LSS meals at Generations
Monday, Jan. 10: Tater tot casserole, French cut green beans, warm peaches, cookie, dinner roll.
Half-Price Day sponsored by Pat and Katie Baustian.
Tuesday, Jan. 11: Chicken wild rice soup, broccoli, pineapple, cookie.
Wednesday, Jan. 12: Meatballs, mashed potatoes, carrots, bread, dessert.
 Thursday, Jan. 13: Roasted turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes, peas, sage dressing, dessert.
Half-Price Day sponsored by Grace Lutheran Church.
Friday, Jan. 14: Barbecued pork on a bun, baked beans, spiced pears, dessert.
LSS Dining offers well-balanced and affordable meals in a community atmosphere.
Call Lynette Hoiland at 283-9846 to arrange to pick up a dinner or for home-delivered meals.
Gift certificates are available at the meal site or online at www.lssmn.org/nutrition.

10 years ago (2012)
•Child Guide director Lisa Dinger’s job is to connect children who face problems to organizations or people with solutions.
Some kids have small problems, like not having a box of crayons or gym shoes when they are needed. Other kids have big problems, like spending the weekend hungry.
Dinger’s job for 10 years has been to manage the network of problems and solutions for Luverne students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
The Child Guide program began as a program to help at-risk students, but it has become used by nearly all students.
 
25 years ago (1997)
•A local car dealership may be a bit more cautious with its test drive policy after a 1995 Mercury Sable was stolen off the lot last weekend.
Dick Herman, owner of Herman Motor Company, Luverne, said a man took the car for a drive Saturday morning, and returned it to the lot saying he was interested in buying the car for his daughter, but he wanted to come back and show it to her.
The next day, the car was missing. Herman said he’s quite sure the man had a set of keys made while he was test driving the car and came back later and stole it. “I told my son (Joel) to check the two places in town that make duplicate keys and ask them if a man of that description had a set of Ford keys made that particular time Saturday,” Herman said. “As it turns out, the hardware store said they did.” …
Luverne Police Chief Keith Aanenson said law enforcement authorities across the nation have been notified of the theft.
 
50 years ago (1972)
•Cory Daniel Mensen, son of Mr. and Mrs. Mike Mensen, Route 1, Luverne, became the first baby of the new year at Luverne’s Community Hospital on Jan. 3 at 7:41 a.m. The six pound nine ounce baby boy and his parents will be the recipients of a host of prices offered by 18 Luverne merchants who co-sponsor the First Baby of the Year Contest along with the Star-Herald.
 
75 years ago (1947)
•Luverne’s retail stores will close at 9 p.m. on Saturdays during the months of January, February and March, it was agreed Monday night at a meeting of store representatives.
About 20 retailers were represented at a meeting called by Luverne Civic and Commerce officials to decide upon an earlier Saturday night closing hour during the next three months. Several of the members favored a six o’clock closing on Saturdays, the same as on other days, but after some discussion, it was agreed to close at nine o’clock, which is the closing hour in neighboring cities. Those favoring the nine o’clock closing pointed out that Luverne would thus be accommodating the people of its trade territory the same as other communities were accommodating their respective trade areas.
 
100 years ago (1922)
•A very substantial increase in business, considering existing conditions, was made in 1921 by the Rose Dell Mutual Fire Insurance company, according to reports made at the annual meeting of the policyholders Tuesday. At the close of business on Dec. 31, 1920, the amount of insurance carried by the company aggregated $5,973,658. The number of new policies issued during the year was 326, carrying insurance aggregating $1,237,692, and the policies that expired numbered 363, and the insurance value $1,180,400.
The losses sustained by the company during the past year were unusually heavy, aggregating $8,994.26, of which $4,814.59 was caused by fire, and $4,179.69 by lightning. Of the total $2,167.11 was on buildings, $2,764.05 on household goods, grain, feed and implements, and $4,063.10 on live stock.

Leola Sweeny (left) and Arlene Bendix were recently awarded the Blue Mound Quilter Award. They were recognized for their quilting talents, dedication to the art of quilting, and willingness to help their fellow quilters. Both women were involved in last year’s Hospice Quilt Art project, and their quilts will be featured Saturday, June 4, at the Blue Mound Quilters’ Quilt show at the Hinkly House during Buffalo Days. Quilt show chairperson is Deb Van Heerde, 507-283-2279, and Blue Mound Quilters president for 2022 is Jill Willers, 507-283-2560.

