10 years ago (1993)"Environmental concerns surrounding the site of the new McDonald’s at I-90 and U.S. 75 appear to have no basis, according to Luverne City Attorney Don Klosterbuer.The Luverne City Council approved a resolution Monday that deemed an Environmental Assessment Worksheet for the site unnecessary. The Council found the project exempt from the environmental requirements, and the city cannot require further action."25 years ago (1978)"Hills-Beaver Creek’s marching band is a Cinderella story. Response toward the band’s participation at the national Cherry Festival in Traverse City, Mich., ranges from fantastic to truly incredible. Director Dave Shea called H-BC’s competitive efforts ‘out of sight.’The H-BC marching band is as high as one could be this week following their week-long experiences in Michigan. And there is a good chance the band could get emotionally higher after the results are received Friday for the Toast of Cherryland Award."50 years ago (1953)"The long-awaited Korean truce and cessation of hostilities in the Korean War was received here Sunday night with mixed emotions. Unlike when similar news was received at the end of World War II and at the end of World War I, there was no celebrating, no flag waving, no street parades."75 years ago (1928)"Harvest work started the first of the week; each day since has been gaining momentum, and by today or tomorrow will be in full swing throughout Rock County. A few fields of rye and barley were cut the latter part of last week, but the work did not start in earnest until about Wednesday. There are still many fields of barley and oats that will not be ready for the reaper until the fore part of next week."100 years ago (1903)"Plans which contemplated the holding of a county fair in Luverne this fall have been changed with a view to making preliminary arrangements this year for an agricultural exhibition next year. At the meeting held in the opera house Saturday afternoon of last week, the soliciting committee … reported the results of their three days work and it was concluded that the response to requests for pledges did not justify a continuance of work for a fair at this time. It was the sense of the meeting that a fair should be held next year."

By Lori EhdeLocal National Guard members received their official marching orders two weeks ago, and they’re leaving Aug. 13. for a six-month deployment in England.That much they know for sure. It’s what they don’t know that’s making the waiting game difficult.According to Sgt. Robert Newman, Readiness NCO of Battery A, the numbers keep changing, so local military personnel don’t know for sure who’s staying and who’s going."I’ve never seen so many changes," he said. "There’s uncertainty over the number of troops actually needed for the peace keeping missions. The numbers we thought were solid aren’t anymore."On July 8, the 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery (Luverne and Pipestone units) was notified it was being deployed to U.S. bases in Europe as part of security missions for Operation Enduring Freedom.At first, 105 Guardsmen were needed, today the number is 93, and now Newman said he’s hearing that it may drop again.The result, he said, is speculation among personnel about who will stay behind as the numbers drop. However, he said orders could change again increasing the number.Regardless, he said plans for deployment are going smoothly."I’m proud of our unit," he said. "We’re not having some of the problems the other units are having in terms of family issues and employment issues. We’ve got cooperative soldiers and a cooperative community."There are 93 affected members in the local unit that includes Luverne and Pipestone. Of those, 55 serve duty at the National Guard Training and Community Center in Luverne.Twenty-three of those live in Rock County and 21 live in Nobles County.Due to privacy laws, Newman said the National Guard is unable to release the full list of names.Community send-offThe Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with the area banks, are providing a send-off ceremony for the affected Guard members at the Luverne City Park on Monday evening, Aug. 11, beginning at 6:30 PM. "The entire community is invited to the park to show support for the families of guard members and honor those leaving," said Chamber Director Dave Smith."This will be a major change for many families and we want them to know that while their loved ones are away, the communities they leave will be here to support their families."Guardsmen and their families will have a private meal at 5:30 p.m., and at 6:30, the entire community is invited to a short program at the city park.The event will include the presentation of a joint color guard, special seating for the guard members, music, and a limited number of speakers. At last word, local Guard members were told they’re going to England to serve as additional security officers. They could be doing things such as checking IDs and patrolling bases.

