New Vision Co-Op will expand its grain storage and handling capabilities with an additional grain bin and building structure at its Magnolia feed mill facility this year.
Cost of the expansion is estimated at $2.35 million.
Rock County Commissioners approved a 10-year property tax abatement resolution at their March 22 meeting in a vote of 4-1.
Total amount of the step-down abatement is $74,095 and only includes the county’s portion of the property tax.
Commissioner Stan Williamson cast the dissenting vote.
He looked back at the previous abatement where he cast the deciding vote to approve a 10-year tax abatement for the fertilizer building and grain bin expansion at the Hills location in 2016. Estimated value was $1.2 million.
“There was a vote of 3-2. Commissioners (Ken) Hoime and (Ron) Boyenga voted against it. Three of us voted for it,” Williamson said. “Today — and I think I told you before on other abatements, that 10 years is too long. I can’t do 10 years. I agree, I think my vote was wrong that day when we went 10 years.”
The 2016 abatement was for $5,222 annually for 10 years. Martin Township approved a five-year agreement.
The abatement for the Magnolia expansion is a step-down agreement in which the percentage starts at 100 percent then steps down after five years.
For years one through five, the abatement would be 100 percent of the new construction or $10,585 per year. Year six would decrease to 80 percent ($8,486), year seven to 60 percent ($6,351), year eight to 40 percent ($4,234) and year nine at 20 percent ($2,117).
No one from the public or New Vision Co-Op attended the abatement hearing.
The additional grain bin, located on the east side of the existing facility, will expand the Magnolia Township facility by 1.5 million bushels and allow the facility to load two semitrailer trucks at once.
The 90- by 200-foot building structure will be located next to the existing truck storage facility.
The expansion will add another truck driver and mechanic to the location.
New Vision built the new $16 million feed mill in 2011. Commissioners granted a five-year, $18,900 annual abatement in 2011 that has since expired.
Co-op officials at that time indicated they would need 13 full-time employees at the new facility. They have hired double the amount.
County Administrator Kyle Oldre said none of the neighbors to the feed mill have voiced any opposition to the current expansion plans.
According to the 2021 property tax statement, New Vision pays $137,289 in taxes at the Magnolia facility. The county’s portion is $34,285.

A committee is currently organizing to select the first honored alumni to the Luverne Public School’s Alumni Hall of Fame.
School Board member Tim Jarchow and Superintendent Craig Oftedahl will serve on the nine-member committee.
Oftedahl said the seven other members represent various decades of graduation years. Their familiarity with nominees will assist in the selection process.
Teacher Jason Berghorst and retired teachers Gregg Gropel, Elmer Menage and Jeanne Bowron will serve on the committee along with Luverne graduates Curt Laudon and Emily Crabtree.
Their job is to select who will be inducted into the LPS Alumni Hall of Fame on an annual basis. The first induction will be during Homecoming Week 2023.
The committee will also make financial decisions on costs such as engraving of the names on the black granite wall of the Alumni Garden being built this spring near the school’s east entrance.
Terms of the committee members are for five years.
Nominations to the 2023 Hall of Fame open Feb. 1, 2023.
Nomination forms will be available on the district’s website, www.isd2184.net, or from the district office.
Purpose of the LPS Alumni Hall of Fame is to recognize former students and alumni who have distinguished themselves on a local, regional, state, national or international level.
Individuals selected will have shown excellence in their profession; exceptional service, volunteerism and/or contributions to society; excellence in their personal endeavors; and/or contributions to education.
Individuals must exhibit qualities of character and action to be outstanding role models for current students supporting District 2184’s vision: Learn, live, lead.
Nominees must have attended Luverne Public Schools for a minimum of eight years or graduated from Luverne High School and must be out of school for at least 10 years.
Posthumous nominations are accepted.

