Locals from 1884The following are some local items appearing in the Rock County Herald on March 7, 1884:"Men who have had some experience in coal have examined the indications of coal found on Gov. Yale’s farm in Vienna Township and are thoroughly convinced that the chances of finding coal at a reasonable depth are excellent." "No better opportunity to make money has ever been or ever will be offered to the people of Rock County than that which will be offered by the special election to decide the railroad question. Every man who votes for the bonus votes money into his own pocket.""A foreign gentleman very much under the influence of stimulants got into the Herald office Monday night and entertained the ‘devil’ with a few drunken songs while he sat by the stove and warmed his feet. Attracted by the noise Marshal Maxwell came in and by the use of his ‘come-along’ persuaded the intruder to go with him." "Torkill Orne and Ole Oleson took on board more tangefoot than they could carry Friday night and called attention to the fact by making a boisterous exhibition of their disgrace on the streets. Marshal Maxwell accordingly gathered them under the shelter of the cooler and left them there until morning, when they were arraigned before Justice Click and were fined $1 each which, with the costs, amounted to $2.50.""The construction of the Burlington road through Luverne to Pipestone will undoubtedly give Rock County two more towns, one in the southwest part of the county and another in the northwestern part. This, of course, will largely enhance the valuation of the county, increase the population in the vicinity of the new towns and prove a general benefit. It is impossible at present to determine definitely what course the new road will take in case our county sees fit to secure it, but it must, of course, pass through Kanaranzi Township and the probabilities are that it will run for a considerable distance up the valley of the Rock before reaching Luverne. There is reason, also, to believe that it will strike the corner of Springwater and pass through a portion of Rose Dell.""Attorney P.E. Brown attended the meeting of the Clinton Literary Society Thursday evening of last week and participated in the debate on the railroad question.""A.E. Patterson sold his farm of 120 acres in section 7 of Luverne Township, last Tuesday, to H.W. Walters, of Cedar Falls, Iowa, for $3,200. Mr. Walters will take immediate possession, and as soon as spring opens will build a fine house and make other valuable improvements on the place."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.

Does a day without text messaging on your cell phone seem like a day without sunshine? Do you surf the Internet several hours a day? According to the Priory Clinic in London, as reported by Reuters, you may need professional help. In addition to treating about 6,000 patients a year for routine, run-of-the-mill addictions such as gambling, eating disorders and drugs, the clinic has noticed a sharp rise in what it calls "technology addictions." Before admission, those patients were spending up to seven hours a day text messaging. "We have a situation where some people look down on alcoholics and cocaine addicts, but then go and spend five hours in an Internet chat room," noted a spokesman for the clinic. Could the creeping menace of technology addiction reach our shores? Just look around you. Americans seem to be evenly divided into two groups lately — those who walk around with cell phones clamped to their ears, and those who walk around holding water bottles. A few exceptions, who apparently have mastered multitasking, carry both phones and bottles and walk at the same time. Although time spent on a keypad or keyboard seems to be the only indication of technology dependency in the Reuters article, there must be other warning signs to indicate whether a person is ready for a 30-day withdrawal treatment at some "de-tech center." (Not to be confused with "detox center," which sounds very similar.) The symptoms of technology addiction might include: oThe printed characters on your computer keyboard and cell phone pad are faded and no longer legible. oThe forefinger on your dominant hand is calloused. oYou’re not good with actual names and you can only recall e-mail addresses when you introduce friends to each other. ("kt@bcd.net, this is ds@bcd.net.") oIn order to free up your hands, you’re seriously considering attaching your cell phone to your ear with some kind of permanent glue or perhaps surgery. oYou can’t recall the last time you had a face-to-face conversation with a real, live person. oYour best friends are computer technicians, ready to assist you with any problem and employed by your Internet provider. oYour love life consists of little more than sending and receiving two messages: "XXXX" and "OOOO." oThe number of children you will have depends on whether or not cell phones will be allowed in the delivery room. oYou avoid air travel because you can’t bear the thought of turning off your phone for any length of time. oThe only near-death experience you have ever had was watching your cell phone as it lost its charge. oIt’s impossible to have a meaningful friendship with anyone without an e-mail address or text messaging capability. oFinally, the only personal calls you may take at work must be related to emergencies. Although you hope no one in the front office is keeping count, so far this week you have received 132 calls about family emergencies, many related to the unusual, sixth death of your maternal grandfather. Very unusual.

