PROBATE COURTDISTRICT COURT-COUNTY COURTPROBATE DIVISIONORDER AND NOTICE OF HEARING FOR FORMAL PROBATE OF WILL AND APPOINTMENT OF PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE IN SUPERVISED ADMINISTRATION AND NOTICE TO CREDITORSSTATE OF MINNESOTACOUNTY OF ROCKIn Re: Estate of Milton H. Leuning, DeceasedTO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS AND CREDITORS:It is Ordered and Notice is hereby given that on the 24th day of January, 2005, at 9:00 O’clock A.M., a hearing will be held in the above named Court at Rock County Courthouse, Luverne, Minnesota, for the formal probate of an instrument purporting to be the will of the above named deceased, dated March 6, 1996, and for the appointment of Barbara E. Larson, whose address is 48026 252nd Street, Garretson, South Dakota 57030, as personal representative 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 personal representatives 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 representative 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 personal representatives or to the Court Administrator within four months after the date of this notice or said claims will be barred.Dated: December 22, 2004 /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 Eisma30 East Main, Box 625Luverne, MN 56156(507) 283-4828I.D. #158343(12-30, 1-6)

By Katie McGaffeeHills-Beaver Creek boys had a big victory over Russell-Tyler-Ruthton with a 72-62 win.The Patriots started off the first half with a six-point lead, a momentum that carried them to their win. Kale Wiertzema hit 13 of 23 shots which led him to grab 35 points and 12 rebounds. Bush netted 16 points and had eleven assists."The whole team played outstanding," Coach Steve Wiertzema said. "Beating a quality team like R-T-R takes a whole team’s effort. Our defense was excellent. Zach Wysong did an exceptional job on their point guard."H-BC will be home again on Jan 6., hosting the Adrian Dragons.Box ScoresWysong 1 3 2-2 11, Bush 1 5 3-3 16, Wiertzema 1 12 8-13 35, Baker 0 0 1-2 1, Broesder 0 1 1-2 3, Leboutillier 0 2 0-0 4, Rozeboom 0 1 0-0 2.

Berdell "Bud" Emlin Bush, 77, a lifelong resident of Hills, died Friday, Dec. 31, 2004, at Minnesota Veterans Home in Luverne. Services were Tuesday, Jan. 4, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Hills. The Rev. Lowell Berg officiated. Burial was in Flowerfield Cemetery at Hills.Berdell "Bud" Bush was born to Peter and Gladys (Antonson) Bush on March 9, 1927, at Kanaranzi. He was confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hills. He was raised and educated in Hills and graduated from Hills High School in 1945. He was a great ballplayer and was selected as a member of the Minnesota All-State Basketball Team. He served in the U.S. Army from 1945 to 1947 during World War II. After his honorable discharge from the Army he returned to Hills.He married D. Ione Kraetsch on Oct. 6, 1948, in Luverne. The couple lived in Hills and raised their family. He worked for the Blue Ribbon Hatchery, Hills-Beaver Creek High School and Tuff Memorial Home, and he later sold real estate for Century 21 before retiring.Mr. Bush was a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Hills, an active member of the Hills Legion Post #399 for more than 50 years and served on many southwest Minnesota development boards. He was very proud of the city of Hills and served as mayor and city council member for more than 45 years. Survivors include eleven children, James Bush, Minneapolis, Barbara (Florian) Bullerman, Adrian, Camilla (Rodney) Verhey, Thomas (Sandy) Bush, Annette (Keith) Elbers, all of Hills, Mary (Harvey) Metzger, Larchwood, Iowa, Maureen (Gary) Helegeson, Beaver Creek, Bradley (Jill) Bush, Winsted, Connie (Robert L.) Butcher, Holstein, Iowa, Coleen (Kevin) Martens, Steen, and Melinda (Kent) Liesinger, Hartford, S.D.; 26 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. Mr. Bush was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Ione in August 2004 and a son-in-law, Mike Hanson.Roste Funeral Home, Hills, was in charge of arrangements.

