City of Luverne seeks 
bids by Jan. 27 
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS
Sealed  proposals will be received by the City Council of Luverne, Rock County, Minnesota at the Luverne City Offices, 305 East Luverne Street, P.O. Box 659, Luverne, Minnesota 56156 on Thursday, the 27th of January, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. for the 2022 Sewer Lining & Utility Improvements, Luverne, Minnesota, at which time the proposals shall be publicly opened and read aloud by the City Administrator and Engineer.
The approximate quantities of work on which proposals will be received are as follows:
 
5,370 L.F. Sanitary Sewer Lining
50 Each Grout Service Line Connection
15 Each Line Sanitary Sewer Manhole
4 Each Sanitary Sewer Manhole
800 L.F. Water Service Line Boring
and other related items of construction.
All bids shall be made on proposal forms furnished by the Engineer and shall be accompanied by bid security in the form of a certified check or bid bond, made payable to the City of Luverne, Minnesota, in the amount of ten percent (10%) of the bid, which security becomes the property of the City in the event the successful bidder fails to enter into contract and post satisfactory bond. Work shall commence on or 
after April 4, 2022, and completed on or before September 23, 2022.
The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to waive technicalities and irregularities.  The City also reserves the right to increase, 
decrease or delete items of work to comply with budget limitations.
The City is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 
The Contractor and all subcontractors shall submit to the Owner a signed statement verifying compliance with each of the criteria described in the State of Minnesota “Responsible Contractor” law as codified in Minnesota 
Statute section 16C.285.  See the Instructions to Bidders for more details.
Complete digital project bidding documents are available at www.questcdn.com. You may download the digital plan documents for $20.00 by inputting Quest project #8098715 on the website's Project Search page. Please contact QuestCDN.com at 952-233-1632 or info@questcdn.com for assistance in free membership registration, downloading, and working with this digital project information. An optional paper set of the proposal forms and specifications for individual use may be obtained from the office of the Engineer, DGR Engineering, 1302 South Union, P.O. Box 511, Rock Rapids, Iowa 51246, telephone 712-472-2531, Fax 712-472-2710, e-mail: dgr@dgr.com, upon payment of $50.00, none of which is refundable.
Published upon order of the City Council of Luverne, Minnesota.
CITY OF LUVERNE, MINNESOTA
By /s/ Patrick T. Baustian,         
Mayor
(01-06)

Titan Truck & Trailer Service assumes name
Minnesota secretary of state 
Certificate of assumed name
MINNESOTA STATUTES, CHAPTER 333
The filing of an assumed name does not provide a user with exclusive rights to that name. The filing is required for consumer protection in order to enable consumers to be able to identify the true ownership of a business.
ASSUMED NAME: Titan Truck & Trailer Service
PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS:
411 West Gabrielson Road, Luverne, MN 56156 USA
NAMEHOLDER(S):
Name: Titan Machinery Inc.
Address: 644 East Beaton Drive, West Fargo, ND 58078 USA
If you submit an attachment, it will be incorporated into this document. If the attachment conflicts with the information specifically set forth in this document, this document supersedes the data referenced in the attachment.
By typing my name, I, the undersigned, certify that I am signing this document as the person whose signature is required, or as agent of the person(s) whose signature would be required who has authorized me to sign this document on his/her behalf, or in both capacities. I further certify that I have completed all required fields, and that the information in this document is true and correct and in compliance with the applicable chapter of Minnesota Statutes. I understand that by signing this document I am subject to the penalties of perjury as set forth in Section 609.48 as if I had signed this document under oath. 
Signature : /s/ Dawn Doyel
MAILING ADDRESS: 644 East Beaton Drive, West Fargo, ND 58078
EMAIL ADDRESS FOR OFFICIAL NOTICES: dawn.doyel@titanmachinery.com
(01-06, 01-13)