Luverne School Board members approved two new elementary basketball courts at their monthly meeting Thursday night, March 24.
The cost is $62,050 for the concrete work, line painting, five basketball hoops, pickleball net and tetherball equipment.
Payment will be with funds available to the district through federal ESSER pandemic funds (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief). 
One basketball court will be located on the north side of the elementary school and one on the south side.
Currently, basketball hoops are located on the southeast side of the building, using a portion of the existing parking lot as the court.
“The new courts will get the kids off the parking lot and away from the cars,” said district business manager Tyler Reisch.
The courts will not be regulation-sized but will allow snow removal access by maintenance staff and not interfere with the cross country course located behind the school.
 
In other business, board members:
•approved replacing the elementary school’s boiler system at a cost of $262,250, as bid by Bisbee Plumbing and Heating of Marshall. It will be paid for through the district’s long-term facility maintenance fund.
•accepted the retirements of Wendy Nath, middle-high school paraprofessional effective May 26; Diana Ouverson, middle-high school administrative assistant, effective June 30; Cindy Arends, community education administrative assistant, effective June 9 in a phased retirement option to assist in the office transition; and Al Brinkman, English Language Learning teacher, effective June 2.
•hired Jacqueline Johnson as speech-language pathologist beginning with the 2022-23 school year for a salary of $71,228; Derek Elbers as assistant B-squad baseball coach, Bailey Cowell as assistant C-squad coach and Jon Schomacker as middle school baseball coach.
•approved Tyler Reisch as volunteer baseball coach and Ben Nath as volunteer golf coach.
•accepted the resignations of Caroline Thorson as assistant speech coach and Lora Wynia, custodian. Both resignations are effective May 27.

Meetings
Generations will meet at 12:30 p.m. Monday, April 4, at the new building.
Parkinson’s Support Group will meet at 2 p.m. Monday, April 4, at Poplar Creek Care Center. Masks are required.
Blue Mound Quilters will meet at 6 p.m. Monday, April 4, at the Rock County Library for a tour of the library and computer lab. The quilters’ meeting and show-and-tell will follow.
Friendship Club (formerly TOPS) meets Mondays at 9 a.m. at the Luverne Pizza Ranch. New members welcome. Contact Karen at 507-935-2004 for more information.
Springwater Township Board will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 5, in the township hall.
Pleasantview Cemetery board will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, April 11, at the Brent Taubert residence, 690 81st St., Beaver Creek. Potluck dinner will follow.
Beaver Creek Township Board will meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 11, in the township hall.  
 
H-BC presents ‘Crazy Quilt Club’
The Hills-Beaver Creek High School Drama Department will present “The Crazy Quilt Club” at 7 p.m. Friday, April 1, and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 3, at the high school in Hills. Cost is $4 for students and $6 for adults.
 
GEP performs ‘Those Crazy Ladies’
The Green Earth Players will present “Those Crazy Ladies in the House on the Corner” April 1-3 and 7-10 at the Palace Theatre in Luverne. Sunday performances are at 2 p.m. and the others begin at 7:30 p.m. Contact the Palace Box Office, 507-283-4399, or online at palacetheatre.us for tickets. Cost is $7 for students and $14 for adults.
 
Elementary music programs April 8
Luverne Elementary School first- and third-graders will perform their music programs Friday afternoon, April 8, in the Performing Arts Center.
The first-grade “Pajama Party!” is at 1:45 p.m. and the third-grade “Bada Bing, It’s Spring!” is at 2:30 p.m. Arts Center. 
 
Free tax prep at library
AARP volunteers offer free tax preparation for low-income individuals and seniors at the Rock County Library on Mondays through April 15. Call 507-449-5040 for appointments. Bring documents, including last year’s tax return, and a form of identification to document social security number. Masks are required.
 
Mobile dental clinics scheduled
Mobile dental clinics will be in Luverne Wednesday, April 6, and Thursday, April 7, at the Rock County Health and Human Services community room.
These clinics provide dental care for adults and children ages infant through 100. Call 612-746-1530 to schedule an appointment. All forms of insurance accepted. The clinics are organized by the #Luv1LuvAll initiative, Rock County Oral Health Task Force.
 
Community Ed
Call Cindy at Luverne Community Education, 507-283-4724, to register for classes. Community Ed’s website is www.isd2184.net, select Luverne Community Education under schools.
 
