10 years ago (1993)"Noreen and Dan Zarmbinski and Brian and Becky Bengtson have formed a new partnership. The foursome now own and operate Hills Collectible Furnishings."25 years ago (1978)"There won’t be many sports fans around the area ignoring the red, white and blue Patriots this winter sports season. Directly on the heels of a conference title in football, the Patriots look toward to being strong contenders in the winter world of basketball." 50 years ago (1953)"As of Dec. 7, Peter Schouwenburg will be the manager of the Tuthill Lumber Yard in Hills. He will replace Ray Nelson who resigned recently to go into the insurance business in this area. Carl Rose, Redfield, S.D., has been substituting here the past month." 75 years ago (1928)"Lars Kolsrud dropped in at the Crescent office last Saturday, and the talk drifted to early days in this section. Mr. Kolsrud said he came to Martin Township in 1872, and has since been one of the prominent farmers in this section.He remembers well the time when the site where Sioux Falls now stands, consisted of only one store. The Indians roamed in this section when Lars came here, and when cold weather set in they built log cabins along rivers or lakes where they spent the winter. Especially was this case around the bluffs and hills where Sioux Falls is now located, where log cabins could be seen on the south side of Hills, and sheltered the red man against the cold winds."100 years ago (1903)"The Crescent family had just about completed arrangements for the purchase (on time) of a fat duck for our Thanksgiving festivities, when Olaf Skyberg piloted us to the rear of his store building and on behalf of the Ladies Aid Society of the Trinity Church, presented us with a 16-pound turkey, fit for the White House. "While we were requested not to give the matter any publicity, yet we feel that we must extend our thanks to this band of noble Christian women for remembering this editor and family at such an important time. It is these acts of kindness that make one realize that this world is not half so bad as we sometimes allow ourselves to believe."

Albertha "Betty" Sikma, 77, Hull, Iowa, died Saturday, Nov. 29, 2003, at Hegg Memorial Hospital in Rock Valley, Iowa. She was the mother of Janet Bonestroo, Steen. Services were Tuesday, Dec. 2, at First Christian Reformed Church in Hull. The Rev. Carl Klompien officiated. Burial was at Hope Cemetery in Hull. Survivors include her husband, Gerrit James Sikma, Hull; one son, Gary (Eloise) Sikma, Sioux Falls, S.D.; two daughters, Janet (Erwin) Bonestroo, Steen, and Lois (Joseph "Ted") Salazar, Hull; 11 grandchildren, two stepgrandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; two brothers, Clarence (Beulah) Statema, Rock Valley, and Peter (Joan) Statema, Ireton, Iowa; two sisters, Geneva (Bill) Burggraaf, Rock Valley, and Priscilla (Otto) Huizenga, Orange City, Iowa; a sister-in-law, Iola Statema, Zeeland, Mich.; her mother-in-law, Jeanette Sikma, Ocheyedan, Iowa; and six brothers-in-law, John (Dorothy) Sikma, Bigelow, Harold (Marjorie) Sikma, Pella, Iowa, Bill (Evelyn) Sikma, Byron Center, Mich., Roger (Harriet) Sikma, Neweygo, Mich., Robert (Cheryl) Sikma, Dakota Dunes, S.D., and Rodrick (Ruth) Sikma, North Pole, Alaska; and a brother-in-law, Mike Harberts, Ocheyedan. Oolman Funeral Home, Hull, was in charge of arrangements.

