By Jolene FarleyHills-Beaver Creek Elementary students and their families are doing their part to support American troops in Iraq.Students collected enough goods to fill 17 boxes to send to American troops. "Our students were interested and concerned about what was happening in Iraq," third-grade teacher Michele Baker said. "We talked about different ways that they could make a difference," she said. "They decided to write letters to the soldiers and provide them with items they couldn’t get," she said. "Each student wrote letters to Dear Friend or Dear Soldier," said Baker.A request for items was sent home with students about three weeks ago. Baby wipes, Chap Stick, hard candy, pens, paper cookies and chips in hard containers are items on the troop wish list.The response was overwhelming, according to Baker. One student went shopping with her family and each family member chose an item to send to Iraq. The student used her own money to purchase the items. The care packages will be sent to Baker’s cousin, U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Ben Siegfried, for distribution to the men in his battalion. He is stationed at An Nasiriyah, Iraq, near Baghdad with a battalion of combat engineers who build bridges and take care of mines. He was stationed at Camp Lejeune, Jacksonville, North Carolina, before leaving for Iraq in mid-January. The only contact his family has had with him is through the mail, which takes almost two weeks to reach its destination. The family hasn’t received a letter since March 21.Baker said her cousin has been advised the packages are coming in letters sent by relatives, but she hasn’t received a response back yet. In previous letters to his family, Siegfried wrote about local people that cook and do laundry for the soldiers. He mentioned it is stressful because soldiers aren’t certain if they are friends or enemies.He also mentioned witnessing huge explosions near Baghdad. It really made him realize how big and serious the war effort is, according to Baker. "He made the comment, ‘This is definitely war,’" she said. Siegfried will remain in Iraq indefinitely as a peacekeeper, according to Baker.

By Sara StrongRock County is facing the same problems as the city of Luverne — having to plan for cuts while waiting for exact figures.With the state’s estimated $4.8 billion budget shortfall, government in the state of Minnesota will be much different from what everyone’s known.In Rock County, about 75 percent of the spending is state mandated programs. The county is anticipating a loss of $1.5 million, and the cuts will have to come out of the non-mandated budget items, which only make up about 25 percent of the budget.Rock County Administrator Kyle Oldre said the county has already done what it can to stop spending. The Highway Department, Auditor’s Office, Extension Office and Family Services all have unfilled positions.The side of spending cuts that most people watch is how it will affect their personal budgets. The state will probably keep property tax levy limits in place so tax increases won’t be a major worry. However, heftier fees could make county services more expensive than before.Assessor Office and landfill tipping fees are two examples of costs the county can pass on to individuals and a major user, the city of Luverne.Oldre said the process is frustrating for government officials, who want to work together. "All we’re doing is squeezing an already tight government body." Luverne Council members have already said they will consider examining options within their revenue funds, in which the city can charge residents outside of their taxes.Rock County has started program evaluations, similar to what the department leaders in the city of Luverne are doing.Family Services Director Randy Ehlers, for example, has gone through his agency budget, separating mandated costs from non-mandated. From there, he’s highlighted which services of the non-mandated the county would preferably keep.He highlighted child support enforcement, sex offender commitments, long term care consultation, accounting and staff training as essential functions within Family Services.Other department heads are making similar outlines, and the Rock County Board of Commissioners will make the final budget decisions.The County Budget Committee is Oldre, Auditor-Treasurer Gloria Rolfs, Commissioner Bob Jarchow and Commissioner Ron Boyenga. The county will start the 2004 budget in June and July, based on what comes down from the state.

