By Lori EhdeTuesday marks another year since the murder of Blue Mounds State Park worker Carrie Nelson.The case remains an open investigation, but with no new leads or productive tips, it also remains unsolved.Park Naturalist Dave Rambow said the Blue Mounds is shedding the image of "the park where the girl was murdered," but he said it’s taken a toll on workers’ morale."I don’t know if you’d call it survivor’s guilt, but there’s a lot of us wishing we ‘would have, should have could have…’ I know I wish I had been there that day."He said most of the campers are from outside of Rock County, so he doesn’t get many questions from them, but Rambow said he still gets questions from the locals about the murder.And that, he said, is hard on everyone. "I think, because it’s an unsolved case, it’s like an open sore," he said.For Carrie’s friends and family members, time is beginning to heal their pain, but now more than ever, they want her to be remembered.Her father, Stan Nelson, said he continues to visit her grave every day, twice a day."Carrie is with me still every day, and I think about her all the time. I think all the time about what I can do to honor her memory," he said Tuesday. "I want to live the best life I can … She was a kind and loving kid, and if we can all be a little more like her, the world will be a better place."A Carrie Nelson memorial flower garden will be planted this spring near the Blue Mounds State Park Interpretive Center.Nelson, 20, was found beaten to death at the Blue Mounds State Park entrance building in the afternoon of Sunday, May 20.The 1999 Luverne High School graduate was a park employee and had been working the 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift at the park when she was killed.Investigators still welcome tips at the Rock County Sheriff’s Department’s non-emergency number, 283-5000.

By Sara StrongBetty Ehlers is limiting her diaper changing duties to her grandchildren these days. It’s not that she’s tired of it, but she is downsizing after raising her own five children and taking in 22 others through the foster care system.Ehlers, Luverne, was honored in recognition of May being National Foster Care Month for being a foster parent for 20 years."I’ve always liked children and they all deserve to be loved and get TLC," Ehlers said. "And I’ve always loved babies, especially."She specialized in infants and toddlers, taking in only a couple 10- to 12-year-olds.Before she accumulated these 20 years of foster care experience, she got into the system only after she and her late husband, Eldon, consulted with their first four children."We had a family council meeting," she said. "They treated the foster children like their own brothers and sisters. … They all knew babies before they got married on their own, and have said it was a good thing."Ehlers adopted one of the family’s foster children, Anna.She said, "There are different reasons that children come into the foster care system, but every one is precious."Many of the babies who entered the Ehlers home were waiting to be adopted, were children of mothers who were undecided about keeping the baby, or were children who were court removed from the home.The children Ehlers cared for represent a minute fraction of the need for foster care. According to the Department of Human Services, there are 5,377 licensed foster homes in Minnesota, but there are 11,300 children who need foster care.Nancy Lange, with Rock County Family Services, has worked with Ehlers through the years. She started out as a Child Protection worker and now licenses people to become foster parents.Lange said, "She was so nurturing and very calm. She was so easy to work with and always conscientious and accountable."Around Rock County, Ehlers is known for having a stream of different children in her life, so much so, that people often ask if her grandchildren are foster children. She also remembers going out to eat with her husband while they were with a 1-year-old foster child. They sat next to a couple who watched the Ehlers interact with the boy, and finally asked if it was the couple’s first child. Betty replied that it was their 19th. She paused to let the other couple react before she explained that they were foster parents.While she loved the tender and humorous moments of caring for children, Ehlers also had some hard times.Once, a newborn went limp in her arms as she fed her in the night. The baby didn’t seem to have a strong pulse. Living in the country at that time, Eldon quickly took Betty and the baby to the emergency room, where she was admitted to the hospital.Ehlers said, "I was so happy to put her into the arms of a nurse." The doctors didn’t find a specific problem with the baby and she was fine within a couple days.Even though the Ehlers suffered from broken hearts when it was time for the children to leave, Betty said her foster care experiences have been worthwhile. A plaque in her home displays the Foster Parent Creed: "A hundred years from now it will not matter what our bank account was, the sort of house we lived in, or the kind of car we drove. But the world may be different because we were important in the life of a child."She encourages more to give it a try. "I hope there are younger families who can open their homes and hearts to little children who need help," Ehlers said. "It’s so good for the heart to share love."Other foster families in Rock CountyBrian and Rachel SudengaDan Biever and Lori WinterBruce and Jodi Van Den BoschRod and Lisa RosinJim Juhl and Brenda WinterLarry and Judi Wiley

