By Sara QuamRock County Commissioners voted Tuesday to allow another patrol and drug dog into Rock County Law Enforcement.Deputy John McCarty already owns and trained the German shepherd on his own, so the Sheriff’s Department doesn’t have to pay for the initial costs. The department will have to pay for dog care and continued training. A car will also be fitted for the dog at a one-time cost. The total cost to the department hasn’t been defined yet, but Sheriff Mike Winkels said dog education and care and some additional hours for the deputy will cost about $7,500.McCarty’s dog, Razor, will probably start with the department sometime this summer. The duo hasn’t technically been hired yet because the position has to be advertised.McCarty has been with the department two years. Razor is 15 months old. The existing dog, Tarzan, belonging to Deputy Ken Baker, is four years old. (A typical police dog serves nine to 12 years.)Both Baker and McCarty earn about the same in overtime. That won’t change because of having another dog because much of those overtime hours were from covering for other officers and working extra shifts or shifts that required work over regular hours.Baker was called out six times last year, so most of the dog’s work is done during regular shift hours.Sheriff Mike Winkels said, "One good bust could pay for the extra costs with seizures of assets and money."Commissioner Ken Hoime said, "My first reaction was that we don’t need another dog, because we aren’t a Hennepin County, but I’m not opposed to this if it’s on a trial basis."Commissioners said they felt they were getting a good deal because the start-up costs for the dog were less than with Tarzan.Winkels said, "I’m happy to have this opportunity. Once we get him activated it’ll be great. The deputy has been willing to give his time already and it’s a ‘gift horse.’" Baker and McCarty usually work different days of the week, so a dog will be available most days.Winkels said, "I think it deters crime and narcotics to have more dogs because people know they’re here. Word gets around and highways 23 and 75 and I-90 are heavily trafficked with drugs. I think it’s good that the county is taking a proactive approach to enforcement." County roads in cityThe city of Luverne and Rock County are still working on an agreement for the city to continue to maintain and remove snow on portions of county state aid highways within the city limits. The city now gets $6,800 per mile for portions of streets such as Main, Blue Mound, Dodge, Warren, Cedar, Luverne and Lincoln, for examples.The annual allotment is $49,000 to the city of Luverne.County Engineer Mark Sehr said the city has been doing good work and the county can’t do it on its own with the manpower and equipment it has. But after comparing with other similar-sized cities and counties, Sehr said Rock County is paying much more than the average. He estimated the county’s cost for similar work is closer to $4,100 per mile, and other cities get paid about $2,000 on average. "Cutting back from $49,000 to $30,000 would be a lot," Public Works Director Ken Vos said to the County Board Tuesday. "Had I kept a log of all we did on those streets in 2004, we’d have lost our tail. There’s a lot of maintenance that goes into those streets and there’s overtime for our crews a lot of times we remove snow."Vos said a log of work done in 2005 will illustrate all the work that goes into county roads, including tree maintenance.Vos said, "I’d appreciate better communication in the future because I had to read about this negotiation that was going on in the paper."Sehr and the board agreed.County Administrator Kyle Oldre said, "This is in no way a reflection of what we think of their work."Sehr said, "I think the service is great, but I just want to feel better about what we’re paying."The county has 7.8 miles of road in Luverne.If the city and county don’t agree on a contract price, the county can, by state statute, make the city do the work for the cost the county would pay to do it on it’s own — or $4,100 per mile.In other business Tuesday the board:
Approved a contract for architectural services from Paulson Architects for $137,525, with credit for almost $13,000 worth of work done already.Paulson is working on plans for a new Law Enforcement Center at an estimated cost of about $2 million.
Received cost estimates for an addition on the Highway Department for a bus garage and office for Heartland Express, the county’s buses. The county is applying for grants to cover a majority of the estimated $546,566.A new facility would cost about $691,173.
Received a feedlot update from Land Management Office Director Eric Hartman. He said that more than 600 feedlots were inspected in the county and 111 needed fixing or improvements. Of those 111, 24 are corrected; 33 are in open lot agreements or have interim permits, and 16 are getting direction for a new design.
Received a program update from Retired Senior Volunteer Program, which is requesting a small increase in funding this budget, for a total of $11,179.