The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on July 7, 1905.
Was a Grand Success
Such Was Luverne’s Celebration of the Glorious Fourth
6000 People Were in Attendance
Notwithstanding Preceding Unfavorable Weather Conditions, Luverne Observes Our Nation’s Birthday With a Notable Successful Celebration—Occasion Graced by Presence of Governor John A. Johnson Who Delivers Inspiring Address—Splendid Program Carried Out to the Satisfaction of All
Despite a week of almost continuous rain which fell with unknown persistency up to the very dawn of the Fourth, Luverne celebrated our Nation’s birthday, carried out the elaborate plans that had been arranged and made the day one long to be remembered by the thousands of people whose faith in Luverne’s ability to provide entertainment notwithstanding unfavorable conditions led them to become our guests on this glorious occasion.
Happy Change in Gloomy Prospect
The closing preliminary arrangements for the celebration were made by those in charge with a marked depression of spirit. The heavy rains which had fallen practically every day of the preceding week and during the early part of Monday night seriously threatened the success of celebration and aroused grave doubts that any part of the splendid program prepared could be given. But the breeze which sprang up from the northwest Monday afternoon cleared the skies late in the night and Tuesday morning gave assurance that the rain was over and that the celebration could go forward.
Changes in Plans Required
But the change in the weather had been too long deferred to make it possible to carry out the program without changes in the original plans. Monday morning it became apparent that under the most favorable weather conditions that could afterwards prevail it would be impossible to hold the patriotic exercises, the picnic dinner and the vaudeville show in the park, as the heavy rains had so swollen the river that the park was almost inundated. The river continued to rise rapidly and by night Monday it was found necessary to also abandon the Driving park for the purposes of the ball game as the river overflowed the roads making it impossible to reach the grounds. Accordingly a pavilion with seats under the trees was erected at the Central school grounds for the patriotic exercises and the vaudeville show, arrangements were made for those who wished to have their picnic dinners on the school and court house grounds, and a ball ground was laid out in a grass plot in the Parriott addition.
 
         Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

The H-BC boys’ basketball team traveled to Marshall to take on the Canby Lancers on Thursday Dec. 30.
The H-BC Patriots were able to take control in the second half to cruise to an 83-68 victory.
In what was a back and forth affair in the first period, senior Cole Baker (25 points, six rebounds, and five assists) and the Patriots outscored the Lancers 47-34 after intermission.
Oliver Deelstra (12 points, six rebounds, and six assists), playing in his first game following an elbow injury suffered during football, helped the offensive explosion for the Patriots. They scored a season-high 83 points after averaging just 46.6 points per game coming into the contest.
Drew Leenderts (six rebounds) rounded out the trio of double digit scorers for the Patriots with 12 points.
Seniors Ty Bundesen and Andrew Harris, both with nine points and four rebounds, and Max Scholten with five points were also contributors for the Pates.
H-BC will look to carry momentum on offense into conference play as they host the Adrian-Ellsworth Dragons Friday night in Hills.
 
Box Scores
Baker 4 3 8-12 25, Raymon 1 0 3-4 5, Harnack 0 0 0-0 0, Page 0 0 0-2 0, Leenderts 2 2 2-3 12, Bundesen 3 0 3-4 9, Gehrke 0 0 0-0 0, Metzger 0 0 0-0 0, Taubert 0 0 0-0 0, Tatge 0 0 0-0 0,  Durst 2 0 0-0 4, Scholten 2 0 1-2 5, Harris 4 0 1-1 9, Wiersema 1 0 0-0 2
 
Team Statistics
HBC: 29 of 59 (49 percent); 19 for 30 free throws (63 percent); 34 rebounds; 216 turnovers.
 
Canby: 15 of 48 (32 percent); 14 for 21 free throws (67 percent); 38 rebounds; 22 turnovers.

The Cardinals boys’ hockey team traveled to Rochester Dec. 28-30 for the Kiwanis Hockey Festival where Luverne tested its hockey skills against some high caliber Minnesota talent.
The Cardinals played well but were unable to return home with a victory after falling to Rochester Lourdes 2-1, Albert Lea 3-2, and Bloomington Kennedy 7-2.
Luverne, whose record moves to 5-5 on the year, was scheduled to host Fairmont on Tuesday and will be off until Jan. 13 when Redwood Valley comes to Luverne.
 
