Luverne’s circus will soon be hereAre you planning to attend Luverne’s circus?Tickets are now on sale for the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus, which will be here on Monday, June 30.There will be two shows for the circus, one at 5p.m. and the other at 7:30 p.m.The 1 1/2 hour performance features a variety of aerial acts, clowns, animals, and other circus features.A free feature of the circus will be at 9 a.m. Monday morning with the tent raising. At 10 a.m. there will be a free endangered species show.Tickets for the circus are now on sale at Glen’s Food Center, M&M, Minnwest Bank, First F&M Bank and First National Bank.Hills Poker Run and Car ShowIf you have a classic car you want to show off, Hills is the place for you this Saturday.The annual Hills Car Show will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hills City Park, with dash plaques awarded to the first 50 entries.The 15 classes include six truck and nine car divisions.Following the car show, the annual poker run will be held.Registration for the poker run will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the parking lot of Lewis Drug in Brandon, S.D. Stops on the poker run will include Rauk’s in Beaver Creek, Papik Motors and Sears in Luverne, Double Play in Lester, Iowa, and ending back on Main Street in Hills.Money raised from the events will go to local charities.Contact Mark at 962-3256 or Gary at 962-3749 for more information.Historical Society to hold barn dance fund-raiserThe Rock County Historical Society will have a fund-raiser with a barn dance at the barn they are raising the money for.The Century Farm Barn, currently located at the Rock County fairgrounds, was originally on the Maurice Fitzer farm, southwest of Luverne.The barn was recently moved to the Rock County fairgrounds to serve as a Historical Farm Museum, according to Betty Mann, President of the Rock County Historical Society.The barn dance will be on Saturday, June 14, with a 6:30 p.m. supper of hot dogs, barbeques, baked beans, chips and drinks, and the dance will be from 7 to 11 p.m.The Society has been in contact with a square dancing club from Sioux Falls, who might also perform at the event.Although there will be some picnic tables available, you are encouraged to bring your own lawn chairs.Immediately following the barn dance, the building will be cleaned out and converted to a historical farm museum.Guthrie tops list of state bonding billsAlthough the state is struggling though some difficult financial times, it did manage to pass a $231 million bonding bill before the special session ended last week.Here is a list of the top 10 biggest projects in the new bonding bill.Guthrie Theatre:$25 millionTranslational medical research center, U of M:$24.7 millionWastewater infrastructure, North Shore: $15 millionMnSCU land acquisition: $10 million:St. Cloud State Univ. centennial: $10 millionSouthwest State Univ. library: $9.2 millionU of M, Morris, social science renovation: $8.6 millionMinnesota State Univ., Mankato, athletic center: $8.4 millionU of M Jones Hall renovation: $48 millionRural business development infrastructure: $7.5 millionPublisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

Luverne’s circus will soon be hereAre you planning to attend Luverne’s circus?Tickets are now on sale for the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus, which will be here on Monday, June 30.There will be two shows for the circus, one at 5p.m. and the other at 7:30 p.m.The 1 1/2 hour performance features a variety of aerial acts, clowns, animals, and other circus features.A free feature of the circus will be at 9 a.m. Monday morning with the tent raising. At 10 a.m. there will be a free endangered species show.Tickets for the circus are now on sale at Glen’s Food Center, M&M, Minnwest Bank, First F&M Bank and First National Bank.Hills Poker Run and Car ShowIf you have a classic car you want to show off, Hills is the place for you this Saturday.The annual Hills Car Show will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hills City Park, with dash plaques awarded to the first 50 entries.The 15 classes include six truck and nine car divisions.Following the car show, the annual poker run will be held.Registration for the poker run will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the parking lot of Lewis Drug in Brandon, S.D. Stops on the poker run will include Rauk’s in Beaver Creek, Papik Motors and Sears in Luverne, Double Play in Lester, Iowa, and ending back on Main Street in Hills.Money raised from the events will go to local charities.Contact Mark at 962-3256 or Gary at 962-3749 for more information.Historical Society to hold barn dance fund-raiserThe Rock County Historical Society will have a fund-raiser with a barn dance at the barn they are raising the money for.The Century Farm Barn, currently located at the Rock County fairgrounds, was originally on the Maurice Fitzer farm, southwest of Luverne.The barn was recently moved to the Rock County fairgrounds to serve as a Historical Farm Museum, according to Betty Mann, President of the Rock County Historical Society.The barn dance will be on Saturday, June 14, with a 6:30 p.m. supper of hot dogs, barbeques, baked beans, chips and drinks, and the dance will be from 7 to 11 p.m.The Society has been in contact with a square dancing club from Sioux Falls, who might also perform at the event.Although there will be some picnic tables available, you are encouraged to bring your own lawn chairs.Immediately following the barn dance, the building will be cleaned out and converted to a historical farm museum.Guthrie tops list of state bonding billsAlthough the state is struggling though some difficult financial times, it did manage to pass a $231 million bonding bill before the special session ended last week.Here is a list of the top 10 biggest projects in the new bonding bill.Guthrie Theatre:$25 millionTranslational medical research center, U of M:$24.7 millionWastewater infrastructure, North Shore: $15 millionMnSCU land acquisition: $10 million:St. Cloud State Univ. centennial: $10 millionSouthwest State Univ. library: $9.2 millionU of M, Morris, social science renovation: $8.6 millionMinnesota State Univ., Mankato, athletic center: $8.4 millionU of M Jones Hall renovation: $48 millionRural business development infrastructure: $7.5 millionPublisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

