By Jolene Farley
Beaver Creek resident Ron Rauk has bounced back remarkably well from a lifesaving liver transplant in August of last year.

"I didn't realize how bad I was until I have gotten better," said Rauk. "I am back into a more normal way of life."

Looking back Rauk thinks his health began to deteriorate about three years before the diagnosis of non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver in July of 1998 by doctors at Mayo Clinic.

Rauk said he began to tire more easily but it was a slow deterioration so he didn't see a doctor until the fall of 1997. On his first visit, doctors attributed his problems to a bleeding ulcer.

After another hospitalization in May of 1998, Rauk was referred to Mayo were the non-alcoholic cirrhosis diagnosis was made.

By June of 1999, Ron's health had deteriorated so dramatically he was put on the liver transplant list.

Rauk's liver wasn't cleaning toxins out of his system causing loss of memory, confusion, lethargy and sleeplessness. Rauk was forced to regularly return to Mayo Clinic so doctors could drain fluid out of his abdomen.

On Aug. 28 of last year, the Rauks received a call from Mayo ClinicÉa donor was located. Rauk was wheeled into surgery at midnight on Aug. 29, by 5:30 a.m. the transplant was complete.

Rauk remained in the hospital for 10 more days, then transferred to the Gift of Life House for another 14 days.

Although Rauk's strength has slowly returned over the last year, he still has a few physical restrictions. Doctors advise Rauk not to lift over 40 pounds. They say his illness triggered bone density loss and his bones could easily fracture. Doctors hope RaukÕs bone density will re-build itself in time.

He continues taking anti-rejection drugs and insulin in lower dosages. His insulin usage will decrease as the doses of anti-rejection drugs decreases, according to Rauk.

A local clinic draws blood samples every three weeks and he must travel to Mayo Clinic once a year for a checkup.

Rauk is feeling so much better that the Rauk family recently took a trip to the Renaissance Festival, stopping to shop at the Mall of America and the Medford Mall.

Rauk offers advice to those waiting for a donor, "You have to be patient, have a lot of faith in God, friends and family," said Rauk. "Eventually it will come. There just aren't that many donors available. The patience and faith thatÕs the biggest thing."

The easiest way to donate is when you renew your driver's license, according to Rauk. Just say you want to be a donor. Rauk should know itÕs easy, he has signed up for the last 30 years.

"People shouldn't be afraid to sign a card and be a donor," Rauk said. "Give new life to somebody"
Ron and his wife, Marlys, have two children Ryan, 22, and Linnea, 19.

By Sara Quam
The Rock County Pool and Fitness Center has drawn attention from Mark Ossenfort of MC Fitness and Health Club, Worthington.

Although he makes it clear that he's just interested at this point, he may enter into a lease agreement with the county and city.

"That facility is an awesome resource, and it can be built upon to be a focal point in the community," Ossenfort said.

MC Fitness draws some of its 1,100 members from Rock County and boasts many services and equipment that Rock County doesn't.

A similar deal to the one considered here is underway in Jackson where Ossenfort might help manage that city's pool, which is subsidized similarly to Rock County's.

The Pool and Fitness Center is jointly owned by the city of Luverne and Rock County, and each contributes $72,000 annually.

The Pool Commission, which advises the governing boards, hasn’t yet discussed Ossenfort's interest. City and county attorney Don Klosterbuer will look into legalities of new management or any lease agreement or purchase of the facility.

At this time, no decision has been made other than to investigate and study the concept and proposals. It could be as long as a year before that is completed.

The city and county both express their confidence in the operation and the professionalism of the Pool and Fitness Center employees.

Because discussions are at the preliminary stages, it isn't clear how the city and county may stay involved if management is turned over to Ossenfort. Whatever the deal may bring, Ossenfort said he wants the facility to improve upon what it already has as a well-managed and maintained facility.

By Lori Ehde
It's been more than three months since Luverne's Carrie Nelson was murdered while working at Blue Mounds State Park, but the case remains a top priority for both local and state investigators.

"All leads are taken, and all are followed up on," said Assistant County Terry Vajgrt. "It's a very methodical process."

The latest update to the story is a possible increase in the reward money offered for information leading to an arrest. The amount currently stands at $15,000.

Vajgrt said he and local law enforcement met in St. Paul Aug. 24 to review evidence to date with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

"We have no significant developments and sometimes that's the hardest news to release," Vajgrt said Tuesday. "But without question, the case continues to be a top priority."

He said the St. Paul meeting involved himself, Rock County Sheriff Ron McClure, Investigator Clyde Menning, eight to 10 BCA agents and a representative from the Minnesota Attorney General's office.

"Forensics scientists at BCA are working hard on the case examining physical evidence," Vajgrt said.

"At least one BCA agent at all times is working exclusively on the case - and that's in addition to the forensics scientists.

"Our local investigator, Clyde Menning, is working almost exclusively on the case, following up on leads."

Nelson, 20, was found beaten to death at the Blue Mounds State Park entrance building in the afternoon of Sunday, May 20.

