By Sara Quam
Struggling to keep adequate health services isn't new to most rural areas, but Luverne's plans to maintain dental practices is unique.

The Luverne Economic Development Authority heard from Chamber of Commerce Director Dave Smith in a special Monday morning meeting.

The entire nation has a shortage of dentists, and graduation rates of dental schools can't keep up with demand.

Attracting dentists to Luverne may be more difficult than in other areas of the country, since southwest Minnesota doesn't carry a reputation of economic good fortune.

Luverne has three dentists who keep busy with customers. But with one dentist approaching retirement and others well into their careers, Luverne wants to make sure new dentists consider filling those shoes when the time comes.

Right now, Smith's efforts are limited to marketing the community as a family-friendly place to run a successful practice.

"Is there something we can do to get someone to come into Luverne?" Smith said.

Some cities are actually building practices to combat the shortage of dentists, but Luverne is a long way from that.

Luverne Economic Development Authority Director Tony Chladek is, however, starting to look over former physician recruitment programs to see where dentists might fit in.

LEDA member Keith Erickson said, "Our dentists are just as important to this community as doctors."

The economic impact of one office closing and not being replaced by another dentist is big. The trickle-down effect for lost wages of about four employees and tax losses can reach into the millions of dollars.

Dentists in demand
One of Luverne's practicing dentists, Dr. Bob Kaczrowski, said the marketing plan "makes a lot of sense."
He said his career in dentistry has been positive, even though he's in a smaller town.

"There's a lot of opportunity here," Kaczrowski said. "It’s a good place to raise a family and there's a camaraderie between dentists and their patients. We don't really compete with each other."

Kaczrowski has seen the decline in dentists just locally. When he started in Luverne in 1979, there were five dentists. The population has remained almost constant since then, but dentists haven't.

"Access to dental care is getting tough in out-state Minnesota," he said.

Kaczrowski attributes part of Luverne's decrease in practices to dental hygienists doing some of the work that dentists used to. But overall, dental schools aren't putting out the number of graduates they used to.

Jasper's dentist retired last year, and Edgerton's is scheduled to retire this summer.

Dr. Bill Bollinger in Luverne has said he's waiting to retire, but he wants to make sure his customers have a place to go before he leaves.

As for Kaczrowski, he said, "I'm open to having an associate with me rather than a new dentist having to go solo." The associate could join his office and eventually take over when Kaczrowski is ready to retire.

That option may allow the Chamber's marketing to reach dentists who don't have the ability to purchase their own practices right out of college.

Dental school is long and expensive. Combine that with buying a facility and equipment, and new dentists have a major debt on their hands.

The industry, though profitable, requires large start-up costs, and most dentists own their own practices rather than joining an existing company.

The Chamber will send marketing information to upcoming graduates of dental schools and hope that Luverne's assets will overshadow any misgivings new dentists may have about locating in rural Minnesota.

By Lori Ehde
As thoughts turn to spring, local "nasal rangers," as they're affectionately called, are turning their noses in the air.

Since the Agri-Energy Ethanol Plant in Luverne installed its new 175-foot stack in January, Concerned Citizens for Quality Life have been hoping the modification will improve the smell.

The taller $300,000 stack is intended to reduce corn processing odor by sending emissions a greater distance through air dispersion before odors fall on the city.

"We have never stated we will eliminate it all," said plant manager Rick Serie. "Can we reduce it? Absolutely. Have we reduced it? Absolutely."

Some say the baked bread and sour beer smell has lessened. Others say it's as bad as it's always been and are demanding further action.

The fact is, any real improvement in air quality won't be measurable until spring returns southwesterly breezes.

On April 27 the air surrounding the ethanol plant will be scientifically tested for odor.

It was a year ago at that time when consultant Chuck McGinley measured air quality in Luverne to establish a baseline for improvement.

At that time he measured all emissions coming out of the plant.

Despite efforts to diminish the smell, some residents say it's affecting their health.

"I think we can deal with the odor, but there are toxins coming out of that plant," resident Tom Studer told the Star Herald.

"I feel my family has suffered health problems because of the plant, but we haven't been able to prove it yet."

Serie said he's aware of residents' health concerns, but he said the plant has already met stringent state guidelines, before the building was even constructed.

"It took a year and a half to get the plans approved," Serie said. "It was a very extensive EAW (Environmental Assessment Worksheet)."

Since the plant began operating in 1998, it remains under constant monitoring of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, EPA and most recently the Minnesota Health Department.

"If there's a health concern, I want to be the first to know about it," Serie said.

"I live here, too, and our 29 employees and their families live here. We want to make the situation the best for everyone."

Meanwhile, in addition to raising the stack, the plant is exploring other ways to improve air quality.

One approach the plant is taking toward odor reduction is marketing its modified wet feed.

Nearly 90 percent of the plant's odors come from the process of drying corn by-products, so the plant is actively selling the modified wet feed to niche cattle markets.

