MINUTES OF THE HILLS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITYJUNE 14, 2005Dana Dahlquist, President of the Hills EDA called the meeting to order at 10:05 P.M. with the following board members present: Dana Dahlquist, Jim Jellema, Linus Svoboda, Keith Elbers, and Ross Metzger. Others present: Connie Wiertzema, EDA Secretary; Joanne Goehle, EDA Treasurer; and Lexi Moore, Reporter-Hills Crescent. Motion by Jellema, seconded by Elbers to approve the minutes of May 10th. Motion carried.Motion by Elbers, seconded by Metzger to approve payment of the May expenditures. Motion carried.The Board agreed to continue to allow pets in Southern Hills Condo rentals, with the required $500 pet security deposit, separate from the $500 apartment security deposit. No further discussion, meeting adjourned at 10:12 P.M.Connie J. WiertzemaEDA Secretary(7-7)

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETINGOF THE HILLS CITY COUNCILJUNE 14, 2005 – 6:00 P.M.Mayor Jim Jellema called the meeting to order with the following council members present: Jim Jellema, Dana Dahlquist, Linus Svoboda, Keith Elbers, and Ross Metzger. Employees present: Joanne Goehle, City Treasurer; Connie Wiertzema, City Clerk; and Wayne Ward, City Maintenance. Guests: Jeff Bass-Hills Fire Department; Mike Spath, Stephanie Page, Lyle Bos, and Lexi Moore-Hills Crescent. In reviewing the May expenditures, and in particular a $400 expenditure to Development Services for preparation of a FEMA grant, the Council requests that the Fire Department pre-approve any expenditures which are out-of-the-ordinary. Motion by Dahlquist, seconded by Svoboda to approve payment of the May expenditures: General $4,340.92; Park $3,201.45; Fire $34,448.30; Street $1,411.66; Legion $410.69; Sewer $1,316.71; Garbage $1,740.82; Recycling $108.57; Water $1,291.50. Motion carried. General Checking 61,146.36General Fund CD#18614, 6/9/05 (prev. #18197 243,300.81General Fund CD#18764 (prev. #17760) 2.75%, 9/15/05 71,299.52Fire Truck Replacement Fund CD#18647, 2.0%, 1/13/06 0.00Hills EDA Security Deposit Account 1,439.08Hills EDA Checking – Acct. #1248 4,325.64Southern Hills Condo Acct. #1263 295.45EDA CD#18870, 3.25%, 5/7/06 75,630.77Motion by Svoboda, seconded by Metzger to approve the Treasurer’s report; along with making a change in the renewal of General CD#18614 for one year at 3.55%. Motion carried. Discussion to allow New Vision to pull water from the City’s old well, pending the cost of the necessary piping.Ward reported that the water storage tank and elevated tank have been cleaned, repaired and inspected.Jellema suggested to block off traffic on State Highway 270 during future Memorial Day cemetery services. Discussed the cost to replace stop signs and street signs. Mike Spath, Stephanie Page, and Lyle Bos appeared at the meeting to discuss the City’s request to have the postal boxes removed from State Hwy. 270, nearest the Main Avenue intersection and crosswalk. The City Council feels there is a safety issue for the community children at that crosswalk and intersection, and the mailboxes enhance that issue. Per correspondence from the Hills Postmaster, the City has no authority to request the removal of the boxes and cannot interfere with postal delivery. Therefore, the City Council asked Spath, Page, and Bos if they feel the boxes are a hazard to the crosswalk and if fhey would consider removing their boxes. Spath, Page and Bos do not agree that there is a hazard and chose not to remove their boxes. Jeff Bass appeared at the meeting to encourage the Council to adopt a resolution to establish the National Incident Management System. The Council tabled the adoption of a resolution in order to review NIMS information provided by the County. Bass requested permission, for the Fire Department, to hold a hog roast, along with a temporary liquor license to serve beer. Also requested permission to hold this fund-raiser at Rez Park sometime in August from 5:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. The Council was apprehensive, and questioned whether the Fire Department would actually earn that much extra by serving beer, in comparison to the extra costs involved. Following a short recess, Councilmen Jellema, Metzger, and Elbers agreed to allow the plans for the fund-raiser with the conditions that: 1) The Fire Department obtain the necessary liquor liability insurance and provide a certificate of insurance to the City; 2) The Fire Dept. must provide the appropriate means of carding individuals, to avoid the sale of beer to minors; and 3) That no beer be sold or consumed before 5:00 P.M. or after 9:00 P.M. A copy of the City liquor ordinance will be provided to the Fire Dept. Dahlquist, a member of the Fire Dept., abstained from the motion. Svoboda chose to stay out of the discussion due to personal feelings. Bass informed the Council that Development Services was hired by the