Columns
By Lori Sorenson, editorDecember 03, 2025This week’s Star Herald went to press without the trusty guidance of our proofreader, Esther Frakes, who retired after our Nov. 26 edition. We have smart and capable staff who are assuming Esther’s duties, but we are all nervous about carrying on without her. For 21 years, we’ve enjoyed the assurance of Esther’s eagle eyes on our final drafts before press time. Her job was to catch errors in…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterNovember 25, 2025Over the decades, Thanksgiving has become my favorite holiday. It’s a day where I’ve stayed home, and Bryan and I would prepare a Thanksgiving dinner. We grew to be partners in the kitchen, each of us preparing a portion of the meal. At first, the guest list included only grandparents, but it grew to include our four children and my sister’s family. We’ve served as many as 20 people in our…
By Rick Peterson, general managerNovember 25, 2025Last weekend The Blue Mounds State Park was closed to the public because of the annual youth deer hunt. Ten hunters between the ages of 12 and 15 spent the weekend trying to harvest a deer. Each of the hunters along with an adult mentor, generally a parent or grandparent, spent the time in pre-determined hunting zones. Only the youth hunters were allowed to harvest a deer. This will be the…
By Sgt. Troy Christianson, Minnesota State PatrolNovember 25, 2025Question: Can you explain what the lines on the highways and streets indicate? I feel like a lot of people can’t figure it out. Thanks. Answer: Pavement markings direct and regulate traffic. White lines separate lanes of traffic traveling in the same direction. •White dashes: You can change lanes where this marking is present. •Shorter and thicker white dashes: The lane is ending. •Solid…
By Brenda Winter, columnistNovember 19, 2025On an early November morning three years ago, Mom and I sat in the living room. She was holding a fluffy, blue and white blanket. Her shortness of breath made it clearer that her remaining time on earth was short. I didn't know the blanket’s ownership was in dispute between Mom and my nephew until she said quietly, “Kingston gets the blanket.” Apparently she and her 8-year-old grandson had a…
By Scott Rall, outdoors columnistNovember 19, 2025The news is always full of car crashes and other accidents. Some are farm- or work-related or others might be as simple as a guy falling off a ladder or crashing to earth from a tree stand. Almost all of these have one thing in common: The name of the person who died or was critically injured is a name I have never even heard of before. That changed on Nov. 8 when Luverne lost a community…
By Scott Rall, Outdoor ColumnistNovember 12, 2025So, what do four guys from California, Washington, D.C., Oregon and Minneapolis have in common with three guys from Toledo, Ohio? They all made it to southwest Minnesota in the past two weeks to go pheasant hunting on public lands. There could not have been a more diverse group of outdoors enthusiasts than this group. Two sold mortuary services, one was a crane operator, one a political lobbyist…
By Lori Sorenson, editorNovember 12, 2025The American poet John Russell Hays wrote, “The Groves Were God’s First Temples” in 1895 as a tribute to nature. I’m not a fan of abstract poetry and didn’t even know the poem existed until a friend shared it with me after learning about my frequent walks in our grove. I’ve written columns about the joy of long walks on gravel roads, either with a friend or with a dog. However, our aging lab-…
By Rick Peterson, general managerNovember 12, 2025This Friday is opening night for the Green Earth Players’ musical production of “Little Shop of Horrors” under the direction of Shawn Kinsinger and Carol Ceynowa. There will be seven shows altogether: Friday, Saturday and Sunday this week and Thursday through Sunday next week. Show times are at 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sundays. Ticket prices are $14 for adults and $7 for students…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterNovember 05, 2025Marie Kondi is a professional organizer who’s developed a way to create a happy living environment by using our feelings, in particular, the feeling of joy. I find myself craving joy in my new-found widowhood, and the search for joy has been exhausting and elusive. There’s been retail therapy, emersion in each grandchild’s activities … and even a tattoo. Meanwhile, I’ve been working to…
By Sgt. Troy Christianson, Minnesota State PatrolNovember 05, 2025Question: I have two grandsons, one 17 years old with a driver’s license, the other 15 with a permit. They both have a bad habit of driving with one hand on the wheel. I stress how dangerous this is and both hands need to be on wheel all the time. I drive at the 9 and 3 position and try to have them do the same. Any suggestions? Answer: When it comes to driving, try to keep at least 10 inches…
By Calla Jarvie, Rock County Library directorNovember 05, 2025November at the library Holy cow, you guys, the library is busy this month. Normally I save the last couple of paragraphs for events at the library, but there’s so much going on in November, I’m going to use the entire article to talk about it. The Rock County Community Library is having its very own series of TED Talk showings! At 6 p.m. for three Mondays (Nov. 10, 17 and 24) the library will…- By Pastor Joshua HaydenOctober 29, 2025In a conundrum or in despair we run in haste To a life of prayer that revives, But when life is good we slow our pace Because we do not understand the word “abide.” A sign in our yard to keep on praying Is easier than to actually meet for an hour. Yet we see churches all over decaying Because we are not dependent on God’s power. “But I can pray wherever I go!” We shout with self-…
By Brenda WinterOctober 29, 2025“Other duties as assigned” are not unique to Equipt Christian School where I’ve been volunteering the past few months. Every job and volunteer position includes them. As a K-2 classroom helper, I expected I might help students find lost papers, sound out complicated words, or write the No. 7 facing the right direction. I do all of those things. I thought I might carefully monitor the amount of…
By Rick Peterson, General managerOctober 29, 2025Halloween is on a Friday, and that is sure to bring out the trick-or-treaters. And the weather looks good for the candy collectors as well. The Luverne Area Chamber’s annual “Trunk or Treat” at the Luverne Elementary School parking lot starts at 4 p.m. and runs until 5:30. I am proud to say that I am the current reigning office participant in the annual “Truck or Treat” promotion. The following…
By Scott Rall, Outdoor ColumnistOctober 29, 2025When is the weather so bad that you will just not go hunting in it? That answer is different depending on who you ask. I, for one, will not chase my favorite ring-necked pheasants in a steady rain. The only other time I will take a voluntary pass is when the wind is above 25 miles per hour. Then just add in the fact that you have visitors who have traveled a long distance, and then these two…
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