Do they teach English in Nerds 101?

On the tails of Lori's column last week about workplace technology changes, I will also add my comments on changes in the workplace.

I've been walking around with a very tense look on my face, but it's nothing against the people I face. It's just no fun to change. Well, it's fun to learn new programs and experiment with an entirely new system - just not on deadline.

I know this office has nothing special to whine about, as most professionals go through this.

How people deal with change is what interests me. As for my reaction to it so far, my skin is blotchy, my hair seems dryer, my back hurts and I think I'm omitting a foul odor. Not to mention that I have a blister on my wrist from sliding around my mouse for unusually long periods of time.

I hope I've been kind to my co-workers through the changes in our office. And I hope readers who make drastic changes in their homes or workplaces follow this way of constructive thinking...

SAY: Don't worry, Lori, I'll just work over the weekend. INSTEAD OF: And when do you expect me to do this, Kathy Lee?

SAY: I'm certain that isn't a possibility. INSTEAD OF: No way!

SAY: Isn't that interesting? INSTEAD OF: I want my old system back!

SAY: Perhaps you should check with Sue. INSTEAD OF: Tell someone who cares.

SAY: I wasn't involved in that project. INSTEAD OF: Not my problem.

SAY: I'm not sure if this can be implemented. INSTEAD OF: No!

SAY: I'll try to finish that by Monday. INSTEAD OF: Why didn't you tell me sooner?

SAY: She's not familiar with the program. INSTEAD OF: She's an idiot.

SAY: Excuse me, Mr. Technical Support? INSTEAD OF: Do they even teach English in Nerd School?

SAY: So, you weren't happy with it? INSTEAD OF: Kiss it!

SAY: I don't think I understand that function. INSTEAD OF: Who am I and how long have I been asleep?

SAY: You want me to take care of that? INSTEAD OF: Who made you boss?

SAY: She's just a little overworked right now. INSTEAD OF: How rude!

SAY: I think you could use more training. INSTEAD OF: You don't know what you are doing!

SAY: I love a challenge. INSTEAD OF: I want my mommy.

Genevieve "Mutt" Carlson, 79, Hardwick, died Monday, Oct. 14, 2002, in Luverne Community Hospital.

Services were Friday, Oct. 18, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Jasper. Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery, Luverne.

Genevieve DeBates was born to Richard and Elizabeth (VerBaker) DeBates on Oct. 31, 1922, near Jasper where she was raised and attended country school. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Jasper.

She married Howard Carlson on Feb. 5, 1945, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Jasper. Following their marriage, they lived on a farm in Springwater Township near Jasper.

Mrs. Carlson was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Jasper. She was a member of the church ladiesÕ circle and Hardwick Auxiliary. She enjoyed canning, caring for her flowers, feeding the birds and playing pinochle.

Survivors include her husband, Howard Carlson, Hardwick; nine children, Jean Elizabeth McGeath, Michael Richard (Lorae) Carlson, Paul Thomas (Ihla) Carlson, all of Pipestone, Kathleen Mary (Donald) Soderblom, Winter Springs, Fla., Richard Lawrence (Darcy) Carlson, Luverne, Donald James (Kimberly) Carlson, Winfield, Pa., Duane David (Jane) Carlson, Orlando, Fla., Howard Lee (Karen) Carlson, Willmar, and Mary Beth (Robert) Schueller, Tyler; 25 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Carlson was preceded in death by her parents, one infant son, David Lawrence Carlson, on Jan. 27, 1947, five brothers, Richard, John, Edward, Charles and Francis DeBates, and four sisters, Anne Heckt, Florence Gilbertson, Marie Haraldson and Emily Berthelsen.

Hartquist Funeral Chapel, Pipestone, was in charge of arrangements.

Mildred "Millie" Ida Clark, Kenneth, died Friday, Oct. 18, 2002, at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids.

Services were Tuesday, Oct. 22, at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Lismore. The Rev. Robert Maher, a long-time family member, officiated. Burial was at West St. Anthony Cemetery located between Kenneth and Lismore.