Still key to solving the murder is information on the watch found at the scene of the beating.

Investigators think the watch was worn by the person responsible for the robbery and murder.

The digital watch face bears the logo "Field Ranger" and is silver. The watchband is tan with brown leather accents.

Anyone with knowledge of a person wearing a watch matching this description is asked to call the tip line at (507) 283-1301.

By Sara Quam
Almost 200 state workers in the immediate area are prepared to strike Sept. 17 if negotiators fail to agree on a new contract by Sept. 16.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees announced Saturday that its members voted to authorize the strike, and a second union, Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, announced the same decision Tuesday.

Rock County would see strikes at the Minnesota Veterans Home, state park and Department of Transportation, for example.

Local AFSCME president David Meyer said, "It's something we have to do to get what we want."

The union now has to prepare for a strike - setting up headquarters and forming specific committees - and the state has to come up with a contingency plan.

Gov. Jesse Ventura ordered the Minnesota National Guard in August to begin preparing for a potential strike by state employees in September. The order calls for Guard personnel to be trained to care for "vulnerable citizens," which would include residents at the Vets Home.

Locally, the Vets Home is sending a letter to all residents and staff as an update to the strike possibility and to assure residents that care will still be a priority.

The points of contention between the two sides are insurance costs and wages, but Meyer said the insurance proposal hits most the hardest.

State health insurance premiums have increased 20 percent in each of the last two years, and the state anticipates about 10 percent next year.

The state proposed a new plan to control costs. It would reduce employee premiums but require workers to share the costs of services. Now it requires employees to make only co-payments for some services and doesn't impose a deductible.

Under the proposal, employees would take on more of the costs through higher co-payments and deductibles for those who use the services.

A co-payment is an amount the employee pays for each service provided. A deductible is the amount the employee pays before insurance will pay for services. Co-insurance is the percentage the employee pays after the deductible is paid.

More employee co-payments that charge those using medical services is what the state is pushing for in exchange for low premiums.

But the unions don't buy that. They don't want sick people to put off treatment to save money. The maximum out of pocket expenses would rise to $1,900 for individuals and $3,800 for families.

The union says that will cause lower paid workers to spend as much as 25 percent of their take-home pay on insurance costs.

As for wages, the state and unions are far apart on that, too. The state has offered increases of 2.5 percent for two years while AFSCME wants 6.5-percent annual pay raises.

New signs welcoming people to the city of Luverne were put up Tuesday afternoon on the north and south entrances to town. Above, Luverne Public Works Director Darrell Huiskes and contractor Okie Honken guide the sign into place. The Luverne Convention and Visitors Bureau purchased the signs and worked on the process over a two-year period. CVB presidents during those years were Diana Hensley and Amy Dispanet VerSteeg.

Photo by Sara Quam

Harlin Rozeboom, Hills, gets a little closer to God Tuesday as he works on the bell tower shingles of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Luverne. Rozeboom works with Beaver Creek Lumber, which is also reshingling the church roof. On the Minnesota State Historical Register, the church was built on the corner of Luverne and Cedar streets in 1891 of locally quarried Sioux quartzite stone.

Photo by Sara Quam

By John Rittenhouse
Like a poor guest, the Edgerton baseball team treated Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth rudely in Hills Thursday by sweeping a double-header from the hosts.

The Flying Dutchmen picked up a 5-1 victory in Game 1 before holding off a late charge by the Patriots to prevail 12-10 in the finale.

Edgerton scored the first four runs of the opener in the first three and one-half innings of play.

H-BC-E made it 4-1 with consecutive singles by Tyson Metzger, Matt Buck and Paul Jess in the bottom of the fourth, but Edgerton got the run back in the top of the fifth to win the six-inning game by four runs.

David Top tossed the first two and one-third innings to take the loss in the opener. Justin Van Maanen worked three and two-third innings in relief of Top.

Metzger led the Patriots with two hits in the opener.

The Patriots sported a 4-2 lead in Game 2 before falling to a pair of big innings produced by the Flying Dutchmen.

With Kevin Van Batavia and Lyle DeBoer slapping two-run singles in the top of the third inning, H-BC-E took its first lead of the day at 4-2.

Edgerton, however, countered with four runs in the bottom of the third before adding six runs in the fourth to take a 12-4 advantage.

H-BC-E did score three runs in the fifth and sixth innings but couldnÕt recover from Edgerton's big innings.

Jess singled home a pair of runs and Zach Wysong added an RBI single as the Patriots made it a 12-7 game in the fifth inning.

DeBoer, Van Maanen and Jess all drove in runs with one-out singles in the top of sixth, and H-BC-E had runners on first and third after Jess' single. Edgerton, however, got out of the jam when a relief pitcher fanned the next two Patriot batters.

DeBoer worked the first two and two-thirds innings on the hill and was saddled with the loss. Top tossed the final inning and one-third.

Jess, Metzger, Van Batavia, Top, Lyle and Darin DeBoer had two hits each for the Patriots, who ended the day with a 3-9-1 record.

