Grace Ruby Molitor, 86, Luverne, died Thursday, July 19, 2001, in Luverne Hospice Cottage.

Services were Monday, July 23, at First Presbyterian Church in Luverne. The Rev. John Pehrson officiated. Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery, Luverne.

Grace Price was born to Herbert and Clara (Ohs) Price on July 3, 1915, in Beaver Creek. She attended school in Beaver Creek and graduated from Beaver Creek High School.

She married Leonard Molitor on Oct. 18, 1935, in Sioux Falls, S.D. Following their marriage they lived in Stewart where they owned and operated Stewart Movie Theater. In 1950 they moved to Luverne where they owned and operated Luverne Bootery. She also worked for J.C. Penney's until she retired in 1978. Mr. Molitor died on Sept. 12, 1995. She continued to live in her home until entering Luverne Community Hospital on July 4. She entered Luverne Hospice Cottage on July 12.

Mrs. Molitor was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Luverne where she was active in Martha Circle. She was also involved with Pink Ladies and RSVP as a volunteer. She enjoyed sewing.

Survivors include two daughters and one son-in-law, Judy and Bud Heronimus, Blue Springs, Mo., and Linda Hurd, Sioux Falls; six grandchildren, Jeffrey Heronimus, Diane (Mark) Heronimus Pringer, Scott Heronimus, Jolene Heronimus, Kelly (Neil) Hurd Peterson and Jamie Hurd; three great-grandchildren, Madison Rae Pringer, Jackson Samuel Pringer, and Sterling Mikayla OÕRay; and one sister, Una Tippner, Kelso, Wash.

Mrs. Molitor was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Leonard, two brothers, Herb and Kenneth Price, and two sisters, Caroline Chelsey and Mavis Stavig.

Memorials may be directed to Luverne Hospice Cottage.

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

Frank Herbert Matus, 96, Beaver Creek, died Sunday, July 22, 2001, at Merrill Pioneer Hospital in Rock Rapids, Iowa.

Memorial services were Wednesday, July 25, at Palisade Lutheran Church in Garretson, S.D.

Frank Matus was born to Reinhold and Louise (Holfelt) Matus on March 22, 1905, in Rockville, Conn. He attended school in rural Hinton, Iowa.

He married Amy Aaker on May 5, 1928, in rural Ruthton. After their marriage the couple farmed in rural Ruthton before moving to the farm in Rock County in 1943. They retired in 1970.

Mr. Matus was a member of Palisade Lutheran Church and the Sons of Norway.

Survivors include three sons and daughters-in-law, Donald and LaVonne Matus, Luverne, Dale and Darlene Matus, Beaver Creek, and Charles and Dorthea Matus, Tinley Park, Ill.; nine grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.

Mr. Matus was preceded in death by his parents, his twin brother, William Matus, and two sisters, Ruth Bunning and Gertrude Andresen.

Dingmann Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Luverne, was in charge of arrangements.

Agnes Husen, 91, Luverne, died Sunday, July 22, 2001, at Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center in Luverne.

Services were Wednesday, July 25, at Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne. The Rev. Dell Sanderson officiated. Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery, Luverne.

Agnes Blinsmon was born to Olof and Lena (Anderson) Blinsmon on Oct. 16, 1909, in Kanaranzi Township, Rock County. She attended school in Luverne and graduated from Luverne High School in 1928.

She married Carl H. Husen on Aug. 30, 1930, at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church parsonage in Luverne, Following their marriage they farmed for 28 years. They moved to Luverne in 1958. She worked at Luverne High School as the head cook. Mr. Husen preceded her in death on Dec. 4, 1991. She continued to live in her home until entering Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center July 7, 1998.

Mrs. Husen was an active member of Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne. She was the first president of the Ladies Aid and remained active for 50 years. She was also involved with 4-H. She enjoyed doing crafts, playing cards and especially baking cookies for others.