By Lori EhdeShe doesn’t exercise every morning like she used to, and she gets a little help with housework and meals in her Luverne Centennial apartment.But what she lacks in energy she makes up for in memories. … And at 105, Lil Peterson has accumulated more memories than anyone she knows.She’ll celebrate her 105th birthday Saturday with a private gathering of family and friends at the Centennial Apartments where she lives.Sharing memories will, no doubt, be on the party agenda.She spent the early part of her life before paved roads, automobiles, electricity and running water.It’s no wonder then, that much of her childhood memories are colored by hard work and responsibilities.She remembers as a child rushing home from country school to get the chores done before supper."As fast as we could, we’d get home and change into our old clothes and pick corn cobs from the cattle yard," she said.Other chores involved basic housekeeping, such as cleaning kerosene lamp chimneys and refilling them with fuel.Lil was born on July 26, 1898, to William and Matilda Schneekloth, in a farm house near Muscatine, Iowa, a small town near Davenport.She was No. 5 in a family of four girls and three boys.In 1909, she remembers at 11 years old moving with her family to a Rock County farm just west of Luverne. She finished her schooling at Rock County Dist. 10 schoolhouse, and at 13 years old, took her eighth-grade education into the wide world to find a job.She went to work for Mr. and Mrs. Pete Glazier. In exchange for keeping the house, making the meals and caring for children, she boarded at the Glaziers. That was her payment."I learned a lot about housekeeping there," Peterson said. She baked bread, made meals and cared for children, two of whom were in diapers.Unfortunately, her job there was cut short by an appendicitis attack that sent her home for a long recovery. "Dr. Wright came and picked me up and called my dad when we got to Luverne. Dr. Spaulding took over and said it was broken too long and he couldn’t operate," Peterson said.So she went home with her parents, possibly to die, but after several months, she remarkably returned to health.She met her first husband, Walter Hand, while working with him at Worthmore chicken factory in Worthington.They married in 1926, but much of her married life consisted of caring for Hand, who suffered from "white lead" poisoning, a lung condition brought on by his work as a spray painter. "He didn’t wear the protective face mask," Peterson said.They never had children.Peterson married her second husband Victor Peterson, in 1948, at a community dance.This was appropriate since she had become an accomplished dancer at a young age, thanks to parents who enjoyed the activity."When the folks took us along to barn dances, Dad told us to stay in the corners so we wouldn’t get trampled," she said. "That’s how I learned to dance."When asked how she came to be 105, Peterson said simply, "Don’t smoke and don’t lay in bed in the morning. Get up and enjoy the day."In addition to morning exercises, Peterson said she takes a Vitamin E pill daily.Peterson said she’s content with where her life has taken her. "Right now I’m at the point where I’m ready to go, but I guess the Lord doesn’t want me yet," she said.The public isn’t invited to Saturday’s party, but cards can be sent to Peterson at 120 N. Spring, Apt. 409, Luverne, MN 56156.

