Students in this year’s CEO class are attempting to make supper a little more “souper.”
The 14 students enrolled in the 2020-21 Creating Entrepreneur Opportunities are planning two “Souper” Suppers as a fundraiser for the program.
A portion of the funds will support the individual businesses students debut at the CEO Showcase this spring.
The supper event takes place over two days: Saturday, Jan. 23, in Pipestone and Sunday, Jan. 31, in Beaver Creek.
The students are learning to apply the advice gained from this year’s visits with local business owners.
In the three years since the CEO program began, class businesses have become a single event and this year’s business is no exception.
Katie Baustian is the CEO program facilitator and guides students from the five-member school districts through the processes developed by the Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship.
The class business allows the students to practice a very important skill.
“They are learning how to work as a group,” Baustian said. “They are responsible for doing everything — I try not to interfere.”
This year’s students are selling servings of soup and cinnamon rolls along with an online auction and a 50/50 drawing. Tickets are available from students or by calling 920-3309.
“What they are doing this year is more complicated than previous classes,” Baustian said.
Students divide into groups and work on key aspects of the fundraising including sponsorships, ticket sales, marketing and product procurement.
All the students worked together to develop the class business, which is complicated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Southwest Minnesota Christian School senior Wyatt Decker said the group couldn’t plan a communitywide event because of the restrictions on large-group gatherings.
The drive-up Souper Supper keeps customers in their cars and limits contact with one another and the student servers.
Decker said students discussed details with an Edgerton church, which conducted a similar drive-up event this fall.
Students first had to decide what would be served for the supper.
“We are offering three different kinds of soups (at each location),” Decker said. “And if we are going to make it a meal, we can’t just have soup so we included a (cinnamon) roll.”
The students talked with local businesses to obtain the soup and the cinnamon rolls as well as event sponsors.
They also had to find locations with parking lots large enough to accommodate the drive-up event.
“We looked at so many locations to find one in Pipestone and Beaver Creek,” said Mia Wenzel, a Luverne High School junior.
This year’s class business is the first to take place outside of Luverne.
Decker said his CEO mentor suggested they look at the other communities outside of Luverne and home to the other member students. Students learned about the resources available in their home communities.
The parking lots at the SpringBrooke Events in Beaver Creek and the Hiawatha Lodge in Pipestone fit the students’ criteria for their event.
 
Who is involved in
the CEO program?
The CEO program is open to all junior and senior students at Luverne, Hills-Beaver Creek, Adrian, Southwest Minnesota Christian in Edgerton, Edgerton Public, Ellsworth and Pipestone.
Interested students apply the yearlong immersion experience into real life business opportunities.
This year’s CEO class consists of the following students:
•Kaden Anderson, Reghan Bork, Kendall Buss, Shelby Kracht, Jayson Rops, Haleah Soto and Mia Wenzel, Luverne.
•Allie LaRock, Hills-Beaver Creek.
•Keegan Fey, Elli Kracht, Edgerton Public.
•Wyatt Decker and Cybil VanderTop, Southwest Minnesota Christian, Edgerton.
•Elsie O’Neil and Jori Strasser, Pipestone.
 
The Souper Supper event
Advance meal tickets for the Souper Supper are $10 for adults and $7 for children.
Call 507-920-3309 to place an advanced order.
At-the-door meal costs increase to $12 adults and $10 children.
Meals include a choice of soup and a cinnamon roll.
Pickup of the meals occurs Saturday, Jan. 23, at the Hiawatha Lodge in Pipestone and Sunday, Jan. 31, at the SpringBrooke Events Center in Beaver Creek.
Pickup times are from 2:30 to 5 p.m.
Each student is selling 50/50 raffle tickets at $5 per ticket.
The online auction kicks off Saturday on the class website, www.southwestminnesotaceo.com. The online auction begins Jan. 23 and concludes Jan. 31.