10 years ago (1995)"Rock County Extension Educator Joe Schimmel has resigned from his post, effective Jan. 14, 1995. Schimmel announced his resignation via a letter to the District Office in Lamberton. Schimmel noted he was leaving to begin an overseas project in Poland.Schimmel has been with the Rock County Extension Office for nearly two years. He specialized in agricultural financial management."25 years ago (1980)"The year of 1980 is a special year in the history of Tuff Memorial Home. 1980 marks the 20th year of the Tuff Memorial Home opening its doors to serve the people of this area." 50 years ago (1955)"The Commercial Club, under the direction of its newly elected president Tom Dyson, will hold a special dinner tonight at the Legion Club rooms, honoring the Hills High School football squad and their fathers, as well as others. The boys were co-champions in the conference the past season, prompting the honors." 75 years ago (1930)"The crowd at the Bethlehem Christmas tree exercises, held at the auditorium Wednesday night was so great that seats were at a premium. It is estimated at least 850 were present. Trinity Church was also packed on Thursday night at the Christmas tree program, and naturally the kids belonging to both churches had a gala time."100 years ago (1905)"O.T. Rovang reports the sale of two bills of lumber this week, one to Geo. Nuffer and one to John Finke, and both for barns. The present lumber war promises much building of new farm structures next summer."

Marv and June Albers, Cheyenne Albers and Cheryl Pavel returned home last Sunday night having spent since the previous Thursday with Terry and Sherry Albers at Aberdeen, S.D.Carole Longkey returned to Hills last Sunday night bringing her mother, Martha Lindrud, home after she had spent over Christmas with her at her home in Brooklyn Center. Erma Schubbe returned home last Monday after spending several days over Christmas with the Paul Randall family and the Tom Schubbe family in the Twin Cities area.Harriet Skattum returned home last Monday night after spending the Christmas holidays in the home of her daughter and son-in-law, Margo and Dewayne Edwards at Forrestburg, S.D.Christmas Eve, Cliff and Vi Van Wyhe accompanied Tom and Matthew Van Wyhe, Sioux Falls, and Matt and Teri Mercer, Omaha, Neb., to the candlelight service at the Methodist Church in Sioux Falls. They enjoyed a 5 p.m. dinner at the home of Tom and Matthew Van Wyhe. Christmas Day the group was entertained at dinner in the Cliff and Vi Van Wyhe home. Christmas was celebrated Thursday night at the home of Harlan and Bonnie Kolsrud in Worthington. Present were Stacey Bommersbach and Chad of Holly, Mich., Jill Kolsrud, Charlotte, N.C., Kent and Paula Kolsrud and family, Sioux Falls, David and Char and Chris Kolsrud, Beaver Creek, and Alice Kolsrud, Hills. Dan and Marie La Rock, Luke and Allison, traveled to the Twin Cities area to spend three nights during the Christmas holiday with family. They visited his parents, James and Beatrice La Rock at Elk River and his brother, Brad, at Deep Haven. They kept up their Christmas tradition of fixing homemade pizza for their meal. David and Nancy Swanson traveled to Phoenix, Ariz., to spend Christmas with their daughter, Stacey, and their son, Chris. They returned home New Year’s Day. Sunday, Dec. 26, the Cliff Van Wyhe family gathered at the home of Steve and Marilyn Van Wyhe in Steen for a dinner which was prepared by their daughter, Amber. Vicki Nelson returned to Mankato Monday after spending the holidays with her parents, Ray and Lois Nelson. Bruce Nelson, Brooklyn Center, had also been home to spend Christmas in Hills. Josh Hagberg, our H-BC band director, spent Christmas with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. David Hagberg, at Sandstone, along with his brother and his aunt. Ian Sandager, son of Mark and Karen Sandager, left Thursday, Dec. 30, for Cork, Ireland, where he will spend a semester in study. Madison Elbers, Valley Springs, spent last week in the home of her grandparents, Wilmer and Betty Elbers. Charles and Naomi Erickson, Waconia, spent from Friday until Sunday morning in the home of his parents, Wendell and Kathryn Erickson. Rachel DeBoer and Jeremy Van Beek were united in marriage Wednesday, Dec. 29, at the Sanborn, Iowa, United Reformed Christian Church with Rachael’s brother, the Rev. Jeff De Boer, officiating. Attending from Hills were her parents, Chuck and Rheta De Boer and also Faith De Boer.