By Sara StrongThe City of Luverne is forming a Comprehensive Plan Task Force that will work with consultants in writing the new plan.Luverne’s 10-year-old plan has gaps, inadequacies and outdated information that the city will change in about a year.Until the final changes are made, citizens have a chance to share their opinions with the Task Force. The Task Force will have 10 members, plus city staff. The members will include representatives from the public at large, City Council, Luverne Economic Development Authority, Chamber of Commerce and Planning Commission.Council members David Hauge and Pat Baustian are serving as Council representatives on the Task Force, which still has room for citizen representatives.Hauge said he hopes the entire process of the Comprehensive Plan is educational for the community. "I want people to understand that this plan will be the basis of all zoning in the city. … And when it’s done I hope decisions from the city follow the plan, because it hasn’t in the past," Hauge said.The process of redoing the Comprehensive Plan could take up to a year, and will start soon with public hearings.Hauge said he hopes that people speak their minds during the public hearings even if they don’t want to be a part of the Task Force.In other business Tuesday, the council:oLearned that it has all the applications for the city administrator job. The city received 41 by the application deadline.The finalists from the application pool will be interviewed in July.oDecided to reopen bids for selling the Britz house, which will be moved from the southeast corner of Highway 75 and Main Street.oTabled a vote that would allow alcohol to be served until 2 a.m. in the city. The Council will discuss it with the county, and the later closing’s possible impact on Rock County Law Enforcement.oAdopted a resolution that adds a new section to the personnel policy prohibiting city employees from carrying a firearm while on duty for the city. The resolution is in response to the new Conceal and Carry law that makes obtaining a concealed handgun permit easier.

Sherry Zheng and Michael Chen chop cabbage in the kitchen of the China Inn, Luverne. The married couple works long hours to keep the small business afloat and hope they will be able to hire extra help so Zheng can pursue an accounting degree.By Sara StrongWith Luverne’s population about as white as it gets, one local minority family feels quite at home adding rice to the community breadbasket, so to speak.Members of the Chinese family running the China Inn have been here for four years, but they hope Luverne can be their permanent home."We want to stay here forever, if the business is good," said Sherry Zheng, wife of China Inn owner Michael Chen.Zheng said she would like to stop renting and buy a home, and that’s more possible here in Luverne than in New York City, where Zheng lived for two years before coming to Minnesota. She graduated from high school in New York City and then came with her husband, who wanted to own a restaurant."We wanted to come here because there was no Chinese restaurant and we thought people might want to eat Chinese food," she said.Zheng, 23, works mostly in the kitchen, but helps out as needed when Dezhuang Zheng works out front. Dezhuang is a senior at Luverne High School and has plans to go to college. She is Zheng’g cousin."I wish my English was better," Zheng said. "Dezhuang speaks better."The Minnesota accent that some find funny, actually makes Zheng’s study of the language easier.She said, "People here talk slower than in the big city, so I understand it better."Zheng said there’s other parts of life in Rock County that she enjoys. "When you went out into the street, there was too much traffic. I like it here. … We wanted to have a restaurant because of security and the people seem so nice."Because of the long hours she puts in at the family business, Zheng doesn’t have much time to mingle with the locals."I don’t go out a lot, but I like to talk to the customers. That’s what people do here is talk to strangers and say ‘Hi, how are you?’ But it’s also very quiet and innocent," Zheng said.She said it’s interesting to be the only Chinese family she knows. She’s used to being one of many in her home country or a big city."People are nice; they don’t make me feel uncomfortable," she said.She’s gotten to know enough customers now, that they’ve felt bold enough to suggest menu changes, maybe try introducing some of the things that she’d eat at home with her family instead of the usual buffet fare."Some customers try new things and say they like it a lot. They say to have a new special like once a month or something."Because of that, the China Inn may expand the menu. Any changes or temporary specials will be posted on the board near the entry. The China Inn hasn’t been in the phone book until this year, but it sent out mass mailings of menus to Luverne residents. For those who don’t have the number, the China Inn is at 283-0062, located next to Sharkee’s on Highway 75.

