By Sara Strong"A survivor is a victim with an attitude."That’s what Glenda Schomacker, Luverne, likes to say after winning her battle with breast cancer.As the honorary chairman of this year’s Relay For Life, she realizes that others haven’t won the battle against cancer, and that raising money for more research is so important.Schomacker’s cancer was discovered in 1999 when she had a routine mammogram. She didn’t have a history of breast cancer in her family, but went for the test, as women are advised to do. After a second mammogram, an ultrasound and a biopsy, doctors confirmed it was cancer. The day she got the diagnosis, May 13, she said she was almost in shock. She told herself that she would simply call her husband, let him know that she had cancer … and go to her niece’s golf meet."Then it hit me," she said. "I have cancer, and I don’t want cancer."By the time she reached her husband, LeRoy, by phone, Schomacker said she could hardly speak and was hyperventilating.Later that day, she reached out to her pastor at the American Reformed Church, Dave Sikkema, and his wife, Joyce. He shared with her a Bible verse that is still special to Schomacker, Isaiah 41:10. It says, "So don’t worry because I am your God. I will make you strong and will help you. I will support you with my right hand that saves you."Talking with her pastor was the first of many times Schomacker realized that reaching out was going to get her through the illness and the struggles it brought.A survivorEven though she feels healthy and the cancer is gone, Schomacker can’t hold back tears when talking about her illness."I prayed a lot, and when I couldn’t pray … others prayed for me," Schomacker said.She said her church community became even more important during and after cancer.She said the little things don’t bother her as much anymore. She’s thankful for her three children, her husband, her job at Rock County Rural Water — the things she used to take for granted.Schomacker speaks positively now, but she had plenty of negative feelings through the experience: Bitterness, anger, unanswered questions.She didn’t like to hear people tell her about others they knew who suffered through cancer treatments or horrific surgeries."I didn’t want to listen to the negative stories, and that’s with anything in life, not just cancer," Schomacker said.She also has a little bit of "survivor’s guilt" when she knows of others who die from cancer."I feel fine, but there are days that are still tough," Schomacker said. "The ‘c’ word hangs out there."Schomacker underwent six months of chemotherapy, and six weeks of radiation. Now she has an annual mammogram, a blood test every six months and she takes two pills a day. She’s an active volunteer with Reach For Recovery, helping other area cancer patients. She won an award from the American Cancer Society West Region Survivorship Initiatives for her work as a volunteer.Schomacker says in an inspirational speech she gives to groups in the area, "A cancer survivor never leaves home without tissues because tears are made to be shared. A survivor loves a good laugh. A survivor says ‘thanks’ with dignity and grace. … Since the day I was diagnosed I could have been a victim, but with all the help and care I became a survivor." Schomacker’s cancer, a lump that was 3 by 1 by 1 1/2 centimeters, took over her life for about seven months. Cancer took her energy and her health for that time, but Schomacker is thankful to have kept her friends, family, faith and her life.Glenda Schomacker has gone through the Relay For Life ceremony and said it’s a very emotional experience. She explains walking all night in the Relay is like living through the cancer experience — life is good and bright like the day, then after the cancer diagnosis and treatments, it’s dark; survival is when the light returns in the morning.The Relay For Life organizers are still seeking talent for the event on June 20. Contact Nancy Kaczrowski, 283-9261, or Sharon Boltjes, 283-4491, ext. 2270.Also, watch for ongoing fund-raisers.