So far, this has reduced the amount of syrup in the dryers by nearly 24 percent. "This is where we'll see the most improvement," Serie said. "That's 24 percent less going through the dryer."

Plant management is also considering a larger blower for the fermentation scrubber stack. Only about 6 percent of the plant's odor comes from the fermentation process, but Serie said it may be worth doing.

"It's logical to concentrate on the larger dryer stack, but to me, the fermentation scrubber is where the sour beer smell comes from," he said.

Another promising area for improvement may be in the process of separating ethanol from the other compounds.

Serie said a plant in Preston cut its emissions of volatile organic compounds by 50 percent after improving this process.

"It's a substantial capital improvement," Serie said. "But it would also increase plant efficiencies, so we're taking a close look at this upgrade."

Both residents and ethanol plant staff are now waiting for the results of McGinley's April 27 air test.

"Everything's subjective at this point," Serie said. "What we need is objective data."

Girl Scouts Jenna Lange (with book) and Angie McClure (at right) share a story about "Clever Tom and the Leprechaun" with Community Education children Tuesday afternoon at the Minnesota Veterans Home.

The event, which focused on St. Patrick's Day activities, was part of Community Educations' Adventure Club series. It also served as a service project for the Girl Scouts, who helped young children with activities. At right, Girl Scout Alonna Huston glues Froot Loops, marshmallows and other snacks to her shamrock.

By Lori Ehde

By Jolene Farley
Hundreds of Minnesota schools and libraries participated in Read Across America this week, an annual event commemorating the birthday of children’s author Dr. Seuss, creator of "Cat in the Hat."

Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary served traditional Dr. Seuss fare, "Green Eggs and Ham," for lunch on Thursday. The menu included hard-boiled eggs dyed green and ham sandwiches with cheese topping.

Friday Peer Helpers from H-BC High School read to elementary students. Some teachers added a stripe on their Dr. Seuss hats for every book read.

Monday afternoon Sioux Falls Sky Force player Carlos Daniel came to visit the elementary school. Students asked Daniel a variety of questions about his life. Daniel is a 6-foot-8-inch forward for the basketball team.
Daniel good-naturedly answered all questions, including his favorite cartoon character (Dark Wing Duck) and his shoe size (15).

After their visit with Daniel, students warmed up for their game against the H-BC faculty. The faculty won the game 36-26, but the students put up a good fight.

Read Across America helps encourage adults to read aloud with children, enhancing youngsters' reading skills and promoting the fun of reading.

Read Across America is sponsored by the National Education Association and by Education Minnesota, in cooperation with the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Other partners include BookPALS and the Minnesota Twins.

Photo by Jolene Farley

Shingles are the newest addition on the Tuff Memorial Assisted Living project. Subcontractor Dave Dressen, from Dressen Roofing, Magnolia, was plugging away Monday trying to get the maximum amount of work done in the sunny weather.

Rock County's Crops and Livestock Day continues to draw the biggest crowds of any such meeting in the state, according to Extension Educator Fraser Norton.

He said that speaks well for both the speakers and for the farmers who are progressive enough to seek new advice and information.

"It's rewarding to put together an event that's so well-attended," said Norton, who organized the meeting.

Monday's event at Sharkee's attracted participation from roughly 120 local crop and livestock producers who benefited from the expertise of 11 different speakers.

"Obviously that's a lot of people speaking, and it's tough to keep everyone on schedule, but we did, and it was a very good day," Norton said.

"The weather couldn't have been better. People were done digging out after the snow, but it wasn't like last year when it was 71 degrees and people were preparing for spring work."

According to evaluations turned in after the meeting, attendees most appreciated Congressman Mark Kennedy.

Kennedy, R-Watertown, took over David Minge's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in MinnesotaÕs second congressional district.

For many local producers, Crops and Livestock Day was their first opportunity to hear Kennedy's views on agriculture.

In his half-hour speech, Kennedy spoke on the importance of value-added projects, such as ethanol and soy diesel, and encouraged producers to align themselves with such efforts.

He also touched on global markets and current efforts to strengthen world trade of U.S. commodities.

Norton said producers were also pleased with information provided by Extension Soil Scientist George Rehm, who has become a regular speaker at the annual Crops and Livestock Day.

Rehm offered tips on cost-effective fertilizer use.

"Not only is he an excellent speaker, he tells farmers the stuff they want to know," Norton said. "Obviously with the price of nitrogen the way it is now, if he can save them a couple bucks, they appreciate it."

Finally, Norton said evaluators praised Extension Educator Gary Hachfeld, St. Peter, for his presentation on crop revenue coverage and marketing strategies.

"It's important this year because a higher portion of CRC is subsidized by the government," Norton said. "It's especially important if you're pricing your crops before harvest."

Norton spoke for 15 minutes on the seasonality of grain markets, and Integrated Pest Management Specialist Bruce Potter spoke for a half hour on 2001 crop issues.

The event started at 9 a.m. and adjourned for lunch at 12:40 p.m.