Drug lab sites ordinance hearing set for Nov. 12Notice of Public HearingTo Consider Adoption of a Cleanup of Clandestine Drug Lab Sites OrdinanceNotice is hereby given that a public hearing has been called and will be held by ITV on Wednesday, November 12th, 2003 to begin at 1:00 p.m. The ITV sites are located at the Rock County Law Library in the Rock County Courthouse, located at 204 East Brown Street in Luverne and the Commissioner’s Room in the Nobles County Administrative Building, located at 315 10th Street in Worthington. The purpose of the hearing is to consider the adoption of the Cleanup of Clandestine Drug Lab Sites Ordinance. A public hearing is required due to the proposed adoption of the Nobles/Rock Cleanup of Clandestine Drug Lab Sites Ordinance. This ordinance mandates cleanup of property that is found to contain a clandestine drug lab. The ordinance is intended to reduce exposure to chemicals in structures including dwellings, buildings, motor vehicles, trailers, appliances or land where clandestine drug labs are located. Due to the length of the ordinance, it will not be printed in this notice. A copy will be made available upon request by calling our Worthington office at 507-372-8256. If you cannot attend this public hearing, this office will receive all comments verbal and/or written. Comments must be received by 12-noon on the day of the hearing. By Order of the Nobles/Rock Board of HealthBonnie FredericksonPublic Health DirectorNobles and Rock Counties(10-30)

Whoa!! Have our county officials completely lost their minds? We have a local reputable firm to haul garbage. Why would they even consider an outside firm?They’d better get their brains in the "On" mode and find a better way to resolve this matter. Margaret SannyLuverneP.S. Keep this job in Luverne and give it to Ketterlings.

A Veteran’s take: terror’s anniversaryAs anniversary years go, 2003 and a 20-year anniversary probably don’t strike a chord with most people, but with some the memories are strong and painful. George W. Bush declared the War on Terror shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks. But when did the terrorists really declare war on us? Of course, the answer is 20 years ago, in 1983.In the summer of 1982 the Lebanese government had requested that the United States help to establish a peacekeeping force in their country. Moslems and Christians were fighting each other in a religious spat that has since become a calling card worldwide. On March 24, 1983, the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit from Camp Lejeune, N.C., received orders to Beirut and joined French and Italian forces on the mission. The Moslems perceived the Marines as enemies.Terror first struck on April 18, 1983, as a van loaded with 2,000 pounds of explosives drove to the front of the U.S. embassy in Beirut and detonated. The explosion and subsequent collapse of part of the 7-story building killed 63 people, 17 of whom were Americans, including the entire CIA Middle East contingent.The first attack seen as a major terrorist attack on the United States happened on October 23 of that year. A truck loaded with explosives was driven to the First Battalion, 8th Marines Headquarters building and detonated. The building was destroyed along with the lives of 241 Marines, soldiers, and sailors. The country was stunned.This was the beginning. Then there was the bombing of a Disco in Berlin that was a known hangout of American soldiers in 1986. In 1993, the World Trade Center was hit the first time, killing six and wounding thousands when a car bomb detonated in the parking garage. U.S. embassies became the target once again in 1998, as the embassies in Tanzania and Kenya were bombed simultaneously killing 200, including 12 American citizens. A bomb hidden in a tugboat hit the U.S.S. Cole, killing 17 sailors in October 2000. Then there was the longest day, Sept. 11, 2001. One thing you notice is that the attacks kept getting more frequent and brazen.Yeah, we have been getting attacked for some time now. Those who hate us for who we are had been winning handily. Up until now our responses had been more of an eye for an eye, just a return strike to try to slow them down. Now the score is being settled. Those we are at war with would love to blow you and your children up to terrorize your friends. That is their style of warfare. Now they are learning ours.In a style similar to that of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the terrorists opened our eyes to the real dangers of the world and woke the sleeping giant. As our forces carry out the battle plans and more time passes since the last attack we must all realize that our actions are for our protection and the protection of our children’s futures. This is far from over, and our servicemen and women will need our continued support.Curtis HendelAdrian

About five years ago, I was asked whether or not I had an interest in moving back to the Luverne community after having been away for 7-8 years. The decision was not a difficult one and we returned to the community we had come to appreciate so deeply with our previous experience.As chairman of the recent Partnership Campaign for fund-raising in connection with our new hospital and clinic, I find yet another reason to take pride in being called a citizen of Luverne. Our community has displayed extraordinary vision and generosity in responding to the request for financial participation in this cause. These investments in the future of our community will pay unbelievable dividends for all the generations of current and future citizens. I find it difficult to adequately express my gratitude for those who chose to participate in the fund-raising directly, those who worked behind the scenes, and certainly, the 500 plus families and businesses who gave so generously to make our goal a reality. We are blest as a community and as this dream becomes reality in the coming months, our blessings will grow in even greater opportunities for expanded physical health care and economic good health.Take the opportunity to pat yourselves on the back, for once again, you’ve recognized the vision, stepped up to the plate, and made it happen. Congratulations!Greg BurgerChairman, Partnership Campaign CommitteeBoard Member Luverne Community Health Care Foundation.