Keith Aanenson is perhaps best remembered as Luverne’s final police chief before the city of Luverne and Rock County formed a joint law enforcement department in 1998.
Aanenson was born and grew up in Rock County and started his career in April 1967 when the Luverne Police Department still operated out of a small brick building on Main Street just west of the Methodist Church.
He was 24 years old and drove a black and white squad car equipped only with spotlights a two-way radio, a siren and a red, rotating "gumball" light.
The Star Herald reported that Aanenson was hired to replace Jim Johannsen, who became a sheriff’s deputy in 1967.
The following year, in 1968, the department moved to City Hall, and in 1983 to the former jail (now the Chamber office, Herreid Military Museum and Brandenburg Gallery), where it shared dispatch services with the county sheriff’s office.
In 1979 Aanenson was appointed chief of police. Officers at the time included Clyde Menning, Mike Wynia, Jerry Vorderbruggen, Dave Bower and Don Sogge.
In 1998 the city and county formed a joint law enforcement department and built a new office on North Blue Mound Avenue. There was no longer a Luverne Police Department and no longer a chief of police.
The timing coincided with a retirement for Aanenson at age 55.
By that time he had developed the DARE and McGruff programs and continued to volunteer for them.
“I am hopeful that the programs and connections with schools and community will not go by the wayside,” he wrote in his resignation letter. “They are important and part of community-based policing. … People remember when an officer unlocks a vehicle but do not say much when he or she takes a theft or vandalism report.”
After more than three decades in law enforcement, he spent nearly as many years volunteering for local organizations.
He was a longtime volunteer with the Tri-State Band Festival Committee and was a founding member of the Luverne Optimist Club, heading up the Bike Rodeo and Sandbox Fill programs for many years.
In retirement he assumed responsibilities of his father’s locksmith business, which he continued to operate until recent years.
Aanenson died Sunday, Jan. 17, at the age of 78. His complete obituary appears on page 7.

As COVID-19 vaccine doses reach Rock County, more residents are being inoculated against the highly contagious and often deadly disease. 
According to local public health officials, in Rock County 472 people have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. 
Of these, 81 people have received the second dose and completed the vaccine series. 
However. vaccination progress remains in the first phase of a multi-phase roll-out, according to Jason Kloss of Southwest Health and Human Services. 
“We continue to target people identified in the three priority groups of Phase 1a,” he said Monday. 
This includes health care workers, EMS, nursing home and assisted living facility staff and residents, dental offices, pharmacies, mental/behavioral health settings, school nurses, funeral directors, correctional settings, and group homes settings. 
“By the end of this week, all people in Phase 1a in Rock County will have been given an opportunity to receive the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine,” Kloss said. 
“Rock County is further along in dispensing the vaccine to people in Phase 1a than other counties in our area. Most of the credit for this progress goes to the staff at Sanford Luverne.” 
He said Sanford Luverne has been offering weekly COVID-19 vaccination clinics throughout January to people in Phase 1a. 
 “They have been extremely efficient at getting the vaccine they have been allocated into people’s arms,” Kloss said.
He added that Southwest Health and Human Services will be vaccinating staff and residents at the Tuff Memorial Home Home and Tuff Village this week.
Also, a contract pharmacy will be dispensing the vaccine at Poplar Creek Assisted Living this week as well. 
After this week, all nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Rock County will have been offered the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“We are making progress, but as you might have guessed, the main issue continues to be the limited supply of vaccine that is sent to us,” Kloss said. 
“When you combine the limited supply with the two-dose requirement, this makes for a slower transition to Phase 1b.” 
This includes essential workers – teachers, grocery store workers, fire, food processing, day care workers, correctional workers, public transit and postal workers, as well as the 75-and-older population. 
“I am hopeful that we will be offering the vaccine to the people in Phase 1b by mid-February,” Kloss said. 
“The governor announced on Monday that the state will be sponsoring COVID-19 vaccination clinics for teachers, day care providers and people 65 years or older over the coming weekend. This is a good indication that we will be moving to Phase 1b soon.”
However, this announcement also expands the priority populations eligible for a vaccine right now. 
Additional details on Phase 1b are dependent on decisions to be made by the federal government and will be available in the weeks ahead. 
Locally, Kloss said public health will continue to follow the guidelines as they are currently written. 
“When we are allocated vaccine and given permission to vaccinate people in Phase 1b, we will do so,” Kloss said.
Sanford Luverne sent letters to its patients last week explaining that they will be notified when it’s their turn to be vaccinated.
“As a Sanford patient, you will receive a My Sanford Chart message, a letter and a voice message or text message to schedule your vaccine appointment when a dose is available,” the message stated.
Patients were directed to Sanford’s website for details and were assured the vaccine is safe and free. 
“Medical experts agree there are two main things to know about the vaccine: It is safe. The vaccines have undergone rigorous testing as directed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure safety and efficacy,” the message states.
“It works. The vaccines are 95-percent effective in preventing people from getting ill from COVID-19 when both doses are received.”
The Sanford message states that there are no out-of-pocket costs for getting the vaccine. Private insurance companies and government insurance programs like Medicare cover the cost of the vaccine, and for those that are uninsured, it will be fully covered. 
Meanwhile, Kloss urges people to be patient for their turn at being vaccinated.
“Our vaccine allocation will increase in due time,” he said. “When it does, we will notify everyone of any planned vaccination clinic.”