By Lori EhdeLuverne Lanes Bowling Alley officially changed hands last week when 30-year owners John and Ahne Serie introduced the new owners during league bowling banquets.Cory and Lisa Schneekloth have been talking to the Series for three years about buying the business someday, but when John had a heart attack in March, the idea turned into doctors orders."John doesn’t have a history of heart problems in his family," Ahne said. "But he is definitely a Type A person, so it’s pretty clear what caused this."In the interest of reducing stress in his life and making more time for golf and fishing, they put the wheels in motion to sell to the Schneekloths.For the Schneekloths, the venture will be a family business, and with plans to cater to younger bowlers, they’re hoping bowling becomes more of a family recreation in Luverne."John’s done a great job with the league system here, but there’s not much for kids," Cory said. "So we’re going to add more sound and lights and more concessions."Their own children, Brittany, 12, Cassie, 8, and Zachary, 4, are avid bowlers, and are already helping out at the lanes.The business is currently closed, and the Schneekloths are remodeling the entire interior with a 1950s theme of checkerboard floors and jukebox accessories.Concessions will include hotdogs, nachos, fresh popcorn, and, possibly in the future, burgers and other short-order grill items.In addition to attracting children to Luverne Lanes, Cory said they hope to organize a high school league with chances to advance to state tournaments.A Saturday morning league may be available for younger players in the future.In addition to hiring part-time high school help, the Schneekloths say they’ll rely heavily on existing employees, Pat Weerheim and Phil and Loretta Duffy."John has had good help," Cory said. "And John’s going to work some league nights for us, too."For the time being, the Schneekloths will continue working at their current jobs. Cory works at Amdahl Motors, Pipestone, and Lisa is part-time at the Luverne Medical Center.As far as the Series are concerned, they’re grateful for a lot of things right now.They’re grateful that John survived his heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery. Only one in 10 people survive the type of attack he had, and at one point, paramedics said he was dead.They’re also grateful to be able to sell the business to the Schneekloths. "Bowling alley buyers don’t come along every day," John said. "And they’ll do a good job."Ahne said it was comforting to know the Schneekloths were interested in buying whenever the Series were ready to sell."It was important to us to be able to sell the bowling alley to local people who care about the community and about the bowling alley," she said.For many years, John said he planned to retire at 62 years old. His cardiac arrest was on March 22, and he turned 62 the next day."Luverne is a good bowling town," he said. "The bowlers have supported me, and everyone has been a good customer. It’s just been an enjoyable business."

By Sara StrongRock County is in the process of hiring two new part-time deputies to cover open shifts until the county and city decide whether to hire a full-timer to replace retiring Kurt Kester.Sheriff Mike Winkels said both new hires are experienced, but they need some tests and equipment before starting.The cost of starting them both will be between $3,000 and $5,000.The County Board of Commissioners said Tuesday that paying for two part-time employees would be less expensive than paying the current deputies overtime wages. Also, with summer vacations factored in, it would be physically difficult to provide 24-hour coverage.Board Chair Ron Boyenga said that the final state budget and county budget will help determine whether the county will support hiring another full-time deputy to replace Kester.Sheriff Mike Winkels said he supports naming one sergeant instead of the two that were in place before he was elected sheriff. Kester, a sergeant, is retiring May 30.Recorder positionThe Board accepted legislation from the state, allowing Rock County to appoint, rather than elect the County Recorder. Current Recorder Jere Ohme would remain in the job until the end of his term and the actual job duties wouldn’t change. The county accepting the legislation is just the first step in process. The county has to advertise a public hearing before it will vote on changing the position to appointed.That vote has to pass with a minimum of four of the five commissioners in favor of the change.Ohme said he supports the legislation.

By Sara StrongRock County could lose its Extension Office and staff after the state reworks the program … yet again.It appears it will be up to the county to pay for educators and staff if the state doesn’t set up one of about 20 regional offices in Rock County.If a regional office isn’t located here, and, if the county doesn’t decide to absorb the extra costs of staffing one itself, county residents will still have access to Extension services.County officials won’t know until mid-July where the regional Extension offices will be located, but they will be completely state and federally funded.Pipestone and Rock County Extension Director Holli Arp said, "I do think there’s some real value in the plan."This latest change was announced last week. The University of Minnesota Extension Office is discontinuing employment of county educators. Instead, regional offices will house all the educators where programs and services will be headquartered.Local programs and services can be contracted through Extension. Counties, agencies and non-profits can choose to contract for the programs they most want and can afford.Arp said counties have told Extension they would like to customize what their county offices offer in programs, and that’s what this new system is supposed to do. The county currently pays $110,544 in salaries, benefits and rent to keep Extension in the county.The county pays 60 percent of the 4-H Coordinator’s salary, compared with 40 percent of educators’ salaries. In the future, Rock County will more clearly know exactly what the educators are bringing to the county and the county will pay accordingly. Some services will probably still be free, however.The days of seeking advice from an Extension Office farming expert or home economist are almost a thing of the past, even before the latest cuts. Fewer people use Extension in the way they used to, with more experts available from places such as seed companies, for example.Dr. Charles Casey, Extension dean and director said, "Our county partners have told us that if they are going to meet their budget constraints and be able to provide some Extension programs for their counties, they need the flexibility to choose which Extension programs, services and positions they pay for."The new Extension model will allow counties to focus its efforts on local priorities.In Rock County, the 4-H program has been a particular area of concern. Arp said that 4-H will have a program in the county through Extension, even with this new model. Counties will likely have to invest in 4-H, at least to the extent it does now in order to keep the program strong.In Rock County, 190 participate in the various 4-H clubs. Statewide, Extension says that 800,000 Minnesotans benefit from Extension, including 4-H, agriculture production education, Master Gardeners, nutrition education programs and leadership development training.Casey said, "These changes are certainly not the most timely. But as many state leaders have said over the past months, none of us can afford to keep doing business as usual."

