By John RittenhouseThe Adrian girls’ basketball team broke into the win column by posting a 10-point victory at Edgerton Public School Tuesday.The win came after the Dragons dropped a 23-point game in Fulda Thursday.Adrian, 1-3 overall, plays at the Red Rock Central Holiday Tournament Friday and Saturday. The Dragons host Pipestone Tuesday.Adrian 56, Edgerton 46The play of two AHS reserves sparked the Dragons during their first win of the season Tuesday in Edgerton.Senior Jolene Reisdorfer and junior Kelsey Tjepkes came off the bench to score a combined seven points at crucial times."We got some great minutes from Reisdorfer and Tjepkes in the first half," said AHS coach Randy Strand. "They came off the bench and really played well."AHS led 33-27 at the intermission before outscoring the Flying Dutchmen 23-19 in the second half to win by 10.Samantha Lynn scored 29 points, grabbed eight rebounds and charted five steals for the winners. Brittany Bullerman and Katlin Wiertsema collected 12 and eight rebounds respectively. Tjepkes chipped in four assists.Box scoreEm.Thier 0 0 1-2 1, Tjepkes 1 0 0-0 2, N.Lynn 1 0 0-0 2, S.Lynn 6 3 8-10 29, Reisdorfer 1 0 3-4 5, K.Bullerman 2 0 2-4 6, B.Bullerman 3 0 3-4 9, Wiertsema 0 0 2-2 2.Team statisticsAdrian: 17 of 64 field goals (27 percent), 19 of 26 free throws (73 percent), 34 rebounds, 12 turnovers.Edgerton: 20 of 55 field goals (36 percent), four of eight free throws (50 percent), 34 rebounds, 15 turnovers.Fulda 66, Adrian 43The Dragons were unable to break into the win column when they traveled to Fulda Thursday.The home-standing Raiders controlled the paint area and took advantage of 21 turnovers by Adrian to secure a 23-point victory."Fulda is a good team," said AHS coach Strand. "Our young posts struggled, and our turnovers hurt us."The Raiders led 37-21 at the intermission. Adrian trimmed the difference to 10 points early in the second half, but Fulda pulled away to win handily.Lynn scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Dragons. Wiertsema collected nine rebounds and Kayla Bullerman charted seven assists.Box scoreEm.Thier 3 0 1-2 7, N.Lynn 3 0 1-2 7, S.Lynn 3 1 1-2 10, K.Bullerman 1 0 2-3 4, B.Bullerman 2 0 4-8 8, Wiertsema 1 0 5-6 7.Team statisticsAdrian: 14 of 53 field goals (26 percent), 14 of 23 free throws (61 percent), 31 rebounds, 24 turnovers.Fulda: 28 of 75 field goals (37 percent), six of 12 free throws (50 percent), 37 rebounds, nine turnovers.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne boys’ basketball team opened Southwest Conference competition by posting a pair of impressive wins.The Cardinals topped Pipestone by five points in Luverne Friday before rolling to a 29-point victory in Worthington Tuesday.Luverne, 4-0 overall, hosts Edgerton Friday and travels to Fulda Saturday.Luverne 60, Worthington 31A strong effort on defense carried the Cardinals to a 29-point win in Worthington Tuesday.Luverne’s man-to-man resistance created 31 turnovers, turning what was anticipated to be a close game into a rout."Give a lot of credit to the way our kids played on defense," said LHS coach Tom Rops."We were able to take them out of their offense, and we scored a lot of second-chance points off turnovers."Luverne led 33-19 at halftime before playing one of its best stretches of defense of the year in the second half.LHS limited Worthington to five points in the first 13 minutes of the second half, helping the Cards outscore the Trojans 27-12 in the final half.Jake Hendricks and Derek Boeve led the way for the Cards offensively by netting 14 points each.Box scoreBoomgaarden 1 0 0 2,Boelman 3 0 2 8, Miller 1 0 4 6, Hendricks 5 1 1 14, Uphoff 1 0 0 2, Sawtelle 1 0 0 2, Boeve 3 1 5 14, DeBoer 1 0 0 2, Heronimus 3 0 3 9, Haakenson 0 0 1 1.Luverne 55, Pipestone 50The Cardinals fought off a late challenge by the Arrows to win their conference opener Friday in Luverne.Leading 28-24 at halftime, LHS appeared to be in control of the contest when it opened a 12-point advantage in the second half.Pipestone, however, closed the gap to four points (54-50) with 16.2 seconds remaining before falling by five points at game’s end."I think this was the best game we’ve played this year, but we still need to improve on the mental mistakes we’re making," said LHS coach Rops.Marc Boelman led the Cards with 20 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots. Boeve scored 10 second-half points and 17 in the game. Nick Heronimus passed for four assists and Jake Clark charted two steals.Box scoreWard 0 0 2-4 2, Haakenson 0 0 1-2 1, Boelman 8 0 4-6 20, Miller 0 0 3-6 3, Hendricks 0 0 1-2 1, Clark 3 0 0-0 6, Boeve 4 0 9-12 17, DeBoer 1 0 0-0 2, Heronimus 1 0 1-2 3.Team statisticsLuverne: 17 of 36 field goals (47 percent), 21 of 34 free throws (62 percent), 29 rebounds, 13 turnovers.Pipestone: 18 of 47 field goals (38 percent), 11 of 18 free throws (61 percent), 17 rebounds, eight turnovers.

