By Lori Ehde
They don't say it too loudly, but Luverne merchants like cold, snowy weather for the holidays. It's good for business, they say.

"When it's nice, people aren't in the mood for Christmas shopping," said Rocking Horse Gift Shop owner Marcia Ossenfort. "Once we got that first snow, it helped."

She said last year's cold, snowy weather, which tended to hit on weekends, was ideal for small, local businesses. "People had a tendency to stay home and shop," said Ossenfort, who has owned her shop on Main Street for six years.

After the December snow, she said business was fast and furious. "We ran a lot," she said. "But we don't care when you do it; just do it."

She said overall she was pleased with the end result. "My December was up from last year," she said.

M-M Distributing owner Merlyn Lopau said his business was also affected by warm weather. For one thing, he hasn't sold as much winter clothing, particularly outerwear and boots.

But he did sell an abundant supply of outdoor Christmas decorations. "There was more time to put it up, and if they have more time to do it, they keep putting more up," Lopau said.

Overall, he said he was satisfied with his holiday sales, and he sold all his snow blowers, despite the mild winter so far. "I guess people consider them insurance," he said.

Laurie Ketterling, owner of Final Touch, reported similar sales as last Christmas.

"I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I was happy with what we did do," she said. "The Terry Redlin collectibles and prints are always popular."

Laudon Gifts and Collectibles owner Curt Laudon said as long as he can pay the monthly bills, business is good, but he reported a lukewarm holiday outcome.

"We notice there's less traffic downtown," he said.

"Not having Schoon's (Papik Motors) downtown anymore really hurts, and we don't have Merrill's, Creegers or the Diamond Center. People need a reason to come downtown."

He said people who do shop Luverne aren't disappointed. "Walk in my store, and if I can't sell you what you need, then it's my fault," Laudon said. "But at least give me the chance."

Despite declining downtown shoppers, Bob Cook said Cook's Clothing and Shoes enjoyed a successful holiday season.

"It was slow in coming, but when it got here it was fast - business was good," he said.

Cook said his family has been selling clothing in Luverne for nearly 50 years, counting the 25 years his father, Merle, worked for Creegers before starting his own business in 1977.

He also said the holiday rush was delayed by warm weather and possibly by economic fears from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

In the end, though, he said local shoppers came through. "People are appreciating small town business now more than ever, and they're supporting us," he said.

"And we all know, if you don't use them, I guarantee you'll lose them."

By Sara Quam
The Luverne City Council discussed the Rock County Pool and Fitness Center Tuesday, based on a recommendation from a city-county liaison committee.

Rock County Board Chairman Jane Wildung spoke on behalf of the board. She said that ever since the rate increases for the year were discussed, the community started to look closer at the facility. They wanted to know where their money was going.

She requested that the council approve City Administrator Matt Hylen and County Administrator Kyle Oldre to develop a request for proposal (RFP) to see what other businesses or organizations could do with the facility.

For months, the Pool Commission has discussed the possibility of selling the facility, leasing it or getting new management. The Commission started to consider options in an effort to stop or reduce the city and county contributions from taxpayers.

The county and city jointly own the Pool and Fitness Center, but the city is responsible for management.
Wildung said that getting proposals won’t mean a decision by the city and county or the Pool Commission. It would just help the community know what steps are being taken to either change the way things are being run or to firmly decide to keep things the same.

"I feel that maybe it's time we provide some resources for the city and county to see what else is out there. And in order to do that maybe we could see who’s interested," Wildung said. "We have nothing in black and white now."

After Hylen and Oldre compile an RFP, the city and council will look at it and recommend changes before it is advertised.

Pool and Fitness Center Director Darrell Huiskes said, "I really feel this is a great opportunity for us to talk about what we can do."

He said that after his many years of work at the facility, he may have run out of new ideas. He said an RFP could help illustrate what can or should change and that outside parties responding with proposals could provide valuable research.

Wildung said, "Even if we decide not to change anything, we’ll have some information on expansion, or any other needs. You couldn't pay someone to research all of that for you."

After the January rate increase of 20 percent was announced, the Pool and Fitness Center lost about 100 memberships, but still holds more than 1,000.

By Lori Ehde
A 17-year-old Luverne girl faces assault charges and possible school expulsion following a Wednesday night stabbing in the high school parking lot.

Sarah Elizabeth Smook was charged Friday in Rock County District Court with two counts of second degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of fifth degree assault.

The victim of the assault, 17-year-old Danielle Cook, received stitches in Luverne Community Hospital for a one-inch-long cut in her stomach.

According to friends of both Smook and Cook, the dispute started several weeks before Wednesday's assault.

