Midwest Fire hires sales representative
Midwest Fire Equipment & Repair Company hired Scott Mischke as a sales representative for its Luverne operation.
Mischke, a Twin Cities native, has a degree in fire science from Anoka Hennepin Technical College in Brooklyn Park and has been a firefighter for 18 years, earning a “Firefighter of the Year” award for leadership, personal development and service.
He has worked as an aftermarket sales and service representative for Star Equipment Inc. and for the past four years led the development of a new Star Equipment location in Fargo, North Dakota.
Mischke and his family are relocating to the Luverne area for this new opportunity with Midwest Fire.
“We are thrilled to have Scott Mischke joining our team,” said CEO of Midwest Fire Sarah Atchison.
“We are confident his background in both sales and the firefighting industry will make for a smooth transition and great asset to our already outstanding team.”
Midwest Fire Equipment & Repair Company has been manufacturing high-quality fire tankers and pumpers since 1987. Visit https://www.midwestfire.com

The Luverne Redbirds completed a 21-2 regular season Sunday in Jackson.
The team was 17-2 in league play and finished second in the Gopher League to the Milroy Irish (24-3 overall, 18-1 league).
Milroy’s only league loss was a 14-2 setback to Luverne on June 29.
The Irish received a bye for the league playoffs that open Wednesday, July 20.
The Redbirds will face the Heron Lake Lakers (3-16 in league play) in the best-of-three league crossover series.
Luverne defeated Heron Lake 13-3 on July 10.
The Lakers’ victories are against Worthington (19-12), Mountain Lake (7-1) and Gibbon (12-10).
Heron Lake finished seventh in the First Nite league. The Windom Pirates (16-3) finished first in the league.
The Gopher and First Nite leagues combine to make Region 13C for the playoffs.
“We were really pleased with our 21-2 season,” said Luverne player-manager Brooks Maurer.
“We were hoping for the one seed out of our league, but fell one win short,” Maurer said, “Hopefully we are able to make a long playoff run.”
 
Final League Standings
 
Gopher League
1. Milroy Irish                       18-1
2. Luverne Redbirds              17-2
3. Hadley Buttermakers      14-5
4. Adrian A’s                        7-12
5. Ruthton Royals               5-14
6. Pipestone A’s                  5-14
7. Worthington Cubs           2-16
 
First Nite League
1. Windom Pirates               16-3
2. Jackson Bulls                  13-6
3. Fairmont Martins             12-7
4. Fox Lake Foxes               7-12
5. Lakefield Horned Frogs  7-12
6. Mountain Lake Lakers    6-12
7. Heron Lake Lakers          3-16 
 
                             
League Playoffs
 
Luverne vs Heron Lake
Wed, July 20 at Luverne 7:30
Sat, July 23 at Heron Lake 2:00
*Sun, July 24 at Luverne 2:00
 
Hadley vs Mountain Lake
Wed, July 20 at Mt. Lake 7:30
Sat, July 23 at Hadley 2:00
*Sun, July 24 at Hadley 2:00
 
Adrian vs. Lakefield
Wed, July 20 at Lakefield 7:30
Fri, July 22 at Adrian 7:30
*Sun, July 24 at Adrian 2:00
 
Jackson vs Worthington
Wed, July 20 at Jackson 7:30
Fri, July 22 at Worthington 7:30
*Sun, July 24 at Jackson 2:00
 
Fairmont vs Pipestone
Wed, July 20 at Fairmont 7:30
Fri, July 22 at Pipestone 7:30
*Sun, July 24 at Fairmont 2:00
 
Fox Lake vs Ruthton
Wed, July 20 at Truman 7:30
Fri, July 22 at Ruthton 2:00
*Sun, July 24 at Truman 2:00
*If necessary

The Luverne Junior American Legion baseball season came to an end Monday when the team lost 7-6 to Springfield in the consolation bracket of the sub-state tournament.
Luverne opened the sub-state tournament Sunday morning with an 11-3 victory over Madelia.
On Sunday afternoon, the team moved to the consolation bracket of the tournament when Luverne lost to Sleepy Eye 13-0.
The Junior Legion squad ended the season with an 8-11 record.
“It was a good summer overall and a good group of kids,” said Luverne coach Jared Pick.
“Maybe not the record we hoped for, but we saw a lot of good baseball this summer and I expect these guys to have a lot of success in high school ball and in Legion ball in the future,” Pick said.
 
