Why are we paying so much more for gasoline in Luverne?As of this writing, we are paying as much as 20¢ more per gallon than people in communities 30 miles or less away.On March 20, while traveling through Pipestone (27 miles from Luverne) gasoline at their stations, including one owned by the same company which has stations here, were selling for $1.64.9.Sunday, March 21, while traveling through Sioux Falls S.D., (30 miles away from Luverne) gasoline at another station owned by the above same named company was $1.59.9.We are getting gouged!Everyone would like to support our local businesses but we like to be treated fairly, too.The Minnesota Attorney General’s office will look into complaints about gasoline prices and you can contact their office in St. Paul at 1-800-657-3787.People are now paying the highest prices for gasoline ever recorded with the national average $1.73.9 and we here in Luverne are paying $1.79.9. Something is not right. A concerned citizen,Dave HesselLuverne

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Survivors of sexual assault range from elders in nursing homes to Dru Sjodin (stranger assault) to any of the small children you hear about each day being assaulted by a member of their family. These survivors need your understanding, not sympathy, in their transformation from victim to survivor. This understanding can come from an awareness of the dynamics of sexual assault, a past victimization in your own life or maybe you have a compassionate personality that is able to listen without passing judgment on the survivor or their experiences. Sexual assault is preventable, not inevitable. Preventive measures such as self-defense classes, abstaining from debilitating chemicals, learning about the dynamics of sexual assault and speaking to young people about sexual assault are great insurance in keeping sexual assault from happening to you or others close to you. Raevette LoonanSouthwest Crisis CenterLuverne

10 years ago (1994)"Boys’ baseball and possibly girls’ softball teams may someday be realities at Hills-Beaver Creek.Representatives of the Hills-Beaver Creek-Steen Baseball Association have asked the H-BC board to consider adding the spring sport to their extracurricular offerings."25 years ago (1979)"Reports from area farmers and businessmen indicate that Mud Creek, which flows east of Hills down through the Lester area, crested late Thursday afternoon.Tony’s Clover Farm store in Lester was very near to the floodwaters, but the rampaging creek went down before any damage was done."50 years ago (1954)"The Easter Parade of Fashions, March 24, presented by the FHA members sponsored by Nelson Bros. Store went off with flying colors. Modeling were Kathie Wood, Paul Skattum, Annette Jacobson, Linda Finke, Pamela Nuffer, Judy Anderson, Gladys Wassenaar, Jerry Feucht, Danny Steen, Gloria Bucknam, Mary Swanson, Shirley Paulsen, Mrs. Sig Jacobson, Mrs. Fred Paulsen, Mrs. N.N. Berg, Mrs. Vernon Bucknam and Mrs. Art Swanson."75 years ago (1929)"Rock County has the lowest average tax rate of any of the 87 counties in Minnesota for the year of 1928, according to tabulation prepared and issued by the Minnesota Tax Commission. Its tax rate is 20.82 mills, while in practically all other counties the rate is anywhere from 10 mills to twice as high as in Rock County and in some cases from four to five and six times as great as the Rock County rate."100 years ago (1904)"The boys are now seen daily limbering up their arms with the festive baseball. There will surely be something doing along baseball lines here this summer. Those natty blue suits are just aching to get rid of the mothballs and carry the name of Hills into the public eye by our ambitious ball ‘swatters.’ "

