The Luverne Cardinals were originally slated to open the 2021 season in Windom against the Eagles on Friday, April 9. Due to wet conditions the game was moved to Luverne.
The Cardinals didn’t disappoint the home crowd that braved the cooler weather to come out and watch the home team start their season.
The Cardinals used a pair of big innings to defeat the Eagles 7-5 to open the 2021 season.
Luverne starting pitcher Cade Wenninger set the Eagles down in order in the top of the first inning.
In the bottom of the first Bailey Cowell started his senior season with a bang. Cowell hit a home run in his first at bat of the season to give the Cardinals an early 1-0 lead.
The Cardinals added two more in the bottom half of the first inning to build a 3-0 lead.
The Eagles got on the board in the top of the third to trim Luverne’s lead to 3-1.
The Eagles added another run to make it a 3-2 game.
After going dormant after the three-run first inning, the Cardinals’ bats woke up in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Cardinals scored four runs to build a 7-2 lead.
The Eagles scored three runs in the top of the sixth to trim Luverne’s lead to 7-5.
Windom was unable to put together a rally in the seventh inning as the Cardinals held on to pick up the 7-5 victory.
The Cardinals will be back home on Thursday, April 15, when they play host to Pipestone Area.
Following their contest with the Arrows, the Cardinals will host Tracy-Milroy-Balaton on Friday, April 16.

Music education has taken different forms at Hills-Beaver Creek Schools this school year, as staff and students follow precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
To meet social distance requirements, K-12 music teachers Steve Olson and Amy Comp instruct in the secondary gymnasium, where students can be the recommended 9 to 12 feet apart as they rehearse.
All choir students wear masks, said Comp, “which makes singing uncomfortable and, with the social distancing, it’s very hard to hear our neighbors while we sing, which has added even more challenges.”
Comp, who is in her second year of teaching at H-BC, has limited the amount of singing time and turned to more project-based learning such as listening exercises.
 “When the weather was nicer in the fall (and again as we move into the spring) we took our classroom outside sometimes.”
For band teacher Olson, his students also meet in the gym with the added precautions of bell covers and other devices that inhibit the spread of virus particles by air.
He said an aerosol study through the University of Colorado at Boulder provided guidelines that he followed with band members.
“We also started at 12-foot interval seating and currently we’re at 6 feet,” said Olson, who is in his third year at H-BC.
“We have a daily rotating student cleaning crew that wipes down the music stands and seats at the end of the every-other-day rehearsals. Since the gym is shared with many others, there’s a lot of setting up and tearing down.”
A year ago, all spring concerts and other music opportunities were canceled when the pandemic was declared in March 2020. While some musical activities outside the district have yet to return, concerts are making a comeback with a new format.
On Monday, April 26, virtual elementary choir concerts will be broadcast. Taping will take place early next week for kindergarten through fifth-grade choral concerts.
Band students will have their performances live-streamed with the secondary choral students in two separate events.
The grades 5-8 band and 6-8 choral concert will be at 7 p.m. Monday, May 10.
Grades 9-12 band and choir students will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, May 21. In-person audience members will be limited during the recording.
Even recorded, the concerts provide important learning opportunities.
“Band is a performance-based class,” Olson said. “We are always preparing for our next concert — working as a team toward a common goal is a great life skill.”
Both teachers use technology to supplement the time between in-person rehearsals.
Olson said a few of his students continue to learn from home, “operating Zoom has become second nature,” and Comp said technology has found a regular home in her classroom.
“I’ve also spent more time doing listening projects than I have in the past, which has given us a chance to explore music that I normally wouldn’t have experience with my classes,” she said.
“Our concerts and performance look a little different, but they take just as much, if not more, preparation. Our students worked hard, and they deserve our excitement and support.”