In interviewing the two girls and their respective friends, they said things heated up when Smook was seen riding around with Dava Stickling's supposed boyfriend.

According to witness statements, Cook, Stickling and their friends harassed and threatened Smook. Cook's friends say Smook at one time responded by punching one of their friends, Sandy Gertz.

That, they say, is why they decided to "scare" Smook when she got off work at Jubilee Foods Wednesday, Jan. 2.

In her statement to police, Smook said before school that day, "Danielle Cook came to me and told me that I wouldn't get away with hitting her friends. Then she told me to have a good night at work, so I knew to expect her that night.

"When I got home from school, I was scared about what might happen after work, so I put a kitchen knife in my coat. I didn't know what I was going to do with it, so I left my coat at home."

She said when she got home from work that night, the harassing phone calls started, and that Cook and her friends drove repeatedly past her house on North East Park Street honking their horn.

She said her friend Leslie Bauer came over and suggested they talk with Cook and her friends. When they drove to the school parking lot, Cook and her friends followed.

"I could hear them yelling at me to get out of the car so they could beat me up," Smook wrote in her statement. She was wearing the coat with the steak knife in the pocket, and her statement is unclear about what prompted the stabbing.

"I couldn't believe I had done it," she wrote. "I didn't want it to happen ...I am sorry it happened, but I don't know what to do."

Cook said in her statement that Smook "pushed/held my hands up with her left arm and stabbed with her right ... I also did not physically touch her before she did this. I never saw the knife."

Cook also wrote in her statement that the confrontation had been brewing for some time. "I admit that I said I was going to 'beat her up' and my friend did, too. However, I said it to scare her, and I was never going to fight."

She said Stickling drove her home to her parents before going to the hospital.

Law enforcement was called to Luverne Community Hospital at 10 p.m., and Smook was arrested in her home at 11 p.m. The seven-inch steak knife was taken as evidence.

Assault with a dangerous weapon is a felony. Since Smook is still a juvenile, her case will be handled as a delinquency petition in Rock County District Court.

According to Luverne High School Principal Gary Fisher, Smook was suspended for five days, starting Thursday, according to the school's weapons policy.

The fifth day was Wednesday, so she was scheduled to appear Wednesday night before the board. Based on the outcome of that meeting, the board was to decide further action, possibly expulsion.

Superintendent Vince Schaefer said regardless of the outcome of Wednesday's meeting (unknown at press time), he said the district will investigate the incident.

"We're going to interview students and try to get to the root of this bullying and harassment issue," he said Wednesday afternoon.

He said a message will be sent to students to turn to the school for help before things escalate to violence.

"We're very disappointed we weren't informed of this ahead of time," he said. "To our knowledge, none of the administrators knew about it."

By LaDonna Sandstede
The Hills-Beaver Creek boys' basketball team came up short Monday, Dec. 17, against Central Lyon.
The Patriots trailed Central Lyon by only a few points throughout the game with a halftime score of 30-31.

In the second half H-BC's Brad Haak and Matt Buck ran into some foul trouble, both ending with four fouls each. However, Haak was the leading scorer with 22 points and David Top with 15 points. Darin DeBoer contributed as well from the three-point line with 11 points, five rebounds and four assists altogether.

Central Lyon's top scorers were Chris Kuehl and Dan Vander Zee with 32 and 18 points respectively.

Matt Buck had 10 rebounds and two points; Jesse Leuthold had four points, seven rebounds and two assists; and Lyle DeBoer had seven points, two steals and six assists to contribute to the game.

The score was close the whole game. The third quarter ended with a score of 48-49. The Patriots fell behind in the fourth quarter making the score 63-70 to end the game.

Box score:
D.DeBoer 0 3 2-3 11, J.VanMaanen 1 0 0-02, B.Haak 9 0 4-6 22, J.Leuthold 2 0 0-0 4, L.DeBoer 2 1 0-0 7, D.Top 3 2 3-5 15, M.Buck 1 0 0-2 2.

Team statistics
H-BC: 18 of 36 field goals (50 percent), 9 of 15 free throws (60 percent), 30 rebounds, 12 turnovers.
C L: 17-29 field goals (58 percent), 18-27 free throws (66 percent), 22 rebounds, 15 turnovers.

By LaDonna Sandstede
Hills-Beaver Creek boys' basketball team lost a home game Tuesday, Dec. 18, against Murray County Central. The game went into double overtime making it an interesting contest to watch.

The Patriots had trouble controlling the tempo of the game, and as a result they threw the ball away giving the Rebels a chance to score.

"The team fought hard," said patriot coach Steve Wiertzema. "They had many chances to win and failed to capitalize."

