Hills-Beaver Creek teacher Roger Jackson prepares the computer network at Hills-Beaver Creek High School Monday for the beginning of classes on Tuesday, Sept. 3. Jackson had the 50 new leased computers and four laptops up and running until lightning struck last weekend at the high school. Jackson is working to repair the damage that was done. With the new leases, all teachers will have computers in their rooms with internet and printer access. The district hopes in the future to offer student report cards online, according to Jackson.

Photo by Jolene Farley

Watch where you park in Magnolia and Warren Street, Luverne
Rock County is seal coating Warren Street in Luverne and all the streets in the town of Magnolia starting late afternoon today or early Friday morning.

The Rock County Highway Department requests no parking of vehicles on the streets to allow crews to do the seal coating.

Call the Highway Department at 283-5010 if there are any questions.

Blues festival gets its own Web site
If you would like to know more about the upcoming Blues on the Rocks blues festival in Luverne, you can now check out its new Web site.

From the home page, you can go to pages that will tell you about the artists, event and ticket information and learn about sponsors and volunteers.

The festival is scheduled from 2 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, Sept. 7.

The Verne Drive-In will host the event.

The Web site address is www.bluesontherocks.net

Big Buddies reminder
Here's a reminder that the golf scrambler/fund-raiser for the Big Buddies program is Monday.

Registration begins at 4:30 p.m., with a shotgun start at 5:30 p.m.

If you would like to participate, but golf is not your game, you are welcome to come out for the social hour at 7 p.m. followed by a dinner at 8 p.m.

Dinner is $10, golf is $25 and you get both for $30.

All proceeds go the Big Buddies of Rock County Mentorship Program.

Stats from Minnesota
Who's getting locked up?
Minnesota incarcerated 346 people per 100,000 population in 2000. That's less than half the rate nationwide, which is 702 people per 100,000.

For males, ages 18 to 64 in Minnesota, 8.5 percent of blacks, 7.2 percent of American Indians and 0.6 percent of white, non Hispanics were in correctional institutions.

According to Dean Barkley, Director of Minnesota Planning, even though Minnesota has added a large number of prisoners over the last decade, we still imprison a smaller percentage of population than all but six other states.

Life expectancy
Life expectancy rose 1.3 years in Minnesota between 1990 and 2000.

Life expectancy is now 81.5 years for females and 76.5 years for males.

Although we still gained 1.3 years, it's a smaller gain than in previous decades.

We gained 1.6 years in the '80s and 3.2 years in the '70s.

And although women are still outliving men, the gap is getting smaller. Over the past three decades the gain has gone from 7.4 years to 5 years.

The full report, Minnesota Life Expectancy in 2000, can be found at www.mnplan.state.mn.us

New Minnesota laws go into effect August 1st
Beer Kegs: Off-sale liquor retailers will now be required to attach a registration tag to beer kegs. They are also required to record a buyer's driver's license number and keg registration number at the time of sale. The legislation was passed to help prevent underage drinking.

Funeral lights: A driver of a funeral home motorcycle or vehicle will now be allowed to use a flashing red light to warn drivers that a funeral procession is following.

Jail charges: County boards will now be able to charge inmates for room, board, clothing and other correctional services to help defray jail expenses.

Organ donation: A new law will require driver's education programs to provide information about the state's organ donation program.

Emergency vehicles: It will now become a petty misdemeanor for drivers who don't yield to emergency vehicles and a misdemeanor for those who intentionally impede an emergency vehicle.

Publisher Roger Tollefson can be contacted by e-mail at
tolly@star-herald.com

Gerrit Vlastuin, 78, Luverne, died Thursday, Aug. 8, 2002, at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Services were Monday, Aug. 12, at St. Catherine Catholic Church in Luverne. The Rev. Andrew Beerman officiated. Burial was in St. Catherine Catholic Cemetery, Luverne.

Gerrit Vlastuin was born to John and Elizabeth (Grootheest) Vlastuin June 20, 1924, in Doon, Iowa. He attended Doon School and farmed until entering the U.S. Army in 1945. He served in the Pacific War Zone in the Philippines and Japan and received an honorable discharge in 1947.