Services for Gertie Martens will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 5, at Steen Reformed Church in Steen. The Rev. Dan Ramaker will officiate. Visitation will be from 2 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4, with the family present from 6 to 8 p.m. at Roste Funeral Home in Hills. Burial will follow in Eastside Cemetery, rural Steen.Gertie Martens, 81, Hills, died Monday, Dec. 1, 2003, at Luverne Community Hospital in Luverne. Gertie VandenBrink was born to Ceel and Tillie (Stip) VandenBrink on Feb. 10, 1922, in rural Alvord, Iowa. She was raised in the Inwood and Lester, Iowa, area and attended country schools. After the death of her father, she and her siblings had to assume the responsibility of taking care of the farm. She married James Martens on May 9, 1945, at Bethel Reformed Church parsonage in Lester. The couple lived in Oakland, Calif., and moved back to Lester shortly after the war ended. They owned and operated the Martens & Boom Trucking Company until 1956, then moved to rural Steen. Mr. Martens died on Feb. 28, 1986. She continued to live on the farm until moving to Hills in January 1997.Mrs. Martens was a member of Steen Reformed Church. She enjoyed crafts, crocheting, cooking and flower gardening.Survivors include four children, Carole (Roger) Bosch, Bellevue, Neb., Merle Martens, Valley Springs, S.D., Marlys (Steve "Ben") Dirks, Luverne, and Kevin (Coleen) Martens, Steen; 10 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; three brothers, Ceel VandenBrink, Alvord, Henry VandenBrink, Rock Rapids, Iowa, and Gerrit VandenBrink, Inwood; and one sister, Cornelia Schouwenburg, Hills. Mrs. Martens was preceded in death by her parents, and her husband, James.Roste Funeral Home, Hills, is in charge of arrangements.

John HoffenkampJohn Hoffenkamp, 91, Adrian, formerly of Rushmore, died Monday, Dec. 1, 2003, at Arnold Memorial Nursing Home in Adrian. Services were Thursday, Dec. 4, at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Worthington. The Rev. Ken Honius officiated. Burial was in Worthington Memorial Gardens Cemetery. John Hoffenkamp was born to Jerry and Mary (Terhark) Hoffenkamp on Sept. 9, 1912, near Rushmore. He attended school in Rushmore.He married Marcella Wilke on Aug. 31, 1940, in Spencer, Iowa. They lived on a farm southeast of Rushmore until they retired and moved to Adrian in 1996. Mr. Hoffenkamp was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Worthington. He enjoyed hunting, raising dogs and farming. Survivors include three sons, Harlan (Audrey) Hoffenkamp, Atwater, LeRoy (Nancy) Hoffenkamp, Clearwater, and Rodney (Eve) Hoffenkamp, Beaver Creek; three daughters, Dianna Scherff, Worthington, Darlene (Rick) Dodds, Poway, Calif., and Kristina (David) Ripperda, Hills; 18 grandchildren; six stepgrandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and four stepgreat-grandchildren. Mr. Hoffenkamp was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Marcella, one son, Harold, three brothers and three sisters. Benson Funeral Home in Worthington was in charge of arrangements.

Christmas At the Palace and a 'Cat in the Hat'December will be a busy month at the Palace Theatre.Two of the most note worthy are the Christmas at the Palace event and the showing of the movie, "Cat in the Hat."Christmas at the Palace in one of the most popular events of the year for Luverne's historic theatre.The event is co-sponsored by the Luverne Chamber of Commerce, and the Blue Mound Area Theatre as a fund-raiser for the Palace Theatre and the Rock County Emergency Food Shelf.The event is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 12, at 7:30 p.m.Admission for the concert is $5, but no food donations should be brought to the Palace.Tickets will go on sale Dec. 8 at the Chamber of Commerce office, now located in the Brandenburg Gallery.The concert will involve choir groups from area churches, as well as individuals who may choose to participate.To learn more about the event, or about participating, contact the Chamber office at 283-4061.Looking ahead, if you?re thinking about taking your kids to the new movie, "Brother Bear," you can hold off until it comes to Luverne.The new animated movie will be coming to the Palace Theatre in about five to six weeks.Thanksgiving seatbelt enforcement beginsThe state?s Safe & Sober campaign will focus on seatbelt use from now through December, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and local law enforcement.The statewide effort will include more than 400 law enforcement agencies including local police departments, county sheriffs? offices and the State Patrol.The Minnesota Department of Public Safety is coordinating the campaign.According to the Department of Public Safety 80 percent of Minnesotans buckle up, but unbelted motorist represent 62 percent of the state?s 544 vehicle occupant traffic fatalities in 2002.According to Deputy Evan Verbrugge, Rock County spokesman for the Safe & Sober program, rollovers accounted for 36 percent of all Minnesota vehicle occupant traffic fatalities in 2002.Among the 196 occupant fatalities that resulted from rollovers, almost 80 percent were not belted, and more than half were effected from the vehicle.Family Dollar won?t be here anytime soonAs you may have figured out, there won?t be a Dollar General Store opening up in Luverne in the near future,.According to Florence Stanley from the Dollar Store?s home office, the developer on the project was unable to provide Family Dollar with the building it was planning to rent from the developer.Lee Construction, Alexandria Minnesota was the General contractor on the project.I have been playing phone tag with Lee Construction for the past week. When I find out what their plans for the property are, I?ll let you know.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

