Opinion
- By Cary Radisewitz, LuverneOctober 06, 2020Before moving to Luverne, I was head football coach at a small university from 1985 to 1992. During my time there, my players faced several racist incidents from the community. The first happened when I arrived. A community member asked me about the "cans" I was bringing to the town. Confused, I asked for clarification. He told me, "You know, cans ... Mexicans, African-Americans,…
- By Bob Worth, Lake Benton mayor and president Minnesota Soybean Grower's AssociationMay 26, 2020Farm stress is certainly not a new concept. My father saw rural suicide rates spike in his farming days in the 1930s. When I was a young farmer just getting started in the ’80s, I became super depressed. Interest rates were as high as 21 percent, while land and machinery values plummeted. Farmers were being foreclosed on, and once again mental health in ag communities declined. I didn’t want to…
- March 24, 2020Luverne and Rock County have always been leaders in our little corner of the state on policies ranging from schools, the environment, agriculture and most recently the census (we’re leading the state right now in data response). Now, dear readers, we must again step up and be leaders. Our governor has issued mandates and our local businesses and governments are following through. But just 30…
- By Jane Wildung-Lanphere, Luverne Area Chamber directorMarch 10, 2020Luverne and Rock County are unlike 95 percent of the small towns in America. While tens of thousands of small communities see businesses closing and people moving away, we are at the brink of what can be the most exciting growth in decades. I remember in the early 1960s when Mid-Pack came to town. That plant was the “spark-plug” for community growth in both the residential and business sector.…
- March 03, 2020In this week’s paper we have a story on page 6 about Dental Day in the elementary school. This happens to be a puff piece about kids having fun learning about oral health, but it’s part of a broader effort to bring dental health care to an underserved community. Rock County’s 9,000-plus residents are served by one local dentist office and we’re darn lucky to have it, considering other communities…
- November 12, 2019We’re closing in the end of another decade, and the Star Herald is looking back on the highlights of the years between 2010 and 2020. The first 10 years of the new millennium in Rock County were marked by the Ken Burns world premiere of his documentary series, “The War,” at the Palace Theatre. The decade also saw a regeneration of what we now know as the Courthouse Square with the stately…
- November 05, 2019Every two years state legislators submit requests for the capital budget bill. The requests include improvements to state facilities, public lands and grants to local government entities. The city of Ellsworth is requesting a $1.3 million grant for a new city hall, multi-purpose center and maintenance shop. It’s the only request from a community in our own backyard, and Governor Walz would like…
- October 29, 2019The Star Herald will send its photographers into the streets — or just Main Street, actually, — on Halloween to capture the color, creativity and character of Luverne’s 18th annual Trunk N Treat adventure. By the time our readers turn to this page of their print edition, Main Street will be packed with parents and children, most of them in costume, making their way up one side and down the other…
- By Tom GetmanOctober 15, 2019You in Luverne likely feel like I do here in Washington. In the midst of the hostile even bigoted political debates and civil disequilibrium, I confess the need for instruction to maintain my faith and peace. The Parable of the Good Shepherd (in Luke 15) reminds us what the sacrificing-servant-church, service clubs, NGOs and families can be in this period of resurgent racism, the ravages of rapid…
- By Lori SorensonSeptember 17, 2019Next weekend Luverne will again rise to the challenge of hosting one of the most prestigious high school band festivals in the region. Luverne’s Tri-State Band Festival is always a proud time of year for the community, the school, the student musicians and all the families and volunteers who pull off the mammoth event. To outside observers enjoying the music, it all seems to come together…
By Lori SorensonSeptember 17, 2019My husband’s parents, Arden and Mary Ellen, said good-bye this week to their little house on the banks of Split Rock Creek. The rolling green pastures, lush farm ground and thick grove of trees are deceptively tranquil considering the destructive force of the river in high-water years. For decades, a closely monitored sump pump kept flood damage at bay — until last week when an 8-inch deluge 30…- By Jason W. Swanson, director, Minnesota River Area Agency on AgingAugust 13, 2019It’s time we have “that talk” with our loved ones — whether a spouse, parent, in-law, grandparent or a friend — about establishing a plan as they age. We plan careers, vacations, weddings, get-togethers and retirements, but we often don’t take time to plan the things we’ll need help with as we age and the different types of services we may require. It’s difficult to make these decisions in a…
April 22, 2019Patricia A. “Pat” Smedsrud, 84, Garretson, South Dakota, died Sunday, April 21, 2019. A funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Friday, April 26, at George Boom Funeral Chapel in Brandon, South Dakota. Visitation begins at 5 p.m. Thursday, April 25, at the funeral chapel in Brandon, where the family will greet friends from 5-7 p.m. Survivors include her husband, Gib, Garretson; four children, Dave (…- By Katie Baustian, Luverne School Board memberSeptember 26, 2017With the new school year off to a successful start, now is a good time to talk about the school board’s long-range plan to meet the facility needs of students, teachers and the community. Luverne School District residents will decide whether to move forward with the school district’s building improvement plan on Nov. 7. It is important that district residents are familiar with what is included in…
- By Miranda Roskamp, Southwest Crisis Center Youth AdvocateSeptember 12, 2017With school back in session, students and parents are focused on classes and schedules, but it’s also time to recognize and prepare for the possibility of various forms of violence. Domestic and sexual violence do not discriminate. Any time is a good time to start ongoing conversations with young people about what these types of violence look like, how they may be affected by it, how to help…
- By Jen Lindsey, guest editorialistOctober 03, 2016October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In the past year, two domestic violence-related hashtags have made a huge impact on social media. One in the summer of 2015 began close to home for us. A young Sioux Falls woman was physically assaulted by her boyfriend while she was driving. She later asked a friend, who was a photographer, to do a photo shoot showing her black eyes and bruising.…
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