By Lori EhdeJust in time for Memorial Day, Maplewood Cemetery Association has finished work on a 45-acre addition that more than doubles the size of the existing cemetery.According to caretaker Todd Evans, the project is done ahead of schedule, thanks to a mild winter last year."It went pretty good," Evans said. "We weren’t going to open it up until this spring, but we already had a burial in December of 2001."The existing cemetery occupies 31 acres and has 14,400 graves. Evans said Maplewood accommodates roughly 75 burials per year, and about 8,500 people have been buried in the existing portion to date.The new addition brings the size of Maplewood Cemetery to 76 acres and adds another 2,100 lots that are available so far. Of those, 100 have already been spoken for, and 10 burials have already taken place.The Maplewood Cemetery Association purchased the parcel in June 1999 from Helen Sell, daughter of Lloyd Long. For many locals, the property is known as the "Old Lloyd Long Farm."It’s been surveyed and plotted to allow optimum access for funerals and caretaking equipment, and the driveways were paved earlier this month.According to Maplewood Cemetery Association Board member Art Ehde, the addition will offer more options for families."There were still some lots available on the northeast side, but they required flat markers. Not everyone wants flat stones. A lot of people want upright monuments," he said. There are other lots available throughout the existing cemetery, but some of those also have restrictions."It was getting close to where it was time to do something to have more options available to people." The new parcel is adjacent to the west side of the cemetery and juts north somewhat from the existing northern border. It’s the eighth addition in the history of Maplewood Cemetery, which dates back to 1876 when the first burials occurred.The Maplewood Cemetery Association was incorporated in 1886.Ehde said the Association has planted some trees in the new addition, but families are now offered the opportunity to purchase these trees in memory of loved ones.More specifically, people can donate money to have flat memorial markers placed by the trees or by new trees."There have been some people asking if they can purchase a tree in memory of their loved ones," Ehde said. "They can now do this, as long as they clear it with the sexton."He said the Association is proud of its recent work, and of it’s past tradition of excellence."The cemetery looks nice and is well-maintained. It’s good to have the new addition done and ready to use," Ehde said."I haven’t seen a better cemetery; just really nice. It’s organized well. Older monuments are well taken care of and I think costs are reasonable."The public is encouraged to visit Maplewood Cemetery this weekend for Memorial Day services at 10:30 a.m. Vietnam Veteran Dan Smith, Luverne, will be the speaker, and Luverne High School Band members will provide music.Volunteers with the VFW and American Legion will line the main entrance with American flags for the annual display of the "Avenue of Flags."

By Sara StrongThe city of Luverne has a better idea of what it has to contribute to make the new hospital and clinic project happen.Engineers from DeWild Grant Reckert and Associates, Rock Rapids, talked about the Sioux Valley Hospitals and Health System’s needs within the infrastructure of Luverne Tuesday.All together, streets, water mains, a water tower, sanitary sewer upgrades and site work could cost the city of Luverne up to $2.45 million.There are a few options that could change that price, but a range of $2.2 million to $2.45 million was presented by DGR.Capacity and pressure are the water issues for the hospital and clinic, which plans to relocate to the north edge of Luverne. Already, northern residents of Luverne complain of low water pressure, so a new tower is necessary to add a large health care facility to the city’s load.Sioux Valley would like 65 pounds of water pressure; now there’s 32 pounds of pressure.The location of a new tower isn’t yet determined, but the city favors the site near the intersection of Highway 75 and 131st Street.As a part of the project, Sioux Valley requests that the city of Luverne purchase the existing hospital for $825,000. Sioux Valley also asks that Luverne grant it $1,657,000 and loan it $1 million.Even though drawings and numbers are drafted, the project is still in its planning and development stages. Sioux Valley has already announced it chose north of Luverne for the location. The property abuts the Veterans Addition to its south, Highway 75 on the west, Blue Mound Avenue on the east and the gravel township road on the north.A combined clinic and hospital site is estimated to be 95,000 square feet, increased from the current 42,000.Plans from the engineers include room for growth that is anticipated to follow the Sioux Valley campus development, whether it’s business or residential.The city is meeting with Sioux Valley Thursday to discuss a Development Assistance Agreement and Business Subsidy Agreement. The Luverne City Council will be able to discuss the project more in June, with more information on the table at that time.