By Lori EhdeIt’s been a building and rebuilding year at the Rock County Fairgrounds as volunteers and fair board members have been working to prepare for this weekend.The Aug. 3 storm last year damaged 250 feet of privacy fence and downed trees and branches on the fairgrounds. "The county and the city have been helpful in removing debris and assisting us in getting a new fence," said Fair Board Treasurer Isaac De Boer. "We’ve worked on repairing storm damage and updating existing facilities every week for the last two months, so it’s been a lot of work."In addition to storm repairs, the most noticeable improvement to fairgoers will be the addition of 10 stalls to the north side of the horse barn. According to De Boer, the 16-by-100-foot addition was prompted by increasing numbers at the horse show."The area of 4-H that’s growing the most is horses," he said. "And if everyone were allowed to bring all their horses, we still wouldn’t have enough room."He said horse show participants have more than 50 horses involved this year, but the building with its new addition, accommodates 42 horses."The horse people put on a good show," he said. Competition is Friday morning, and a fun show is Saturday afternoon.De Boer said history buffs are another group garnering increasing attention at the fair. "The Historical Society has been working hard and is adding new things to the history barn," De Boer said. "That’s been a good draw."Putting a sidewalk from the 4-H food stand to the barn was another big project this summer. "It will allow better access, especially for handicapped people," he said. "It’s a lot easier to walk on a smooth surface."Back by popular demand, an antique tractor show will return to the fairgrounds again this year. People are invited to bring their antique tractors to the fairgrounds from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday to display them near the history barn.De Boer said the fair promises a solid lineup of entertainment again this year.Chester Yacklay, the chainsaw wood carver, will return again this year. He’ll carve logs into statues and artwork Friday and Saturday afternoons starting at 2 p.m.The Talent Show had 20 entries as of Tuesday for the Thursday night event in the grandstands.The popular Christian pop group, Building 429, will perform in concert Friday night. The group just earned the Best New Artist of the Year by the Christian Music Association, so tickets were expected to sell out.The Biofuels Enduro Races will fill the grandstands Saturday. There were 50 entries as of Tuesday, and organizers are expecting to turn away last-minute requests to race.See page 8A for a complete schedule of fair events.

By John RittenhouseZach Wysong’s summer of baseball officially is over.Wysong, who graduated from Hills-Beaver Creek High School last spring, played ball with Luverne’s American Legion and amateur baseball teams the last two months.When the Luverne Redbirds were eliminated from the Gopher League playoffs with a 5-1 home loss to Pipestone Wednesday, July 27, Wysong’s season was complete.The H-BC standout was hitless in four trips to the plate during the loss to the A’s.Luverne ends the season with a 12-13 record.

By John RittenhouseExpect a full field of cars for Saturday’s Bio Fuels Enduro Race, which will serve as the grandstand show for the Rock County Fair that evening.According to Burdette Braun, event chairman for the Rock County Fair Board, 57 drivers have made commitments to compete in the race as of Wednesday.Since the field will be limited to 60 cars, and with five more days remaining to register, Braun said it won’t be a problem to attract three more cars to round out the field."I think we’ll have a good time Saturday night," he said. "I hate to do it, but we might have to turn away a driver or two who try to enter their cars on the night of the race. Hopefully, the rain will stay away and we’ll get in a full race."Driving rains limited the 2004 version of the race to one hour. Since the event reached the half-way mark, race officials declared Luverne’s Greg Vande Velde the winner for completing 71 laps ahead of any other driver.Vande Velde will be on hand to defend his 2004 title Saturday night.Valley Springs (S.D.) driver Jeremy Scadden, who won the July 7 Enduro Race sponsored by the Fair Board, will try to win his second straight race at the Luverne oval.Braun said a majority of the field will consist of Rock County drivers.Two female drivers have committed to the race, and an entry from White Bear Lake has been received.The two-hour, 200-lap race (whichever comes first) is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Gates for the drivers and their crews open at 4:30 p.m. The grandstand gate opens at 6 p.m.