He married Ramona Simons on April 10, 1950, in Larchwood, Iowa. They farmed in the Doon - Alvord, Iowa, area until 1965 when they moved to a farm by Beaver Creek. They retired in 1988 and moved to Luverne.

Mr. Vlastuin was a member of St. Catherine Catholic Church in Luverne. He served on the Beaver Creek Elevator Board for several years and was a lifetime member of the VFW and American Legion. He enjoyed woodworking, crafts and playing cards.

Survivors include his wife Ramona Vlastuin, Luverne; one son, Leland (Lynette) Vlastuin, Harrisburg, S.D.; two daughters, Linda (Chuck) Wattier, Eagle River, Alaska, and Lorae (Gene) Lodes, Crooks, S.D.; six grandchildren, Ashley and Chris Lodes, Jordan, Jared, Melissa and Madysen Vlastuin; two brothers, Fred (Ann) Vlastuin, Rock Valley Iowa, and Elmer (Cornelia) Vlastuin Jenison, Mich.; three sisters, Henrietta DeBruin and Till (John) Blom, all of Rock Valley, Iowa, and Jeanette (John) Van Surksum, Doon; and one sister-in-law, Emma Vlastuin, Worthington.

Mr. Vlastuin was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, Henry.

Dingmann Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Verna Rupp, 88, Hardwick, died Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2002, at Immanuel - St. Joseph's Hospital of Mankato.
Services were Saturday, Aug. 10, at Zion Lutheran Church in Hardwick. The Rev. Mark Mumme officiated. Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery, Luverne.

Verna Rath was born to Rudolph and Anna (Scherff) Rath on April 14, 1914, on the family farm near Hardwick. She was raised and attended grade school in Hardwick. She graduated from Luverne High School in 1931. After high school she worked as chief operator at Jasper Telephone Co. in Hardwick.

She married Roy Rupp on Dec. 18, 1937, at the Lutheran parsonage in Luverne. They made their home on the Rupp family farm in Denver Township, north of Hardwick. After her family was grown, she went to work as a bookkeeper for J.C. Penney Co. in Luverne.

Mrs. Rupp was an active member of Zion Lutheran Church in Hardwick. She belonged to the LWML and through the years served in many of its leadership roles. She was church secretary, helped craft most of the banners in church and was a large part of the Lutheran Hour Ministries. She was involved in making quilts for World Relief, Share, and many other organizations. She loved to work in her flower and vegetable gardens and had one of the best-kept farmyards in the area. She also enjoyed crossword puzzles.

Survivors include her husband, Roy Rupp, Mankato; one son, Chuck (Gail) Rupp, Wilsonville, Ore.; one daughter, Pat (Gene) Glade, Mankato; eight grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; one sister-in-law, Gladys Kindt, Luverne; one brother-in-law, Herb Schmidt, Pipestone; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and other relatives and friends.

Mrs. Rupp was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers, Verdeen and Dale, and one sister, Excelda.

Engebretson Funeral Home, Luverne, was in charge of arrangements.

Orville Aanenson, 82, Luverne, died Wednesday, Aug. 14 at the Luverne Community Hospital. Services will be Monday, Aug. 19 at Grace Lutheran Church, Luverne. Burial will be in Maplewood Cemetery. Visitation will be Sunday, Aug.18 from 2 to 8 p.m. at Engebretson Funeral Home.

Nine Luverne football players won event titles during the annual Cardinal Pride competition Monday. Kneeling, left to right, are: Cody Gehrke, Chris Morgan, Joel Evans, Tony Smedsrud and Brad Herman. Back: Ben Cornish, Tyler Elbers, Marcus Walgrave and Joey Pick.

By John Rittenhouse
A Luverne High School senior-to-be emerged as the 2002 overall champion of the Luverne Cardinal Pride competition Monday.

Joel Evans, who will be a senior member of the LHS football team this fall, took top honors in the event that is staged on the first day of practice every season.

