By Sara Quam
Odor is still an issue for the Luverne ethanol plant, and its manager, Rick Serie, hopes the city can help change that.

While Agri-Energy has reduced odor emissions by installing a scrubber in the dryer stack and by increasing the height of the stack, residents still donÕt like what they smell.

Serie spoke to the Luverne City Council Tuesday to explore whether the city could help Agri-Energy with costs for a thermal oxidizer, which would make the odor all but disappear.

"We truly believe that the correct fix is to install a thermal oxidizer, which they did in St. Paul. It would eliminate 99.5 percent of the odors," Serie said.

At the most recent meeting of Concerned Citizens for Quality of Life, Serie said he would speak to the council.

Serie said he was on a "fact-finding mission" to help gauge whether he should pursue help from the city. He said the low-interest loans cities have access to would be one option he'd like.

Serie said, "It would help us in our decision-making process if we knew what the city would be willing to do."

Council members didn't make any promises but are interested in the prospect of the odor being eliminated. City Administrator Matt Hylen will research what the city could legally do if council members voted in favor of financial assistance.

Councilman Keith Erickson said, "I really do think that we should show support. We need to be creative to see how the city can help."

Whenever tax money is used for business projects, laws limit cities in their scope. New jobs or increased future tax revenues are usually tied to tax money going to businesses.

As far as council members or city staff could tell Tuesday, quality of life or future residential lot sales arenÕt allowable conditions to loaning or granting businesses money.

The thermal oxidizer comes with a price tag of almost $1.5 million. CCQL member Bob Kaczrowski said the city was involved with the plant from its founding in Luverne and should stay involved.

"I think the city is doing a real disservice to the community if something isnÕt done with the odor issue," Kaczrowski said.

Although oxidizers have been around in other production plants, they are relatively new to ethanol.
"This is the ultimate fix, basically," Serie said.

Serie said that the ethanol plant could probably get its own financing for the oxidizer but that the city's access to lower interest rates or grants would make better sense for the business.

"We've come off an extremely good run, but we're down to where itÕs getting pretty tight," Serie said. "Ethanol follows gas prices, and they're going down."

Councilman David Hauge said that the business might have thought ahead and during high profit times invested in the oxidizer.

Serie said, "It's not like we haven't been proactive. We've put a lot of money into solving the odor issue."

The St. Paul ethanol plant was turned down by the City Council and the state of Minnesota for funding help with its oxidizer earlier this year.

Wine tasting events
The City Council regularly approves one-time liquor permits for the Blue Mound Wine Club. In order to let the council know more about events it approves, Christy Hess, wine club founder and leader, presented a summary to the council.

"It's been a wonderful experience," Hess said.

The events are sponsored by city-owned Blue Mound Liquor, where Hess is employed.

Mayor Glen Gust said, "I've heard numerous compliments about Christy and the club itself."

The club was started to familiarize people with different wines and offers them a chance to sample without purchasing an entire bottle.

Each wine tasting event at the Coffey Haus is pre-sold at a cost of $7. It includes six or seven wine samples, cheese, bread, crackers and a dessert. Wine company representatives are at the events to answer questions or give advice.

The guest list for the wine tasting events has increased from an average of 24 the first year to 40 at the last event.

The tasting events have helped sales, too. The first year of the wine tastings, sales increased 5 percent, but as of November of this year, Hess said wine sales are up 15 percent.

Hess said the liquor store has changed the display system so people can find wines more easily. And the store has started shelving the wines on their sides so corks remain moist, which wine connoisseurs appreciate.

By Lori Ehde
The Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce received word this week that the community has been approved for another $157,000 grant from the Blandin Foundation.

The money represents Phase 2 of Luverne's involvement with the Blandin Community Investment Partnership, started two years ago as an offshoot of the Blandin Community Leadership Program.

Last year, Luverne was approved for $124,000 in Blandin money for three community priorities, which were identified in previous town meetings: prairie tourism, youth character and leadership and day care and after school programs.

Of the first grant, $18,000 was spent on developing "Touch the Sky Prairie," the 360 acres that were dedicated northwest of Luverne in September.

Day care hasn't panned out yet in the City Centre apartment building as planned, but $16,000 was spent on Family U and the rest of the $61,000 earmarked for day care and after school was carried over.

Finally, $44,650 was given to the reading mentorship program and youth character building at Luverne schools.

The city of Luverne acts as the fiscal agent for releasing funds, but a committee makes decisions on allocating the money.

The new $157,000 grant will again be divided among the three community priorities.

$86,000 will go toward several projects under consideration for prairie tourism.