The Patriots drew the 12th seed for the Section 3A Tournament. They play No. 5 Ortonville at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in Granite Falls.

By John Rittenhouse
Steen will be the site for a Labor Day Weekend Fast-Pitch Softball Tournament.

The 11-team, single-elimination event begins Saturday. The final three rounds are set for Monday.

In the upper bracket of the tournament, the Hills Indees meet Carmel at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, with the winner to take on RCI at 12:45 p.m. Monday.

Ellsworth Town takes on Lester, Iowa, in another upper bracket game set for 9 p.m. Saturday. The winner advances to Monday's semifinals.

Steen and NWIA meet in a 9 a.m. game Monday to open the tournament in the lower bracket. The winner of that game meets the winner of a 10:15 a.m. clash between the Ellsworth Indees and Bosch's at 2 p.m. Monday.

Beaver Creek meets the Rock Rapids (Iowa) Merchants at 11:30 a.m. in Monday's final lower bracket game. The winner advances to the semifinals.

The upper bracket semifinal tilt is set for 3:15 p.m. Monday, with the lower bracket semifinal to follow at 5 p.m.

A consolation game will be played at 7:30 p.m., with the title tilt to follow at 8:30.

By John Rittenhouse
The taste of success has left the members of the Hills-Beaver Creek High School volleyball team hungry for more.

After compiling a winning, 14-10 season in 2000, the 2001 Patriots would like to expand on that performance.

"I know the girls were really excited about finishing last year with an above .500 record, and they would like to improve on that this year," said second-year H-BC coach Nicole Fey.

"I think they have a good chance of doing that," she added. "We have four of six starters returning from last yearÕs team, so that should help."

Fey and the Patriots do have reason to be optimistic entering the new season.

H-BC lost four seniors to graduation, but the Patriots should be able to counter the loss with a strong senior class and a talented sophomore who could develop into one of the area's top hitters in 2001.

The first thing Fey must do is replace last year's seniors, who had their careers end in a disappointing way. H-BC earned the No. 4 seed for the 2000 Section 3A South Tournament, where it lost a 3-0 decision to No. 5 Fulda in the quarterfinal round.

Shanna Tilstra leaves the biggest shoes to fill. A player who rarely left the floor during her senior season, Tilstra played her way onto the final All-Tri-County Conference Team.

Jamie Arp, a right-side hitter, is another senior who graduated from the 2001 team.

Back row specialist Jamie Brandt and hitter Rachael DeHaan were the other senior members of the team that placed third in the T-CC with a 4-4 record one year ago.

As much as the 2000 seniors meant to last year's team, a new group of seniors will be in charge of leading a new band of Patriots into battle this fall.

Tonya Leenderts, a left-side hitter, has to be considered one of the team's top returnees from the senior class.

Leenderts is a returning starter who earned a spot on the All-T-CC squad as a junior.

Brittney Olson and LaDonna Sandstede also drew starting assignments as juniors.

Fey is looking for Olson to add some firepower to the team as a right-side hitter, but the coach will have to wait three or four weeks before putting Sandstede on the floor.

A full-time setter for the 2001 Patriots, Sandstede underwent surgery to have her appendix removed early last week. She's not expected to return to the floor until late September.

"We'll be without LaDonna for up to one month, which will hurt us. She was our No. 1 setter all of last season, and our hitters were used to her sets. ItÕs a bad deal, but we're fortunate this happened early in the season. At least now we have some time to work with a new setter before playing our first match," Fey said.

Sophomore Melinda Sandstede is expected to fill in for LaDonna to start the 2001 season.

Jana Hup, a player who Fey said has improved her game since last year, rounds out the 2001 seniors.

Hup, who picked up some playing time as a junior, will make an impact as a left-side hitter.

Erin Boeve, a 6-1 sophomore, returns as a starter from 2000. Boeve led the team in hitting as a freshman, making the All-T-CC team at season's end. She should be even more of an impact player this fall.

Fey is counting on Boeve and the seniors to take over the leadership roles for a team with a lot of potential.

"With four starters and five letter winners from last year's team coming back, we do have a lot of experience. What I like about them is that they are hard workers who do a good job of pushing each other in practice. They seem to be a lot more aggressive than they were last year, and I know a lot of them put time in during the off-season playing JO (Junior Olympic) volleyball or attending summer camps," she said.

Coach Fey will be counting on six juniors playing varsity volleyball for the first time to produce this fall.

Fey feels Jody Rentschler, a middle hitter, and defensive specialist Sarah Rozeboom are juniors who should help the team right away.

Right-side hitters Angie Bush and Melissa Fagerness and left-side hitters Angie Sjaarda and Kelsey Hansel will get the chance to produce at the varsity level, too.

As well as having some new players, the 2001 Patriots will be playing in a new conference. H-BC, Southwest Christian and Edgerton have joined the Red Rock Conference this year.

"Being in a new conference means playing a lot of different teams we haven't played before. We'll play every team (10 matches overall) in our conference once," Fey said.

The Patriots open the campaign by playing a road match against Sibley-Ocheyedan Tuesday.