Fire Department for a fee of $400, to apply for a FEMA grant. The Council instructed Bass that the Fire Department must obtain pre-approval from the City Council and Martin Township for out-of-the-ordinary spending. Bass requested permission, that if the $88,000 grant is received, to split the grant money between the City, Township and Fire Department. The Council did not comment. Council questioned whether the Fire Department had a meth lab plan in place, which Bas confirmed they did. The City will make plans to advertise the fire tanker truck for sale at a later date. Discussed street assessment terms for blacktop work in Park View Third Addition (Sixth Street). Motion by Dahlquist, seconded by Elbers to assess the blacktop and gravel costs to the abutting property owners at 8% interest for a period of 10 years, with the option to pay off the balance at any time. Motion carried. A meeting will be scheduled with property owners in Park View First Addition for the purpose of discussing the terms of special assessment for blacktop.The Clerk will attend a Board of Appeal and Equalization training meeting in July.Notification will be sent to Ryan Burgers regarding his intentions for the removal of his mobile home and garage from the City’s property; also to request that the garbage must be removed and grass cut. The Council approved to reimburse Verhey Construction and R-B Electric for renovation costs to the southeast office space, located in the American Legion building. Verhey Construction will rent this office space at $50 per month. Ross Metzger and Kelly Leuthold will set stakes for their proposed commercial building. This will allow the Council to observe the location and setbacks, in order to act on a building permit application. Motion by Dahlquist, seconded by Elbers to approve building permits for: Tim and Lois DeHaan for a patio; Ed and Carol Gehrke for a lawn shed; John and Kim Ehlers for a concrete driveway, fence, and brick patios; and Jesse and Karen Gaugler for a fence. Motion carried. Discussion regarding hog confinements and the distribution of manure near the city limits was tabled. Motion by Dahlquist, seconded by Metzger to hire Kanegieter Tree Service to remove one tree and trim trees on Mildred Kesterson’s lot, and to use donated funds to cover the cost of the tree service, and city truck rental. Motion carried. Council reviewed correspondence from Rock County Rural Water, pertaining to the credit taken toward the City’s water bill, due to the numerous flushings of rusty water problems. RCRW agrees with the estimated number of gallons flushed, but disagrees with the water rate credit taken. The Council’s response to RCRW is that employee wages for straight time or overtime hours were not included in the credits, only water usage according to the City’s rate schedule. Received an LP contract price offer of $1.189 from Popkes Car Care. Council tabled the discussion. Discussed the Fire Department and City’s purchases of gasoline from two local gas stations, in an attempt to make the purchases even between the two stations. Jellema abstained from the discussion. Svoboda as Mayor Pro Tem led the lengthy discussion. Svoboda made a motion that the Fire Department continue to purchase all their fuel and repair services at Erwin’s Service; and the City purchase all their fuel at Orv’s Shell, with repair services to be left to the maintenance department’s discretion. Dahlquist abstained from the vote due to a conflict of interest. Svoboda withdrew his motion for lack of a second. No further motions were made. The Council instructed city maintenance to continue as before, to purchase gasoline from each station on a month-by-month trade-off, but to periodically review the Fire Department’s fuel sales, in order to make purchases comparable. Council tabled discussion regarding the removal of vegetation from the Rez Park swimming area, as the Beaver Creek Sportsmen’s Club is working on this issue. Council discussed whether there is a need for a separate junk pickup for electronics. Residents have the option to take these items to the county transfer station for a fee. The Council tabled the discussion. Due to confusion at the May Council meeting, the Council continued discussion regarding Wayne Ward’s family health insurance, wherein his spouse is eligible for Medicare this fall, and can no longer be named on the City’s family health insurance plan. The cost for a single supplemental insurance is $259 per month. There was discussion as to whether the City should be responsible for Medicare supplement policies, especially for a person who is not an employee of the city. It was also discussed that the Council set a limit to pay $925 toward medical health insurance, but didn’t specify how it is spent. Motion by Dahlquist, seconded by Svoboda to pay Janis Ward’s supplemental health insurance of $259 per month, and Wayne Ward’s individual