Columns
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistJune 18, 2019We are into the right temperature and moisture conditions for lots of fungus issues to attack our plants. For roses, black spot is a serious disease that shows up first as a black spot on the rose leaf. The leaf then turns yellow and falls off. This fungus normally starts on the lower leaves where the foliage is fuller, thus restricting air movement so the leaves stay wet longer when we have…
By Betty Mann, president, Rock County Historical SocietyJune 18, 2019The following appeared in the Rock County Star Herald on April 17, 1958. Luverne Lions Club begins The Luverne Lions Club came to life officially last Wednesday night when John Lutter, Lions District Governor, presented the new group’s charter to its president, Donald Stoterau, at left. Charter members of the Luverne Lions Club and their wives attended the charter banquet. The…
By Jason BerghorstJune 11, 2019Well, it must be June. June means I'm back working part time at the Star Herald during summer break from my real job. Each June I start by filling in for vacationing sports editor John Rittenhouse for a couple of weeks. And that means each June I step out of my comfort zone. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy writing and I'd say I follow high school sports pretty closely. Until it…
By Sgt. Troy Christianson, Minnesota Highway PatrolJune 11, 2019Question: When golf carts are using a pedestrian crosswalk, are vehicles required to yield? This happens in some towns where the roadway separates a golf course. Answer: Unless there is an ordinance or some other special allowance set by local or state officials, golf carts are treated as motor vehicles and not pedestrians. Minnesota State Statute talks about electric personal assistive mobility…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistJune 11, 2019If you followed my advice for using systemic rose care for your shrub roses when I first wrote about it this year, the product should be reapplied three times per season at six-week intervals, and this is six weeks after that initial application, so give them another treatment. Most roses are at their most vigorous growth period right now, so they will reward you later with more and bigger blooms…
By Betty Mann, president, Rock County Historical SocietyJune 11, 2019Only 15 cities with more than 2,500 population in the State of Minnesota have a lower tax rate than Luverne. Only one of them is in southwestern Minnesota. According to an announcement by the Minnesota Taxpayers Association, Luverne’s tax rate for 1957, payable in 1958, is 180.36 mills, which is lower than its neighboring cities. Nearby cities that have a higher tax rate include…
By Scott Rall, guest columnistJune 11, 2019Why is that sportsmen and women in general are so reluctant to speak up about conservation issues that are important to them? It is almost universal all over the county. Only when an issue is so controversial will more than the normal 2-3 percent of hunters and anglers actually get fired up and expend some energy to make their views known. It has been this way for a very long time and it is time…- By Sgt. Troy Christianson, Minnesota Highway PatrolJune 04, 2019Question: The driver’s training manual says to have both hands on the steering wheel. First it was “two and ten” and now with airbags they say “nine and three.” The question, is it a law that you must have both hands on the wheel? I have never seen that as a law and if so there sure would be a lot of violations. I’m thinking if it is in the manual, it must be a law. Answer: There is not a law…
By Rick Peterson, general managerJune 04, 2019One of the most popular — and of course most read — sections of our paper is the On the Record report. Each week On the Record recaps the calls that came into the local sheriff’s department. We have, on occasion, inadvertently left the On the Record report out of the paper, and rest assured, we hear about it soon after the Star Herald hits the street. The part of the On the Record report I would…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterJune 04, 2019A “Tale of Two Cats” unfolded recently on social media involving mystery, mistaken identity and, best of all, a happy ending. The tale opens May 17 with Luverne’s Martha Nowatzki posting that her 18-year-old cat named Shamus “has gone on a walkabout” and had been gone for several days. It’s not unusual for the black cat with a cloudy left eye to cross people’s paths in the area of Freeman Avenue…
By Betty Mann, president, Rock County Historical SocietyJune 04, 2019The following appeared in the Rock County Star Herald on April 10, 1958. County Road Improvement Contracts Total $162,437 Rock county’s Board of Commissions Tuesday awarded a total of $162,437.27 in three contracts for road improvement this year. Major projects will be the installation of a gravel base and bituminous surface costing $102,898.67 for 10.7 miles on C.S.A. No. 5.…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistJune 04, 2019Driving back from Detroit last weekend, I saw several trees infected with tent caterpillar nests, and believe it or not, we have them in Rock County, too. So if you see that white webby mass in the crotch of a tree branch, they’ve found a place to call home. Usually they prefer apple, crabapple or plum trees as a food source. You don’t have to get real radical like cutting the branch out. Just…
By Sgt. Troy Christianson, Minnesota Highway PatrolMay 28, 2019Out of the tragedy of one teen’s death comes life-saving change for Minnesotans statewide. For Kathy Cooper, her family’s efforts to strengthen Minnesota’s seat belt law began after her daughter Meghan’s unbelted death. Their advocacy is saving lives. In 2009 the state’s primary seat belt law took effect in honor of Meghan. It is helping contribute to fewer unbuckled people dying in traffic…
By Brenda Winter, columnistMay 28, 2019Day 78 Dear Diary, We awoke again this morning to the sound of rain pattering against the bedroom window and the neighbor hammering away at his ark. We believe building an ark is a bit of an overreaction to a weather pattern, but we are willing to admit this rain is driving us all toward madness. This morning in church, praise band members began playing “Healing Rain” but stopped when God-fearing…
By Betty Mann, president, Rock County Historical SocietyMay 28, 2019The following appeared in the Rock County Star Herald on April 10, 1958. Phone Subscribers Will Get Call Explaining Dial System Starting Monday, April 14, Northwestern Bell Telephone Company will start calling all Luverne telephone customers, according to N. C. Johnson, local manager. “The reason for these calls is to explain the new dial service which will start Sunday, May 4…- By Lori Sorenson, editorMay 21, 2019Against my better judgment we purchased a vacuum robot this spring. It’s not a Roomba, but it’s better, according to my sister who enthusiastically recommended it. We have a light-colored dog and dark-colored flooring so pet hair dust bunnies make daily appearances. When the robot came on sale for half price, I clicked “add to cart,” “proceed to checkout” and “buy.” A week later a big box showed…
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