The application to develop the former Fledgling Field into a funeral home was denied three months, three days after being turned in.

The Luverne City Council met in a special meeting last Friday after receiving the recommendation from the Planning Commission.

The Planning Commission not only voted to recommend denial of the conditional use application Oct. 30, but it voted to specify in the code books that funeral homes not be allowed in R-1, or low density, residential districts.

The Council voted to follow the Planning CommissionÕs recom-mendation, with Councilman Keith EricksonÕs addition of including R-2, multiple family, districts as a conditional use zone for funeral homes.

Cornerstone Construction is an architectural firm specializing in construction management for designing and building funeral homes. LuverneÕs Holm-Dingmann Funeral Home has said it will buy the constructed building, if developed.

Dan Dingmann said he plans on making the historic West Main Street building up to code, even if that means losing the historic designation. "ItÕs a beautiful building, but I donÕt think I have a choice," Dingmann said.

"Apparently they want a funeral home by the ethanol plant or ice arena. É They really made it tough for a local person to expand a business. ItÕs not like people are knocking down doors to build in town," Dingmann told the Star Herald Oct. 31.

Erickson said Friday, "In looking over the material, I see that there is a great deal of consistency. É An overwhelming number of cities do not place funeral homes in R-1, but when you look at R-2, I think a conditional use [is appropriate.]"

Council member Everett Brandenburg tried to further modify the Planning CommissionÕs recom-mendation by amending the bill to include conditional use permits for funeral homes in R-1 districts.

That motion died for lack of a second, and the council passed the bill to allow funeral homes in all zones of the city as either permitted or conditional uses except for R-1s. Brandenburg sounded the only nay on the vote.

Brandenburg, who is an employee at Holm-Dingmann Funeral Home, said he still believes that the Fledgling Field development is unique. He said that the high traffic of Highway 75 and the functions of a funeral home combine to make it a good fit for the former Fledgling Field.

"If it was in the middle of a residential area, yes, I would have a problem with it," he said.

Councilman Jim Kirchhofer, who also serves on the Planning Commission, said, "One of the things I felt we did is to look at residential areas as a whole. We hold residential areas in high regard as do other cities our size. I think when a resident buys a home in a residential part of town, he chooses to do that because of the neighborhood."

Mayor Bill Weber, who could only vote in the event of a tie, later said, "If I could have seconded the motion by Brandenburg [to allow funeral homes as a conditional use in R-1] I wouldÕve done so."

Weber said the city can still hold control when it allows development only under the "conditions" of a permit.

Councilman Alex Frick, who lives across from the property in question, said, "People put their whole savings into their homes. É If you choose to locate a business across the street from their home, you affect their stake in life."

Frick voted on the city-wide zoning amendments but declared a conflict because of his homeÕs location and abstained from voting on the Cornerstone application.

Erickson said, "A lot of people in the community would like to see this developed; itÕs a beautiful facility. É But there are no businesses after Culligan to Citgo. There are big, beautiful homes and some churches."

Robert Dorn, member of the Planning Commission, spoke about the similarity between churches and funeral homes, pointing out that churches are allowed in R-1 zones. He said, "I feel weÕre jerking the rug out from a kind of contract."

Dorn is referring to Cornerstone owner Gary Verkinnes, who said, "Several city officials led me to that property, in fact, said it would be a great spot for a funeral home."

Mayor Weber pointed out that any city officialÕs opinion does not bind the Planning Commission or City Council to a decision. The process of holding public hearings and proper application steps must always be followed.

By Lori Ehde
Council Chambers in Luverne City Hall were crowded with interested residents Tuesday night when local candidates met for a public forum.