The Luverne City Council went into executive session Jan. 12 to set a price of $529,900 on the recently acquired property on the west edge of town.
Last fall the city purchased 10 acres of land from Lynn Lopau to develop for future housing.
The city paid $475,000 for the house, garage and two acres, and $186,500 for the rest of the eight acres, including two outbuildings.
The total purchase price for the entire 10 acres is $661,500; however, the city is selling the house, garage and two acres for what was originally estimated at $475,000.
However since last fall, the city completed several remodeling projects and updates to the home, which raised the asking price to $529,900.
So the total value of the land that the city intends to develop for housing comes to $141,500 — or $17,687 per acre, depending on how much the house actually sells for.
Dirt work may begin later this year, depending on progress of current subdivisions under construction.
The subdivision will be platted for a mix of twin homes and single-family houses, which is what Luverne most needs, according to the latest housing study.
In November 2020 the Luverne Economic Development Authority reviewed the latest information from the Maxfield Research firm.
Even after the Uithoven Addition is developed, the study shows Luverne still needs more single-family homes and twin homes.
Essentially, hundreds of residents are traveling out of town for work and would likely live in Luverne if the right housing were available. 
The entire housing report is available on the city’s website, cityofluverne.org, under reports and studies.
 
Tax abatement to finance pool 
and fitness center project
In other business Tuesday he council adopted a resolution approving tax abatement bonds to finance the $5 million pool and fitness remodel and expansion project. 
The action followed a public hearing that drew no members of the public and no outside correspondence.
Taxes will be abated at 10 percent of the net tax capacity of the city, which for Luverne is a maximum of $350,000 of annual principal. The city can issue the debt for up to 20 years.
 
Former mink ranch property to be subdivided for conveyance
The council approved a waiver of subdivision requirements for property to be subdivided in the two-mile buffer area of Luverne. Darlene Dreesen is making the request to divide the former mink ranch property into four tracts for the purpose of conveyance.
Henning Construction is buying the largest tract and intends to use it for storage. Art Ehde is buying two other tracts, and Elwin Brands also has a small parcel with a building.
 
In other business Tuesday:
•The council approved a $517,500 payment to Gridor Construction for phases 2 and 3 of the wastewater treatment project. 
The last major structure to be built is the digestor building, and Gridor has completed the footings and floor of the facility and is in the process of tying the steel for the walls of the building.
•The council approved an annual subsidy of $5,000 to the Luverne Senior Citizens meal site.
•City Administrator Call administered the oath of office to Mayor Re-Elect Patrick Baustian, who then swore in Council Member Re-Elect Dan Nath and Council Member Elect Scott Viessman. 
•The council presented Call with a plaque for his 15 years as Luverne city administrator.

Virtual driver education offered
Luverne Community Education will offer a virtual driver education class after school hours for 15 days beginning Feb. 1.
Students in grades 8 and older can attend class while at home with no travel or quarantine concerns.  
After Jan. 15, out-of-district students may register.
Fee is $340 and covers classroom and behind the wheel instruction.
For more information contact Luverne Community Education at 508-283-4724.
 
Free food Jan. 21
New Life Celebration Church will offer free food at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, 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 with questions.
 
Free food for seniors Jan. 21
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, Jan. 21, with drive through distribution in parking lot at 319 E. Lincoln, Luverne.
 
Dental clinic in Luverne Jan. 28
The next dental clinic for adults and children of all ages will be Thursday, Jan. 28, at Rock County Health and Human Services. Call 612-746-1530 to schedule an appointment or stop by Rock County Health and Human Services for assistance in scheduling.
General exams and services will be provided. All forms of insurance accepted. The service is organized by #Luv1LuvAll's Rock County Oral Health Task Force.
 
School of Fish Feb. 6
School of Fish with Mike Frisch, TV show host and pro angler, will be Feb. 6 for students grades 3 through high school. Participants get a rod and reel, tackle box with tackle, gift card, snack pack and workbook. Each participant may bring an adult fishing buddy. Fee is $30. Dress for the weather.
The event takes place at The Lake. Participants will be ready to compete in Luverne’s Ice Fishing Derby on Feb. 20.
Call the Luverne Community Education office, 507-283-4724, for registration information.
 