$15,750 will fund scholarships for more families to utilize Family U.

$55,250 will go to the new Child Guide program, youth leadership programs and reading mentorships.

"This is really good news for us," said Chamber Director Dave Smith, "especially since now the program is on hold while they (Blandin) see whether it's really having an impact on communities. We're just thrilled to be part of it."

What is the
Blandin Foundation?
The Blandin Foundation was established in 1985 by the family who owned the Grand Rapids Blandin Paper Company in northern Minnesota.

The foundation was established for the express purpose of strengthening rural communities. With that purpose in mind, the foundation has sponsored more than 200 rural Minnesota communities in extensive Blandin Community Leadership Training sessions.

In 1998, 24 Luverne residents participated in that training, which provided skills and tools leaders need to address local concerns.

Two years ago the Blandin Foundation expanded its leadership training to include grant money for qualifying projects.

Luverne is one of only 12 Minnesota communities approved for the Blandin Community Investment Partnership, which operates around a mutual investment of both the community of Luverne and the Blandin Foundation.

By Lori Ehde
Rock County Land Management Director John Burgers, Hills, pled guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court to one count of mail fraud.

In doing so, the court dismissed the more serious charge of bribery.

By pleading guilty to mail fraud, Burgers admits that he engaged in a scheme to defraud citizens of Rock County by obtaining funds and loans in connection with a hog production facility in exchange for preferential treatment.

Burgers has been on paid administrative leave since the Sept. 20 indictment. When asked about the future of Burgers' employment in Rock County, personnel director Kyle Oldre said the matter will be discussed in a closed session during the Dec. 26 County Board meeting.

Burgers admitted in court that in March 1996 he learned that debris and waste were being dumped at a hog production facility owned by Global Ventures Inc.

Instead of notifying the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Burgers contacted a senior officer of GVI and advised him to take care of the problem before he contacted state officials.

A few months later, in June 1996, Burgers approached the same GVI officer and informed him he (Burgers) was in deep financial trouble and needed money.

"I heard rumors the bank and Global Ventures were involved in suspicious money transactions. I knew Dave Logan would see me as something of value and that he would know that I could make it tough or make it easy on Global Ventures," Burgers said in a written statement Sept. 18.

"I expected for that reason Logan could help me get loans at Pipestone Bank," Burgers wrote. Dave Logan used me as his heads-up guy to tell him of potential problems."

In those handwritten statements, Burgers said he received roughly $200,000 in loans from Global Ventures.

During his guilty plea hearing Wednesday, Burgers told the court he received numerous bank account statements through U.S. mail that enabled him to monitor his financial situation and alert him when he would need to obtain additional preferential loans.

Burgers admitted that between March 1996 and April 1999 he repeatedly provided preferential treatment to Global Ventures, abusing his position of public trust.

In a Sept. 20 indictment, both Burgers and Global Ventures were charged with bribery and mail fraud and both entered not guilty pleas in October.

In exchange for Burgers' guilty plea to mail fraud Wednesday and his full cooperation in the payment of restitution or fines, the bribery charge is dropped.

In lieu of forfeiture of his assets by the court, Burgers also agrees that, by no later than sentencing, he will sell or surrender the boat, motor and trailer that he obtained with the December 1996 preferential loan from First National Bank, Pipestone, so that these assets may be applied to restitution or fines.

He faces a sentencing guideline range between six to 12 months and 24 to 30 months. His fine range is from $3,000 to $50,000.

A sentencing date is expected in eight to 10 weeks.

The case is the result of an ongoing investigation in Pipestone and Rock counties by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hank Shea prosecuted the case.

Luverne's Jan Busse holds the 2001 Christopher Radko ornament, "Brave Heart," which the artist designed to donate proceeds to the Red Cross. It doesn't take long for visitors in the Busse home to notice a decorating theme of Radko ornaments. They hang on multiple Christmas trees, they're suspended from the drapery rod in the living room, and they're tastefully displayed on table tops throughout the house. While Busse admits she loves to shop, she said she's never collected anything with such fervor as she does the Radko ornaments. "I kind of got addicted to them," she said. "I just think they're so beautiful." Part of the draw, she said, is that the artist makes a limited number of hand-painted ornaments, each of which takes seven days to create, and then breaks the mold. While the pieces can be quite costly, Busse said she tries to limit her purchases to those under $50, and she's learned which stores (and QVC shows) offer them at special prices. She bought her first one two years ago and the collection now has 27 Christmas pieces, plus another 15 for Halloween, Easter and other occasions.