I have a concern I would like others to know about regarding some tall, beautiful, healthy trees. Vienna Township is in the process of doing some future roadwork near my parents’ farm. In doing this they need to remove several trees in the ditches — common procedure from what I'm told. This road is an east-west road that intersects with a north-south road. There is a trio of large trees that has been growing on the south road near the fence line for as long as I have been alive. These trees are healthy and cause no problem or threat to anything or anyone, barring an act of God. They also grow adjacent to a pasture that is leased by my father for cattle grazing throughout the summer. Incidentally, these trees provide the only shade for this pasture. Most days you will find the cattle loafing around under these trees doing their best to stay cool.After speaking with Vienna Township Board Supervisor, Larry Tweet, I was told it was the right thing to do and the right time to do it. I then asked why and what were the benefits to the township? Mr. Tweet informed me in the future they would be re-working that road so the trees needed to be removed. Coming from first-hand knowledge, that road has been mentioned in "road re-working" conversations for several years now. Why then can this tree removal not wait until the time is more appropriate? After several minutes of silence, evasiveness and unanswered questions Mr. Tweet apparently had no legitimate answers and hung up. Aside from the fact that a pasture and cattle are involved, in a time when we all need to be more conservation-minded, why would you purposely cut down trees that took decades to grow, are not ill, and are doing no harm to anything? I encourage all the readers to think about this for awhile. If you have some time, come see these trees for yourself. Drive one mile south of Kenneth, two miles west, and one more mile south. Or contact the Vienna Township Board and see if you can get some answers and possibly help me save a few trees. Jason Bird,Mitchell, S.D.

We have been enjoying such beautiful fall weather that I don’t like to think of winter coming. However, I know fall won’t last forever but when I saw those light, fluffy white snowflakes falling, I was reluctant to give up our beautiful fall weather. But we have to face reality sooner or later. Actually all I had to do was step outdoors Monday morning and feel the strong cold wind blowing from the northwest. It didn’t take long until you made a dash for your jacket. That made me think of our hot, humid days we have in the summer and the coming of the Asian beetles, that maybe winter won’t be so bad after all. It used to be the flies that drove us crazy in the summer but they definitely have stiff competition. Thinking about those things I think it will be nice to cuddle up by the fire and not have to chase the bugs for awhile. As the old saying goes, "Everything has a season." Let’s enjoy our change to winter and before we know it, it will be spring. Let’s enjoy the beauty of the winter and catch up on all of the things we have been putting off all summer. Congratulations to the Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth football team who won their Section 2 nine-man football game Saturday afternoon at Hills. This week they will advance to play Southwest United team for the Section 2 championship. The game will be played at 1:30 p.m. in Hills. Good luck to them!Among those attending the Gather Concert at the Sioux Falls Arena Friday evening were Pastor Ramaker, Ken and Cheryl Hup, Melba Boeve, Winnie Scholten, Mildred Paulsen, Wilmer and Betty Elbers and his sister, Nelvina and Chuck Kruse, Hull, Iowa. Judy Punt from Sully, Iowa, was a Wednesday morning coffee guest in the home of Jo Aykens. She is the wife of Pastor Punt who served Steen Reformed Church for several years. The flu bug has arrived at Hills-Beaver Creek Grade School this past week. There were 22 students absent as well as two teachers. Beware — be careful.Mildred Paulsen joined other members of the Sioux Falls Sweet Adelines Sunday morning in Sioux Falls where they sang for the morning worship services in three churches. They were luncheon guests in the home of one of their members, Donna Hummie. In the afternoon they sang in one of the nursing homes before returning to their homes. Bill and Bertha Bosch and Mildred Keunen were visitors in the home of Bill and Bertha’s son, Roger Bosch, at Belleview, Neb., on Thursday. Paul and Tom Bosch visited in the home of their parents, Dries and Laura May Bosch on Thursday and helped with the lawn and garden cleanup. Thursday afternoon guests in the Jo Aykens home to help her celebrate her birthday were Winnie Scholten, Pearl Groen, Joan Hoogeveen, Henrietta Huenink, Bertha Bosch and Mildred Keunen. A Brotherhood Rally was at First Reformed Church in Edgerton on Tuesday evening. The Rev. J.R. Henderson was the speaker. The New Life Celebration Church Praise Group led the worship service. We are sorry to hear that Jessie Boeve is now in the Hospice room at the Edgerton Nursing Home in Edgerton. Our deepest sympathy goes out to the Rozenboom family on the death of Dolly Van Der Weerd’s brother, Bert Rozenboom, who passed away on Thursday, Oct. 23. This week is Halloween! Are you ready for all of your little tricks and treaters? Halloween has become a very popular event. Sometimes I think we have a tendency to ignore Thanksgiving as we hear so little about it anymore. It seems we go from Halloween to Christmas. I think we need to take some time out to be thankful for all of our many blessings, especially in our world today. Let’s get serious about Halloween. One of our oldest holidays comes in October. Halloween is probably more than 2,000 years old. When Halloween was first celebrated, it was entirely a scary, ghostly affair. The Lord of Death was supposed to call forth certain wicked souls to do his satanic bidding. A wholesome influence was added when the Romans observed Halloween in competition with the Harvest Festival. Christians added meaning when Halloween became a neighborly celebration of the eve of All Saints Day. Today Halloween is a combination of pagan superstitions and neighborly acts with witches and elves, apples and nuts of harvest time and candlelighting dating from the birth of Christ.Now you know from whence it came. Since it is going to be Halloween this week I have a few questions for you to ask your goblins and witches that knock on your door. 1. What do ghosts eat for breakfast?2. How could you get into a locked, haunted house?3. What did the boy say to the invisible man? 4. What season is the most dangerous?5. What is a pig skin used for most often?6. What is white, gives milk and has a horn?7. Where was Solomon’s temple?8. Why did the robber take a bath?Answers:1. Ghost Toasties.2. With a skeleton key.3. You’re out of sight?4. Fall.5. To hold a pig together. 6. A milk truck.7. On the side of his head.8. He wanted to make a clean get away.I hope you have fun with this! Happy Halloween!