Mayor
Mayoral candidates Bill Weber and Glen Gust were first in the hot seat.
In his opening statement, Gust said his first priority, if elected, would be to retain existing business and attract new ones to Luverne. His second priority would be to lower taxes. "I would encourage department heads to save money, not blow it at the end of the business cycle – the old ‘spend it or lose it’ mentality," Gust said.
In closing, he said he wants to restore "respect and accountability" to City Hall. "Instead of being locked up like Fort Knox, I will have an open-door policy," Gust said.
Weber’s opening statements focused on proud moments in Luverne leadership – particularly with regard to economic growth. He referred to the closing of IBP and the short time it took city leaders to attract Gold’n Plump.
He pointed to the fact that Luverne’s tax rate is lower than nearly all other cities in the state. "That’s because of the leadership of our City Council and all involved in city services," Weber said.
Many of the questions posed to the mayoral candidates dealt with what they would do to encourage growth and to improve the business climate in Luverne.
Gust said he’d improve city employees’ image, for starters. "We need to offer customer service. When people come to Luverne, they need to feel welcome," he said. "I’ve been door knocking … and we do hear a lot of comments about how rude some our City Hall people are. If I were mayor, everyone in City Hall would go to customer service school."
Weber said he believes City Hall has improved in recent years, as far as being more accessible to the public, but he focused more on accomplishments that have encouraged growth.
"We need to continue focusing on redevelopment issues," he said, referring to downtown. He said TIF has been an asset to the community.
The first TIF project was on the east end of Main Street where Pamida used to be and where two retail businesses are now located.
Gust said he thinks more responsibility should rest with the private sector to attract business.
"The way you generate excitement is through going out and talking to people, saying "Hey! We’ve got a great retail market here.’" Gust said. "I got Tim and Karin to come here and open the Sears and Furniture House, and we did that without government help."
Gust’s closing remarks centered on change. "I think change is very healthy," he said. "It infuses government with a new level of excitement. I have an opportunity to breathe a new life into city government," he said.
Weber’s closing remarks reminded voters that the city has serious challenges ahead that will require experienced leadership.
"We have had some tremendous successes in this city, and I thank the residents for the opportunity to serve," he said.
When Luverne took over temporary ownership of the IBP plant, Weber said, "Some people say that’s a risk; I say that’s leadership."

Council
North ward council candidates Everett Brandenburg and Tom Martius and south ward council candidates Dave Hauge and Dave Cook were next on the panel.
One of the first questions posed to the candidates was what they would change about city government.
Hauge said he’d start listening to residents more. "The first thing I’d do is take the buzzer off that door downstairs," he said. "They’re entitled to be heard from, and they will be heard."
Hauge’s opponent, Cook, said the best change for the city would be a younger voice in leadership. "I think it’s time for the younger generation to step up and get involved," he said.
Brandenburg, who’s seeking re-election to his north ward seat, said he wouldn’t change anything. "When you look at our accomplishments in the past few years … we’ve kept taxes well in line, we’ve added equipment … I don’t think I would change anything," he said. "The city is growing, and I think we’re enjoying the fruits of our labor."
Martius agreed things are going well, but he said that’s no reason not to run for office. "Myself, I like challenge," he said. "I’d like to be voted in and be part of the action."
The candidates were asked how they’d vote on whether or not to develop Fledgling Field.
Martius said he understands why some residents wouldn’t want a funeral home in their back yard, but he said he’d support the recommendation of the Planning Commission.
Brandenburg supported development. "I feel very strongly it should be developed," he said, "either as a funeral home or residential apartments."
Hauge disagreed. "I think it’d be a good idea to leave Fledgling Field the way it is. It’s the only centrally-located park …" he said. "I’d feel terrible if some 8-year-old kid walking to some park on the edge of town gets hit by a car."
Cook didn’t like the question. "This is one of those deals where you might as well back up and shoot yourself in the foot, because no matter what you say, you’re going to lose votes," he said.
It was the only response all night that drew applause from the audience.
Cook did take a stand on the issue, though. "They (opponents of development) had a chance to buy it – maybe they should have bought it," he said. "I say develop it. They’re (the funeral home) not asking for TIF money or any help from the city."

