Rock County Commissioners approved an additional $35,000 to two of the three ambulance services serving Rock County.
The increases will be effective this year.
The additional money for 2021 will be paid through reserves, auditor-treasurer Ashley Kurtz confirmed at the commissioners’ June 8 meeting.
Jasper Ambulance will receive an allocation of $5,000, up from $1,300.
Edgerton Ambulance will receive $2,500, up from $500.
Rock County Ambulance, based in Luverne, continues to receive $24,746.
The increases to Jasper and Edgerton were the result of a committee meeting between county officials and representatives from the three ambulance services. The group agreed to meet annually and will later draft a formal financial agreement going forward.
Commissioner Greg Burger served on the committee.
“We looked at the situation and we’ve been at $500 and $1,300 for way too long (since 2005). —Everything just flew under the radar,” he said. “This is our recommendation, in an effort to pick back up and get things where it belongs.”
The increased allocation means minimally an ambulance service will receive $2,500. The per section rate is currently $63.90.
Jasper Ambulance serves 79 sections in Rock County and Edgerton 34. The largest area, 391 sections, is covered by Rock County Ambulance.
Jasper Ambulance representative Jim Veldkamp and Jasper Mayor Mike Baustian talked with commissioners at their May 18 meeting. Veldkamp detailed the training each of Jasper’s 13 full-time ambulance volunteers and three in-coming volunteers undergo each year.
Veldkamp requested an allocation of $4,836, indicating the allocations would be placed in a capital expenditures fund for a replacement ambulance. This year Jasper replaced the current 15-year-old ambulance from allocations from Rock, Pipestone and Minnehaha counties, individual townships, community fundraisers and grants. Costs for a new ambulance average $250,000 to $300,000.
Annually commissioners allocate more than $113,000 to various organizations in Rock County. At the June 8 meeting, Oldre informed commissioners that the Rock County Veterans of Foreign Wars organization dissolved and would no longer receive the $300 allocation.

Meetings
Grand Prairie Cemetery Association will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 24, at the cemetery. In case of rain, meeting will be at Orv and Sons Plumbing in Ellsworth.
Parkinson’s Support Group will meet at 2 p.m. Thursday, July 1, at Poplar Creek on Oak Drive. Masks are required in the building.
 
Senior food distribution June 17
Nutrition Assistance Program for Seniors 60 and older, sponsored by A.C.E. of SW MN, will be from 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday, June 17, in the parking lot at 319 E. Lincoln, Luverne. Call Linda Wenzel at 283-5064 for more information. Pre-registration is required.
Free food offered June 17
New Life Celebration Church will offer free food at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, June 17, at the Generations Building on East Lincoln Street in Luverne. Vehicles should enter the west parking lot from Lincoln Street and drive to the double glass doors on the west side of the building where volunteers will load groceries into cars. Walkers should receive their pre-packaged groceries on the east side of the building. Call 507-283-4366. 
Free community meal
The United Methodist Church will offer a free community meal at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 23. A pick-up option is available.
Pulled pork feed, historic homes tour June 24
  A pulled pork feed fundraiser is from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 24, at the Hinkly House. A pulled pork sandwich, chips and a rootbeer float will be served for a freewill offering. The Hinkly House will be open for tours from 2 to 7 p.m. Golf cart tours of historic homes are from 2 to 3:30 and from 5 to 6:30 p.m., sponsored by the Chamber. Suggested donation for the tour is $5, and reservations may be made in advance at 507-283-4061.
Eden Lutheran Church annual service June 27
The Eden Lutheran Church of rural Jasper will host its annual service at 11 a.m. Sunday, June 27. Pastor Sue Grinde will officiate from the black Lutheran hymnal, followed by a potluck noon meal under a tent. At the 1 p.m. tolling of the bell, the congregation will gather for an afternoon meeting of history and singing favorite hymns. Coffee and refreshments will be served. Church cleaning will be at 9 a.m. Saturday, with coffee and sweets served. Call Bev at 507-348-4126 with questions.
 