By Sara StrongLegislation specific to Rock County (House File 317) was passed last week, making it possible for the county to remove the recorder position from ballots.Rock County requested the legislation and next week will discuss whether to accept or decline the legislation. Even if it is accepted, the county has to host a public hearing. Citizens can also get the change reversed by petition to get it on the ballot.Rock County Commissioners have worked for a few years to get the position changed from elected to appointed. They said the position requires a detail-oriented person who will be accountable for the county’s records. As it stands, anyone can run for office, and could get elected without proving to be qualified.As many as 25 counties in the state have made the same change. Current Recorder Jere Ohme said he thinks the change would be good for the county, and he wrote a letter of support for the legislation.The county’s first attempts to make the position appointed rather than elected met with objection mostly because it was at the same time the auditor-treasurer’s position was changing to appointed.Those objecting to it said they feared that county workers wouldn’t be as accountable to the entire public, and would instead be most loyal to those who gave them their jobs.Commissioner Bob Jarchow has been a vocal advocate of the change, but said he isn’t confident the change will even get through the next step of the board.

By Lori EhdeThe activities director and middle school counselor became the first casualties in Luverne School District’s battle to trim expenditures to meet shrinking revenues.At their Thursday, May 8, meeting, School Board members unanimously approved resolutions that left first-year Middle School Counselor Kristi Groth and 3 1/2-year Activities Director Harvey Crable out of jobs.Discontinuing the positions saves the district approximately $48,000. The board will not rehire to fill those part-time positions.Elementary Counselor Marie Atkinson-Smeins advised the board to not leave middle school students without a counselor."Middle school years are very difficult for students," she said. "They need a counselor to talk to about peer pressure concerns, smoking, drugs and alcohol, divorce, making friends, bullying, death, etc. Someone needs to be available to the students when crises occur."With future cuts spreading additional workload on fewer teachers and staff, she said she worries the students will fall through the cracks.She also read a letter submitted by former middle school counselor Keith Erickson."The issues confronting young people are not decreasing, rather, its on the increase," he said. "Please take a long hard look at this possible void in our school system…"He also pointed out that middle school counseling can end up saving the district resources by identifying students in trouble and preventing future academic failure that often results from personal crisis.Pointing to decreasing enrollment and decreasing state support for education, Superintendent Vince Schaefer recommended the board approve the cuts."These recommendations that are on the table tonight have been struggled with for a long time, with respect to budget restraints," he said."We have $200,000 that needs to be cut from the expenditure column, and it’s also a negotiating year."Current step increases are 3.5 to 4 percent, and health insurance costs for Luverne District are increasing about 10 percent. "It’s unfortunate that we have to release good people from their positions because of the almighty dollar, but we need to remain fiscally responsible to be viable in the future."There wasn’t much discussion at the meeting before the vote, but board member Don Bryan later shared that he feels people may be focusing too much on the negative aspect of these decisions."The district is still a wonderful place to educate children. We have an excellent administration and staff," Bryan said."I keep thinking back to my time in the military when I saw so many children who had nothing, and I think how fortunate we are in southwest Minnesota."He also pointed out that Luverne is well-situated to cut the half-time middle school counselor position because the new middle school principal, Stacy Gillette, has a background in counseling.In other business,Thursday, the board:oApproved a surplus auction scheduled for 6 p.m. June 10, on the blacktop by the bus garage.Items to be auctioned include a 1988 Chevy Suburban with 156,000 miles, a 1984 GMC passenger bus with 74,325 miles, a Rockwell/Delta radial arm saw, a Rockwell table saw, a band sander, set of IT tractor manuals, 6-foot tables, chain link fencing in 50-foot lengths, computers and miscellaneous printers and audio visual equipment.oHired Lori Christensen as Spanish teacher and assistant softball coach.oApproved a three-year teacher mobility extended leave of absence for high school choir director Beth Behal. She will return for school year 2006-07, or notify the district by February 2006 of her plans.Behal declined to say why she requested the leave, but board member Cary Radisewitz wished her well. "Hope your journey finds you back in Luverne," he said. "You’ve done a nice job with our kids."oHeard a report by Schaefer that the Luverne School Foundation had officially received it’s first two checks in the amount of $500 each.oHeard a report by Elementary Principal Melody Tenhoff that the Luverne School Patrol program received an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Minnesota State Patrol for promoting school traffic safety. Elementary teacher Loel Olson is the School Patrol director.oTenhoff also reported that 346 elementary students watched no TV during TV Turn-Off Week in April.