By Sara StrongThe City of Luverne is stuck in a difficult spot. It’s trying to make budget cuts, while it doesn’t even know how much to cut yet. Add that to a budget that’s laden with required spending, and the council has a problem difficult for any math genius to solve.So far, city department heads compiled options for reduced spending — up to $188,340 — but the Council has yet to do much more than look at the numbers.The budget cuts are largely because of lost money from the state, which is having its own legendary shortfall of about $4.8 billion.The importance of state aid to the city is clear: for 2003, Luverne taxpayers paid just $534,818 of the total governmental budget of $3,537,615.Luverne City Council members won’t know what their share of state aid reductions amounts to until after the legislative session, which is at least a month away. Some estimates have the city reducing its budget by about $200,000, but not knowing makes the process more difficult. Mayor Glen Gust said to the city department leaders, "Maybe with your advice, we can make a decision that’s not going to be too painful for everyone."Other than just making cuts, the city is also considering other revenue sources — from franchise fees collected from gas companies to increased utility fees for customers.Another issue the Council has to face, is that deferring spending this year doesn’t mean that money won’t have to be spent later. Street projects, for example, can be delayed, but eventually have to be handled. The city also sets aside money for future projects before they are needed. The city of Luverne has budgeted $6,000 annually for playground equipment in the past. When equipment fails, the money is waiting to be spent, but delaying funds toward a future project only means a bigger bill when it comes time to replace equipment.Some ideas for cuts(Numbers reflect totals in the budget for an item. These were submitted to the Council for consideration before it discussed possible cuts.)o$3,000 savings — Minimize use of part-time help when the Building Official is on vacation or out for other reasons. Also, the official could limit the number of seminars for continuing education. o$3,650 savings — Eliminate insect control program.o$60,000 savings — Defer seal coating on city streets in 2003. o$1,000 savings — Eliminate grounds maintenance of Public Works facilities.o$3,800 savings — Eliminate part-time street employees who do mowing, paint buildings and sign posts and open parks.o$700 savings — Eliminate uniforms for Public Works people working on the streets.o$1,300 savings — Reduce travel and training in Public Works.o$1,000 savings — Eliminate advertising in Public Works. o$500 savings — Eliminate dues and subscriptions for Public Works department.o$10,000 savings — Reduce wages and benefits.o$7,000 savings — Eliminate Community Education funding.o$11,000 savings — Eliminate in-line skating subsidy.o$8,000 savings — Eliminate half management fee for winter recreation.o$16,750 savings — eliminate part-time park help, eliminate flower pots, eliminate playground equipment set aside, reduce grounds maintenance and eliminate parks uniforms.o$5,540 savings — Reduce forestry grounds maintenance, eliminate part-time forestry help, close tree dump.o$3,000 savings — Cut everything but the chemicals for the "river and creek dredging" budget item. This is preventative maintenance for the dam.o$9,500 savings — Eliminate half the Chamber of Commerce subsidy.o$15,000 savings — Eliminate Technology and Telecommunications funding ($10,000) and Southwest Minnesota Foundation contribution ($5,000).o$15,000 savings — Stop paying half of maintenance costs on sidewalks. Property owners would be responsible for repairs.It’s already spentCouncil members discussed the fairness of cutting funds in some areas for this year. Community Education, for example, plans classes based on the funds it was told were coming. The Chamber of Commerce and the summer in-line skate programs also fall under that principle, and the Council doubted it would remove those funds from this year’s budget. Programs and costs that aren’t essential functions of the city will be looked at with a sharper eye as the budgets for 2004 and 2005 are finalized.UtilitiesUtilities Coordinator Red Arndt said his budget has little room for cuts. There are fewer linemen working for the city than the city employed years ago, and much of the budget is capital expenses on the utilities infrastructure."Our costs are mostly maintenance and capital costs," he said.Arndt estimated that with the new hospital and clinic expansion planned, the utilities budget will require more money, not less. A new water tower is just a part of what a facility that size will require.Councilman Pat Baustian asked Arndt to consider cutting uniform expenses like the Public Works Department proposed. Arndt said the city utility crews should be identifiable because they often work on residents’ properties, to check meters or do electric work for instance.Public WorksMosquito spraying is just $3,600 of the budget, but could be cut.Public Works Director Darrell Huiskes said, "With the West Nile virus, it’s kind of hard to say we should quit it."In fact, after a class on insect control, Huiskes said the city should consider spending a couple thousand dollars more to kill mosquitoes before their larvae hatch in water."We obviously don’t want to spend a lot of money, but it’s also a public health issue," Huiskes said.Other departmental savings could be: delaying new equipment purchases and not sweeping and removing snow at the airport.Huiskes also said, "You can save the $60,000 by not doing the seal coating this year. The seal coat really is the life of a road, but, for one year, we could go without."LibraryThe city of Luverne and Rock County share the costs of Rock County Community Library, as they do law enforcement and the Rock County Pool and Fitness Center.Librarian Glenda Bremer said the library could save $12,600 by closing Sundays; reducing book, audio visual and periodical purchases; and reducing supply purchases, building maintenance expenses and contractual services.Bremer said the library is closed Sundays in the summer anyway, so to save money, it would not reopen Sundays in the fall. The hours on Sunday had been 2 to 4 p.m.The Council will continue making budget-cutting decisions this year, as it plans for the 2004 budget.