Lodine to perform at Holy TrinityEmily Lodine, Luverne’s mezzo soprano, will host a live performance at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Luverne.The performance is titled "An Evening of Music and Reflection at Christmas."A press release from the Holy Trinity Church says, "Beautiful favorites and special renditions will provide a joyous interlude to the season."The performance will be at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21.Joan Mork, the organist at the First Methodist Church in Worthington, will accompany Lodine.The church will collect a freewill offering. For more information, phone 227-9258.RSVP’s service to the communityRSVP recently sent out their newsletters with some statistics about their service to the community, and the number is quite amazing.The group, which has 410 registered senior volunteers in Rock County, recorded 6,200 hours of volunteer service in August alone, a new record, according to the director.From January through September 30, a total of 42,000 hours of volunteer service have been recorded.If they concluded that their time is worth roughly $8.50 an hour, that would make their contribution to various Rock County organizations a total of $52,770 in August alone.The activities the group can volunteer for are varied, with 52 registered sites. Members volunteered at 42 of the 52 sites in August alone.Although the majority of the volunteers are women, men are also need in the organization.In schools, some RSVP members serve as greeters on Wednesday mornings at both the high school and elementary, as well as helping students improve their reading skills.In various senior residential facilities around the county RSVP volunteers help with fishing and shopping outings, craft projects, lawn mowing, popcorn popping, mail delivery, bingo, serving coffee, or just visiting someone who would enjoy having someone to talk to.If you would like to volunteer your time to the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program, contact Greta Van Der Brink, Rock County RSVP coordinator at 283-5064.Don’t let fire ruin your ChristmasChristmas can be the greatest time of the year, but it can also be the most dangerous.According to fire officials, nine out of 10 fire deaths occur at night when people are sleeping.First, if you don’t have smoke alarms in your home, get some. They don’t cost a lot, but they can save a lot.If you have smoke detectors, when is the last time you checked the batteries?A lot of people like burning candles during the holiday season. Since they are a direct source of fire in your home, be extra cautious.Use non-flammable holders and place them a safe distance from your tree as well as the other holiday decorations you have up around the house.Candles can be a fascination to kids, so make sure they are out of their reach.Remember that your tree is drying up from the time it’s cut.If you’ve ever thrown your tree into a fire after the Christmas season is over, you know how flammable they can be.Check the water in your tree stand every day. The needles should bend, not snap between your fingers.In your home, find a cool spot for the tree, away from heater vents and the fireplace.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