Mildred Gamber was born to Edward J. and Marguerite (Thorndyke) Gamber on Sept. 26, 1921, near Woodstock. She attended Woodstock Grade School until the eighth grade and graduated from Ruthton High School. She graduated from the Minneapolis School of Beauty Culture and worked in St. Paul.

She married Joseph A. Clark at St. Catherine Catholic Church on Sept. 17, 1941. During World War II they lived in Fort Lewis, Wash., and Fort Sill, Okla. After the war, they farmed in Rock County for 17 years and moved to Kenneth in 1964. She was the first woman mayor in Rock County and led the nationally acknowledged fight against the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to retain the rights of small cities. She was instrumental in acquiring rural water for Kenneth.

Mrs. Clark was actively involved in the American Legion Auxiliary, Home Extension Club, Catholic Daughters, Southwestern Minnesota Mental Health Board, Rock County Welfare Board, Senior Citizens and North Star 4-H Club. She loved traveling with her husband, dancing, reading antiques, gardening, fishing, playing cards, sewing, casinos, and Minnesota Twins baseball.

Survivors include her husband, Joseph Albertus Clark; four children, Karen (Jacquelyn) Clark, Minneapolis, Dr. Edward (Mary) Clark, Craig (Pam) Clark, all of Sioux Falls, S.D., and Cynthia (Wayne) Pratt, Ramsey; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; three brothers, Darryl (Anita) Gamber, Don (Ruth) Gamber and Jerry (Mary Frances) Gamber; a special sister-in-law, Lucille, a brother-in-law Edsel (Elaine); many nieces and nephews; and friends.

Mrs. Clark was preceded in death by her parents, one son, Larry, and an infant son, Philip, one brother, V. Duane, and one sister, Marjorie.

Dingmann Funeral Home, Luverne, was in chare of arrangements.

Photo by John Rittenhouse
Adrian quarterback Levi Bullerman follows a block from Trent Bullerman to pick up some of his 141 rushing yards during Tuesday’s Section 3A Football Playoff game against Russell-Tyler-Ruthton in Adrian. Adrian routed the Knights 55-6 to advance to Saturday’s semifinals in Wabasso.

By John Rittenhouse
Adrian stormed into the semifinal round of the Section 3A Football Playoffs by routing Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 55-6 in Adrian Tuesday.

Sophomore quarterback Levi Bullerman ran for two touchdowns and passed for three more while helping the Dragon’s build a 48-0 lead in the first three quarters of play.

Several sacks by the Adrian defense played a key role in stopping R-T-R’s passing attack when the Adrian offense was putting the game away.

The win ups Adrian’s season record to 7-2 heading into Saturday’s semifinals.

Third-seeded Adrian plays No. 2 Wabasso, which upended Lakeview Tuesday night, at 3 p.m. in Wabasso.

Adrian controlled play in the first half while rolling to a 28-0 lead at the intermission.

The Dragons scored six points in the first quarter before exploding for 22 counters in an 8:04 span in the second period.

Bullerman, who ran the ball eight times for 141 yards in the game, made his presence felt early. On the second play from scrimmage, the AHS signal-caller dashed 57 yards for a touchdown and a 6-0 lead at the 11:12 mark of the opening period.

R-T-R had a chance to score as the first half progressed, but a fourth-and-one pass on the AHS 14-yard line fell incomplete on the first play of the second quarter.

Six plays after taking over the ball on downs, Bullerman struck again with a 48-yard touchdown run at the 9:43 mark of the second quarter. A failed conversion run left the Dragons sporting a 12-0 lead.

Adrian then scored touchdowns and added two-point conversions with its next two offensive possessions to open a 28-0 lead before the first half was complete.

On the third play of Adrian’s next offensive possession, Bullerman tossed a 62-yard touchdown strike to Pete Hohn.

Dusty Henning carried in the two point conversion to make it a 20-0 game at 7:07 mark of the second quarter.

After forcing the Knights to punt four plays later, the Dragons marched 56 yards before Bullerman hit Hohn for a 23-yard touchdown pass with 1:39 remaining in the second period. Hohn, who hauled in three passes for 130 yards in the game, then completed a conversion pass to Henning.

