Oehlerts variance hearing set for May 24
Pursuant to the Rock County Zoning Ordinance, notice is hereby given by the Rock County Board of Adjustment that a public hearing will be held at the Rock County Law Enforcement Center located at 1000 North Bluemound Avenue, Luverne, Minnesota, at 7:10 p.m., Monday, May 24, 2021. The purpose of this hearing is to rule on the application submitted by Kevin and Donna Oehlerts to allow aggregate mining on a parcel less than 20 acres in size in the NE quarter corner of Section 23 of Beaver Creek Township, T102, R46W, Rock County, Minnesota. 
We will be following current CDC and Minnesota Department of Health guidelines at this meeting which includes mandatory masks and appropriate spacing between seats.  This meeting will also be available via teleconference. To access the meeting, dial the following phone number: (425)436-6320 then when prompted, enter the access code number: 108575
By order of the Rock County Planning and Zoning Commission
Eric A. Hartman, Zoning Administrator
311 W. Gabrielson Road
Luverne, MN 56156
507-283-8862   (05-13, 05-20)

Fick (Knife River)
conditional use hearing May 24
Pursuant to the Rock County Zoning Ordinance, notice is hereby given by the Rock County Planning and Zoning Commission that a public hearing will be held at the Rock County Law Enforcement Center located at 1000 North Blue Mound Avenue, Luverne, Minnesota at 7:00 p.m., Monday, May 24, 2021. The purpose of this hearing is to rule on the application for Conditional Use Permit for the following:
Applicant: Knife River Corp.
Property Owner: Ron Fick
Location: A portion of the SE 1/4 of Section 15 of 
Luverne Township, T102N, R45W, 
Rock County, Minnesota
Conditional Use: Placement and operation of a temporary 
hot mix asphalt plant                        
Zoning District: A-2, General Agriculture 
We will be following current CDC and Minnesota Department of Health guidelines at this meeting which includes mandatory masks and appropriate spacing between seats.  This meeting will also be available via teleconference. To access the meeting, dial the following phone number: (425) 436-6320. Then when prompted, enter the access code number: 108575
By order of the Rock County Planning and Zoning Commission
Eric A. Hartman, Zoning Administrator
311 W. Gabrielson Road
Luverne, MN 56156
507-283-8862 (05-13, 05-20)

Breek Arms
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: Breek Arms
PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS:
575 121st St., Luverne, MN 56156 USA
NAMEHOLDER(S):
Name: Breek LLC
Address: 100 N. 4th St., Beaver Creek, MN 56116 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/ Joshua Boomgaarden
MAILING ADDRESS: 100 N. 4th St., Beaver Creek, MN 56116
EMAIL ADDRESS FOR OFFICIAL NOTICES: joshua@breekllc.com
(05-13, 05-20)

The Luverne Cardinals softball team went 3-2 last week to bring its overall record back to .500 at 7-7.
The Cardinals opened the week on Tuesday, May 4, with a pair of losses at home to Windom.
Luverne then bounced back by winning three straight to finish the week.
The Cardinals swept a doubleheader against Redwood Valley on Thursday, May 6, in Luverne, and they wrapped up the week with a victory over Fairmont on Friday, May 7, in Fairmont.
 
