10 years ago (2011)
•A tumble prairie flower was the focus of much attention this week at Touch the Sky Prairie north of Luverne.
Local volunteers, members of the Youth Conservation Corps and Iowa Lakes Community College students searched ditches and tall grass to monitor the progress of the rare western prairie fringed orchid.
The western orchid is listed as a threatened plant species. Its numbers have decreased in past decades due to fewer acres of natural prairie habitat, drought, fewer hawk moths to pollinate and changing soil conditions.
25 years ago (1996)
•For the first time in 16 years, Gene Cragoe isn’t arranging his schedule around school board meetings. As of July 1, Cragoe is no longer a member of the Independent District 2184 board.
After so long, disengaging from the job isn’t easy. There are projects started that he would have liked to have seen through to completion, but he decided not to file for re-election. Health concerns and the desire for less stress outweighed the other. He said he will continue, however, to be interested in district business and has volunteered to serve on committees as a citizen.
50 years ago (1971)
•Hail and high winds left a path of destruction across the heart of Rock County Sunday leaving from 20 to total per cent crop damage in parts of Denver, Mound and Vienna Townships.
The storm created havoc in a line west of Hardwick and continued to the southeast as far as Kenneth. Early reports state a path eight miles long and a mile wide, but further reports filtering in on Tuesday show destruction in a path almost 14 miles long.
Hail as much as a half inch in diameter along with varying levels of driving rain and fierce wind fell on the area between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. Sunday.
By noon Tuesday, county hail insurance agencies had received about 134 damage claims from the stricken area.
75 years ago (1946)
•Donald Renfro, an army captain during World War II, is the owner of Renfro’s Variety, which he purchased several months ago from J. M. Adams. Renfro, who traveled for a wholesale coal concern before entering the service, is another “out-of-towner” who chose Luverne as a place to go into business for himself.
100 years ago (1921)
•A change in the officers of the First National Bank of this city was made the first of the week, when O. P. Huntington retired as vice president and Carl O. Mueller, of Cedar Rapids, Ia., was elected to succeed him. Mr. Huntington, however, retains his stock and remains a director of the institution.
Mr. Huntington’s resignation will create no surprise among many of his friends, for they have known for some time that he has been anxious to retire in order to give his private business affairs the time their responsibility demands. He has also felt that he is entitled to take life a little easier, for, to use his own expression, he has “been in the harness for 32 years.” …
Mr. Mueller comes to Luverne with very high recommendations. He has had ten years executive experience in the banking business, except for a year spent in service during the war, and has been well known to the officers of the First National for many years.
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