The Dragons put the game out of reach by scoring 20 points in the first nine minutes of the third quarter.

Adrian drove 74 yards with its first possession of the second half. The drive ended with Hohn latching onto a 45-yard touchdown pass from Bullerman. Bullerman added the extra point to make it 35-0 at the 7:12 mark of the third stanza.

R-T-R had to punt four plays later, setting a 46-yard drive that ended with Brandon Wolf scoring on a six-yard run with 4:02 left in the period. The extra-point attempt was blocked.

Dragon defender Dusty Spieker picked off a pass three plays into R-T-R’s next possession and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown. Wolf added the extra point to make it a 48-0 difference.

R-T-R ended Adrian’s shutout when Ramsey Gravely caught a screen pass from Reed Burckhardt and ran 25 yards for a touchdown with 1:37 remaining in the third period.

Wolf scored on a 14-yard run before kicking the extra point at 3:38 in the fourth quarter to make it a 55-6 game in the end.

Team statistics
Adrian: 288 rushing yards, 164 passing yards, 452 total yards, 15 first downs, five penalties for 45 yards, one turnover.

R-T-R: 100 rushing yards, 99 passing yards, 199 total yards, eight first downs, three penalties for 20 yards, three turnovers.

Individual statistics
Rushing: Henning 14-62, David Hoffer 2-7, Joe Kruger 6-22, L.Bullerman 8-141, Wolf 5-25, Trent Bullerman 11-31.
Passing: L.Bullerman 5-9 for 164 yards.
Receiving: Hohn 3-130, Henning 2-34.

By Sara Strong
The second meeting of Parents: The Anti Drug and Violence Task Force drew at least 85 people to the Pizza Ranch Tuesday night.

Assistant County Attorney Terry Vajgrt spoke at the meeting. "We must be making progress," he said. "It's difficult to share personal stories with others as these parents have."

The group started out as frustrated parents trying to deal with their children's drug abuse problems. It branched out to include many concerned community people who wanted education on drugs and drug abuse, more communication from law enforcement and a list of goals and objectives for leaders to address.

Vajgrt was there as an educational source on warrants and how law enforcement gets information that the County Attorney's Office uses in prosecutions.

"The Fourth Amendment protects us all from a government that can become too intrusive. It gives us all rights to privacy and prevents unreasonable search and seizure," he said.

Vajgrt said it's important to place the burden on government to justify searches with the right information.

People in the community have complained about a perceived lack of results from tips to law enforcement.

"We have to have probable cause to determine if we can get a warrant signed," Vajgrt said.

Probable cause is loosely defined as being more likely than not that evidence of a crime will be found after a search. Third-hand rumors can't be used on their own for search warrants, nor can neighbors seeing lots of traffic coming and going from a home.

Officers can use that information to ask questions and start an investigation, but it's not enough to get a warrant.

"They are cautious," Vajgrt said, "and I think rightfully so. We have an entry team of about 11 armed officers that execute search warrants, and we don't want that to be a mistake."

Vajgrt went through recent drug arrests and explained the chain of evidence used in getting search warrants. "The unfortunate thing is that primarily law enforcement gets information from bad guys. Ordinary citizens have a harder time giving better information," Vajgrt said.

"It's critically important in my mind that the public have good communication with law enforcement, and that's what community policing is doing."

Luverne resident Bob Osterday spoke up at the meeting to caution concerned parents from forming vigilante groups. Intimidating letters have been circulated to suspected people involved with drugs, and Osterday said those should stop.

"I'm all for this group, but it could get ugly," he said.

"Don't try to find out from your children who drug dealers are. That's got to be left up to the police. It puts unsafe pressure on kids. And let's remember that it's not just kids who are using."

In other business at the Parents meeting:
Lila Bauer, owner of the Pizza Ranch, said she recently obtained $20 home drug-test kits for other parents who might be interested in buying them.

Public Health Educator Paula Anderson reminded parents that her office has educational material on drugs and prevention along with general parenting information.

She pointed out that the danger zone for school-aged children to start using drugs is from 4 to 6 p.m., before parents get home from work.

