By Sara Quam
Tonight could bring a final decision in the Fledgling Field development issue, but both sides of the debate aren’t holding their breath.
The Luverne Planning Commission meets at 7:30 p.m. in council chambers to discuss the future of Fledgling Field after Tuesday’s meeting ended in a recess.
Since May, the commission has listened to those in favor of allowing Cornerstone Construction to build a funeral home on the lot and listened to those against varying from a strict residential zoning.
The commission has already taken a 60-day extension, which expires Nov. 8, and unless a decision is made tonight, it will have to ask for another extension.
Letting the deadline pass without decision would mean the request is automatically approved by the commission. The City Council still has final say in the matter but will give high consideration to the commission’s recommendation.
Funeral homes aren’t specifically named in any existing zoning codes — business or residential, so the Fledgling Field decision comes down to a judgment call by commission members.
Acting city attorney Ben Vander Kooi, said at this point the commission has three choices:
Members can decide to grant the conditional use permit.
They can deny the permit.
They can put a hold on the vote and amend the zoning ordinance to specify placement of funeral homes. This would require writing the amendment, a public hearing and council approval.
Vander Kooi recommended the third option but said the process couldn’t be completed before the Nov. 8 deadline. Since the commission has already received an extension, it would have to ask Cornerstone for the extension.
Commission members who will be voting on the conditional use permit are Bob Dorn, Mike Rofshus, Curt Gacke and Jim Kirchhofer. Joel Johnson is abstaining because as a funeral home director, he has a conflict of interest.

Kids, you can prevent fires too
Children start 100,000 fires in their homes every year. Fires are scary and very dangerous. They are loud and hot, and the smoke makes it hard to see. Fires hurt and destroy things in your home. You and your family can help make your home safer from fire. Here’s how:

IN THE KITCHEN
Don’t cook alone or without asking an adult.
Remind your parents to turn pot handles toward the center of the stove. They should never hang over the edge where someone could bump into them and knock them off the stove.

THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE
Never put anything over a lamp, like clothes or a blanket, not even when playing.
Don’t stand too close to the fireplace or a wood stove. You could get burned or your clothes could catch fire.
Never touch matches, lighters, or candles. If you see matches or lighters in a room, tell an adult right away.
Remind grownups to change smoke alarm batteries at least once a year.

AROUND ELECTRICITY
Don’t play with electrical cords.
Never stick anything into an electrical socket.
Turn off lights, stereos, TVs and other electrical equipment when you are finished using them.

Salute area firefighters

October 8-14 is National Fire Prevention Week
Luverne: Chief Kurt Kester, Asst. Chief Don Deutsch, Tim Anderson, Sam Berghorst, Brad Goembel, Cory Bloemendaal, Fred Boll, Roy Buss Jr., Rick Buysse, David Cook, Dan Nath, Mike Elbers, Bob Frakes, Todd Frankenhoff, Curt Gacke, Kevin Gruis, Glen Gust, Gary Holmgren, Mike Jarchow, Jody Reisch, Bill Ketterling, Mark Kurtz, Mike Lammert, Ronnal McClure, Tom Nelson, Mike Raddle, Tom Rager, Cory Schneekloth, Bryce Stoltenberg, Bart Thielbar, Rick Ward, Steven Wynia, Troy Buss, Scott Ketterling, Tom Martius, Clyde Menning, Mike Ketterling.

Hills: Chief Al Top, Assistant Chief Doug Chapman, Assistant Chief Arlen Leenderts, Secretary Jared Roozeboom, Treasurer Jeff Bass, Ron Arp, Ron Behr, Neil Bly, Stacen Burgers, Tom Bush, Dana Dahlquist, Mark DeBoer, Tim DeHaan, Tim Durst, Wilmer Elbers, Steve Fagerness, Larry Haak, Pete Hoff, Jim Jellema, Larry Leuthold, Jack Paulsen, Mark Top, Stan VanWyhe, Steve Wiertzema.

Hardwick: Chief Dan Kindt, Assistant Chief Randy Scott, Jason Aanenson, Don Bryan, Rick Buss, Ken Frey, Sam Hansen, Steve Hansen, Jarnet Johansen, Randy Johnson, Terry Johnson, Tom Johnson, Joan Kindt, Bill Rolfs, Dave Sietsema, Randy Sprik, Brock Thielbar.