By Lori EhdeAfter several years of implementing a controversial new math program in Luverne Schools, teachers are seeing positive results.Results of Minnesota’s Comprehensive Assessment Tests were released Thursday, and Luverne students scored far better than the state average and notably better than most area districts.Across the state, 78.5 of students achieved acceptable 11th-grade math scores on the MCAT, and 80.7 percent did so in 10th-grade reading.Luverne students, however, fared much better, with 95.7 percent achieving acceptable scores in math and 94.8 doing so in reading.Luverne Curriculum Coordinator Jan Olson said the test results are exciting indicators that work is paying off."My hope is that when we’re up for a review of our math program, our parents and teachers will be able to see that we’re moving in the right direction," Olson said."We’ve had a lot of controversy and complaints over the past five years, of our math program, but when you look at the data, we can see it’s done the job."The new program was controversial because it introduced a drastic shift from traditional math."It was a whole new integrated way of doing math," Olson said. "It moved us away from the traditional math as far as rote memory and moved into more problem solving."Bill Stegemann, School Board member and parent of a Luverne High School student, said he’s pleased with the outcomes he’s seen with the new math program."Even though there was controversy about the math program, it struck me, too, that the kids scored that well," he said.He said he believes students are learning valuable problem-solving tools that will benefit them more than the former memorization math did."In complex math, the how-to method becomes quite important."State Education Commissioner Cheri Yecke released the test results last week along with a message about math.She said Minnesota’s math results were generally good, but the math trend isn’t promising.With just 49 percent of Minnesota students taking advanced math, even geometry, that’s the second-lowest in the country.Yecke said doing well in higher-level math classes is a good sign a student will complete college, and she’s encouraging parents, teachers and students to do better.New academic standards adopted by the Legislature this year will require three years of math in high school for a student to graduate. Some schools, including Luverne, already require three years, but by 2005, all schools must do so.Stegemann said he’s thrilled that Luverne students did so well on the tests, but he hopes students and teachers are prepared to maintain that level of excellency."When you’re at the top of the hill, the climb gets very hard, and the fall down could be very easy."To repeat those scores would be very tough, but if we can do it, I say, all the better."

By Sara StrongCuts in the Luverne city budget now have come down to employees, after cutting what it could still left the city $47,691 short for the year.The city will lay off three full-time employees and some part-time employees. The full-time employees are from City Hall, Public Works and Utilities departments. Originally, more were going to be eliminated from the Public Works Department, but to get through the year and be fair to workers, the Council gave Interim Administrator Jeff Haubrich direction to also take an employee from Utilities.Councilman Pat Baustian suggested the electric line burying project could be put off, to allow a smaller utility department to meet basic obligations.The first recommendation wasn’t to lay off Utility employees because that department generates its own revenues.The Utility Department draws from its own separate account, because it makes money from utility customers. Other department salaries come out of the general fund. The Utilities Department subsidizes other city functions such as the Economic Development Authority, so Baustian said the Council should be able to transfer more money out of Utilities into the general fund.Baustian said, "It’s revenue we can use elsewhere." He said a new city administrator, once someone is hired, may see things differently and can make more changes as needed.Councilman David Hauge said he feared delaying more layoffs will only cost the city more in the long run."The layoffs, as bitter as they are, should’ve been done a month ago," Hauge said.The Council has cut $119,000 from its budget and might have to trim more in December, when state subsidies to cities are due. If the state has another budget shortfall, money to cities could be cut again.Baustian said that looking at the entire way the city runs will help save taxpayers and people’s jobs in the future.He said it’s probably time for "old spending habits" to stop. Even though capital improvements are a part of what makes the city run well Baustian said, postponing those for a few years may be a good idea.He suggested taking the $39,000 left in the capital improvement fund for this year and transferring it to the general fund to help the city get through 2003. In looking at cuts outside of employees, Mayor Glen Gust said he supported keeping $4,000 in winter recreation funding, which helps the Luverne Hockey Association."I don’t like to see kids’ stuff affected. If they’re not kept busy, they’ll do something else that’ll cost us more," Gust said."The problem," Councilman Bob Kaczrowski said, "is that we can come to every one of these line items and find someone who supports it."Gust said he would like staff to examine each of their smaller expenses to get the city through the coming years, even though the city looks to make it out of 2003 with a balanced budget."What about dues, training, advertising, memberships, publishing the newsletter?" Gust said.Haubrich said, with that direction, he can bring more specific line items back to the Council.

