Forty-three entrants traveled down Luverne’s Main Street Saturday morning in honor of the Cardinal Pride weekend. Featured prominently were the LHS school colors of red and white worn both by those in the parade and those watching along the four-block parade route.

The Luverne amateur baseball team extended its win streak to 15 games and ended the regular season 21-2 with wins over the Worthington Cubs and Jackson Bulls last week.
The Redbirds had no trouble with Worthington at home Wednesday, July 13, earning a 19-2, seven-inning victory.
Luverne then traveled to Jackson Sunday afternoon and defeated the Bulls in a close contest, 5-4.
The Redbirds finished second in the Gopher League to the Milroy Irish. The team earned the second-seed and will face the Heron Lake Lakers in the league playoffs (see related story).
 
Luverne 19, Wgtn 2
It was another impressive offensive showing for the home team at Redbird Field July 13 when Luverne hosted the Worthington Cubs.
Luverne batters collected 16 hits and 17 RBIs while scoring 19 runs during six innings at bat in a game shorted by the ten-run rule.
Derek Lundgren led the offensive charge for the Birds.
Lundgren tallied four hits during five plate appearances. He totalled five RBIs and scored three runs.
Ben Serie also plated three runs for Luverne while earning three hits, including a triple and two doubles, and batting in four teammates.
“We were all feeling pretty confident at the plate," Serie said.
Newt Johnson had two hits and scored twice.
Phil Paquette, Declan Beers, Cade Wenninger and Gaige Nath also scored two runs each in the lop-sided victory.
The game was scoreless after 1 1/2 innings until the Birds scored seven runs in the bottom of the second.
The Cubs answered by scoring their only two runs of the game in the top of the third.
When Luverne added five more runs in the bottom of the inning, the game’s eventual outcome was secured.
Serie was on the mound for the first six innings of the game. He gave up only four hits, two runs and two walks while striking out seven Worthington batters.
Brooks Maurer came in to pitch the final inning, giving up no hits and no runs.
“When we are hitting well at the plate, we usually produce really good pitching to go with it,” Serie said.
 
Wgtn         0 0 2 0 0 0 0 x x      2
Luverne    0 7 5 1 1 5 x x x    19 
 
                           AB  R      H      BI
D Lundgren     5      3       4       5
P Paquette       2      2       1       1
C Crabtree       1      0       1       0
S Wenninger   3      1       0       1
C Sehr              2      0       1       1
B Serie             5      3       3       4
D Beers            2      2       0       0
N Johnson       3      2       2       0
J Haugen         4      1       1       1
C Wenninger   3      2       1       0
C Zeutenhorst 1      1       1       3
G Nath              3      2       1       1
 
Luverne 5, Jackson 4
In the final regular season game of the year, Luverne traveled to Jackson to earn a close 5-4 win over the Bulls.
It was pitching by committee for the Redbirds.
Jake Haugen started on the mound and pitched two innings. He gave up four hits and three runs.
Colby Crabtree threw the next two innings, giving up no hits and no runs and striking out two.
Cade Wenninger pitched the next two innings. The left-hander stuck out five and gave up no hits and no runs.
Lundgren came to the mound for the final inning, giving up one hit and one run and striking out two.
Jackson held a 3-0 lead going into the third inning before Luverne plated three runs to tie the game.
Nath led off the inning with a line drive double to right field.
Cade Wenninger and Lundgren then earned walks to load the bases.
When the Jackson pitcher issued his third consecutive walk (to Serie), Nath scored Luverne’s first run.
Cade Wenninger and Ludgren also scored in the inning.
The Redbirds took the 4-3 lead in the top of the fourth inning when Beers, who led off the inning with a double, scored on a wild pitch.
In the sixth inning, the Birds scored their final run of the game when Johnson hit a single that scored Paquette.
The Bulls scored one more run in the final inning, but it was not enough and Luverne left town with a 5-4 victory to end the regular season 21-2.
 