Magnolia:
Chief Dennis Strassburg, Assistant Chief Dallas Dohlmann, Scott Dohlmann, Jason Dohlmann, Dave Groen, Norman Nelson, Brad Skattum, Bruce Olson, Steve DeGroot, Robert Somnis, Carol Dohlmann, Carol Nelson, Diane Strassburg.

Beaver Creek:
Chief Rick Tatge, Assistant Chief Rick Rauk, Lloyd DeBoer, Arnie Brondsema, Ron Rauk, Roger Van Roekel, Jim Sammons, Greg Koel, Dave Anderson, Jim Vanderburg, Daryl Fuerstenberg, Shannon Tatge, Jason Rauk, Ryan Rauk, Chris Harnack.

Kenneth:
Danny Roskamp, Doris Hoven, Sterling Severtson, David Groen, Bonnie Groen, Diane Strassburg, Dennis Strassburg, Lori Gangestad, Keith Hoven, Dalwyn Schelhaas, Del Nieuwboer, Delbert Gangestad and David Severtson.

But fires do happen and when they do, Kester and the rest of the department — occupied solely by volunteers — are ready. Luverne firefighters keep up with physical and informational training by meeting almost every Monday. Those training sessions prove to be valuable.
"Every time there’s a fire, it’s serious," Kester said. "You have to be ready, and the blood pressure kind of starts up."
Because all firefighters are volunteers they carry pagers, and captains and chiefs carry radios for contact at any time. When they’re paged, all report to the station and leave from there with appropriate gear and in the fire vehicles.
In the event of a pumper running out of water in a rural area, there’s an agreement among departments to help respond. For example, a fire in rural Kenneth could get support from Edgerton, Luverne and Magnolia.
Because firefighters sometimes work in Sioux Falls, Kester said some don’t respond as fast as others, but the department is always covered.
Area fire departments have a good reputation for adequate services, and it’s even better this year for Luverne with a new fire pumper.
"The city takes pretty good care of us — in personnel and equipment," Kester said. Kester would ideally like to see a larger fire station to store all of the department’s equipment. Right now, the department uses the fire station, county highway department and outdoor storage.
While facilities may lack a little space, Kester said the manpower is sizeable. "We’re really lucky in Luverne. … The last time three positions opened up, seven applied," Kester said.
Kester said fire department funding is local, 75 percent city and 25 percent township. "Rural communities have more of an expense. ... There are less people out there to tax."
Kester said support from the community allows Luverne firefighters extras that other rural departments may not be able to enjoy. "Our strength is the support from the community," he said. "Two years ago we ran a fund drive [for fire cameras], thinking it would take a year to get one, and within six months we had two."
In observance of National Fire Prevention Week, the Luverne Fire Department is also hosting numerous educational tours for elementary students.

Here's how you can help
prevent and handle house fires

Smoke is responsible for three out of four deaths.

Install smoke detectors on every level of your home and outside of sleeping areas.
Test every detector at least once a month. [See your instruction book for the location of the test button.]
Keep smoke detectors dust free. Replace batteries with new ones at least once a year, or sooner if the detector makes a chirping sound.
If you have a smoke detector directly wired into your electrical system, be sure that the little signal light is blinking periodically. This tells you that the alarm is active.
Inexpensive smoke detectors are available for the hearing impaired.

As with other things, the best motto is, "Be Prepared."

Prepare a floor plan of your home showing at least two ways out of each room.
Sleep with your bedroom door closed. In the event of fire, it helps to hold back heat and smoke. But if a door feels hot, do not open it; escape through another door or window.
Easy-to-use window escape ladders are available through many catalogues and outlet stores.
Agree on a fixed location out-of-doors where family members are to gather for a head count.
Stay together away from the fire. Call 911 from another location. Make certain that no one goes back inside the burning building.
Check corridors and stairways to make sure they are free of obstructions and combustibles.
To help cut down on the need for an emergency exit in the first place, clear all unnecessary items from the attic, basement, garage, and closets.

Remember, you're deliberately bringing fire into your home; respect it.

Use a fireplace screen to prevent sparks from flying.
Don't store newspapers, kindling, or matches near the fireplace or have an exposed rug or wooden floor right in front of the fireplace.
Have your chimney inspected by a professional prior to the start of every heating season and cleaned to remove combustible creosote build-up if necessary.
Install a chimney spark arrester to prevent roof fires.
When lighting a gas fireplace, strike your match first, then turn on the gas.