Windom 8, LHS 6
The Cardinals led 6-2 going into the final inning against the Eagles at home Tuesday, May 4, but were unable to hold the four-run lead .
Luverne starting pitcher Gracie Nath began the inning by striking out the first batter.
The Eagles were able to get one run across and had runners on third and second with one out when a Windom batter hit a three-run home run to tie the game at 6-6.
The Eagles added two more runs in the top of the seventh inning and took an 8-6 lead into the bottom of the seventh.
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they were unable to mount a rally and fell 8-6.
The game started with the Eagles scoring one run in the top of the first inning.
In the bottom half of the inning the Cardinals left a pair of runners stranded in scoring position.
Nath recorded a pair of strikeouts in the second inning and the Cardinals set down the Eagles in order.
Averill Sehr drew a walk to open the bottom of the second inning. Sehr then stole second base to get in scoring position.
Emma Beyer hit a single to drive in Sehr and tie the game at 1-1.
In the third inning the Eagles scored a run to claim a 2-1 lead. Nath recorded three strikeouts in the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Sehr hit a leadoff double. The Cardinals were unable to drive her in and the Eagles held onto their one-run lead.
All three outs in the top of the fifth were caught by Sehr in centerfield.
In the bottom of the fifth, Carly Olson hit an RBI double to tie the game at 2-2.
Roz Oye followed Olson’s RBI double with an RBI double of her own to give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead.
With two outs, Sehr hit an RBI triple to put the Cardinals up 4-2.
Olson hit another RBI double in the bottom of the sixth to give the Cardinals a 5-2 lead. The Cardinals added one more run in the inning to take a 6-2 lead into the final inning.
The Eagles scored six runs in the inning to take an 8-6 lead. The Cardinals were unable to answer and fell to the Eagles 8-6.
Nath recorded nine strikeouts for the Cardinals.
 
Windom 1 0 1 0 0 0 6 8 11 1
LHS        0 1 0 0 4 1 0 6 10 2
 
Batting: Connell 2-4, Olson 2-3, Oye 2-3, Sehr 2-3, Boll 1-2, Beyer 1-4
Doubles: Olson 2; Sehr, Oye
Triples: Sehr
RBI: Olson 2; Oye, Sehr, Beyer
Pitching: Nath 7 IP, 9 Ks
 
Windom 21, LHS 6
The momentum that the Eagles picked up in the seventh inning of the first game carried over into the second game of the May 4 doubleheader.
After the Cardinals scored one run in the top of the first, the Eagles scored 13 runs in the bottom half of the inning.
That 13-run first inning was too much to overcome for the Cardinals as they fell to the Eagles 21-6.
 
LHS          1 0 2 3 6 4 9
Windom 13 4 0 4 21 13 0
 
Batting: Connell 2-3, Oye 1-1, Wynia 1-1, Bork 1-1
Doubles: Connell 2
RBI: Connell 2; Oye, Sehr
 
LHS 13, RV 2
The Cardinals defeated Redwood Valley 13-2, on Thursday, May 6, in Luverne.
Luverne scored five runs in the bottom of the second inning to take a 5-0 lead.
Redwood Valley answered back by scoring two runs in the top of the third inning to trim the lead to 5-2.
Luverne answered back by scoring a pair of runs to push their lead back to five runs.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Luverne scored six runs to take a 13-2 lead.
 
RV 0 0 2 0 0 2 2 8
LHS 0 5 2 6 x 13 7 3
 
Batting: Connell 2-3, Robinson 1-2, Olson 1-3, Oye 1-3, Boll 1-2, Smith 1-3
RBI: Connell 3, Olson 1, Oye 2, Boll 1, Smith 3, Bork 1
Pitching: Nath: 5 IP, 7 Ks
 
LHS 16, RV 1
Luverne won Game 2 of the doubleheader against Redwood Valley, 16-1.
The Cardinals scored nine runs in the first two innings to coast to the 15-run victory.
“It’s always good to bounce back after a tough loss with a couple of wins,” Luverne coach Brooks Maurer said.
“We felt like Thursday’s games were ones we needed to come out and take care of business right away and I felt like we did that.”
Billi Connell collected three hits, including a home run.
Olson also recorded three hits, including a pair of doubles, for the Cardinals. Olson also drove in a team-leading four runs.
Beyer hit a pair of doubles.
Leah Wynia collected two hits, including a double.
Oye limited Redwood Valley to just one hit and recorded eight strikeouts in five innings.
 
