By Sara Strong
Luverne Economic Development Authority members Tuesday heard a presentation from Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce Director Dave Smith, who also serves as director of the City Visitors Bureau.

Smith updated the board on activities within the chamber and CVB, adding that many of the items are just ideas at this time.

oThe CVB is working on resurrecting the float that it's stopped using in recent years. Smith said the theme would likely have something to do with the theme "Where the buffalo still roam."

oSmith is also working with Pipestone to get a scenic byway designation for that stretch of Highway 75. The state has designated all it says it will as scenic byways, but Smith said he’s hopeful that one or two will lose their designation and open up the opportunity to get a southwest Minnesota highway in the group.

"We are unique here in typography and history, so there are some opportunities here," Smith said.

Once a state designates a highway as a scenic byway, getting on the national register is much simpler.

The Chamber or CVB may be interested in purchasing buffalo statues to place throughout Luverne. Smith said he would compare it to what the city of St. Paul has done with Snoopy, and community groups may paint or incorporate a unique look to the statues every year.

He said he looks for input from community members on ideas like this.

Smith said he'd like to see more biking and walking trails built in conjunction with the one the county is constructing this summer to the state park.

Smith said the bike trails in southeast Minnesota have become major tourist attractions, and some towns more than doubled their numbers of businesses with the trail's start in their area. Marketing the trails in Rock County could draw people who are biking on the Sioux Falls and soon-to-be-built Brandon paths.

Smith said trails to Pipestone and connecting to state parks along the way would also be a marketable tool for the area.

After the county's path is constructed, people can give feedback on other areas the path could take. This would allow for bikers or walkers to loop down to the Rock River or along the new Touch the Sky prairie area for different scenic options.

A long-term goal for Smith's office is to set up a site closer to the interstate that could inform travelers what they can do in the area.

Smith said the Beaver Creek information center at the rest area is valuable in guiding people to stop at attractions in the area. But many people just pull over and aren’t drawn downtown to the current office space the Chamber and CVB share.

"We're thinking ahead and trying to draw people into the community," Smith said.

By Lori Ehde
A third party representative from the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services presided over a four-hour arbitration hearing Tuesday morning in the Luverne School District Office.

Luverne school teachers have been working without a contract since July 1, when their new two-year contract officially would have started. Negotiations between the district and teachersÕ union have been in mediation for several weeks, with no agreement in sight.

As a result, any step increments that would be approved as part of the new contract have not yet been implemented.

Teachers have since filed a grievance with the district to receive those incremental pay increases before the new contract is settled.

Step increases for all positions total roughly $85,000 for a year.

Teachers argue it's money that's rightfully theirs, because of another year of teaching. The district maintains teachers will receive those salary increases as part of the nearly-negotiated package, retroactive to July 1 once the contract is settled.

The arbitration representative heard testimony from both sides and will present her findings in three to four weeks. Both parties will be bound to her decision.

Tuesday's arbitration was scheduled to resolve this point alone.

The teacher contract as a whole remains in negotiation. It's currently in mediation and may also end up in arbitration.

Tarzan is Deputy Ken Baker's pet and the Rock County Sheriff's Department newest addition to the team.

By Sara Strong
Rock County's version of Tarzan does much more than swing from vines. The all-purpose German shepherd police dog will help the Sheriff's Department search for criminals and victims, as well as lead them to drug arrests.

Rock County Deputy Ken Baker wanted to be the dog's keeper ever since he learned the department was looking into getting a dog.

Baker said, "Basically, I can be involved in all aspects of law enforcement. If there's anything [Tarzan] is needed for, I'll get the call."

Baker has a great deal of respect for what the dog will be able to accomplish. "He can do the work of 10 of us," Baker said.

He and Tarzan are starting a 12-week training session Monday and will return to Rock County patrols with added confidence.

Tarzan came to the department already named, but Baker has to take him on as a pet and constant police partner.

The dog's presence has been anticipated by many in the community for almost six months, when it was first brought up at a joint meeting with Luverne City Council and Rock County Board.

Luverne schools are even excited about Tarzan's completed training.

Some Luverne Middle School students are doing a fund-raiser and have committed half the proceeds for a bullet-proof vest for Tarzan.

