A Luverne man is facing felony charges in connection with medications stolen from the Sanford Luverne ambulance.
According to the complaint filed in Rock County District Court Nov. 3, ambulance director Harlan VandeKieft called the Sheriff’s Office on Nov. 2 to report narcotics and syringes were missing from the ambulance.
Video camera footage showed the defendant, Jeffery William Cook, 34, of Luverne driving his SUV up to the hospital garage door on Nov. 1 at around 2:30 p.m.
He then used the door opener for the ambulance garage to open that door to gain access to the ambulance inside.
The surveillance footage shows Cook, wearing all black with a black mask, entering the ambulance and taking narcotics with the syringes that were inside the ambulance.
On the list of missing medications were Fentanyl, Ativan, Versed, Ketamine and Cardizem, all controlled substances.
VandeKieft told officers that Cook, as a former ambulance employee, would know how to access the garage door opener, but the security cameras were installed after Cook left his job with ambulance.
Though he was masked, Cook’s Ford Explorer license plate were visible on camera footage.
A search warrant at Cook’s residence on the afternoon of Nov. 2 turned up IV needle caps, syringes and other items identified as those missing from the ambulance.
Meanwhile, Cook was involved in a Sioux Falls crash with the SUV that rear-ended a semi.
In speaking with South Dakota law enforcement, Rock County officials learned that Cook had confessed to taking all the narcotics and syringes from the Sanford Luverne ambulance and that he used all the Fentynal on Nov. 1.
Cook is charged with third-degree burglary, a felony, and a fifth-degree drug charge, a gross misdemeanor.
He is currently being held in Minnehaha County Jail awaiting a hearing in Rock County.

The Luverne Chamber and Convention and Visitors Bureau recently announced the winners of the second half of the 2021 CVB Photo Contest.
 
ADULT WINNERS LANDSCAPE:
Bench on Path – Jim Klosterbuer
Early Rock County Morning – Pat Baustian
Quarry Top View – Kelly Doyle
Sun Kissed Rocks – Kelly Doyle
Frosty Morning – Kristin Suhr
 
YOUTH WINNERS LANDSCAPE:
Flowers & Sun – Brooke Hubbard
Protective Parents – Teddy Peterson
Tri-State Marker – Clara Sandager
 
ADULT WINNERS PEOPLE:
Boots – Jayda Walgrave
Rockin’ the Life – Jayda Walgrave
Walkin’ the Tracks –Jayda Walgrave
 
YOUTH WINNERS PEOPLE:
Lost Acre 1 – Bridget Sandager
Lost Acre 3 – Bridget Sandager
Makin’ a Small Head – Brooke Hubbard

LSS meals at Generations
Monday, Nov. 15: Taco salad with tomatoes, lettuce, beans, corn chips, sour cream, emerald gelatin with pears.
Half-Price Day sponsored by American Reformed Church.
Tuesday, Nov. 16: Ham, baked potatoes, peas, dinner roll, dessert.
Wednesday, Nov. 17: Sloppy Joe on a bun, broccoli, cinnamon applesauce, dessert.
 Thursday, Nov. 18: Roast beef with gravy, mashed potatoes with gravy, California Normandy blend, bread, dessert.
Friday, Nov. 19: Chicken alfredo, fettucine pasta, mixed vegetables, mandarin oranges, cake.  
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.

The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on January 6, 1905.
 