Luverne 11, Madelia 3
Luverne opened play in the sub-state tournament with an 11-3 victory over Madelia Sunday morning in Pipestone.
Jacob Stroh pitched six solid innings for Luverne. He struck out eight batters and gave up only three runs.
“Stroh pitched really well for us,” Pick said, “We needed a good outing from him and he came through.”
Patrick Kroski came to the mound for the final inning, striking out one and giving up no runs.
Luverne batters took advantage of many walks offered by Madelia pitchers.
In all, nine Luverne players scored in the game. Carter Sehr and Marcus Vortherms scored twice.
Sehr, who led off the game with a double, and Stroh had two hits each.
 
Luverne      1 0 5 2 1 2 0    11
Madelia       0 0 0 3 0 0 x     3
 
                          AB    R    H
C Sehr                4     2     2       
M Vortherms      2     2     1
W Serie              3     1     0
L Miller               2     1     0
E Domagala       1     1     0
P Kroski             0     1     0
J Stroh               4     1     2
L Ahrendt           3     1     0
G Reisch            3     1     0
J Aning              1     0     0
K Buss               2     0     1
C Kruger            1     0     0
                 
Sleepy Eye 13, Luverne 0
Luverne ran into some especially tough competition Sunday afternoon when they were shut out by Sleepy Eye 13-0.
“Sleepy Eye is the best team in the tournament and I’d say the best team we faced all year,” Pick said, “I expect them to make it to state from our sub-state.”
Stroh and Caden Kruger collected Luverne’s only two hits in the game.
Alex Schlosser pitched the first 1 1/3 innings for Luverne.
Kroski replaced Schlosser on the mound for the remainder of the five-inning contest shortened by the ten-run rule.
Kroski struck out four and gave up only two runs.
 
Sleepy Eye    3 8 0 2 0 x x     13
Luverne         0 0 0 0 0 x x       0
 
                      AB    R     H 
C Sehr              2     0     0
Z Overgaard     1     0     0
E Domagala     2     0     0
L Miller             3     0     0
W Serie            3     0     0
J Stroh             2     0     1
T DeBates        1     0     0
L Ahrendt         3     0     0
M Vortherms    2     0     0
G Reisch          2     0     0
J Aning            1     0     0
K Buss             2     0     0
C Kruger          1     0     1   
 
Springfield 7, Luverne 6
In a close contest in Pipestone Monday night, Luverne came up just short to Springfield 7-6.
The loss ended the Junior Legion team’s season.
In the top of the seventh inning and trailing by one run, Luverne’s Will Serie earned a two-out walk to reach base.
When Layke Miller grounded out, the game came to an end.
Conner Connell led the offense with two hits.
Kai Buss hit a solo homerun in the fifth inning.
Sehr pitched a complete game. He struck out ten batters during six innings on the mound.
 
Luverne        2 0 0 1 2 1 0     7
Springfield   4 0 1 0 0 2 x     6
 
                          AB    R    H
C Sehr                4     1     1
E Domagala       4     1     1
W Serie              3     0     1
L Miller               3     1     0
C Connell           3     0     2
L Ahrendt           3     1     0
G Reisch            2     1     1
T DeBates          2     0     0
K Buss               3     1     1

Notice of Sheriff's Sale Under 
Judgment and Decree
Real property
 
STATE OF MINNESOTA )
                                ) ss
COUNTY OF ROCK         )
 
STATE OF MINNESOTA IN DISTRICT COURT
 
COUNTY OF ROCK FIFTH JUDCICIAL DISTRICT
_____________________________________________________________________
 
Minnwest Bank, f/k/a Minnwest            
Luverne, a Minnesota banking                                  
corporation, NOTICE OF SHERIFF'S
SALE UNDER JUDGMENT
                            Plaintiff,                          AND DECREE
 
vs.                                      Court File No.: 67-CV-20-54
 
Heath C. Petersen and Keri K. Petersen,
jointly and severally,
 
                            Defendants.
_____________________________________________________________________
                          