By Lori EhdeLuverne’s Gregory Stratton was ordered to serve nearly five years in prison when he appeared before Judge Timothy Connell in a sentence hearing Tuesday in Rock County District Court.Stratton, 18, was found guilty of second degree controlled substance crime after he was caught on video tape selling methamphetamines to an undercover officer last fall.He was one of four others arrested just before Thanksgiving when a two-month investigation involving the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension wrapped up.Specifically, Stratton was charged with selling a total of 21 grams of meth on Nov. 2 and Nov. 5 in video-taped exchanges in a local hotel room.He was arrested Nov. 26 along with 40-year-old Gregory Wade, 36-year-old Tony Tate, 48-year-old Oliver Crawford and 18-year-old Noi Chitmany. Dustin Kruger, 19, was arrested Nov. 28, for a lesser, but related drug charge.According to Assistant County Attorney Terry Vajgrt, the arrests have made a noticeable difference in the local meth market."I think law enforcement took out some of the most significant dealers in town," he said Tuesday. "But obviously there are others and more will replace them."Rock County Investigator Jeff Wieneke said the absence of these drug dealers has had a positive impact on the community."So far, we can tell it’s made a difference. There have been others, and we’ve been making more arrests, but the break-ins and everything has gone down," Wieneke said."The word we get on the street is that the amount of drugs coming into Luverne has decreased."According to the sentence order filed Tuesday in Rock County District Court, Stratton has to serve 38 2/3 months of his 58 month sentence in prison. The remaining 19 1/3 months of the sentence can be served on supervised release.He had to pay a $50 criminal assessment (to be taken from prison earnings) and provide a DNA sample.He was also ordered to make restitution in the amount of $1,860, also to be paid from prison earnings.He went immediately to St. Cloud State Penitentiary after his Tuesday sentencing.So far, Stratton is the second in the group to be sentenced.Chitmany, who was 17 when she was arrested, was sentenced April 7 through the "extended juvenile jurisdiction." If she completes her juvenile sentence and doesn’t violate any probation orders, she will have satisfied the conditions of her sentence. If she doesn’t, she will be treated as an adult and ordered to serve 48 months in prison.Wade is scheduled to appear Monday, April 28, for a combined plea and sentence hearing. He is currently in custody of the Nobles County Jail, Worthington. His bail was set at $50,000.Tate appeared for a pre-trial conference Wednesday. His two-day jury trial is set for April 30 and May 1. He remains in custody of the Nobles County Jail. His bail was set at $35,000.Kruger, who was charged with aiding and abetting a controlled substance crime, (for driving Stratton to and from what he knew to be a drug deal) is scheduled to appear in Rock County District Court May 5 for a combined plea and sentence hearing.Crawford has not yet been scheduled for a hearing. He is already in prison serving time for his role in the Dec. 21, 2001, Harvey’s Trading Post burglary.

By Sara StrongA professional search company still estimates a September start date for a new Luverne City Administrator.James and Pam Brimeyer of The Brimeyer Group made rounds in the city last week, surveying various people to help them compile a job profile.Brimeyer Group is a Hopkins business that specializes in public-sector employee searches. Company president James Brimeyer has 20 years experience as a city manager and is a current city council member.The city doesn’t have to make a hiring decision from the group of candidates Brimeyer brings to Luverne if it can’t agree on a suitable candidate. But the expectation is that the position will be filled in the first round.James Brimeyer said, "This is a nice town. It is a progressive community for a rural, out-state community."The council members are hoping that positive aspects of the community will draw qualified candidates.Even though the salary, somewhere in the $70,000 range, is higher than Luverne’s average income, finding a politically savvy candidate with experience and education can pose a challenge. Mayor Glen Gust said the pay offered is suitable to draw qualified people to the position, and he said he looks forward to hiring a permanent administrator."I think the process will go great," Gust said. "We’re looking for a positive, optimistic person who’s very community-minded."The profile from Brimeyer will include community information, some pictures and a detailed job description.Once finished, the profile is sent to a couple hundred interested candidates, who are then reviewed. From there, finalists will be chosen by the Brimeyer Group and they will be interviewed by the Luverne City Council.Those final interviews are tentatively scheduled for the beginning of August. The Council makes the final hiring decision; Brimeyer just serves as a facilitator. During their time in Luverne, the Brimeyers surveyed the mayor and City Council members, business leaders, hospital administration and school and county officials.They were asked to describe who would make a good city administrator: how much professional experience, what education level and what personal skills an applicant should have coming into the job.The Luverne City Council will approve a final version of the administrator position profile at its April 22 meeting.

