Timothy John Cashin, 20, Orono, died in a boating accident on Bay Lake, Sunday, Aug. 19, 2001. He was the grandson of Don and Betty Cashin of Luverne.

Services were Wednesday, Aug. 29, at Woodridge Church, Medina. Burial was at German Liberal Cemetery in Hamel.

Tim was an exuberant young man, a lover of life with the unique ability to fill each day beyond its capacity. He especially loved people, golf, Bob Dylan and The Big Wu. He graduated from Orono High School in 1999 where he was a student leader and athlete. He was the student body president during his junior year and the following year was captain of the football and tennis teams. He placed nationally in the 1999 DECA competition. He was a junior at St. Olaf College in Northfield and was about to embark on a five-month term in Asia Study Adventure. He loved his life "on the hill" at St. Olaf where he was a student activities coordinator.

Survivors include his parents, Tim and Holly Cashin; two brothers, Andy and Teddy; grandparents, Don and Betty Cashin; numerous aunts; uncles; cousins; and countless friends.

Tim was preceded in death by maternal grandparents Sam and Shirley Hobbs.

Memorials are preferred to the Orono Alliance for Education, Box 211, Long Lake, MN 55366.

David Lee Funeral Home, Wayzata, was in charge of arrangements.

Harry Jannsen, 89, Luverne, died Sunday, Sept. 2 at Mary Jane Brown Home, Luverne. Services will be Wednesday, Sept. 5 at 1:30 p.m. at St. John Lutheran Church, Luverne, with Rev. Charles Boeder officiating. Burial will be in Maplewood Cemetery. Visitation will be Tuesday, Sept. 4 from 2 to 8 p.m. with the family present from 6 to 8 p.m. at Dingmann Funeral Home, Luverne.

Russell Hoiland, 84, Magnolia, died Thursday, Aug. 30 at Sioux Valley Hospital, Sioux Falls. Services will be Thursday, Sept. 4 at 10:30 a.m. at Bethany Lutheran Church, Luverne, with Rev. Paul Fries officiating. Burial will be in Maplewood Cemetery. Visitation will be Monday, Sept. 3 from 2 to 8 p.m. with the family present from 6 to 8 p.m. at Dingmann Funeral Home, Luverne.

John Wolfswinkel, 97, Albert Lea, formerly of Luverne, died Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2001, at Good Samaritan Center in Albert Lea.

Services were Monday, Aug. 27, at American Reformed Church in Luverne. Burial was in Hope Cemetery, Hull, Iowa.

John Wolfswinkel was born to Albert and Jennie (Bartels) Wolfswinkel on Aug. 21, 1904, in Carmel, Iowa. He was raised on the family farm near Carmel.

He married Agnes DeJongh on June 24, 1927, in Hull. He farmed near Hull for several years after their marriage. He lived in California for 18 years, Edgerton for 12 years and Luverne for four years. His employment varied from farmer to trucker to grinder to car sales. Mrs. Wolfswinkel died on Dec. 31, 1987. Upon retirement he enjoyed helping his family run various businesses.

Mr. Wolfswinkel was a member of American Reformed Church in Luverne.

Survivors include one son and daughter-in-law, Larry and Morene Wolfswinkel, Mesa, Ariz.; two daughters and one son-in-law, Reva Jackson, Luverne, and Lorna and Charles Meister, Albert Lea; 12 grandchildren; 36 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren; four brothers, Ben Wolfswinkel, Joe Wolfswinkel, Jim (Alta) Wolfswinkel, and Elmer (Marge) Wolfswinkel; two sisters, Jennie Brustring and Nellie Bullock; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Mr. Wolfswinkel was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Agnes, one son, Ceaver, one son-in-law, John Jackson, three brothers, Peter, Clarence and Henry, and four sisters, Jennie, Margaret, Grace and Albertha.

Engebretson Funeral Home, Luverne, was in charge of arrangements.

John August Petersen, 79, Bruce, Wis., formerly of the Luverne area, died Thursday, Aug. 23, 2001, in his home.

Private family services were held.

John Petersen was born to Charles and Eva Petersen on Dec. 4, 1921, in Barron, Wis. He worked for Abbots Dairy in Wisconsin. He was also a farm hand for various farms in Minnesota. He worked for the Beaver Creek School District as a bus driver and also the Beaver Creek Co-op Elevator.

He married Eustacia Sabala.

Mr. Petersen was a member of St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne.

Survivors include three daughters and one son-in-law, Twylla Marie Petersen, Treva Layne Petersen, both of Bruce, and Debbie LaRae and David Fitzgerald, Springfield; one granddaughter, Carly Rose Fitzgerald; one brother and sister-in-law, Fritz and Esther Petersen, Stanger, Calif.; and six sisters, Alice Florke, Edna Florke, both of Sutherland, Iowa, Carol Abiehl, Sheldon, Wis., Mary Titus, Eunice Zeitler, both of Sioux City, Iowa, and Mildred Petersen, Ladysmith, Wis.