Birds Score High
Many Fine Specimens are Exhibited
Event Was a Big Success
Fourth Annual Show of Luverne Poultry Association Came to an End Saturday—Majority of Purses Won by Luverne Exhibitors—List of the Prize Winners
(This article is continued from last week)
Below we give the official list of the prizes won by the various exhibitors; in every instance where a first prize is awarded for pen it indicates that there were at least three pens in competition in that class:
White Plymouth Rocks—Winnie Babcock, Sioux City, 3rd and 4th pen, 2nd cock; 3rd, 4th and 5th hen; Wm. Grossenburg, Rock Valley, Ia., 5th pen; John Vickerman, Ellsworth, 1st and 2nd hen, 2nd pullet; Sam Foight, Luverne, 4th cockerel, 2nd pen; N. R. Reynolds, Luverne, 1st pen, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th cockerel, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, an 4th pullet.
Light Brahmas—S. L. Chapm, Luverne, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd pen, 2nd, 3rd and 4th cockerel, 1st, 2nd and 3rd pullet, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th hen, 1st cock; G. W. Law, Mitchell, S. D., 4th pen, 4th pullet, 5th cockerel, 5th pullet.
White Wyandottes—Mrs. W. A. Schelhamer, Luverne, 1st and 2nd pen, 1st and 2nd cockerel, 1st, 2nd 3rd and 5th cockerel, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th hen, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th pullet; W. A. Jones, Luverne, 4th cockerel, 5th pullet, 3rd pen; J. H. Adams, Luverne, 4th pen, 4th cockerel; Wm. Scallin, Mitchell, S. D., 5th pen, 3rd cock.
Single Comb Brown Leghorns—H. P. Larson Beresford, S. D. 1st pen, 1st cock, 1st hen, 1st, 2nd and 3rd pullet, 1st and 3rd cockerel; F. H. Windsor, Jr., Mitchell, S. D. 2nd cockerel, 4th and 5th pullet, 2nd and 3rd hen, 2nd pen.
Single Comb Buff Opingtons—R. W. Sherwood, Sioux Falls, S. D., 1st pen 1st and 2nd cockerel, 2nd and 4th pullet; W. B. Engle, Sioux Falls, S. D., 2nd pen, 1st, 3rd and 5th pullet, 3rd cockerel.
Partridge Wyandottes—L. J. Stick, Sioux Falls, all awards.
Silver Wyandotes—Mrs. M. Swedberg, Luverne, all awards.
Buff Wyandottes—Mrs. M. Swedberg, Luverne, all awards.
Golden Wyandotes—J. H. Adams, Luverne, all awards.
Buff Plymouth Rocks—H. P. Larson, Beresford, S. D. all awards.
Black Wyandotes—H. M. Avery, Sioux Falls, all awards.
White Langshans—E. C. Brooks, Beaver Creek, 1st cockerel, 1st and 2nd pullet, 1st and 2nd hen.
Black Langshans—E. C. Brooks, Beaver Creek, 1st and 2nd pen, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th cockerel, 1st, 2nd. 3rd, 4th and 5th pullet, 1st and 2nd hen; S. S. Metcalf, Sioux Falls, 3rd hen.
Partridge Cochins—I. J. Jargo, Luverne, all awards.

10 years ago (2011)
•Rock County members of the local National Guard unit received a really big message from home last week.
A 600-foot roll of paper containing hundreds of handwritten messages to soldiers arrived at the Camp Patriot base in Kuwait on Friday.
According to First Sgt. Robert Newman, the service men and women unrolled the letter and enjoyed reading the messages, some of which were directed to individual soldiers. …
The letter arrived along with 30 boxes of care packages sent from volunteers with Rock County’s Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Campaign.
 
25 years ago (1996)
•Luverne Elementary School hums with activity. The old brick building, with its cozy rooms and decorated halls, provides a welcome atmosphere for young learners.
From the top of the three-story structure to the depths of the boiler room, every possible corner has a function … or two or three.
While education is the obvious priority in the building, a closer look indicates why the District 2184 School Board believes it’s time to replace the 71-year-old building. Board members have wrestled with shortages of classroom and playground space, leaking roofs, limited handicap accessibility, aging plumbing, technology development and energy efficiency.
The board believes the most cost-effective solution for the district is a new building. A $12.5-million bond election for a new elementary school attached to the west end of the existing high school will go to the voters Dec. 9. The district’s goal is to have an informed and supportive electorate by that date.
 
50 years ago (1971)
•Faye Knutson, 12, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Knutson of Magnolia, was named first place winner in the “Sub-Deb” Division at the Make-It-With-Wool Contest in Marshall on Oct. 30.
Faye competed with six other girls in her division at the district contest which involves about nine counties in Southwest Minnesota. …
Faye made and modeled lined wool slacks for the contest. She was given a Coats & Clark Sewing Book for winning in her division.
 
75 years ago (1946)
•Plans for a grand homecoming for Cedric Adams at Magnolia this evening are complete, reports Supt. R. M. Brynelson.
The Minneapolis newspaper columnist and radio news reporter will be the main attraction at the Magnolia school carnival which will be held tonight in the high school gymnasium. He will be master of ceremonies at a program to be given from the stage before his 10 o’clock news broadcast over WCCO. …
The money from this event will be used to further student activities such as athletics, visual education, music, and other student aids.
 