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN,   under and by virtue of Judgement made and entered in the above entitled action on the 20th day of July, 2020, by the District Court of Rock County, Minnesota, Fifth Judicial District, a certified copy which has been delivered to me directing the sale of the premises hereinafter described, to satisfy the amount found and adjudged due plaintiff in the above entitled action from co-defendants Heath C. Petersen and Keri K. Petersen, jointly and severally, as prescribed in the Judgement,  the undersigned Sheriff of Rock County will sell at public auction, to the highest bidder, for cash, on the 1st day of September 2022, at 10:00 a.m. at the Lobby of the Rock County Sheriff’s Office, 1000 North Blue Mound Avenue, Luverne Minnesota 56156, the premises and real estate, lying and being in the County of Rock, State of Minnesota, described inset Judgement, to wit: 
TRACT 1:
THAT PART OF THE NORTHEAST QUARTER OF SECTION 13,  TOWNSHIP 104 NORTH, RANGE 45 WEST OF THE 5TH PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, ROCK COUNTY, 
MINNESOTA. DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS.
BEGINNING AT THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF SECTION 13, THENCE NORTH 89 DEGREES 33 MINUTES 52 SECONDS WEST (GEODETIC BEARING) ALONG THE NORTH LINE OF THE NORTHEAST QUARTER OF SAID SECTION A DISTANCE OF 33.00 FEET TO AN IRON STAKE; THENCE CONTINUING NORTH 89 DEGREES 33 MINUTES 52 SECONDS WEST ALONG SAID NORTH LINE A DISTANCE OF 516.96 FEET TO AN IRON STAKE; THENCE SOUTH 00 DEGREES 51 MINUTES 30 SECONDS WEST A DISTANCE OF 149.99 FEET TO AN IRON STAKE; THENCE SOUTH 89 DEGREES 33 MINUTES 52 SECONDS EAST A DISTANCE OF 516.96 FEET TO AN IRON STAKE; THENCE CONTINUING SOUTH 89 DEGREES 33 MINUTES 52 SECONDS EAST A DISTANCE OF 33.00 FEET TO THE EAST LINE OF SAID QUARTER; THENCE NORTH 00 DEGREES 51 MINUTES 30 SECONDS EAST ALONG SAID EAST LINE A DISTANCE OF 149.99 FEET TO SAID POINT OF BEGINNING. 
SAID TRACT IS SUBJECT TO ROADWAY EASEMENT AND ANY OTHER EASEMENTS OF RECORD, IF ANY.
TRACT 2:
A TRACT COMMENCING AT THE SOUTHWEST (SW) CORNER OF THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER (SE 1/4), THENCE NORTHERLY ALONG THE WEST LINE OF SAID QUARTER SECTION A DISTANCE OF SEVEN HUNDRED FORTY TWO (742) FEET, THENCE EASTERLY A DISTANCE OF ONE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED TWENTY (1320) FEET TO A POINT SIX HUNDRED SIXTY (660) FEET NORTH OF THE SOUTH LINE OF SAID QUARTER SECTION, THENCE SIX HUNDRED SIXTY (660) FEET SOUTHERLY TO THE SOUTH LINE OF SAID QUARTER SECTION; THENCE WESTERLY ALONG THE SOUTH LINE OF SAID QUARTER SECTION A DISTANCE OF ONE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED TWENTY (1320) FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING, IN SECTION 12, TOWNSHIP 104 
NORTH, OF RANGE 45 WEST, OF THE 5TH P.M., ROCK COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
TRACT 3:
THE EAST SIX HUNDRED SIXTY-SEVEN (E 667) FEET OF THE SOUTH THREE HUNDRED FIFTY-EIGHT (S 358) FEET OF THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER (SE 1/4) OF SECTION TWELVE (12) TOWNSHIP ONE HUNDRED FOUR (104) NORTH, RANGE FORTY-FIVE (45) WEST OF THE 5TH P.M., ROCK COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
(the “Premises”).
Defendant(s) shall have the right to redeem from the Sheriff’s Sale Under Judgment and Decree (foreclosure sale) as provided by statute, which shall expire twelve (12) months after the date of the order confirming said sale.
Property Addresss: 2313 150th Avenue, Edgerton, Minnesota 56128
 