Careless cooking is the number one cause of residential fires.

It's wise to have a fire extinguisher near the kitchen. Keep it 10 feet away from the stove on the exit side of the kitchen.
Never pour water on a grease fire; turn off the stove and cover the pan with a lid, or close the oven door.
Keep pot handles on the stove pointing to the back, and always watch young children in the kitchen.
Don't store items on the stove top, as they could catch fire.
Keep kitchen appliances clean and in good condition, and turn them off and disconnect them when not in use.
Don't overload kitchen electrical outlets and don't use appliances with frayed or cracked wires.
Wear tight-fitting clothing when you cook. Here's why: An electrical coil on the stove reaches a temperature of 800 degrees. A gas flame goes over 1,000 degrees. Your dish towel or pot holder can catch fire at 400 degrees. So can your bathrobe, apron, or loose sleeve.
Be sure your stove is not located under a window in which curtains are hanging.
Clean the exhaust hood and duct over the stove regularly. and wipe up spilled grease as soon as the surface of the stove is cool.
Operate your microwave only when there is food in it.

By Sara Quam
On the tail end of National Fire Prevention Week, Luverne Fire Chief Kurt Kester credits area residents’ prevention efforts with making his job easier.

By Sara Quam
The Luverne Economic Development Authority will work with the Luverne Convention and Visitors Bureau on downtown and Highway 75 improvements in lighting and signage.
Current plans call for large cement and stone signs to greet drivers on the north and south ends of Highway 75 as well as the intersection of Main Street and 75.
The signs will promote businesses and tie in the districts of Highway 75 and downtown with a unified look.
CVB Director Dave Smith said committees are forming separately for Highway 75 and downtown businesses. "We’re looking for ideas right now in the retail committee, and we’ll blend the two together."
Smith said the earliest the signs will be placed is this spring. "We’re playing with sizes, and cost is one of the determining factors," Smith said.
The project will be paid for by the CVB, financed by the local lodging tax.
Bob Latham, LEDA member, brought up an issue that could arise out of drawing business downtown. "Here we’re trying to pull business downtown and we aren’t providing adequate parking."
The LEDA agreed that parking is an issue for downtown patrons. Much of the parking is taken up by downtown employees and business owners who, if they parked off Main Street or further down the side streets, would free up other spaces.
Latham told the board that when he lived in Sioux Falls, he stopped shopping downtown because of the convenience of mall parking.
Diagonal parking could be an option to increase spaces but with Main Street being a state trucking route, the city can’t change the parking to one that would decrease the width and visibility for trucks.
Incubator buildings Next up for the LEDA:Economic Development Pros will have its annual meeting at the Luverne Pizza Ranch at 10 a.m., Friday, Oct. 27. This will include presentations on tourism from state and local sources. Harlan Jacobs will present on "incubator buildings" at 1 p.m. today in the City Council chambers. (Incubator buildings are office spaces that can accommodate numerous businesses that can share resources.)
The LEDA also received an update from Keith Erickson, who attended a Wisconsin Business Incubator Regional Training Conference.
Erickson said, "Wisconsin as a state is very active with the incubator buildings."
An incubator building is typically a large, newly built or remodeled office and storage space for new businesses. The average size of incubator buildings is 38,000 to 50,000 square feet. Businesses lease the office space.
Erickson said he learned at the conference that one building housed 15 businesses. "One advantage is that you have a central office where everyone could share secretarial services, fax machine, computers or phone lines."
A new incubator building is estimated to cost about $1 million, but Erickson said he is in favor of the idea.
"It’s been the big thing in the ‘90s to work at home, and sometimes people can get stir-crazy. Here, they would have a place to meet or spend a part of their day," Erickson said.
Wisconsin representatives said 40 percent of its incubators are in rural areas, and that could translate into a good role model if Luverne wanted to start one.
"They do say it takes about three years to break even," Erickson said. But to him, the cost would be worthwhile as businesses are looking at Luverne to locate and don’t see adequate buildings from which to start their operations.