Once again our weatherman got the spotlight for his performance. On New Year’s Day he decided to have a showing of freezing drizzle, mixed with tiny little hailstones and even some snow!This caused many activities that had been planned for New Year’s Eve to be postponed or cancelled along with many church services on Sunday morning. The roads were very treacherous and no travel was advised. So once again the weatherman had his own way. Most everyone remained in his or her home, so news this week was hard to come by.The good part of the storm that all of us could enjoy was the fact that when we looked out of the window we saw a blanket of snow covering the ground which was and still is very pretty as we haven’t seen much snow as of yet. However, I could have got along very well a few days more so our schedules didn’t have to be so badly ruined.Jo and Joyce Aykens were guests in the Paul and Carole Aykens home in Orange City, Iowa, on Tuesday where they enjoyed their family Christmas together. Those that attended were Vince and Laurie Kurtz and McKenzie, and Susan and Jadeyn Veldkamp, all of Orange City, and Andrea Aykens, Cedar Falls, Iowa. Mavis Berkhof had angioplasty on Wednesday at Sioux Valley Hospital in Sioux Falls. She was able to return home on Thursday. A group of members from Steen Reformed Church attended the New Year’s Eve celebration at American Reformed Church in Worthington Friday evening. The Art Boeve family enjoyed their Christmas on Monday at the home of their parents, Art and Henrietta Boeve. Would you believe I made a mistake last week when I reported on the telephone call I had received from Arizona. It should have been Carol Jean (Moser) Klienjon and her grandparents were Otto and Kate Paulsen. Her married name is Klienjon and at the present time they are living in Arizona. Tuesday morning Jo and Joyce Aykens met Kathie Aykens from Crosby in Luverne where they enjoyed coffee together before going their separate ways. The Elementary Health Fair will be Wednesday, Jan. 12, at the elementary school in Beaver Creek for those who wish to attend. As we head into a new year, there are always things to think about. A new year is a challenge to explore new areas, to experience new friends, exhaust new ideas with a new chance and a new challenge. It could be the best year ever. As we plan anew, let us relate to our world today and think about all of the individual rights our forefathers handed down in their legacy to us. None perhaps has been greater or more fruitful to our society than the traditional right of every single American to use and enjoy his individual freedoms and the incentive to develop to the highest possible degree his personal creative talents.This was written by Irvin S. Olds. This is a most precious time to think about these things. It seems we have always taken our personal freedoms for granted. It might behoove us to think what our lives would be like without them.Have a Happy New Year!

On the surface it’s a thoughtful offer from another country, but perhaps it should be questioned. We’re talking, of course, about Zimbabwe’s latest fund-raising program, designed to lure U.S. tourists with weight problems. According to the London Sun Times, the plan promises to be a win-win situation for both Zimbabwe’s floundering economy and overweight Americans. One Zimbabwean bureaucrat explains it this way — "Since Americans are so fat, let’s set up tours from the U.S. so that people can pay us money to come here and work off their pounds by laboring on our farms." The CIA reports that under Robert Mugabe, the country’s apparent president-for-life, a chaotic land redistribution program begun in 2000, "caused an exodus of white farm owners, crippled the economy, and ushered in widespread shortages of basic commodities." That’s not the stuff of vacation brochures. Even though the Zimbabwe unemployment rate is 70 percent, the farms, now owned by people with little or no knowledge of farming, are in dire need of trained workers. Overweight Americans would ostensibly raise the country’s corn, cotton, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts, sheep, goats and pigs because the Zimbabweans are too busy suffering, starving and dodging illegal drug traffic. If we stop to think about the proposal, there might be certain advantages, other than losing weight, with taking a work vacation in the southern Africa country. For one thing, we wouldn’t have to bother with losing weight so we’ll look good in bathing suits at some tropical beach or pool area. With all of the fieldwork ahead of us, we might actually want to beef up a little by grabbing second or third helpings of whatever meals we happen to be eating now. It might be refreshing to spend time in an unusual vacation climate. What Zimbabwe lacks in beaches and palm trees, it more than makes up with recurring droughts, floods and life-threatening storms. The country is roughly the size of Montana, but because only eight percent of the land is suitable for farming, we would have plenty of opportunities to mix with other Americans as they rake coffee beans under the burning sun, shear sheep and harvest sugarcane with long machete knives. Incidentally, the remainder of the land is classified as "other", as in sand, sand and more sand. By working while we’re vacationing, we would experience less guilt about abandoning our regular workplaces and families at home. Feel like something is missing from your life now that our own presidential election is over? Immersion in Zimbabwean politics might be just what the doctor ordered. Get right back on that political bandwagon with the country’s rigged elections, general strikes, political violence, human rights violations and general economic collapse. Another advantage to working on a farm and burning off calories at the same time would be the freedom from having to buy postcards ("Working up a good sweat — wish you were here") and having to send them to everyone you know back home. No economy, no stores. No stores, no postcards. It’s as simple as that. Finally, any child back home would be proud to wear a shirt which reads, "My parents picked cotton in Zimbabwe and all I got was this lousy t-shirt."