School board
Six candidates are running for three open seats on the Luverne School Board. They include incumbents Don Bryan and Steve Tofteland, and challengers Dee Stanley, Greg Aubert, Colleen Deutsch and Tony Chladek.
Stanley said as a mother of young children, she would bring representation to the board for elementary-age children. She also said she’d work to improve communication between the board and the district.
Aubert said one of the things he’d work for is to bring the hockey program and School Board closer together. "I think there’s some work there that needs to be done," he said.
Deutsch said, as a parent of a special needs child, she’d bring important experience to the board in the area of special needs. Also she serves on area collaborative boards regarding youth, and she could strengthen the board’s ties to those groups.
Chladek said he would work to bring more school-to-work opportunities to Luverne students. "There are professionals in this community who have a lot to share with our students," he said. He said the ultimate goal would be for Luverne grads to return home for their careers.
Tofteland said he believes he’s done the best he can do while serving on the board and that maintaining quality education is a challenge for the future.
Bryan said he’s seeking re-election because he wants to serve the district. "I’ve been so pleased with the district, and I wanted to do what I could for the district," he said.
He agreed with Tofteland that his goal, if re-elected, would be to work for continued improvement in quality of education.

The forum, which lasted an hour and 40 minutes, was sponsored by the Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce, and moderated by Matt Crosby, of K101-KQAD radio.
Time was divided equally among the races, with 30 minutes for major, 30 for council and 30 for School Board.

Savoring the flavor
Wine sales have seen a national increase in recent years, and the Luverne off-sale is no exception.
"People drink wine for all kinds of reasons," Hess said. "People have heard about the studies that say red wine can lower cholesterol, and they drink it with dinner or have a glass to unwind at the end of the day."
Even though Blue Mound Liquor is considered a mid-sized store, Hess said she’s proud that it offers big variety.
"People have stopped in from places like Minneapolis and say, ‘Wow, I thought this was a small-town store,’" Hess said. "It’s nice to have a variety of wines because everyone’s tastes are different."
For novice wine drinkers, Hess said it doesn’t hurt to ask questions. "I’ll try to help, and if I don’t know the answer, I’ll sure try to find out. … We’re always willing to go the extra mile."
Taking those extra steps to keep customers happy proved to be a nice surprise for one Sioux Falls couple. They chanced upon Blue Mound Liquor and stopped in to ask about special orders. They weren’t hopeful after being turned down by all the other liquor stores they asked, but Blue Mound came through.
"Now they come twice a year to pick up their case of Portuguese wine, and they can’t thank us enough," Hess said.
A few local people have placed special orders or have inquired about rare wines. Hess can usually help by conducting her own research or by asking wine suppliers.
Being tempted by the finer points of wine might be more common this time of year. "When it gets a little cooler, the wine and liquor sales pick up," Hess said. That’s opposed to beer, which peaks during the summer.
Holidays generally bring the business heavy traffic, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas. Even Easter can increase sales because it’s a time when people gather for a big meal and may want a rich beverage to accompany it.
Whether it’s near the holidays or just a common time of year, Blue Mound Wine Club members meet to explore their palates.
Each wine tasting event requires a one-time permit that allows the club to meet for four hours. The club is loosely structured, and at $7 a person, is open to about 30 people per tasting which closes with a serving of a specially-made Coffey Haus dessert.

Some best selling wines locally
Beringer — White Zinfandel, White Merlot, Chenin Blanc
Fetzer — Johannesburg Riesling, Merlot, Gewürztraminer
Jacob’s Creek — The entire line is recommended
St. Gabriel — This new brand has sold well
Turning Leaf — Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, White Zinfandel

Wine online
The Internet is loaded with sites about wine — you can purchase directly from some, and others are more educational. Here are some sites that will help you navigate the wide world of wines:
www.wine.com
www.wine-lovers-page.com
www.smartwine.com/chat
www.speakeasy.org/~winepage/cellar/wtg.html
www.wineeducation.org