LHS 3 6 0 4 3 16 17 3
RV 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 4
 
Batting: Connell 3-5, Robinson 3-4, Olson 2-5, Oye 1-3, Sehr 1-3, Wynia 2-3, Smith 1-3, Beyer 2-4, Bork 2-4
Doubles: Olson 2, Beyer 2, Wynia
HR: Connell
RBI: Connell 2, Robinson 2, Olson 4, Oye 1, Sehr 1, Wynia 2, Smith 1, Bork 2
Pitching: Oye 5 IP, 8 Ks
 
LHS 7, Fairmont 3
The Cardinals won their third straight game on Friday, May 7, by defeating Fairmont 7-3 in Fairmont.
Fairmont struck first by scoring three runs in the bottom of the second.
Luverne answered right back with three runs of their own in the top of the third inning to tie the game at 3-3.
Luverne scored one run in the fourth and fifth innings to claim a 5-3 lead.
In the top of the seventh inning, the Cardinals scored a pair of insurance runs to take a 7-3 lead.
Fairmont was unable to mount a rally and fell to Luverne 7-3.
Connell fell one single shy of hitting for the cycle. Connell hit a double, a triple and a home run to lead the Cardinals’ offense. She also drove in three runs.
 
LHS 0 0 3 1 1 0 2 7 7 3
Fairmont 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 1
 
Batting: Connell 3-4, Robinson 1-3, Sehr 1-3, Beyer 1-3, Bork 1-3
Doubles: Sehr, Connell
RBI: Connell 3, Sehr 1, Boll 1, Beyer 1
Pitching: Nath 7 IP

Hills-Beaver Creek Secondary students spent Thursday afternoon, May 6, at The Rez, testing the handmade rods they made in ag classes with teacher Cloey Anderson.
Thirty students spent two weeks following kit instructions that included adding handles and fishing line guides to the bare poles.
The junior and senior students said they used a template to correctly space the guides along the poles. Each guide was then wound with colored nylon thread and epoxied to repel water.
Anderson acquired the poles using classroom funds, but the students purchased their own reels. They also learned how to load the reels with fishing line.
“It is really good to get kids out and try a new hobby — a new way to spend their time,” she said.
Anderson, along with Beaver Creek Sportsman’s Club member Arlyn Gehrke, supervised the catch-and-release of the small bluegills several students caught with their handmade poles.
A special fishing waiver was granted to the group for the educational lesson.

This year’s annual Cardinal Dash fundraiser at Luverne Elementary School yielded $16,180 for the school’s Parent Partners in Education (PPIE) group.
The amount topped the group’s $13,000 goal.
The event returned this year (after last year’s cancellation) under coronavirus guidelines.
Instead of running as a school in an end-of-the-day event, students completed their “dash” during scheduled physical education/music classes throughout Wednesday, May 5.
No visitors were allowed to participate with the students, and only a few parent volunteers were used.
Due to the rainy weather, several classes completed the dash in the gymnasium.
The Cardinal Dash fundraiser kicked off in mid-April when each student was challenged to sell eight cardinal notes or pledges for $10 apiece. Students pledge to run a half-mile to a two-mile course as part of the Cardinal Dash.
Second-graders were the top pledge earners followed by first grade and the kindergartners earned third place.
The second-grade students of teacher Kristen Schomacker were the top pledge earners followed by the first-grade class of Angie Ahrendt/Lisa Lundgren. Following in third place was Lori Nath’s second-grade class.
The first Cardinal Dash was in 2015 for the kindergarten through fifth-grade students. The event replaced PPIE’s annual frozen food fundraiser.
PPIE uses the money to support special activities within Luverne Elementary.
In the past, the group has sponsored the Prairie Ecology Bus, family reading night, swimming lessons, author visits, respect lunch, school patrol trips, snacks during MCA tests and teacher appreciation gifts.
The money raised over the group’s goal will go toward an outdoor Gaga Ball pit. Amy Chapa is PPIE president.
“The kids were so excited for the Gaga Ball pit that they sold, sold, sold! We made $3,180 more than our goal so they will be getting two pits instead of one,” she said.
“I am so proud of how hard they worked to help PPIE.”