Dated this 14th day of July, 2022 EVAN VERBRUGGE 
Sheriff of Rock County, Minnesota
By: /s/ Evan Verbrugge,
Sheriff
Greg J. Bucher
STONEBERG, GILES & STROUP P.A.
300 South O’Connell Street
Marshall, MN 56258
507-537-0591
Attorney Reg. No. 299601
(07-21, 07-28, 08-04, 08-11, 08-18, 08-25)

Amid an already busy Hot Dog Night and Cardinal Pride weekend, dozens of athletes joined the annual Tour de Donut bicycle ride, which attracted more than 90 riders Saturday morning to The Lake in Luverne.
“I was very impressed by the turnout,” said event organizer David Duffy, Luverne.
“It was a busy weekend for events in the area, but we had over 30 more riders than last year.”
The Tour de Donut Minnesota is a unique bicycle event where ability to eat donuts is just as important as ability to ride bicycle.
The 30- to 35-mile route around Rock County includes three checkpoint stations (donut stops) where eating donuts isn’t mandatory, but it’s worth a time bonus for each donut consumed and recorded.
Awards are presented for Best Elapsed Time, Adjusted Time and Most Donuts Eaten.
The Tour De Donut Minnesota also offers a short course (10 Miles), a long course (50+ miles) and a 17-mile Fun Ride. 
Duffy said this year’s event, the fifth one he’s organized in Luverne, was less competitive than other years.
“People came from all over the area to have a fun experience with their families or close riding friends,” he said. 
“I have a guy from Worthington that rides with his son-in-law from the Twin Cities each year. A friend of mine from Sioux Falls rode with his 9-year-old daughter. Another group of ladies all in their 60s were getting one last group ride in before RAGBRAI, and we get the crazy wild girls from Sioux Falls that we call the ‘South Dakota Six Pack.’”  
He said Sarah DeBeer at Sunshine Foods makes donuts and apple fritters the night before, and they have become regional favorites.
“They’re the best apple fritters in the area, according to all of the riders,” Duffy said. 
Here’s how the donut bonuses work: On a 33-mile tour, the first Donut Stop at the 8- to 10-mile mark offers a six-minute time bonus for each donut consumed. 
The second Donut Stop at 16 to 18 miles offers a “Sarah Special” bonus of six minutes for consuming half a pastry or 15 minutes for a whole one. 
The third Donut Stop at 22 to 24 miles offers a six-minute time bonus for each donut eaten. 
All distances are measured from the bus garage on Dodge Street at the edge of town.
The 10-mile tour takes riders west to County Road 6 and south to Beaver Creek where they’re shuttled back to Luverne. “Next year we will keep this group in Luverne on the bike path,” Duffy said.
The 18- to 19-mile tour follows the same route to Beaver Creek and then takes riders back to Luverne on County Road 4.
The 33- to 35-mile tour also goes to Beaver Creek, but then continues south to Hills, west to Steen and then back to Luverne.
The 50-mile tour continues from Beaver Creek to the Manley corner, to Lester, then Steen and back to Luverne. 
“We’re very grateful for Steen, Hills and Beaver Creek for letting us use their parks and bathrooms,” Duffy said. 
“Probably what impresses me the most is all of the volunteers that dress up, decorate their donut stops, play games, pass out donuts, help with traffic, lead riders out of town, host the after-ride party and interact with as many riders as they can,” Duffy said.
“These folks put on a great show and really roll out the red carpet.”
Due to unforeseen circumstances Friday, he said his group of 20 volunteers was down to 14, but the event continued seamlessly.
“Everyone stepped up and took on a little more responsibility and we crushed it,” Duffy said.
“I’m really looking forward to next year when we make a few changes that will allow us to handle many more riders.”
Prizes are awarded for best overall time, adjusted donut time and most donuts eaten, with special awards for the “Dozen Club.”
The post-race party Take 16 in Luverne included two bands, Twilight Hours and the Suburbs, which were also entertaining Cardinal Pride All-School Reunion attendees.