By Sara Quam
With intimate table settings of sparkling glassware and candlelight, the Coffey Haus hosted a wine tasting event Thursday, Oct. 12. Patrons were offered cheeses, breads, fruit and, of course, a sampling of wines from Blue Mound Liquor.
Through these monthly wine tastings the Blue Mound Wine Club adds a little more depth to the "red wine with red meat and white wine with white meat" guideline. It’s about taste and personal preferences without the rigid rules.
Wine Club founder and Blue Mound Liquor employee Christy Hess said, "I found out about a wine club in another small town and I went and it was a wonderful time."
Using that as her inspiration and with support from store manager Rich DeSchepper, Hess created the Blue Mound Wine Club last year and taught herself what she could about wines.
"There’s always something to learn. I was never a wine drinker," Hess said. "But it’s fun and interesting. And with the club, people who don’t want to be out the money can just sample and learn and buy the ones they like."
Representatives from different wine companies attend the tastings and offer advice and product information.
Club member Marcia Ossenfort decorates the tables and has attended most of the wine tasting events. "I feel I’ve learned a lot more about wines and what to look for in a wine. My taste has really broadened since I started going to these."
Being free to develop individual tastes outside of what is considered "good wine" appeals to Linda Hess and Velda Maine. They lightheartedly judged whether a wine was too dry by determining if it "makes your tonsils curl up."

The Cards, however, regrouped to best Martin County West in a five-game match in Luverne Monday before sweeping a three-game test from Russell-Tyler-Ruthton in Tyler Tuesday.
Luverne, 10-11-1 overall, caps the regular season by playing in Redwood Falls tonight and against Southwest Christian in Edgerton Tuesday.

Luverne 3, R-T-R 0
The momentum Luverne gained by winning a five-game match against MCW Monday carried over into Tuesday’s match in Tyler.
The R-T-R Knights are a good team that could win the Camden Conference title next week, but they were no match for the Cards.
LHS outscored R-T-R 45-13 while securing 15-4, 15-4 and 15-5 victories.
"We were in control the entire match," said Cardinal coach Mary Jo Graphenteen. "We cut down the number of errors we’ve been making, and we pretty much handled them. Everything was flowing for us, and they couldn’t get any kind of rhythm going. It was a great win for us.’
Susan Remme led the Cardinals to victory by notching 14 kills and completing 19 of 19 serves while scoring 12 points.
Emily Kuhlman and Tracey Scheidt had five kills each for a Luverne squad that had a season-low five hitting errors in the match.
Luverne also missed a season-low two serves.
Amy Nunez (11 of 11), Brooke Lundgren (12 of 12), Erin Lammert (eight of eight) and Scheidt (13 of 14) all had successful nights at the service line.

Luverne 3, MCW 2
The Cardinal girls snapped a season-long five-match losing streak when they bested the visiting Mustangs in a five-game match played in Luverne Monday.
LHS knew it would be in for a tough battle against MCW, a team that had bested squads like Jackson County Central and P-J, teams that had beaten the Cards earlier in the year.
Luverne, however, posted three narrow wins in Games 1, 2 and 5 to win the marathon match.
"It was a classic match of how volleyball is played," said Cardinal coach Graphenteen. "It was exciting, stressful, fun and disheartening all at the same time. It was a match that had everything in all five games, and it was a good match to win."
Four of the games were decided by two points, and Luverne was fortunate to come out on top in three of them.
The Cards gained the upper hand early by recording 18-16 and 15-13 in the first two games.
Luverne was in a position to sweep the Mustangs during Game 3, but Graphenteen said she accepted the blame for a substitution infraction that cost the Cards a point during a 17-15 loss.
Everything went MCW’s way in Game 4, when the Mustangs strolled to a 15-2 win to even the match at two games each.
Game 5 was tightly contested from beginning to end.
A 5-1 surge by LHS snapped a deadlock at seven and gave the Cards a 12-8 cushion, but MCW countered with five straight points to move in front 13-12.
MCW led 14-13 when Luverne’s Emily Kuhlman, who usually is rotated out of Luverne’s line-up when it’s her turn to serve, remained in the game and delivered an ace serve to knot the score at 14.
MCW scored the next point before Brooke Lundgren, who was 35 of 37 serving with 25 points and two aces in the match, served a three-point run that gave the Cards a 17-15 victory.
Susan Remme had another big night for the Cards by recording a team-high 29 kills. Kuhlman and Tracey Scheidt added 12 and 10 kills respectively.
Erin Lammert completed all 23 of her serves in the match and scored 10 points.
Graphenteen also singled out a contribution made by Amy Nunez. Nunez received six serves when MCW was testing her in the fifth game, and five of her passes went directly to the setter, while the other was playable.

