christensen, Caitlyn Deutsch, Jessica Dorhout, Amanda Ericksen, Matthew Jacobsma, Dakota Steensma, Maleeka Sandager, (second row, kneeling) Brianna Thode, Andrew Henderson, Tanner Skattum, Erin Ernst, April Norman, Sarah Schneekloth, Devin Nelson, Melanie Baloun, (back row, standing) Alex Wiese, Micah Hewitt, Sam Dooyema, Steven Walker, Wyatt Sprecher, Ashley Hanson, Kaylee Smook, Brittany Liebhard and Carrie Bauer.

By Lori Ehde
Luverne Elementary students are reading about more than Dick, Jane and Spot lately.

They're reading classic literature and popular fiction, they're playing challenging word games and they're writing articles far more advanced than the traditional book report.

It's all part of the new "Four Blocks" reading model implemented this year in grades K through 5. The four blocks include guided reading, self-selected reading, working with words and writing.

Curriculum coordinator Jan Olson said the self-selected reading block allows students to read material that interests them at their own level.

"We're not grouping kids anymore according to their reading abilities," Olson said. "I know a lot of parents are pleased about that."

The curriculum still includes "guided reading" - books read aloud by the teacher - but "self-selected reading" allows students to read anything they like within a predetermined difficulty level.

Loel Olson, who teaches fifth grade, is one of the strongest advocates of the Four Blocks. "I compare it to playing basketball," he said. "We've taught them how to pass, dribble and shoot, but they never got to play."

Each book has accompanying material to test students' knowledge of what they read. If test scores are consistently low or high, the teachers adjust students to a greater or lesser difficulty level.

Grades are determined by how well students attain pre-set goals. That way, struggling readers aren't tested on the same materials as advanced readers, yet all students are challenged to meet goals and are graded on how close they get to those goals.

"The key to making it work is tracking the students' reading progress," Loel Olson said, adding that students challenged at the right level won't be bored or discouraged.

Because of accompanying material, Loel said there's no way students can guess their way through the quizzes and work sheets.

In addition to the follow-up material, students practice their own free writing skills, followed by editing to clean up spelling and grammar.

Loel said this replaces the structured grammar and spelling lessons students used to do. "This is a huge change," he said. "I think we're moving in a whole new direction. It's really good stuff."

For further spelling instruction, the curriculum comes with challenging word games, such as rhyming and unscrambling. "The kids just love it," Lowell said.

Jan Olson said math problems now require stronger reading skills, so the program addresses that need, and the writing component helps students perform better in all academic areas.

A few teachers had implemented parts of the Four Blocks in their classrooms, but this year, thanks to a grant from the Rock County Collaborative, all K-5 teachers are using the curriculum.

First-grade teacher Sandy Klosterbuer said even in the lower grades she sees advantages to the program.

"I really enjoy the writing part of it - to see what they can do," she said. "I think it's really wonderful."

Since writing is built into the program, she said it's nice to have time to allow students to use the skills they've been taught.

"They can write about what they're happy about, what they're sad about, what they're looking forward to," Klosterbuer said.

"One little boy wrote about the plane crash and drew a picture. I can see this gives them an opportunity to let us know how they're feeling and get it down on paper."

Grant money was used to purchase $58,700 worth of books and related materials. The Rock County Collaborative is comprised of local agencies serving children and families.

Money for the Four Blocks came from a grant from the Department of Children, Families and Learning.

By Sara Quam
Yimy finally has a family... a big one. He joined his eight brothers and sisters Saturday as the newest member of the Rev. Bart and Claudia Fletcher family in Luverne.

"We had decided everything was set at eight. Eight was enough," Claudia said. "We could all eat at the table; we fit in the van."

"There are eight Twinkies in a box," Bart said.

"But then," Claudia said, "we heard his story."

Claudia heard about Yimy (pronounced Jimmy) through a meeting with her work as a liaison with the Adoption Support and Preservation group in southwest Minnesota. She heard of his abandonment as an infant and was touched.

She told the story of Yimy to Bart when she got home from the meeting, and they decided they were more than just touched; they wanted to save this 8-year-old boy.

Even though it wasn't a part of the long-term plan for the Fletchers, they are sure they made the right decision. And so is Yimy. He said with a smile and an arm around Bart, "It's a beautiful thing for a boy to be with his family."