The Luverne Senior American Legion baseball team finished 2-1 during sub-state tournament play last weekend in St. James.
Luverne defeated Windom 4-3 on Thursday and Springfield 6-1 Friday before falling to Jackson 8-7 Saturday.
Luverne, now 13-6 on the season, will play Friday night in St. James against either Russell-Tyler-Ruthton or St. James in the second weekend of the sub-state tournament.
A win on Friday would mean Luverne will face Jackson on Saturday.
Jackson has not yet lost in the tournament, so Luverne would need to defeat them twice to win the sub-state championship.
“We get another fresh week and will have all of our pitching options again,” Luverne coach Codie Zeutenhorst said.
As hosts of this year’s Division II Senior American Legion Baseball State Tournament, Luverne will play in the state tournament regardless of their finish in the sub-state tournament.
The champion of Luverne’s sub-state, or second place team if Luverne wins, will also qualify for the state tournament.
 
Luverne 4, Windom 3
Luverne opened play in the sub-state tournament Thursday in St. James with a 4-3 win over Windom.
Luverne hit the ball well during the game with eight hits.
Ethan Beyer (one hit and one run), Braydon Ripka (two hits, one run and one RBI), Kaden Anderson (two hits, one run and one RBI) and Connor Overgaard (one hit and one RBI) all hit doubles in the game.
Carter Sehr also scored a run and Elliot Domagala added an RBI.
Anderson pitched 6 2/3 innings before the pitch count rule ended his time on the mound.
Anderson had a no-hitter for 6 1/3 innings before giving up three hits and two runs in the seventh stanza.
“It definitely got interesting,” Zeutenhorst said.
Anderson struck out eight and walked two during his time on the mound.
Casey Sehr came in to relieve Anderson. He struck out the final batter to preserve the 4-3 win.
 
Luverne          0 0 2 0 0 1 1     4
Windom          0 0 0 1 0 0 2   10
 
                          AB    R    H     BI
B Ripka              4     1     2     1
E Beyer              3     1     1     0
K Anderson       4     1     2     1
Casey Sehr        4     0     1     0
W Serie              1     0     0     0
E Domagala       3     0     0     1
C Overgaard      4     0     1     1
J Stroh               3     0     0     0
A Halverson       1     0     0     0
Carter Sehr        2     1     1     0
 
Luverne 6, Springfield 1
In the second game of the sub-state tournament, Luverne defeated Springfield 6-1 in St. James Friday.
Luverne scored three runs in each of the third and fourth innings.
Springfield plated one run in the top of the sixth but was unable to score in the top of the seventh to extend the game or earn the win.
Will Serie started the scoring in the third inning with a two-RBI single.
Anderson hit an RBI double in the fourth inning.
Beyer was two for four at the plate with two runs and two RBIs.
Casey Sehr also had two hits in the game.
Beyer pitched the complete game. He gave up one run with only two hits and struck out eight.
 
Springfield      0 0 0 0 0 1 0      1
Luverne           0 0 3 3 0 0 x      6
 
                      AB    R     H    BI
B Ripka            3     0     0     0
E Beyer            4     2     2     2
K Anderson     4     0     1     1
Casey Sehr      4     1     2     1
W Serie            4     0     1     2
E Domagala     3     0     1     0
C Overgaard    1     1     1     0
P Kroski           2     1     1     0
Carter Sehr      1     1     0     0
 