Luverne's touching story replayed
in media from coast to coast
By Lori Ehde
He’s not quite king of the world, but it’s safe to say Luverne homecoming king Andrew Dooyema feels on top of the world.
Since KELO-TV aired a feature story on Andrew’s homecoming reign last week, the story landed on the Associated Press wire, and newspapers nationwide reprinted the touching story of a Down’s syndrome boy whose dream came true.
Andrew prefers to downplay the fact that his disability has anything to do with his new-found fame. In fact, he’d rather not talk about it at all.
He’d rather just bask in the limelight.
When asked how it feels to know his name has been printed in major newspapers from coast to coast, he said slyly, "There’s a lot of girls in all those states."
By all reports, Andrew was crowned homecoming king by his Luverne peers because they thought he best exemplified Cardinal spirit.
"I have a lot of spirit," said Andrew, a loyal Cardinal sports fan. "A good spirit, too. I’m into spirit."
The fact that his peers could see that spirit through the disability is what caught the attention of the nation.
Both the Dooyema home and the high school have been flooded with cards, letters, phone calls and e-mail from New York, California, Louisiana and countless states in between.
Correspondence to the school has been to congratulate Andrew on his coronation and the student body for crowning him.
"It’s amazing to me how this touches not only our community, but it touches people throughout the world," said High School Principal Gary Fisher.
On Tuesday, Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone called with his regards. High School Guidance Counselor Craig Nelson spoke with the senator and issued school-wide e-mail.
"Sen. Paul Wellstone called this morning and expressed how proud he was of our students for electing Andrew as homecoming king," Nelson said in the e-mail. "He said this was really neat and a great reflection on our school and community."
Much of the Dooyema mail found its way to 517 North Freeman without a complete address, but it didn’t take local postal handlers long to figure out where it belonged.
Many were addressed to Mr. Andrew Dooyema, Homecoming King" or "Andrew the King Dooyema" or simply, "King Andrew. One envelope from Amarillo, Texas, was addressed to "His Royal Majesty Andrew Dooyema."
All these writers sent their congratulations after reading about Andrew in their own city papers.
Many of the cards and letters are accompanied by newspaper clippings of Andrew’s story. In the margins of one clipping were the handwritten words, "King Andrew, I know you will accomplish everything you attempt."
Copies of some major publications are making their way to Andrew. For example, a woman in Baton Rouge, La., called the Dooyemas and volunteered to send them her paper.
"Andrew took a call from Washington, and when he got off the phone, we asked if it was Washington state or Washington, D.C., and he said he hoped it was D.C. because maybe the president would invite him to the White House," his mother said.
When the Dallas paper called, Andrew said, ‘Maybe the Dallas Cowboys will pick me up.’ "
The spirit that earned Andrew his homecoming crown is becoming a shining beacon for other families affected by Down’s syndrome.
"The neatest call we got was from a woman in Rochester, N.Y., who has an 18-month-old Down’s baby," Pam said. "And she called to say how uplifting it was for her to see where Andrew is now."
While Andrew doesn’t want to talk about his disability, his mother reminds him that’s what it’s all about.
"You’ve been an inspiration to them, Andrew," she gently told him Tuesday afternoon.
"This is what we were hoping would come from this," Pam told the Star Herald Monday.
She said she knows how the woman in New York feels. "Seventeen years ago we would have never thought this would be possible," she said.
"I can’t say we didn’t wish he hadn’t been born this way, but over the past few years I’ve seen Andrew with Down’s touch people in a way that Andrew without Down’s never could."
She urges people to consider how things that happen to them today play a major role in who they are in the future.
"We couldn’t see it when he was born, but I’m starting to see God had a much bigger plan for Andrew. Look how many people he’s touched with his story," Pam said.
"I know there are women who abort babies with Down’s syndrome. I guess all I can say is you never know what God’s plans are for you."
The AP version of Andrew’s story can be read online at www.wire.ap.org.

The Ellsworth volleyball squad ended a three-game losing streak when they swept a three-game Tri-County Conference match against Faith Christian in Bigelow Tuesday.
The skid reached three straight with a three-game home loss to Westbrook-Walnut Grove Monday and a four-game setback at Edgerton Public School Thursday.
Ellsworth, 5-13-2 overall, will compete at the Lake Park (Iowa) Tournament Saturday before ending the regular season with a home match against Murray County Central Monday.