Rochester Lourdes 2, Luverne 1
The Cardinals opened up their holiday tournament in Rochester taking on the host Rochester Lourdes hockey team. The Cardinals and Rochester traded shots and opportunities the first period but remained scoreless at the end of the period.
In the second period Luverne and Rochester Lourdes traded goals. Luverne’s Brock Behrend put the Cardinals on the board with assists going to Zach Kruse and Patrick Kroski. Rochester Lourdes received a goal from Jack Roe in the second, ending the period with the score at 1-1.
The final period saw only one goal, and it was Rochester Lourdes’ Jack Roe again scoring the game winner to give his hometown team the 2-1 victory over Luverne in the opening game of the Kiwanis Hockey Festival.
Luverne goalie Tyler Arends had 28 saves for the Cardinals in the loss.
 
Albert Lea 3, Luverne 2
The Cardinals lost an overtime heartbreaker in the second game of the Kiwanis Hockey Festival in Rochester.
The first period would see 18 shots on goal, but both goalies kept it a scoreless game after one period of play.
Albert Lea had the edge in shots on goal 10-8 with Arends saving all 10 shots he faced for Luverne.
Luverne sophomore Elliot Domagala put the Cardinals on the board at 6:58 into the second period, giving the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.
Albert Lea’s Elijah Farris responded 32 seconds later, beating Arends to knot the game at 1.
It was Albert Lea again with just over 2 minutes left in the second period to give the Tigers the 2-1 lead going into the second intermission.
Shots on goal favored Albert Lea 16-7 for the period.
The final period saw only one goal, but it was a big one. Luverne senior Zach Kruse tied the game at 2 at 12:06 of the third.
The period ended 2-2 and sent Luverne and Albert Lea into overtime play.
Albert Lea’s Spencer VanBeek scored at the 3:06 mark of the extra period to give the Tigers the win.
Shots on goal for the game ended in Albert Lea’s favor 41-30.
Arends made 38 saves to keep his team in the game.
 
Bloomington Kennedy 7, Luverne 2
In the final game of the Kiwanis Hockey Classic in Rochester, the Cardinals took on Bloomington Kennedy.
Bloomington Kennedy got the first two goals of the game from Luke Dosan and Logan Dosan to take the 2-0 lead midway through the first.
Luverne answer back with 27 seconds remaining when Brock Behrend beat Bloomington Kennedy’s goalie Luke Skophammer with assists going to Patrick Kroski and Owen Sudenga to cut the lead to 2-1 Bloomington Kennedy.
Shots on goal for the period were 18-6 in favor of Luverne.
In the second period Luverne dominated the shots on goal 21-6, but Bloomington Kennedy got three second-period goals to take a 5-1 lead into the second intermission.
In the final period Luverne got a power play goal from Blaik Bork with assists going to Behrend and Henry Hartquist to cut the lead to 5-2.
Bloomington Kennedy responded with two goals in the final three minutes to win the game 7-2.
Total shots on goal were 50-15 in favor of the Cardinals. Arends made eight saves for the Cardinals.