Community Ed offers activities
Call the Luverne Community Education office, 507-283-4724, for registration information.
Defensive Driving 4-hour refresher classes are scheduled for Jan. 21 or Feb. 11.
Distance Learning with Clay – for all ages (1-101). Pick up a chunk of clay the week of Jan. 25 and in your own home, with instructions from Jerry Deuschle, build your creation. To then apply paint and for drying and firing, make appointment at the studio. Fee is $20.
Register for Student Driver Education. Luverne school students grade 8 and older may register for February or June session for $340, which includes 30 hours of classroom instruction and 6 hours of behind the wheel instruction.
The February option begins on Feb. 1 and will be virtual, so list your child’s school gmail address when you register.
How to play chess for students grades K-8 after school; three sessions Feb. 2, 9 and 16. Fee is $15.
For adults, 55 years and older, a 10-week health and wellness Aging Mastery Program developed by the Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging. Class is virtual through Zoom on your computer or iPad. On Feb. 4 they will teach you how to use Zoom if you have not done it before! Class begins on Feb. 11. Fee is $5.
Register by Feb. 6 for the ACT Prep Class that will begin Feb. 22 virtually. Fee is $125 and includes taking a practice test and an individual conference with the teacher to review the test and tips for taking the actual test. Fee is $125.
 
Rock County Library news
•Register now at the library to participate in the Rock County Library 2021 Winter Reading Program, which began Jan. 1.
Patrons who read at least 12 books from now until March 31 will win a prize for their efforts — and enjoy some good books.
•The library is offering take-and-make projects for all ages this winter. January’s project is to make sheet music coasters.
Call the library at 507-449-5040 or email the library at rocklibrarystaff@gmail.com to reserve your kit. Send in a picture of your completed craft to be entered to win a prize.
•Check with the library to participate in Virtual Trivia. Receive weekday trivia to break up our quarantine schedules (until Trivia Nights in person can continue again.)
 
‘Read with McKenzie’ by Zoom
A work-study student is available to help individual students with reading skills in 10-minute sessions on Wednesdays from 4 to 5 p.m. via Zoom. The literacy program is called “Read with McKenzie.”
Contact the Rock County Library, 507-449-5040. The Zoom link is on the library facebook page.
 
History Center open regular hours
The Rock County History Center and Christmas Haus store is now open with its regular hours — from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. The phone number is 507-283-2122.
 
Input sought for digital readiness
A pilot program through Purdue University aims to increase civic digital engagement in Rock County and a community survey will help the group develop an engagement plan.
Paper copies of the survey are available at the Rock County Library, city offices and the Rock County Courthouse.
The 10-minute survey can also be completed online at https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/RockCountyDigitalSurvey. Surveys are accepted through Jan. 12.
 
Food Shelf cold weather procedures
The Rock County Food shelf has changed its curbside process for winter. Wait in line to park in one of the two parking spaces closest to the building.
One at a time, enter the building (masks and distancing required) to register and pick up vouchers. Be prepared for volunteers to put pre-boxed groceries in the car. As the parking spaces empty, the next cars can pull in.
The process will require patience. See the Rock County Food Shelf Facebook page for updates. Thanksgiving week schedule will be 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25.
 
Help write 9/11 history
The Minnesota Military Museum is seeking stories for a statewide initiative to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The goal of the project is to look at the impact of the horrific events of that day through a Minnesota lens, and researchers are inviting stories from Rock County.
For example: How did your county respond to the attacks immediately afterward? Have local residents served in the resulting Global War on Terror? What are their stories? Have there been events to remember 9-11 over the years since? Stories can be shared directly at www.mnmilitarymuseum.org. Click on “exhibits, test-gallery and share-your-story.”

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide additional assistance through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), expanding eligibility for some agricultural producers and commodities as well as updating payments to accurately compensate some producers who already applied for the program.
Producers who are now eligible and those who need to modify existing applications due to these updates can contact USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) until Feb. 26. Some of these changes are being made to align with the recently enacted Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 while others are discretionary changes being made in response to ongoing evaluation of CFAP.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has left a deep impact on the farm economy, and we are utilizing the tools and monies available to ease some of the financial burdens on American producers to ensure our agricultural economy remains strong, independent and a global leader in production,” said Secretary Perdue. “As part of implementing CFAP 1 and CFAP 2, we identified new areas of support, and Congress recently directed us to provide additional relief. This additional assistance builds on to the $23.6 billion in assistance already provided to our farmers and ranchers impacted by the pandemic, and we will continue to implement other provisions enacted by Congress.”
 