Bah Humbug!!! Most people would say that if they were stationed in a third world country with limited luxuries, away from their family over Christmas. This is not the case for me.I am not saying it isn't bad over here. In fact, I will get into more of that later. But I love my job and I love being in the Army and having the opportunity to help people the way I do! I am so blessed to be an American. We truly have more freedoms, luxuries, and liberties than any country in the world at any time ever in the history of the world. I have been stationed here in Afghanistan for four months and I have five more to go. I work and live just north of Kabul, with local leaders of five provinces on national and provincial issues. It is so inspiring to see the impact we can make every day. I am well aware of the great influence my job has as the civil affairs leader for the capitol region.I assess the area and nominate projects like new schools, wells, and hospital clinics. Then we hire local contractors to do the work to stimulate economic growth in a downtrodden area. We return periodically and oversee the project to completion. This employs men who have been out of work for years and trains and educates them for a skill they can use for a lifetime. I have also directed doctors and veterinarians for a weeklong 'cooperative medical assistance' visit. We visited a different village every day and people would walk up to four hours to come see the doctors and vets. In one day we can treat up to 800 animals and 600 patients. It is amazing the short and long-term effect this has on the community. (I sent some pictures of this.)My team and I reconnoiter uncharted villages, some which have not had foreign visitors since 1898. We bring Humanitarian Assistance like: school supplies, mittens, boots, toys and food. Most of these charitable items have been mailed to me from my friends, Camden neighbors, family and church members. The people are so impoverished and so appreciative. I feel a little like Santa Claus.The people here have to learn to believe in a different way of life here. They have been at war for 23 years with the Russians and the Taliban and have been left with nothing. Twenty-three years! I think about how fortunate I was to be born in America. (Sounds like a song coming on.) I wonder what it would have been like if I had been born in Afghanistan instead of in the United States of America. I would be living under a shroud of a bhirka, afraid to voice my opinion or talk to strangers, uneducated with a pessimistic view of the world. I would have a world of doubt of any hope for the future, or the future of my children and family. Reports say that the infant mortality rate is five out of 10 in Afghanistan.In America, we are also easily distraught at minor inconveniences in our everyday life. Rush hour for instance, our average waiting is about 20-25 minutes. I see trucks waiting in line in Kabul for eight hours to get supplies. We have the luxury of spaciousness in land, homes, and cars. Here, they pack 11 people in to a Corolla taxi. The driver sits on the right. Two people sit on the left side. Four people sit in the back seat. Another four people are loaded in the little cargo area. A whole family can sleep in a one-room mud adobe. Definitely different than what we are accustom to in America.The things in America I miss could be long if I thought of it long enough. I miss good food. Due to transportation problems we don't get green salads. By the time we get them some of the edges are already brown. Forget about good cheeses and chocolate, they have too many preservatives. The veggies are usually over cooked, but they are already frost bitten so it doesn't really matter. Finally, though we are able to get soda pop. The writing is in Dari, but the cans look like Coke and Pepsi.The colder it gets, the more and more I miss indoor plumbing and the treacherous three-city-block walk to the port-a-john seems to get longer. As scorching hot as it was this summer, I can hardly believe how cold it is now. It is more like Minnesota everyday. It rained constantly for the past three days. Now there is a nice layer of ice everywhere. We are at a 5,000 feet elevation so we feel the extremes of the weather. At least lately there is toilet paper in the johns. We used to have to bring our own. See, things are getting better every day.This past year I have experienced sorrow, fear, exhaustion and disappointment. The frailty of mortality looks me in the eye everyday. But we as soldiers have gone beyond the 'have a nice day' mentality. We experience life, knowing that it is fragile. So have a wondrous day, a passionate day, a dangerous day, and a blessed day. I hope you experience your days to the fullest and take nothing for granted.Everyday I make a point to say, "salaam alaikem" ("hi") and shake hands with a dozen folks. They tell their friends and family, and just by that small gesture I may have changed someone's mind or perception of America. I believe we can make those changes one step at a time. Over time, we can instill hope in people. That is my wish this Christmas ? hope. It is all about the season of giving and many have given and sacrificed a great deal for the freedoms we currently have. But everyone has the opportunity to give something everyday, no matter where you are. That something may be as small as a mustard seed, but it will have a great outcome. Hope must endure. Great things are happening here in Afghanistan. Thanks to all your prayers and continued hopefulness. As Tiny Tim would say, "God bless us all, everyone!"Joyfully serving America in Afghanistan.MAJ Carman OldreCarman?s Army Reserve Unit was activated in July. She is the granddaughter of the late Kenneth native Albert and Myrtle Oldre, who farmed near Magnolia where they raised six sons ? all of whom served in some branch of the military. Carman?s father, Virgil, is the youngest of the six boys, and lives in Minneapolis where Carman grew up.