Rock County commissioners supported a closer look into Northern Con-Agg’s mining request in Luverne Township — specifically its effects on local drinking water.
The Dec. 28 decision supported findings from an environmental assessment worksheet recently completed by the county’s Land Management Office.
Eric Hartman, LMO director, said five comments were received during the 30-day comment period that ended Nov. 4.
Comments came from the city of Luverne, the state Department of Health, Southwest Regional Development Commission, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
“A number of concerns were raised from the comment period and were mainly focused on the position of negative impact to ground water from the removal of aggregate on the site,” Hartman said.
“Much of the area is located near the drinking water supply area for the city of Luverne.”
Northern Con-Agg proposed creating two mining tracts totaling 195 acres northeast of Luverne. The company currently owns and mines 86 acres near the proposed expansion site.
Mining at the expansion site would take place over a 20-year period. Three phases are planned with a portion of the mining area disturbed at one time. Depth of the mining would be 30 to 35 feet below the ground surface.
The proposed mining parcels are primarily agricultural land. A sizeable portion of the 195 acres is located within a flood plain with one acre located within a shoreline district.
Adjacent to the proposed expansion site are four drinking water wells for the city of Luverne. The closest well is 600 feet from the proposed site, and the entire proposed expansion is located within the city’s drinking water supply management site.
“If you strip all the aggregate out of here (at the proposed site), you’re going to lose that time of travel between that water body and these wells — basically the filtering capacity,” Hartman said.
The proposed site is also near a state wildlife management area and the Rock River, a critical habitat for the Topeka Shiner and Plains Topminnow.
The commissioners’ action means the expansion project cannot proceed until the more in-depth environment impact study is completed.
The study would outline the specifics of any potential environmental effects if the expansion is allowed to proceed as proposed.
Hartman said the study’s cost falls upon Northern Con-Agg, if it proceeds with the project. The company can also abandon and/or change plans for the proposed expansion.

Tom and Jodi Fick, Luverne, were honored as Outstanding Conservationists of the Year at the annual meeting of the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts Dec. 12-14 in Bloomington. 
They were selected by the Rock Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) for the award, which recognizes individuals and organizations for outstanding accomplishments in implementing conservation practices and improving Minnesota’s natural resources.
“Tom was recognized for a variety of conservation practices,” said Doug Bos of the Rock County Land Management Office in Luverne.
He said some of those practices include utilizing a “robust crop rotation” of alfalfa, oats, clover, corn and beans along with kernza perennial wheat.
“This has helped to build soil health and create a more resilient farming system than the traditional corn and soybean monoculture,” Bos said.
To maintain and improve on this crop rotation, he said Fick has been transitioning from traditional tillage to minimum till and eventually no-till on the contour, along with utilizing a seven-species cover crop mix to keep the ground covered as long as possible. 
“Tom serves as a mentor for farmers wanting to adopt soil health practices,” Bos said.
For example, he hosted three cover crop field days on his farm, has done multiple podcasts and social media videos and posts for cover crops and soil health, and participates in the soil health event at the Rock County fair.
“It’s nice to get recognized,” Fick said Monday. “I just keep doing the things out here that I’m doing because it seems to be helping.”
He said he recognizes the importance of sharing his story with the agriculture community, because many farmers have not yet tried and realized the benefits of regenerative farming.
“As we drive around the local area, it’s still a little disheartening to see all the tillage being done. You wonder why they’re doing that,” Fick said.
“Even if they tried reduced tillage or cover crops in the past, they could try it again. The benefits of it take a long time, but once you see the benefits, you realize you can afford the input costs.”
While local fields have a long way to go, he said he’s encouraged by progress.
“I do see other areas where cover crops, strip-till and no-till practices are being implemented for the first time,” he said.
Fick is on the board of directors of the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition, whose mission is “producer driven education and outreach” to exchange information and promote soil health practices.
He’s also a farmer mentor for the coalition in southwest Minnesota.
As a local and statewide voice, Fick said he keeps encouraging producers to start practices that improve soil health.
“Learn what you can about it. Try what you can on your farm on a small scale,” he said. “There are plenty of ways to make it work on your farm. You can come up with excuses all day long, but learn about it and try to take the next step.”
Bos said Fick’s dedication to the cause makes him the perfect candidate for Conservationist of the Year.
“We’re really proud of Tom and what he has done for conservation in Rock County,” Bos said.
“Tom provides a wonderful example for conservationists by truly being a steward of the land through his leadership, commitment to conservation practices and efforts to share his knowledge to improve soil health.”
Each year the state’s SWCDs recognize individuals who protect the land and water. The state Conservationist of the Year award is done with support from The Farmer magazine.
For more information on the program, contact Bos at the Rock SWCD, phone 507-283-8862.
Fick encourages local producers to contact him at 507-920-9474 or tfick@mnsoilhealth.org for information on how to get started in cover crops or other soil health practices.
He also encourages them to find the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition website and Facebook page to connect with peers statewide.