Survivors include three sons and two daughters-in-law, Raymond Husen, Moorhead, James and Judy Husen, Desert Hot Springs, Calif., and Kenneth and Rebecca Husen, Luverne; 12 grandchildren, David Husen, Joel Husen, Wade Husen, Andrea Card, Kevin Husen, Tamara Gordon, Kathy Botnen, Eric Husen, James Husen Jr., Douglas Husen, Bradley Husen, Jennifer Sundby and many great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Husen was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Carl, one son, Donald, four brothers, Carl, Russell, Sidney and Walter, and two sisters, Emma and her twin sister, Esther.
Engebretson Funeral Home, Luverne, was in charge of arrangements.

A four-person team representing the Star Herald coverage area, the Flamin' Angels was one of 36 teams to start the race and one of 31 squads to finish the event at Crane Lake on Friday.

Competing in the four-person team division, Luverne's Lisa Mulder, Ashley Gacke and Erica Smith, and Ellsworth's Janelle Jenniges placed fifth in the division with a four-day time of 34:13.15.

Fourteen teams started the race in the four-person division, and 12 finished the event.

Team Geezer, consisting of St. Cloud's Reuben Wagenius and Chris Haukos, Hutchinson's Dan Nissen and Litchfield's Peter Royer, won the division title with a time of 31:33.06. They bested the second-place team by 57 minutes.

The Flamin' Angels placed fifth in their division during three of the days of competition, and seventh on one day.

They were fifth during both bicycle races (from Luverne to St. Cloud, and from St. Cloud to Eveleth with respective 9:49.45 and 8:47.07 efforts, and they were fifth in the run from Eveleth to Cook with a 5:33.52 performance.

Team coach Dave Duffy was concerned with how the team would perform during the 50-mile canoe race on the Vermillion River prior to the race. His concern was realized when the team posted the division's seventh-best time of 10:02.31 during the last day.

The event was good to Minnesota teams as five of the six division winners came from the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

A trio from Deephaven won the three-person team title by 1:27 with a time of 32:17.11. David Gigerich, Lindsay Brown and Darren Aschoff formed the team called ZT United.

Winning the two-person team's men's masters division were Savage's Henry O'Donnell and Maple Grove's Mark Skinner. They won the division by 1:30 with a time of 32:45.42. competing under the name of True Grit.

Minneapolis' Tracy Sides and Chicago's Ginder Sides, competing as team B2B Sides' Way, won the women's open division title with a time of 41:21.29, while Cop N Doc, consisting of Crystal's Sandra Gouldson and Minneapolis' Bill Emerson, won the couples open title with a time of 40:05.17. Both teams were the lone entries in their division.

The Tri-Animals kept Minnesota teams from making it a complete sweep by winning the menÕs open division with a time of 32:21.32. Eau Claire's (Wis.) Tim Dusick and Phillips' (Wis.) Jesse Haynes won the division by 3:15.

By Jolene Farley
On Aug. 11 Tuff Home resident Avis Hazelton will reach a landmark in her life. She will celebrate her 100th birthday.

When asked what she wanted for a birthday celebrating 100 years of living, Hazelton replied, "Oh, nothing special. Just a good day with friends and family."

Hazelton, born in 1901, was raised in Luverne. After graduating from Luverne High School in 1919, Hazelton taught school in a one-room country school. Later, she assisted first grade teacher, Mary Jones, in Luverne.

When Hazelton was about 25 years old, she moved to St. Paul to work at Golden Rule Department Store as a sales person trainer. She later took a job as floor supervisor at another St. Paul department store, the Emporium. Her last traveling position was as Detail Representative for a New Jersey company, selling tooth powder and toothbrushes.

Hazelton returned to Luverne from St. Paul after many years and taught first and second grade for eight years in Steen and third grade for two years in Beaver Creek.

"When I was a girl... all a child was supposed to do was to be a child and grow up," said Hazelton about the changes in kids over the years.

For many years Hazelton was the Luverne contact for the Worthington Globe.

She has a fondness for art. She took art courses from the University of Minnesota.