By Sara StrongThe Luverne City Council will soon decide if $50,000 is too much to spend for a total revamp of city plans. The 10-year-old Comprehensive Plan has been the subject of debate for a few months. Should the city rewrite it? Should outside professionals rewrite it? Should it simply be allowed to collect dust in file drawers?After reviewing a proposal from the Minneapolis-based Hoisington Koegler Group, the Luverne Planning Commission unanimously voted to update and rewrite the plan.Their action serves as a recommendation to the City Council to contract with the Minneapolis group. Consultant Rusty Fifield will work with the city on the Plan.Before the vote, Planning Commission member Mike Reker said he was uncomfortable spending that kind of money if it wasn’t for the right reasons.He said, "I think I was on this board for a year before I even knew we had a Comprehensive Plan."Other Commission members said they didn’t refer to it as a guide, either.Apparently, no one in the city has. Parts of western Luverne were designated for business growth in the last Comprehensive Plan, but are now housing and apartment developments. Various other parts of the city also have permits, variances and zones that don’t follow the plan.Cities with good planning generally have consistent appearances, with a natural flow among business, industrial and residential areas.Reker reminded the Commission that most Comprehensive Plan meetings have turned into debates about the future zoning of Fledgling Field.Reker said, "Is the entire Comprehensive Plan an issue, or is this just a way to disguise the zoning of Fledgling Field?"Reker said he hoped the city wasn’t considering paying a consultant $50,000 to make a decision on Fledgling Field to take the pressure off public boards.In the end, the Planning Commission decided that the new plan would be worth the cost, provided it, and the rest of the city followed the new Comprehensive Plan.City Councilman David Hauge said, "If we spend the money, let’s do it right, stick to it, and us it — like it’s the Bible, it’s the law."City Zoning Administrator Dan Delgehausen said it will take a strong Council and Planning Commission to stick to the new Comprehensive Plan and not bend to pressure from individual property owners. Otherwise, all the planning will be in vain.Commission member Dan Serie said he looked forward to public involvement where people could feel a sincere sense of ownership in the plan.Besides city leaders and elected people, the consultant recommended inviting skeptics and young people to be a part of the planning process to get the widest variety of insight.The hospital factorA lack of new commercial zones, neighborhood preservation, downtown vitality and possible development opportunities near a new airport are issues the Comprehensive Plan will address. Luverne is also counting on Sioux Falls’ continued growth to spread east, and impact the city.But above all those factors, the new hospital and clinic pose city planning possibilities. Residential and commercial growth could both follow the Sioux Valley health care campus.The former hospital and clinic will also be issues for the city that will also come into play.Delgehausen said, "The hospital is going to be the biggest undertaking for the city with a new Planning Commission, City Council and city zoning administrator. We could cause a big mess if we don’t do it right."The proposalsFifield, the Hoisington Koegler consultant, has 20 years of experience in community development and finance consulting experience. He is also a former city manager. The Southwest Regional Development Commission also gave the city of Luverne a proposal for a revamping of the Comprehensive Plan.That cost estimate came at a range of $7,560 to $12,530, including being present at public meetings and designing new maps for the city.The Planning Commission said the SRDC didn’t match the expertise of Hoisington Koegler.