With alcohol and tobacco being "gateway" drugs, Anderson said it's important to tell children they aren't allowed to experiment with those either. "Alcohol is not a right of passage, and don't write off smoking either."

Luverne Community Hospital drug assessment and abuse counselor Stephanie Pierce said the hospital offers aftercare to recovering addicts, so driving for services isn't necessary. "Staying locally connected is so important," she said.

Luverne senior defender David Roemen drags down a Jackson County Central runner during an Oct. 16 football game played in Luverne.

By John Rittenhouse
Luverne’s bid to qualify for the Section 3AAA Football Playoffs came up short when the Cardinals lost a 28-6 game to Jackson County Central in Luverne Wednesday, Oct. 16.

Playing the Huskies in what was a must-win situation for LHS, it looked like the Cardinals might have a chance to upset the defending state champions when they opened scoring in the second quarter.

JCC, however, scored 28 unanswered points the rest of the way to secure a 22-point victory.

The victory locked up a No. 3 seed for JCC in Section 3AAA. Luverne ends the year with a 2-6 record.

According to Cardinal coach Todd Oye, LHS can blame only itself for not making the playoffs.

"We needed to win more games earlier in the season. We never should have been in a position where we had to beat JCC in the last game of the season to make the playoffs. JCC is a good, solid team. They didn’t win a state championship last year by accident," he said.

Luverne played right with the Huskies in the first half, falling behind 7-6 after JCC scored seven points in the final minute of the second quarter.

The Huskies dominated play by outscoring Luverne 21-0 in the second half.

JCC nearly opened the scoring when it moved the ball to the LHS 25-yard line during its second possession of the game, but an incomplete pass during a fourth-and-nine situation gave the Cards the ball on downs.

Luverne moved the ball from its own 25 to the JCC six in 12 plays, but a fumble during a fourth-and-one situation was recovered at the 10 by JCC’s Pat Wieneke at the 8:07 mark of the second quarter.

Luverne got the ball back two plays later when Cardinal Cody Gehrke recovered a fumble on the JCC 15. On the first play from scrimmage after the turnover, Luverne quarterback Tony Smedsrud tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Canaan Petersen.
The ensuing extra-point attempt was blocked, leaving the Cards with a 6-0 lead with 7:16 remaining in the second period.

JCC moved the ball into LHS territory with its next possession before punting. The Cards took over on their own five, but a short punt on fourth down gave JCC the ball on the LHS 25 with 2:01 left in the first half. Huskies running back Kent Scheff scored four plays later on a six-yard run, and the first of four extra points by Nick Wheeler gave JCC a 7-6 edge with 59 seconds left in the second quarter.

The Huskies opened the second half with a five-play drive that was capped by a 61-yard touchdown pass from Jon Hummel to Jeremy Sirovy to make it a 14-6 game with 9:33 remaining in the third quarter.

A pass out of punt formation from Adam Kurtz to Joey Pick resulted in a 24-yard gain and moved the ball inside JCC territory during Luverne’s first possession of the second half, but the Cards were forced to punt four plays later.

JCC took over on its own 21 and moved the ball inside Luverne territory before Luverne’s Marcus Walgrave picked off a pass to end the possession.

The teams traded punts while running the rest of the time off the clock in the third quarter.

JCC put the game away with a 14-point fourth quarter.

The Huskies mounted a nine-play, 57-yard drive during their first possession of the final stanza. Scheff capped the march with a five-yard touchdown run with 7:50 left to play.
JCC’s Tom Mattsen recovered a fumble by LHS moments later, setting the stage for a 72-yard touchdown pass from Kevin Williams to Sirovy on the second play of JCC’s ensuing possession.

Wheeler’s final extra point capped the scoring with 6:16 remaining in the game.

"The kids played hard," Oye said. "We made some mistakes, but we played hard the whole way."

Team statistics
Luverne: 103 rushing yards, 131 passing yards, 234 total yards, 10 first downs, seven penalties, two turnovers.
JCC: 116 rushing yards, 235 passing yards, 401 total yards, 13 first downs, six penalties, three turnovers.