Ellsworth 3, FC 0
The Panther girls completed a two-win conference season by sweeping a three-game match from the Falcons in Bigelow Tuesday.
Ellsworth produced a pair of solid victories to open the match before winning a tight battle in Game 3 with many Panther reserves playing in the finale.
"FC has improved a lot during the year, but we were clicking on all cylinders. We played pretty well," said Panther coach Ryan Nielsen.
EHS was at its best in Games 1 and 2, when it outscored the Falcons 30-11 while notching 15-2 and 15-9 wins.
Game 3 was more competitive, but the Panthers came out on the winning end of a 16-14 decision.
Connie Lewis had five blocks and Jamie Leuthold had three kills to lead the Panthers at the net.
Tiffany Deutsch was 11 of 11 serving with 10 points and four aces.

W-WG 3, Ellsworth 0
The Panther girls were unable to win a game when they hosted Red Rock Conference member W-WG in a non-conference match in Ellsworth Monday.
Ellsworth scored 23 points in three games, but it wasn’t enough to post a win against the Chargers.
"We played pretty well, they just are a tough team," said Panther coach Nielsen. "We did our best. What it boiled down to was they are a better team."
W-WG opened the match with a 15-7 win in Game 1 before posting a convincing 15-4 victory in the second game. The Panthers put up a good fight before falling 15-12 in the finale.
Holly Timmer led the Panthers with seven kills.
Kayla Boltjes was four of five digging, and Tiffany Deutsch was 50 of 54 setting.

Edgerton 3, Ellsworth 1
A solid performance by the Panthers wasn’t enough to produce a home win when they squared off against conference rival Edgerton Thursday in Ellsworth.
Ellsworth played its way to a split during the first two games of the match before dropping the last two contests of a four-game clash.
"They got us, but this was a good match for us," said Nielsen. "We played a lot better than we did in our last match. We battled pretty hard in a close match. It seemed like one team would get a lead, and the other would fight back."
Edgerton drew first blood by posting a 15-11 win in the opener, but the Panthers evened the score by recording the last two points in a 16-14 win in Game 2.
Game 3 was tied at eight before the Flying Dutchmen scored seven straight points to prevail 15-8. Edgerton settled the issue with a 15-11 win in the finale.
Jenna Groen led the Panthers with eight kills in the match. Holly Timmer had seven kills and five blocks. Connie Lewis served five aces.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek volleyball team turned in a solid performance while competing at the Pipestone-Jasper Tournament Saturday.
H-BC earned a berth in the event’s championship match by winning three of four two-game matches during round-robin play.
The Patriots took the first game of the championship match against the host school, but P-J rallied to outscore H-BC 30-3 in Games 2 and 3 to win the match.
"We started out slow, but I thought we played pretty well together the whole day," said Patriot coach Nicole Fey. "Overall, I thought our girls had a great day. They worked well together and did a nice job of finding the open holes in the defenses we faced."
The Patriots drew P-J in the first round of round-robin play and took 15-3 and 15-8 setbacks.
H-BC, however, rebounded from the loss to post consecutive victories against Canby, Murray County Central and Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster.
The Patriots and Canby proved to be evenly-matched teams, but H-BC bested the Lancers by 15-13 and 15-12 tallies.
H-BC pulled out a 15-11 victory during the first game against MCC before pounding the Rebels 15-1 in the second tilt.
The Patriots overwhelmed SV-RL-B while recording 15-4 and 15-7 victories against the Rebels.
When round-robin play was complete, H-BC and P-J had the best records, setting up a best-of-three-game championship match between the teams.
The Patriots got off to a great start by recording a 15-11 win in the opener, but the Arrows bounced back to register 15-1 and 15-2 victories in Games 2 and 3.
"What helped us a lot during the first game of the championship match was getting a lot of big blocks at the net. Our blocking wasn’t there in the next two games," Fey said.
Erin Boeve, Shanna Tilstra and Becky Broesder had big tournaments at the net for H-BC.
Boeve, who was 35 of 39 serving, had 15 ace blocks an 18 kills. Tilstra, who completed 22 of 25 serves, led the Patriots with 20 kills.
Broesder, who had 12 kills, helped the Patriots even more by completing 28 of 31 serves and 17 of 20 digs.
LaDonna Sandstede registered 50 set assists and was 38 of 40 serving during the event.
Tonya Leenderts completed 12 of 16 digs and 34 of 39 serves.
H-BC ended the tournament with a 13-7 overall record. The Patriots play Southwest Christian in Edgerton and Lake Benton on the road tonight and Monday respectively. H-BC hosts Edgerton Public Tuesday.