By Lori EhdeA Rock County resident made a valuable find this week when he picked up a tire along the road and brought it to a service station to see if it was repairable. The value of the tire and rim soon became insignificant when repairmen found 10 cans of marijuana packed inside the rubber.Each professionally sealed can contained roughly a pound of tightly packed marijuana.According to Rock County Sheriff Mike Winkels, the street value of the pot, depending on its quality, ranges from $700 to $2,000 per pound."And this is some pretty high-test stuff," he said Wednesday morning after the cans were turned in to law enforcement.That said, the contents of the found tire could be worth up to $20,000 on the street.Winkels said canned marijuana like this typically comes from Mexico. "We haven’t seen cans in this area (the four-state area) in over two years," he said."We’ve never seen it in Rock County."When asked about the local drug market, Winkels said the Thanksgiving arrests last fall (see related story) helped for a while."It stopped for a period of time, but with supply and demand … if there’s a demand, there’s going to be a supply," Winkels said.The cans will be dusted for fingerprints and then sent to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension crime lab in St. Paul.There are currently no suspects in custody, but Winkels said the Sheriff’s Department, as always, welcomes tips on this case or any case.The non-emergency phone number is 283-5000.

We’re having cake in the office today to celebrate my 10th anniversary here as editor of the Star Herald.Ten years. Amazing! What’s more amazing is now, after 10 years, 10 years doesn’t really seem that long.Actually, a decade, by this town’s standards, is like an extended internship. I’ve lost count of how many retirement stories I’ve done on people who have worked 30 or 40 years in the same place. But, it’s my anniversary, and I’m buying the cake, so the date will be noted.When I started at the Star Herald in April 1993, Charlie Braa was still running the County Auditor’s Office — and the County Board, too, from what I could tell.Kenneth native Kyle Oldre was hired as the county personnel director and Dr. Diane Kennedy had just started at the Medical Center.The Veterans Home had just opened, and the Evergreen additions were still only part of the city’s long-range plan.Norm Miller was the school superintendent and Ed Salzer was principal of Luverne’s elementary school, which was still located on the cement pad in the middle of town.Betty Mann had just retired from 25 years of teaching kindergarten, and elementary students still attended classes in the Magnolia school.Arne Carlson was still governor and Andy Steensma was still representing us in the State Capitol.I came to this paper after writing for the U of M’s campus daily, and at the Worthington Daily Globe.I often think about the reactions of my college friends when I told them I took a job in my hometown. "A weekly?!" they said. "Nothing ever happens in those sleepy little towns."In my first few months on the job, I covered Rock County’s 100-year flood, a tornado and a drowning (15-year-old Jesse Saum in the City Park). … Pretty important stories for such a sleepy little town.More important than the news I’ve covered, I’d like to think I’ve learned a thing or two after 10 years on the job.I’ve learned, no matter how hard I try, I’ll never put out a perfect paper. Somehow, some way, a sneaky typo finds its way into every edition, and the mistake is repeated in every 3,000 copies printed. If nothing else, this is a very humbling job. I’ve also learned, as most people do in 10 years, that things are rarely as they appear. If this job has taught me anything, it’s that we’re all human, and everybody hurts. I don’t care who they are. But how they respond to their hardships is what sets apart the people of integrity from the rest.Believe me, there are some truly great people in this community — in both the public and private sector.In the name of journalism I’ve had rare opportunities to get close to people and families in this community I may have never otherwise known.I consider it a privilege, and even if I’m here 10 more years, I won’t take it for granted.Thank you, readers, for 10 wonderful, newsy years.It’s not that long, but it’s a great reason to eat cake!