The alumni garden proposed by the Luverne Education Legacy Fund received a boost recently when the KAHR Foundation agreed to fund the project on the east side of the Luverne Middle-High School.
School Board members reviewed plans and the initial $1.4 million budget at their Dec. 23 meeting.
“There should be a lot of amenities, so it is a pretty neat project,” said Superintendent Craig Oftedahl.
“We are hopeful that it (the garden) maybe done by the All-School Reunion (July 2022). I won’t guarantee that, but that is the push.”
Included in the design is stadium seating for 30-40 people complete with a podium and sound system.
Waterlines will support vegetation along the garden pathways, and heated sidewalks under the existing canopy will aid in snow removal.
Retired landscape designer Chuck Klinefelter of Brooklyn Center is overseeing the project with Warren Herreid II of the KAHR Foundation, district leaders and LELF members.
They’re working with Steve “Junior” Selseth of Oh’Landscapes LLC, Mayer, Minnesota, who specializes in boulder retaining walls.
Work began in earnest this fall when a budget was set. Klinefelter cautioned that the preliminary architectural drawings will change.
“We are now refining them within the budget,” he said Monday.
Klinefelter, who retired from full-time landscape design after 47 years, agreed to work on the alumni garden project due to its uniqueness.
“When I worked in the landscaping business, I liked to do projects that are challenging and out of the ordinary,” he said.
Next month, Klinefelter said Oh’Landscapes will move Sioux quartzite boulders to a staging area west of the school campus as design plans are finalized.
The existing steel canopy will be incorporated into the garden design, which is expected to be finished this spring.
“We are looking to mid to late April for the official start,” Klinefelter said.

Students at Hills-Beaver Creek High School are excited for the 2022 mock trial season to start next week.
The 19 team members enter the new season with a 1-3 record, but they hope to improve on Zoom Tuesday for the first competition for 2022.
Adviser Megan Klumper, who begins her third year at the helm, noticed a difference developing within this year’s team.
“I have been extremely proud of the work ethic of my team this year,” she said. “People on the outside may not notice how much time and effort students put into preparing for our competitions.”
Students focus on becoming defense and/or prosecuting lawyers, witnesses or court personnel. They began practicing in October when the case was released.
Traditionally the mock trials are in actual courtrooms throughout the state. However, the upcoming season remains virtual via Zoom.
“This is because the courthouses are still trying to make up for the Covid year setbacks,” Klumper said.
On competition days, the H-BC team can choose to compete from home or in school. H-BC will compete together in a classroom, each student in front of his or her own computer.
“Being together in one location at least gives us a sense of being a team,” Klumper said.
 
This year’s case
This year’s case, State of Minnesota vs. Taylor Blair, focuses on crowdfunding in a “theft by swindle” case.
Blair is the founder of Minnesota Nice Pet Rescue (MNPR) and raised funds through UFundUs, a fictional crowdfunding site. He paid for elaborate purchases through the fund set up to care for abused or neglected dogs. Blair said the new truck and swimming pool are used in the dogs’ care. Blair, however, is accused of swindling funds from the public for his own use.
“The students appear to like this year’s case,” Klumper said. “They are more interested in figuring out and arguing who is the ‘criminal.’”
 