For the first time in over a year, the Palace Theatre will be open this weekend for a movie, “Godzilla vs. Kong,” a 2021 American monster film.
Minnesota theaters are allowed to open at half capacity, which for the Palace means 215 may attend at one time, socially distanced and wearing masks.
“You sit with the group you came in with, but you will have to socially distance from others,” Palace director Shawn Kinsinger said Saturday.
“I’m hoping that as May comes around and more people are vaccinated that those guidelines relax more.”
He said he looks forward to activity in general picking up at the Palace after the long pandemic shutdown.
“We’re excited to be at this point,” Kingsinger said. “We have been sitting on a backlog of events waiting to happen. … Movies are just a start.”
For example, the Luverne High School drama club will perform the musical, “Grease,” June 3-5 and June 10-12.
“The high school kids are pretty excited too,” Kinsinger said. “They’ve been shut down as long as we have.”
Other live theater acts on the horizon include a comedian and the Green Earth Players performance of “Game’s Afoot,” which was set to take stage last spring when the state shut down theaters.
“The set is completely ready and costumes are done,” Kinsinger said, adding that the full cast is still on deck for the show, set for Aug. 20-22 and Aug. 26-29.
“We have some top-quality acts planned for as soon as we can get them in here.”
He said it will also be good to start taking in revenue again.
The Blue Mound Area Theater Board leases the Palace building from the city.
According to BMAT treasurer LaDonna Van Aartsen, the Palace has an annual budget of $262,300 and usually makes a profit of anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000.00   
Last year the ending budget was $117,651.63 with a loss of $741.43.
“We have had to tap into our savings to keep paying the bills,” Van Aartsen said.
“The bills continue, such as phone, internet, gas bills, insurance, dues, taxes – both  payroll and real estate.”
She said Palace staff have still drawn paychecks, due to the COVID-19 Payroll Protection Program.
“We did also receive the first round PPP loan of $9,630 and an EIDL loan of $2,000, which have both been forgiven,” she said.
BMAT also received $$21,595 in grants.
The Luverne Area Community Foundation granted $1,595 for a misting sanitizing machine.
 The county granted $5,000 as part of its non-profit pandemic support, and the state gave the Palace $15,000 as part of its support for movie theaters.
Kinsinger said he’s grateful for the financial aid.
“Minnesota as a state is great as far as taking care of the arts,” he said. “And we’ve been able to stretch it and get farther with it.”
He said theater staff took advantage of the down time to address some maintenance, like light-bulb replacement in the projector and black material repair around the movie screen.
Now, Kinsinger and theater staff and volunteers are looking forward to getting back to the business of normal theater entertainment and he said “Godzilla vs. Kong” is the perfect way to launch reopening this weekend.
“It holds the record for the highest-grossing box-office opener since COVID started,” Kinsinger said.
“It seems people are willing to come back to the theater as long as precautions are taken. … It’s been slim picking for Hollywood productions right now. Hopefully they’ll start pumping out more movies this summer.”
Showtimes are 7 p.m. nightly Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 16-18. Tickets are $5 for kids ages 3-12th grade and $7 for adults.

The Rock County Sheriff’s Office is short two squad cars after a crash last week involving two deputy drivers.
According to the accident report filed by Minnesota State Patrol, deputies Lee Christians and Jonathon Stearns were dispatched to rural Beaver Creek Monday night, April 5, in response to a domestic disturbance.
Stearns, in the lead car, was traveling west on County Road 4 and slowed down to turn left on 95th Street when the Christians squad struck the Stearns squad in the front driver’s side door.
Christians reportedly told accident investigators he wasn’t expecting Stearns to turn at that intersection and didn’t notice until it was too late.
The report states that Stearns had signaled the turn and was wearing his seatbelt. He suffered no apparent injuries.
The report also states that Christians was unbelted and was taken to the hospital by ambulance to be treated and released. He returned to work Wednesday.
Both squads were damaged extensively and were towed to Luverne where an insurance adjuster examined them Thursday, April 8.
The 2020 Ford Explorers are valued at $36,000 (minus law enforcement equipment) and are insured by the Minnesota Counties Insurance Trust.
They are leased through the State of Minnesota fleet services and have two replacement squad cars available, if insurance deems them totaled.
Regardless, it will be another two weeks before the county squad fleet is back to full capacity.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the initial emergency resolved on its own when the alleged assailant left the premises and was later arrested for DWI in Luverne.
Verbrugge said the crash was unfortunate, but he’s grateful no one was seriously injured and that the victim of the initial emergency was unharmed.

About 40 trucks, most of them semitractor-trailers, lined Ellsworth’s Main Street Wednesday, April 7, for the funeral of Daniel DeBeer at Zion Presbyterian Church.
DeBeer, 33, of Ellsworth, died on March 31 as the result of a trucking accident in Wyoming.
According to crash reports, DeBeer was driving a 2007 Peterbilt commercial truck eastbound on Interstate 80 near Rock Springs, Wyoming, when a westbound 2018 Volvo commercial truck crossed the median into the eastbound lanes and collided head-on with DeBeer’s truck.
The collision, which happened around 3 p.m., caused a fiery explosion that engulfed both trucks in flames.
DeBeer died at the scene. The other truck driver was treated at the scene for his injuries.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
DeBeer, a graduate of Adrian High School, owned and operated DeBeer Farms Trucking and co-owned D & H Waste Solutions & Cattle Barns.
He is survived by his wife, Kim (Janssen), and three young children.
His friends in the trucking community organized the showing of trucks in Ellsworth the day of DeBeer’s funeral.
A Go Fund Me page was started with the goal of raising $7,000 to support DeBeer’s family. As of Monday more than $22,000 had been donated.