By Sara StrongRock County will have two more deputies — helping the six now on staff avoid the 20 hours of overtime they’ve been putting in per week.Sheriff Mike Winkels said, "It’s tough and you can see it on them."The Rock County Board of Commissioners approved Winkels’ request to hire more deputies at its Tuesday meeting.The county doesn’t have to advertise for the new deputies because the last round of hiring in November got a big enough pool of applicants to draw from.New Deputy Kris Harpham left while still in his probationary period and Sergeant Kurt Kester retired this year.The department is also in the process of moving a current deputy to the position of sergeant, and adding a part-time officer.Meanwhile, Law Enforcement is saving $32,000 with a new leasing arrangement for department vehicles. Instead of leasing seven vehicles, the department will lease four. This means each officer won’t have his own car or be able to drive it to and from work as in the past.County Administrator Kyle Oldre said an issue with the officers could be that they preferred taking ownership in their assigned vehicle. Response time could also be an issue, but the Board doesn’t anticipate any. Other than the officer on duty, there will be an on-call officer with a car at home, so if an additional deputy is needed, he won’t have to drive to the Law Enforcement Center to get a car.The Board said it will keep updated on the car situation in case fewer vehicles in the department cause problems.More savingsThe County Board also saved money in property leases Tuesday.The Board didn’t enter into a new lease agreement for the offices of Extension and Heartland Express, saving $21,000 a year.The county will find a home for Extension and Heartland Express (the county’s bussing system) on other county property.The lease is for the office complex on West Gabrielson Road. Commissioner Richard Bakken said, "It’s forced us to look where people fit and there are instances where we can find a better fit."The lease for the Land Management Office will remain in place in the office complex, largely because it is a convenient neighbor with the Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service.Other budget considerations The Board of Commissioners will direct department heads on how much to trim from their 2004 budgets at its next meeting.Oldre said, "It may seem like we’re not moving fast enough, but we are. .. It seems like every idea we get, there are some road blocks."Early retirement incentives and layoffs as well as service cuts could be a part of the Board’s solution to make the necessary $500,000 cuts next year.In an effort to more clearly know where county money is going, the Board invited organizations that receive money to present what their organizations do with it. From this group of presenters, the Board saved $500 in membership contributions .oThe county contributes and will likely continue to contribute $1,300 to the Jasper Ambulance Service and the Edgerton Ambulance Service. They both serve residents in Rock County and make trips to the Luverne hospital.oThe county contributes $6,250 to the Rock County Historical Society.The Society is trying to earn money as it can through speaking engagements; selling nonessential museum items such as books; charging for genealogy research; raffles and other fund-raisers and an endowment fund. President Betty Mann said, "There’s a limit on how many hours we can put in as volunteers, but we are making an attempt to raise money ourselves."oThe county gives $16,000 to the Rock County Agricultural Society, which runs the county fair.The group uses as many volunteers and accepts donated labor and materials to upkeep the fairgrounds and plan the fair. This year, it has also cut costs in areas such as administration and maintenance.oThe county also makes contributions to tourism promotion in the area. Dave Smith is the county representative to Travel Southwest and Southern Minnesota Tourism Association. Together, the county contributes $1,900, but is reducing its payment to Travel Southwest by $500.Southern Minnesota Tourism Association has a bigger pool of money and can more effectively advertise the features of the area.Smith said that the county’s funds are worthwhile, noting that there has been a 17 percent increase in tourism in southern Minnesota this year. Also, it tied agriculture for the state’s biggest industry at $9.8 billion. Rock County’s own lodging receipts have increased 9 percent for two years as an indicator of local tourism activity.Smith said, "I really feel it’s important we stay with tourism. … We want to keep the status quo with what we’re doing."oThe county contributes $1,000 to the Council for Arts and Humanities in Rock County. CAHRC envelopes organizations such as the Blue Mound Area Theatre, Rock County Fine Arts and the Rock County Historical Society.The organizations use CAHRC director Tammy Makram as a publicist and to generally do what volunteers can’t — such as put out newsletters or organize events. Makram said the organizations don’t pay to be a part of CAHRC, but pool resources to save money.CAHRC’s grants will be less this year than in the past because of state arts cuts, but Makram said, "We’re trying new things all the time and hope that people will appreciate what we do."Jerry Deuschle also represented CAHRC. He said, "If we don’t put on arts events in Rock County, who will?"oThe county contributes $1,000 to the Southwest Minnesota Arts and Humanities Council. That organization helps Rock County groups get more information for arts programming as well as giving state grants. The state cut SMAHC funding by 29 percent this year.One grant it won’t be able to do next year is the popular Blue Mound Writers Series, which is in its 10th year. oThe county contributes $15,000 to the Rock County Ambulance Service. That money goes toward ambulances, equipment and educational programs.oThe county contributes $1,000 to community theater group the Green Earth Players. Representatives Jim Harsma and Fred Manfred Jr. presented to the board.Manfred said, "This is community theater, we’re always looking for input from the community."Harsma said GEP tries to choose a balance of different types of plays to bring a variety to audiences.