Rock County Library Happenings
For more information about library happenings, call 507-449-5040 or email rockcountystaff@gmail.com
Story Time with Bronwyn is at 10:30 a.m. Fridays through April 29.
Trivia Night is at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of every month at Take 16 in Luverne. Team registration begins at 6 p.m.
Reminiscence Kits are available featuring various topics such as gardening, pets, baking, sewing, farming and hunting. The kits are designed to use with a loved one experiencing memory loss, encouraging the loved one to open up about activities they once loved in the past.
 
Sanford Health accepting scholarships
Students in select Sanford Health Network locations are invited to apply for a health network scholarship. The $2,000 scholarships are for students pursuing a post-secondary degree in a health care-related field. Each participating Sanford network facility will sponsor one student with a scholarship. Email educationalassistance@sanfordhealth.org for info.
 
A.C.E. respite care available, volunteers needed
A.C.E. of SW Minnesota (A.C.E.) offers respite care services in Rock County for those needing a break from caring for a loved one.
The respite program offers short-term (1-3 hours), temporary care for families and caregivers by providing a brief period of reprieve from the daily cares they provide to their loved one.
Volunteers provide non-professional supportive services to caregivers to give them time for themselves, relieve their stress and help them remain healthy.
Respite care volunteers are also needed. Trained A.C.E. volunteers provide respite care to family caregivers of adults age 60 and older who are suffering from long-term health conditions.
Contact Linda Wenzel at 507-283-5064 or ace.rock@co.rock.mn.us.

Novo Aesthetics Spa recently opened on the second floor of the former Cragoe building in downtown Luverne, and the Chamber Board hosted a ribbon-cutting Friday morning to celebrate the new business.
Rachael Dekker is a doctoral trained certified nurse practitioner and nurse anesthetist who has been in the medical field for over 20 years, including six years in plastic and reconstructive surgery and over six years as a nurse anesthetist. 
The medical spa offers anti-wrinkle injections, dermal fillers, chemical peels, micro-needling and more, and retails medical grade skin care products.
Dekker’s philosophy is that “aesthetics should improve your already beautiful features,” and she works with clients to achieve a “natural look without appearing ‘fake’ or ‘treated.’”
Appointments can be booked at novo-spa.com. The phone number is 507-215-8110 and email is rachael@novo-spa.com.
​She grew up in Sioux Falls and moved to Luverne in 2020 with her husband, Stephen, and their son, Trent.
​The Dekkers and their partners, Brant and Stephanie Van Dyke (V & D Properties LLC), purchased the Cragoe Realty building with plans to make interior updates for additional commercial tenants.

Three Luverne Middle School students were recognized as winners in the annual Rotary Club Four-Way Test essay contest for 2022.
Kloe Brockberg, the daughter of Mike and Kim Brockberg, Luverne, was selected as this year’s essay winner. Brockberg earned $75 for her winning effort.
Her essay titled “Social Media” is entered in the district essay contest. Brockberg’s winning essay is printed below.
Chosen as second place and earning $50 was Lauren Peters, and third place was Tiba Kadhim ($25).
Luverne Middle School sixth-grade teacher Deb Hoogendoorn organized the essay contest with the students, and nine sixth-graders entered the annual contest.
The contest introduces students to the Rotary’s Four-Way Test, which asked four questions to gauge whether thoughts, works or actions are appropriate. The questions are: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? And will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Below is Brockberg’s winning essay:
Social Media
By Kloe Brockberg
Is social media true? Most things aren’t true, because it is so easy to say something on social media and many people can believe this so easily and then you have false words out in the open, and someone can take that the wrong way and be very offended. Social media is dangerous mentally, and might ruin your day so be careful what apps you use and what source you can get your information from. Not everything on social media/the internet is true.
I think this is fair and that everyone should get the right information. Because no one likes false information because what if you are doing an essay on snow leopards and you got the wrong information and then you got a bad grade. So people need the right information to complete an assignment that you really need to be correct because it is part of your final grade. So do you go out and give false information because that could hurt someone and ruin their whole day.
Will social media build goodwill and better friendship?
It depends how you use social media. If you use social media to talk to your friends or parents or grandparents, you might get to know your friends and family that you don’t see often better. Social media is a good way to be able to talk to your friends over the summer. But if you use it to look at people’s posts and comment mean things that could ruin someone’s day. You shouldn’t use social media to hurt others because how would you like it if someone said something bad about your post, you should always use the golden rule to treat others how you want to be treated.
Is social media beneficial to all concerned?
Social media can be beneficial to you if you use it to talk to friends then it can be beneficial. Then you would be able to ask them about a question that you were stuck on for homework then they can help you figure it out. Social media is not beneficial when you use it to just look at people’s posts and watch videos that aren’t beneficial. In summary, social media is helpful if you need to get a hold of someone and it is not when you just look at people’s posts and watch videos. But be careful what you look up. There are bad things on the internet. So social media may not be the important/beneficial thing ever, instead of staring at the screen, go outside, go build a snowman, go ride snowmobile, go have a snowball fight.