health insurance of $660 per month, plus Wayne’s life insurance portion for up to a total of $925.00 per month but no more than $925 per month. Voting in favor: Dahlquist, Svoboda, Metzger and Jellema. Voting against: Elbers. Motion carried. The Clerk was instructed to send a thank you to Mike Spath for the small disk that he gave to the City of Hills, to be used for tilling sand around the park equipment and volleyball courts. The Council made it a policy to review the City’s equipment and buildings on a yearly basis. Discussed the appointment of a councilperson to fill Dana Dahlquist’s position. Motion by Elbers, seconded by Metzger to appoint Pete Hoff to fill the position. Hoff will be invited to the July 12th meeting. Motion by Metzger, seconded by Elbers to appoint Linus Svoboda to fulfill the President positions of the EDA and Southern Hills Condo Association, in place of Dana Dahlquist. Motion carried.The Council thanked Dana Dahlquist for his dedicated service to the City of Hills. Motion by Dahlquist, seconded by Svoboda to approve the May 10th minutes, with changes regarding Janis Ward’s supplemental insurance. There was only discussion, and no motion was made, the Council did not deny Ward’s request for supplemental insurance for Janis Ward. Motion carried. The Clerk informed the Council of the State Auditor’s plan to have each precinct purchase election equipment for an approximate cost of $10,600. Additional costs involved will be insurance, updates, maintenance, transporting and storage of the equipment. It’s possible for some precincts to be combined at the same location in order to share the cost of expenses. No action taken, more information will be forthcoming. The Council discussed whether to use a direct deposit plan for employee salaries. No action taken, tabled at this time. The City Council set a policy to begin the use of a mileage log sheet for use of the city’s pickup.Motion by Dahlquist, seconded by Elbers to refund utility deposits to Roger Russell, Brian Sandbulte, Eugene Immediato, Jim Susie, and Matt Boeve. Motion carried.Joanne Goehle, City Treasurer, informed the Council that she has been a city employee for 24 years, and asked the Council to consider paying $100 per month toward her supplemental insurance, with no increase in wages, beginning January 1, 2006. Motion by Dahlquist, seconded by Elbers to adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 9:45 P.M. Connie J. WiertzemaCity Clerk(7-7)

During my travels over the holiday weekend, I passed the Minnesota rest stop and information center on I-90 on five separate occasions. Each time I became a bit more irritated.Leaving the state, driving west was not nearly as bad as coming into the state from the east. The entrance ramps to the Beaver Creek Travel and Information Center were blocked off by five large, orange garbage tubs (the kind they use in construction zones) and the sign on the barricade announced that the rest stop was closed.What a way to welcome holiday travelers to our fine state!For anyone not in the know, the state shut down last week, and as Minnesotans we began surviving off emergency funds.In May the officials that we elected last fall failed to deliver an agreeable budget for the next two years of operations in the state of Minnesota. That prompted the legislative bodies to go into a special session. This, in my opinion, means the elected get paid double time to juggle their summer vacations and legislative responsibilities.The idea behind special sessions is to give governing bodies the ability to finish business that was not completed during the regular session. Usually, this pertains to large bills or as was the case in Texas, re-districting measures.This time around, it all came down to money.Schools, nursing homes, street departments, businesses, health care – everyone wants more money, but our governor swore not to raise taxes. So where does the additional money come from? Apparently, the people we put in charge (elected officials) have failed to come up with solutions. It appears they were so unwilling to compromise they decided it would be better to just shut the state down rather than do the job we, as taxpayers, pay them to do.It irritates me that the government can just quit on us like this. Could a doctor, garbage man or McDonald’s worker just decide to stop working? I don’t think so. I believe they would be relieved of their positions and replacement workers would be hired. Yet our elected officials had no problem planning for such an event.I visited the Minnesota government Web site and found press releases dating back to the middle of June that detailed how the state would handle a shutdown. To me, lawmakers and administrators would have made better use of their time coming to agreeable terms on the budget instead of budgeting for a government shutdown.The biggest losers in all this are not the travelers unable to buy a Coke or visit a public bathroom but our state services that rely on state funding to function and the workers in these facilities that will not be going back to their offices after the holiday. The following is a list of funds by agency that will not be given out during the shutdown.EducationüState and federal funding for libraries will be delayed.