Evans won two individual events, and secured another point title for an event (point titles are based on the size and the weight of athletes in certain events) to score 1,639 points and walk away with the overall crown.

Evans' event wins came in the 60-second jump rope competition (193 jumps) and the squat weight competition (391 pounds). He also was the squat weight points champion.

Evans also helped his cause by placing third in the clean weight competition and fourth in the power press weight competition. On the points side, Evans was second in the 400-meter dash and third in the clean weight standings.

Chris Morgan won a pair of individual events by bench pressing 236 pounds and power press lifting 225 pounds. Morgan, who placed second to Evans in the overall competition, also won the power press points competition.

Cody Gehrke, who placed third in overall points, won the clean weight competition with a lift of 295 pounds. He also was the points champion in that event.

Marcus Walgrave set a new Cardinal Pride record by winning the 400-meter dash with a time of 54 seconds. Walgrave shared top honors in the shuttle run time (4.1 seconds) title with Joey Pick and Tyler Elbers. Walgrave was awarded the title in the shuttle run points competition.

Tony Smedsrud won the vertical jump event with a height of 31-3, and Ben Cornish was the bench weight points champion.

Brad Herman was named the junior varsity overall points champion.

Here is a look at the top five finishers in each event.

Overall points: Evans, Morgan, Gehrke, Elbers and Aaron Schmidt.

400-meter time: Walgrave, Scott Goebel, Elbers, Canaan Petersen and Aaron Schmidt.

400-meter points: Morgan, Evans, Walgrave, Gehrke and Herman.

Shuttle run time: Pick, Walgrave, Elbers, Petersen and Schmidt.

Shuttle run points: Walgrave, Elbers, Morgan, Pick and Josh Lange.

Jump rope: Evans, Walgrave, Elbers, Nate Stehlik, Cody Jagow and Schmidt.

Vertical jump: Smedsrud, Petersen, Elbers, Herman and Schmidt.

Bench weight: Morgan, Jagow, Gehrke, Lange and Roth Anderson.

Bench points: Cornish, Morgan, Stehlik, Jose Saravia and Gehrke.

Squat weight: Evans, Gehrke, Morgan, Pick and Anderson.

Squat points: Evans, Mark Remme, Pick, Elbers, Petersen.

Clean weight: Gehrke, Morgan, Evans, Anderson and Jagow.

Clean points: Gehrke, Morgan, Evans, David Roeman and Remme.

Power press weight: Morgan, Jagow, Gehrke, Evans and Petersen.

Power press points: Morgan, Schmidt, Stehlik, Cornish and Gehrke.

Luverne's Shane Hoag drove car No. 28 to the Enduro Race championship at the Rock County Fairgrounds in Luverne Saturday.

By John Rittenhouse
A Luverne man captured the championship of Saturday's rescheduled version of the Rock County Fair's Enduro Race.

The event was scheduled to take place Saturday, Aug. 3, as the final grandstand attraction of the three-day fair. Just as the drivers took the track that night, a thunderstorm sent fans searching for shelter and forced the event to be postponed.

Forty-two cars and nearly 1,000 fans showed up for Saturday's make-up race, which featured free admission.

"Everything went pretty well," said Burdette Braun, one of the event's officials. "We had a good turnout. We sure appreciated everyone coming to the rescheduled race."

The rescheduled event turned into a good one for Luverne's Shane Hoag, who drove his Chevy Malibu to victory.

Driving car No. 28, Hoag completed 160 laps around the track before the raceÕs two-hour time limit expired. Houg ended up winning the race by four laps.

Terry Dieren, of Rock Rapids, Iowa, placed second in his Chevy Camaro. He completed 156 laps in car No. 41.

Luverne's Tom Walker and Travis Van Santen placed third and fourth respectively after completing 153 and 150 laps respectively. Walker drove car No. 9, a Chevy Impala. Van Santen steered car No. 2, an Olds Delta 88.

Luverne's Adam Kinsinger and Chad Oye also finished well in the pack by placing seventh and 10th respectively.