Luverne    0 0 3 1 0 1 0 x x      5
Jackson    1 2 0 0 0 0 1 x x      4 
 
                           AB  R      H      BI
D Lundgren     3       1       0       0
B Serie             2       0       0       1
P Paquette       3       1       1       0
N Johnson       3       0       2       1
D Beers            3       1       1       0
J Haugen         1       0       0       0
C Crabtree       1       0       1       0
G Nath              1       1       1       0
C Sehr              2       0       0       0
M Sterrett         3       0       0       0
C Wenninger   2       1       0       0

This week’s extreme heat is part of a hotter than normal summer that forecasters have been warning of.
Monday’s temperatures soared into the 90s with heat indexes nearing 100 degrees, and the heat wave is expected to continue through the rest of the month.
With that in mind, local leaders are asking utility customers to conserve energy to help level peak use.
“Electric utilities and regulators are warning that the coming months could bring the potential of possible interruptions to the power grid,” said Luverne City Administrator John Call.
He said power companies big and small across Minnesota are prepared for potential challenges this summer.
That could mean possible interruptions after the North American Electric Reliability Corp. and the region’s power grid operator warned generation capacity could fall short on demand on the hottest days of the summer.
“I’d rather be prepared and not need it, than not be prepared and need it, so that’s why we are trying to notify our customers in advance,” Call said. 
“We are not trying to waive any type of alarm or anything like that, but we do want our customers to know.” 
During the hottest days this summer Call said the Luverne Municipal Electric Utility will send out energy alerts to notify the public to conserve energy.
These measures include turning up the thermostat, keeping the drapes closed to keep the heat out of the house and delaying the use of large appliances like ovens, washing machines and dishwashers until later in the evening.   
The city of Luverne already uses a demand-side energy program that cycles hot water heaters and air conditioners, etc.  
“The city appreciates any and all electric usage efficiency that our customers can employ to try and keep the total load of the city to a lower level,” Call said.
He said Luverne has adequate energy supplies, but the city is part of the larger electric grid, and shortages on the grid could have an effect on Luverne. 
“Electricity is just like water,” Call said. “It is a valuable resource, and it does have limitations on the total amount available during a peak usage on a very hot day.”
While temperatures may hover in the upper 80s to low 90s, high humidity will make it feel closer to 100.
People who work outdoors are encouraged to drink plenty of water and take frequent breaks.
People with pets are encouraged to be mindful of making sure there is adequate water and shade if animals are outdoors.