HWC tourney
The Cardinal girls were unable to record a win while playing three matches during the Hull (Iowa) Western Christian Tournament Saturday.
Luverne played two Minnesota teams and the host school, coming up on the short end of scores in six straight battles.
"We played well at times and put ourselves in a position to be competitive," said Cardinal coach Graphenteen. "At other times we were simply overmatched."
The Cards drew a tough task when they were pitted against Central Minnesota Christian in the tournament’s first round.
CMC, the state’s No. 1-ranked Class 1A team, upended LHS 15-8 and 15-2.
Luverne played well in the early stages of Game 1 against CMC, trailing 8-7 at one point, but CMC reeled off seven straight points to win the contest.
The Cards played Southwest Christian during the second round and came up on the short end of 17-15 and 15-10 scores.
LHS led the E-Gals 12-5 in the first game of the match before being outscored 11-3 the rest of the way.
HWC kept the Cardinals winless for the day by delivering them 15-9 and 15-2 losses in the finale.
"Overall, I was pleased with the way we played. With the type of competition we were facing, we hung in there pretty well," Graphenteen concluded.
Susan Remme emerged as Luverne’s top attacker by recording 22 kills during the event. Abbey Franken and Brooke Lundgren added six and five kills respectively.
Erin Lammert and Lundgren both completed 24 serves without a miss.
With back-row specialist Lisa Mulder unable to play due to an illness, Graphenteen said Missy Boomgaarden did an excellent job in her absence. The coach said putting Amy Nunez and Franken on the floor proved to be a successful combination for LHS.