üState funding for early childhood programs, including ECFE, will be delayed.üState and federal adult basic grants and aid will be delayed.HealthüSuspend grants to local public health agenciesPublic SafetyüSuspend issuing new drivers licenses and driver testing.üAdministrative support and training for troopers will be reduced.üMost vehicle title processing will be delayed.üInternal investigations delayed.Transportation üSlow or no response on all maintenance activities.üRest areas will be closed, affecting July 4th holiday travelers.üSuspend message boards and traffic information for motorists.On June 30, in a press release Governor Pawlenty made a grand gesture by pledging to sign the environment, agriculture, employment and economic development bill."I will be signing this bill after thoroughly reviewing it. I’m pleased we were able to come to this agreement and keep our state parks and other important services operating. Even though it is not yet signed, I have instructed that parks should remain open. I hold out hope that we can come to an agreement on the rest of the budget issues before us."I am sure it was nice for campers to be able to pitch a tent on their reserved campground over the weekend. Nevertheless, camping is not at the heart of this problem. Our government is having some major issues and we, as taxpayers, need to make them responsible for the actions, or in this case lack of action.Budgets are hard for companies, families and governments, but we need to make sure our future politicians demonstrate that they have the financial background that can help save the state of Minnesota. Without that change, we will probably be facing this problem again in two years when it is time to set another budget.Story ideas or comments can be emailed to Lexi Moore at lexim@star-herald.com or called in at 962-3561.

10 years ago (1995)"Construction work on a two-unit apartment complex in Beaver Creek continues and is scheduled for completion in September.Bruce and Pat Dysthe, their two sons and a few friends are constructing a duplex on the east side of Beaver Creek. Cragoe Real Estate in Luverne is renting the apartment complex for the Dysthes, and they are still looking for renters." 25 years ago (1980)"Few of the odds makers would have picked Steen Country to be in the championship match of the always tough Hills July 4th Tournament, but that’s exactly where Steen Country placed themselves with strong showings in the early games. The Ellsworth Town team, always a power factor to the Border League, finally won the title, but even that did not dull the enthusiasm of the Steen Country team that had played so well throughout the day. Members of the Steen Country team are Duane Sandbulte, Myron Sandbulte, Brad Bosch, Kevin Martens and Dale Sandbulte, Craig Sandbulte, Dan Kroon, Les Van Wyhe and Leroy Van Wyhe. 50 years ago (1955)"Work is progressing nicely on the new Ruuds Grocery building. The front is all complete, as is nearly all outside work. At present, Bob Ruud is painting the inside, while Nuffer Hardware is doing the electrical wiring, a pretty important and good-sized job. Nuffers will also put in the heating plant. Four strings of fluorescent lights will be strung parallel with the building lengthwise along the ceiling and there will be numerous outlets for the various display counters and food conditioners. Equipment and fixtures are arriving, and it is apparent that the Ruuds are really going to have a very fine store in Hills that everyone can be proud of. It’s a real fine addition to Hills’ main street and is the final structure to replace those six buildings destroyed by fire Jan. 14, 1948."75 years ago (1930)"The village streets are being graded this week, using the township grader and tractor, work starting last Monday. Art Johnson is on the tractor, while John Nelson manipulates the blade, and they’re doing a fine job."100 years ago (1905)"A record-breaking rain, accompanied by a high wind, lightning and thunder, struck this section early Friday morning and considerable damage was done throughout the neighborhood.Mud creek was a raging torrent, overflowing all the surrounding low land. Bad washouts occurred on both our railroads and no mail was received until late Friday. The Illinois Central was washed out in several places between here and Steen and the Great Northern had a bad washout near Alvord.The lightning struck Lars Kolsrud’s new barn, not yet completed, ripping up the shingles and posts, but as it did not ignite, the damage was comparatively light."