Luverne native’s house torchedRandy Hoffman, a Luverne native and current resident of Brandon, S.D., was in northern Minnesota last week when he received a phone call telling him that there had been a fire at his home in Brandon.When Randy and his wife Joni returned, they found their five-year-old home severely damaged, possibly a total loss.A neighbor who was taking care of Hoffman’s dog thought something was suspicious when he noticed the dog running around outside in the middle of the night.Investigators believe the fire was started with a propellant in the basement.Investigators from Hoffman’s insurance company were scheduled to examine the home this week.Hills Phone Company now owned by Alliance CommunicationsAlthough they have been a part of the Hills Phone Company since 1996, Alliance Communications is now the sole owner of the phone service.In 1996, Alliance Communications, along with Golden West Communications, purchased the phone services in Alvord, Iowa; Hills; Inwood, Iowa; Larchwood, Iowa; Lester, Iowa; and Steen.The company will continue to have four technicians working the six communities.Other Alliance Communication properties include: Alcester, Baltic, Brandon, Carthage, Crooks, Garretson, Howard, Hudson, Oldham and Ramona, all in S.D.Alliance’s main office is located in Garretson, S.D., but also has offices in Baltic and Brandon.The company employs 22 office employees and 21 technicians, including four previously employed by the Hills Phone Company.Red Cross offers audio/visual messages to service membersDependents of members of the military will now be able to send their family members an audio/visual message electronically from the American Red Cross in Sioux Falls. The service is free of charge.According to Jeff Stingley, CEO of the Sioux Empire American Red Cross, they are one of 50 chapters in the United States to receive the equipment and technology making the service possible.The service is available for South Dakota as well as the surrounding states.If you would like to set up an appointment to create a video message, contact the Sioux Empire Red Cross at (605) 336-2448.The process to create the video message will take approximately 10-15 minutes.Dependents will need to bring an e-mail address the military member uses in order for the Red Cross to send the e-mail via the internet.Kids, get ready for the Triathlon Parade of AthletesThe 22nd annual Minnesota Border-to-Border has been scheduled for Monday, Aug. 5, but the parade of athletes will be on Aug 4.This is not only an opportunity to watch the athletes parade down Luverne’s Main Street on their bikes and other forms of transportation, but kids can also be a part of the action.Kids of all ages are encouraged to decorate their bikes for the parade and participate in the event.All kids participating in the parade will be given a Dairy Queen coupon.Anyone wishing to participate should meet at the Sears parking lot at 4:15 p.m.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

Change is often good,but in Public Works,it’s a breath of fresh airCity budget cuts — particularly those involving Public Works Director Darrell Huiskes — have been popular conversation topics this week.What we’re hearing is that Huiskes is a hard-working, dedicated city employee who’s accomplished great things for the city.That’s true. He’s up early and works late whenever needed.Our streets are the best-maintained of any city in the state, and they’re the cleanest and driest in the winter time. We have a beautiful city with well-kept trees, grass, flower pots and pocket parks.Huiskes may have taken the initiative on all these things, but our taxpayers deserve the credit. These things all cost money, and it seems no expenses have ever been spared in Public Works on projects, manpower or equipment.We’ve also been hearing about what an effective leader Huiskes has been for the city and the public works department.For whatever it’s worth, I have a couple of thoughts on this: oRetirements are great opportunities for new leadership. The department has plenty of long-time capable workers, and I look forward