Greg Dalbec, site superintendent with ICS, clicks a picture Monday of the school logo set in the new terrazzo flooring at the Luverne Middle-High School’s commons area. Workers with Wisconsin Terrazzo spent the weekend bending the metal for the design before adding the red terrazzo mixture to cure. Once ready, workers will add the other flooring colors before sanding the floor to reveal the rock patterns.
 
In a remodeling update April 8, Luverne School Board members learned that the construction project at the middle-high school is scheduled to be finished in June, 27 months after the $31 million project started. As of March 30, $25 million has been spent on the project.

Recent COVID-19 vaccine availability is allowing Rock County departments to resume walk-in transactions on May 1.
County administrator Kyle Oldre told commissioners at their April 6 meeting that county employees met the previous week and supported the reopening plan.
At that meeting, each employee was encouraged to receive the first of two vaccinations at a public health clinic on March 30. The second is completed in late April.
“Not that every staff member has taken it, but they have been given the opportunity to take it,” Oldre said. “We don’t see any reason to stay closed after that.”
For more than a year anyone wanting to do face-to-face transactions did so by making appointments with that department over the phone or online.
The time between appointments allowed staff to disinfect prior to the next customer in an effort to lessen the spread of the virus.
Commissioners unanimously supported the reopening plan.
“It felt really good to see that (on the agenda),” said Commissioner Sherri Thompson. “It’s like ‘we’re here’ at this point and we can start talking about it.”
However, until the state mandate is lifted, individuals entering the courthouse will need to continue to wear masks and follow the 3-foot social distancing recommendation.
All county buildings were locked down to the public for two weeks starting March 29, 2020. Each county department added barriers, implemented social-distancing guidelines and ways to conduct no-contact transactions.
Departments reopened to the public April 10, 2020, but high traffic departments such as licensing center, auditor-treasurer’s office, library and land management offices were by appointment only.
A no-contact process via drop box at the courthouse also began.
The drop box will continue to be a business option for the public for all county departments, including rural water, after May 1.
“Mainly it means we’ll take the signs off the door and say ‘come in,’” Oldre said.

A new business, The Barn on 60th Salon and Spa, is emerging south of Hills.
The business also brings career ambitions full circle for owner Tammie Leuthold, who expects to be open next month.
 “Right now, it seems surreal,” she said. “I definitely didn’t plan this two years ago.”
She did, however, have thoughts of becoming a beautician 30 years ago.
Instead she met Kelly Leuthold at South Dakota State University in Brookings and the two settled near Hills, where they began a family. Kelly operates Leuthold Trucking.
Thoughts of attending the Stewart School to study cosmetology were all but forgotten until daughter-in-law Jamie planned to attend Stewart School for a degree in cosmetology. It was the same path Tammie thought about 30 years ago.
Once family members heard of Tammie’s former career plans, they encouraged her to fulfill those plans with Jamie.
Tammie graduated from Stewart School earlier this year followed by Jamie.
Instead of working for someone else, the Leutholds decided to open their own salon and spa.
When an agreement to purchase an existing building in Hills didn’t materialize, the Leutholds built one on land next to their home in Martin Township along 60th Street.
Four people will work in the new business.
Joining Tammie and Jamie Leuthold will be Jessica Boelman, who will manage the new salon.
Salon services include hair styling, facials, tanning, nails and other amenities. A massage therapist will join the business later this year.
 
County supports salon with tax abatement
County commissioners approved Tammie and Kelly Leuthold’s request for a 10-year abatement of the county’s share of property taxes for the salon.
The unanimous decision took place at the commissioners’ April 6 meeting.
“It is nice to see some construction. Things are happening,” said County Administrator Kyle Oldre.
Commissioners recently adopted a declining scale for their business development incentive program.
For the next five years, the Leutholds will receive a 100-percent abatement of $565 annually. The remaining four years the abatement will decline by 20 percent each year.
No one from the public attended the hearing to provide comment either in person or via Zoom on Leutholds’ abatement request.