After all the cold, wet and windy inclement weather we had this year, everyone was concerned about the farmers and their crops in the fields. However, the crops are looking great! The corn was knee high by the fourth of July. All of the other crops are doing well so all is well on the home front.Congratulations to Sid and Anna Mae Berghorst, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at the Forrester Center in Rock Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday. You know summer has arrived when you hear that strong voice from the ball diamond giving the teams the word that it was time to "Play ball!" The Steen team has done this. Their first game of the season was Friday night, July 1, at the Steen ball diamond. The game began promptly at 8 p.m. They played Beaver Creek but do not have the score. Next week Steen will play at Sioux Center, Iowa. Hope to see you there.Overnight guests in the Winnie Scholten home on Sunday evening, July 3, were a former Steen area resident and a relative of Winnie’s, Marylin Scholten, and several of her friends from Michigan and Wisconsin. They left Monday morning to continue the tour they were taking.The Steen Senior Citizens had their July meeting Tuesday, July 5, at the Steen Community Building. Games were played and lunch was served. Weekend guests in the Art and Henrietta Boeve home were their daughter and son-in-law, Anita and Gregg Bosch, and their daughter, Mikayla, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Greg and Michelle VanWyhe and family and Glen and Ann Boeve. The Steen community was surprised to hear that the Jim Harsma family has moved from their home in Steen back to the Sandbulte farm near Hills. Steen residents will miss them but wish the best for them. Art and Henrietta Boeve attended a Boeve family reunion at the Hull, Iowa, park on Monday, July 4. Also attending were Greg and Michele VanWyhe and children and Glen and Ann Boeve. Guest Day at United Methodist Church in Luverne will begin at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 13. The speaker is Jerry Carl, CEO at Sioux Valley Luverne Medical Center. Steen Reformed Church will sponsor "An Evening in the Park" Sunday, July 10. There will be special music and ice cream bars. It is a very nice evening and everyone is welcome!Everyone gets so excited when a new baby arrives and we all want to hear its name. This past week on Monday we observed the birth of our nation. After reading this article titled "They Called It America," I decided we all should know why that name was chosen. They Called It AmericaBy Rabbi SilverGod built him a continent of glory, and filled it with treasures untold. He studded it with sweet-flowing fountains, and traced it with long-winding streams. He carpeted it with soft-rolling prairies and columned it with thundering mountains. He graced it with deep-shadowed forests and filled them with song. Then He called unto a thousand peoples, and summoned the bravest among them. They came from the ends of the earth, each bearing a gift and a hope. The glow of adventure was in their eyes, and in their hearts the glory of hope. And out of the bounty of earth, and the labor of men; out of the longing of heart, and the prayer of souls; out of the memory of ages, and the hopes of the world, God fashioned a nation in love, and blessed it with purpose sublime. And they called it America.