By Jolene FarleyThe terrorism response drill in Hills Saturday was a learning tool for the emergency personnel and agencies involved."Overall, after our critique, most thought it was a positive experience," said Dan Nath, coordinator of the drill, sponsored by the Rock County Hazardous Materials Team.Nath, a member of the Luverne Fire Department, said it was surprising how much manpower was needed for the simulation. Fifty people participated in the drill. "Manpower was a surprise to everybody. Just how much manpower would be needed to support all of the objectives in an actual situation," Nath said."Communication was by far the area we had the most control over, but it?s also probably the area everybody wanted to see improvement in."The drama unfolds ?This year?s drill occurred at the fictitious "Hills Grain Processors," a grain handling station that also deals in chemical application for farms and fields. Hills Grain receives and stores grain for shipment on the railroad system that has a rail spur adjoining their property.The company receives and stores chemicals in liquid, dry and bulk form until it sells and applies chemicals.Two fictitious employees (volunteers Matt Nath and Brian Deutsch) of the company noticed a brown, older four-door sedan leaving the premises and noticed the strong odor of anhydrous ammonia.As the emergency drill played out, one worker was overcome by fumes, but the other worker was able to reach a phone and call 911. Both workers suffered severe respiratory injuries.After donning protective clothing, the conscious employee was able to extract his co-worker from inside the area of gas.The Hills Fire Department, Rock County Ambulance and Rock County Law Enforcement were dispatched to the scene.Using the above scenario, emergency personnel had to determine a course of action. Saturday?s weather conditions (cold, gusty winds with light snow) needed to be factored into rescue operations throughout the drill. The next leg of the drill, after the Hills Fire Department arrived on the scene, included a mock explosion with an unknown cause in a storage shed near the anhydrous tank. The explosion "brought down" two Hills Fire Department personnel. They initially were unresponsive.Contents of the shed were unknown, and a large cloud of white to cream colored dust and a dark liquid were released and scattered in a large perimeter around the building toward the anhydrous tank.In the third leg of the drill, the Rock County Hazardous Materials Team was dispatched, as well as additional fire departments from the county and County Civil Defense Director Kyle Oldre.Information was passed on to the Haz-Mat team about the chemicals. In the fourth leg of the drill, an e-mail was sent to several news agencies regarding the explosion. A television news crew arrived on the scene to cover the explosion.The crew received a fax from a terrorist group claiming credit for the bombings in Hills. Reporters asked to see the person in charge to pass on this information.Learning from the drillEmergency personnel were happy with how the equipment functioned, according to Nath.The decontamination tent, purchased last year, was tested for the first time in Hills Saturday, and Nath said it worked well in the cold weather. The drill helped emergency personnel learn to carefully evaluate the situation before proceeding, according to Nath. Forging ahead to save a victim could put rescue personnel in further jeopardy, similar to the situation during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks."Some of us knew we were going to have firefighters go down," Nath said about the simulation. "That is the thing we need to train for ? the hardest thing to train for."Hills firefighter Stan VanWyhe participated in the drill this year and plans to participate in future drills. "It?s always good practice, you always learn something," he said."One thing you learn is it takes a long time to set up the Haz-Mat stuff. It?s a pretty timely process."Emergency personnel could participate in the drills many times and learn something new each time, according to VanWyhe.Last year?s drill was a bomb detonation at the Minnesota Veteran?s Home in Luverne."The big thing is not making the same mistakes ? that we improve over last year," said Nath.

