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Adrian takes division title

By John Rittenhouse
Adrian won four straight games to win the Second Division of the Lincoln D. Wacker Foundation American Legion Baseball Tournament in Jackson over the weekend.

The Dragons won all four of its games to take top honors in their five-team pool.

Adrian opened the tournament by beating Jackson II 11-1 and Welcome 13-9 Saturday.

The Dragons nipped Okabena 9-8 Sunday before wrapping up the division title with a 16-1 victory over Minnesota Lake later in the day.

A nine-run first inning by the Dragons set the stage for an easy victory over Jackson II during Saturday's opener.

Adrian went on to outscore the Jackson squad 2-1 the rest of the way to win by 10 runs in four innings.

Tannar Heronimus pitched four innings of three-hit ball to pick up the win.

Levi Bullerman and Dusty Spieker both went two-for-three at the plate, while Dusty Henning, Brandon Wolf, Pete Hohn, Joe Kruger, Cliff Lynn, Matt Eickhoff and Heronimus picked up one hit each.

Adrian opened an 8-0 lead after three and one-half innings during Saturday's second game against Welcome and coasted to a 13-9 victory.

Tyler Wolf pitched four innings to pick up the win, while Hohn and Heronimus worked one inning each in relief.

Bullerman and Eickhoff led the way at the plate with four and three hits respectively, while Spieker, Jake Salter and Heronimus added two safeties each. Kruger and Hohn had one hit each.

After falling behind 2-0 early in Sunday's first game against Okabena, Adrian scored nine consecutive runs before fighting off a late challenge to win 9-8.

Wolf pitched six innings of seven-hit ball to record a victory.

Henning led off the game with a solo homer before slapping a double and a triple during a three-hit performance at the plate.

Derek Vastenhout, Kruger and Spieker clubbed two hits each, while Salter and Glen Kruger added one each.

Adrian fell behind Minnesota Lake 1-0 in the first inning before scoring 16 unanswered runs to win 16-1 in five innings during SundayÕs finale.

Wolf pitched five innings of three-hit ball to gain his second victory of the day.

Bullerman and Salter led the offensive charge with three hits each, while Vastenhout picked up a pair of safeties. Henning, Glen and Joe Kruger, Wolf, Spieker and Nick Weidert had one hit each.

The 6-3 Dragons play a double-header in Worthington Sunday and a twin bill in Luverne Tuesday.

Hardwick woman thrown from pickup

By Lori Ehde
A Hardwick woman is recovering from injuries she received after falling out of the back of a moving pickup Saturday on Highway 75.

Christina Casazza, 25, was riding in the back of her friend's Dodge Dakota pickup holding a mattress the two were transporting to CasazzaÕs new residence in Luverne.

The driver, 27-year-old Jeannie Shamatt, Hardwick, had just turned the corner from Hardwick and was headed south on Highway 75 when the wind caught the mattress and flipped it out of the pickup bed.

In the process, Casazza, who had been riding in the back to stabilize the mattress, was thrown onto the road.

The ambulance was called to the accident at noon Sunday. She was taken to Luverne Community Hospital and was airlifted to Avera McKennan Hospital, Sioux Falls.

Casazza, speaking from her hospital room Monday, said the pickup wasn't going very fast when she fell Ð possibly 30 to 35 miles per hour.

She said she had no broken bones, but abrasions to her head required staples and she suffered bruises and abrasions over her entire body.

She was under observation for a slight concussion, but she was told sheÕd likely be released later that afternoon.

The Minnesota Highway Patrol also responded to a rollover accident earlier that day on Interstate 90 by Adrian.

A 1995 Ford Aerostar mini van was totaled at 7:30 a.m., but its driver, David Coon, Cottage Grove, suffered only minor abrasions and didn't require medical attention.

Coon, 23, had been wearing his seatbelt.

Nitrates taking toll on local soil

By Sara Strong
A University of North Dakota study on nitrogen and water supplies is still ongoing and has long-term implications on water treatment in the area.

Scott Korum, a UND, Grand Forks, professor and the study's principle investigator, said that so far Luverne is about average in the denitrification process.

"The good news is that it looks like, in the chambers that we added nitrate, we are getting denitrification," Korum said.

Denitrification is the process of converting nitrate into a harmless gas.

Nitrates in ground water have been problematic for water treatment throughout the Midwest.

Nitrates enter ground water most commonly from agriculture fertilization.

Treatment facilities remove nitrates from drinking water, but denitrification can also occur naturally, and thatÕs what the UND study is all about.

The study of seven sites in North Dakota and Minnesota started last September and will continue through the spring, with a final report due a year from this September.

In Luverne's case, denitrification appears to be helped along by naturally occurring sulfide minerals and iron minerals. The helpful iron isnÕt the rust-type of iron that the city already removes from water.