Dispatch report
March 18
•Complainant reported stolen checks used at location.
•Complainant on County Road 4, Luverne, reported pickup losing debris at location.
•Complainant on S. Kniss Avenue reported a returned check.
•Motorist was assisted on Kniss Avenue and Warren Street.
March 19
•Report that property was found.
•Complainant on N. Oakley Street requested residence checks at location.
•Complainant on E. Second Street, Hills, reported suspicious activity.
•Complainant on E. Brown Street reported possible vandalism.
March 20
•An outage was reported.
•Complainant on S. Kniss Avenue reported children walking in traffic at location.
•Complainant on 111th Street reported fire at location.
•Complainant in Beaver Creek reported theft of farm machinery.
•Complainant on N. Kniss Avenue reported theft of package.
•Subject with Rock County warrant turned self in.
•Complainant on Sioux Valley Drive reported suspicious vehicle.
•Complainant eastbound on Interstate 90, Beaver Creek, reported a stolen vehicle.
 
March 21
•Complainant eastbound on Interstate 90, mile marker 7, Beaver Creek, reported people walking on the interstate.
•Complainant reported catalytic converter stolen from their vehicle.
•Complainant on 20th Avenue, Valley Springs South Dakota, reported a person sleeping in vehicle in parking lot.
•Complainant on N. Oakley reported loud music.
•Complainant on E. Warren Street requested to speak to a deputy.
March 22
•Road closed at location on 51st Street, Hills.
•Complainant westbound on Interstate 90, mile marker 7, Beaver Creek, reported erratic driving, speeding and cutting off other vehicles.
•Complainant on N. Kniss Avenue and on E. Edgehill Street found a birthday present found in roadway.
•Possible water main break reported at location on Hatting and Kniss.
•Complainant in Hardwick reported concerns.
•Complainant eastbound on Interstate 90, mile marker 3, Beaver Creek, reported debris in roadway.
•Complainant on E. Main Street reported an unauthorized vehicle parking behind location.
March 23
•Complainant on Donaldson Street requested extra patrol.
•Complainant on N. Lindale requested residence checks at location.
•Complainant on E. Luverne Street, Magnolia, reported threats at location.
•Complainant on Service Drive reported a threat.
•Complainant on N. Spring Street reported possible stolen property.
March 24
•Complainant on 71st Street reported a road closure.
•Complainant on 81st Street, Luverne, requested info for a stolen vehicle.
•A warrant was issued in Airway Heights, Washington.
•Complainant in the 24-hour parking lot reported a loud noise.
•Complainant on E. Lincoln Street reported loud music.
March 25
•Complainant on N. Kniss Avenue reported a driving complaint.
•Report of a civil issue.
•Complainant on 141st Street, Beaver Creek, reported drug was paraphernalia found at location.
In addition, officers responded to 2 motor vehicle accidents, 1 vehicle in ditch, 2 escorts, 16 ambulance runs, 4 paper services, 7 animal complaints, 2 fingerprint requests, 11 burn permits, 1 vehicle impound, 2 driver’s license checks, 1 gas drive-off, 3 alarms, 6 drug court tests, 4 purchase and carry permits, 2 stalled vehicles, 20 traffic stops, 6 abandoned 911 calls, 1 test and 4 welfare checks.