Community Education announcements
Luverne Community Education will offer the following activities and classes in coming weeks. Call 507-283-4724 to sign up. See comed.isd2184.net to view the brochure and list of offerings.
Kids in grades 1-3 (completed) can sign up for Paint and Snack Classes on June 24 and July 22.  Sign up for one class or for all 3. Fee is $33 per class.
Create three wooden games at Beginning Wood Working on July 6 and 8 and then enjoy playing the games at class.  Open to anyone grade 2 (completed) through adult. Fee is $25.
Reclaimed Wood Art class on July 13 offers an opportunity to make a unique “string art deco” piece to enjoy at home or give as a gift.  Open to anyone grade 2 (completed) through adult.  Fee is $18/person.
 
Library Happenings
The Rock County Library is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 10 a.m to 5 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. For additional questions, contact library personnel at 507-449-5040 or rocklibrarystaff@gmail.com.
Summer Reading Program, “Reading Colors Your World,” registration is now open to all ages. Pick up a reading log at the library.
Monthly trivia nights with locally written questions are the first Thursdays of the month at Take 16 on East Main Street in Luverne for teams of one or more individuals. No pre-registration is necessary. Library personnel conduct the event.
Story Time at the Park will feature songs and stories with children’s library Bronwyn Wenzel each Tuesday through June and July at a different park in Luverne. The events begin at 10:30 a.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring a chair or blanket. The schedule will be:
•June 22, Veterans Park, 1211 N. Elm St.
•June 29, Hawkinson Park, East Adams Avenue.
•July 6, Evergreen Park, North Blue Mound Avenue.
•July 13, Kolbert Park, 801 W. Warren St.
•July 20, Veterans Park, 1211 N. Elm St.
•July 27, Hawkinson Park, East Adams Avenue.
 
Southwest Crisis Center offers trauma-informed yoga
The Southwest Crisis Center yoga support group is expanding this summer to weekly sessions from noon to 12:45 p.m. Tuesdays through July 13 at the Luverne City Park. Bring a yoga mat as limited qualities will be available. Sessions are directed by Rock County advocate Jennifer Lindsey and is free and open to the public. Contact Lindsey at 507-283-9917 or Jennifer@mnswcc.org with questions.
 
Explore Prairie Ally
Free guided tours at Prairie Ally Outdoor Center (308 N. Blue Mound Avenue in Luverne) are Thursdays at 6, 6:30, and 7 p.m. June through August or by appointment. Volunteers are needed Tuesdays from 10a.m. to noon and Thursdays at 5:30 June through September. Workshops are planned for June 5 (companion planting), June 10 (tree care) and Aug. 19 (edible perennials). Contact: prairieallymn@gmail.com, 605-951-0227. Also, visit projectfoodforest.org/events.
 
Hospice donations due June 21
Sanford Luverne Hospice is changing the date of the Hospice Dinner & Auction to Thursday, Aug. 26, to better accommodate summer weekend plans. Note: Auction donations are currently being accepted thru June 21. Contact the hospice office at 283-1805 or email: helen.saum@sanfordheath.org.
 
Take and Make bird treat kits
Stop by the Luverne Area Chamber at 213 East Luverne Street to pick up one or more Take and Make bird treat kits. Kits are free, but a $5 to $10 donation is welcome to benefit Project Food Forest in Rock County. (Or donate online at https://donorbox.org/support-pff

Recent news accounts of hackers holding data “hostage” has local school officials beefing up cybersecurity in efforts to protect personal student data and sensitive accounting information.
The cost for the added protection (not yet known) will add to the 2021-22 school budget.
School board members were informed of the budget increase during their May 13 work session and special meeting.
Wade Hiller, Luverne Public School’s technology coordinator, told board members and administrators of his cyber security concerns.
“The world we live in today, everything is online,” Hiller said. “With highly trained, large businesses being hacked, what can we (a small school district) do?”
As more reports of businesses’ systems being hacked come forward, stories of how data is encrypted and how disruption is caused when computer systems are compromised is causing area school boards to look at options for protection.
Often the hackers demand millions of dollars for the codes to return the encrypted information back to useable form.
Hiller said conversations with other school technology coordinators and advisers with the Southwest/West Central Service Cooperative have pointed toward the purchase of cybersecurity insurance.
As a stipulation for coverage, schools must implement a multi-factor authentication process for internal access to the sensitive data. Essentially staff would need to successfully sign into the computer system twice before access is granted.
As a Google school district, Hiller said the software for the MFA is already available and ready for implementation this summer.
July 1 is the district’s insurance renewal deadline. The exact premium cost was unknown at the time of the workshop.
Hills-Beaver Creek School District is also investigating similar authentication process and cybersecurity insurance.
 