Lyle DeBoer, who scored 16 points and was two for two in free throws, fouled out toward the end of the game along with Darin DeBoer who had six points before his fifth foul. Matt Buck made 16 points, pulled down 15 rebounds and contributed five assists to the team cause. David Top had 12 points and four assists.

The Patriots couldnÕt make their free throws, making a small impact to the final score of 62-75.

MCC's leading scorers were Grant Harm and Nick Bruning with 22 and 19 points respectively. The Rebels were a good shooting team at the free throw line which played a key part in the overtime scoring.

H-BC was unable to make its shots drop and came up short in the end.

Box score
D.DeBoer 006-8 8, J.Van Maanen 000-2 0, B.Haak 2 0 3-4 7, L.DeBoer 792-2 16, D.Top 4 0 4-6 12, M.Buck 6 0 4-10 16.

Team statistics
H-BC: 21-57 field goals (37 percent), 20-34 free throws (58 percent), 42 rebounds, 2 turnovers.

By LaDonna Sandstede
The Hills-Beaver Creek girls' basketball team stayed ahead of Fulda for three quarters of the game Thursday, Dec. 20, before falling behind in the fourth quarter. The Patriots lost by three points to make the final score 44-47.

H-BC had possession of the ball with less than a minute remaining before calling a time out. When the Patriots threw the ball in-bounds they lost control of it, giving Fulda a chance to score.

The Patriots were unable to get the ball back long enough to score.

Becky Broesder was the top scorer making 17 points along with five rebounds. Erin Boeve made 13 points with 10 rebounds and four steals. Cassi Tilstra had 10 points and was 100 percent at the free-throw line.

The Patriots played a strong defense and held the Raiders until the fourth quarter.

The Patriots had many fast breaks that caught the Raiders off guard to give them an opportunity to score. The Raiders stuck with the Patriots the whole game and in the fourth quarter took over the game to win it by three.

The next time the Patriots and the Raiders meet up it will likely be an interesting game to watch.

Box score
B. Olson 1 0 0-0 2
J. Rentschler 0 0 0-10
C. Tilstra 0 0 4 2-2 10
B. Broesder 7 0 3-4 17
J. DeNoble 1 0 0-3 2
E. Boeve 5 0 3-5 13

Team Statistics
H-BC: 18 of 43 field goals (41 percent)
8 of 15 free throws (53 percent)
12 rebounds, 13 turnovers, 19 assists

By LaDonna Sandstede
Hills-Beaver Creek girls' basketball team started the week off with a win over Russell-Tyler-Ruthton. Monday, Dec. 17, the Patriots conquered the Knights with a 70-36 victory.

The Patriots opened a 15-9 lead in the first quarter and were up the rest of the game. Erin Boeve had a high scoring game with 29 points and Jody DeNoble having 10 points to contribute to the team.

"I thought our girls did a great job of looking to push the ball on offense, while yet being patient when the break wasn't available," said Patriot coach Tom Goehle. "For the most part our defensive pressure set the tone for the game."

The team had a slight problem with fouls. Becky Broesder, Jody DeNoble and Cassi Tilstra had four fouls each. However, this was only a small setback, and the Patriots held on to their lead.

In the third quarter the Patriots outscored the Knights 16-6 making a cushion for the Patriots with a score of 50-27. The Patriots have recorded another conference win to add to their season.

Box score
B.Rozeboom 1 1 3-4 8, B.Olson 1 0 2-2 4, M.Feucht 1 0 1-2 3, J. Rentschler 1 0 0-1 4, C.Tilstra 1 0 0-0 2, B.Broesder 2 0 2-2 6, S. Rozeboom 2 0 0-0 4, J.DeNoble 4 0 2-7 10, E.Boeve 14 0 1-6 29.

Team statistics
H-BC: 28-48 field goals (58 percent), 11-24 free throws (45 percent), 33 rebounds, 12 turnovers.

By Jolene Farley
Construction is proceeding as planned on the Beaver Creek Entertainment Facility and Golf Course, according to investor Rod Scholten of Steen.

"We're right on schedule. The little bit of snow we had really didn't slow us down," Scholten said.

Limited liability corporation investors Rod Scholten, Mike Blank, Ben Davis, Leonard Scholten and Dan Van Otterloo are pleased with the progress on the project, according to Scholten.

Sewer and water work is done on the entertainment facility, and crews are ready to begin work on more complex projects such as a tower structure planned for the top of the building.

Crews are waiting on the arrival of the doors and windows for the structure.

"We slowed down through the holidays," said Scholten. "We got as far as we really wanted to this year."