Each spring, the Rock County Star Herald publishes a Home, Lawn and Garden special section which features businesses and issues unique to these topics.
This year’s special section (tucked inside this week’s Star Herald) prompted us to once again marvel at the ingenuity of local residents and businesses and the entrepreneurial spirit of newcomers to the local business scene.
We at the Star Herald continue to be amazed about what our residents are doing to brighten up their homes, improve their lawns or experiment in their gardens. We try to feature a subject in each of the three categories and, again, we were not disappointed this year.
Inside this edition there is something for everyone, whether it’s inspiration to complete those long-overdue home improvement projects, take a second look at the lawns or start that garden with the help of local experts. We’ve got it covered.
Our 2022 Home, Lawn and Garden edition includes features on:
•The start of a new business, Luverne Lawn Care, a venture that continues the Farm Store legacy of lawn care services, seed and chemical sales and rental items — among many other services.
•Rooftop solar panels that generate electricity for a private Luverne home.
•The Luverne Building Center’s approach to a roller-coaster construction market.
•The creativity of Banking Barns in Hills where wood becomes works of art.
•Expert tips from George Bonnema for selecting, planting and caring for the latest varieties of hydrangeas.
•Profiles of several local Master Gardeners who reflect on their roles in sharing expert advice for vegetables, flowers, trees, fruit, landscape design and more.
•Advice from Real Estate Retrievers on how to make decisions about selling (or not selling) your home in today’s volatile housing market.
Spring weather is coming; get a head start on your own home, yard and garden ideas by reading this week’s paper.

It’s college basketball playoff season and also calving season in our neighborhood.
And thanks to modern technology, we took in riveting versions of both last week over beers and brats at the neighbors.
One of the supper guests was casually monitoring his cell phone for live-feed video of a heifer in labor.
A nearby television screen carried riveting Arkansas upset of No. 1 Gonzaga in NCAA playoffs. Table conversation at times was about the heifer and at times about the game.
For those who don’t have farming backgrounds, “heifers” are female livestock who have not yet borne calves. As first-time mamas, they have no idea what’s going on and sometimes need help from a nearby human.
This one had begun labor just before supper, and if she didn’t deliver by 8 p.m., the calf may need to be pulled.
As she labored over her calf, sometimes pacing in circles and sometimes lying in her bed of hay, her pen mates occasionally wandered over to check on her.
“They know how this goes by now,” the human said about delivery No. 11 so far this spring.
“But you should see them when the first calf shows up.”
He described a hysterical cow who doesn’t know what just happened to her, while the heifers circle around her and then freak out when the calf shows up. “Like it’s some kind of alien.”
We laughed at the prospect of conversation among the first-time mothers and their shared experience. The human females in the room, of course, empathized with the laboring heifer.
We learned that this year Heifer No. 3 (her tag ID) had been particularly curious in the delivery room, and we learned that another cow has been affectionately named a “doula” for her ability to calm the herd during a stressful delivery.
As I polished off my tater tots and ketchup, I wondered if our laboring heifer would need human assistance.
Suddenly the Arkansas-Gonzaga contest became a four-point game with only minutes left until the buzzer. After several fouls, free throws, time-outs and coaching theatrics, another upset hit the NCAA brackets.
When the celebrating Arkansas players left the court, I turned my gaze back to the calf cam and discovered the heifer had become a cow.
We marveled at the newborn calf somehow knowing how to get up on its wobbly legs to find Mom’s udders for nourishment.
“Truly miraculous,” we remarked. More so even than the Gonzaga upset.
It was a good night in the neighborhood.
Congratulations to the Razorbacks (who later bowed out of the playoffs) and to all the heifers becoming cows this spring.
Congratulations also to No. 3, who successfully delivered her own little alien over the weekend.