By Lori Ehde
The long-awaited thermal oxidizer has arrived at Luverne's Agri-Energy ethanol plant.

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

The equipment is in high demand and Luverne's been waiting for it since it was ordered in January.

"It's a huge project," plant manager Rick Serie said after it was ordered. "It'll require two additions, one for the electrical panel and one to house the boiler."

The oxidizer and boiler arrived last week, and crews have been working since Wednesday, July 10, to install them.

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

Meanwhile, the plant will capture heat off that process in a waste recovery boiler to create steam for the ethanol production process.

In addition, Serie said the plant will realize savings by not having the operational costs of running the dryer scrubber.

Another advantage to the oxidation process is that it will allow the plant to increase production while remaining in compliance with the MPCA's emissions standards.

In fact, Serie said, the plant decided to pay $268,000 more for a larger model that will allow the plant to double its production in the future.

While the oxidation process requires a hefty up-front investment, Serie said it may pay for itself in five years.

Gained efficiencies of the boiler, costs cut by not using the scrubber and the freedom to expand production all make the oxidizer a worthwhile investment, Serie said.

The oxidizer for Luverne comes from MMT Environmental, a Minneapolis company, and the boiler comes from Victory Energy, Owasso, Okla.

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

The existing boiler will be moved into a support position to be used as backup if needed.

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

It processes 7 million bushels of corn per year and produces more than 20 million gallons of ethanol annually.

By Lori Ehde
Some fears were alleviated Monday when contractors and the Minnesota Department of Transportation met with Highway 75 business owners about road construction.

Work started Monday as planned, but the detour won't go up until Monday July 22 , and if all goes well, the road wonÕt be closed for more than a week.

Original information from the MNDOT office called for Highway 75 to be closed from Taco John's to Main Street for three to four weeks, cutting off prime summer traffic to South Highway 75 business owners.

After finding out about that plan last week, affected business owners organized Monday's meeting to learn more about the project and to request a kinder schedule.

The first thing they learned is MNDOT's early information wasn't entirely accurate. The project will last three to four weeks, but South Highway 75 will be closed for only a week.

During the closure, traffic will be detoured west at Taco John's on Gabrielson Road, which loops around town and reconnects with County Road 4 (Main Street) near the ethanol plant.

Traffic will still have access to all businesses during that closure, but signs on the south end will say "Road closed to through traffic."

During the rest of the construction period, two lanes will be open at all times, and at least one driveway per business will be accessible.

Business owners were relieved to learn the closure would be only a week rather than three weeks, but they were disappointed with the timing of the closure and the project as a whole.

"I think we all know it needs to be done, but it's a shame it needs to be done in the summer - during our busy season," said Stacy Zwaan of Country Kitchen.

Business representatives pointed out that the Sturgis Street Rally during the first week in August typically brings extra business to Luverne, but the road work will be at its worst during that time.

Duininck Brothers Inc., Prinsburg, was awarded the Highway 75 bid, and Duininck supervisor Ron Shimek said Luverne's project is just one of many in the works.

But since Monday's meeting, MNDOT and Shimek arranged to move the railroad work a week earlier to July 22 so it can be done before the Sturgis Street Rally starts.

The detour signs would be up only during the track repair, and other signs will read simply, "Road work ahead." Those signs will be placed on the four interstate ramps and on Highway 75.

MNDOT agreed to hang additional messages on road work signs stating "Access to local businesses open." Those signs have been ordered and will be displayed Monday.

More than 60 people attended Monday's meeting in Pizza Ranch. Many were upset they hadn't received earlier notice about the road work.

MNDOT project supervisor Ken Janovsky said details couldn't be released until after the project was bid July 1.

He explained that information on the work was still sketchy when the first press release was issued, and his estimates of a three- to four-week closure were purposefully conservative.

Though the road will be passable, some business owners said they were afraid the construction signs would prevent I-90 travelers from stopping in Luverne.

Shimek assured them hungry travelers with empty gas tanks stop regardless of construction signs.

"If you didn't, you'd run out of fuel and starve to death," he said, pointing out that many communities along major transportation routes experience road construction.

The "mill and overlay" work will be done from the interstate to the northern edge of Luverne. This includes stripping asphalt down to the concrete, hauling it to a bituminous mixing plant three miles east of Hardwick, and reapplying an asphalt overlay.

The work in town also includes some curb and gutter repair and replacing railroad tracks two blocks south of Main Street.

