We are celebrating "I Love To Read" month in February. Some librarians call it "Love Your Librarian" month. In an effort to thwart inappropriate outpourings of affection to the library staff, we are focusing on book-loving, not librarian-loving. Librarians can spot a book lover from 30-yards. During a blizzard the book lover will go to the library first, then to the grocery store, because you can survive without food easier than without a book. A book lover prefers to go to lunch with a book, rather than another human being. A book lover prefers to go to bed with a book, rather than — . Well, you catch my drift. Next week, Children’s Librarian, April, will have a special 1-, 2-, 3-year-olds story hour to which moms and dads, grandpas and grandmas, aunts and uncles are invited. If you want to bring your fourth cousin from Cleveland, that’s OK, too. Story hour begins at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at the library. Naturally we have new books in for "I Love to Read" month. The long-awaited legal thriller, by John Grisham, "The Last Juror," is cataloged and on the shelf. In 1970, The Ford County Times, was owned by a 23-year-old college dropout, named Willie Traynor. The future of the paper looked grim until a young mother was brutally raped and murdered by a member of the notorious Padgitt family. Willie Traynor reported all the gruesome details, and his newspaper began to prosper.The murderer, Danny Padgitt, was tried before a packed courthouse in Clanton, Miss. The trial came to a startling and dramatic end when the defendant threatened revenge against the jurors if they convicted him. Nevertheless, they found him guilty, and he was sentenced to life in prison. But in Mississippi in 1970, a life-sentence didn't necessarily mean "life," and nine years later Danny Padgitt managed to get himself paroled. He returned to Ford County, and the retribution began. Also new on the shelf this week is "Paranoia," by Joseph Finder. Adam Cassidy is 26 and a low level employee at a high-tech corporation who hates his job. When he manipulates the system to do something nice for a friend, he finds himself charged with a crime. Corporate Security gives him a choice: prison — or become a spy in the headquarters of their chief competitor, Trion Systems.They train him. They feed him inside information. Now, at Trion, he's a star, skyrocketing to the top. He finds he has talents he never knew he possessed. He's rich, drives a Porsche, lives in a fabulous apartment, and works directly for the CEO. He's dating the girl of his dreams. His life is perfect. And all he has to do to keep it that way is betray everyone he cares about and everything he believes in.But when he tries to break off from his controllers, he finds he's in way over his head, trapped in a world in which nothing is as it seems and no one can really be trusted. And then the real nightmare begins ...

Burial Association reports good yearThe following appeared in the Rock County Herald on Friday, March 17, 1933: Directors re-elect at the annual meeting Saturday afternoon at Commercial Club Rooms"A large increase in the number of funerals conducted and a generally satisfactory and progressive status of operation for the past year was reported at the annual meeting of the Rock County Burial Association, held Saturday afternoon at the Luverne Commercial club rooms. Nearly 70 members were in attendance. J.N. Jacobson, Wm. J. Vander Haar, Wm. Heckt and Thos. Vandezan were all re-elected directors for two years. Benj. Niewald, Jas. Kennedy and Paul Untiedt, as directors, hold over for another year. At the directors’ meeting following the general meeting, Mr. Vander Haar was named president; Mr. Vandezan, secretary, and Mr. Heckt, treasurer. The meeting opened shortly after 1 p.m. with a business report by Mr. Vander Haar and a financial statement prepared by Auditor Cora M. Hilger. An encouraging report on the progress realized by the association during the past year and on new facilities and accommodations available for patrons was submitted by Manager Lloyd Johnson. Foremost among the marks of progress noted was the purchase of the Long residence on West Main Street and its conversion into a funeral home. This large structure was quite extensively remodeled and fitted into undertaking parlors, funeral chapel and an apartment for the undertaker and his family. The association also maintains day and night ambulance service. A substantial luncheon was served at the conclusion of the meeting. Donations to the Rock County Historical Endowment Fund can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, P.O. Box 741, Luverne, MN 56156.Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

Trooper Kathy; Do schools have the authority to send kids out in the road to stop traffic? I am seeing them in the middle of the street with their flags and unsure about what they are doing. I think it is scary for everyone! School Patrol began in 1930, a whole different world. Today, many of our streets near schools are busy highways, or terribly congested areas with buses and parents picking up other students. That didn’t exist years ago. The program has always had its main focus be the safety of the students, and this program offers the student a chance at learning responsibility and teamwork at an early age. Yes, School Patrol has the authority to stop traffic if they follow the rules and procedures correctly. Their flags are legal stop signs. They should not be in the middle of the road, but just one step off the curb or slightly farther if a parked car is blocking them. The objective of school patrol is to encourage crossing at crosswalks or specified corners so as not to have children crossing in the middle of the street, but at set intersections. I would also like to remind the readers that, if people are waiting at a corner or crosswalk, the drivers do have to stop and allow pedestrians to cross, with or without patrollers. This usually does not happen. If drivers would follow the rules, the job of patrolling would not be so dangerous. Wow, a lot gets back to basic driving rules. The kids in these programs generally love the responsibility, not to mention the special perks that may come with it. A pizza party and/or trip to ValleyFair are worth getting up early during the cold winter months. Sometimes they are picked to attend Legionville (a camp sponsored by the American Legion) located near Brainerd.If you have any questions regarding traffic safety or traffic law, please write to Sgt. Kathy Pederson at MN State Patrol, PO Box 344B, Marshall, MN 56258. Sgt. Pederson will not offer advise on specific situations or real events, which involve law enforcement.

