Kahler Terrace coming back together
Workers from Kehm Contractors, masonry specialists from Omaha, Nebraska, began last week to piece together the Sioux Quartzite brick veneer on the Kahler Terrace a
Construction begins on child care center
The $7.2 million construction project is underway to renovate the former Total Card building into a community child care center in Luverne.
Jack's Basket reaches 10-year milestone
Ten years ago Kenneth native Carissa (Nieuwboer) Carroll started Jack’s Basket to make sure all babies born with Down syndrome are welcomed and celebrated.
Senior student council members serve breakfast as thank you to teachers
Seniors from the Luverne High School student council organized and prepared a hot breakfast for elementary and secondary teachers and support staff Tuesday morning.
Taubert debuts Sip of Joy CEO business
Prior to joining the Southwest MN Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) program last fall, Joy Taubert quietly made British pastries and hosted tea parties for her family.
Much need moisture delays spring planting, clears local drought threat
Spring fieldwork took off in Rock County and across the region in mid-April, but conditions changed in late April and early May after more than 3½ inches of rain fell over a two-week period.
News
By Lori SorensonFebruary 07, 2024Plans are in place for improvements to the city parking lot north of City Hall in front of the Minnesota West Community College entrance. At their Jan. 23 meeting, Luverne City Council members approved bids and specifications and set Feb. 15 as the bid letting date for the project. The City Hall parking lot improvements project consists of removing the existing asphalt paving, salvaging,…- February 07, 2024Unseasonably warm weather, combined with a lack of snow cover, has taken a toll on the ice on some water bodies, particularly small ponds and drainage ditches often found in neighborhoods. These smaller, nearby water bodies can be magnets for curious children. These places often are overlooked when it comes to ice safety because they generally don't attract ice anglers, but at least eight…
By Mavis FodnessFebruary 07, 2024The LHS speech team brought home a fourth-place trophy Saturday from the Worthington Speech Invitational. “I was quite happy with their placement, as we brought a smaller group to this meet,” said coach Gavin Folkestad. “Many of our returning veterans placed well and showed improvement, and we had several new members compete for the first time.” Overall, 154 students from 16 schools competed…
By Lori SorensonJanuary 31, 2024The Blue Mounds State Park and Friends of the Blue Mounds State Park hosted their annual Candlelight Hike Saturday night under mild winter conditions and a starry, moonlit sky. Nearly 600 people from near and far turned out to enjoy the hike that included several warming bonfires, cookies and hot cocoa. “The weather gave us a pretty amazing night and I really enjoyed seeing people enjoying the…- By Mavis FodnessJanuary 31, 2024H-BC rejects, awards elementary construction bids By Mavis Fodness At their Monday, Jan. 29, special meeting, Hills-Beaver Creek School Board members awarded $20.5 million in bids, rejected $1.13 million worth of bids, and held back $1.8 million for further consideration. Board members unanimously approved the following bids/bidders for construction of the new elementary school and…
By Mavis FodnessJanuary 31, 2024Hills-Beaver Creek School Board members conducted two special meetings in the past week to reduce construction costs of the new elementary school and improvements at the secondary school. They learned at the Jan. 23 special meeting that bids opened Dec. 19 tallied $4.8 million over the $25 million budget. On Jan. 29 they approved $3.6 million in cost reductions, and another $1.2 million will be…
By Lori SorensonJanuary 31, 2024For years, Luverne ball players have traveled to Sioux Falls for off-season pitching and batting practice, but now they stay in town, thanks to a group of creative planners. “We probably have 200 kids in Luverne who play ball, from Little League on up,” said Don Dinger of the Luverne Baseball Association. “Some of these kids drive to Sioux Falls for batting practice at $120 a week plus gas and…
By Mavis FodnessJanuary 31, 2024Magie Wieneke is the new assistant director of the Rock County Community Library, replacing Barb Verhey who recently retired after more than 48 years. Wieneke said she’s not sure she’ll stay as long as her predecessor, but she’s found her passion. “I’ve always been an avid reader, and the chance to be around books and have my finger on the pulse of all new releases is thrilling,” she said. “…
January 31, 2024This week students at Luverne High School participated in various activities to combat the winter doldrums including dress-up days, special activities and the coronation of a Snow Week king and queen on Monday afternoon. Ten seniors made up this year’s royalty, selected by high school teachers and staff for their positive leadership in the classroom. Candidates for queen included Jenna DeBates,…- By Mavis FodnessJanuary 31, 2024The Hills-Beaver Creek School Board ratified a two-year contract with teachers Jan. 24, giving the 30.5 full-time-equivalent teachers a 10.38 percent increase through the 2024-25 school year. Teachers receive a 5.83-percent raise for the 2023-24 school year and a 4.55-percent increase for 2024-25. The percentages include increases in salary, health insurance and steps in education. An extra 2-…
- By Mavis FodnessJanuary 31, 2024Saturday marks the start of the 2024 high school speech season with Luverne traveling to Worthington in the first of 11 varsity events. Returning coaches Gavin Folkestad and Joseph Stearns are leading this year’s team. “We have about 25 currently signed up, which is slightly more than last year,” Folkestad said. “We only graduated two seniors, and we have a good number of new seventh- and…
By Mavis FodnessJanuary 31, 2024The Business Professionals of America (BPA) chapter at Luverne High School doubled its membership for the 2023-24 school year. As a result, the chapter is sending its largest group of members — 22 in all —to the state convention in Minneapolis March 14-16. Adviser Katie Kopp credits previous members for the interest and recent BPA Region 8 success. “The program had great senior leadership last…
January 24, 2024Luverne music students, families and volunteers hosted their classic Winter Carnival Saturday night in the high school gym. Students manned carnival games, face painting, cake walks and more while volunteers helped with concessions, cotton candy, Bingo and other fundraising activities. According to Music Boosters organizers, crowds were steady Saturday night despite frigid temperatures. The event…
By Mavis FodnessJanuary 24, 2024Friday’s celebration of the Hills Day Care Project allowed community members to tour the first-of-its-kind building and meet providers leasing space for family day care businesses. Donna Bernhard and Kassie Haak will open family day care businesses once their special licenses are issued through Southwest Health and Human Services in Luverne. The providers have signed agreements with the city of…
By Lori SorensonJanuary 24, 2024Rock County’s School Resource Officer Jeff Stratton updated Luverne City Council members on his role with local students during their meeting Tuesday night, Jan. 23. “I’m building relationships with kids,” he told council members. That’s specifically what he was hired to do when the program started with the 2022-23 school year. The goal was to have a liaison between the Sheriff’s Office and…
By Mavis FodnessJanuary 24, 2024Luverne High School engineering technology students combined a history lesson with three- dimensional printing to build a model of the war plane flown by the late Quentin Aanenson, a recent Luverne Alumni Hall of Fame inductee. Teacher Bill Thompson wanted students to wrap up his engineering class by building replicas of the P-47 Thunderbolt plane flown by Aanenson when he was a fighter pilot in…
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