Edgerton's Gene Schoep and Owen Tinklenberg placed fifth and seventh respectively.

Adrian's Mark Bullerman, another driver from the Star Herald coverage area, placed 10th.

Randy Sasker, of Worthing, S.D., and Doon, Iowa's, Leon Sneller also placed in the Top 11 by finishing sixth and ninth respectively.

Curt Vander Stoep (left) won the low gross championship of the Seniors' Club Tournament played at the Luverne Country Club Sunday. Nick Veenhof (right) won the low net title.

By John Rittenhouse
A first-time winner emerged as the low gross champion of the annual Seniors' Club Tournament played at the Luverne Country Club Sunday.

In what turned into a two player showdown during the second round of the 18-hole event, Edgerton's Curt Vander Stoep used a late birdie to nip Luverne's Dave Iverson by one stroke for the gross crown.

It didn’t look good for Vander Stoep when he faced a two-stroke deficit with three holes left to play, but the tide turned on the par-3, 16th hole.

The eventual champion drained a birdie putt on the fateful hole while Iverson put up a double-bogey five.

The three-stroke swing put Vander Stoep in front by one stroke with two holes remaining, and he protected the slim lead by matching Iverson's efforts (a par-5 on the 17th hole and a bogey five on No. 18) to win his first Seniors' Club title.

Both Vander Stoep and Iverson were competing in the division for players in the 50-59 age group, and they found themselves challenged by players within their group as well as some golfers in the 60-69 division and the 70 and older division.

Seven players were within three strokes of the gross lead when the first nine holes of play were complete.

Vander Stoep, who recorded a bogey and a double bogey during the first four holes, finished strong by recording five straight pars to finish the round with a three-over-par 39.

Iverson, who had two birdies, three pars, three bogeys and one double bogey, matched Vander Stoep's 39-stroke effort to earn a share of the lead.

Rick Serie and Bruce Olson, two more members of the 50-59 age group, both shot five-over-par 41s and trailed the leaders by two strokes.

Sam Hansen (50-59 division), George McDonald (60-69 division) and Don Lein (70 and over division) all trailed by three strokes after recording 42s.

Serie and Olson climbed to within one stroke of the leaders after recording pars on the 10th hole, but that would be as close as they would come to catching the front runners.

Iverson moved in front by one stroke when he recorded a par on the par-3 12th hole (Vander Stoep had a bogey), and he increased his lead to two strokes with a bogey on the par-4 14th hole (Vander Stoep had a double bogey).

Both men parred the 15th hole, right before Vander Stoep turned the showdown around with his birdie on No. 16.

Vander Stoep (39-41-80) and Iverson (39-42-81) set the pace in the gross competition in the 50-59 division. Serie (41-41-82) placed third in the division and overall. Olson (41-46-87), Hansen (42-45-87), Tom Serie (43-44-87) and Greg Gabrielson (43-33-87) all tied for fourth place in the 50-59 division.

The low net title for the 50-59 division went to Jerry Johnson (47-44-92), who recorded a net 65, Rick Serie was second with a net 66, and Vander Stoep third with a net 67.

Two members of the 60-69 division tied for first place in the gross competition in their division as well as earning a share of fourth place in the overall gross standings.

McDonald and Jerry Wethor led the five-player 60-69 division.

McDonald shot a 42-41-83, while Wethor checked in with a 43-40-83.

Nick Veenhof, who emerged as the tournament's low net champion, and Laurin Carroll tied for third place behind McDonald and Wethor in the gross competition in the 60-69 division.

Veenhof shot a 47-44-91, while Carroll carded a 43-48-91.

Veenhof was a run-away champion in his division and the tournament. His net 61 was 10 strokes better than Wethor's 71 and 13 shots better than Carroll’s 74 in their division.

Veenhof topped Johnson 61-65 in the overall net standings. Rick Serie, Lien and Ken Staeffler tied for third place with net 66s.

Lien coasted to an 11-stroke victory in the gross competition in the 70 and over division.