Today, I hope I’m not too late to give some advice on protecting your trees for winter. When we have a complete snow cover like we just experienced last week, the sweet bark of young apple and flowering crab trees is a treat for rabbits. They will eat the bark from the snow line to as high as they can reach … good for the rabbit, not so good for the tree. Also, the smooth bark of young maple trees is very susceptible to damage from "sun scald." When we have the combination of cold temperatures, a snow cover, and bright sun, the sun reflects up off the snow and thaws the frozen bark on the southwest side of the stem. As the sun goes down or it clouds up, the bark quickly refreezes, and that strip of bark often is killed or severely damaged. You won’t notice until spring when the tree grows, and as the trunk expands with new growth, that strip of dead bark can’t expand, so it splits open, and then you know the damage has been done. Both of these potential problems can be prevented by wrapping the stem. We carry a white spiral plastic protector that goes on very easily and can be reused indefinitely, or you can wrap with a tree wrap paper. To prevent the sunscald, the tree should be wrapped from the base up to where the tree starts branching, and this should be done yearly until the bark of the tree is old enough to "furrow." To prevent rabbit damage, I don’t know how high you have to wrap … it depends on how deep the snow gets. Trying to convince the rabbit to go elsewhere for supper isn’t effective, so you just have to be ready to keep protecting that tree 18" above the snow line. When you consider the total circumference as 100 percent of the feeding capacity for the tree, damaging or losing the bark on one side of the trunk could easily amount to 1/3 or 1/2 reduction in growth capacity. Trees grow slowly … it’s easier to protect them than to try to repair damage that could be prevented. I appreciate your kind comments on "Know It And Grow It" … I’ll try to keep writing. For now, I wish you all the joy and peace of this season and sincerely say, "Have A Merry Christmas!"

Our age is revealed not so much by our years, but by stuff we no longer useRock County historian Betty Mann was named Luverne’s Friend of Education this year, largely for the volunteer time she spends talking to kids about their past.Her favorite tools are Laura Ingalls Wilder books and some corresponding artifacts from the Rock County museum.For example, if the Ingalls girls were churning butter in the book, Betty brings a butter churn from the museum to show students how it works. Or if the Ingalls family relaxes after supper to the light of a kerosene lamp, one of those shows up with Betty’s trip to the classroom.There were countless ordinary, essential items used by pre-technology-era pioneers that are today considered artifacts, useful only for their historic value.It occurred to me that someday, decades from now, if the Lord’s willing to let me live that long, some of the essential tools in my life will be displayed as artifacts.Or, wait … I think it’s already happening.Most kids graduating from college today have never used a rotary-dial phone, or a corded phone, for that matter. They’ve probably never watched a movie on videotape or listened to music on an audio-cassette, much less an album. Sounding like a "stuck record" has as much meaning for them as an artist winning "Album of the Year."A manual typewriter, for them, is just as archaic as the mimeograph machines have become for their parents. (Remember the warm, damp sheets of paper and the fragrant, blue ink on your grade school desktops?)Right here in the Star Herald office, there are dust-collecting tools that remain as reminders of the past.The pica pole (a metal ruler), for instance, used to be in every newsperson’s back pocket on press day. It assured text was pasted in straight, even columns, photographs were cleanly trimmed and keylined and headlines floated at just the right horizontal distance from the stories.The wax machine, which laid an even layer of hot stickum on the back sides of text and photos, is collecting dust alongside the page rollers, miniature rolling pins used to smooth down a completed page before it was sent to the darkroom – also an artifact today.Even our sharp Fiskar scissors are collecting dust on their wall hooks.Text and photos today, of course, are composed on computer screen pages, which are sent via Internet directly to the presses.When the Cub Scouts visit for the tour of the local newspaper, I find myself spending more time telling them how we used to do things, because it involved the sort of hands-on busy work that holds a young boy’s attention.Giving a page demonstration on the computer isn’t half as exciting as lathering hot wax on paper and rolling it down on the layout boards.Besides, most kids today are familiar with digital photography and desktop publishing, so the novelty now is the old stuff.… which, of course, makes me feel old, and somewhat novel.

