Editorials
By Lori Sorenson, editorApril 17, 2023We had cake in the office Tuesday to celebrate my 30 years as Star Herald editor. I love what I do, and I cherish the role of a weekly paper in a community, so it’s definitely worth celebrating. Thirty years sounds impressive, but it’s just on par with countless feature stories we’ve written about people in their jobs for 30 or more years. When I started at the Star Herald in April 1993, Charlie…- April 11, 2023April is National Safe Digging Month and CenterPoint Energy encourages customers to call 811 in advance about projects such as installing a garden, fence, pool or water sprinkler system. Digging without knowing the location of underground utilities can result in serious injury or death, service disruptions and costly fines or repairs. Hitting underground natural gas, electric, communications,…
- April 04, 2023Driving distracted puts everyone on the road in danger, contributing to an average of 28 deaths and 156 serious, life-changing injuries per year in Minnesota. That’s why law enforcement agencies and traffic safety partners are teaming up to educate motorists, enforce the hands-free cell phone law and help stop other distracting behaviors. The distracted driving enforcement and awareness campaign…
- March 28, 2023The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is waiving vehicle permit fees at all 75 state parks and recreation areas on four dates in 2023. The Free Park Days will be Saturday, April 22; Saturday, June 10; Saturday, Sept. 9; and Friday, Nov. 24. With the support of the state legislature, the DNR offers Free Park Days to encourage Minnesotans to get outdoors and enjoy the health and wellness…
- By Nickolaus Hayes, Health Care ProfessionalMarch 21, 2023The NCAA tournament, known as March Madness, showcases some of the best basketball talent in the nation, but for every tip-off, students and fans are likely tipping back an excessive amount of alcohol. It can be challenging at any time of the year to avoid excessive alcohol use. It can be particularly difficult for someone in recovery or the average person choosing sobriety for their health.…
- By Jim Pumarlo, Red Wing Republican EagleMarch 14, 2023Sandy Robinson and Ben Carlson were part of news reports as birth announcements in Minnesota’s newspapers. Neither one was probably aware of the attention created by the event, but we could expect to see more of Sandy and Ben in the coming years. Likewise, we hope the local newspapers become a part of their daily routines. Newspapers pride themselves as recorders of local history. I encourage…
- March 07, 2023Rural residents have dealt with diminishing access to health care for decades, largely because increasing costs of services makes sparsely populated areas less economically feasible to serve than densely populated urban areas. This problem applies just as much to mental health services as to any other aspect of health care in the United States. But now more than ever, as the demand for mental…
- February 21, 2023This week Minnesotans honors bus drivers across the state with “School Bus Driver Appreciation Day” on Wednesday, Feb. 22, to draw attention to these dedicated professionals and to the statewide bus driver shortage. Rock County’s list of school bus drivers report for duty in the Luverne and Hills-Beaver Creek districts. Luverne school bus drivers include Brad Goembel, Scott Adams. Keith Brandt,…
- February 14, 2023Parents need to understand the prevalence of e-cigarette use, also known as vaping, and the serious health risks they pose to young people. Vaping comes in many forms: e-cigarettes, pen mods, box mod kits, pod mods (JUUL), which may sound foreign to some, but are everyday terms among youth. They look like pens or flash drives or are disguised as watches or tucked into the sleeve of a hoodie,…
- By Craig Oftedahl, Luverne Public Schools SuperintendentFebruary 07, 2023Seven dedicated individuals devote time and energy, making sure Luverne Public Schools is helping every child learn at a high level. The Minnesota School Boards Association has set February as Minnesota School Board Recognition Month to build awareness and understanding of the vital function elected school board members play in our society. We here in Luverne are joining other public school…
- January 31, 2023Feb. 6-1o is National School Counselors Week, a time to focus attention on the contributions of school counselors in education. Sponsored by American School Counselors Association, the week highlights the impact school counselors have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. According to Luverne Elementary School Counselor Marie-Atkinson Smeins, children are experiencing…
- January 24, 2023Thumbs up — to snowplow drivers and snow removal crews fighting a non-stop battle this winter. Thumbs up — to law enforcement, first responders, utility workers and others who work in winter conditions to keep people safe. Thumbs down — to those who drive on closed roads in the winter. They put themselves and others at risk by doing so and can delay the opening of the roads if they become…
- January 10, 2023Rock County’s recent heavy snow created headache and hardship for many people attempting to travel – and even depart their blocked garages and driveways. This week’s Star Herald chronicles the efforts of professional snow movers and shares images of snow blowing, snow shoveling and snow piles of mammoth proportions. The sheer volume of snow last week was the third largest in recent history,…
- December 27, 2022Happy New Year, Star Herald readers. We in the newsroom find satisfaction in reviewing and highlighting the top stories of the year in our final December edition. It shows we have progressive and ambitious local leaders and residents, and it shows our news team takes our work seriously in documenting big things, whether good news or bad. At a glance, this year’s top stories include: •PrairiE Loft…
- December 20, 2022Christians believe “God so loved the world that he gave his only son” to take away the sins of the world (John 3:16), and as such, we celebrate the arrival of Jesus as told in the Bible’s second chapter of Luke: In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. … And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of…
- December 13, 2022It’s no secret that citizens, businesses and organizations in Luverne and Rock County are among the most generous in the nation. It’s a badge we proudly bear on occasions when told our Dollars for Scholars is second in the nation (first in terms of scholarship amounts awarded per student) or when we learn our little community raises more money for the American Cancer Society than most cities…
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