By Sara QuamRock County Commissioners voted Tuesday to allow another patrol and drug dog into Rock County Law Enforcement.Deputy John McCarty already owns and trained the German shepherd on his own, so the Sheriff’s Department doesn’t have to pay for the initial costs. The department will have to pay for dog care and continued training. A car will also be fitted for the dog at a one-time cost. The total cost to the department hasn’t been defined yet, but Sheriff Mike Winkels said dog education and care and some additional hours for the deputy will cost about $7,500.McCarty’s dog, Razor, will probably start with the department sometime this summer. The duo hasn’t technically been hired yet because the position has to be advertised.McCarty has been with the department two years. Razor is 15 months old. The existing dog, Tarzan, belonging to Deputy Ken Baker, is four years old. (A typical police dog serves nine to 12 years.)Both Baker and McCarty earn about the same in overtime. That won’t change because of having another dog because much of those overtime hours were from covering for other officers and working extra shifts or shifts that required work over regular hours.Baker was called out six times last year, so most of the dog’s work is done during regular shift hours.Sheriff Mike Winkels said, "One good bust could pay for the extra costs with seizures of assets and money."Commissioner Ken Hoime said, "My first reaction was that we don’t need another dog, because we aren’t a Hennepin County, but I’m not opposed to this if it’s on a trial basis."Commissioners said they felt they were getting a good deal because the start-up costs for the dog were less than with Tarzan.Winkels said, "I’m happy to have this opportunity. Once we get him activated it’ll be great. The deputy has been willing to give his time already and it’s a ‘gift horse.’" Baker and McCarty usually work different days of the week, so a dog will be available most days.Winkels said, "I think it deters crime and narcotics to have more dogs because people know they’re here. Word gets around and highways 23 and 75 and I-90 are heavily trafficked with drugs. I think it’s good that the county is taking a proactive approach to enforcement." County roads in cityThe city of Luverne and Rock County are still working on an agreement for the city to continue to maintain and remove snow on portions of county state aid highways within the city limits. The city now gets $6,800 per mile for portions of streets such as Main, Blue Mound, Dodge, Warren, Cedar, Luverne and Lincoln, for examples.The annual allotment is $49,000 to the city of Luverne.County Engineer Mark Sehr said the city has been doing good work and the county can’t do it on its own with the manpower and equipment it has. But after comparing with other similar-sized cities and counties, Sehr said Rock County is paying much more than the average. He estimated the county’s cost for similar work is closer to $4,100 per mile, and other cities get paid about $2,000 on average. "Cutting back from $49,000 to $30,000 would be a lot," Public Works Director Ken Vos said to the County Board Tuesday. "Had I kept a log of all we did on those streets in 2004, we’d have lost our tail. There’s a lot of maintenance that goes into those streets and there’s overtime for our crews a lot of times we remove snow."Vos said a log of work done in 2005 will illustrate all the work that goes into county roads, including tree maintenance.Vos said, "I’d appreciate better communication in the future because I had to read about this negotiation that was going on in the paper."Sehr and the board agreed.County Administrator Kyle Oldre said, "This is in no way a reflection of what we think of their work."Sehr said, "I think the service is great, but I just want to feel better about what we’re paying."The county has 7.8 miles of road in Luverne.If the city and county don’t agree on a contract price, the county can, by state statute, make the city do the work for the cost the county would pay to do it on it’s own — or $4,100 per mile.In other business Tuesday the board:oApproved a contract for architectural services from Paulson Architects for $137,525, with credit for almost $13,000 worth of work done already.Paulson is working on plans for a new Law Enforcement Center at an estimated cost of about $2 million.oReceived cost estimates for an addition on the Highway Department for a bus garage and office for Heartland Express, the county’s buses. The county is applying for grants to cover a majority of the estimated $546,566.A new facility would cost about $691,173.oReceived a feedlot update from Land Management Office Director Eric Hartman. He said that more than 600 feedlots were inspected in the county and 111 needed fixing or improvements. Of those 111, 24 are corrected; 33 are in open lot agreements or have interim permits, and 16 are getting direction for a new design.oReceived a program update from Retired Senior Volunteer Program, which is requesting a small increase in funding this budget, for a total of $11,179.