By Lori EhdeRep. Doug Magnus (R-Slayton) appeared in Rock County District Court Monday on charges that he violated Minnesota’s Unfair Campaign Practices Act during last fall’s elections.Magnus, through his attorney, Bill Wetering, Worthington, asked that Judge Timothy Connell dismiss the charges for several reasons.In the first place, Wetering argued, Magnus didn’t violate the spirit and intent of the law. "Out of fairness, this matter should be dismissed as being outside the scope of the law," Wetering said.The charges stem from a postcard Magnus mailed on or about Nov. 2, 2002, just prior to the general elections, in which Magnus defeated DFL incumbent Ted Winter for a seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives.The postcard contained general information about Magnus and encouraged voters to support him in the upcoming election. It failed, however, to say who sent and paid for the solicitation, as is required by state law.The law is essentially designed to prevent candidates from publishing unfair information about their opponents under the guise of anonymity.Wetering argued in court Monday that the literature was about Magnus and was clearly sent by Magnus, even if it didn’t have the disclaimer.In that same vein, he said the material qualifies for an exemption the law allows for personal mail. Since the post cards contained information about Magnus and were sent first-class — not bulk-rate — "it could fall within that definition of personal mail," Wetering said.Finally, Wetering told Judge Connell that charges filed against Magnus should be dismissed because they were politically motivated.Four identical letters, signed by separate individuals in each of the four southwest Minnesota counties Magnus represents, were sent simultaneously to each respective county attorney office.Wetering said the four county attorneys should have considered the source of the complaint before deciding to prosecute. "We wish more discretion could have been given to this," Wetering said.Rock County Attorney Don Klosterbuer, who is prosecuting the case for District 22A, said it’s not unusual for complaints to arise during campaigns, but they’re usually dropped after elections.This one, he said, showed sufficient evidence to indicate a violation of the law, albeit a technical violation, and that’s why he and the three other county attorneys decided to prosecute."I’ve been in this business for only 27 years, but I’ve always been under the impression that dismissals were based on facts or law, not on the motivating factors of the people bringing the charges," he said.Klosterbuer said arguing for dismissal on grounds that the charges were politically motivated, is "embarrassing on the part of the defense."He said the law defines boundaries for political campaigns, and any violations will naturally be pointed out by opposing candidates."Who’s going to make these complaints that aren’t politically motivated?" he said. "These are always filed by people who have political differences of opinion."He said, judging by the previous mailings Magnus sent that year, he knew the requirements of the law, and this mailing in question clearly didn’t meet those parameters."The fact of the matter is the mailing clearly didn’t contain what the statute requires," Klosterbuer said.Connell said he’d take the matter under advisement and rule on it at a later date.The maximum penalty for the charge is a $1,000 fine, 90 days in jail or both.

By Sara StrongLuverne Economic Development Authority Director Dan Statema is preparing a plan for using Border City Legislation. That’s the special legislation Luverne got through the state in 2001, but hasn’t yet used. In the same line, the JOBZ (Job Opportunity Building Zones) bill was passed this legislative session, and could be another tool for Luverne economics. With JOBZ, any area of the state is eligible to apply for business tax breaks by the October deadline."I’m going to work on the Border City Development Plan to follow through after all the work the city put into it," Statema told the LEDA.Luverne will be a part of a regional application for the JOB zone.Border City Legislation allows for up to $175,000 in state sales tax exemptions for new or expanding businesses. The businesses must fall within three possible designated development zones. Businesses in the zones could also be eligible for state funds in the areas of payroll credit, property tax exemption, income tax credit and corporate franchise tax credit.Statema’s plan will designate those zones which could use the development. Then the LEDA will use Statema’s plan as a starting place, and will make the final decision.For JOB zones, the Department of Trade and Economic Development in August will finalize requirements for applying to be designated as a zone.The state will allow up to 10 JOB zones with a maximum size of 5,000 acres (about 7.8 square miles) each in greater Minnesota. In addition, JOBZ could provide up to five agriculture-processing zones. Businesses in the zones would be exempt from paying property, state income, sales and corporate taxes for up to 12 years.