10 years ago (1994)
Rock County Extension Educator Joe Schimmel resigned, effective Jan. 15.
Ada Kalass is assistant manager of the new Casey’s convenience store on South Highway 75, which opened Dec. 1
The following statistics were reported for 1994 in Rock County: 128 births, 103 deaths, 94 marriages, 30 divorces.25 years ago (1979)
Christmas Eve was a working day for many in Rock County: Karla Braa was dispatcher at the Sheriff’s Office; Ronnal McClure was the deputy on duty; Sheriff Ole Hommen was on call; Clyde Menning was on duty for the city police; Keith Aanenson was on call; Don Vrtacnik was state patrol officer on duty; Kevin Bouma and Jeff Stewart were on call for the ambulance; Dr. Donald Odland was on duty at the hospital; Marian Holte and Nyla Sandbulte were registered nurses on duty; Sandy Vogt was on call; Mildred Deunen and Linda Van Meeteren were licensed practical nurses on duty at the hospital, and switchboard operators were Marilyn Munns, Virginia Menning, Gloria Nelson and Pat Johanning.50 years ago (1954)
Mrs. R.A. Sherman resigned from the Library Board after 19 years of service. The late Emil Frick appointed her to the board. Mayor Harold Van Roekel has appointed Mrs. Benjamin Vander Kooi as her successor.
Council Oak Stores advertised red raspberries in 12-ounce packages for 29¢, stalks of celery for 17¢, large Tide laundry soap for 25¢, beef steaks for 59¢ per pound.75 years ago (1929)
Mr. and Mrs. A.E. Bowen commemorated their golden wedding anniversary Christmas Day. Miss Winnie Brown and Asa E. Bowen, residents of Kanaranzi Township, drove to Luverne in a blinding snow storm in order to be wed on Christmas day of 1879.
Carl Ruud, who has long been a fancier and breeder of Rose Comb Rhode Island Red chickens, exhibited a string of birds at the annual New Ulm Poultry Show and won several awards.
"In view of the recent accumulation of sleet and snow in this section it may not be amiss to call attention to the fact that this covering is undoubtedly depriving birds of much of their source of food supply. Consequently the scattering of table scraps or grain on cleared-off spots where the birds can get it, will be both humane and thoughtful and will go far in making this a holiday season for bird life."100 years ago (1904)
A large number of Luverne people enjoyed a good, old-fashioned fox chase. One fox and two jack rabbits were secured and special excitement was given by a long chase after a wolf.
John H. Morris has tendered his resignation as bookkeeper at the First National Bank and will sever his connection with that institution about the first of February.

By Sara QuamPlumbers who want to work in the city of Luverne have until the end of 2007 to get plumbers licenses. Now, they just need a permit. The City Council’s vote Tuesday extended the time initially discussed in order to give plumbers time to pass the state test, which is offered just twice a year.Unlicensed plumber Mark Kurtz said, "It’s not an easy test; they make it quite tough."He and two other plumbers who do work in Luverne would be affected by this change.Kurtz said he does many small plumbing jobs and the test has a lot of commercial and large-scale plumbing questions. To change faucets or install new toilets, he said, doesn’t warrant needing a state license.In order to qualify to take the test for licensure, plumbers have to work for five years as a plumber and be bonded through that time.Cities with populations of more than 5,000 have to require plumbers’ licenses. At about 4,800 people, Luverne is less than 200 people from hitting that population threshold and is starting to transition into requiring the state license with the expectation that the populaion will reach 5,000.Also, there is talk of the state law changing, requiring all plumbers to have a license. In the case of the state changing standards, there wouldn’t be any transition time.The state already requires even non-licensed plumbers to comply with state plumbing codes, which are upheld by Luverne Zoning Administrator Dan Delgehausen.Plumbers are already required to be insured and bonded to legally work anywhere in the state.Administrator contractCity Administrator Greg LaFond’s employment contract was approved Tuesday, with a salary of $85,841.The original agreement had changed, and a new contract was drafted to reflect those in one concise document.The new contract calls for six months severance pay if LaFond is terminated without cause. The initial employment agreement allowed for six months severance pay during the first two years with declining amounts in subsequent years.If LaFond is terminated with cause, or if he resigns, there is no severance package.To terminate LaFond without cause requires three council votes. To terminate with cause, three votes by signature are required. LaFond must give 60 days notice to resign. That is increased from 30.Pool contractThe Council passed a Pool and Fitness Center joint powers agreement extension until March 31, 2005, or three months after it expires.Rock County still has to pass it, but is expected to agree.The county proposed the extension in order to buy time to renegotiate a joint powers agreement. It will pay one-quarter of its annual contribution to the facility, or $14,210.The city and county will negotiate how capital purchases of $11,000 will be handled in the meantime.The city asked that those be paid as a condition on the extension initially. Tuesday, council members said they thought it was fair to remove that condition for negotiations to continue.