‘Luverne Bodyworks’ has new owner and new nameSuzy Lewison has purchased "Luverne Bodyworks" from Amanda Rouzer. The new business name will be "4 Seasons Massage."Lewison is a graduate of National American University in Sioux Falls, S.D., with a two-year degree in massage therapy.The business location, 109 S. Freeman, and the phone number, 507-449-5811 have not changed.Planning for TV-Turnoff WeekIf you can’t watch TV, what are you supposed to do?According to the Turn-Off TV Week on April 21-27, you should take the opportunity to read, converse, think, create and do.During Turn-Off TV Week, thousands of schools, libraries and community groups nationwide will be coordinating their efforts to convince Americans to turn off their TV sets for seven days, and turn on life.Americans spend 1,023 hours in front of a TV, compared to 900 hours in school.According to their Web site, www.tvturnoff.org, there are more than 17,500 organizations worldwide, which include more than 6.4 million people.According to Marie Atkinson-Smeins, elementary school counselor, "Three hours of TV watching a day is simply unhealthy for our children, families and communities."TV Turnoff Week is coordinated by TV-Turnoff Network, a national nonprofit organization that encourages adults and children to watch less television in order to promote healthier lives and communities.If want to know more, you can go to their Web site at www.tvturnoff.org.It could be a bad year for Lyme diseaseLast year’s record Lyme disease season has prompted health officials to put out strong warnings to guard against tick bites this year.In Minnesota, 867 people developed Lyme disease, which is an 88% increase over 2001 totals. Wisconsin was up 39%.Some of the problems caused by Lyme disease include heart damage, neurological problems and arthritis.To avoid exposure to deer ticks, the most common carrier of the disease, you should avoid brushy areas, wear long sleeves and pants and apply tick repellent that contains DEET.Along with the rapid increase of Lyme disease, HGE (human granulocytic ehrlichiosis) also took a significant jump.HGE, which is also spread by deer ticks, rose 61% from the previous year.Deer ticks generally become active as soon as the snow melts. Once a tick is on a person, it must feed for 24 hours or more to transmit the bacteria that causes Lyme disease or HGE.Deer ticks are generally about the size of a sesame seed, but the deer tick nymphs, adolescent deer ticks, can be the size of the period at the end of this sentence.Nymphs can also transmit the disease, but are often overlooked because of their size.Parents should be particularly vigilant about checking out their kids. About a third of Minnesota’s Lyme cases are in children.The circus is coming to townThe Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce announced last week that the Culpepper-Merriweather Circus would again be coming to Luverne.The circus will set up tents at the Rock County Fairgrounds, on Monday, June 30.The event is used as a fund-raiser for the Chamber of Commerce.More information on the circus will be announced later.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne tennis team opened the 2003 campaign by splitting a pair of Southwest Conference matches on the road.Luverne fell by five points in Pipestone Thursday before winning by five points in Worthington Tuesday.The 1-1 Cardinals host Yellow Medicine East Tuesday.Luverne 6,Worthington 1The Cardinals handled the challenge offered by windy conditions while besting the Trojans by five points in Worthington Tuesday.Luverne was able to sweep a young Trojan team in singles play and went 2-1 in doubles during the victory."The kids played pretty well in the wind," said LHS coach Greg Antoine. "The wind affected a lot of shots, but the kids overcame it and played pretty well.’Cardinal singles players won in straight sets as Dusty Antoine handed Nate Peterson a pair of 6-2 setbacks at No. 1, Patrick Bennett posted 6-0 wins over Quenten Dudley at No. 2, Kyle Fletcher saddled Jaime Kass with a pair of 6-1 setbacks at No. 3 and David Nelson recorded a 6-0, 6-1 win over John Shepherd at No. 4.Luverne’s Steven Althoff and Chris Vickery notched a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Cody Neyens and Jordan Willemssen at No. 1 doubles. Cardinals John Kreuch and Derek Boeve prevailed by 6-1 and 6-2 scores over Derek Ahlberg and Kale Calvin at No. 2.Worthington’s No. 3 doubles team of Tim Miller and Jason Johnson handed Trevor Maine and Jamison Tooley a pair of 6-2 losses to account for the host’s lone team point of the match.Pipestone 6, Luverne 1The Cardinals took on SWC favorite Pipestone to open the season Thursday in Pipestone.The defending league champion Arrows showed they will be a force to contend with after saddling the Cards with a five-point setback.Pipestone swept the three doubles matches from LHS and went 3-1 in singles.Luverne’s win came at No. 4 singles, where Boeve played his first varsity match. Boeve handed Daniel Armijes 7-5 and 6-0 setbacks.Pipestone’s Florian Brahnkamp topped Dusty Antoine by 6-1 and 6-2 tallies at No. 1 singles, Mike Janssen won a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 match over Bennett at No. 2, and Damian Weets posted 6-0 and 6-2 victories over Fletcher at No. 3.The Arrows won the doubles matches in straight sets.Scott Vander Poel and Patrick Wieme handed Althoff and Vickery a pair of 6-0 losses at No. 1, Casey Carmody and Paul Williamson downed Kreuch and Nelson by 6-3 and 6-4 scores at No. 2, and Aaron Prunty and Dave Janssen saddled Daniel Amborn and Tooley with a pair of 6-0 setbacks in their varsity tennis debut at No. 3.Cardinal coach Greg Antoine said more practice time and better serving should help Luverne’s fortunes in the future."It looked like we hadn’t practiced in a while, and we didn’t because of the cold and snow. We did some nice things, but there still are some things we need to work on like getting our first serves in," he said.