By Sara StrongLuverne Economic Development Authority voted to delay the $40,000 payment due from Corn-er Stone for one more year. Corn-er Stone is in the process of developing a new business that will process soybeans in Luverne. The loan will be repaid a year from now.David Kolsrud represented Corn-er Stone Co-op at the meeting Tuesday. Blue Mound Soy is a branch of Corn-er Stone co-op and intends to build a cold-process soybean plant in Luverne. It would extract oil and soy meal from soybeans.He said, "The work we’ve done here has made a difference." Luverne’s reputation as a leader in renewable energy is strong, Kolsrud said. Groups from across the country, and from foreign countries, regularly tour the ethanol plant and ask about wind energy. The "farmer owned" concept is intriguing to many outsiders, Kolsrud said, and makes the local renewable energy efforts stand out.The soybean processing that’s planned for Luverne is unique because of its method. Currently, chemicals and heat are used to extract oil and make flour from the beans, but a newly-patented cold process can achieve the same results at room temperature.LEDA member Bob Latham said, "Let’s keep moving forward so you can get it built."In other business Tuesday, the LEDA:oGot an update on the status of Netbriefings. The webcasting and consulting firm had a better financial report this month than it had recently. Its loan payments to the LEDA start in November, and its interest rates increase with no local employees.The LEDA loaned the company $250,000 in November 2001. Statema said he’s particularly interested in the amount of webcasting the company does, because that work could be done from Luverne, where most consulting jobs would probably be based out of the Twin Cities.oDiscussed the application sent to the state to designate Luverne as an "E-commerce Certification" community. The label will be an extra selling point for the community, comparable to the few of Minnesota towns called "Star Cities."

By Jolene FarleyAshley Mortimer, Steen, was featured as a Miracle Kid, by the Children’s Miracle Network on Saturday, May 31, and Sunday, June 1, television broadcast.Mortimer, daughter of Don and Danell Mortimer, was featured along with 11 other children from the region.She has life-threatening asthma and her association with the organization began in seventh grade when she attended her first Camp Foster Asthma Camp, Okoboji, Iowa. Asthma has affected Mortimer’s life in several ways. She takes six medications twice a day and must have nebulizer treatments every four hours to help the medications penetrate her lungs. She can’t participate in sports and is hospitalized three or four times a year. She’s also had surgery to decrease heartburn symptoms that seemed to trigger asthma attacks. The Children’s Miracle Network has helped pay for some of Mortimer’s medical equipment and other expenses, according to Mortimer. "They raise money for kids with problems," she said. "It helps pay if they need surgeries or helps pay for medical equipment." Mortimer said the other Miracle Kids featured in the broadcast had asthma, cancer, liver disease or cystic fibrosis.As a Miracle Child, Mortimer was interviewed by KELO television and helped answer phones. This year the Children’s Miracle Network broadcast raised $584,000, up from a record $511,000 last year. Dollars raised stay in the local area and are used for family assistance, medical equipment essential to the treatment of children and other services such as social work and child life. Mortimer has three siblings, Michael, 16, Amanda, 14, and Matt, 13.

By Jolene FarleyJolene Brackey, nationally acclaimed speaker on Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia, will visit the Tuff Village at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 18, to present a workshop."My passion is to share my enthusiasm and knowledge with others," Brackey said on her Web site. "We can create many moments of joy for people with dementia." Brackey became an activity director for a Special Care Alzheimer’s Unit and began writing down ideas that created positive outcomes in patients. She attended many educational conferences, set up three Alzheimer‘s units and presented educational seminars. From her experiences, she established her business Enhanced Moments. Through Enhanced Moments she creates memory-enhanced environments, trains staff on how to create positive outcomes, sets up memory-enhanced programs and empowers care providers and families with helpful tools. When people have short-term memory loss, their lives are made up of moments, according to Brackey. Participants of the workshop will learn techniques to help deal with a patient or loved ones’ memory loss and find the treasures that each individual holds. Everyone is invited to attend Brackey’s workshop, sponsored by the Tuff Memorial Home and the Tuff Village.