When you’re one of a handful of males in a female-loaded workplace, there comes a time when you have to take a stand.That time came last week.After months of hearing how wonderful a team the Star Herald girls put together for the Saturday Night Mixed Bowling League, and after being prodded weekly to write a story on the squad, I decided enough is enough.In order for this story to see the light of day, I declared, someone from this office would have to beat me in bowling.Much to my surprise, Christine Mann was the only taker.Actually, Hills Crescent editor Lexi Moore, who once paid $1,200 to earn a college credit in bowling, said she would join Mann and myself for what I billed to be the Showdown at Luverne Lanes last Saturday.When Moore was a no-show (fear is a powerful emotion), I found myself facing a proud, card-carrying member of United States Bowling Congress in a three-game, winner-take-all match that I thought would put to rest any more requests about writing a story on the (get this goofy name) the Star Herald Ball Busters.I only overlooked one thing setting up this challenge: I suck at bowling.Sure, I did play with a team that competed in a Sunday Night League for three years more than a decade go, but I was more into the beverages than the bowling aspect of the sport. I don’t think my average ever reached the 140-pin mark, and I know that I had not picked up a bowling ball more than three times since those days.Still, I considered myself to be the favorite entering Saturday’s match. How could I not? I was squaring off against one of at least two members of the Ball Busters squad that don’t know how to keep score.The way things turned out early in the match, any fourth-grader in the land could have tallied my effort.My goal during the first year of Sunday Night League play was to break 100. I opened the showdown by rolling a whopping 98.Things got better for me as the day progressed, but not by much. I followed the 98 with a 109 before finishing the match with a 144 in Game 3.Since I did improve with every game, and I was taking side bets saying I would score a 160 during the match, I coaxed Christine to roll one extra game.It was a bad idea, as I regressed to a 125.As anemic as my performance was, Christine, who I now call the Lean, Mean, Bowling Machine, fared far worse.I’ll take the highroad and won’t reveal her scores. Let’s just say she never did reach the century mark in any one of the four games.All things considered, I didn’t bother to celebrate my victory. When I knock down an average of 117 pins in three games, there’s not much to boast about.On the positive side of the ledger, I didn’t face questions about when I’ll be writing a story about the Ball Busters at work on Monday.Instead, after my lackluster performance on Saturday, at least one of the Star Herald girls wants more than a story. She figures there’s some easy money to be made by bowling against a chump like myself, and wants in when the Showdown at Luverne Lanes II is staged.

PROBATE COURTDISTRICT COURTPROBATE DIVISIONORDER AND NOTICE OF HEARING ON PETITION FOR ADJUDICATION OF INTESTACY, DETERMINATION OF HEIRSHIP AND APPOINTMENT OF ADMINISTRATOR IN SUPERVISED ADMINISTRATIONAND NOTICE TO CREDITORSSTATE OF MINNESOTACOUNTY OF ROCKIn Re: Estate ofFrieda Knutson, DeceasedTO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS AND CREDITORS:It is Ordered and Notice is hereby given that on the 9th day of January, 2006, at 3:30 O’clock P.M., a hearing will be held in the above named Court at Rock County Courthouse, Luverne, Minnesota, for the adjudication of intestacy and determination of heirship and for the appointment of Russell Knutson whose address is 1897 191st Street, Magnolia, Minnesota 56158, as administrator of the estate of the above named decedent in supervised administration, and that any objections thereto must be filed with the Court. That, if proper, and no objections are filed, said administrator will be appointed to administer the estate, to collect all assets, pay all legal debts, claims, taxes and expenses, and sell real and personal property, and do all necessary acts for the estate. Upon completion of the administration, the administrator shall file a final account for the allowance and shall distribute the estate to the persons thereto entitled as ordered by the Court, and close the estate. Notice is further given that ALL CREDITORS having claims against said estate are required to present the same to said administrator or to the Court Administrator within four months after the date of this notice or said claims will be barred. Dated: December 13, 2005 /s/ Timothy K. ConnellTimothy K. ConnellDistrict Court Judge/s/ Douglas E. Eisma /s/ Sandra L. VrtacnikDouglas E. Eisma Sandra L. VrtacnikAttorney for Petitioner Court AdministratorEISMA AND EISMA130 East Main, Box 625Luverne, MN 56156(507)283-4828I.D. #158343