Hazelton took voice and piano lessons and sang with many church choirs, the Civic Chorus of St. Paul and later with St. Paul Civic Opera. She established the First Presbyterian Junior Choir in Luverne.
Hazelton has served as Pink Ladies president and remains an honorary member.

When asked to share memories Hazelton exclaimed, "There are so many memories which one should I pick?"

Hazelton only recently became a resident at the Tuff Memorial Home in Hills. She resided in the Blue Mound Towers in Luverne before her move.

Hazelton never married and has no children.

A party celebrating her 100th birthday will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11, at Grace Lutheran Church. Friends and family request stories and pictures instead of gifts.

By Katrina Vander Kooi
State funding for Luverne School District next year will not keep pace with inflation.

"The school district will lose money," Superintendent Vince Schaefer said at the Luverne School Board meeting Thursday, Aug. 9.

"The spending doesn't compare to last year. It was disappointing because there was a surplus."

The first year of the biennium, Luverne will receive a total of $8,360,196, a $110,571 increase over last year. The second year of the biennium Luverne will receive $8,657,997, a $297,801 increase from the year before.

"The money is tied directly to the number of students," Superintendent Vince Schaefer said.

The K-12 bill increased the per-pupil formula from $3,964 this year to $4,068 per pupil for the 2001-2002 school year and $4,601 per pupil for the 2002-2003 school year.

This is about a 2.6-percent increase during each year of the biennium. The rate of inflation last year was 3.15 percent.

According to a poll of 627 registered Minnesota voters conducted for the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Minnesota Public Radio, 55 percent of respondents said lawmakers did not provide enough money for schools, compared with 31 percent who thought they provided the right amount and 10 percent who said they gave schools too much money.

Included in the funding package for Luverne, the K-12 bill designates money to equal out voter-approved excess taxes to $415 per pupil across the board. Schools with amounts lower than $415 will receive an increase. Luverne is one of them.

The current voter-approved excess taxes for Luverne are only $198 per pupil this year, but next year the state will add $217 per pupil.

A variety of accountability issues were included in the bill. School boards must now approve structurally balanced budgets.

A new seventh-grade exam was added and will begin during the 2002-03 school year. It will test the skills connected with the Profile of Learning. Another exam will test students' skills at math without a calculator.

A web-accessible system providing district-by-district comparisons of school finances and student performance is to be developed by a contractor at a starting cost of $2.5 million. Standard and Poor's is now providing a service similar to this in Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Schaefer was skeptical about the idea.

"There are too many variables," Schaefer said about the new school comparison system. "We are not all teaching the same thing at the same time."

The state earmarked $8 million on a pilot basis for districts to move away from the system of paying teachers based on their education and years served.

The Luverne School District is not looking at this as an option during negotiations. "All of our teachers are great," Superintendent Vince Schaefer said.

"It's hard to find a way for it to be fair," board member Daniel Kopp said.

In other business, Thursday the board:

Accepted the resignation of Grace Tofteland as ECFE and School Readiness paraprofessional and Pete Wilson as mathematics teacher.

Reviewed the hiring process for a Spanish teacher. Schaefer said Principal Gary Fisher has selected a candidate and is in the process of offering a contract.

Discussed a new CD that promotes the community through music and photos. After the introduction, the user will be able to access the chamber, city, county, school, and hospital Web sites that contain information about Luverne.

The CDs will be used for a variety of inquiries including businesses, families, organizations, or individuals that request information about the community.

Heard there was one meeting of the Negotiations Committee and that it went well. The next meeting will be at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 27.

Discussed adding a child guide program at Luverne. Superintendent Schaefer discussed his trip to Olivia to see a child guide program. "The goal is to connect these kids in a positive way not only to school but also to the community," Schaefer said.

If implemented, the program would be funded jointly by the government and by the community.

Accepted bids for bakery products, dairy products, fuel oil, and gasoline/diesel fuel for the 2001-02 school year.

Scheduled the next board meeting for 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 23.

By Sara Quam
The Rock County Board of Commissioners joined the Luverne City Council's regular meeting Tuesday to discuss preliminary 2002 budgets for law enforcement, library and recreation.