Jackson 8, Luverne 7
Luverne lost its first game of the sub-state tournament Saturday, falling to Jackson 8-7 in St. James.
“You never want to finish the weekend with a loss,” said Zeutenhorst.
“But overall our pitching was strong and we got lots of balls in play and scored some good runs,” he said.
Offensively, Luverne was led by Casey Sehr.
Sehr was four for four at the plate, scored one run and totaled four RBIs, including a two-RBI double in the fifth inning.
“I was seeing the ball well and it kept finding holes for me,” Casey Sehr said.
“I like playing in St. James and I’ve hit well there before, so I just tried to keep it going.”
Beyer was two for three in the game and scored three runs.
Riley Sneller tallied two RBIs.
Zach DeBoer pitched four innings. He offered four hits and four runs while walking three and striking out three.
Casey Sehr came to the mound for the final two innings. He gave up five hits and four runs and struck out three.
Luverne led the game 3-2 after three innings before Jackson scored twice in the fourth inning to take a 4-3 lead.
Luverne regained the lead in the top of the fifth by scoring three runs before Jackson took the lead back by plating four more runs in the bottom of the inning.
Trailing 8-6 going into the sixth frame, Luverne’s Overgaard blasted a solo home run to lead off the inning and bring the game to within one run.
When Luverne was unable to advance a runner in scoring position on second base during the top of the seventh inning, the game ended 8-7.
“Jackson played well enough to win,” Zeutenhorst said. “We did, too, but just not quite enough.”
“It’s disappointing,” he said, “an emotional rollercoaster. But that’s baseball.”
 
Luverne         2 0 1 0 3 1 0       7
Jackson        1 0 1 2 4 0 x       8
 
                      AB    R     H    BI
B Ripka            3     1     0     0
E Beyer            3     3     2     0
K Anderson     3     0     0     0
Casey Sehr      4     1     4     4
R Sneller          3     0     0     2
W Serie            3     0     0     0
C Overgaard    3     1     1     0
E Domagala     3     0     0     0
Carter Sehr      3     1     1     0

Hunters can apply for special youth deer hunt permits through Friday, Aug. 19, to hunt in several state parks in Minnesota.
The Blue Mounds State Park special youth hunt will be Nov. 19-20. The number of participants is limited to 10, with a bag limit of two bucks.
These hunts are for youth ages 12-15 at the time of the hunt. Adults must accompany youth during these hunts. More information is available on the DNR website (mndnr.gov/Hunting/Deer/Youth-Deer-Hunts.html).
Special youth deer hunts are different from the statewide youth deer season, which takes place Oct. 20-23 and does not require an application.
Hunters may only possess and use nontoxic ammunition when participating in a special hunt or disease management hunt in a Minnesota state park or scientific and natural area.
Nontoxic ammunition includes steel, copper-plated, nickel-plated, zinc-plated and other projectiles made from a nontoxic material approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

LHS grad Rylee Olson is among athletes at Morningside University, Sioux City, Iowa, to be honored for academic achievement.
Morningside University’s men’s and women’s track and field programs and a combined seven student athletes were among the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ academic honorees released Wednesday, July 13.
The men’s 2022 squad, sporting a 3.196 grade-point average, and the women’s 2022 team, compiling a 3.539 GPA, were tabbed all academic.
The criteria for the accolade include the cumulative GPA for all student-athletes on the institution’s NAIA squad list for indoor and/or outdoor track and field being 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale, certifiable by the institution’s registrar.
Olson, a Hardwick native and Morningside senior, was among six female athletes named for the honor.

Journey Dwire, a 2022 Hills-Beaver Creek High School graduate, placed 110th out of 262 female shooters at the recent National High School Trap Championship in Mason, Michigan.
She hit 87 clays out of 100 at the Saturday, July 9, individual event. Overall, Dwire finished 1,057 out of 1,716 individual shooters at the event at the Michigan Trap Association home grounds.
“It was a great experience,” Dwire said. “I got to meet many talented shooters from different states. It was amazing to get to see everyone and their techniques. It is something I am very glad I got to do.”
Dwire, daughter of Travis and Shannon Dwire of rural Luverne, was invited to the event after finishing as the top female shooter in Minnesota’s Division 2, Class 1A, during the spring trap shooting season.