Jim Brandenburg captures on high-definition film a cloud of smoke spiraling into the sky.By Lori EhdeNature photographer Jim Brandenburg returned to his hometown, Luverne, this week to film the first burning of Touch the Sky Prairie.Brandenburg has signed a contract with Japan's public television station to produce a two-hour television movie on the Prairies of North America, which will be broadcast worldwide.The movie is about Brandenburg rediscovering his prairie roots in Rock County, and the beauty and majesty of the prairie landscape of North America.Brandenburg filmed the burning of about 40 acres Monday, a process in prairie restoration that kills off non-native species and encourages regrowth of naturally-existing prairie grasses and flowers.A crew from Japan joined Brandenburg Tuesday when another 30 to 40 acres were burned. They filmed Brandenburg working on the prairie, filming the fire.This week’s shoot is the first in what may be a two-year process. From here, film crews went on to a bison ranch in South Dakota where "Dances With Wolves," was filmed.Brandenburg will be the producer and cinematographer on the main body of the prairie film. He’s working on the piece as both a prairie expert and a visual expert.There will be a major focus on prairie restoration at Touch the Sky Prairie northwest of Luverne.The 800-acre stretch of land is one mile from where Brandenburg was born. It’s two miles from where his great-grandparents, Henry and Theresa Brandenburg, homesteaded and broke the virgin prairie sod at the turn of the century.The Japanese working title for the film is "My Dear Prairie," but this may change with the North American broadcast.Brandenburg points out that the film will be digital quality and the camera used for the production is designed for Hollywood movie theater entertainment.NHK of Japan plans to air the special worldwide in the fall of 2004.Brandenburg has been documenting the North American prairies for 30 years for National Geographic and he just completed a companion book with its release to coincide with the television show. Touch the Sky Prairie and Blue Mound State Park, both are featured in this book.This isn’t Brandenburg's first venture in television work. He was the cinematographer and co-producer of a television show for the award winning National Geographic Special called "White Wolf." He has also been featured and filmed in numerous other television films including one that is soon to be released based on his book, "Chased by the Light."Touch the Sky Prairie is the beginning of an effort that began three years ago when the Brandenburgs and four Luverne natives formed the Brandenburg Prairie Foundation. The project has received financial help from Blandin Foundation, Southwest Minnesota Foundation, Wallace Dayton Foundation and the US Fish and Wildlife.Future restoration work includes creating a prairie educational area, a shelter and informational signage.A longer-term goal is to re-establish prairie chickens and burrowing owls.

By Lori EhdeTuesday marks another year since the murder of Blue Mounds State Park worker Carrie Nelson.The case remains an open investigation, but with no new leads or productive tips, it also remains unsolved.Park Naturalist Dave Rambow said the Blue Mounds is shedding the image of "the park where the girl was murdered," but he said it’s taken a toll on workers’ morale."I don’t know if you’d call it survivor’s guilt, but there’s a lot of us wishing we ‘would have, should have could have…’ I know I wish I had been there that day."He said most of the campers are from outside of Rock County, so he doesn’t get many questions from them, but Rambow said he still gets questions from the locals about the murder.And that, he said, is hard on everyone. "I think, because it’s an unsolved case, it’s like an open sore," he said.For Carrie’s friends and family members, time is beginning to heal their pain, but now more than ever, they want her to be remembered.Her father, Stan Nelson, said he continues to visit her grave every day, twice a day."Carrie is with me still every day, and I think about her all the time. I think all the time about what I can do to honor her memory," he said Tuesday. "I want to live the best life I can … She was a kind and loving kid, and if we can all be a little more like her, the world will be a better place."A Carrie Nelson memorial flower garden will be planted this spring near the Blue Mounds State Park Interpretive Center.Nelson, 20, was found beaten to death at the Blue Mounds State Park entrance building in the afternoon of Sunday, May 20.The 1999 Luverne High School graduate was a park employee and had been working the 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift at the park when she was killed.Investigators still welcome tips at the Rock County Sheriff’s Department’s non-emergency number, 283-5000.