After all the cold, wet and windy inclement weather we had this year, everyone was concerned about the farmers and their crops in the fields. However, the crops are looking great! The corn was knee high by the fourth of July. All of the other crops are doing well so all is well on the home front.Congratulations to Sid and Anna Mae Berghorst, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at the Forrester Center in Rock Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday. You know summer has arrived when you hear that strong voice from the ball diamond giving the teams the word that it was time to "Play ball!" The Steen team has done this. Their first game of the season was Friday night, July 1, at the Steen ball diamond. The game began promptly at 8 p.m. They played Beaver Creek but do not have the score. Next week Steen will play at Sioux Center, Iowa. Hope to see you there.Overnight guests in the Winnie Scholten home on Sunday evening, July 3, were a former Steen area resident and a relative of Winnie’s, Marylin Scholten, and several of her friends from Michigan and Wisconsin. They left Monday morning to continue the tour they were taking.The Steen Senior Citizens had their July meeting Tuesday, July 5, at the Steen Community Building. Games were played and lunch was served. Weekend guests in the Art and Henrietta Boeve home were their daughter and son-in-law, Anita and Gregg Bosch, and their daughter, Mikayla, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Greg and Michelle VanWyhe and family and Glen and Ann Boeve. The Steen community was surprised to hear that the Jim Harsma family has moved from their home in Steen back to the Sandbulte farm near Hills. Steen residents will miss them but wish the best for them. Art and Henrietta Boeve attended a Boeve family reunion at the Hull, Iowa, park on Monday, July 4. Also attending were Greg and Michele VanWyhe and children and Glen and Ann Boeve. Guest Day at United Methodist Church in Luverne will begin at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 13. The speaker is Jerry Carl, CEO at Sioux Valley Luverne Medical Center. Steen Reformed Church will sponsor "An Evening in the Park" Sunday, July 10. There will be special music and ice cream bars. It is a very nice evening and everyone is welcome!Everyone gets so excited when a new baby arrives and we all want to hear its name. This past week on Monday we observed the birth of our nation. After reading this article titled "They Called It America," I decided we all should know why that name was chosen. They Called It AmericaBy Rabbi SilverGod built him a continent of glory, and filled it with treasures untold. He studded it with sweet-flowing fountains, and traced it with long-winding streams. He carpeted it with soft-rolling prairies and columned it with thundering mountains. He graced it with deep-shadowed forests and filled them with song. Then He called unto a thousand peoples, and summoned the bravest among them. They came from the ends of the earth, each bearing a gift and a hope. The glow of adventure was in their eyes, and in their hearts the glory of hope. And out of the bounty of earth, and the labor of men; out of the longing of heart, and the prayer of souls; out of the memory of ages, and the hopes of the world, God fashioned a nation in love, and blessed it with purpose sublime. And they called it America.

Luella’s last thoughts; new people in townCorey and Vickie Busswitz have moved here from Sioux Falls. They have purchased the former Bajema home. Corey works at HyVee in Sioux Falls and Vickie is with Edward Jones Investments, also in Sioux Falls. Brandy Kellar and her 5-year-old son, Tristan, are living in the duplex, formerly the residence of Betty Larson, which they have purchased. They came here from Sioux Falls. Robin Hoenke is settled in the former Dahlquist home, which she purchased. She teaches mathematics at the H-BC schools. Robin formerly lived in Brandon, S.D. Amy Brandt and Mike Kerkove are getting settled in their newly built home, which has been moved to 4th Street in Hills. They are not new residents here because they formerly lived in the City Apartments. Amy works at Wendy’s and Mike works at C&C Labels. They have a 10-year-old son.Thanks to Cheryl Pavel for taking on the job for reporting the "Hills Local News." You can give her a call at 962-3344.LuellaShirley Olson and niece, Susan Olson, Madison, S.D., spent last week attending an Olson family reunion in New Rockford, N.D. The reunion takes place every five years and this year 65 to 75 people from all across the United States came for the three-day event. This year’s reunion was hosted by Shirley’s sister-in-law and her husband, Metta (Olson) and Jack McDowell, on their century farm. Nieces of Evelyn Rogness spent Friday overnight with her. They were on their way home to Minneapolis from Oregon. Ron and Jan Solberg spent a week traveling and visiting family while they took their grandchildren, Jo and Brett, home to Lansing, Kan., after a three-week stay. They then continued on to Champaign, Ill., where Jan visited with daughter, Janine, while Ron attended a workshop at the Fermi Lab in Chicago.Wilmer and Betty Elbers have cousins, Joe and Alberta and Bill and Betty Berghorst of Ripon, Calif., visiting friends and relatives in the area after attending the 50th wedding anniversary of Sid and Anna Mae Berghorst of Steen last Saturday. Sunday noon, Joe and Alberta Berghorst were the dinner guests of Wilmer and Betty, while Sunday evening dinner guests of Wilmer and Betty’s were Bill and Betty Berghorst, Ripon, Ed and Iva Elbers, Luverne, Miriam Mowl and daughter Sheryl Halm and her family of Bellflower, Calif. Tim and Lois DeHaan and family spent vacation at Maple Lake by Alexandria. While the weather was cold and rainy, they enjoyed the trip and relaxation. Lonnie Albers and sons, Zack and Thomas, from Gregory, S.D., enjoyed camping at Lake Benton over the July 4th holiday. Lonnie then hosted the July 4th celebration for family and friends. Heather Albers was able to attend also while on her way from Spearfish, S.D., to Minneapolis. Alice Kolsrud has been able to return home after being in the Luverne Community Hospital recovering from her surgery.Gert Steinberg and Lena Marbus recently returned from a two-week trip to Boise, Idaho, where they visited a granddaughter of Lena’s and Hamilton, Mont., where they visited a sister of Gert’s.