Local business knows cyberattack firsthand
Four years ago the computer system at the Luverne Farm Store experienced a cyberattack, according to business owner Nate Golla.
The encrypting of the feed store’s accounting and inventory systems took six months to rebuild and the cost took the business years to recoup.
Golla found his current cybersecurity insurance didn’t cover the type of ransomware attack the farm store experienced.
Because the attack happened during the day, Farm Store personnel unplugged the computer system during the encryption process. No information was actually stolen by the overseas hackers.
“They take nothing from you,” Golla said, “but encrypt the information on our server. Insurance only covered if whoever was in there took something.”
Because the hackers were stopped as the attack took place, the Farm Store didn’t receive any demands for money to receive the codes to undo the encryption.
Instead, Golla and his staff spent six months recreating the accounting data from daily reports and spreadsheets not harmed in the cyberattack.
The process was finished in April 2019 and the financial records are now considered clear.
However, the effects from the hacking were felt financially for several years.
From his experience, Golla recommends and encourages business and organization leaders to read through their cybersecurity insurance to be sure they are protected against cyber threats.

Monday night, a dedicated group of 4-H horse project leaders assembled new portable bleachers for the horse arena at the Rock County Fairgrounds.
It’s no small undertaking.
The bleachers arrived last week in a tidy box filled with hundreds of bolts, rivets and aluminum pieces. When assembled, they become a safe and secure public seating area.
The old wood and steel bleachers can hopefully benefit another organization.
They remind me of the two longtime, dedicated  4-H horse project supervisors, Stan and Ginny Soutar.
More than 40 years ago, these horse enthusiasts helped me fulfill a young girl’s dream of owning and caring for a horse. Without them, I wouldn’t have received that initial gray pony and the subsequent larger quarter horse raised on their farm on the outskirts of Luverne.
I joined 4-H to learn how to ride and show those horses under the Soutars’ tutelage.
Decades later, I am still riding and showing a horse with my own riding abilities improving considerably over that time period.
I recently returned as an active volunteer to the 4-H horse project, instructing youth on what it takes to earn a blue ribbon at the fair.
However, the number of 4-H horse project riders is dwindling.
Only five 4-H’ers out of a possible 30 attended the session. No longer is it mandatory for youth to attend these sessions in order to participate at the Rock County Fair.
I don’t agree with that rule.
In my previous work with the horse project, youth needed to attend five summer sessions over a three-month period. The sessions allowed both the horses and young riders to get used to one another and learn the riding and showing skills. 
I see many horses grazing in the pastures of Rock County. I often wonder if their owners ride them regularly, and if they have children who could benefit from what the 4-H horse project has to offer.
Six other adults join me at the Wednesday night sessions. I am hoping more kids will also join us in the coming weeks. After all, learning the requirements it takes to earn a blue ribbon takes time and practice.
As of today, the Rock County Fair is six weeks away.
Both Stan and Ginny Soutar are gone, as will be the old bleachers that contain that wooden plaque thanking them for the donated seating.
The Soutars helped me become a blue-ribbon rider. I am fortunate and proud that I and the six other adult volunteers can continue the tradition and standards they set for decades. Going forward, we’ll soon see what our hard work generates as we volunteers watch from those new bleachers.

One day last week something remarkable happened.
Quietly, almost imperceptibly, Rock County hit a milestone with its COVID-19 data.
While our masks were getting lost in glove boxes and purse pockets, and while we crowded together at Buffalo Days and began planning for the Fourth of July, and while we ramped up our social schedules after a pandemic year of isolation …
… Rock County reached 20 straight days of no new coronavirus cases.
It didn’t make headlines in the way that our first coronavirus cases did, and the way our first coronavirus losses did.
It’s not like the news media to report on what didn’t happen, but perhaps we should.
Considering the journey from those first cases to today, and considering what it took to reach “no new cases,” it’s certainly worth some reflection.
It was perhaps the single most challenging public health crisis to burden our local leaders and health professionals since polio in the 1950s.
It required perhaps the most personal responsibility and sacrifice since World War II rations.
And the toll it took on business and commerce was unlike any other economic hardship in recent history.
If the pandemic were a marathon, we paced ourselves at the start, took off like a shot at Mile 10, and somewhere around Mile 20 we feared there may not be a finish line.
We geared up for overwhelmed hospital rooms, made arrangements for medical staff reinforcements, and stocked up on hand sanitizer and PPE. There’s the 2020 Acronym of the Year if there were to be one. (Personal Protective Equipment, for those who weren’t paying attention.)
There is no race so difficult as one with no end in sight – and it did feel that way at times … when we buried loved ones, closed beloved restaurants and businesses and eclipsed school pastimes like prom, spring sports and graduation.
The list of losses goes on.
But as we rounded the new year with our COVID-19 numbers leveling off, we began to see the finish line: a vaccine.
Just as we lined up for community testing clinics, we did the same for vaccines.
One shot at a time, one age group at a time, protection built. And the Covid cases dropped.
Until one day, we realized 20 days in a row had passed with no new reported cases.
Have we crossed the finish line? It’s hard to know. Perhaps after a year of no new cases we’ll declare the journey over.
Meanwhile, Rock County, we can appreciate today.
 