Ultimately, the city and county will each pay $360,014 for law enforcement; $133,882 for dispatching services; $72,018 for the Rock County Community Pool and Fitness Center, and $102,458 for the library.

The two law enforcement budgets increased by a combined $24,183; fitness center increased by $10,994, and library increased by $5,016.

Although the budgets are just proposed at this time, the discussion did not meet with objections, although County Board members Ron Boyenga and Bob Jarchow weren't present. The budgets will be voted on during the final budget setting meetings at the end of the year.

The budget increases over last year don't reflect huge percentages and contain standard salary and health insurance cost increases as well as capital items.

During the law enforcement discussion, Luverne Mayor Glen Gust asked whether Sheriff Ron McClure saw a need in the department for a drug-sniffing dog.

McClure said "absolutely," although it isn't part of the 2002 budget. The department is first looking into grants or fund-raising to get and train a dog. An officer would also have to be trained and paid for keeping the dog at all times as a family pet.

The start-up cost for such a dog is at least $18,000, and that doesn't include overtime for the officer who is called to use the dog outside of his regular shift or for health care for the animal and standard expenses like food.

McClure said the dog gives the department security when searching vehicles on traffic stops, for instance. If the dog gives a signal, that's considered probable cause to search.

County Board Chair Ken Hoime said, "As much as we don't like the drug issue, it's here and it's not going away and we need to deal with it - be on top of it."

A future issue for county law enforcement is the cost of housing prisoners. The county now pays the Nobles County Jail in Worthington $60 a day to keep local prisoners. If that jail has no room, Pipestone takes Rock County prisoners at the same cost.

With Nobles County constructing a new facility that will be bigger and employ more people, the daily cost will likely increase within a couple of years.

Pool and fitness center
As joint owners of the Rock County Community Pool and Fitness Center, the County Board and City Council reviewed the proposed budget that includes a provision to increase membership rates by 20 percent.

The budget also assumes a worst-case scenario, factoring in lost revenue from cancelled memberships after the rate hike takes effect.

However, if members don't drop off as management fears, the center will be able to keep putting money in reserves for capital improvement, for building improvements or repairs.

If members want to opt out of year-long contracts, they will be notified of the option. As another policy change, members will be told when their contract is about to expire so they know when notice has to be given. This year, the facility will see newer equipment as well.

Making improvements like a ramp entrance to the pool and building a separate water park are still on the wish list of the boards to increase enjoyment of the facility.

City business
The Luverne City Council continued with informational items after the County Board was done.

The BMX bike track will likely be removed from the park area after a meeting on Sept. 2. Participation in the track has declined and after hearing of insurance risks, the city and track users are reportedly willing to let it go.

Luverne's Web site will be updated within a few weeks and will include new material. It can be found at cityofluverne.org.

The city, county and school are forming an Armory Task Force to look at what is needed in a possible new facility that could have room for more community-oriented activities. The city, county and school each need to find four community members willing to serve on the task force.

Alley lighting in Luverne has been brought up for security reasons. The city isn't responsible for lighting alleyways but will install and rent security lights to residents for about $60 a year.

By Lori Ehde
Midway through the growing season, area producers are assessing their crops and making predictions on yields.

Following two years of record harvest in Rock County this fall may be a letdown, due to damaging storms earlier this year.

Widespread hail pelted soybean fields in the southern part of Rock County in late May, just after the tender shoots had emerged.

According to Extension Educator Fraser Norton, some farmers clearly had to replant, but the borderline fields left on their own have done remarkably well.

"The questionable ones who didn't replant made the right decision," Norton said. "For the most part, those fields did come back. In fact they did better than if they'd been replanted, plus those farmers avoided the extra costs of replanting."

In July, high winds flattened fledgling cornstalks in northern Rock County.

Norton said the most damage occurred in fields whose root systems had already been compromised by soil compaction or herbicide damage or root worm. Stage of crop development was also a factor.