Lien shot a pair of 42s for an 84, which easily topped challengers Staeffler (48-47-95) and Jay Jackson (55-48-103), who placed second and third respectively.

Lien and Staeffler both recorded net 66s, and Lien won a chipoff to earn the low net award for his flight. Jackson placed third with a net 73.

The Kid Definitely Stays In The Picture

The Kid Stays In The Picture
Rated R * Now Playing
Kent's grade: A
Carol's grade: B+

SYNOPSIS:
Legendary movie producer Robert Evans' career is brought to the silver screen in this
adaptation of his tell-all 1994 autobiography. A series of twists and turns in his life eventually
lead from a stalled career as a B-list actor, to the exalted position of V.P. in charge of
production at Paramount Studios. There, he's given six months to revive the studio ranked
last.

During his tenure from 1966 to 1974, Evans produced great films like "The Godfather,"
"Rosemary's Baby," "Love Story," "The Odd Couple," "Harold & Maude," and
"Chinatown." In so doing, he transformed not only the studio, but the movie business, too.
But, all good things must come to an end. Evans' glorious 1970s gave way to the 1980s where
his star, his wealth and livelihood all crash. But, the kid stays in the picture.

Given a lucky spark, Evans turns his opportunities into a blaze and in 1991 turned things
around by securing the rights to "The Saint." Off and running again, Evans continues his 35+
years of producing at Paramount.

Kent's Take:
Watching "The Kid Stays In The Picture" is like watching a modern "Citizen Kane" (with
rosebuds instead of Rosebud). Although obviously ratcheted down to emphasize his
successes, we are none-the-less treated to a fascinating journey into the life of a true
Hollywood powerbroker.

Remarking on his loves, hates, successes, and failures, Evans' wonderful narration sheds
light on his candid moments and emotions. We fly along with the jet-setter as he schmoozes,
cajoles, and shoe-horns productions, making classic films for Paramount.

Kudos to film makers Brett Morgen and Nanette Burstein for this outstanding documentary.
This production somehow manages to capture the magical lure of Tinseltown while still
exposing a bit of its seedy underbelly.

Visually entertaining, this movie's success can be attributed to three elements. First, through
four decades, we see the immense changes Hollywood undergoes. Second, Evans' narration
is engaging, frank and charming. Finally, the editing is unmatched. Using new shots, old clips
and stills, cinematographer John Bailey has even brought black and whites to life with unique
computer enhancements.

"The Kid Stays In The Picture" is a must-see for anyone interested in the inner workings of
Hollywood. Yet, that is not the entertaining part. It's the insight, as seen through the eyes of
Robert Evans, that gives this riveting film its amber glow of life.

Carol's Take:
Robert Evans's 1994 autobiography, "The Kid Stays In The Picture," delighted movie buffs
and Hollywood insiders alike. The book painted a kinetic, colorful portrait of a born
showman.

At Paramount, employing taste, vision and hutzpah, Evans oversaw the development of some
of the best movies of the 1970s. In the process, the studio rose from last to first place among
the nine important studios of the day.

This new documentary, named for his book, chronicles the meteoric rise, and precipitous fall,
of Evans as one of the most important players in Hollywood during the '70s and '80s.

Naturally, the story includes more than one juicy bit about well-known tinsel-town personalities, too.
Film makers Nanette Burstein and Brett Morgen have created a compelling piece. Their
documentary creatively combines still and moving pictures from Evans's life and work.

For narration, they wisely chose the man's own voice, as he read his autobiography some
years ago for a books-on-tape project. While the sound quality is disappointing, the punch of
the subject speaking his own words to tell the story is its own reward.

"The Kid Stays In The Picture" is a must-see for movie buffs everywhere. Robert Evans was
destined to lead an interesting life, no matter what career he chose. It's a treat that his life was
so well-documented that we get to see it play out before us on the silver screen - far better
than any movie role he ever played.

© 2002 Webster-Kirkwood Times, Inc.
Movie reviews by Carol Hemphill and Kent Tentschert
reelworld@timesnewspapers.com