Sunday is Father’s Day and the funny thing about Father’s Day for me is I don’t consider it a day set aside for me as a father.
I know that sounds rather confusing, but what I am trying to say is Father’s Day for me is more about three other very important fathers in my life.
First is my father, or Dad, as I called him. He died of cancer at the age of 47 some 40 years ago. I think about him often and I always think about him on Father’s Day, Veterans Day and Memorial Day.
When I think about my dad, my thoughts are not so much what I miss about him, but more about what he missed by dying so young.
He missed watching his three sons grow up and have families of their own. He missed watching his grandchildren grow up and have families of their own. He would have no doubt enjoyed that very much.
The other two fathers I think about often, and especially on Father’s Day, are my son, Nate, and son-in-law, Blair. I am very proud of both of them for being great fathers. Nate is father of three boys and Blair is the father of two daughters.
Of course those three boys and two girls are Mary’s and my grandchildren, and once again I think about my dad and what he missed.
I must say watching your kids grow up and start families of their own and see them become great parents is about the best Father’s Day gift this dad could ask for.
Happy Father’s Day to all of you dads.

Norberg: "... hope is on the horizon'
To the Editor:
After complaining about the appearance of MaplewoodCemetery last year, I'm compelled to say THANK YOU to the cemeteryassociation for the excellent condition I found the grounds to be in this year. As I drovedown the main entrance, the flags were beautifully flyingwith a backdrop of tall green trees which was an awesome sight. (Also, thanks to thosewho place the flags each year.)
I may be a South Dakota "transplant." However, my heart and home will always remain in Minnesota, specifically Rock County.
Virginia von Holt
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Dispatch report
June 4
•Report of a sudden death on W. Main Street.
•Complainant on County Highway 4, Luverne, reported excessive noise.
•An outage was reported.
•Complainant on E. Church Avenue, Steen, requested to speak with a deputy about harassment.
•Subject was arrested on Rock County warrant.
June 5
•Complainant on Main Street and Kniss Avenue reported a driving complaint.
•Complainant westbound on Interstate 90, mile marker 32, Magnolia, reported a driving complaint.
•Complainant on E. Hatting Street reported trespassing on his property.
•Complainant on N. Kniss Avenue reported phone line outages.
June 6
•Complainant on Barge Channel, St. Paul, reported subject with Rock County warrant.
•Complainant on N. Jackson Street reported intoxicated person causing problems.
•Complainant on N. Garfield Street, Magnolia, reported damage/vandalism.
•Complainant east-bound on Interstate 90, west of mile marker 11, Luverne, requested roadside assistance.
•Complainant on W. Mead Court reported assault at location.
June 7
•Complainant at Maplewood Cemetery reported a possible abandoned vehicle.
•Complainant reported recreational vehicle was stolen.
•Complainant on 141st Street reported a stolen and recovered vehicle.
•Complainant on County Road 6 and 61st Street, Beaver Creek, reported a flat tire.
•Complainant reported a scam.
•Complainant on 111th Street and 140th Avenue, Luverne, reported a tractor fire.
•Complainant on Interstate 90 and Highway 75 reported a driving complaint.
•Complainant on E. Warren Street reported found property.
•Deputy was out with vehicle at location on County Road 11 and County Road 5, Luverne.
June 8
•Complainant reported lost items.
•Complainant requested to speak with deputy about property exchange.
•Complainant on 71st Street and 134th Ave., Luverne, reported kids recreationally jumping from bridge at location.
•Complainant on W. Harrison Street reported item stolen from vehicle.
June 9
•Complainant west-bound on Interstate 90, mile marker 5, Beaver Creek, reported a speeding semi truck.
•Complainant on 20th Avenue, Valley Springs, reported abandoned vehicle.
•Complainant on Oak Drive, Luverne, reported property damage/attempted break-in.
•Dispatch confirmed warrant.
•Complainant on 10th Avenue and 81st Street, Valley Springs, South Dakota, reported some kind of liquid leaked onto roadway.
•Complainant on Interstate 90, mile marker 6, Beaver Creek, reported vehicles at high rate of speed.
•Complainant on W. Main Street reported a probation check.
•Complainant requested to speak with a deputy about a call.
•Complainant on County Road 4 and County Road 11, Luverne, reported speeding and erratic driving.
•Complainant on S. Walnut Avenue and W. Hatting Street, reported a pedestrian walking in the ditch.
June 10
•Complainant on E. Luverne Street reported possible hacking or scam.
•Complainant requested to speak to deputy.
•Deputy on State Highway 23 and 201st Street, Jasper, assisted motorist.
•Deputy on State Highway 23 and 141st Street, Beaver Creek, reported an abandoned vehicle.
•Complainant on E. Fletcher Street reported vandalism/property damage.
•Complainant on S. Kniss Avenue reported suspicious activity.
•Complainant on W. Warren Street reported assault at location.
•Complainant on 10th Avenue, Valley Springs, South Dakota, reported a driving complaint.
In addition, officers responded to 5 motor vehicle accidents, 8 escorts, 12 ambulance runs, 1 paper service, 3 animal complaints, 3 fingerprint requests, 4 burn permits, 2 vehicle impounds, 1 gas drive-off, 1 alarm, 3 drug court tests, 3 purchase and carry permits, 2 stalled vehicles, 15 traffic stops, 9 abandoned 911 calls, 2 tests, 1 report of cattle out and 1 curfew check.