Of course one?s thoughts should be on thanks during this week of Thanksgiving, but one wouldn?t expect it to be the prevailing theme of a school board meeting, for heaven?s sake.The Hills-Beaver Creek School Board is hosting an open house in December to show off the new locker rooms at the high school. But board members opted to call the event, "An open house and thank you," because, according to Superintendent Dave Deragisch, "I?m very grateful for what the public has done for the students."Then there was the note of thanks from the non-certified staff thanking the School Board for the three-year contract settlement and expressing gratitude for the opportunity to work together to make better lives for the district?s young people.The board was told 27 percent of the high school students are on the A honor roll and 31 percent are on the B honor roll. "We want to note that this represents a super job by our students and staff," Deragisch said.And don?t forget the elementary school. Elementary Principal Doug Holtaus helped coordinate festivities during American Education Week, which included a 7:30 a.m. pastry party for parents on Wednesday, inviting 130 grandparents and special people to join elementary kids for lunch on Tuesday, giving staff members a thank you gift of poinsettias and recognizing the substitute educators.There was the thank you from Holtaus for the poinsettia he received and the thank you to the Rock County Sheriff?s Department for its cooperation during the elementary school lock down.There were the words of appreciation to the high school student council for planning a blood drive. "They?ve done a great job organizing this event."After the meeting I commented to a board member that an atmosphere of appreciation seems to permeate the school. She said, "Yeah, Dave really does a good job doesn?t he? And we really do have super people on our staff. They all do such a good job."What would be the eventual outcome of more organizations (schools, homes, churches, places of business) adopting the "gratitude attitude?"H-BC already sees one outcome. Deragisch told the board nearly seven of 10 students in the H-BC high school have missed one or fewer days of school since classes began. "We?ve done a good job with attendance this year and the credit goes not only to the students but to the parents as well."I drove home from the meeting feeling, well ... thankful.

Chris Louwagie, his wife, Laura, and son Jonah are thankful that Chris is recovering so well from serious injuries he received in a car accident in July near Hills.By Jolene FarleyChris Louwagie, Luverne, has no memory of the July car accident that landed him and two other locals in the hospital.Louwagie, 28, was a passenger in a vehicle that collided with another vehicle at a blind, unmarked intersection northwest of Hills. After the accident, he was airlifted to Sioux Valley Hospital, Sioux Falls. The first fragmented memories Chris has after the accident are from more than 10 days later. "It?s just bits and pieces, I remember about people being there and saying hi," he said. Louwagie?s injuries included three fractured vertebrae, multiple broken ribs, swelling on the brain and both of his lungs collapsed. Finding his family after the accident?The day of the accident Louwagie?s wife, Laura, left Luverne with the couple?s son, Jonah, and other friends to visit college friends in Bird Island.The only people who knew Laura?s whereabouts were Chris and those in the vehicle with her. "People tried to get a hold of me," Laura said. "Finally, someone broke into our house." A highway patrolman, with the help of the husband of one of the friends Laura was visiting, waved Laura over while she was driving. Laura was in shock when they broke the news of Chris?s accident to her. "Right away, you don?t think they are talking to you," she said. She immediately called Sioux Valley Hospital and was told Chris had been in a very serious car accident. Laura said the three-hour drive back to the hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D., was the longest three hours of her life. At her husband?s bedside"The first day you feel ? You?re in such shock. You don?t even know how to respond or what to do," she said. It was about 6 p.m. before Laura was told the extent of Chris?s injuries. Doctors told her the first 24 to 48 hours after the crash were the most critical. On a ventilator because of his collapsed lungs, Chris struggled for his life. Doctors told Laura that 70 percent of victims with fractures like Chris had are paralyzed.Laura said doctors didn?t sugar coat anything and couldn?t tell her if Chris would recover. "She (the doctor) listed off all the things that were wrong," Laura said. "She wouldn?t reassure me he would be alright. That