Mr. Petersen was preceded in death by his parents and his wife.

Nash-Jackson Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Elmer August Gehrke, 87, Luverne, died Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2001, in Luverne Hospice Cottage.

Services were Saturday, Aug. 25, at Bethany Lutheran Church in Luverne.

Elmer Gehrke was born to Emil and Bertha (Grippentrog) Gehrke on March 4, 1914, in Beaver Creek. He was raised on the family farm near Beaver Creek. He attended country school and high school in Beaver Creek.

He married Mae Ellsworth on June 10, 1936, in Sioux Falls, S.D. He was associated with contractors who built Army bases, prison camps, ammunition dumps and the atomic plant at Hanford, Wash., until 1945. They farmed for 35 years in Beaver Creek Township. He retired from farming in 1974 but continued to do custom work while retired. Mrs. Gehrke died on June 6, 1978.

He married Audrey Schlump on Feb. 7, 1979, in Jasper. They lived in Luverne where he worked at M-M Distributing, was a maintenance man at Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center and as a crossing guard for many years in the Luverne School District.

Mr. Gehrke was a member of Bethany Lutheran Church in Luverne.

Survivors include his wife, Audrey Gehrke, Luverne; one daughter and son-in-law, Sharon and Michael Biggs, Webster City, Iowa; one stepson and his spouse, Dale and Aggie Schlump, Sioux Falls; and three stepdaughters and their spouses, Pearl and Keith Ackerman, Hartley, Iowa, Shirley and Randy Herman and Sharon and Mark Janssen, all of Ellsworth; two grandchildren; 11 stepgrandchildren; two great-grandchildren; six stepgreat-grandchildren; and one brother, Walter Gehrke, Beaver Creek.

Mr. Gehrke, was preceded in death by his first wife, Mae, one brother, Edward Gehrke, an infant brother, and two sisters, Hattie Wiese and Amanda Waege.

Engebretson Funeral Home, Luverne, was in charge of arrangements.

By John Rittenhouse
A group of Rock County teens spent part of their summer vacation winning a team championship at a race track in South Dakota.

Representing Luverne, a team of 10 drivers ranging between the ages of 16-19 bested 15 other teams to win the Teen Days at Thunder Valley Raceways overall title in Marion, S.D.

With some of the kids driving the cars they would take to school this September, the Luverne team mixed it up on the track during four Sundays this summer.

The drivers would compete in different divisions, where they would earn points based on their performances (overall times).

The point standings were tallied from week to week, and the Luverne team came out on top in the standings with its effort on the last race day, Aug. 19.

"The kids were hoping to place first as a team, and they had a really good time getting there," said Charla Sandbulte, the mother of team members Jarrod and Michael Sandbulte.

Other team members include: Chad Smith, Ben Winkels, Brett Vander Vliet, Austin Hoiland, Eric Lammert, Derek Sandbulte, Lindsay Hup and Ryan Johnson.

By Lori Ehde
Luverne's historic Palace Theatre is now in private hands - but it's nothing the patrons will notice, according to new owner Jeremy Esser.

He and his wife, Rachel, have leased the Palace from the Blue Mound Area Theatre Board since June 1999.

They had also operated the Iowa Theatre in Sheldon where they live, but Esser said they're selling that one and will concentrate efforts in Luverne.

Buying the Palace was an attractive option for the couple, since they wanted to build equity for future theater opportunities.

"This will be cheaper for us, and having some property will help us out on the business side," he said.

"That way, if I'm ever interested in owning a theater somewhere else, that helps me out."

From the perspective of the Blue Mound Area Theater Board, the time had come to sell the Palace.

"We wanted to see it back in public hands rather than maintain it ourselves," said Mike Hesch, board president.

For nearly 25 years, the board has owned the Palace and has existed for the purpose of protecting the theater's interests.

But Hesch said it was becoming increasingly difficult to manage as a board. "It's virtually impossible to find people to serve on boards like that," he said.

Two years ago, Luverne native Tom Brakke offered to buy the Palace but said he wasn't contacted this time around to see if he was still interested.

"Personally, I'm not offended they didn't contact me, but I think other community groups may have had an interest as well to see that there's proper protection of the theater," Brakke said Tuesday.

"We had intended to put a fair amount of money into the structure, and I'm not sure the new owners will do that. Our primary interest was in protecting the Palace, so we proposed very strict covenants to do that."

Hesch said negotiations with Brakke fell through because the two parties couldn't agree on a price.

This time, Hesch said, "We agreed on a price."

The purchase agreement for $50,000 was signed with Esser on July 25.

Several stipulations were written into the contract to protect the Palace, and the board has the right of first refusal, if the Essers decide to sell it.

Hesch said the board will invest the money into CDs for the next few years, until it's clear the business is on firm financial footing.

Then, he said, the earnings will likely be invested in a local historic preservation fund.

"I think he'll do a good job," Hesch said about Esser. "He has a lot of experience with theaters, and he's done a very good job so far. I'm extremely optimistic things will go well for him."