Law Library 9:00 A.M.Rock County Courthouse November 22, 2005Chair Hoime called the meeting to order with Commissioners Wildung, Bakken and Boyenga present and Commissioner Jarchow absent. Motion by Boyenga, seconded by Bakken, to approve the November 22, 2005, County Board agenda, declared carried on a voice vote. Motion by Wildung, seconded by Boyenga, to approve the November 8, 2005, County Board minutes, declared carried on a voice vote. Motion by Wildung, seconded by Bakken, to approve the consent agenda, declared carried on a voice vote. 1. Foster Care Relicensing – Larry and Judy Wiley2. New Day Care License – Lisa Nath, Brenda Johnson, Elizabeth Ranfranz3. Day Care Relicense – Amber Nath, Jennifer Laird, Lois Shaffer, Stacy Kopp, Carolynn Baustian, Lauri Gorder.4. Voluntary Day Care Closing – Carrie Overgaard, Rebecca Raymond, Deb Javner 5. Contract 3-2110-06 with Southwestern Mental Health Center to provide various mental health treatment services to adults and children in Rock County. Contract effective 1-1-06 to 12-31-06. 6. Amendment to contract 7-2111-05 with Rock County Developmental Achievement Center to provide Day Habilitation and Transportation services to eligible clients. Amendment effective 10-1-05 to 12-31-05.7. Contract 20-2057-06 with New Life Treatment Center to provide Detoxification services. Contract effective 1-1-06 to 12-31-07.8. Contract 45-2111-05 with Rock County Developmental Achievement Center to provide Home and Community Based Services to one individual. Contract effective 7-1-05 to 6-30-06. 9. Contract 107-790-05 with Elder Care Services Inc. to provide Case management services to one client. Contract effective 7-1-05 to 6-30-06.10. Contract 108-2110-06 with Southwestern Mental Health Center to provide Adult Community Support Services, Adult Day Treatment Services, 24 hour Crisis Line Services, and Adult Mental Health Crisis and Assessment and Intervention services. Contract effective 1-1-06 to 12-31-06. Mark Sehr, Engineer, provided information regarding the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks. Following the presentation, the County Board took no action.Motion by Boyenga, seconded by Bakken, to authorize the purchase of quote #1 for a Case JX1090V Tractor 90 for $36,000 from Mark Jacobson, declared carried on a voice vote. 1. Mark Jacobson, LuverneCase JX1090V Tractor 90 gross hp/77 PTO hp $36,0002. St. Joseph Equipment RochesterNew Holland TL 90 Delux Tractor 90 gross hp/77 PTO hp $38,6843. Hohn Implement, LuverneJohn Deere 6403 Tractor 98 gross hp/85 PTO hp $37,700Motion by Bakken, seconded Boyenga, to authorize the purchase for (2) additional tractor mowers in 2006 from Mark Jacobson for $49,950.00 with the trade in allowance, declared carried on a voice vote. Denise Severtson, Office Manager of the Land Management Office, requested to forward project proposal application to RC&C for $5,056.00; motion by Boyenga, seconded by Bakken, to support the request, declared carried on a voice vote. Also provided an update, there are currently three CREP proposals totaling 150 acres within Rock County. Also the Land Management Office was recently informed that 90% of the funding for the technician position will be provided by the state; that is up from 75% as previously agreed.Gloria Rolfs, Auditor/Treasurer, presented additional claim items $400.00 from the Family Services Agency and $1,450.00 in per diems; motion by Wildung, seconded by Boyenga, to approve the claims, declared carried. A complete listing of the claims is available at the Auditor/Treasurer’s office.General Revenue $425,744.41Family Services $ 98,698.71Road & Bridge $ 56,503.02Ditch $ 0.00Land Management $ 5,301.52Trust $ 1,092.24Taxes $202,027.88TOTAL $789,367.78Motion by Bakken, seconded by Wildung, to accept the fund balances, declared carried on a voice vote. The County Board was informed that on December 1st at 7:00 P.M. the Truth In Taxation Hearing would be held at Family Services.The Auditor/Treasurer also provided an election update; she informed the board that she has 45 days to submit her plan to the state for their review. The County Board was informed that the county has received the MCIT Dividend for 2005 - $53,084.00; $25,000 had been budgeted. Randy Ehlers, Family Services Agency Director, introduced new employees Stephanie Busjahn and Debra Drost, both Social Workers. Motion by Boyenga, seconded by Bakken, to authorize a 3% rate increase for 2006 for the Rock County Pool & Fitness Center, declared carried on a voice vote.The County Board discussed the Redwood County meeting letter regarding Waste to Energy and took no action.Motion by Bakken, seconded by Wildung, to do a feasibility study on geothermal heat; the cost of the study is $3,500, declared carried on a voice vote.The County Board was in receipt of an annual report of veteran’s benefits to Rock County; no action was taken. The County Board received an update on the City/County Liaison meeting. Dave Smith, Luverne Chamber of Commerce Director, informed the County Board that the Southern Minnesota Tourism and Travel Southwest allocation had been changed from $1,400 to $1,000.00. The County Board briefly discussed appointments for 2006 and took no action.The County Board was informed that State Auditor Pat Anderson will be at the Rock County Courthouse on November 28th at 2:30 P.M. to discuss the Waiver Program and the Rock County Township Annual meeting is scheduled on December 2nd at 1:30 P.M.The County Board meeting scheduled for 2006 was reviewed; approval was tabled until the December 13th meeting. With no further business to come before the County Board, meeting was declared adjourned.Ken Hoime, Chairman of the BoardATTEST:Kyle J. Oldre, Clerk to the Board(12-15)

NOTICE OF APPLICATION FORLIVESTOCK FEEDLOT PERMITNotice is hereby given pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, Section 116.07, Subd. 7(a) that New Horizon Farms LLP has applied to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) for a renewal of its NPDES Livestock Feedlot Permit and the new permit would allow the expansion of a feedlot with a capacity of 500 animal units or more.The existing NPDES permit has a current capacity of 1,275 animal units and relates to the New Horizon Farms East facility located in the NE 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of Section 19 of Denver Township, Rock County, Minnesota (2135 100th Avenue, Hardwick, MN). The proposed expansion is necessary not because actual operations of the feedlot will change but because when initial NPDES feedlot permit applications were made applicants were advised to use the original design capacity of the feedlot versus the actual maximum stocking density at any one point in time which is what the current MPCA NPDES applications now request. The existing permit allows 2,850 finishing hogs and 8,400 nursery pigs equaling 1,275 animal units. The new permit application would allow 3,130 finishing hogs and 9,450 nursery pigs equaling 1,412 animal units. The facility consists of 26’x368’, 31’x360’, and 36’x160’ nursery barns with 2’ manure pits underneath; 36’x264’ and 41’x252’ finishing barns with 6.5’ manure pits underneath, and a 44’x96’ finishing barn with a 2’ manure pit underneath; a 160’(diameter)x10’(deep) concrete circle manure pit; and a 40’x40’ dead rendering pick up area. No new construction or expansion in the actual operation of the feedlot is being proposed. This publication constitutes notice to each resident and each land owner within 5,000 feet of the perimeter of the feedlot as required by Minnesota law.Published at the request of New Horizon Farms LLP. Any questions about this notice or the permit application can be addressed to New Horizon Farms LLP, Steven L. Perkins, Sec/Treas, 319 N. Hiawatha, P.O. Box 708, Pipestone, MN 56164 or 507-825-5462.Published in the Rock County Star Herald (12-15)