was a really hard first night." Laura would remain at her husband?s bedside for 10 or more hours a day for the first week or two after the accident.Turning the corner ?"The day I probably felt things were starting to be better was five days (after the accident)," Laura said. "I?ve said all along even if he had been paralyzed, we could have handled whatever it was, as long as he was OK," Laura said.Laura brought Jonah to visit and Chris recognized him. His heart rate went up and he had tears in his eyes.Soon doctors removed Chris from the ventilator. "After the ventilator you start feeling like, OK, he?s breathing on his own," Laura said.Chris was transferred from the Intensive Care Unit to the Neuro-acute unit were the nurse-to-patient ratio is greater.The road to recovery?"The whole thing was kind of like a big roller coaster," Laura said.Chris, at times, couldn?t remember Laura?s name. Doctors reassured her that with head injuries patients don?t always remember people until they have meaningful conversations with them.He was transferred to a rehabilitation unit on Thursday, Aug. 14. He began the rounds of speech, occupational and physical therapists. "The first thing they wanted to do was physical therapy," Chris said. "To get me up and walking on my own." At first, Chris sat in a wheelchair in his hospital room and the therapists would ask him to lift his leg or other simple exercises. "They were eventually able to get him down to the therapy rooms where they had more equipment to deal with things," Laura said.Chris remembers everyday tasks that people take for granted were difficult for him. "He (the therapist) was trying to get me to walk across the room," he said. "He had his arms around me. "During this time Chris frequently used the word "ouch," according to Laura. "That was his word," she said.Chris began attending physical therapy every day for a half-hour a day. After his condition improved, his schedule was increased to twice a day. Chris would eventually spend three hours a day in either occupational, speech or physical therapy. Speech therapy was frustrating, he said. "They?d ask simple questions and I?d get them wrong." "After awhile, I knew I didn?t have the right answer, but I just couldn?t think of it." Although frustrated, Chris showed the biggest improvement in his speech. "In just a matter of weeks it went from simple questions Chris couldn?t answer to when he got out, acting more like himself," Laura said.HomecomingChris was released from the hospital on Tuesday, Sept. 2. Once at home, he needed 24-hour supervision at first. With his head injury, doctors didn?t want him falling or forgetting to turn off the stove, for example.Laura said Chris?s family, from Cottonwood, and her family, from Mitchell, S.D., took turns staying with Chris. Laura was able to return to her job as a fourth-grade teacher in Worthington.Chris continued speech therapy in Luverne after he came home. Therapists advised him to enroll in a college course for "upper-level thinking." They hoped this would help cement the improvements in his condition.Motivation?Chris was always very motivated to recover from his injuries. "I just felt that I had places to be at certain times," he said."? People that needed you maybe," Laura replied to Chris.Although Chris isn?t angry about his situation he, at times, becomes frustrated. "Just being hurt, if I can?t do things for myself, I have to ask Laura to help me, and if she?s not there right away, sometimes I get snappy," he said. Back in the classroom?Chris, unable to enroll in a college level course because it was halfway through the semester, has returned to the classroom at Hills-Beaver Creek elementary for a few hours a day. A substitute teacher is also in the classroom with Chris and 28 students. Head injury patients need a gradual transition to handle the stress and stimulation of everyday living or tasks, according to doctors. Affects of the accident?Although Chris continues to improve, he has lasting affects from his injuries. "If I work too much or I?m on my feet to much, I?ll be in pain," he said.The accident made the couple prioritize their lives. "You appreciate your family and your friends," Chris said. "You don?t try to let things bother you as much, and you appreciate the time you have with them." With 12 siblings, Chris had a steady stream of visitors while he was in the hospital. "There was hardly a day that I didn?t have a visitor," he said. "For the first two weeks, we always had someone at the hospital and someone at the house, whether it was his family, my family or friends," Laura said. The couple appreciates the support they received from everyone. "There?s people today I run into and I don?t know who they are and they will ask how I?m doing," Chris said.