I was sitting in my garage over the New Year’s weekend having a few adult beverages with my neighbor when an all too familiar topic was raised. He expressed his angst about the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources — that they are just too powerful.
I then prodded for some additional details. I asked him to give me an example of what he thought was too powerful. He came up with a very vague example of how hard it was to get a permit from the department to do anything.
I quizzed again and finally he came clean that he had heard at coffee about a guy that wanted to straighten a natural watercourse in order to improve the agricultural drainage in one of his farm fields.
He himself had never had a negative interaction with the department, but he was just voicing a negative view about the DNR permitting process. He did not even know the name of the person who was trying to get the permit.
Straightening a natural water course is illegal in all but the rarest cases, as Minnesota statute prevents it.
What follows is my interpretation of what most of those perceived negative interactions with the department stem from.
I have always admired the Minnesota DNR over most other state agencies. In my dealing with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, they use voluntary compliance. There was a person pumping his hog lagoon directly into a natural waterway. They told him to stop. He later buried a tile under ground and continued to pollute the waterway.
After seven or eight years he completed his goal and never paid a penalty or fine. Voluntary compliance is their way to go. What about the resulting pollution?
The DNR has regulations and rules that they actually follow and enforce. When someone wants to act in violation of these rules, they engage individuals, businesses and corporations to adhere to the rules to protect the resources of the state. We, by the way, are “the state.”
The one fact that really seems to evade most people’s understanding of the Minnesota DNR is that all of the rules and regulations they enforce are not their rules. They are rules that have been put in statute by the legislature in Minnesota. If you don’t like a rule or regulation, beating up the DNR is the wrong approach. Politicians in the state are the ones responsible if there is a rule you don’t like.
For example, Minnesota statute dictates how deep a drainage ditch can be dug. When a cleanout is performed, you cannot dig that man-made ditch deeper than it was before. You can only clean it out to the depth determined prior.
Everyone blames the DNR for this issue when all the DNR is doing is upholding the current laws in the state that they themselves did not write or vote into statute.
Wetland drainage laws are another area where the DNR takes a lot of heat, and in those instances, they again are only enforcing the statutes currently in state law. The “just look the other way” method leaves them in dereliction of their responsibilities as protectors of the state’s resources.
If you get caught with 20 walleyes over the limit, you should get a ticket and in my opinion a much bigger fine than currently allowed by Minnesota law. Who would or could disagree with that statement?
An ATV user who destroys state trails or causes destruction to wetlands by destroying habitat should be penalized according to state statute.
Minnesota’s natural resources management should be guided primarily by wildlife professionals and the scientists and biologists that back them up.
Elected officials should tread carefully when they try to divert or change statute from the primary mission of protecting natural resources to providing monetary gain to any Minnesota citizen, no matter who they are.
For the most part, not every single case, the heat the department takes is not of their own making but is as a result of enforcing rules dictated to them by a higher authority.
I can’t speak for every person who works for the DNR, but I can say that — like any profession — the majority of rank and file are great people, with a few rare bad apples.
The issues natural resources managers face today are greater than ever. Developers, wind generation, mining, water related drainage, moose collapse, aquatic invasive species, wolf population management, yearly flooding, pesty beavers … and the list goes on and on. 
The next time you hear someone talking negatively about the state’s resource managers, do what I did. Ask for a specific example.
If you get one, please inform that person in a respectful manner that in most cases the DNR is just doing what they are told to do by those who wrote the law and voted it into statute. I have never seen an example where attacking the messenger has ever really worked out right.
 
Scott Rall, Worthington, is a habitat conservationist, avid hunting and fishing enthusiast and is president of Nobles County Pheasants Forever. He can be reached at scottarall@gmail.com. or on Twitter @habitat champion.

FFA foundation awards jackets to six H-BC students
 
Six Hills-Beaver Creek High School FFA’ers recently earned scholarships for new blue FFA jackets.
Emma Deelstra, Gracie Fagerness, Jamesyn Klosterbuer, Anthany Kobernick-Pasch, Michael Martinyuk and Jack Moser are the local chapter’s newest Blue Jacket Bright Future program recipients.
“The program provides FFA jackets to Minnesota youth who are starting their FFA careers,” said chapter adviser Cloey Anderson.
This is the eighth year for the program through the Minnesota FFA Foundation.
Seven additional H-BC FFA members earned the personalized blue jackets through working concessions during the school’s home volleyball and basketball games.
These students include Amber Wiersema, Sawyer Bosch, Beau Baker, Cameron Allen, Bailey Spykerboer, Taylor Spykerboer and Blake Leenderts.

Staci Bogue-Buchholz joins Gevo
Gevo, Inc., which operates the Agri-Energy LLC plant in Luverne, announced Dec. 22 that Staci-Bogue Buchholz joined Gevo as “site and process optimization leader” at the Luverne facility.
In a recent press release, Dr. Paul Bloom, chief carbon officer and chief innovation officer, said Bogue-Buchholz brings more than 20 years of experience to the job.
“Her expertise will help provide a path forward for Gevo’s operations in Luverne and Silsbee (Texas),” Bloom indicated.
He mentioned her global experience in fermentation and process development, renewable chemical operations and environment management.
“It’s exciting to work alongside the talented minds at Gevo,” Bogue-Buchholz stated.
“I look forward to assisting with the scale-up aspects of new programs, in addition to providing strategic and technical support to the carbon and innovation team.”
Bogue-Buchholz and her family make their home in Luverne.