By Lori EhdeFamily Dollar will occupy the 11,200-square-foot building recently vacated by Luverne True Value and Country Store.Gary and Nate Golla finalized the sale of the building on June 16 to Minneapolis developer, Anxon Inc., which in turn is leasing it to Family Dollar."We tried a lot of different things for that building," Gary Golla said. "We talked to the city about a day care center; we talked to the county about a law enforcement center. We tried to get local businesses to subdivide it. But it was getting to the point where we had to do something, and these guys actually found us."Family Dollar will open on July 28, and merchandise will occupy 8,000 square feet of the building. It will be family and home items mostly priced at $10 or less.A store manager will soon be hired, and about two weeks prior to opening, seven or eight full- and part-time local employees will be interviewed on site.Golla said he’s pleased the building will be occupied, and he said moving True Value next to the Farm Store on the south Highway 75 location has been good for business."It’s been a good business decision," Golla said. "We’re extremely happy we’re able to keep the division of the Country Store that we moved to the new location."Those departments include paint, lawn and garden, pets and Just-Ask-Rental. "They’re continuing to do well," Golla said.Family Dollar, headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., operates 5,700 stores in 44 states. There are 60 in Minnesota, with two in Sioux Falls and one in Worthington.

By Lori EhdeIn high school Carole Achterhof always found a way to write humorously, no matter what the writing assignment."The teacher kept me after school one day," Achterhof recalled. "She said, ‘I don’t know what to do with you, Carole. Life is not funny. Do you expect to make money by being funny?’ … I wish she were alive today," Achterhof said.Today, Achterhof is not only making a living being funny – both writing and speaking – but she spent 30 years as an English teacher besides.In 1996, Achterhof retired from teaching English and Spanish at Adrian High School, and last week she announced she’s retiring from her column writing as well."After 22 years, 1,144 columns and countless wonderful memories, the time has come to say good-bye," she wrote in an e-mail to the publications that carry her humor column.Writing career started at the Star Herald,/B>Achterhof got her start in column writing in 1983 as editor of the Rock County Star Herald.She titled her personal column, "Letters from the Farm," because she and Roger were living on a farm near Luverne at the time.While she enjoyed covering local news, the column allowed her to write humorously – mostly about personal experiences, such as plucking chickens on the farm and gaining weight during pregnancies."There was such a great response," Achterhof said.She was at the paper for only a year before she returned to teaching, but in that time she remembers major accomplishments and major blunders. She implemented as policy that women should always be referred to in the paper by their first and last names. "It was always Mrs. Bill Jones," Achterhof said. "Here these women were doing great things, and they didn’t even have an identity."A major blunder she remembers is a typo in a recipe that required wrapping a mixture in plastic and refrigerating. The version that made its way to print said, "Crap in plastic and refrigerate."A year isn’t long at any job, but in that time her column drew a following, and Achterhof kept writing. She started with a handful of newspapers and now has 50 publications in three states on her mailing list. "I think it’s best to say good-bye when you’re at your peak," she said. "Too many people hang on, and then your work becomes dull, and it becomes a chore."She said she never had mental blocks for column topics but said she could see a day when that might come, and she didn’t want that day to come."I always had a pile of ideas to draw on," she said. "Now, I’ll have to use them on my family when I corner them at the table … or on the golf course. You don’t just retire from humor."Her columns have been fodder for five books Achterhof has