Spring traditionally is a busy time in the Luverne Elementary music department.
However, this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, choral instructors Morgan Van Holland and Beth Capistran and band instructor Angie Swenson have taken a different route by assembling a video.
“We chose a musical area for each grade level to focus on,” Van Holland said. “Each class within that grade level has an activity they will be performing.”
Fifth-grade band students performed lesson pieces by instrumental sections.
The kindergarten through fifth-grade performances offer an inside look into the teachers’ daily lessons where students practice rhythm, reading music and/or learning body movements.
No singing occurred in the classrooms this year.
“In order to sing in our classrooms, students must be separated a minimum of 6 feet from each other,” Capistran said. “We are not able to do that in our

The city of Luverne is launching an e-bike rental program based at the East Main Street trailhead property (former Casey’s) at the Blue Mound Avenue corner.
At their Monday morning meeting, members of the Luverne Economic Development Authority were introduced to electric bicycles that will be available to the public June 1.
LEDA Director Holly Sammons walked them through the process from downloading the Koloni app on their smartphones, scanning the QR codes to unlocking the bikes to initiate rentals.
The e-bikes are equipped with locks that have both Bluetooth and GPS capabilities, so they can be locked and unlocked through the Koloni software platform.
Riders return bikes to a “geo-fenced” drop zone at the trailhead to end their rental, at which point the transaction is charged to the accounts that are set up with the app.
“This is an exciting new addition to the community as our trail system continues to grow and more people are enjoying outdoor activities,” Sammons said.
“Electric bikes are also increasing in popularity and offer people a way to enjoy biking regardless of their age, fitness level, or physical abilities. Electric bikes break down barriers to riding.”
Specifically, the battery-powered motors assist pedaling on uphill climbs or when riding against the wind.
“On pedal assist e-bikes, you control the amount of power the drive system provides and the assist only kicks in when you pedal,” Sammons said.
“The motor amplifies the power behind each of your pedal strokes, providing a natural riding feeling that makes it seem like your legs are supercharged.”
The bikes travel up to 20 mph and have a battery that lasts for roughly 25 miles.
“They’ll be able to ride to the Blue Mounds State Park and back — or anywhere they want to ride,” Sammons said.
They’re currently available for rent between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Sammons presented an hour’s worth of information Monday — including trouble-shooting tips, some frequently asked questions, and shared full-color power point, all of which will be available on the city’s website, cityofluverne.org.
“Most importantly, they are incredibly fun,” Sammons said. “Residents and visitors are able to ride farther, see more and explore the possibilities that come with a little extra power through the pedal-assist technology.”
She said the Luverne e-bike rental program will complement the existing "Roll on Luverne" bike loan program that allows riders to borrow traditional bikes for free from the GrandStay hotel.
The e-bikes are a pay-per-use rental program that is available at the trailhead.
Sammons and LEDA members discussed the fact that there will likely be hiccups as e-bikes are first used in the community, but she said the app allows users to request help if there are problems.
The e-bikes cost nearly $2,000 apiece and were paid for by LEDA. There are currently six on hand and four more are on back order.
Sammons developed the e-bike rental program in Luverne in collaboration with city zoning administrator Chad McClure, who is a bicycling enthusiast and is familiar with the app and the equipment.
The bikes will be parked outside at the trailhead at 601 E. Main Street. By utilizing the Koloni app, the program is designed to be self-service so it does not need to be staffed daily. Riders can follow the instructions posted on the sign, brochures, and on the City’s website.
The trailhead building is currently housing city fitness center equipment so that members can continue working out while the Luverne Area Aquatics and Fitness Center construction is underway.
At Monday’s meeting Sammons also updated the LEDA on final construction segments of the Luverne Loop Trail and presented a to-scale map that shows the Loop in relation to the Blue Mound Trail.
The Loop will be completed in its entirety by early next year, so Sammons said it’s good to introduce the bike rental programs ahead of the trail completion.
Mayor Pat Baustian said the Loop and bike rentals are an economic development tool as well as a quality-of-life amenity for residents.
“When you look at visitors coming to town, the more that we expose them to these types of things, the more it exposes them to our community,” he said.

Luverne High School FFA students hosted Farm Safety Day presentations Monday for Luverne Elementary fourth-grade classes. More than a dozen stations were set up along the gravel road west of the elementary school leading to the ball diamonds to show the operations and potential hazards of farm machinery and equipment, as well as safe animal handling. FFA adviser Dennis Moritz conducted a similar farm safety demonstration Monday afternoon with the Adrian students who are part of the Luverne-Adrian FFA Chapter.