First, the good news. Those of us who are mathematically challenged may soon be protected by the legal system. The bad news is that it may be much too late to convince our grade school teachers that our math deficiencies didn’t make us complete losers in life. Many of those teachers have undoubtedly departed for that great classroom in the sky. According to a recent article in U.S. News and World Report, a lawyer in Trento, Italy, recently argued that his client, a high school girl, suffered from "irreversible psychological pathology" or "math phobia." The student faced the prospect of repeating her junior year because she failed math. In most public schools in our country, being forced to repeat the junior year might be viewed as cruel and unusual treatment. In addition to receiving a second dose of American literature, starting with the humorous, offbeat writings of the early colonists, the student would be required to take part in another magazine sales fund-raiser to cover the costs of a junior-senior prom. Worst of all, it would mean having to decorate a gymnasium with crepe paper streamers and helium-leaking balloons, a traditional responsibility of 11th graders, for a second time. An Italian regional court ruled that the student’s condition made it impossible for her to study or master math and advised the school to move her directly into her senior year. Many of us could have used a similar defense. This is a positive step for those of us who still recall the deadly "timeses," also called multiplication tables by those in the know. The truth is, I’ve been waiting for more than half a century to impress someone with my "two times" and "three times," the only timeses that really seemed to take hold. No one has ever asked me to calculate the volume of a cylinder or to determine when a train traveling 60 mph will arrive in a certain city. Had we been computers in that time before computers, our math modems would have been missing. Regardless of our shortcomings, we made it through life by either marrying someone good at math or by buying a reliable hand-held calculator. We may not be able to cut recipe ingredients by a half or double a recipe of lasagna without help, but our cooking efforts somehow turn out, thanks to helpful terms such as pinch, smidgeon and dollops. While we may use these words rather creatively, there are certain math words we may never understand. Pardon this old joke, but we may truly believe that a polygon is a dead parrot. A triangle can be any combination of relationships with three people involved. We all know that hypothesis is the oath taken by doctors. Pi is a clever word used to reflect the smaller portion of pie you should eat when you’re on a diet. Radius are the best tires for a northern climate. A diameter may be the best way to measure a dia. A prime number is a really good number, much like a prime cut of meat. A winning lottery ticket may be said to have a prime number. A tangent means suddenly going off in another direction while you’re talking about something else. Finally, "angle" is often used as an alternative spelling for "angel" by those who are spelling challenged and haven’t had their day in court.

I would like to take this opportunity to commend the behavior of your Ellsworth boys’ basketball teams, coaching staff and spectators, both adults and students, at the contest last Friday evening, Jan. 23, at our school. Not only were your players and fans excellent representatives of both your school district and community, they also displayed very positive sportsmanship during the course of the entire evening. I would also like to express our appreciation to the many adult fans who stopped as they exited the gymnasium that evening to compliment our band director on the performance of our pep band. Mr. Carlson, our band director, was very appreciative of the very nice round of applause offered by the Ellsworth spectators at the conclusion of the National Anthem. When these types of positive efforts occur I believe it is important that they be acknowledged and that people understand how much these acts are appreciated. Thank you, your team, coaching staff and spectators for demonstrating what the true spirit of high school athletics is about. Keep up the good work! Your school district and community should be very proud. Palmer Anderson, Supt.Lakeview School District #2167

Top 10 things not to say if you are running for a presidential candidate:No. 10: Don’t say your favorite book in the New Testament is Job. Howard Dean regrets that the Gideons weren’t allowed to give him a Bible in grade school. No. 9: If you are a doctor (Howard Dean) you don’t say if God had thought homosexuality is a sin he would not have created gay people. He never read about Sodom and Gomorrah either. That means he’s for special rights for people going through self gender sex identification crises. No. 8: Don’t say George W. Bush attacked Iraq without reason. Did they forget the Aug. 1, 1990, rape, slaughter and invasion of Kuwait and threat to Saudi Arabia. Also the continued violations of the ceasefire agreement by Iraq. Bill Clinton did nothing to make them comply. No. 7: Don’t keep telling us what the other party did wrong. We want to know what you are going to do right. No. 6: Don’t keep saying I am going to do this or that when we know you need the Senate’s vote to do it. No. 5: Don’t say the unborn human baby isn’t worth protecting but the eagle’s eggs are. No. 4: Don’t keep flip-flopping on the issues. Say what you mean and mean what you say. No. 3: Don’t say you are going to have more gun control laws. Lock up the criminals, not the guns, and make the criminals pay for their own defense instead of victimizing the taxpayers. No. 2: Don’t say you are going to encourage illegal workers to return home by offering retirement benefits and tax free savings accounts when they leave. (George W. Bush) What are the American workers? Chopped liver? Who’s paying for it? No. 1: Say you’ve passed a Medicare drug plan when it’s just a cash cow for insurance and drug companies. Marvin KroontjeMagnolia