Rural Highway 75 will be repaved, and some culverts will be repaired north of Hardwick.

MNDOT's early time estimates for the rural detour were also conservative. Shimek said at Monday's meeting the closure between Hardwick and Edgerton will be for two weeks, rather than six weeks.

That work will also start Monday, July 22.

The rural detour sends motorists five miles east through Hardwick on County Road 7 to County Road 2. This will take them north to Edgerton where they will turn west on Highway 268, which reconnects with Highway 75 six miles west of Edgerton.

An early Sunday morning fire at a Kapperman Construction storage facility claimed a building on Southeast Park Street, behind Casey's on South Highway 75, Luverne. The fire was reported at 2:25 a.m. with Beaver Creek and Luverne departments responding. Luverne Fire Department's Don Deutsch said the cause of the fire is undetermined at this time, but it is under investigation.

Photo by Sara Strong

A crane hoists the 86,000-pound boiler to its new location at Luverne's Agri-Energy plant. The boiler and thermal oxidizer are the plant's $1.5 million solution to the odor problem that has plagued the area since the plant began operating in 1998. Story inside.

Photo by Lori Ehde

Virginia Bode, 73, Luverne, died Saturday, July 6 at Luverne Community Hospital. Visitation will be Monday, July 8 from 4 to 8 p.m. at St. Catherine Catholic Church, Luverne. Services will be Tuesday, July 9 at 11 a.m. at St. Catherine Catholic Church, Luverne, with the Rev. Gerald Kosse officiating., Burial will be in St. Catherine Catholic Cemetery, Luverne. Dingmann Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Investors anxiously await rain so foliage on the Beaver Creek Golf Course will grow. The opening of the course may be delayed until next spring if moisture doesn't arrive soon. Story inside.

Photo by Jolene Farley

Frick gets republican nomination for 22 Senate District
Alex Frick, Luverne, has secured the nomination of the Republican party for the District 22 Senate seat.

The nominating convention took place Monday, July 8th at the Fulda Legion.

This will be Frick's second foray into politics, having served on the Luverne City Council from January, '99, to January, '01.

Frick and his wife, Sharon, started Manitou Carpets in 1987 in the Manitou Hotel building and later moved it to the former Coast to Coast building next door, where they still operate the business.

On Tuesday, Frick said, "I expect the upcoming campaign to be a big challenge, but I am looking forward to it."

Frick's DFL opponent will be the 16-year veteran of the Minnesota Senate, Jim Vickerman.

Show off your talent at the fair
Do you have a talent you've been wanting to show off? Your big opportunity is here.

The Rock County Fair Board is coordinating the Rock County Amateur Talent Contest.

The event will be staged Thursday, Aug. 1, during the Rock County Free Fair.

Now they need you and your talent!

Those participating will have the chance to win cash and prizes and be eligible to participate in the Minnesota State Fair Amateur Talent contest.

There will be three categories for the talent competition:
Open Age Division: for any age participants.
Teen Division: for ages 13-18
Pre-teen Division: for children ages 12 and younger.

Prizes of $100, $75, and $50 will be awarded to first-, second- and third-place finishers in each division.

The show will take place at the Rock County Fair grandstand beginning at 7 p.m.

A stage, sound system, piano and lighting system are provided by the Fair Board.

Practice time for participants will be set up for the afternoon prior to the event.

The contest is scheduled to last two hours and each act must be no longer than four minutes.

The number of entries will be limited to those who first sign up.

The entry fee is $10 and registration forms can be picked up at Luverne Chamber of Commerce or the Luverne Style Shop.

To receive a registration form by mail, contact Jane Wildung during the day at 283-4691 or 283-4053 during the evening.

According to Wildung, about 30 entries were initially mailed out, and, since then, another 20 have been requested.

Registration forms must be postmarked no later than July 24.

Former residents purchase Jasper Bank
David Smith, president of the Jasper bank, announced that two former residents have purchased the Jasper State Bank.

The bank, which Smith described as having financial difficulties, has been sold to Charles Hey, who has been chairman of the bank's board of directors, and Bill Sexton.

Smith will stay on as the bank's president.

According to Smith, the new ownership will allow the bank to continue having local control and ensure that bank customers will not be affected by the change in ownership.

The ownership change was effective last week.

Former bank co-owner Keith Eitreim will no longer be affiliated with the bank.

According to the Jasper Journal, Smith's father, George "Bud" Smith, bought the bank in the 1970s and owned it for 17 years before it was sold to Dave Smith and Eitreim.