By John Rittenhouse
The stage has been set for what will be the biggest regular season game for the Luverne Cardinal football team.
After a sound, 34-6 thrashing of Redwood Valley in Redwood Falls Friday, the Cardinals will have the honor of hosting what essentially could be the Southwest Conference championship game tomorrow when they entertain Jackson County Central.
Luverne brings a 3-1 league record and a 4-2 overall mark into the showdown.
JCC, the state’s sixth-ranked team in the latest Class 3A poll, checks into the tilt with a 6-0 overall record and a 4-0 conference mark.
With no other team in the league with less than two conference losses, tomorrow’s tilt will go a long way toward settling the SWC championship.
There’s no doubt tomorrow’s game is a big one, but Cardinal coach Joel Swanson is downplaying its importance. A win would give LHS a shot at winning at least a share of the SWC crown, but he’s not looking at the contest like it’s a must-win situation.
"Like any other game we play, our goal is to show improvement and cut down the number of mistakes we’re making. The keys will be to limit our number of turnovers and cut down on our penalties," he said.
The Cards made some mistakes during Friday’s game in Redwood Falls, but they were able to overcome them with a dominating running performance on offense and solid effort on defense.
Luverne ran the ball for 311 yards and five touchdowns against RWV. After losing the ball by a fumble during its first possession of the game, the Cardinal offense scored touchdowns with its next three possessions in the first half and its first two possessions of the second half.
At the same time, Luverne’s defense blanked RWV through three quarters before yielding a meaningless fourth-quarter tally. RWV did pass for 220 yards and compile 303 yards against the LHS resistance, but a good share of the yardage came when Luverne’s regulars were on the bench late in the game.
"It was a good team effort," Swanson said. "We came out and moved the ball pretty well to start the game. Everybody did a good job. The big thing was we didn’t have key turnovers in big situations. We did fumble on our first possession, but that was it."
Luverne recovered from the fumble that ended its opening possession of the game by recording a pair of touchdowns in a 3:19 span in the first quarter with its next two possessions.
After forcing RWV to punt after three plays during its first possession, the Cardinal offense went on an eight-play, 50-yard drive that ended with Kyle Crable scoring on an eight-yard run at the 4:58 mark of the first quarter. James Fisher added his first of four extra points to make the difference 7-0.
Crable, who carried the ball 19 times for a team-high 123 yards in the game, ran for 45 of Luverne’s 50 yards during the initial scoring drive.
The Cardinals received a break moments later when RWV’s punter mishandled the snap from center four plays after Crable’s touchdown run. Luverne’s punt return team chased RWV’s punter out of bounds far short of a first down when he tried to run with the ball, giving the LHS offense good field position on the RWV 22-yard line.
Luverne took advantage of the field position when Crable scored on a 10-yard run five plays later to make the difference 14-0 with 1:39 remaining in the opening period.
RWV made a bid to get back into the game when it advanced the ball deep into Luverne territory in the second quarter, but a five-yard gain during a fourth-and-seven situation ended the threat on downs at the LHS six-yard line.
When the Cardinal offense followed the stop with an 11-play, 94-yard scoring drive, RWV’s will was broken.
The drive, which was capped by Tony Sandbulte’s four-yard touchdown run with 2:22 left to play in the first half, featured a 41-yard pass completion from James Fisher to Luke Iveland. Sandbulte and Zach Skattum had runs of 17 and 13 yards during the march that gave LHS a 21-0 lead.
Luverne’s 21-point eruption in the first half ended a streak of sub-par performances during the first two quarters of nearly every game this year.
"I think our kids were ready to play during this game. We need to have more first halves like that for the rest of the season and when we get into the playoffs," Swanson said.
Luverne had an equally impressive start to the second half, when it scored 13 points with its first two possessions to put the game out of reach.
The Cards put together a four-play, 53-yard drive that ended with Sandbulte scoring on a 20-yard jaunt at the 8:45 mark of the third quarter, making it a 28-0 game.
Sandbulte, who ran for 94 yards with seven carries during the contest, had a 25-yard gain before scoring on his 20-yard run.
Luverne’s second possession of the second half resulted in an 11-play, 65-yard drive that was capped by a one-yard plunge by Skattum with 2:47 left to play in the third quarter.
Sandbulte had a 17-yard run during the drive, but a missed extra-point attempt kept the score at 34-0 after the touchdown.
RWV ended the scoring at the 7:40 mark of the fourth quarter, when quarterback Cory Boe tossed a 17-yard touchdown pass to Ted Johnson against Luverne’s defensive reserves. The extra-point attempt failed.

Team statistics
Luverne: 311 rushing yards, 41 passing yards, 352 total yards, 17 first downs, 11 penalties for 100 yards, one turnover.
RWV: 83 rushing yards, 220 passing yards, 303 total yards, 14 first downs, nine penalties for 60 yards, two turnovers.

Individual statistics
Rushing: Crable 19-123, Sandbulte 7-94, Skattum 8-40, Ryan Goebel 4-16, Fisher 2-15, Marcus Walgrave 5-11, Joel Evans 2-6, Aaron Schmidt 1-3, Pete Connell 1-3.
Passing: Fisher 1-4 for 41 yards, Connell 0-2 for zero yards.
Receiving: Iveland 1-41.
Defense: Fisher one interception, Matt Herman one interception.