Tuesday Joanne and Tom Goehle attended the funeral of Magdalena Groth in Hardwick. Magdalena, 97, was Hugo’s sister. Carole Lonkey came from Brooklyn Center to get her mother, Martha Lindrud, to spend a few days with her in the Cities since Carole was off work due to the spring break at the Cities’ schools. Wendell and Kathryn Erickson spent from Friday, March 19, until Monday, March 22, in the home of their daughter, Anna and Mike Gilman in Eden Prairie. Wednesday morning Joanne and Tom were 6:30 breakfast guests at Dawn Gruys in Edgerton in honor of Brenda Hadler’s 40th birthday.Chuck and Rheta DeBoer attended the Dordt College concert in Sioux Center, Iowa, on Friday night.All of Ione and Bud Bush’s children were home for the wedding March 20 of their grandson, Ethan Metzger, at the Apostolic Fellowship Hall in Lester, Iowa. Ethan, son of Mary and Harvey Metzger, married Krista Moser. Friday, Joanne Goehle met Michele and Patrick Nester in Blue Earth. Patrick will spend the week of his "spring break" with his cousin Andrew Carmany in Tyler and Grandma Joanne in Hills.Ellsworth, Edgerton and Garretson, S.D., along with H-BC, participated in the 6th grade tournament at H-BC. The Garretson boys won first place and the H-BC boys took 4th place while the Edgerton girls took first place and the H-BC girls took third place.Steve Swanson, Woodbury, spent the weekend in Hills visiting his mother, Opal Swanson, and the David Swanson family.Wendell and Kathryn Erickson attended the play, "Cheaper by the Dozen," performed by the Green Earth Players Friday night in Luverne.Colby Hadler, Edgerton, spent Friday and Saturday in Hills with Grandma Joanne, returning home with his mother on Saturday afternoon.Saturday, Joanne Goehle attended the wedding of Tara Boeve and Derek Venenga in Steen.

Spring announced her arrival Saturday morning with an exceptionally loud clash of thunder and lightning that got our attention very quickly and also shook us up as there had been no warning prior to it. There were several power outages reported in Steen but I have not heard of anywhere else. I think we are all anxious and ready for spring this year as it seems to me winter was very long. So, when I saw this caption on an article "Prepare For a Late Spring" it caught my curiosity, even though I did not like what it said! It aroused my curiosity and I hope it will arouse yours, too. Since we do not have any choice in its arrival I decided to find out "How come?" as the children would say. In case you are an old timer, or if there is one in your family, you no doubt know we are going to have a late spring! Why? Very simple! We have a late Easter this year, so unless you live in a warm climate, don’t hurry your garden and flower plantings and get them nipped by an early frost in May, for instance. Easter falls on April 11 this year. It is about as far into the spring as calculations ever permit. The latest it can be is April 25. Easter, 1886 fell on that date, and so did Easter 1941. The earliest Easter can come is March 22. It has not come on that date since 1818 and will not do so again during this century or the next century. Who knows when Easter will arrive in the coming years. But one thing we do know and that is when to plan on a late spring. So, all of you anxious green thumb gardeners will just have to start your plant and flowers indoors so they won’t be so late when summer comes. Good luck!Congratulations to Tara Boeve, daughter of Glen and Ann Boeve and Derek Venenga from Little Rock, Iowa, who were united in marriage at Steen Reformed Church Saturday afternoon. The reception was at the Beaver Creek Lodge Sunday afternoon where they opened their gifts. They plan to make their home at Ankeny, Iowa, where they are both employed. Orrin and Bernice Aukes and Lisa Telford, Sioux Falls, attended the Lawn and Garden Show at the Convention Center in Sioux Falls on Saturday. Margaret and Orville Harberts, George, Iowa, were Saturday evening callers in the Henrietta Huenink home. Congratulations to Arnold and Jane Bonnema who observed their 65th wedding anniversary on Sunday, March 21.Gregg and Anita Bosch and family, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, arrived Friday evening to attend the wedding of Anita’s sister, Tara, which was on Saturday in Steen. Orrin and Bernice Aukes were Wednesday noon dinner guests in the Gary and Marie Aukes home at Beaver Creek.The Steen Opportunity Extension Club met Tuesday afternoon at the Henrietta Boeve home. The lesson, "Cooking for One or Two," was presented by Jane Baker and Henrietta Boeve. Lucille Schouwenburg presented a craft lesson for the group. A supper was served by Jane Baker and Henrietta Boeve later in the evening for the club members. Steen Reformed Church had planned to present their musical, "Acorns to Oaks" by the junior choir Sunday evening. However, because of the severe thunderstorm on Saturday it had to be cancelled due to the lack of a speaking system. It will be given at a later date.April showers bring May flowers and it also brings April Fool’s Day which has been used for various jokes and tricks played upon others. However we don’t hear a lot about any special tricks or even jokes played on others happening around here of late. It could be that I just don’t hear about them. Sometimes I wonder how do these various customs get started. So, I will share a little history of April Fool’s with you.April Fool’s or All Fool’s Day is a holiday that has been kept alive for generations, mainly by the world’s sense of humor. No one knows for sure how it started, but there are a number of interesting legends about its origin. One legend attributes it to France before the Gregorian calendar was adopted in 1582. People were in the habit of paying visits to friends on April 1. When the new calendar shifted the custom to Jan. 1, mock visits continued on April 1, especially for those who had forgotten about the new calendar. The French expression meant for April Fool was "which meant a young fish easily caught."Today, railroad buffs yearning to ride behind the old iron horses from days of the steam, have several such trains to board in New York State. These are not commercial railroads but full-sized remnants of the age of steam preserved by train enthusiasts, and open to the public as tourist attractions at Sandy Creek, 50 miles north of Syracuse, N.Y., or Rail City, N.Y. There they operate steam trains and guided tours.Until recent years, the country people in some parts of England forecast the weather on Easter Sunday by putting a pail of water in an open space so that the first rays of the rising sun would fall upon it. If their reflection in the water was clear and steady, a summer of fine weather with good harvests was assured. If the reflection was uncertain and tremulous then a cold and wet summer could be expected and consequently, a poor harvest. According to the Illustrated Weekly of India "If a man makes a stupid mistake, men say, ‘What a fool that man is.’ If a woman makes a stupid mistake, men say, ‘What fools women are.’ " Hope you have a happy and fun April Fool’s Day! I thought I would let you make up your own tricks. Have fun!