By Lori EhdeCorn is standing tall, soybeans are growing lush in their rows and, all in all, crops in Rock County are shaping up nicely, according to local agronomist Chris Hein."It seems to be so far so good," he said Tuesday. "Everything looks great."Area producers weren’t so confident this spring. They entered planting season under near-drought conditions, and then waited out a long, cold spring. Early sprouts, lacking warmth and sunshine, emerged a sickly, yellow color.But when the hazy summer heat finally set in, it didn’t take crops long to catch up.Hein, who works at SWMN Farmer’s Co-op Elevator, said there are some parts of the county that suffer from too much or not enough moisture, but generally speaking, he’s not hearing many complaints."As a whole, things look good," he said. "Anytime you can catch the kinds of timely rains like we’ve had in July ... that keeps us rolling in the right direction."Despite the slow, cool start, Hein said crops are now ahead of average in terms of growing degree unit days."Corn is actually progressing faster than we’d see in a normal year," he said.Some concerns lingering on the horizon may be soybean aphids and soybean rust."Don’t count aphids out yet," Hein said about the tiny insects that suck sap out of the plants. "Right now they’re not threatening, but we have some time yet to see on that."He said aphids were a big problem two years ago, but aggressive spraying in 2003 seems to have curbed the insect population.Soybean rust is plaguing fields in the southeast which were introduced to the fungus last year by Hurricane Ivan."It’s a fungus that can kill a field quickly if it’s infected," Hein said.The fungus is spread by air, so Hein said it’s unlikely the problem will spread to the upper Midwest."The majority of our weather patterns don’t come from that part of the country," he said. "Soybean rust this year is going to be a non-event for us."Hein said the outlook for local yields looks gook."For this point in the growing season, things look to be very promising," he said.

By John RittenhouseLast weekend’s All-School Reunion festivities included a pair of athletic events for Luverne High School graduates to compete in.A 5K Fun Run/Walk was staged on Saturday morning, beginning at the Luverne Elementary School. Graduates also had the opportunity to play in an All-School Reunion Golf Tournament staged at the Luverne Country Club Friday through Sunday.John Rogers captured the overall championship of the 5K run, and $25 worth of Chamber Bucks, for recording the event’s best time of 22:44. Rogers competed in the 46-and-Over Division.Ryan Zimmerman placed first in the 25-and-Under Division with a time of 27:15. Dave Hampson took top honors in the 26-45 Division with a time of 23:12.Dan Smeins took the overall championship of the golf tournament, and $40 Chamber Bucks, with a net 70.Dave Gangestand placed second with a net 71, and Tim Knoll and Howard Gangestad shared third place with net 72s.

By John RittenhouseHardwick State Bank completed an undefeated season in Luverne Community Education Major League baseball play by winning the annual league tournament Wednesday, July 27.After posting seven straight wins to win the regular season title, Hardwick State Bank tacked on two wins in tournament play to its victory total to finish the campaign with a 9-0 record.Hardwick State Bank opened the tournament by defeating KQAD 11-1 during the semifinals Wednesday, July 20.The victory sent the tournament’s No. 1 seed to the title tilt, where Hardwick State Bank met McClure Electric two days after the scheduled July 25th championship. Rain on the 25th pushed the championship game back two days.McClure Electric, the tournament’s third seed, pulled off a minor upset by nipping second-seeded Latham Insurance 6-4 in the semifinals.It looked like McClure Electric might record a bigger upset when it led 8-5 after three and one-half innings of play during the championship game, but Hardwick State Bank rallied to outscore the challengers 9-3 over the final two innings to prevail by a 14-11 tally.With the score knotted at two after one inning of play, McClure Electric used a two-run double from Dylan Skattum and RBI singles from Adam Gruis and Trevor Johnson to open a 6-2 advantage in the top of the second.Hardwick State Bank trimmed the difference to one run (6-5) by scoring once in the bottom of the second and twice in the bottom of the third, but McClure Electric answered with a two-run surge in the top of the fourth to extend the lead to three runs at 8-5.The rest of the game belonged to Hardwick State Bank.A two-run double by Andrew Kannas served as the highlight of a four-run rally in the bottom of the fourth, which ended with eventual champions sporting a 9-8 edge.Nathan Thompson slapped a two-run single during a five-run assault in the bottom of the fifth, giving Hardwick State Bank a 14-8 advantage.McClure Electric made things interesting by scoring three runs in the top of the sixth to trail 14-11. The challengers had the bases loaded with two outs in the inning, but Hardwick State Bank recorded the final out to prevail by three.