Individual statistics
Rushing: Joel Evans 12-57, Aaron Schmidt 1-4, Tyler Elbers 2-6, Walgrave 8-16, Smedsrud 3-15, Mark Remme 3-5.
Passing: Smedsrud 9-22 for 101 yards, Kurtz 1-1 for 30 yards.
Receiving: Pick 6-69, Ben Cornish 3-47, Petersen 1-15.
Defense: Gehrke one fumble recovery, Josh Lange one fumble recovery, Walgrave one interception.

Luverne sophomore Cassie Pap fields a spike during Monday’s South Section 3AA Volleyball Tournament game against Sleepy Eye in Windom. The Cardinals swept a three-game match from the Indians to record their first post-season victory since 1998. Also pictured for LHS are Tera Boomgaarden (1) and Emily Oksness (2).

By John Rittenhouse
The Luverne volleyball team advanced to the quarterfinal round of the South Section 3AA Tournament by sweeping a three-game match from Sleepy Eye during a play-in match in Windom Monday.

Prior to taking on SE, the Cardinals capped an 11-16-1 regular season by dropping a three-game match to Southwest Christian in Edgerton Thursday.

Luverne, 12-16-1 overall, plays No. 2 seed Jackson County Central in sectional play Friday in Windom. The match starts approximately at 7:30 p.m.

Luverne 3,
Sleepy Eye 0
The Cardinals recorded their first post-season victory in four seasons when they swept the Indians in a three-game match played in Windom Monday.

No. 7-seeded Luverne, which had not won a tournament game since 1998, controlled play while outscoring No. 10 SE 45-25 in a play-in contest.

"This is our first playoff win in quite a while," said Cardinal coach Mary Jo Graphenteen. "We’ve never played in the preliminary rounds before, but we needed to win a match like this."

Luverne got off to a good start as Stephanie Morgan recorded a kill and a service point, and Emily Oksness served an ace to give the Cards a 3-0 lead.

The Cards still led by three points (7-4) when they gained some separation with 6-1 surge that made it a 13-5 difference. Brittany Williams served a pair of aces, Morgan had an ace block and a kill and Tera Boomgaarden contributed a kill and an ace tip to the run.

SE closed the margin to six points at 13-7 before Taylor Nelson served a pair of aces to ice a 15-7 win for LHS.

Game 2 was tight early on as Luverne sported a 7-6 edge at one point.

Williams served five consecutive points, including two aces to give the Cards a 12-5 cushion, and Morgan and Nelson capped a 15-8 win by serving two and one points respectively.

An 8-3 run by SE gave the Indians a 10-7 lead in Game 3 before Luverne ended the match by scoring the next eight points.

A pair of service points by Morgan, three kills by Rashel Boeve, a kill and a block by Boomgaarden and another point by Williams made up the rally that clinched a 15-10 win for LHS.

"We picked a good time to have one of our best serving nights of the year," Graphenteen said.

"We served over 90 percent, and it was a good thing, because our receiving and free-ball passing wasn’t very sharp. Against an unpredictable team like SE, which is the hardest type of team to play, its tough to get anything going. We did what we needed to do to get a win, and that’s the only thing that counts in the playoffs."

Morgan was 18 of 18 serving with 12 points, Oksness 16 of 16 with 10 points and four aces, Nelson six of six with four points and two aces and Williams 13 of 16 with three aces and 10 points.

Morgan, Boeve and Boomgaarden led the way at the net with 13, seven and five kills respectively. Williams charted 26 set assists.

SWC 3, Luverne 1
The Cardinals ended the regular season by dropping a three-game match to the E-Gals in Edgerton Thursday.

The two teams previously played meaningful matches at this time of year when they both were members of the same sub-section prior to 1999, but that changed under the state’s new three-class format as both teams compete in separate classes.

Though the importance of the matches the teams play these days has dwindled, fans that attended Thursday’s clash wouldn’t have known it.

"It was a great match," Graphenteen said. "We always bring out the best in SWC, and their coach said they played one of their best matches of the year against us. We didn’t play a great match, but we did play very hard."