This year’s H-BC team
Making up H-BC’s prosecution team this year are freshman Bailey Spykerboer and sophomores Joy Taubert and Taylor Gehrke. Freshman Emma Deelstra is an alternate lawyer.
Witnesses for the prosecution include sophomores Larissa Steinhoff, Tahliya Kruger and Madison Gaugler. Steinhoff portrays River Charles, a forensic-financial crimes analyst. Kruger is Alex Knot, co-founder of MNPR, and Gaugler is Jay Buchanan, one of the MNPR donors.
Witness alternates are sophomores Avril Susie, Olivia Susie and Anthany Kobernick-Pasch.
The defense team lawyers are sophomore Taylor Spykerboer, juniors Leif Tollefson and Lexi Drake. Senior Troy Durst is an alternate lawyer.
Defense witnesses are sophomore Kyler Hartz and juniors Britton McKenzie and Tyrae Goodface. Hartz portrays forensic accountant Jordan Carpenter. McKenzie is the defendant Taylor Blair, and Goodface is a volunteer at MNPR. Witness alternates are seniors Liam Raymon and Taylor Durst.
Time keepers are senior Troy Durst and sophomores Kyler Hartz and Kobernick-Pasch. The digital exhibits presenter is senior Liam Raymon.
Adviser Klumper stresses thinking critically about the case and what happens in the courtroom are skills the students are beginning to master as they prepare to face opposing teams.
“They can use that information to organize a strategy against the other side — think ‘on their feet’ because they can only speculate how the other teams will approach the argument,” she said. “Honestly, it is exciting to experience.”
Last year the case focused on whether or not an engaged couple should get their money back from a vendor because Covid restrictions forced changing how the couple wanted to celebrate.
“I thought this case was relevant, but the students were just sick of hearing about Covid in their real lives. Hearing it over and over with the case was just too much,” Klumper said.
The 2022 mock trial season begins next week in a five-round format that ends Feb. 19. The state tournament is scheduled for early March.
H-BC’s competition schedule is as follows:
•Tuesday, Jan. 11, prosecution takes on Rochester Century.
•Wednesday, Jan. 19, defense takes on St. Peter White.
Round three takes place Feb. 1-3 and round four Feb. 8-10. Opponents will be determined based on the results of the first two rounds.
There are 14 teams with H-BC in Region 4-6. Other area teams include Luverne, Murray County Central, Lakeview, Fairmont and Springfield.
Round five on Feb. 19 involves the top six teams in each region. Sixteen teams compete at the state tournament.

The Luverne Cardinals girls’ hockey team picked up three wins and a championship in the Herb Brooks Classic Hockey Tournament at the Schwan’s Super Rink in Blaine Dec. 27-29.
The Cardinals played in the Silver Division of the tournament, beating University School of Milwaukee 8-0, Moose Lake Area 6-3 and Marshall 5-1. 
The Cardinals improved to 14-1 on the season, bringing the first-place hardware back to Luverne.
The Luverne girls were scheduled to play Fairmont on the road Tuesday before coming back to the Blue Mound Ice Arena Friday to take on Breckenridge-Wahpeton. They’ll meet Albert Lea in the Blue Mound Ice Arena Tuesday, Jan. 11.
 
Luverne 8, University School of Milwaukee 0
Luverne opened the Herb Brooks Classic Tournament in Blaine with an impressive win.
The Cardinals got on the board just over four minutes into the game when senior Reghan Bork got a feed from Kamryn Van Batavia to take the early lead.
Just two minutes later it was Van Batavia lighting the lamp with the assist going to Payton Behr. Luverne had a 16-7 shots on goal advantage in the first period, and Luverne goalie Cheyenne Schutz had seven saves.
The second period only saw one goal, Van Batavia’s second of the game, with the assist going to Macie Edstrom at the 7:44 mark. Schutz made all six saves she faced.
Luverne put up another 11 shots in the second and brought a 3-0 lead into the second intermission.
In the third period the Cardinals put up five goals.
Van Batavia got it going at 3:21 of the third and Bork scored her second of the game just three minutes later. Behr also got her second of the game just a minute later.
Van Batavia scored her fourth and fifth goals of the game to close out the final period and give the Cardinals a commanding 8-0 win.
Third period shots on goal were 16-3 in favor of Cardinals. Total shots on goal for the game were 43-16 Luverne.
Schutz finished with 16 saves for the Cardinals and registered her sixth shutout of the year.
 
Luverne 6, Moose Lake Area 3
The Cardinals met the Moose Lake Area Rebels in the semifinals of the Herb Brooks Classic at the Blaine Super Rink.
Minnesota’s state leading scorer Kamryn Van Batavia gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead six minutes into the first with an assist from Reghan Bork.
Van Batavia also gave the Cardinals a two-goal advantage midway through the period, Payton Behr assisted on Van Batavia’s second of the game.
Luverne took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. Schutz had 11 saves in the first to keep the Rebels off the scoreboard. Luverne had eight shots on goal in the first period.
The second period saw plenty of action from both teams.
Sandra Ribich put the Rebels on the board just 42 seconds into the second period, cutting the lead to one. Two minutes later Luverne’s Mallory Nelson beat Moose Lake Area goalie Mallory Hartl to put the Cardinals up 3-1.
Forty-five seconds later Moose Lake’s Raechel Painovich responded to again cut the lead to one.
Luverne answered back with a couple more goals. It was Van Batavia at 5:27 and Ella Apel at the 12:35 mark of the second to take a 5-2 lead into the locker room.
Shots on goal were 15-12 in favor of the Rebels.
The final stanza started with the Rebels cutting the lead to two with Gracie Hartl getting her first of the game. Van Batavia scored an empty net goal with just 11 seconds left in the game to give the Cardinals the 6-3 victory.
Schutz finished with an impressive 32 saves in the game. Total shots were knotted at 32 for the game between the Rebels and Cardinals.
 