Community policing
Along with his useful job skills, Tarzan brings the Rock County Sheriff's Department some good publicity and will be a part of school and community events. In keeping with that idea of awareness and education, Sheriff Ron McClure presented a new approach to policing that heÕs implementing.

"Community policing" is a term that's been used in other sheriff's departments when they take on a more visible presence in the community.

McClure said to the Rock County Board of Commissioners, "The Sheriff's Office has taken a more proactive stance in the community."

Starting in Luverne, the department is going to Rock County businesses to review security measures and encourage future communication.

The department will also visit schools and drop in on sporting events. McClure hopes these small things will foster a relationship of trust and openness within the county. He hopes people will feel more free to approach police to offer tips that may help them do their jobs better.

If there's a burglary in a neighborhood, the Sheriff's Office will ask neighbors to check their own security and make them more aware of what the department is doing to protect them.

The new policing philosophy is new to McClure, but he looks forward to what it may bring. He said that for many years, he tried to stop his deputies from stopping to have coffee, but now that's exactly what he wants them to do.

By Lori Ehde
Authorities have seized the makings of a meth lab in rural Rock County after Menard's store officials in Sioux Falls reported a suspicious purchase.

Troy and Teresa Den Herder, ages 39 and 33 respectively, appeared in Rock County District Court Monday.

They have entered pleas of not guilty to charges of illegally manufacturing methamphetamines, attempting to manufacture methamphetamines and conspiring to manufacture methamphetamines.

According to information from the Rock County Attorney's Office, store officials at Menard's in Sioux Falls called police Feb. 14 when the couple purchased a suspicious quantity of products commonly used in the illegal production of methamphetamines.

They recorded the couple's car license plate number, which was traced to the Den Herders.

A search warrant executed Feb. 22 resulted in a number of items that appeared to have been used in the process of meth production.

The Den Herders were arrested and taken to the Nobles County Jail, Worthington. Teresa posted $3,500 bail, but Troy remains in custody under a $35,000 bond.

No amount of the actual finished product was seized, but law enforcement were pleased with the arrest.

"We're confident we interrupted the manufacturing of meth," said Assistant County Attorney Terry Vajgrt. "I consider it a success."

Troy Den Herder has a previous drug conviction on his record, possessing methamphetamines, for which he's already served a year in jail.

The maximum penalty for the charge of manufacturing meth is 30 years in prison, $1 million fine or both. Actual sentences are imposed based on a number of factors, including prior convictions.

By Lori Ehde
Retired Luverne Fire Chief Jim Johannsen made a special delivery for Luverne Fire Apparatus last week.

As a part-time employee of the former Luverne business, Johannsen drives completed fire trucks from the Brandon plant to clients all over the United States.

Last week, he volunteered to drive a new fire truck built by volunteer labor at Luverne Fire Apparatus and donated to the New York City Fire Department.

The truck, valued at nearly $300,000, will help replace the trucks lost in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

All totaled, 343 firefighters perished in the attack, and more than 90 pieces of fire fighting equipment were destroyed.

"For me, it was a privilege to do this," said Johannsen, who made the trip with his wife, Bonnie. "ItÕs a highlight of my career in fire service. I enjoyed this; I really did."

Luverne Fire Apparatus employee Harold Hess, Luverne, volunteered roughly 10 hours of his own time on the project.

"It was the least we could do," said Hess, Luverne. "I didn't do as much as some of the rest of them, but it was a donation-volunteer-type thing."

His part involved putting aluminum overlay on the truck after the paint job was done.

In all, nearly 70 Luverne Fire Apparatus employees donated more than 2,000 hours of their personal time between late December and early February.

"We worked weekends and nights, and once in a while weÕd close at noon on Fridays so we could work on it," Hess said.

After a Feb. 11 dedication ceremony at the Brandon plant, the truck was displayed at the Sioux Empire Mall on Feb. 16 and 17.

The pumper was like most others assembled at the plant, except for distinctive vertical art panels on each side by the rear entrance doors.

Luverne Fire Apparatus employee Tony Hamby painted the Statue of Liberty on the passenger side and a firefighter helmet in the foreground of the Twin Towers on the driver's side. Inscribed on the front of the helmet are the words, "We remember."