100 years ago (1921)
•A double program, consisting of Earle Williams in “The Purple Cipher,” and Alice Joyce in “Slaves of Pride” will be the offering at the Palace Theatre for next Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.
The “Purple Cipher” is by Will F. Jenkins and the star has a role of the type which has been largely instrumental in winning him his following. He plays the part of a resourceful young American who frustrates the designs upon himself, his sweetheart, and his friends, of a blackmailing Chinese tong. Creepy mystery runs through the production, and the surprise finish takes place aboard a submarine in the Pacific ocean. …
Miss Joyce is cast in the role of Patricia Leeds, a girl, who under the importunities of an ambitious mother, becomes the bride of Brewster Howard, a man of excessive wealth.

Milton “Bud” Fink, age 96, of Luverne, Minnesota, died Saturday, November 6, 2021 at the Good Samaritan Society – Mary Jane Brown Home in Luverne, Minnesota.
A graveside service will be held Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at the Beaver Creek Cemetery in Beaver Creek, Minnesota.
Arrangements are entrusted to the Hartquist Funeral Home in Luverne. To sign an online registry, please visit www.hartquistfuneral.com.
Milton “Bud” Fink was born in Chamberlain, South Dakota on February 12, 1925 to Joseph and Grace (Milton) Fink and died on November 6, 2021 at the Good Samaritan Society - Mary Jane Brown Home in Luverne, Minnesota at the age of 96. He spent his childhood in South Dakota, first on the Crow Creek Reservation and later in Pukwana. His father was a farmer and his mother, a teacher.
He said he had a good childhood. He had a dog and a pet pig. He could hammer as many nails as he wanted into the garage walls. He had an account for candy at the general store and he could go wherever he wanted as long as he was home for supper. He enjoyed riding horseback with his cousin, Polly, on her parents’ ranch near the Missouri River. Riding among the rattlesnakes was allowed. Crossing the river was not.
 
When Bud was 13, the family moved to northern Minnesota. He helped his father do logging with horses and also became an avid deer hunter. When their parents were away, Bud and his sister, Peg, enjoyed going to dances at Squaw Lake. They drove a Model T and usually had a flat tire along the way. Bud graduated from Northome High School in 1943.
In the late 40s, Bud came to help his uncles on their farm north of Beaver Creek and never left Rock County. He married Nell Timmer on February 25, 1950 and they bought a farm west of Luverne in 1957. They lived there for 62 years. Bud enjoyed raising cattle and also enjoyed his horses and dogs and barn cats. He never carried photos of his family in his wallet but always had a photo of his mule, Ruthie. He built buggies and sleighs and refinished old furniture. He enjoyed auctions and zinnias and spaghetti. He liked most people and their stories. He especially enjoyed tall tales and downright lies. He was a hard worker and a nice guy.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Peg, infant brother, James, and wife, Nell. He is survived by his family of women, daughters, Patricia (Peter) Body of Luverne, and Marcia (Ira) Dahlman of McKinney, Texas, three granddaughters, one great-granddaughter; one sister-in-law, and four nieces.
A private family burial is planned.
(1111 V)