Luverne 5, Marshall 1
Luverne faced familiar competition in the championship round of the Herb Brooks Classic Silver Division.
Luverne took on conference foe and Section 3 rival Marshall at the TRIA Rink.
The first period saw plenty of shots from both teams but remained scoreless. Luverne held an 11-10 shot advantage in the first.
In the second period Luverne got a couple of goals from junior standout Kamryn Van Batavia to take a two-goal lead into the second intermission. Van Batavia sc0red at the 4:42 and the 14:46 marks of the period with assists going to Mallory Von Tersch, Ella Apel and Reghan Bork.
Marshall outshot Luverne 13-11 in the second. Schutz saved all 11 shots she faced in the second.
In the final period Van Batavia gave the Cardinals a 3-0 lead just 53 seconds in.
Marshall’s Reghan Loft put the Tigers on the board at 7:37 of Period 3, but  that’s all Marshall would get past Schutz.
Van Batavia and Mallory Nelson picked up Luverne’s fourth and fifth goals respectively to give the Cardinals a 5-1 win and the Silver Division Championship of the Herb Brooks Classic.
Schutz finished with 30 saves in the contest. Final shots on goal for the game were 34-31 in favor of the Cardinals.

The City of Luverne set its 2021 tax levy at $2,530,180, which reflects an 11.77-percent increase over the current levy.
The levy includes $2,280,100 for the General Fund and $250,080 for principal and interest on existing debt.
The council approved the levy, budget and pay plan (see the related story) following the city’s annual Truth in Taxation hearing Dec. 14.
As part of that hearing City Administrator John Call reviewed the 2022 budget and 2021 levy.
The governmental budget includes the general fund, airport, pool and capital projects.
Governmental expenditures in 2022 are expected to be $8.5 million and revenues at $8.2 million.
Governmental expenditures include:
•Public safety at $1.5 million, about 18 percent of costs;
•Public works at nearly $1 million, about 11 percent of costs;
•Parks and recreation at nearly $700,000 at 8 percent.
Governmental revenues come in the form of:
•property taxes at roughly $2.28 million, or 28 percent;
•Local Government Aid from the state at $1.5 million, 18 percent of revenue; and
•the rest from enterprise funds, fees and other sources.
 
Levy increase not the same as property tax increase
The council acknowledged that the city’s levy has been steadily increasing in recent years, but the actual increase in taxes has remained relatively modest, thanks to Luverne’s overall tax rate.
A $150,000 home for example, will see a property tax increase of roughly 1 percent in 2022, despite the levy increase of 11.77 percent.
 
Utility rates to increase 4.22 percent
In other business at their Dec. 14 meeting, council members approved license fee rates and charges for city services.
With the additional increases in utility charges on water, sewer, electric, etc., the average residential bill will increase 4.22 percent per month next year.

Commissioners unanimously certified the 2022 levy at $6.5 million during their Dec. 28 meeting. This represents a 2.97 percent increase over the current amount.
Commissioners reviewed the county’s $13.7 million budget planned for this year at their meeting.
The $188,264 levy increase will pay for the county’s portion of two additional peace officers and $15,500 to be divided among the three ambulance service districts within the county.
In other business on Dec. 28, the commissioners:
•approved a tonnage fee increase at the county transfer station. Other per-item pricing stayed the same. Effective Jan. 1, municipal solid waste will increase from $80 to $90 per ton. Demolition solid waste increases from $20 to $30 per ton, and tire disposal increases from $350 to $375 per ton.
•authorized cleaning air ducts at the courthouse and at the health and human services building. Costs are $41,983 and $20,580 respectively.
•agreed to cover the $3,413 shortfall in the small cities’ law enforcement with the Rock County Sheriff’s Office after the city of Kenneth declined to renew the five-year contract.
•declined to offer an electronics and tire amnesty collection, citing excessive cost and lack of vendors for the materials.