Korum said the natural denitrification process is relatively slow, but is still happening.

"The bad news is that we don't know what the products of the denitrification are." Korum said.

In a type of chemical reaction, the ground loses part of its composition in order to remove the nitrogen.

"It's taking from our landscape, which built up over thousands of years," Korum said.

He doesnÕt know what the implications of that are, and thatÕs part of the studyÕs importance.
Filtering out the nitrate takes naturally occurring minerals at a faster rate than nature replaces them.
Researchers donÕt know how long the landscapeÕs composition can support denitrification and donÕt know enough yet to hypothesize.
The two sites in Luverne will continue to be tested every couple months.

Besides the city of Luverne, information will be shared with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, who are also helping to fund the study.

Sentencing set for those involved with finance crimes

By Lori Ehde
Sentencing is scheduled for Monday, July 8, for all parties involved in the Global Ventures and Pipestone County financial crimes.

Rock County Feedlot Officer John Burgers was charged last fall with soliciting and accepting bribes from Global Ventures hog production in exchange for preferential permitting treatment.

His wrongdoing surfaced during the course of a federal investigation into lending practices of First National Bank and Trust, Pipestone and Garretson.

Subsequent federal indictments were levied against former CEO of Global Ventures, David Logan, and former bank president Michael Morgan.

Logan, former Pipestone city administrator, admitted to violating lending limits and providing insider loans, some through the creation of fictitious companies.

According to the indictment, Logan and Morgan conspired to arrange a series of illegal loans to companies controlled or created by Logan, including two in which Morgan also held an interest.

Morgan was charged in March with misapplying more than $13 million in federally-insured bank funds to invest in hog production businesses, including Global Ventures and others he and Logan held interest in.

As the FBI and IRS investigation continued in Pipestone County, indictments were also levied against other Pipestone County businessmen.

For example, retired Pipestone construction company owner William A. Winter admitted to providing money to Logan while he was city administrator for the purpose of obtaining preferential treatment regarding city contracts.

Pipestone County veterinarian Gordon Spronk admitted last fall that he assisted Morgan and Logan in making false statements to and influencing First National Bank in Garretson in order to deceive bank regulators.

Spronk, Morgan and Logan each owned a little less than one-third interest in Global Ventures at the time, and Morgan owned First National Bank in Garretson and Pipestone.

Hearings begin at 9 a.m. Monday in U.S. District Court, Minneapolis, and are expected to conclude by 4:30 p.m.

See the Star Herald, Thursday, July 11, for a report on those sentence orders.

Volunteerism is on the rise with local RSVP

By Sara Strong
In just a year at the post, Vonnie Nergaard has learned a lot about coordinating the local Retired Senior Volunteer Program.

She and regional supervisor Mary McLaughlin presented the Rock County Board of Commissioners with a program update at the last board meeting.

The county gives RSVP 96¢ per capita to help fund the local coordinator position.

Rock County Board of Commissioners Chair Jane Wildung said, "ItÕs more than worth the county's money to help fund volunteer programs."

Rock County has 34 sites, or organizations, that use RSVP services and has about 200 active volunteers at any given time.

Rock County RSVP members have contributed 32,000 hours of volunteer service in 2001.

Nergaard said, "A lot of people can't get out, but they still do it."

Some of the less physically active volunteers contribute by completing needlepoint projects, for example, and donating them to organizations for fund-raisers.

Regional RSVP Executive Director Mary McLaughlin said, "Volunteers are really important. And when you look at the statistics in Minnesota, only 1 to 2 percent of the potential volunteers are volunteering."

Minnesota has a volunteerism rate higher than the national statistics, McLaughlin said.

"One thing the volunteers say is that they get out of it just as much as whoever they're volunteering for," McLaughlin said.

Recently, RSVP volunteers helped Relay For Life prepare luminary bags by folding them for people to purchase and decorate.

Nergaard said new volunteers are always welcome to the program. "We accept them from 55 and older, and we'd like them to start earlier so they're with us longer."

The average age of Rock County RSVP volunteers is probably in the 70s, Nergaard estimated.

Getting those in early-retirement to volunteer is more difficult. People who are retired from their careers often have part-time jobs, family commitments or interest in things like travel that keep them from RSVP.

Nergaard and McLaughlin said the group of volunteers Rock County has is keeping busy and can always use new members.

As a side note, McLaughlin looks forward to increased federal funding due to the strong support of volunteer programs by President Bush. He is especially interested in senior volunteers.

RSVP will be part of a national move to generate more volunteer activity. The Get Involved campaign will be seen on local billboards and brochures and includes plugs for RSVP and other similar organizations.

Two H-BC seniors make RRC squad

By John Rittenhouse

Two Hills-Beaver Creek High School seniors were honored by the Red Rock Conference baseball coaches this week.