The latest weight loss idea is definitely a cut above the rest. While one person might call it weight loss, most certifiably sane people might prefer to call it "do-it-to-yourself amputation." According to The Week magazine in its popular column called, "It must be true — I read it in the tabloids", "Hipsters tired of tattoos and body piercing are starting a new fashion trend — amputation. Teens are having the tips of fingers, entire fingers and even limbs cut off to impress their friends." "Tattoos and piercing are considered ‘so 1999,' " noted youth fashion expert Laura Smith. Believe it or not, we are on our way to being known as the Amputation Nation. Now that eyebrows, navels, ears, tongues, lips and the rest of Lever soap’s "2000 body parts" have been pierced, the thrill is apparently gone for many young people. The following tell-tale signs might indicate if your child is concealing any voluntary amputations from your scrutiny. It’s highly unlikely he or she will walk up to you and say, "Hey, look what I had removed! Cool, huh?" One obvious sign would be when your daughter seems to go through considerably less fingernail polish and polish remover. You have to buy new shoes for your son because his feet inexplicably seem to be shrinking rather than growing. Your teen seems much shorter and, wait a minute, where are those feet? They were there last time you looked. Your all-A student in computer keyboarding class suddenly becomes a D-student. The "pitter-patter" sound of children’s feet around your house now sounds like "pitter-thump, pitter-thump." On your way to the mall, your piano-playing adolescent asks you to look for sheet music for an upcoming recital — "Concerto for One Hand." Your teenager asks Grandma to knit some special gloves for next Christmas, specifically a left glove with three fingers and a right glove with four. Several of your sharp steak knives are missing from the kitchen. You only see one thumb at work when your child punches in numbers on the telephone. Your son can’t flash the peace sign because his index finger appears to be missing. In general, shiny surfaces in the house seem to have less fingerprint marks on cleaning days. You overhear your son joking to a friend, "Well, as my Dad says, it’s ear today, gone tomorrow." You suspect that the goofy-looking wool cap with ear flaps constantly worn by your teen may be covering up a childish attempt to resemble the artist Van Gogh. Last but not least, one of your friends said of her son, "At one time he had his father’s nose, but it’s not there anymore."