Also included in the lineup of speakers were updates from the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Farm Service Agency, Rock County Corn and Soybean Growers, South Dakota and Minnesota Soybean Processors and Rock County Land Management Office.

Editor's note: A more comprehensive recap of Congressman Kennedy's Crops and Livestock Day address will be included in a special agriculture section featured in the March 22 Star Herald.

By Jolene Farley
Erwin DeBoer opened his business, Erwin's Towing and Recovery, 23 years ago in the same shop he currently occupies on Highway 270 in Hills.

Erwin's started as an auto repair shop but soon branched into towing, snow removal, storage and even a car wash. This transition began when electronics became more widespread in automobile engines.

"A town this size is not big enough to support the cost of the technology needed to work on these engines," said DeBoer.

So Erwin's began to concentrate more on the towing end of the business.

Erwin's Towing has already racked up 30,000 miles on a tow truck purchased in June. DeBoer expects his business to do 80,000 miles of towing this year.

Their furthest tow job was from El Paso, Texas. Erwin's receives periodic calls from insurance companies looking for someone to transport disabled vehicles.

This winter has been a "respectable winter," according to DeBoer. He and his son, Mark, have been working 50 to 100 hours per week, generally in inclement weather, to keep up. DeBoer's wife, Faith, answers phones and keeps the books for the business.

"Business has been good, but it is making an old man out of me," said DeBoer. "Hours, hours, hours."

DeBoer said there have been several rollovers this year. "Fortunately there was not one injury that I am aware of," he said. "I am sitting on four rollovers (cars) from last week."

DeBoer said Hills is a good community to do business in. "Ninety-nine percent of the people are real easy to get along with."

DeBoer's secret for success is: "You never stand still; if you are not keeping up you are sliding backwards. You have to keep up with the times."

Edwin and Faith have three children, Mark, Sharon and Pam.

By Sara Quam

The Luverne City Council met Friday in what was called a council retreat.

Retreats are typically a way for council members to brainstorm with one another, but this one was just as much a way for them to get over personal differences.

"It was emotional at times," councilman Keith Erickson said.

The meeting began at 4 p.m. and didnÕt end until 9 p.m. "What we needed to discuss was what's expected of each of us, and we hammered away at that for most of the night," Erickson said.

The discussion wasn't always civil. Accusations of overstepping job descriptions were flung at both City Administrator Matt Hylen and Mayor Glen Gust.

Luverne's council is set up as a weak mayor, strong council, which means the council votes on issues and the mayor, with no vote, has little power.

It was said at the meeting that both mayor and administrator took too much liberty in working outside the council's authority.

Council members agreed that communication among them was a priority. After the meeting Gust said, "The worst thing that could happen is a council that canÕt work together."

During the retreat Gust made comments to the effect that the prior City Council never listened to citizen input.

Erickson, who held a term through the last election, said heÕs offended by those remarks. He said he fields phone calls and listens to citizens - just as he said he would during his own campaign more than 11 years ago.

At certain meetings, a prevailing public opinion was voiced, and although Erickson's vote differed from that, he doesn't think he was an ineffective representative.

One other council member, Jim Kirchhofer, was a member of the previous council.

New councilman David Hauge said he understands some of what the old administration went through with public perception. When committees meet to research city business, the council is often aware of the background before it votes. However, with so much prior information, council votes appear to be pre-decided and create an impression of corruptness.

The current council and mayor have been in office only two full months. Even though moments of the retreat were tense, the council and mayor seemed willing to work through problems that aren't unique to this new administration.

March 5-9 has been designated "Home Delivered Meals Week" to increase awareness of the program and to recognize volunteers who make the service possible. Pictured are (from left) Shirley Roos with Home Delivered Meals; Lorraine Klooster and Burdella De Jager, Retired Senior Volunteers, and Trudy Den Herder with Western Community Action. Kitchen help not pictured are Eleanor Johnson, RSVP, and Theresa Persing, Western Community Action.

At left, volunteers Bruce and Carol Boelman carry meals Monday to the Blue Mound Towers apartments next door to the Senior Dining Center. They, along with Louella Voigt and Marlene Wassenaar, served as the local volunteers that day for First Presbyterian Church. Local churches provide Home Delivered Meals volunteers for the program on a rotating basis. To receive home delivered meals, residents must be unable to come to the Senior Dining meal site.

Luverne Senior Dining Center, which prepares more than 150 meals per day, serves as the central kitchen for Luverne, Adrian and Worthington. About 35 meals are delivered Monday through Friday in Luverne, and Western Community Action employee Debi Scholten drives 35 to 40 to the Senior Center in Adrian and more than 40 to Sunshine Apartments in Worthington.

Home Delivered Meals receive support from participant contributions, local support from churches, civic clubs and the community Red Arrow Fund. The meals are made possible in part under a contract with the Southwest Area Agency on Aging as approved by the Minnesota Board on Aging.

Photos by Lori Ehde