By John RittenhouseLuverne Community Education bid farewell to a pair of long-time employees when a pair of summer programs were completed recently.Elaine Harms and Joe Roberts, who provided a combined 50 years of service to LCE, officially retired from their posts.Harms ran morning rec for 24 yearsFor Harms, her decision to retire meant severing a tie with LCE that lasted 24 years.She has served as an instructor in the morning recreation program since the summer of 1982.Harms started teaching high school English in Luverne in 1980, and she started working for LCE two years later."I needed something to do in the summer months more than anything else," Harms stated."Elmer Menage ran the morning recreation program before I did. I took over in 1982, and then I took over the arts and crafts program in 1988."By taking over the morning recreation program, Harms has sacrificed a good share of her summer vacation for more than two decades.The program runs from Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to noon from early June through late July."We give the kids 45 minutes of unstructured play to start the day, then we break them into grade-level groups for organized play. Then we give them free time to play at the end of the morning," she said of her program."The best thing about it is we have a good mix of high school kids working with the elementary-aged kids. You see the world in a different perspective when you are working with kids of different ages."Harms said working with the kids in the summer months paid off when the same children entered her English classes during the school year."By the time they came into my classroom, they had a good idea as to what to expect from me as a teacher," she said.Now that she’ll have more free time in the summer months, Harms plans to spend it pursing some personal interests.The veteran teacher says she will be able to take more educational classes for herself, some of which conflicted with her summer recreation hours in the past. Other than that, she plans to spend a lot more time on the golf course.Although she’s looking forward to next summer and the freedom it will bring, Harms says it will take some adjusting to escape the mind-set of being an LCE instructor."When I go places, I still find myself looking at different games and craft supplies. Then I say to myself, ‘I don’t have to do this any more.’"When asked what she’ll miss, she said, "What I’m going to miss the most is the enthusiasm of the kids. When they come in the morning, they all have something important to tell you. Whether it was about a new baby brother or sister being born or about where they are going on vacation. They always had something to share with me."Roberts had great runJoe Roberts couldn’t remember how long he worked for the LCE as the instructor of the major league and minor league youth baseball programs.His best guess was that he started in 1980, which then LCE director Gregg Gropel estimated as well."I really don’t remember when I started," Roberts offered."I was the head baseball coach here from 1964-1972, and I coached the American Legion and VFW teams for a while after that."What Roberts does recall is that some of the men who are coaching the little league teams now used to play in his leagues in the past.That, he says, is a priceless commodity to have. "That’s one thing I really like about our program," he said."I really like having the fathers come down here to work with the kids. They do a really good job, and I hear all kinds of nice, positive things about that."Roberts takes pride in building what can be described as an all-inclusive program.With the help of the coaches, Luverne’s youth baseball program is designed to get players of all ability levels involved."I didn’t want the program to be for the good players only," he said. "I wanted the program to be for all of the kids who enjoy playing baseball."Roberts, who retired from a 40-year stint as a math and algebra teacher in the Luverne school system in 2002, has already been blessed with a legacy.Since 1965, he devoted a lot of time and hard work into developing today’s top-notch, two-field complex located on the northeast side of town.For his efforts, the complex was named Joe Roberts Fields, which is something he takes immense pride in.All good things must end, and Roberts decided this would be his last summer as program instructor of the youth baseball leagues."The heat is starting to bother me more than it used to," he admitted. "When it’s 99 (degrees) on the thermometer, that means it’s 110 on the agro-lime, and that’s getting a little harder for me to deal with.""I had a great run," he continued. "I’ve really had a lot of fun working with the kids. It really has been fun for me."With the exception of hot and humid days, Roberts said he’ll miss a lot things about his work with the program.Topping the list will be no longer sharing in the joy after a child has turned in an unexpected triumph on the field."There’s one thing that tickled me the most. There’s always that one little guy who struggles early in the season. Then, somewhere down the line, the same kid will step up and make a nice play in the field or come up with a key hit," he said. "That’s when you see that big grin that runs from ear to ear. To see that feeling of happiness in that kid’s face, to me that’s everything."