Strong real estate sales in Rock County are driving market values higher in 2023.
The higher values are based on sales from Oct. 1, 2020, to Sept. 30, 2021, in Rock County. There were 185 “arm’s length” parcel sales recorded in the Rock County Land Records Office during that timeframe.
Due to the sales, the market values for 2023 increased by as much as 40 percent in some areas of the county, depending on the parcel’s classification.
Land Records Office Director Rachel Jacobs presented her report during the annual Board of Equalization meeting June 28.
“It’s crazy,” she said. “I still have people who are buying homes at $100,000 more, after I had already increased that (valuation) 30 percent.”
Land records workers Jeff Sehr and Scott Adams also attended the meeting.
Sehr said the city of Steen had the largest valuation increase.
“Steen had seven sales so they had to be considered as their own jurisdiction,” Jeff Sehr said. “This is the first time we ever had a small city go over (six). Usually it is two or none.”
Contributing to the 40 percent increase was the low market value prior to the seven sales, which in Steen, whose market value was at 60 percent of similar properties in the county.
For assessment purposes, market value needs to be between 90 and 105 percent of the sale prices of like properties.
“In our small cities, we have been falling further and further behind every single year, but again we don’t have six sales (in the same town) so it is hard,” Jacobs said.
“We look at our small cities as a whole collective, and this year we had them increase 25 percent so they can stay with the market as it’s increasing.”
As a group, Hardwick, Magnolia, Kenneth and Beaver Creek had 10 sales.
The city of Hills had 13 sales, resulting in a variable valuation increase of 25 to 35 percent.
The city of Luverne had 101 sales during the assessment timeframe, and values increased 10 to 20 percent.
Commercial property market values increased 10 percent.
Acreages across the county saw a 30 percent increase on the house and garage in market value based on 22 sales during the valuation period.
Valuations on machine sheds and concrete increased 20 percent and hog barn depreciation schedule changed from 3 percent to 2 percent per year.
Jacobs said “overbuilt” township homes received an increase of 23 percent and are now grouped together like the homes in the Valleyview Addition (east of Luverne).
“They are more city living because their lots are larger than what an actual city lot would be,” she said.
“They have their own grouping because they have similar lot sizes. We did this about four years ago.”
For 2023, ag land value increased on average 15 to 20 percent, based on 32 sales.
In addition to sales, ag land valuations are affected by crop equivalent ratings (CER) assigned to parcels based on soil type, and Jacobs said over time she will bring the county’s CER more in line with today’s crop production standards.
The commissioners accepted Jacobs’ report and approved one market value of $1,100 per acre for all agricultural land enrolled in the Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) program.
Jacobs said Rock County has 62 parcels enrolled in the program but only 11 were classified as such.
That meant some parcels were assessed at the higher value that tillable acres have.
“It (the classification change) should have happened when they put the land in RIM,” Jacobs said.
The RIM change reduced the county’s overall property value by $8 million for a .27 percent drop.
As a whole, Rock County’s estimated property value for assessment purposes is $3.5 billion, an increase of just over 16 percent in 2021.
The city of Luverne led the list with $385 million in assessed value followed by Martin Township with $377 million.

A 57-percent increase in their home’s assessed market value for 2023 prompted Greg and Margaret Kuiper of rural Luverne to question the valuation process used in the county at the June 28 Board of Equalization meeting.
“There seems to be some discrepancy as a home is appraised or assessed as far as I am concerned,” Greg Kuiper said. “I just want to see it being an equal process.”
County assessor Rachel Jacobs took over as director of the Land Records Office in August 2021 when Tom Houselog retired after 21 years in the position.
Jacobs noticed Houselog had granted the Kuiper home an “economic obsolescence reduction,” which lowered the market value originally by 19 percent. In subsequent years the reduction grew, and in 2021 it amounted to more than 30 percent.
Once the obsolescence reduction was removed for 2023, the market value of the Kuiper home increased significantly.
“He (Houselog) only gave that (reduction) to you and one other person in the county,” Jacobs said.
“I can’t increase everybody else and not increase our large overbuilt homes just because we don’t have a market for it or that houses are not on the market.”
The Kuipers built their 6,500-square-foot home on 5.2 acres in Magnolia Township along County Road 4 in 1998.
The prior assessed value was $552,200.
For 2023, the original valuation notice sent to the Kuipers was $863,300. However, the online version of the same notice states that the valuation is $816,000 for 2023.
Jacobs said a third-party company prints and mails the valuation notices without oversight from the Land Records Office. She suspects the error occurred when the spreadsheets were electronically sent to the company.
Beginning next year, the valuation notices will be printed and mailed by her office to avoid errors.
 
What is a
‘super’ home?
In Rock County, any home with more than 3,200 square feet of total living space and grade of 7.5 or higher is considered an overbuilt or “super” home.
A total of 22 township properties currently match the overbuilt home criteria that will be used by the Land Records Office for future assessments.
This list will change as future assessments take place in the county.
Only one overbuilt home has sold in the seven years that Jacobs has worked for the Land Records Office.
That home, located in Magnolia Township and owned by Kristi Knutson, has 3,300 square feet and sold for $780,000. It was built in 1998, the same year as the Kuipers’ home, and its market value in 2022 was $460,000.
As a result of the sale, Jacobs increased the valuation of all oversized township homes by 23 percent.
When “obsolescence reduction” was removed from the Kuipers’ parcel, the increase was higher than similar properties.
“When Tom (Houselog) was singling out just you, he shouldn’t have done that,” Jacobs said. “If he was doing it to you, he should have done every home like yours.”
 