Ken Burns looks to Luverne for ‘The War’Ken Burns, possibly the most famous documentary filmmaker of our time, is considering including Luverne and its residents in his next project."The War" is expected to be a four-part, documentary film series, made for public television.The eight-hour film will focus on four American cities and small towns, Luverne, Sacramento, Calif., Waterbury, Conn., and Mobile, Ala.According to Meghan Horvath, a project coordinator, "the film will juxtapose and intertwine the experiences of servicemen who fought on the front lines in all theaters of the war with those of their families and neighbors back home.""We will also track the larger military drama as it unfolds, so that we can comprehend the experiences of these ordinary people in a larger social and historical context."Part of making the project a success will depend on you.The production company needs to gather information from your experiences during WWII.They are particularly interested in photographs and home movies of Luverne during the war years.Photographs and home movies taken from that time would be of particular interest to the production company, as well as stories from veterans and those who were alive and lived in Luverne at the time, diaries, letters and interesting statistics about the town or those from the town who went off to war.Although the war years, 1941-45 are of particular interest, in a recent e-mail to the Star Herald, Horvath said they are interested in home movies of Luverne or Rock County from the 1930s through the 1950s.Are you ready for Buffalo Days?The event is only ten days away, but it’s not too late to sign up to participate in the Saturday morning parade and more entries are welcome.This will be the 19th annual Buffalo Days, something that started rather small and now brings nearly 10,000 people to Luverne each year.But to continue making it a success, they need your cooperation.Last year 60 families, businesses and organizations participated in the parade.This year the parade will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 31.If you would like more information on the parade, or other Buffalo Days activities, contact Dave or Lorna at the Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce at 283-4061 or you can e-mail them at luvernechamber@iw.net.State rest stops to stay openMinnesota’s Lt. Governor, who also serves as the head of the Minnesota Department of Transportation, announced last week that all 77 of the state’s rest stops, will remain open through June 2004.Lt. Governor Carol Molnau had earlier proposed closing 44 of the rest stops and redirecting the $2 million annual expense to road construction.Molnau was convinced she should keep the rest areas open, after hearing the opposition from travelers, cities and legislators who were concerned how the cutbacks would affect restaurants, gas stations and other related traveler services.The $2 million in unused winter maintenance funds will be used to keep the rest areas open.Although the funding will settle the problem though 2004, it will still present a long term funding problem for the rest areas.Gov. Pawlenty’s two-year budget plan is still expected to save $2 million from rest area closings.Pawlenty wants to use the $2 million savings to cover the interest of $450 million in highway bonds.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

At their last meeting, Rock County Commissioners voted to ask the state to take feedlot permit information off the public record.My internal alarm bells went off at the meeting, because open government is about half of what I spend my time trying to relate back to our readers.They didn’t propose to close the permitting process, where neighbors are informed about huge expansions, for example. Commissioners just wanted the permits off open files once they were issued.It’s not exactly the end of the "open government" world. It might not be fair to newcomers, though, who don’t know the size of feedlots near their properties. It might not be fair for other reasons, too. The biggest worry for me, is that once doors start closing, it gets harder and harder to keep them open and our entire system changes. But maybe the worst part about seeing the rubber stamp hit the resolution from the board, is that there was little discussion about the issue. They read the resolution, said they didn’t want terrorists around feedlots, and passed it.This week, the Commissioners talked about it again, and reaffirmed that their intention was to protect food supplies from bio-terrorism. Also, the business of raising livestock can be the target of animal rights activists. That said, neither have been