The truck traveled to a supplier in Chicago for another ceremony Feb. 18 before a final sendoff from Spartan Motors Inc., the parent company of Luverne Fire Apparatus, in Charlotte, Mich.

From there, it was up to Johannsen to get the precious cargo to New York City.

He and Bonnie drove 500 miles Friday, Feb. 22, and another 250 the following day. "And those trucks aren't built for over-the road," he said about the rough ride.

The machine came to rest Monday, Feb. 25, at the front door of the New York City Fire Department headquarters.

Under mild, sunny conditions, New York City Fire Department dignitaries accepted the gift with a small ceremony.

"They couldn't believe the truck came all the way from South Dakota, and a plant of only 70 people assembled it," Johannsen said.

He noticed the people of New York City weren't nearly as snobbish as they're stereotyped to be. They were openly gracious and didn't hesitate expressing thanks, something they've grown accustomed to in the past several months.

The Johannsens returned home to Luverne Thursday, Feb. 28, but not before they took in some sightseeing, which of course included a stop at Ground Zero.

He said clean-up efforts are beginning to look more like a construction zone than a battlefield, but nonetheless, it's a moving sight.

"It's mind-boggling. It's hard to comprehend that human beings could do this to other human beings," he said.

The site is 16 acres square and seven stories deep.

"Anyone who can stand there and not drop a tear is not human. ...It's really something else."

Even more moving, he said, was visiting with some of the New York City firefighters who survived the attack.

"That's a pretty somber bunch out there, because they lost a lot of firefighters," he said.

He recalled a conversation with one battalion chief who miraculously led all eight of his men to safety from three stories down after a tower collapsed on top of them.

As a former fire chief, the story was chilling to Johannsen. "That's all you ever worry about when those guys go in a building is someone getting hurt," he said.

Bonnie Kirchhofer's second-grade class is the Luverne Elementary featured class of the week. Pictured are (front row, from left) Aaron Wollman, Reid Dreckman, Nicholas Barber, Brady Dinger, Grant Den Herder, Hailey Stulen, Kirsten Olson, (second row) Brittney Malwitz, Taylor Heck, Morgan Jacobsma, Kendra Bosch, Nathan Stensland-Bos, Jessica Vande Hoef, Colton Peterson, (third row) Brandon Den Hartog, Cheyenne Hemme, Bahieh Hartshorn, Courtny Blomgren, Tannen Heideman, Paige Nath, Trey Tate, (back) Mrs. Kirchhofer and Judy Thies. Students absent on picture day include Tanner Kremin, Marcus Emery, and Dylan Skattum.

Mrs. Kirchhofer's students are learning about where their family ancestors came from, and they will be writing their life stories. They also made a quilt that they will donate to Project Linus for a child in the hospital. Also, they LOVE to read!

Photo by Lori Ehde

Jim and Bonnie Johannsen personally delivered a fire truck assembled with volunteer labor at Luverne Fire Apparatus to New York City firefighters. Story inside.

Photo submitted by Jim & Bonnie Johannsen

Hills-Beaver Creek post Erin Boeve puts up a shot in traffic during Tuesday's Section 3A semifinal game against Fulda in Worthingon.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek girls were eliminated from the South Section 3A Basketball Tournament Tuesday night in Worthington.

The third-seeded Patriots challenged No. 2 Fulda in a semifinal-round clash.

Like the prior two meetings between the teams this year, Fulda proved to have a little more firepower than the Patriots as it upended H-BC 47-39.

The win sends Fulda to Friday's championship game in Worthington, where it will take on No. 4 Red Rock Central at 7:30 p.m. H-BCÕs 13-12 season is complete.

Tuesday's game featured three strong quarters of play by the Patriots and one rough one.

Unfortunately, being outscored 14-2 in the third period proved to be too much for H-BC to overcome in this contest.

"Take away the third quarter, and this was a really good game for us," said Patriot coach Tom Goehle. "As it was, we still played a pretty good game."

The third quarter did prove to be H-BC's undoing.