Hey and Sexton are both natives of Jasper. Hey currently lives in Sioux Falls and Sexton resides in Nevada.

Open class juniors receive prizes with their ribbons
Thanks to a contribution from the Luverne Optimists Club, 10 junior divisions in the open class will be awarded cash prizes along with their ribbons this year.

A junior division is defined as age 12 and younger.

If you plan to enter any of the open classes, registration day is Wednesday, July 31, at the Floral Hall.

Registration time is noon to 7:30 p.m.

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

Aging women should ditch the halter top and carry smaller purse

The more 30-something I become, the more conscious I am about dressing my age without dating myself.

Too many fashion choices are made for women as they age (nature has a way of ensuring 50-somethings don't wear Spandex), but there are some accessories we can use to our advantage.

For example, a woman too often reveals her age by the purse she carries. Specifically, the size of a woman's purse almost always correlates directly to her age - the older she is the bigger the purse.

Teen-agers tend to get by with a teeny little pouch attached to a long slender strap. At that age, they don't have checking accounts or car keys, so all they typically carry is a tube of lipstick and some cash.

Twenty-somethings, by nature of advancing financial responsibility, graduate to larger, more mature purses to accommodate a checkbook in addition to a set of keys, and, of course, a tube of lipstick.

Thirty-somethings tend to take a big jump in purse sizes as their handbags grow to accommodate husbands and growing families. Even when the kids outgrow diaper bags, they still seem to need Wet Ones, toys and emergency snacks on the go.

Mom's purse is the obvious vehicle for these necessities plus her own growing list of necessities, such as Advil and a first-aid kit for the entire family, in addition, of course, to her tube of lipstick.

And ... once a mom, always a mom. Whether they need them or not, women have a hard time graduating into smaller purses. As a rule, women in their 40s and 50s continue to buy larger and larger purses, because they can't part with all the necessities they've grown accustomed to having with them.

I know a woman who carries a complete mini-pharmacy in her purse for herself or for anyone who might need help. It includes several types of antacids, pain relievers and ointments, in addition to a full line of manicure equipment and polish.

Add all this to her usual tube of lipstick, and suddenly her handbag looks more like luggage.

Our child care provider, Vi Uithoven, is living proof of this trend. At nearly 70, her purse is huge. One day, I informed her someone's diaper bag had been forgotten by the door, but it turned out to be her purse. We laughed, but I made a mental note that yet another woman had proven my theory to be true.

At some point, I suppose, old age will prevent us from physically lifting such heavy baggage, but I for one, am determined not to let my purse reach those proportions.

My current purse is purposely smaller than my last one, and while it took painful adjusting to, I am now able to leave the house with just my wallet, keys and, of course, lipstick, in tow.

The really good news is that big hair is coming back in style. Sporting my 80s-style mop and my little purse, no one will ever know my real age.

Have a happy Independence Day. The forecast calls for halter tops... if you're young enough (and fit enough) to get away with it.

Louis Elmer Bentson, 81, Muskogee, Okla., formerly of the Luverne area, died Sunday, July 7, 2002, at Grace Living Center.

Services were Wednesday, July 10, at Fosters' Ivory Chapel. Burial was in Greenhill Cemetery.
Louis "Louie" Bentson was born to Ole and Josephine (Sunde) Bentson at their farm home in Nobles County, Kenneth. He farmed and dairied near Luverne, Windom and Donnelley until the early 1980s. He moved to Muskogee where he drove semi trucks for Fanelli Brothers Trucking until he retired at age 75.

Survivors include four children and their spouses, Larry (Jan) Bentson, Carol (Ed) Beyer, Lori Ann Bentson and Jeannie (Lindy) Bruns, all of Minnesota; nine grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; two brothers, Vernon Bentson and Arlyn Bentson; five sisters, Lillian Aanenson, Mable Kienitz, Ola Hellwinckel, Luverna Brezicka and Gladys Amburn; all of their spouses and many nieces and nephews. He also leaves his best friend and companion, Juanita Bentson, and her family, stepchildren, Sondra and Ron White and Ronald Warren; three stepgrandchildren; and six stepgreat-grandchildren, all of Haskell, Okla.; and many friends.

Mr. Bentson was preceded in death by his parents, one brother, Alvin, and four sisters, Thelma Bell, Alma Wold, Helen Walsh and Vivian Bentson.

Foster-Petering Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.