published, including her first one, "Never Trust a Size 3," and her most recent one, "How to Pose With a Fish."Humor is mechanism for dealing with stressFor Achterhof, humor has been more than a means for making a living. It’s been a survival mechanism for dealing with hardships in the Achterhof family.In 1980, their fourth and youngest daughter, Katie, died of cancer – neuroblastoma, a rare childhood cancer that strikes eight in a million.She was 7 years old and a first-grader at Luverne Elementary.In 1978, their second daughter, Linda, who was 12 at the time, went blind from a cyst in the center of her brain. After eight surgeries, her sight was restored, but she still has surgeries to control infections.In 1986, the Achterhofs lost all their farmland. When land values plummeted, the banks called up the loans they had taken out to pay for the surgeries."Roger had a job (at FGL Commodities) and I had a job, but we lost all the tangible stuff," Achterhof said.In 1987, their third daughter, Marta, suffered a traumatic brain injury in a single car accident. She was 16 at the time of the accident, and she was 18 when she woke up from her coma two years later.She’s now 34 and lives with her parents. "She continues to improve," Achterhof said. "She walks by herself on parallel bars … she’s very bright."Achterhof said their oldest daughter, Kristin, is a litigation attorney in Chicago. "But she didn’t escape the family trauma," she said. "She’s still the brunt of all the lawyer jokes and all the blond jokes."Reaping what you sowAfter years of dealing with her children’s pain, Achterhof last year was faced with her own medical emergency. Doctors removed a golf-ball-sized tumor from Achterhof’s brain. It was benign, but it required major surgery."My family treated my surgery like it was a big laugh," Achterhof said, "because that’s what I’ve taught them."In reality, the procedure was no laughing matter. Recovery required staples across her head from ear to ear. But she can’t resist joking about it anyway."They pulled my whole scalp down over my nose," Achterhof said. "And when they pulled my scalp back up, they inadvertently removed the crow’s feet around my eyes. It was probably a $50,000 eye lift."The tumor was removed from her left frontal lobe, the part of the brain that determines personality."I didn’t know what would happen to me in surgery," she laughed. "I was afraid I’d wake up a Republican – but you can’t print that. I know how people are in Rock County."She said she recovered nicely, but then she had to, because her daughter, Linda, had two brain surgeries before and one after Achterhof’s."Linda has brain surgeries like the rest of us have common colds – she bounces right back. So the pressure was on for me to get better," Achterhof said.Humor never retiresGiving up her columns won’t mean Achterhof will give up humor. She’ll still be busy with her speaking engagements and stand-up comedy.She’s been addressing audiences more than 30 times a year in 19 states and 135 different cities over the past six years.Her audiences vary from head injury support groups to nurses’ organizations to children. This weekend, she’ll be the guest speaker at a town celebration in Stickney, S.D.Her speaking engagements and even her comedy routines carry different messages, but they have a common theme: Humor is a survival mechanism."Humor is a mechanism for dealing with both professional and personal stress," Achterhof said."You have to live humor, and breathe it and eat it. It really helps you get through the rough spots in life … You can’t hope to find positive solutions with a dismal attitude."She said addressing live audiences gives her more freedom than she has with the written word."When you write humor, you have to take readers to the edge, while staying within the limitations of good taste," Achterhof said. "But it’s an unseen audience, so you can’t read their faces, you can’t see them clutching their chests or hear them gasping or see them rolling their eyes. With a live audience, you can go further."The Achterhofs lived near Luverne for 30 years and now live in Spirit Lake. Their home is in Jackson County and overlooks Little Spirit Lake.