Mary Anderson, 84, Rock Rapids, Iowa, died Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021, at Rock Rapids Health Centre in Rock Rapids.
Funeral service is at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Rock Rapids. Burial is at Riverview Cemetery in Rock Rapids. Visitation is one hour prior to the funeral service.
Mary Peterson was born July 8, 1937, in Rock Rapids, Iowa, the daughter of Frank and Bernice (Brown) Peterson. She attended country school in Lyon County, Iowa. She then graduated from Rock Rapids High School in 1956.
Mary married John Anderson in Luverne on June 8, 1956. They lived on the Anderson family farm for a short time and moved to Sibley, Iowa. Mary went back to school and obtained her nursing certificate. They moved back to Rock Rapids and Mary began working at Restmore Nursing Home until she became ill with tuberculosis. She spent a year hospitalized while recovering. She then worked at Super Valu Grocery until it was sold many years later. She kept the books for John’s Plumbing & Heating and did various other jobs such as Casey’s Pizza and Hope Haven. She also cleaned for Alta Stobener for many years.
Mary and John enjoyed square dancing and were involved with the square dancing club.  Mary enjoyed baking, cleaning, crocheting, knitting, sewing and helping others whenever she could. Mary also enjoyed collecting things like Precious Moments, Beanie Babies, Boyds Bears and chickens.
Mary was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, active with the funeral committees, QuarterLion’s Club Luncheons and circle.
When Alzheimer’s struck, she lived at Lyon Manor, Keelson Harbor before entering Rock Rapids Health Centre.
She is survived by her children, Rhonda (Lyle) Olson of Steen and Tamara (Mark) Dillingham of Spirit Lake, Iowa; eight grandchildren, Jeremy (Stacy) Olson and their children, Ashley (Eric) Tieszen, Jakob, Rylee and Carly, Erika (Brad) Thedens and their children, Clay, Zack and Zoe, Hailey Olson, Heather Anderson and her children, Devin and Ryan, Meghan (Dave) Sierck and their children, Dawson and Gabrielle, Rachel Anderson, Landon Dillingham and Dylan (Danika) Anderson;  a great-great granddaughter, Oaklee Tieszen; brother, Marvin Peterson of Rock Rapids; sister-in-law Lillian Peterson of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and many nieces, nephews and other extended family.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, John Anderson; son Randy Anderson; three sisters, Inez Korthals, Audrey Timmerman and Alice Buss; and brothers Alvin and Lee Peterson.
Arrangements are provided by Jurrens Funeral Home of Rock Rapids, www.jurrensfuneralhome.com.
(1111 F)

Hortensia A. Cornejo, 73, Luverne, died peacefully on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021, at the Good Samaritan Society – Mary Jane Brown Home in Luverne.
A private family service will take place at a later date.
Arrangements are provided by Hartquist Funeral Home of Luverne,  hartquistfuneral.com.
(1111 DN)

Elaine Emma Hamann, 96, Luverne, died Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021, at the Good Samaritan Society – Mary Jane Brown Home in Luverne.
A funeral service was at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 8, at the First Presbyterian Church in Luverne. Burial followed at Maplewood Cemetery in Luverne.
Elaine Kindt was born on May 23, 1925, to Henry and Viola (Lorenzen) Kindt on a farm in Luverne Township of Rock County. When she was four years old, the family moved to a farm in Denver Township of Rock County where she attended country school through the eighth grade. She then attended four years of high school in Luverne and one year of teacher’s training in Ivanhoe. Upon completion of her education, she taught country school for five years north of Hardwick.
She married Merle Hamann on March 30, 1948, at the Presbyterian Church parsonage in Luverne. Following their marriage, they lived on an acreage in Denver Township for 24 years. In 1968 Elaine became employed as a cook at the Blue Mound Inn in Luverne where she worked for five years. She then worked at the bakery in Luverne for the next 23 years. When the bakery closed, she began working at the Luverne High School in the food service department. She retired from the school in 2005 at the age of 80 years. Merle died in November of 2005.
Elaine remained active in the community by volunteering at the Veterans Home, the Senior Center and at her church. She later moved to Sunrise Village in Jasper and then to Good Samaritan Society – Mary Jane Brown Home in Luverne.
Elaine was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Luverne. She helped put together the church newsletter and served at salad luncheons and funerals. She belonged to church circle and the Women’s Quilting Group. She was a talented quilter and enjoyed handiwork. She created a special quilt for each one of her children and grandchildren. She loved to travel and especially enjoyed the bus trips she took with her daughter, Pat. She enjoyed playing cards and heading out to Glen’s for coffee break.
Elaine is survived by her daughter, Jolene Gronholz of Peoria, Arizona; three sons, Lee (Kathy) Hamann of Luverne, Dean (Jean) Hamann of Adrian, and Duane (Linda) Hamann of Brandon, South Dakota; son-in-law Jerold Mann of Luverne; 11 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; a sister, Marlene (Gary) Mann of Luverne; sister-in-law Beverly Kindt of Jasper; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Merle; daughters Patricia Mann and Dianne Hamann; son-in-law George Gronholz; and her brother, Marvin Kind.
Arrangements were provided by Hartquist Funeral Home of Luverne, hartquistfuneral.com.
(1111 F)