Investors hope the entertainment facility will be completed in April and open in May.

They plan to hire a general manager in February who will assist in hiring employees for the banquet facility.

About 15 to 20 year-round full or part-time employees will be hired for the restaurant and about 10 to 15 year-round full- or part-time employees will be hired for the banquet facility, according to Scholten.

In addition to the entertainment facility, residential lots bordering the golf course are for sale for home construction.

"It's going very well," said Scholten. "We have been closing on lots the last few weeks."

Four lots are sold, with one more sale scheduled to close next week.

"We are hopeful we can get some work on the course done this spring, but it depends on the weather," said Scholten.

Course builder John Reardon, who has built courses for some northern Minnesota resorts, has been retained to shape the greens and tees and do the necessary adjustments on the fairways.

Reardon will seed the course with grass, and partner Mike Blank will be the course groundskeeper, according to Scholten.

Henning Construction, Adrian, has been hired for the dirt work on the course.

"It's not going to be the easiest course," said Scholten. "There are going to be some hazards people are going to have to play over."

He added the complexity of the course could be adjusted by moving pins and tees, but there will be water hazards everyone will have to work around.

Family memberships for the course are priced at $450 per year, single memberships are $350, and lifetime memberships are $4,000.

Anyone interested in more information on becoming members of the course or on use of the banquet facilities should contact Rod Scholten or Mike Blank.

By Jolene Farley
Hills farmer Tim Baker has adjusted remarkably well to a life-altering event on Sept. 18, 1999.

"I don't know if it was the wind or what, but it took me off the ladder backwards," said Baker.

That fall began a new chapter in Baker's life, and he has since been adjusting to life as a paraplegic.

Luckily, when Baker fell off the ladder he was working with four or five other men so an ambulance was called and he was transported immediately to Sioux Valley Hospital in Sioux Falls.

At the time of the accident Baker's wife, Michele, was home on maternity leave from her job as an elementary teacher at Hills-Beaver Creek school so she was able to accompany Tim on the ride to the hospital.

After arriving, doctors soon told Michele it was unlikely Tim would ever walk again.

"It took awhile for me to accept it," said Baker.

Baker is thankful he had family and friends during his month-long stay in Sioux Valley.

He said his biggest motivators during that time were Michele and Peyton and all his family and friends "who just knew when to be there."

"They finished the addition to the shed and got the crop out before I got home," said Baker.

After leaving the hospital, he continued physical therapy every other day for about a month and a half.

Baker was always confident he would be able to continue farming. He raises beef cattle and farms around 1,000 acres of land with his brother, Alan.

His family built a ramp outside his home and a lift in his garage to ease movement in and out of the house.

The Cattlemen's Association sponsored a fund-raiser to purchase the John Deere Gator he uses to get around the farm.

His brother and brother-in-law added lifts to his tractors and combine.

With the added equipment, Baker is able to feed cattle unassisted morning and night.

"With the help of my wife and my nephew, Greg (Leenderts), we make it all work," he said.

Baker admits he "gets out of a lot of the bad stuff because of his accident. When we break down, that's the other guys' problem."

He has not visited a doctor's office since completing his rehabilitation.

"I'm thankful for all they did for me, but until they can do more, I pretty much take care of myself," he said.

Except for an occasional headache, he has no other lasting health problems beside the loss of the use of his legs.

He stays up to date on developments in the treatment of paraplegics. "I keep track on the Internet of what's going on," said Baker.

A lot of good things have come out of his accident, according to Baker.

"I've learned a lot of patience, big-time ...and my faith in God is not what it should be, but it is stronger than it was," he said.

Baker looks at all the things he can do instead of the things he can't do. He is frustrated occasionally but attributes that to a lack of organization.

"Sometimes it is kind of fun trying to figure out how you can do something," he said.

Baker recently ran for the Hills-Beaver Creek School Board and was elected for a four-year term. His first official meeting is Jan. 14.

"I don't really want to change anything," he said, adding that the district is on the right track.

He said his main reason for running for the board was his daughter, Peyton.

Baker said he admires new H-BC superintendent Dave Deragisch, who coached him in high school football.

"I hope people are even more optimistic," he said. "You always leave with a smile when you talk to Dave. The school has so much to gain by him."

Baker will never force the school to change anything because it isn't handicapped accessible.

"I kind of look at it as nothing is going to change for me," he said. "What happened to me is my problem, nobody else's."

Baker said most people treat him the same as they did before his accident, but he said there are a few who "don't know what to say." But Baker said he wants them to "just be there" for him.

He doesn't like to look at himself as being handicapped. "I don't look at it that way ...it's just a way of living."