David Top and Justin Van Maanen are two of 12 players to receive honorable mention when the 2002 All-Red Rock Conference Baseball Team was announced.

Along with the 12 honorable mention selections, 21 players were listed on the All-RRC squad.

Adrian, the league champion, led the list with six All-RRC picks. Juniors Pete Hohn, Dusty Henning and Joe Kruger, and sophomores Tyler Wolf and Brandon Wolf and freshman Levi Bullerman made the team from AHS.

Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin placed five players on the All-RRC roster. Seniors Dusty Schroeder and Adam Wright, junior Mitchell Schroeder, sophomore Mark DeYounge and freshman Grant Wall made the team for the Wolverines.

Red Rock Central-Westbrook-Walnut Grove and Murray County Central placed three players each on the all-league team.
Seniors Colby Pack, Corey Fishel and Travis Kottke made the team from RRC-W-WG. Senior Nick Bruning and juniors Joe Larson and Brandon Kathman cracked the list for MCC.

Rounding out the team are Edgerton seniors Brian Van Hill and Chad Ruiter, and Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster-Southwest Star Concept juniors Tyler Leopold and Mitch Leopold.

Other players to receive honorable mention include Adrian junior Dusty Spieker, ML-B-O junior Kody Karschnik, RRC-W-WG seniors Ryan Baker and Matt Olsem and junior Dusty Trapp, Edgerton senior Jeremy Landhuis and juniors Chris Van’t Hof and Josh Eernisse, SV-RL-B-SSC senior Chad Frericks and MCC junior Weston Mahon.

Hills native learns Tanzanian way of life with mission group

By Jolene Farley
Daryl and Jane Schubert, and their children, Clair and Isaac, arrived in the United States a few weeks ago for a two-month work assignment.

Every two years, the Schuberts and other Lutheran missionaries visit the United States to show sponsoring congregations their overseas progress.

But for Jane (Sandager) Schubert, the trip to the United States isn't just a work assignment. She gets to visit her parents, Vic and Fran Sandager, Hills.

Daryl, born and raised in Australia, met Jane in 1989 while they both worked as missionaries for the Lutheran Church in Papua, New Guinea.

Daryl currently works in Tanzania, Africa, for the Division for Global Mission as one of two coordinators, or principals, for the Theological Education by Extension Program through the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

An eight-year program, TEE was founded to educate and equip overseas church leaders. Classes meet weekly for three hours in a church or other building, but the majority of the class work is done at home.

The program "brings the education to the village," Jane said. "It gives opportunity to a greater number."

Some students canÕt read and write well and group leaders are not generously reimbursed for their time, but everyone appreciates the opportunities the program offers.

Students pay $3 a year to participate in the program, a lot to some Tanzanians, but other programs can cost more than $100 per year.

Tanzania was the couple's first location choice. "When we knew we were interested in overseas work, we looked at the listings," Jane said. "This was kind of always our first choice."

Daryl had experience in similar work in other countries, and the couple thought Tanzania would be a good fit.

Tanzania is twice the size of California with a population of 30,000,000 people. The annual income is $30 per month.

"If someone is employed in town," Daryl said. "That's the standard wage."

The Schuberts live in Shinyanga, a city of 120,000 people in the Shinyanga region.

Daryl works primarily with the Sukuma, an ethnic group of people numbering more than 5 million.

The Sukuma are subsistence farmers by necessity, herdsmen by choice. They are 5 percent Christian and 5 percent Muslim, with the remaining majority the traditional animist religion. The animist religion worships ancestral spirits.

The main crops in Shinyanga region are maize, rice, sweet potatoes, cotton, peanuts and millet. Cotton is the only cash crop. The area is semi-arid receiving about 20 inches of rain per year.

Children in Tanzania are required to attend school up to the seventh grade. Swahili is the primary language, with English taught as a second language. Only about 10 percent of students attend high school. There are very few high schools so entrance exams are stringent.

Jane's life in Tanzania includes home schooling the couple's two children. She is involved with the women's group and choir at the local church.

"Everything is done from scratch and by hand, so everyday household tasks are very time consuming. Keeping the household running takes more time than it does here," she said.

Tanzanians place great value on relationships with other people, according to Daryl. "Hospitality is one of the greatest values," he said.

"Materialism is starting to pick up," Jane said. "But for the most part value is placed on relationships."

Church services are usually two hours long. The Tanzanian culture is very musical so new songs are frequently written for church services, and the choir practices two or three times a week.

A major concern in Tanzania is the spread of the AIDS virus.

"AIDS is getting worse and there's more orphans and families that are dying because of AIDS," Jane said. "Almost every family in Tanzania is affected."

Different church groups and government organizations are going into schools to educate children on the disease. The issue is receiving more attention because the problem is growing, according to the Schuberts.

Recent events in the United States had many around the world grieving. The couple said everyone was saddened by September 11 terrorist attacks.

