Did you hear?

Stop downtown for Halloween treatsLuverne merchants are once again offering an alternative or addition to the neighborhood door-to-door trick-or-treating.Next Monday, October 31, participating Luverne merchants will be providing Halloween candy at their businesses from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.The business trick-or-treat event was first organized by the Chamber in 2002 and was an immediate hit with local parents. This will be the third year for the event. It wasn’t held last year because Halloween was on Sunday.In its first two years the "Business Halloween" has attracted between 500-600 kids.In the October 24th issue of the Luverne Announcer you can find an ad listing all the participating merchants.Merchants handing out treats will also have orange posters in their windows.Luverne among towns profiled in ‘Daughters of the Game’A new book profiling girls high school basketball from 1891 to 1942 is now available, and Luverne is one of the teams profiled, according to a recent press release we received.According to the release, and much to my surprise, interscholastic girls basketball programs flourished from 1891 to 1942, but state and national organizations then urged schools to drop the program in favor of recreational level programs for all girls.In some areas girls participated in various forms of tournaments, receiving trophies, individual medals and school letters.Much of that memorabilia survived the decades and is still in family archives and scrapbooks around the state.How to save with rising heat costsWhether you want to blame it on Katrina, Rita and Wilma or just the big bad energy companies taking advantage of the situation, fuel prices are probably going to go up this winter.The U.S. Department of Energy expects the cost of heating fuels to continue to rise throughout the heating season.One of their estimates puts the increase at 71 percent over the cost of last year’s heating bill.According to the Comfort Institute, that could raise annual home and water heating bills for most homeowners $500 to $800. For many, the bill could be more than $1,000.Although the price of fuel may be out of your control, there are a few things you can do around the house to control those expenses.
Have your duct system tested for leaks. According to the Department of Energy (DOE), gaps, joints and disconnections in the typical home’s duct system are more significant than those around doors and windows.
Get a "blower door" test. Originally designed by the DOE, it pinpoints where your home’s worst air leaks are.
Close your fireplace damper. You might be surprised how many people forget to close it after burning wood.
Replace your furnace filters. Most systems need this done every month.
Have your heating system cleaned and tuned. It reduces the chances of breakdowns and improves safety.
Install a programmable set-back thermostat. Turning down your thermostat 8 degrees for 8 hours a day will save you 8 percent on your home heating cost.
Consider replacing your heating system. If your system is more than 12 years old, it probably wastes 35 percent of your fuel bill.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com