How market
value is determined
“We do mass appraisals (by state statute),” Jacobs said. “That means we do appraisals across the whole county. If we change one property, we change all like properties the same way.”
Parcel sales from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30 of the previous year are used to determine whether market values increase or decline for similar properties. Assessed market value stays between 90 and 105 percent of the sale price of comparable parcels or jurisdictions.
With six or more sales within a jurisdiction, that jurisdiction receives its own percentage increase or decrease.
Within each jurisdiction, market values are further differentiated through a grading system.
The grading system assigns each parcel a numeral from 3 to 10, with 10 being the best.
“The highest is currently a 9 in the county because there could always be bigger and better,” Jacobs said.
The lowest grade in the county is a 3.5.
The grade takes into account building materials, amenities such as finished basements or a second story, and other factors.
A manual outlining the grade system will be finished this year.
“We’re putting little bits and pieces together as we get out and assess properties,” Jacobs said.
“We’ll have every potential home in our county on a grading scale … If you have seven bathrooms, you get so many points, if you have a five-stall garage attached to your home, you’ll get extra points — just different things that you have, like a brick facade gets extra points.”
In Rock County an average ranch-style home with a finished basement and a double garage is graded at 5.5 to 6.

Downtown buildings labeled with former occupants
The Rock County Historical Society has distributed updated information about which businesses previously occupied stores and properties on Main Street. If additions or corrections should be noted, call 507-283-2122.
 
Mobile dental clinics coming to Luverne
Mobile dental clinics will be in Luverne July 21 and Aug. 3 and 4 at the Rock County Health and Human Services community room. This clinic provides dental care for adults and children of all ages. Call 612-746-1530 to schedule an appointment. All forms of insurance are accepted. Organized by #Luv1LuvAll's Rock County Oral Health Task Force.
 
Senior Nutrition Program July 21
A.C.E. of SW MN will offer Nutrition Assistance Program for Seniors 60 & older from 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday, July 21, as a drive thru distribution in the parking lot off Maple Street at the new A.C.E. office on the east side of Generations Event Center.  Pre-registration is required. Call 507-283-5064.
 
Food distribution is July 21
New Life Celebration Church’s third Thursday monthly food giveaway is now at the Atlas building at 101 W. Maple St. in Luverne. The next distribution is 4:30 p.m. Thursday, July 21, until the food is gone.
Enter from Maple Street and stay along the west side of the building. Parking lot opens at 3 p.m. Do not block the Redeemed Remnants parking lot, intersection or alley entrance. Food will be loaded into vehicles, which then exit via the alley going west toward Estey Street.
Call 507-283-8963 or 507-283-4366 with questions.
 
Rock County Revival July 22-24
Rock County Revival (worship, testimonies, preaching, activation) will be at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 22 and 23, and at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, July 24, in the Luverne City Park. Guest speaker Friday will be Charles Karuku. A free meal will be served at 5 p.m. Saturday and also on Sunday following the service.
 
Register students new to Luverne district
Families with children who are new to the Luverne School District can set up an appointment to register for the 2022-23 school year.
Call the Luverne Middle School/High School, 507-283-4497, or the elementary school, 507-283-4497. Both offices will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. starting Aug. 1.
 