demonstrated as a clear and present threat in Rock County.On the personal level, our Commissioners are an independent bunch of business people and farmers. Tuesday, one said it shouldn’t be possible for just anyone to walk into an office and ask to look at permits without giving a reason. But that’s against what much of public information is based on — you don’t have to prove a purpose to see information; it’s just there to be seen.While the Commissioner’s concerns may have some validity, they have to remember that we can’t close government files every time there’s a threat of a threat. If that’s the way things ought to be run, Commissioners should keep unlisted numbers and wear disguises to meetings. After all, in this year of budget cuts, an elected person is about as well-loved by the public as a rancher is by an animal rights advocate.Last word fromthe tightwadsI hope readers remember a few weeks ago when I listed money-saving tips that people had sent me. It was a fun thing to do, and interesting, because many people turned it into a tattling match — exposing others for their outrageous cheapskate tendencies. I did get one negative comment about the entire idea: "It’s not the ‘30s anymore. C’mon people, we don’t need to talk about reusing coffee grounds."Anyway, here’s the rest of the "frugal lifestyle" information I did get from other readers:oOne woman wrote about her grandma. She said, "Black oxfords with 1 1/2 inch heels were worn every day and also for dress up occasions. Always thrifty, Grandma carried frugality to the limit, when, in later years, she regularly put her shoes on the opposite feet to compensate for heels that were worn down on one side. Like a drill sergeant, she walked with back straight and head held erect, even as she wore the left shoe on the right foot."oPeople sure like to eat for free. Someone else told me a story about a man who would show up at Magnolia Steakhouse just as his friends were finishing their suppers. He would sit next to them and eat the fat off their steak bones and finish the leftovers on their plates, and he didn’t have to spend a cent. The submission said, "He died of a heart attack — too much fat."oA man managed to get free stuff off of others all the time. As a farmhand, he had two vehicles at a farm. He filled the tank of his Oldsmobile with gas from the farmer’s barrel. "Then he says, ‘Guess I’ll take the Ford. It runs cheaper.’ … Talk about cheap." He also would decline to pay for food if it was around, but he’d eat his half, anyway.

By John RittenhouseA Luverne eighth-grader captured a league title during the Southwest Conference Tennis Tournament in Redwood Falls Thursday.Derek Boeve, a first-year member of the program, went 2-0 at No. 4 singles to secure Luverne’s lone SWC championship during the event.Boeve opened the tournament by besting Redwood Valley’s Josh Okins by 6-1 and 6-2 scores in the semifinals. Boeve then won a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 match against Pipestone’s Jamie Gustavson to claim the title."I’m really proud of Derek Boeve," said Cardinal coach Greg Antoine. "This is his first year out for tennis, and he played really hard and really well."Three LHS singles players and a pair of doubles teams placed second at the tournament.Dusty Antoine posted a 7-5, 6-1 win over RWV’s Drew Tribble before losing the championship match at No. 1 singles to Pipestone’s Florian Brokamp by 6-1 and 6-0 tallies.Patrick Bennett topped RWV’s Mike Alexander by 6-2 and 6-1 scores during his first match at No. 2 singles. Pipestone’s Mike Janssen handed Bennett a pair of 6-4 setbacks in the championship match.Cardinal Kyle Fletcher nailed down 6-2 and 6-4 wins over RWV’s Devan Blaine in the first round at No. 4 singles. Pipestone’s Damion Weets posted 6-1 and 6-0 wins over Fletcher in the title tilt.John Kreuch and Chris Vickery earned a berth in the championship match at No. 2 doubles by beating RWV’s Justin Thiel and Dan Stephens in a three-set match that featured 5-7, 6-4 and 6-3 scores. Pipestone’s Paul Williamson and Casey Carmody topped the Luverne team 6-3 and 6-4 in the title match.Cardinals David Nelson and Weston Sawtelle beat RWV’s Dave Sandvold and Jordan Maserek 2-6, 7-6 (7-3 in the tie-breaker) and 6-4 in the first round at No. 3 doubles. Pipestone’s Aaron Prunty and Dave Janssen defeated the Luverne team by 7-5 and 6-1 scores in the finale.Luverne’s Trevor Maine and Steven Althoff lost 6-2 and 6-1 sets to RWV’s Reed Larson and Laron Schottenbauer in the first round at No. 1 doubles. Maine and Althoff bounced back to beat Worthington’s Cody Neyens and Jordan Williemssen by 6-4 and 5-3 tallies to place third.