By John Rittenhouse
Adrian solidified its place among the Little Sioux Conference football elite by overpowering Murray County Central 31-8 in Slayton Friday.
The Dragon offense ran the ball for 284 yards and four touchdowns and the defense played well when it had to during a 23-point win.
The game was an important one as AHS and MCC had 3-1 conference records as well as being tied in the point standings for the section playoffs.
Adrian, which seemed to be taking a step backwards when it lost back-to-back games recently, erased any lingering doubts about its competitiveness while winning a second straight title to improve to 4-2 for the season.
"It was a surprising game for us because MCC is not too bad of a ball club," said Dragon coach Randy Strand. "We played really well."
The Dragons took any suspense out of the game by scoring the first 31 points of the tilt.
Adrian mounted three 60-plus-yard scoring drives in the first three periods to take an 18-0 lead and put the contest away by turning a pair of MCC turnovers into 13 points in the fourth quarter.
AHS opened the scoring with its second possession of the game.
The Dragons marched 63 yards in nine plays before quarterback Mark Kroon hooked up with Brad Lonneman for a 10-yard touchdown pass with 1:52 remaining in the opening quarter. An incomplete conversion pass kept the difference at 6-0.
Adrian put together an even more impressive drive in the second quarter to make it a 12-0 game.
A 13-play, 71-yard march that consisted of 13 running plays ended with a six-yard touchdown run by Kroon with 5:31 left to play in the first half. Another incomplete pass during the conversion attempt followed the touchdown.
The Dragon defense did its share to keep the difference at 12-0 late in the first half.
MCC moved the ball to the AHS 16-yard line, but the Dragon defense stopped the march on downs with 1:00 remaining in the second period.
Adrian received the kick to start the second half and increased its lead to 18-0 at the end of the possession.
A 13-play, 67-yard drive, which was kept alive when Kroon hit Travis Rupp for a 14-yard gain during a third-and-five situation, ended with Tyler Bullerman scoring on a one-yard plunge at the 5:40 mark of the third quarter. An incomplete pass for a conversion followed the touchdown.
Adrian’s defense, which allowed 309 yards during the game with few consequences, helped the Dragons put the game away by coming up with two turnovers as the second half progressed.
Kroon came up with the first take-away when he recovered an MCC fumble on the AHS 35.
After leading the offense during a 10-play, 65-yard drive, Kroon scored his second rushing touchdown of the contest with a one-yard run 1:25 into the fourth quarter. A failed extra-point attempt kept the score at 24-0.
Senior Jared Henriksen came up with a key play during the drive. AHS faced a third-and-five situation when Henriksen took a handoff from Kroon. He slipped out of the arms of an MCC defender to avoid a two-yard loss before running 17 yards for a first down.
The Dragon defense came up big again moments later when lineman Lonneman picked up a fumble on the MCC 44 and returned it 42 yards to the Rebel two. Dusty Henning scored on a first-down run at the 3:48 mark of the fourth quarter, and Matt Loosbrock added an extra point to make the difference 31-0.
MCC spoiled Adrian’s bid for a shutout when Adam Tentinger scored a rushing touchdown with eight seconds left to play against Adrian’s second team defense. A successful conversion run followed.
The late score didn’t seem to bother Strand, who was happy with his team’s play on both sides of the ball.
"We ran the ball well offensively, and I give a lot of the credit for that to our linemen. Our offensive line did an excellent job. Defensively, we bent, but we didn’t break. We gave up 309 yards, but we came up big when we had to. MCC was zero of five on fourth downs against our defense. We were eight of 11 on converting third downs offensively. Those were the keys in this game," he said.
The Dragons remain one game behind Canby in the LSC standings with two games remaining. The Dragons host Dawson-Boyd (1-4 in the conference and 1-5 overall) in a rare Thursday night game tonight.

Team statistics
Adrian: 285 rushing yards, 39 passing yards, 324 total yards, 18 first downs, five penalties for 25 yards, zero turnovers.
MCC: 292 rushing yards, 17 passing yards, 309 total yards, 16 first downs, five penalties for45 yards, three turnovers.

Individual statistics
Rushing: Bullerman 20-127, Henriksen 3-20, Kroon 12-74, Seth Bullerman 9-40, Henning 3-20, Kyle Dorn 1-3, Levi Bullerman 1-1.
Passing: Kroon 5-9 for 39 yards.
Receiving: Lonneman 2-14, S.Bullerman 2-11, Rupp 1-14.
Defense: Henriksen 10 tackles, Joey Anderson seven tackles, Justin Wieneke six tackles, S.Bullerman six tackles and one interception, Kroon one fumble recovery, Lonneman one fumble recovery.

Physical Therapist Pat Smedsrud and Occupational Therapist Lori Mulder recognized the problem among some of their patients and developed a program aimed at treating the disorder with exercises, rather than medicine or surgery.