"Everyone we knew expressed shock and they were horrified," she said. "Our Muslim friends were horrified."

Daryl said the most rewarding aspect of his mission work is people's appreciation.

"The enthusiasm of people to be a part of this program," he said. "They appreciate the opportunity they have to gather together and study God's word."

Thunder comes up empty in Luverne

By John Rittenhouse
The momentum created by winning its first amateur baseball game of the season the week before didn't carry over to Sunday for the Hills Thunder.

Hills played a pair of games at Redbird Field in Luverne on a hot, steamy day.

The Thunder ended up losing a tight, 3-2 game to Spencer, Iowa, during the first tilt of the day before dropping a 9-3 decision to Jackson in the finale.

Hills had a 2-1 lead during the early stages of Game 1 before succumbing by one run to Spencer.

Spencer drew first blood when it plated a run in the home half of the first inning, but Hills rallied to score twice in the top of the third to gain a one-run cushion.

Jarud Lang drew a walk and Eric Harnack singled to get things rolling for the Thunder in the third.

Lang scored on a sacrifice fly by Scott Harnack. A run-scoring single by Cade Lang chased home Eric Harnack.

Spencer tied the game at two with a run in the fourth inning before plating the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh.

Jarud Lang pitched all seven innings for the Thunder. He allowed five hits, one earned run and two walks while recording six strikeouts.

Cade Lang slapped two hits in the game.

Hills led by two runs early in the second game against Jackson before being outscored 9-1 the rest of the way in a six-run setback.

The Thunder got off to a good start in the bottom of the first when Jarud Lang doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Scott Harnack, and Eric Harnack singled and scored on a double by Matt Wingate to make it a 2-0 game.

Jackson scored three runs in the third and fourth innings to take a 6-1 advantage it would never relinquish.

Hills made it 6-3 when Kurt Bly doubled and scored on a fielderÕs choice by Jarud Lang in the bottom of the fifth.

Jackson, however, scored three times in the seventh to make it a six-run difference in the end.

Eric Harnack led the Thunder at the plate with two hits. Jarud Lang, Wingate and Bly added one hit each.

Wingate tossed the first six and one-third innings of the game against Jackson and was saddled with the loss. He was touched for eight hits and nine runs (six were earned) while walking one batter and fanning six.

Derek Sammons pitched the final two-thirds of one inning. He surrendered one hit.

The 1-10 Thunder will play a game in Wilmont tonight before taking on Butterfield and Windom in Luverne Sunday.

Now is time to file for offices

By Sara Strong
Tuesday was opening day for Luverne and Rock County to receive filings for county elected offices.
Closing date for filing for county offices is 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 16.

If no more than two candidates file for office, they will appear on the general election ballot.
County offices that are open for election this year are county recorder, now Jere Ohme; auditor/treasurer, Margaret Cook; sheriff, Ron McClure and county attorney, Don Klosterbuer.

County commissioner seats on the ballot are currently occupied by Wendell Erickson, Ron Boyenga, Bob Jarchow and Jane Wildung, or Districts 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Rock County cities other than Luverne will accept filings for city council seats in August.

County tries for housing grant to give lower income options

By Sara Strong
More housing and financing options could be on the horizon for Rock County.

The Rock County Board of Commissioners Tuesday passed a resolution agreeing to support the new housing program and approved $625 to go toward applying for it.

The Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership wants to apply to the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency for $750,000 to go toward purchasing and rehabilitating blighted properties.

They would be sold in a 0 percent contract for deed arrangement.

The Housing Partnership is proposing completing a total of eight homes in Rock, Nobles, Murray and Pipestone counties. Each county would then have two refurbished homes.

The program requires that the housing be located within a municipality. The housing would be sold to persons with an income of less than 80 percent of the area median income. That income is as follows:

Family size Gross income
1 $27,550
2 $31,550
3 $35,400
4 $39,350
5 $42,500
6 $45,650

The housing payment would be set up to be 25 percent of the familyÕs gross income and includes principle, taxes and insurance. The loan is fully amortized and is repaid to a revolving loan fund, which is recycled for the same purpose.

Room to grow
Housing in Rock County has been a long-standing issue.

The city of Luverne commissioned a study last year that concluded the city of Luverne could support an additional 30 units of houses to sell and another 80 to 84 units to rent over the next three to five years.

The selling price of homes in Luverne has steadily increased during the '90s. The median selling price from 1989-90 was $28,500 and from 1999-00 was $65,000.

The city also has a considerable number of open lots for building, but the need may lie in lower-cost purchases.

Luverne has a goal of increasing population to 5,200 by 2010 and it is working on ways to reach that.

One example of that is that some Gold 'N Plump workers are bussed to shifts in Luverne. The city had expressed hopes that more housing choices might bring more of those employees to live in Luverne.

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