By Jolene FarleyThe Hills-Beaver Creek School board didn’t vote on bids for the locker room project at a Monday meeting. After opening bids for the locker room project Thursday, May 8, officials were disappointed when bids came in higher than anticipated."I was disappointed," Superintendent Dave Deragisch said. "I’m not going to beat around the bush." Ten general contractors, all from Minnesota or South Dakota, submitted bids for the project ranging from $597,000 to $720,000. Sunkota, Sioux Falls, S.D, submitted the lowest bid of $597,000 with an alternate bid of $503,000, eliminating the fitness center/weight room portion of the project. "The architect is doing a lot of leg work right now reviewing the bids from the different companies," Deragisch said. Two factors increased bid totals, according to Deragisch. Plumbing costs came in $53,000 higher than the architect’s estimate and pre-cast concrete for the walls came in $25,000 higher than anticipated. "We asked the architect to find out what happened here," Deragisch said. If project costs remain less than $500,000, the Department of Children, Families and Learning doesn’t require a Review and Comment process. Deragisch vowed at a December meeting not to exceed $500,000 for the project. The building committee will meet Friday with the architects to evaluate the bids and discuss options for the district. Initial cost estimates for the project without a weight room submitted by Group II Architects, Sioux Falls, ranged from $398,144 to $439,552. The firm estimated the weight room would add $113,302 to $127,512.Voters approved a $400,000 levy for the project Tuesday, March 11, with 69.5 percent of the votes in favor. The district plans to pay for the remaining portion of the construction from current cash assets. State law requires bids for construction projects over $25,000, according to Deragisch. In other board business: oHealth insurance rates for the district will rise 3.5 percent for 2003-04. Last year the district had no premium increase. Rate hikes for other districts participating in the insurance pool averaged 14.5 percent, with the highest increase 21.5 percent. "The pool overall has really stabilized insurance costs," Deragisch said. oThe district received one bid of $2,900 for the removal of 11 trees. The trees need to be removed because of the locker room project.Deragisch contacted four or five companies but most were unable to do the job before August or September.The board suggested another company to contact before they vote.

By Jolene FarleyThe Hills City Council opened three bids for the former Patriot Academy and current barbershop building on Main Street at a Tuesday meeting.Eugene Immediato, Jasper, submitted the highest bid of $10,000, and the council voted to sell him the property. "I intend to use said property to open a combination mini-grocery/convenience store and delicatessen," Immediato stated in his letter to the council. "The bulk of the business will be food-orientated, serving made-to-order breakfast, lunch and limited dinner items prepared on site," he wrote. Immediato intends to use the vacant property to the rear of the building for an indoor/outdoor seating area. Immediato’s brother, Karmine, attended the meeting and told the council he thought the business would be open for customers in six to eight months. Kelly’s Roadhouse owner Kelly Demuth bid $2,500 for the building. He attended a March city council meeting as an interested buyer for the property, which is located next door to his bar. In March, Demuth told the council he would like to open a café and arcade room in the space. In his letter of intent with his bid, no food service was mentioned.Bud Bush also placed a bid of $2,001. He didn’t state an intended use for the property. Barber Bud Hoogeveen operates his shop in the building. Karmine assured the council that Hoogeveen could likely remain at his current location for several months. Patriot Academy rented the remainder of the space until last fall when classes were moved to Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary School.The council outlined the following stipulations to the sale:oThe council had the right to refuse any bids because of intended use of the property.oThe property is taxed commercial, andoAny business must be opened in one year. In other board business: oTax valuations in Hills remained fairly stable Rock County assessors told the council.The City of Hills has $16,754,000 taxable valuation for properties.Residential values increased less than one percent, according to Rock County Assessor Tom Houselog."Some of the population went up a little bit," Deputy Assessor Mark Hovland said. "Some, there was no change at all."Apartment value, which increased 10 percent, was the only category to increase significantly. State law requires a 90 percent of market value tax valuation on all properties. Assessors are reacting to one apartment sale in Hills, the property was under- valued for tax purposes. "The 10 percent increase put it right in line with that 90 percent," Houselog said. Houselog also suggested cutting the yearly Board of Appeal and Equalization meeting back to 30 minutes rather than an hour. The meeting is required by law to allow taxpayers the opportunity to protest their tax valuations. Some years no one attends the meetings.oThe council discussed how to address habitually late water payments. The Council voted to assess a $30 service fee for all bad checks and discussed following the city ordinance of only one late notice before shutoff next year.Later in the meeting, the council debated whether to install outside water meters on Hills residences. Mayor Jim Jellema suggested installing 50 meters a year. Council member Linus Svoboda disagreed."Have we lost $16,000 in revenue just because a few people are reading their meters wrong?" asked Svoboda. ‘That’s what it’s going to cost you."The council decided to install outside meters on homes with late readings and new construction.