Library Happenings
For more information about library happenings, call 507-449-5040 or email rockcountystaff@gmail.com.
The Adult Summer Reading Program is currently underway at the Rock County Library. For every five books read between now and Aug. 15, an entry may be placed in the drawing to win one of four gift baskets. The program is open to ages 18 and older and includes e-books and e-audiobooks.
Storytime @ the Park will be 10:30 a.m. Thursdays in various parks in Luverne.  Bring a lawn chair or a blanket. Dates and parks are July 21 in Veterans Memorial Park and July 28 in Hawkinson Park.
Teens in Action (grades 5-12) will meet from 3 to 4 p.m. Thursdays. A different activity will be featured each week.
A naturalist from Prairie Ecology Bus Center will present the program “Animals Can Do What?” from 3 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 26, for grades K-4.
The summer reading program, “Camp iRead: Read Beyond the Beaten Path,” continues to Aug. 1.
Readers in grades K-4 who completed all eight weeks of the summer program will be invited to an End of Summer Pizza Party at 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4.
Teens (grades 5-12) who complete a bingo card will be invited to a pizza/prize party at 3 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 5.
Seed library is open and available to anyone in the public who wants to plant a garden. Flowers, fruit and vegetable seeds are available for free.
Trivia Night is at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of every month at Take 16 in Luverne. Team registration begins at 6 p.m.
Reminiscence Kits are available featuring various topics such as gardening, pets, baking, sewing, farming and hunting. The kits are designed to use with a loved one experiencing memory loss, encouraging the loved one to open up about activities they once loved in the past.
 
Register for Luverne
Community Ed
Community Education office is closed for 2 weeks, through July 29. Please watch registration deadlines carefully.
Missoula Children’s Theatre returns to Luverne on Aug. 15-20. There are openings yet for actors kindergarten (as attended during 21-22 school year) through age 7 and ages 12 - 18 to take part in the live production of “Hansel and Gretel.” Fee is $45.
Taking Defensive Driving Classes allows adults 55 years of age and older to save on insurance premiums. A four-hour refresher class will be offered on Aug. 18. The eight-hour beginner Defensive Driving class will be offered on Nov. 7 and 10.
Register now for Discovery Time preschool starting in September for your child ages 3-5 years of age. There are openings in all sections. Early Learning Scholarships may be available to those who qualify.
 
Prairie Ally seeks workers
Volunteer workers are needed from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays at Prairie Ally public food forest for a variety of maintenance tasks. No RSVP necessary. Other work opportunities are available by appointment by contacting info@projectfoodforest.org. Donations are also welcome for Prairie Ally, which is located along Blue Mound Avenue in Luverne.
 
A.C.E. respite care available, volunteers needed
A.C.E. of SW Minnesota (A.C.E.) offers respite care services in Rock County for those needing a break from caring for a loved one.
The respite program offers short-term (1-3 hours), temporary care for families and caregivers by providing a brief period of reprieve from the daily cares they provide to their loved one.
Volunteers provide non-professional supportive services to caregivers to give them time for themselves, relieve their stress and help them remain healthy.
Respite care volunteers are also needed. Trained A.C.E. volunteers provide respite care to family caregivers of adults age 60 and older who are suffering from long-term health conditions.
Contact Linda Wenzel at 507-283-5064 or ace.rock@co.rock.mn.us.

A committee of 20 stakeholders will help with long-term facility decisions for the Hills-Beaver Creek School District, and interested members have until Aug. 1 to apply.
The H-BC School Board Building and Grounds Committee worked with ATS & R Architects of Minneapolis to evaluate the district facilities.
At the July 11 meeting, that group recommended a stakeholders committee to consider the 215-page study of the H-BC facilities.
“The physical condition of the buildings in the district vary with their age,” the report states.
“Building utilization, educational program, support spaces, space adequacy, physical building deficiencies and site issues were evaluated. In addition, questionnaires were distributed to the principals exploring the functional strengths and areas for improvement for each school.”
Aspects of each facility were scored to assist in possible changes.
Facilities received “urgent,” “medium” (in one to five years) or “low” (six to 10 years) ratings that could be adjusted, depending on stakeholder committee recommendations and costs.
A district-wide survey in September will gauge residents’ support for improvements.
In the facilities report, architects included possible building additions and relocating various programs in the elementary school in Beaver Creek and secondary school in Hills.
Districtwide, costs ranged widely, with $7.6 million meeting the identified “urgent” and “medium” projects.
For the stakeholders group, the H-BC School Board wants a range of members, such as H-BC staff, agriculture landowners living in the district and home renters with children attending the district.
The committee is expected to meet periodically through the 2022-23 school year.
To be considered for the stakeholders committee, apply at https://forms.gle/QWWZYijC2hWE6uZA7 or contact Todd Holthaus, Superintendent, Hills-Beaver Creek Schools, P.O. Box 547, 301 N. Summit Ave., Hills, MN 56138.
Holthaus can be reached by email at t.holthaus@isd671.net.
Selected individuals to the committee will be notified by Aug. 5.