Photo by Lori Ehde

Fourth-graders donned their red Accelerated Reading T-shirts Friday for a photo with Teresa Hup of Main Street Financial Services, which donates the shirts for the program. The computer-based reading program encourages kids to challenge themselves with books of their choosing. Students take computer-generated tests on comprehension and earn points on the difficulty of the books and how well they comprehended the stories. According to teachers, the program promotes reading and builds self-esteem when students can receive immediate feedback on their reading performance. It helps motivate kids to become better readers. Three years ago, fourth-grade teachers and parents took the program a step farther and opened a general store where students can spend their earned reading points from the tests they take. The "A-R Mart" is open Friday afternoons and is manned by fourth-grade parents. Items for sale, mostly donated by local businesses, range from pencils and gadgets to stuffed animals. Their slogan is "Come and shop at the A-R Mart." Students wear their red shirts for admission to the store.

Photo by Lori Ehde

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek boys' basketball team played its first league game as a member of the Red Rock Conference Friday in Hills.

Hosting Fulda, a squad predicted to be one of the leagueÕs best this winter, H-BC made a statement by recording a 47-46 victory.

The Patriots didn't have their best offensive performance of the season, but hard work on defense and keeping things close on the boards carried them to a one-point win.

"We played all right," said Patriot coach Steve Wiertzema. "We didn't shoot the ball quite as well as we would have liked, but we played hard, we played good defense and we kept them off the boards."

A rough night at the charity stripe (10 of 24) nearly cost the Patriots the win late in the game.

H-BC never trailed in the fourth quarter, but two missed free throws by the Patriots gave the Raiders a chance to erase a 47-46 deficit late in the game. Fulda, however, missed a shot at the buzzer that would have changed the outcome of the game.

The Patriots opened a 15-8 lead in the first quarter before Fulda pulled to within two points (25-23) of the hosts by outscoring them 15-10 in the second quarter.

H-BC increased its lead to four points (39-35) in the third quarter before winning by one point in the end.

Brad Haak and Matt Buck tossed in 13 points each to lead the Patriots, while David Top added 11 counters.

Top had five rebounds and four assists, Buck had four assists and Haak led the way with six rebounds. Jesse Leuthold added five rebounds to the winning cause.

Box score
D.DeBoer 2 0 2-3 6, Van Maanen 0 1 0-0 3, Haak 5 0 3-9 13, Leuthold 0 0 1-2 1, L.DeBoer 0 0 0-1 0, Top 1 2 3-7 11, Buck 6 0 1-2 13.

Team statistics
H-BC: 17 of 49 field goals (35 percent), 10 of 24 free throws (42 percent), 24 rebounds, six turnovers.
Fulda: 17 of 49 field goals (35 percent), six of nine free throws (67 percent), 29 rebounds, nine turnovers.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek girls were unable to start the basketball season with three straight wins when they squared off against Central Lyon in Hills Saturday.

In a foul-filled game that resulted in the teams shooting a combined 68 free throws, the visiting Lions put an end to H-BCÕs two-game winning streak by toppling the Patriots 42-36.

A poor shooting night led to H-BCÕs impending doom.

The Patriots made 20 percent (nine of 46) of their field goals in the game, and that fact was overshadowed by 43-percent shooting (16 of 37) from the charity stripe.

CL scored the game's first five points and H-BC was never able to get any closer than three points before the first period came to an end with the visitors sporting a 14-8 lead.

A 10-3 surge capped by two free throws from Becky Broesder gave the Patriots a brief 18-17 edge with 1:05 remaining in the first half, but the Lions tied the game at 18 by halftime.

CL outscored the Patriots 11-2 in the first 4:00 of the third quarter to gain a 29-20 lead it would never relinquish.

H-BC trailed by five points (31-26) when Jody Rentschler converted a field goal with 36 seconds left in the third quarter and faced a four-point (40-36) deficit when Brittney Olson drained a free throw with 18 seconds left in the game, but that was close as the Patriots would come to catching the Lions.

Erin Boeve had an 18-rebound, nine-point, five-steal performance for H-BC. Becky Broesder added nine rebounds and four assists.

Box score
B.Rozeboom 1 0, 0-2 2, B.Olson 1 0 2-3 4, Feucht 0 0 0-0 0, Rentschler 2 0 0-2 4, Tilstra 3 0 0-4 6, Broesder 0 0 3-8 3, S.Rozeboom 1 0 4-4 6, DeNoble 0 0 2-6 2, Boeve 2 0 5-8 9, A.Olson 0 0 0-0 0.

Team statistics
H-BC: nine of 46 field goals (20 percent), 16 of 37 free throws (43 percent), 40 rebounds, 18 turnovers.
CL: 12 of 44 field goals (27 percent), 17 of 31 free throws (55 percent), 34 rebounds, 19 turnovers.