Background:
Expanded eligibility for CFAP 2
Contract producers of swine, broilers, laying hens, chicken eggs and turkeys who suffered a drop in revenue in 2020 as compared to their 2019 revenue because of the pandemic now are eligible for assistance. Producers could receive up to 80 percent of their revenue loss, subject to the availability of funds.
Producers of pullets and turfgrass sod also now are eligible for CFAP payments. The commodities were not explicitly included in the initial CFAP 2 rule. Payments are based on eligible sales, and the payment calculation in the updated rule includes crop insurance indemnities, Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), and Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program – Plus (WHIP+) payments.
Updated payment calculations for CFAP 2
Similarly, FSA adjusted the payment calculation to use the producer’s eligible 2019 calendar year sales, and 2019 crop insurance indemnities, NAP, and WHIP+ payments, multiplied by the applicable payment rate for all sales commodities, which include specialty crops, aquaculture, tobacco, specialty livestock, nursery crops and floriculture, for CFAP 2. Producers who applied during the sign-up period that closed Dec. 11, 2020, can modify an existing CFAP 2 application until Feb. 26, 2021.
Additionally, FSA adjusted the payment calculation for certain row crops for CFAP 2, specifically those for which a producer had crop insurance coverage but not an available 2020 Actual Production History (APH) approved yield. FSA is now using 100 percent of the 2019 Agriculture Risk Coverage-County Option (ARC-CO) benchmark yield to calculate payments when an APH is not available rather than 85 percent, which was in the original CFAP 2 calculations. This calculation change is only for producers with crop insurance coverage who grow barley, corn, sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers, upland cotton and wheat. Producers who applied during the sign-up period that closed Dec. 11, 2020, can modify an existing CFAP 2 application until Feb. 26, 2021.
 
CFAP 1 ‘Top-up’ payments for swine
FSA is providing an additional CFAP 1 inventory payment for swine to help producers who face continuing market disruptions from changes in U.S. meat consumption due to the pandemic. Swine producers with approved CFAP 1 applications will soon automatically receive a “top-up” payment of $17 per head, increasing the total CFAP 1 inventory payment to $34 per head.
 
More information
Newly eligible producers who need to submit a CFAP 2 application or producers who need to modify an existing one can do so until Feb. 26, 2021, by contacting their local USDA Service Center. New applicants can also obtain one-on-one support with applications by calling 877-508-8364.
In addition to the changes being made to CFAP, per language in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, FSA will extend 2020 Marketing Assistance Loans to provide additional flexibilities for farmers. FSA is also preparing to move forward on implementation of the remaining provisions of the recently passed Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.
To learn more about this additional assistance, visit farmers.gov/cfap.
All USDA Service Centers are open for business, including those that restrict in-person visits or require appointments. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service or any other Service Center agency should call ahead and schedule an appointment.
Service Centers that are open for appointments will pre-screen visitors based on health concerns or recent travel, and visitors must adhere to social distancing guidelines.
Visitors are also required to wear a face covering during their appointment. Our program delivery staff will continue to work with our producers by phone, email and using online tools. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.

At the Jan. 12 City Council meeting, City Administrator Call administered the oath of office to Mayor Re-Elect Patrick Baustian (left), who then swore in Council Member Re-Elect Dan Nath (right) and Council Member Elect Scott Viessman.

Hills City Clerk Connie Wiertzema (center, left) delivers the oaths of office at the group’s first meeting of 2021 on Jan. 12 to council member Ross Metzger (far left), Mayor Keith Elbers (center, right) and council member Stacen Burgers. Metzger and Elbers were re-elected to their positions and Stacen Burgers received the most write-in votes for the council seat held by Brian Sandbulte, who retired in December.

More aggregate and gravel were removed from Rock County in 2020 than ever before, topping the 10-year high recorded last year.
Rock County Auditor-Treasurer Ashley Kurtz released the amounts Jan. 5.
The $189,969 collected is based on the reports submitted by the 12 permitted operators in Rock County. The 2020 tax amount is more than $43,500 higher than the previous tax amount of $146,373, and is the highest amount collected in the past 10 years.
Of the dozen permitted operators, eight were active in 2020. Each paid the 15-cents-per-ton tax to remove the material.
The tax collected was split as follows: county road and bridge fund $76,660, special reserve fund $27,056, townships $76,660, and administrative fees $9,593.
The 2020 township amount of $7,600 is divided among five townships, based on where the aggregate and gravel originated.
Denver Township received the highest amount ($26,337) followed by the townships of Mound ($17,125), Battle Plain ($16,220), Vienna ($11,595) and Luverne ($4,905).
The remaining townships of Beaver Creek, Kanaranzi, Magnolia, Martin, Rose Dell and Springwater each received $500 from the administrative fund to offset the gravel tax expenditure. Clinton Township received about $300 to even out the tax collection of about $200 in 2020.
Bremik Materials Inc. paid the highest tax ($65,231) followed by Northern Con-Agg LLP ($41,135), Buffalo Ridge Concrete ($20,933), Jeff Pronk ($19,241), W & N Construction ($12,148), Reker Construction ($11,840), Henning Construction ($11,801), and Central Specialties ($7,540).