Does a day without text messaging on your cell phone seem like a day without sunshine? Do you surf the Internet several hours a day? According to the Priory Clinic in London, as reported by Reuters, you may need professional help. In addition to treating about 6,000 patients a year for routine, run-of-the-mill addictions such as gambling, eating disorders and drugs, the clinic has noticed a sharp rise in what it calls "technology addictions." Before admission, those patients were spending up to seven hours a day text messaging. "We have a situation where some people look down on alcoholics and cocaine addicts, but then go and spend five hours in an Internet chat room," noted a spokesman for the clinic. Could the creeping menace of technology addiction reach our shores? Just look around you. Americans seem to be evenly divided into two groups lately — those who walk around with cell phones clamped to their ears, and those who walk around holding water bottles. A few exceptions, who apparently have mastered multitasking, carry both phones and bottles and walk at the same time. Although time spent on a keypad or keyboard seems to be the only indication of technology dependency in the Reuters article, there must be other warning signs to indicate whether a person is ready for a 30-day withdrawal treatment at some "de-tech center." (Not to be confused with "Detox center," which sounds very similar.) The symptoms of technology addiction might include: oThe printed characters on your computer keyboard and cell phone pad are faded and no longer legible. oThe forefinger on your dominant hand is calloused. oYou’re not good with actual names and you can only recall e-mail addresses when you introduce friends to each other. ("kt@bcd.net, this is ds@bcd.net.") oIn order to free up your hands, you’re seriously considering attaching your cell phone to your ear with some kind of permanent glue or perhaps surgery. oYou can’t recall the last time you had a face-to-face conversation with a real, live person. oYour best friends are computer technicians, ready to assist you with any problem and employed by your Internet provider. oYour love life consists of little more than sending and receiving two messages: "XXXX" and "OOOO." oThe number of children you will have depends on whether or not cell phones will be allowed in the delivery room. oYou avoid air travel because you can’t bear the thought of turning off your phone for any length of time. oThe only near-death experience you have ever had was watching your cell phone as it lost its charge. oIt’s impossible to have a meaningful friendship with anyone without an e-mail address or text messaging capability. oFinally, the only personal calls you may take at work must be related to emergencies. Although you hope no one in the front office is keeping count, so far this week you have received 132 calls about family emergencies, many related to the unusual, sixth death of your maternal grandfather. Very unusual.