Theater Board member Bonnie Jordahl said all board members were present when the decision was made to sell, and all supported the decision.

Further, she said the board has grown to trust Esser and his management style and his respect for the historic value of the theater.

"He has given his word that he won't do anything drastic. He appreciates the Palace Theatre as it stands," she said.

"We are behind him all the way, and should he ever want to not keep doing this, it comes right back to us, which is assuring."

Other Theater Board members are Grace Loose, LaJean Lammert, Bob Dorn and Verlyn Van Batavia.

Esser has been involved in the theater industry since he was 16 years old working at his hometown theater in Nebraska City, Neb.

Since then, he's worked his way up through management positions at 12 different theaters in the past 10 years.

In his years of experience, Esser said he's never seen a theater with the appeal that the Palace holds.

"It's a very, very nice theater. There's just no other theater like it," Esser said. "It's one-of-a-kind in the sense that it has an operable stage and dressing rooms, a balcony, the unique bathroom location and the art mural on the wall."

He said any plans for additional screens would be accomplished through neighboring property. "The main auditorium won't be touched," he said.

The Palace was built in 1915 by Herman Jochims, primarily for the presentation of stage plays by traveling theater troupes and for "moving pictures," then an up-and-coming form of entertainment.

Its history is one thing that makes the Palace so unique. The next-oldest theater he has worked in was built in 1945 and has since been modernized.

Esser now owns the Palace Theater building, the second-story apartment and the Palace Museum space.

The Blue Mound Area Theater Board still owns the contents of the museum, which include mementos of the vaudeville days, the days of silent movies and early sound movies. It occupies space that once served as a ballroom.

The Essers are planning to host an open house at the Palace during Tri-State Band Festival activities on Sept. 29.

By Sara Quam
Trying to balance adequate services against the bottom line was an issue for the Luverne City Council Tuesday as it discussed garbage options and fire protection.

Meeting as Committee of the Whole, the council didn't take formal action on either topic.

The garbage issue has surfaced for the city in light of the city allowing Ketterling Services to take on some of the city's customers. In losing those customers, the city has lost revenue and is looking at what it can do to make it up.

Taking its municipal solid waste to Lyon County, which has a lower per ton charge than Rock County, may be one option. The city has done this for three months now to save money. But without the city of Luverne supporting the Rock County Transfer Station, it may not be able to stay open at its current level. Luverne is the county's biggest customer at the landfill.

The Rock County Transfer Station gets collections from the city and then contracts with Ketterling to haul municipal solid waste (standard garbage) to Lyon County. Rock County can put only demolition material in its landfill.

Instead of using the Rock County landfill as a middle-man, Luverne Public Works Director Darrell Huiskes said the city could save $13,568 a year by bypassing the local stop.

If Rock County loses Luverne's landfill business, the transfer station would still remain open, but at a limited capacity, which concerned some council members.

Council member Keith Erickson said, "I'd like to see us work with the county on this."

Mayor Glen Gust said he was also in favor of finding a way to support the local landfill. "I think we need to think about the citizens of Luverne and about having a place to go with their stuff," he said.

City Administrator Matt Hylen said moving Luverne's compost and burning service to the landfill is an option to keep someone there with the city still paying for those wages. The current transfer station's hours aren't exactly consumer-friendly, he said, because it closes at 4 p.m. weekdays, where LuverneÕs service is open for a few hours weekday nights and Saturday mornings.

Huiskes said that having a local landfill is a valuable service that he'd like to keep for the citizens, but that saving money is the real issue. "I have a real hard time with the citizens of this city subsidizing the county."

Huiskes pointed out that LuverneÕs collection rates haven't changed, except to decrease, in five years. He would like to keep rates as low as possible.

The estimate that the city would save more than $13,000 includes calculations for per ton deposits, fuel, labor, maintenance and annual depreciation.

The major cost difference between the landfills is that Lyon County charges $45 per ton and Rock County charges $70 per ton. Also, the county pays out about $85,000 to haul municipal solid waste to Lyon County, which the city of Luverne might do on its own.

Councilman David Hauge said he doesnÕt understand why the city should have to figure out a way for the Rock County landfill to stay in business. He said the county's position when deciding on issues has always been to keep costs down and hasnÕt done the city of Luverne any favors.

Hauge said, "I don't think our job is to figure out their strategy. If it saves money, it's good for the taxpayers."

Councilman Jim Kirchhofer agreed. "I think they need to provide a competitive service."

Firefighter pension
For the second time, the council discussed but took no vote on the issue of increasing firefighter's pension to the requested $2,100 annual contribution.

Mayor Glen Gust and council member Tom Martius must abstain from voting because both serve on the volunteer fire department.

Council members seemed to agree that granting the full amount of the request would be too much for the budget this year, but that an increase from the current $1,700 was warranted.

Erickson suggested a dollar per hour raise from the current $6 on top of the pension increase. The firefighters get the hourly wage during weekly training exercises and when on duty at fires.

The council will vote on the fire pension and wage increases at a future council meeting.