Hills-Beaver Creek School District Superintendent Todd Holthaus received a “meets expectations” rating from board members this summer.
The seven-member board rated Holthaus at 3.40 out of a possible 4.0.
The evaluation took place in closed session June 27 with board members presenting results at their July 11 meeting. The annual evaluation was for the 2021-22 school year.
Each board member rated Holthaus in six areas, giving a numeral score of 1 through 4, with 1 being “unsatisfactory” and 4 “exceeds expectations.”
Evaluation areas included policy and governance (3.36), planning and assessment (3.52), instructional leadership (3.26), organizational management (3.41), communications/ community relations (3.25) and professionalism (3.61).
Holthaus’ rating for the 2020-21 school year was 3.44.
He has been superintendent at H-BC since 2011. His current three-year contract ends June 30, 2024.
 
In personnel matters July 11, the H-BC school board:
•Contracted with Jackie Altman Nursing Services for a summer special needs student, with a budget not to exceed $2,100.
•Hired Arielle Larson as a .4 full-time equivalent early childhood special education teacher for the 2022-23 school year and a 60-percent special needs paraprofessional. Teacher salary is $17,988.
•Assigned Lydia Scruggs as a middle level communications arts/ literature and English as a second language teacher at $47,422 for the upcoming school year.

I’ve seen flooding on TV and pitied the poor people who had to clean up after it, but I’ve never personally had to clean up after a flood. 
That changed July 5 when 6 inches of rain falling in less than an hour washed the gravel, garbage and grime off Cedar Street into the basement window of a small apartment building that my husband, Jim, and I own.
We were made aware of the situation when one of our Spanish-speaking tenants called, desperately repeating the word “window.” We thought perhaps a storm-tossed tree branch had broken a window? The video he sent explained his concern.
The basement window had been broken by the flood waters raging down Cedar Street. It looked like Niagara Falls pouring into the basement.
The flood filled the basement with two feet of slimy, grimy water.
Fortunately for us, our son Joe is an experienced disaster cleanup specialist. He and Jim quickly made the calls, gathered the supplies – sump pump, trash pump, commercial sized-fans and dehumidifiers, squeegee, gloves, pressure sprayer and disinfectant – and got busy.
By midnight one of the basement’s two levels was cleaned and being dehumidified.
I showed up on Day 2. 
The water had been pumped back out of the window, but the street sludge remained. The task was daunting and disgusting, but we made the best of a slimy situation.
Joe carefully rescued four frogs, even rinsing them off with clean water. Our day was made more fun as the frogs escaped and had to be recaptured, causing us to build increasingly sturdier frog-containment structures.
Joe has always been funny and kind, and it warmed my mom heart to spend the day with him.
Jim and I had recently had a conversation about being more intentional about spending time together. The irony was not lost on us as we rode “like love birds” to the transfer station with load after load of soggy, slimy basement debris. 
By the end of the day, the entire basement was cleaner than it’s ever been. The sludge was gone. The dehumidifiers were set on “full blast.” Four small frogs were starting a new life in Joe’s backyard, and I went to bed exhausted thinking, “My first-ever flood cleanup turned out to be a really fun day.”
But I think once is enough.