"Sometimes I think women ignore this problem and use a pad in their underwear and think it's a normal part of aging," Smedsrud said.

She said incontinent people often avoid social functions and give up physical exercise for fear their bladder may leak. A sneeze or cough can be disastrous for some.

"It can be stopped, and we're trying to tell people, why not try exercises versus other options?" Mulder said. "It's effective for 90 percent of the people who try it."

The exercises Smedsrud and Mulder recommend are the same ones recommended for new mothers recovering from delivery. Called "Kegels," the exercise is performed by contracting the muscle that would be used to stop the flow of urine midstream.

While that's the best way to describe the exercise, Smedsrud and Mulder caution never to actually do it while urinating, because it can exacerbate a urinary incontinence problem.

The exercise can be done any time, anywhere. "Driving is an excellent time to do them," Smedsrud said. "Or while you're standing doing dishes."

According to the Center for Bladder Control, 5 percent of men between 15 and 64 years old are affected by urinary incontinence, and up to 30 percent of women in that age group suffer from the disorder.

An estimated 50 percent of elderly suffer from urinary incontinence. More than 43 percent of elderly women and nearly 21 percent of elderly men are affected.

Direct medical costs of urinary incontinence in 1994 was $16.4 billion, and adult diapers sales were projected to exceed $2 billion in 1999.

Luverne Community Hospital's prenatal program already encourages new mothers to get their pelvic muscles back in shape with Kegel exercises.

But Smedsrud and Mulder know countless other men and women (often seniors) are also suffering and may not be aware there's something they can do about it.

That's why they asked local physicians to refer patients to their new program. "We're expecting quite a few referrals," Smedsrud said.

"Once the issue is out in the open and people are willing to talk about it, we will probably be pretty busy," Mulder said.

For starters, they want to encourage people to seek help from their doctors. "We're trying to get women - and men - to understand it's a problem that can be fixed," Mulder said.

Once patients are referred to a therapist, the program starts with an evaluation to see how serious the condition is. "For example, getting up five to six times a night is not normal," Mulder said.

In addition to the questioning process, some patients may be evaluated with a bio-feedback electrode that senses muscular activity and can stimulate activity if there is none.

When therapists determine a patient can be helped by Kegels, treatment (which is covered by Medicare) is simple, Mulder said.

"It doesn't take a lot of treatment sessions at all," she said, adding that it's important patients understand the proper way to perform the exercise. "Our goal is two to five sessions."

The long-term success of treatment is up to the patient. "It's something that people need to do the rest of their lives," Smedsrud said. "You can't just fix the problem and it goes away."

People who think they can be helped by the program are encouraged to talk to their doctors about a referral.

For more information about the therapy, call Luverne Community Hospital at 283-2321. The rehabilitation department is extension 229.

By Sara Quam

Ordinary people have a chance to help the hungry - near and far - during the Rock County Crop Walk Sunday.

Last year the Crop Walk brought in a total of nearly $5,000. The Rock County Emergency Food Shelf gets 25 percent of funds raised. Although the local benefits don't seem astronomical, the food shelf can usually last for more than three months on $1,000.

Dorothy Dorn, who manages the food shelf out of the Luverne Methodist Church, said use of the service is slightly down this year, which has been the case in most Minnesota food shelves. But, she said, "People are still hungry and still need our help."

This is the fourth year Rock County has had a Crop Walk, and it begins at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1, at the Rock County Highway Department. Participants have the option of walking 1.5- or 2.6-mile routes. It is open to individuals, congregations, groups and families.

Jane Wildung said 100 to 125 people have usually attended. "It's a nice leisurely afternoon. A lot of parents and kids come."

She said she would be available to answer questions at 283-4691 or 283-4053. The Rev. Dell Sanderson and George Bonnema are organizers.

Those interested can just show up at the highway building (on North Blue Mound Avenue) with pledges and contributions.

Other than the local food shelf, Church World Service will receive proceeds from the fund-raiser and distribute them to various hunger organizations in the area and around the world.