Fulda led 23-19 at halftime before putting up 14 unanswered points in the first seven minutes of the third quarter. The run ended when H-BC's Erin Boeve banked home an offensive rebound with one second remaining in the period, but the damage already had been done as Fulda opened a 37-21 lead.

The Patriots did go on an 18-8 run during the fourth quarter that was capped by a three-point shot from Cassi Tilstra with 24 seconds remaining in the game to make it a 45-39 difference. Fulda, however, drained two free throws in the final 20 seconds to ice their third straight win over the Patriots this season.

The game's first half was a tight one.

Fulda snapped a deadlock at four with a 5-0 run to open a 9-4 lead. One free throw by Boeve and two more from Sarah Rozeboom brought the Patriots within two points (9-7) of the Raiders, and the first period ended with Fulda clinging to an 11-9 edge.

After Fulda scored the first three points of the second quarter, H-BC went on an 8-0 run that ended with Becky Broesder connecting for a field goal at 2:57 to give the Patriots a 17-14 lead.

Another field goal by Broesder after a Fulda surge tied the game at 19, but the Raiders scored the final four points of the first half to gain a 23-19 advantage.

Goehle credited FuldaÕs defensive effort as being one of the key factors in the game.

"They defended us well. They pushed us outside a lot further than we liked, and they did a good job of bottling up Erin," he said.

Boeve led the Patriots with five rebounds and four blocked shots.

Tilstra paced H-BC with 14 points, four assists and three steals.

Box score
B.Rozeboom 1 0 0-0 2, B.Olson 1 0 0-0 2, Rentschler 0 0 0-0 0, Tilstra 4 2 0-0 14, Broesder 4 0 0-0 8, S.Rozeboom 0 0 2-2 2, DeNoble 1 0 0-1 2, Boeve 4 0 1-2 9.

Team statistics
H-BC: 17 of 56 field goals (30 percent), three of five free throws (60 percent), 17 rebounds, six turnovers.
Fulda: 17 of 47 field goals (36 percent), 13 of 16 free throws (81 percent), 31 rebounds, eight turnovers.

By Jolene Farley
In a time of budget cuts and uncertain state funding, the Hills-Beaver Creek school district carries a healthy general fund balance of more than $700,000 in reserved and unreserved funds, according to Superintendent Dave Deragisch.

Reserved balances are earmarked for those expenditures the district knows it will have to pay for in the future, for example, severance packages. Unreserved balances are not earmarked for anything specific.

The H-BC district has a budget of almost $2.9 million. The school is operating at 58-percent expenditures for the year with the school year two-thirds of the way over, according to business manager Glenda Kuehl.

"We do have a surplus," said Deragisch. "That is a plus for us."

Hills-Beaver Creek is a very effective single-section school, according to Deragisch. Single section means one section per grade.

"We are not bare-boned, but we don't have a lot of fat," he said at MondayÕs School Board meeting. "I think we have a lot of good things happening."

"When I left the district in 1991, I think the school really was on the verge of big financial trouble," he said by phone Tuesday. "I think they had to make some tough cuts and evaluate every position in the district to see if it was needed or not."

Enrollment in the district is expected to remain steady, according to projections. Resident student count for the 2001Ð02 school year is 419 students, with 302 students currently attending Hills-Beaver Creek schools, 77 students open enrolled to other districts, 16 students home schooled, and the rest of the students attending Hills Christian School. Projected enrollment for the 2002Ð03 school year is 298 students.

The number of students open enrolled out of the district is a concern for the School Board, but if all open-enrolled students attended H-BC more staff would be needed to handle the extra students.

"If you looked at the actual number of students who enrolled out," said Deragisch, "it would probably be less effective than the number we have now. We run a pretty effective school."

No one really knows what will happen to school funding in the future, according to Deragisch. "Anytime you try to predict the future it makes one nervous," he said. "When the governor starts toying with our per-pupil aid it makes me very nervous."

Deragisch said he would like to see the Minnesota State Legislature work on the 2003Ð04 school budget; instead they are currently finishing up the 2002Ð03 budget.

"When you don't know what you are going to get in dollars it's hard to make plans," he said. "If the funding comes through like we are hoping we will be in OK shape."