Life over livelihood
Now 9, Yimy was well cared for in the orphanage. But long before that placement, he was abandoned by a single mother and given to another family. There, he was found abused and neglected in a cardboard box in the corner of a house. That's when he entered the orphanage at 19 months, weighing just 15 pounds.

The Guatemalan orphanage was only supposed to keep Yimy until age 7 but held on with the hopes that a family would take him in. Letting him go would have meant life on the streets for Yimy.

In a country where the government doesn't have a foster care system or even food assistance, Yimy would have been on his own. He would have likely turned to prostitution and panhandling, ending his childhood and probably his life.

"We're really saving this kid's life," Bart said.

The other eight Fletcher children were adopted from within the United States, and the Fletchers maintain that they are proponents of taking care of American children.

But knowing how other countries treat their children made the Fletchers aware that foreign adoption, though expensive, has merit.

Bart said, "We saw children younger than our own on the street collecting money for the day ... a 12-year-old girl carrying an infant on her hip."

Many of the children waiting to be adopted are healthy, beautiful and well-cared for. The images most Americans are used to seeing are of orphanages in war-torn countries where children get precious little care or attention.

That wasnÕt the case in the particular orphanage the Fletchers went through. They describe it as a group living quarters run similar to a day care. The time is structured and includes crafts and family-style meals with a high ratio of caregivers to children. The woman who runs the orphanage has managed it for 25 years and takes great care with the operation.

In fact, one of the two times Yimy cried since coming here was when he realized he'd miss the anniversary celebration at the orphanage.

"We could tell by looking in their eyes that they were bright, well-cared for and loved," Claudia said.

Many Americans don't see orphanages as a family-type setting, but for Yimy, it was close. He always talked about wanting an actual mom and dad, but leaving his only known home was difficult.

Bart and Claudia said he is adjusting to the family and learning English from his brothers and sisters. "They all look at him with a bit of curiosity," Bart said.

Yimy has already attended Sunday School at United Methodist Church where his dad is the pastor.

Tuesday was Yimy's first day of fourth grade in Luverne. He is considered a special needs student because of some possible head injuries as an infant, but Yimy is ready to learn. The school has an English-as-a-second-language teacher who will help him along.

The Fletchers are hoping that some of his perceived learning disabilities can be attributed to being around so many younger children in the orphanage where the workers may not have been as equipped to teach an older child.

He gets additional help from Claudia who is fluent in Spanish. She said most English-speaking moms couldnÕt tell an adoptive son from Guatemala "no" in as many descriptive ways as she can.

The airport and a formal church service are new to Yimy. Even the concept of property is different to someone whose world was so small for most of his life.

Claudia said, "In Central America, houses and yards are gated in, so he doesn't understand the invisible line between yards."

For now, Yimy is full of smiles and shows off that he knows how to say "thank you" and "you're welcome." And he uses the word "beautiful" a lot. That should be enough to get by on for a while.

By Lori Ehde
Rock County has launched its own internal investigation of bribery allegations against Rock County feedlot officer John Burgers.

Burgers, 48, of Hills, was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday, Sept. 20, on charges that he accepted money from the Pipestone hog operation Global Ventures Inc. to overlook mismanagement of potentially hazardous waste.

Burgers was placed on paid administrative leave Friday pending an investigation of allegations contained in the indictment.

According to County Administrator Kyle Oldre, the internal investigation is necessary to determine if there were any violations of local personnel policy.

Oldre said Worthington Attorney Gordon Moore will serve as independent counsel to ensure an impartial investigation, since Burgers worked so closely with Oldre and County Attorney Don Klosterbuer.

Moore officially received the appointment this week and said his role in the investigation won't be active until he has a chance to see what work is appropriate.

"The federal investigation is ongoing and we're going to be very respectful of that and not get in the way or step on any toes," he said Wednesday.

"We have independent jurisdiction and independent authority, but one of the reasons we're taking a wait-and-see approach is we don't want to re-invent the wheel if it's not necessary."

Violations at the county level would be filed as a civil suit. If state criminal charges are filed, Moore would be in charge of that as well.

Indictment also charges Global Ventures Inc.
Global Ventures is also charged with two counts of offering a bribe to an agent of an organization receiving federal funds.