Beaver Creek City Council members discussed the Spring Brook Bridge at their meeting Wednesday, June 9, after they were asked to provide $10,000 in matching funds to repair it.
For several years, the bridge at the northeast edge of Beaver Creek has been showing signs of wear — cracking, pitting and some erosion underneath.
However, the concrete structure is on the list of historic bridges with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, which means repairs are planned with an eye toward historic preservation.
A 2014 Historical Bridge Study of the Spring Brook Bridge found it to be “in fair condition overall,” but pointed out several deficiencies.
“The most significant defects include cracking and spalling of the wingwalls and headwalls, deterioration and undermining of the abutments, and erosion/exposure of the east bridge slopes,” the report stated.
At their June 9 meeting, Beaver Creek Council members learned the bridge repairs were estimated at $167,000.
Some of the costs would be covered by grants and by the county and state, but the city was asked to provide $10,000 in matching funds to complete the work.
Council members voted to table action on the request until they could review the plans.
In the spring of 2017, Beaver Creek received a $40,000 engineering grant from the Minnesota Historical Society, because the bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
The council expressed frustration that the engineering money had been spent, but it took a year and a half to get it done.
Spring Brook Road, which becomes First Avenue as it enters town, was at one time a primary thoroughfare into Beaver Creek’s bustling downtown, which boasted several gas stations, a motel and other businesses.
Spring Brook Bridge was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1989. Its builder, Perley Gillham, built dozens of bridges throughout various townships in southwest Minnesota.
Gillham was known for his unique concrete arch bridge designs.
According to MnDOT’s summary of the historical structure, the Spring Brook Bridge is a single-span, reinforced concrete, filled-spandrel, barrel-vaulted, arch bridge, with slightly flared wingwall abutments.
It was constructed in 1911 by Perley N. Gillham, who designed and constructed reinforced-concrete arch bridges.
“Design and construction of reinforced-concrete arch span exemplifies Gillham’s style and construction method, such as the scribed line in the arch-ring edge, distinctive slab railing and decorative concrete molding along the lower edge of all coping,” the MnDOT site reads.
Rehabilitation won’t change Spring Brook Bridge’s current one-lane design.
When compared to today’s bridge standards, it would continue to be classified as “functionally obsolete,” a distinction it received in 1991.
Fewer than 100 vehicles travel the gravel road over the Spring Brook Bridge on a daily basis.
The bridge continues to be safe for use.