NOTICE OF PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETINGAn open meeting will be held to discuss the road and bridge replacement program for the transportation system of Rock County. The meeting will be at the Rock County Community Library at 201 West Main Street, in Luverne, MN Tuesday, April 6th, 2004 beginning at 2:30 p.m.This public informational meeting will be held at the Rock County Community Library. Any individual, group or agency wishing information is urged to attend and participate in this meeting. The meeting is to provide information on the planning, programming and schedule of work on the County Highway system. Mark R. SehrRock County Highway Engineer(3-25, 4-1)

Ada J. Uhley, 92, Hills, died Friday, March 26, 2004, at Luverne Community Hospital in Luverne. Services were Tuesday, March 30, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Hills. The Rev. Lowell Berg officiated. Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery, Luverne. Ada Myrlie was born to Ole and Madlie (Sjelgestad) Myrlie on March 9, 1912, in Hills. She attended school in Hills.She married Jay Uhley on Aug. 5, 1930, in Canton, S.D. After their marriage, the couple lived in Hills where they lived all of their married lives. She worked at the Exchange Bank of Hills for more than 29 years until retiring in 1973. Mrs. Uhley was a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Hills, the Ladies Circle and the Hills American Legion Ladies Auxiliary.Survivors include several nieces and nephews. Mrs. Uhley was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Jay, in 1943, two brothers, George and John Myrlie, and three sisters, Hilda Hocke, Bertha Gulk and Mabel Kaufman.A tree will be planted in memory of Ada Uhley by Hospice of Luverne Community Hospital. Dingmann Funeral Home, Luverne, was in charge of arrangements.

Luverne Middle School Teacher Gordy Hansen works with students in "How About a V8?" one of the more popular Encore Classes offered during fifth hour. Here, students learn how to "lube the shaft" on an engine they've dissembled.By Lori EhdeLuverne Middle School students are dancing, playing chess, propelling bottle rockets, working out and rebuilding engines — all in the name of learning.Those and more than 40 other special classes are offered to sixth- through eighth-graders as part of the Encore Class selection in Luverne.According to Middle School Principal Stacy Gillette, Encore Classes are offered as a special way to meet unique needs of middle school students."This is a time when students need to explore who they are and what they’re good at," Gillette said. "We came up with this to help us maintain our middle school identity."Encore Classes also came about as a practical way to address shrinking class sizes in the middle school grades."We could have cut staff and cut down to four sections," Gillette said. "But by offering Encore Classes, each teacher, as their fifth teaching assignment, is teaching an Encore class."In this way, Gillette said the special offerings aren’t creating added expenses outside of some start-up costs. Also, staff development summer grants are being used to develop curriculum.This is the first year Luverne has offered Encore Classes to middle school students, and Gillette said teachers are getting more in tune to what the students want and what the teachers are interested in teaching.She said Encore Classes help students on both ends of the learning curve. "We don’t have a gifted and talented curriculum anymore, so this is a good way to challenge our upper level children," Gillette said.For example, classes like Science Challenge and Mad Scientist push students’ abilities in a fun environment. Next year, Kara Ahrendt and Jodi Rops are considering co-teaching a Crime Scene Investigation class that would involve local law enforcement in fingerprinting.Classes like Math 101, also new for next year, offer remediation time for students who need to catch up to their peers.All Encore Classes are offered during the last hour of the day, and older students are given first chance at choosing classes.Some classes, such as an engine rebuilding class, "How about a V8," with Gordy Hansen, fill up quickly, but Gillette said students are told to list several choices in order of their preferences. By letting older students choose first, she said eventually, all students will get their first picks.The main thing, Gillette said, is the Encore Classes have made learning a positive experience for both students and teachers."It’s been a lot of fun," she said. "The kids have been excited about the classes and the teachers have been excited about the classes."