to seeing a new, positive leadership emerge.oSecond, change can be painful, but it often results in better outcomes. There are many who believe there will be a silver lining to the cloud surrounding Huiskes’ departure. The general public won’t read about it in a council meeting story, and it won’t be reflected in any public meeting minutes, but it’s fair to say City Hall won’t miss the deceitful behavior and negative attitude that tend to surround our current public works director.In the case of city morale, change will be nothing short of a breath of fresh air.If you don’t break the law, you don’t need to worry about deputy tacticsI was thrilled Tuesday when Tom Harms’ letter to the editor landed on my desk. It was exactly the sort of balance I’ve been hoping to see on our Opinion Page for the past two weeks.After the first letter we received on this topic two weeks ago, I was sure it would prompt a letter from someone who appreciates effective law enforcement. Instead, we got another letter to the editor agreeing with the first one that law enforcement shouldn’t "harass" citizens.As an editor, I appreciate all letters from all viewpoints shared for publication, but as a citizen, I was bothered by the message developing on the page. It seemed to suggest officers shouldn’t work so hard to catch the bad guys.On the contrary, there are plenty of law-abiding citizens who want our deputies to do what it takes, within parameters of the law, to get the bad guys.It’s pretty clear why we have DWI laws and why it’s important to arrest violators. If it’s "harassment" to wait on a street near a bar to arrest drunk drivers, then it’s time to question the intent of the law.If we want to arrest drunk drivers, our deputies should do just like the one in question is doing — hang out where the violations are happening.To the ones breaking the law, this may feel like harassment; to everyone else, it’s simply effective policing.

Thielbar Addition hearing set for Aug. 5NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGNOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Luverne Planning Commission that a public hearing will be held in the Council Chambers of City Hall, 203 East Main Street, Luverne, Minnesota, at 5:00 p.m. on August 5, 2003. The purpose of the hearing will be to receive public comment regarding the application and filing of a preliminary plat by Bart and Paula Thielbar relating to Lot 1, Block 1, in what will be known as Thielbar Addition to the City of Luverne, described as follows: Beginning at the Northwest corner of Lot 1 in Block 1 Juhl’s Addition to the City of Luverne Minnesota; Thence North 00 Degrees 41 Minutes 33 Seconds East (Geodetic Bearing) a distance of 531.80 feet to an iron stake; Thence South 48 Degrees 39 Minutes 26 Seconds East a distance of 362.48 feet to an iron stake; Thence continuing South 48 Degrees 39 Minutes 26 Seconds East a distance of 61.57 feet to an iron stake; Thence South 28 Degrees 21 Minutes 21 Seconds West a distance of 242.39 feet to an iron stake; Thence along a tangential curve, concave to the East, having a radius of 70.00 feet, a central angle of 27 Degrees 58 Minutes 04 Seconds a distance of 34.17 feet to an iron stake; Thence South 00 Degrees 46 Minutes 26 Seconds West a distance of 3.04 feet to an iron stake on the Northwest corner of Lot 1 Block 1; Thence South 89 Degrees 21 Minutes 42 Seconds West along the North line of Juhl’s Addition a distance of 59.97 feet to an iron stake; Thence continuing South 89 Degrees 14 Minutes 27 Seconds West along said North line a distance of 141.28 feet to said Point of Beginning.The plat dedicates street, utility, and drainage rights-of-way for perpetual public use. Any and all persons desiring to be heard on this matter should be present at the hearing or present their comments in writing prior to the hearing at the Building Official/Zoning Administrator’s office. Anyone needing reasonable accommodations or an interpreter should contact the City Clerk’s office, 203 East Main, Luverne, MN. (507) 449-2388. By order of the Planning Commission.MARIANNE PERKINSCITY CLERK(7-24)