SWC controlled Game 1 while coasting to a 15-7 win, and the E-Gals led 10-3 in the second game before Luverne came storming back to gain a 16-15 edge. SWC, however, scored the next two points to clinch an 18-16 win and take a 2-0 lead.

Luverne pulled out a 16-14 win in Game 3 to force a fourth game, but the Cards ran out of gas at that point and dropped a 15-8 decision in the finale.

Morgan, Oksness and Cassie Pap registered 20, 10 and six kills in the match. Nelson served 12 points and three aces, while Oksness was 19 of 21 with 10 points serving.

By Lori Ehde
Wednesday was the day Luverne's Agri-Energy Ethanol Plant was supposed to launch its much-anticipated thermal oxidizer.

It's the $1.5-million solution to the plant's odor problem that has prompted community complaints since it began operating in 1998.

The equipment was ordered in January and arrived for installation in July. It's a major project that required two additions, one for the electrical panel and one to house the boiler.

The oxidizer was scheduled to start operating by late summer, but inspectors required additional equipment that delayed startup.

The Agri-Energy plant shut down Tuesday for usual fall maintenance, so the oxidizer was scheduled to be connected at that time.

"I suppose people saw there was no plume coming from the plant when we were shut down and assumed the oxidizer was working," Plant Manager Rick Serie said Wednesday.

But a last-minute inspection Tuesday revealed a section of pipe needs to be replaced in a pressure line, which will delay use of the oxidizer for at least another week.

The plant resumed production Wednesday afternoon, but will have to be briefly shut down next week to install the piece needed to launch the thermal oxidizer.

In the thermal oxidation process, odor is eliminated by venting plant emissions into the oxidizer and destroying them with heat.

The existing 175-foot stack will remain, but the steam plume coming out of the stack will be all but eliminated.

"Cold air condensing hot air makes steam, so there may be a plume in the wintertime, but there won't be any emissions," Serie said.

Agri-Energy started production in 1998. It now employs 29 people full-time with an annual payroll of more than $1 million.

It processes seven million bushels of corn per year and produces more than 20 million gallons of ethanol annually.

By Lori Ehde
Shirley Roos has managed Luverne's home delivered meals program for 30 years, and her co-workers and clients are throwing her a party this afternoon in the Senior Dining Center.

Roos modestly admits a party isn't necessary, but she said sheÕs looking forward to it.

"It'll feel kinda good, I guess," she said. "Actually, I told them they can just forget about the whole thing, too, as far as IÕm concerned."

The open house party will be from 2 to 4 p.m. today.

For Roos, it will be a celebration of friendships.

"I've enjoyed working with the people at Senior Dining and I've enjoyed working with the clients."

Her job requires her to meet with new clients and periodically with existing clients.

"Some of them I've known since I was clerking at Dave's Market (on Main Street) when I was a teenager," she said. "Some I leave after three hours and they're still talking."

For six days a week for 30 years, Roos has played a role in making sure local shut-ins receive warm, nutritious meals.

Home delivered meals is a service of Western Community Action, but Roos' salary is paid by funds from the local Red Arrow drive, which is currently underway in Rock County.

She said her reward isn't the paycheck; it's gratitude expressed by those who receive the meals. "The smiles and warm wishes I received will be a warm and treasured memory this winter," Ann Hollaren wrote this week before she left Luverne for the winter.

"This is what makes my job worthwhile," Roos said of Hollaren's note.

The meals are delivered by volunteers, and it's up to Roos to sign them in, assign them to their routes and get them on their way with carefully packed hot and cold coolers.

The program started in the early 1970s with delivery of seven meals. Today, that program has expanded to serve nearly 30. "I had no idea what I was getting into," Roos said. "At one point we served 59 meals."

It's a program that relies heavily on volunteers who serve for short times, so there are countless opportunities for errors. In a 1995 Star Herald feature story about the program, Roos said she's the first to admit she makes mistakes.

"I used to wake up in the middle of the night and think of things, but now I don't. We still goof. I goof big-time once in awhile," she was quoted as saying in that story.

Now at 73, Roos said she has no regrets for sticking with the job for so long.

"It's either stupidity or dedication - I'm not sure which, but I've enjoyed it."