By Jolene Farley
The Steen Women's Ministries is collecting donations of baby items for the Center of Hope Ministry in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The Center of Hope is making mother and baby baskets for mothers struggling in various ways, such as single parenting, financial difficulties, bad choices and relationship concerns.

The Center of Hope, opened in November 2000, is a Christian outreach ministry whose motto is "meeting needs and sowing seeds of the gospel."

The new mother/baby basket program, slated to begin in mid-January, asks nursing staff at the Sioux Falls hospitals to disperse coupons to new mothers (at their discretion) that can be redeemed at the Center of Hope for the baskets.

Baskets include a crib-size quilt, a receiving blanket, bibs, booties, a "onesie" T-shirt, baby soap or wash, washcloths, baby lotion, diapers, woman's lotion, and a book about Jesus and children.

"It has been going well," said Center of Hope director Fred Wilgenburg. "WeÕve been getting a lot of donations."

Wilgenburg and his wife, Amy, and daughters, Whitney, 9, Siera, 7, and Jenna, 4, are members of Steen Reformed Church.

Steen Reformed Church has been very supportive, according to Wilgenburg. The church ladies have made several adult quilts to be given away by the Center as Christmas gifts. They have also donated used jackets and knitted stocking caps and mittens.

The more than 40 women involved in the Steen Women's Ministries have made the basket program their Christmas project. The women each brought items to their Christmas meeting on Dec. 10, and a donation box has been placed near the entryway for parish or non-parish support of the project.

Two other churches, First Reformed Church of Boyden, Iowa, and First Reformed Church of Volga, S.D., have joined Steen Reformed Church in collecting donations.

By Jolene Farley
By next summer the Minnesota Genealogical Society hopes to have a directory of every cemetery in Minnesota, broken down by county and detailing whom to contact for information on who is buried in each plot.

The directory would compile all information in one place, making genealogical research much easier for family members and others.

Researchers would know who to contact to find out if they have an ancestor buried in a particular region of Minnesota by looking up the county in the directory.

The task of collecting all the needed information began last summer with volunteers from around the state dividing up counties.

After seeing a request for volunteers online, Genealogical Society member Marcia Paulsen, Montrose, agreed to compile the information for Rock, Pipestone, Nobles, Martin, Jackson, Cottonwood, Murray and Watonwan counties, all located in southwest Minnesota.

Paulsen spent her vacation collecting information on these counties. Since her hometown is Round Lake, she was particularly interested in Nobles County and Jackson County.

Paulsen had previously completed several "transcriptions" of cemeteries in these counties. A transcription (an official genealogical term) is to gather information on who is buried in the plots. The information must be submitted to the State Historical Society for publication.

Of her eight counties, Rock County has the least amount of previous genealogical work done, according to Paulsen.

Many counties sent teams out in the 1970s and '80s to cemeteries to record those buried in the plots located throughout the county. That extensive research was never done in Rock County, according to Paulsen.

Paulsen was able to locate 25 cemeteries in Rock County from a list prepared as a Work in Progress Administration project in the 1930s, sponsored by the Roosevelt administration during the Depression.

Although Rock County has lagged behind other counties, Paulsen's visit last summer spurred Rock County Historical Society volunteers Betty Mann and Naidine Aanenson to start some investigating of their own.

"We are trying to do some investigating, but it takes a lot of time," said Mann. "We hope to continue this in the spring when the weather gets a little warmer."

Mann and Aanenson have contacted some churches asking for a listing of people buried in their cemetery.

Mann is particularly interested in Rose Dell Cemetery, located northwest of Luverne, and completed the listing of names from the headstones in the cemetery.

"So many of them were children. I would like to pursue this further to see if there was an epidemic at that particular time or if the adult stones are simply missing."

If Mann and Aanenson are successful in transcribing all the cemeteries in Rock County, the Rock County Historical Society will be listed as the contact in the directory.

As many as 20 Minnesota counties currently have no volunteers working on gathering the information. Only one county has presented all the needed information to the State Historical Society.

Paulsen asks anyone with any information, such as books detailing who is buried in any cemeteries, to contact the Rock County Historical Society.

"There are many cemeteries across the state that are abandoned," said Paulsen. "The church is gone and the township or a neighbor takes care of it."

Volunteers realize that some cemeteries may be private burial plots with all family members of the deceased long gone.

This makes the chance of tracking down any genealogical information unlikely, but they want to ensure the information they are able to find is on file with the Rock County Historical Society and the Minnesota Genealogical Society.