Eleanor Vandekop, 74, Rock Rapids, Iowa, died Saturday, Jan. 31, 2004, at Sioux Valley Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D.Services were Tuesday, Feb. 3, at United Methodist Church in Rock Rapids. Burial was in Hillside Cemetery at Lester, Iowa. Eleanor LaVonne Nelson was born to Emil and Teckla (Nordstrom) Nelson on Oct. 26, 1929, on a farm northwest of Corson, S.D. She attended rural school west of the family farm through the 5th grade. The school district was consolidated into Franklin school district in Lake County, south of Madison, S.D. She continued her education through the sophomore year when her parents moved to a farm southwest of Colton. She graduated from Colton Public School in 1947. After graduation, she attended General Beadle College at Madison, majoring in elementary education. After college, she began teaching at a rural school at Clark, S.D. She continued her education with correspondence courses from Iowa State University at Ames, Iowa. She married John "Don" Vande Vooren on June 18, 1948, at Swedona Covenant Church in Brandon, S.D. They moved to Lester where she continued teaching at Logan 6, south of Lester, through 1951. In 1952, they moved to the Vande Vooren farm northwest of Lester where they farmed until 1969. They moved to Lester. Her husband owned Don’s Wiring, Plumbing & Heating in Hills. She was a substitute teacher in area schools from 1952 to 1965. She next worked at Lester State Bank for 10 years and then worked for the Lyon County Reporter in Rock Rapids for 10 years. She next worked as a trial court clerk at Lyon County Clerk of Court in Rock Rapids, retiring in 1993. Mr. Vande Vooren died on June 18, 1988.She married Herb Vandekop on April 26, 1992, in Rock Rapids. They lived in Rock Rapids. Mrs. Vandekop was a member of United Methodist Church in Rock Rapids, She loved traveling, camping and dancing. Survivors include her husband, Herb Vandekop, Rock Rapids; three daughters, Marsha (James) Martinson, Inwood, Iowa, Melanie (Darrell) Leenderts, Brookings, S.D., and Ann (Glen) Boeve Steen; three stepchildren, Steve (Carol) Vandekop, Yankton, S.D., Doris (Vick) Chohon, Columbus, Neb., and Marilyn Vandekop, Rock Rapids (special friend, Art Jacobson) seven grandchildren; five stepgrandchildren; five stepgreat-grandchildren; one brother, Rudolph "Rudy" (Catherine) Nelson, Sioux Falls. Mrs. Vandekop was preceded in death by her parents, her first husband, John "Don" Vande Vooren, two brothers, Melvin and Clarence Nelson, and one sister, Evelyn Belfrage. Roste Funeral Home, Rock Rapids, was in charge of arrangements.

Jerry Stager, 83, Pipestone, died Thursday, Jan. 29, 2004, at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D. He was the husband of Dorothy Stager, the daughter of the late Ray Koehn, formerly of Luverne, and Mr. Koehn’s second wife, Esther Nordby, who was formerly of Hills. Services were Monday, Feb. 2, at Peace United Methodist Church in Pipestone. Burial was in Old Woodlawn Cemetery, Pipestone.Survivors include his wife, Dorothy Stager, Pipestone; and three daughters, Sally Stager Ebnet, Edina, June M. Farwick, Worthington, and Meredith J. Stager, Minneapolis.

Lois Hoyme, 76, Hills, died Sunday, Feb. 1, 2004, at Tuff Memorial Home in Hills. Services were Wednesday, Feb. 4, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Hills. The Rev. Lowell Berg officiated. Burial was in the church cemetery. Lois Marie Sundal was born to Elmer and Clara (Jorgenson) Sundal on April 9, 1927, in Colton, S.D. She attended school in Colton and graduated in 1945. She attended the Sioux Valley School of Nursing and graduated in 1948.She was married to Howard Hoyme on Sept. 21, 1952, at First Lutheran Church in Colton by the Revs. Adolph Hoyme and A.O. Blom. She was a nurse at Tuff Memorial Home in Hills for 20 years. Mrs. Hoyme was an active member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church where she served on the BLCW board, taught Sunday School and sang in the church choir. She was also a member of Sioux Valley Hospital Alumni. She enjoyed quilting, reading and traveling.Survivors include her husband, Howard Hoyme, Hills; two sons, Neal (Kathy) Hoyme, Pierre, S.D., and Eric (Wanda) Hoyme, Hills; one daughter, Holly Willmer, Cheyenne, Wyo.; eight grandchildren, Nicole, Jessica, Michael, Alissa, Ashley, Andrew, Kyle and Kevin; one stepgranddaughter, Katie; and two sisters, Ardys Daniels and Arlys Neuberger. Mrs. Hoyme was preceded in death by her parents, infant grandsons, two brothers and one sister. Roste Funeral Home, Hills, was in charge of arrangements.