Allegations in the indictment date back to 1996 when Burgers learned of a potentially hazardous chemical spill being dumped at the Global Ventures hog facility.

Instead of notifying the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Burgers advised a Global Ventures senior officer to take care of the problem.

Three months later, according to the indictment, Burgers approached the same senior officer at Global Ventures and said he was in deep financial trouble.

The Global Ventures officer then allegedly arranged for Burgers to meet with a senior officer at First National Bank and Trust in Pipestone.

Over the next year and a half, the bank officer arranged for more than $100,000 in new or consolidated loans for Burgers, even though he had been turned down for a loan at the bank's Luverne branch office.

The indictment also alleges that when Burgers needed to repay one of the loans, the Global Ventures officer arranged for a series of meetings between Burgers and the former senior bank officer, who had since begun working for Global Ventures.

At these meetings, the former bank officer allegedly provided Burgers with a total of $6,000 cash to pay down his loan.

The grand jury further alleged that between March 1996 and April 1999, Burgers repeatedly provided preferential treatment to Global Ventures.

The Sept. 20 indictment includes mail fraud charges against both Burgers and Global Ventures involving a deprivation of honest services.

Burgers declined to comment, and Global Ventures officials issued a statement Sept. 20 saying they were "shocked" to learn of the charges and they "vehemently deny" any wrongdoing.

"Global Ventures is confident that it will be totally vindicated of any charges," they wrote in their statement.

If convicted, Burgers faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine for soliciting a bribe and up to five years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine for mail fraud.

Global Ventures faces a maximum penalty of up to $500,000 per count.

The case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. FBI agents and other authorities have reportedly been investigating financial arrangements and the hog industry in the Pipestone area for several years.

Anyone with information concerning the possible solicitation or receipt of bribes or kickbacks in Rock or Pipestone counties can call FBI Special Agent Michael Dudley, (507) 387-2460.

U.S. Attorney Hank Shea is prosecuting the case.

Burgers and Global Ventures will make their first appearance in federal court in St. Paul Oct. 5.

Long considered shining star
John Burgers has long been a shining star among Rock County employees, known for his enthusiasm and dedication to his job.

He started working for Rock County's Soil and Water Conservation District in 1992, and in 1994 earned state recognition for bringing local feedlot operations into compliance.

The Minnesota County Achievement Award recognized Rock County's inter-agency feedlot program as an innovation that "improved the quality of life for people in Minnesota."

At the time, livestock producers were fearful of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, which was enforcing new feedlot management guidelines.

They feared MPCA fines, but many were unable to afford the necessary construction to bring their feedlots into compliance.

Serving as a liaison between producers and the state, Burgers sought funding support and provided technical know-how to get the work done.

In addition, he established a feedlot ordinance for new construction or expansion of existing operations that became a template for counties statewide that were also balancing agribusiness and environmental concerns.

In 1995, Burgers' feedlot work earned him further state recognition as the "Outstanding Soil and Water Conservation District Employee."

In addition to his successful feedlot management program, the award recognized him for implementing a county water plan, managing water quality improvements and stabilizing funding for soil and water conservation.

Many of his co-workers nominated him for that award. "John has worked many hours outside the normal duty hour to assist producers," FSA director Roger Carson wrote.

Extension Educator Fraser Norton wrote, "John is one of those truly gifted individuals with tremendous 'people skills.' His achievements in Rock County will forever bear testimony to his unwavering will to serve."

By 1996 Burgers was named director of Rock County's newly established Land Management Office. By that time his can-do reputation was known both locally and statewide.

"Our impression of John's work has always been favorable. He was always very good to work with," said Mark Jacobs of the MPCA office in Marshall.

"He was supportive of the program and its rules and statutes. I enjoyed working with him."

Burgers bridged the gap between livestock producers and MPCA officials.

"John is regarded as one of the top people in his field," said Luverne farmer Tom Arends, who describes himself as a "John Burgers fan."

"You can call anyone in the county and they'll tell you the same thing. He has more common sense than anyone I've ever met in that industry. That's what John shined in," Arends said Monday, following the news of the indictments.

"There's a lot of times people get disgusted to put in a lot of money on pollution control. He had a way of handling that that was second to none."

Arends compared the news of Burgers' indictments to the news of the East Coast terrorist attacks.

"These are the things that hurt you deeply," he said. "This was John's life. He did a good job."