Chuck Feikema, who plants about 1,500 acres of corn, said winds damaged about 80 percent his fields.

"It's pretty well twisted up and laying down, and the stalks have goosenecked," he said.

Feikema said the storm simply came at a bad time for the stalks because they hadn't established strong "brace roots" yet.

Now, he's hoping the timing is better for the first snowfall, which would put the already low-laying ears on the ground.

"It could be challenging to harvest. I'm sure this took 20 percent off our yields," Feikema said.

On the bright side, Norton said local fields are looking better than others in the Midwest.

"Rock County is certainly the best in the region," he said.

"I've been up to the Cities several times this summer. There, they started out way too wet, and then it got really dry, so the roots were not as developed as they should be."

Countywide, Norton said yields will be down, but he said they'll still be close to average for Rock County.

An average corn yield for Rock County is 140 bushels per acre. Soybeans have averaged 40 to 45 bushels per acre.

Compared with 158-bushel corn last year and 49-bushel soybeans two years ago, harvest this year may be a letdown.

"It's too early to say for beans," Norton said. "August is an important month, and we'll need rain this month for pod filling."

He added that harvest is still a long way off, considering several things could affect yields between now and then.

"The proof of the pudding is in the eating," Norton said. "We won't know until we see the yields."

By Sara Quam
Rock County nursing home facilities have the option to reduce the number of beds in place of more flexible care, thanks to the state Legislature.

The state's long-term care system is currently heavily weighted toward nursing home care. In order to shift the balance toward more community-based long-term care, the 2001 legislation developed incentives for nursing homes to reduce up to 5,140 facility beds in the next two years.

When a home takes away a number of beds, the state will reinvest money into the facility in other areas, such as programs or facility improvements. The decision to close beds is entirely up to individual nursing homes.

Dana Dahlquist, administrator at Tuff Memorial Home, Hills, said the 52-bed facility hasn't had difficulty keeping filled, but he said cutting back may be an option.

"We're debating it. We have six double rooms that we might turn into private, but that would be one or two at a time," Dahlquist said.

He said services provided by assisted living facilities or home health care workers could extend the time some people spend outside the nursing homes.

"People can make educated decisions about where they're going to be," he said.

Rock County Family Services Director Randy Ehlers said a combination of things prompted the legislation. The Baby Boomer generation wants more choices and freedom with long-term care, and the state, especially the southwest portion, has an abundance of nursing home beds.

Linda Studer, administrator of the Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Home, said the Luverne facility isn't prepared to start looking at reducing beds just yet.

"I think the state is seeing that people want choices and there needs to be funding to provide those choices," Studer said.

She said if the community has a need for assisted living, some nursing home beds may be reduced. "If there's going to be beds closing," Studer said, "you have to pick up the slack somewhere else, like in assisted living."

The state is prepared to offer incentives to shift some of the burden of care off nursing homes. The 2001 legislation:

Invests in home- and community-based programs (Elderly Waiver, Alternative Care and Group Residential Housing) to meet increased demand for services.

Provides incentives for the planned, voluntary closure of up to 5,140 nursing facility beds over the next two years with some of the savings reinvested back into the nursing facility industry.

Revises resident relocation statutes and provides funding for county costs of relocations.

Improves access to Alternative Care and Elderly Waiver services through rate equalization between the programs and across counties.

Simplifies administration through a common service menu across Alternative Care and waivers.

Invests in infrastructure - renovation and replacement of outdated nursing homes.

While area nursing homes may be full most of the time, Twin Cities nursing home facilities are finding it difficult to operate because more services, such as home health care and assisted living, are available there. Meanwhile, more nursing homes were constructed there in the 1960s and '70s.
Another trend is shortened nursing home stays. A growing number of nursing home residents are there for short post-hospital stays and transition back to their home or enter an assisted living facility after regaining some strength. Others put off entering nursing homes until the last stages of life when other options have been exhausted.

Since the legislation was just passed, it will take some time before local nursing homes decide what they'll do and how to go about making changes, if any.