Opinion
By Sgt. Troy Christianson, Minnesota State PatrolFebruary 07, 2024Question: I was driving on the freeway during the worst part of a recent storm. Just had a question — are people supposed to use their emergency flashers when they are driving? So many cars on the freeway were, and it made it impossible to tell if someone was actually stopped or moving slowly (also, if they changed lanes, there was no way to tell). I was having trouble seeing anyway, and this…- January 31, 2024We in Luverne have been proud of our local artist, Andrew Prekker, who submitted the winning proposal for Minnesota’s new state flag. Of more than 2,000 proposals, his was used as the base for the final flag design. It was a process that started more than four months ago with the goal of having the new flag and emblem in the State Capitol buildings by May 11, which is Statehood Day. Why did we…
By Brenda Winter, columnistJanuary 31, 2024It was just after the Big Chill a few weeks ago that Melvin appeared by our back door. The big orange tabby was also a few feet from death’s door. He had a cut on his face, a bent tail, a gimpy leg and hadn’t had a bath in weeks. He looked like he’d had a close encounter with a car, or maybe a snow plow. His coat was a mess and his eyes were watery and sad. Melvin was in tough, tough shape. I…
By Rick Peterson, general managerJanuary 31, 2024The local Kwik Trip should be opening soon and is highly anticipated by many of the locals. I have to admit watching the Kwik Trip construction project over the last nine months has been impressive. From start to finish it seemed to be a well-orchestrated effort. My first experience with the Kwik Trip was really at a Kwik Star along I-35 in central Iowa on our way to visit our daughter in Des…- January 24, 2024January is Poverty Awareness Month, and it’s a good time to take stock of personal beliefs and biases. We in Rock County have a proud heritage of hard-working ancestors who withstood the hardships of wars and wilderness to build the communities and livelihoods we know today. And we’ve heard time and time again that anyone can succeed if they work hard enough. The subconscious message then is…
By Sgt. Troy Christianson, Minnesota State PatrolJanuary 24, 2024Question: I heard you on the radio the other day. You were talking about new, young drivers having some restrictions on their driver’s license. You mentioned something about a parent being able to take their license away. Could you explain more about that? Answer: I was talking about graduated driver license (GDLs) laws, which support a three-stage driver licensing system to phase in young…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianJanuary 24, 2024The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group that began in the January 7, 1943, issue of the Rock County Star Herald. Members of this group consist of persons of age 75 and older. The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on April 13, 1944. Early days in Kanaranzi township were recalled this week by Harry S. Curry, Luverne, who for many years was a blacksmith and…- January 17, 2024People in the communities of Rock County are known for their generosity — of time, talents, money and more. Another way to be generous is to give blood. It’s the one way to have the most impact in the sense it saves lives, literally. According to the American Red Cross, blood supplies have fallen to critically low levels, and many areas now face emergency blood shortages. In recent weeks, the…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterJanuary 17, 2024For the new year, I am participating in a 12-week Healthy Human Challenge with about 120 like-minded individuals. Daily points are assigned for meeting our nutrition and step goals. More points are added for drinking water, getting enough sleep, and listening to a self-improvement podcast. I’m motivated to amass the 2,600 points necessary to fulfill the three-month challenge. One thing I’ve…
By RIck Peterson, general managerJanuary 17, 2024Over a very short period of time, Luverne lost three great men. I extend my sympathy to the families of George “the flower guy” Bonnema, Dave “the pilot dentist” Paquette, and Elmer “the coach” Menage. It was the summer of 1975 when I first met coach Elmer Menage. Coach Menage was selected to be one of the coaches, and I was selected as one of the players for the second annual North-South…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianJanuary 17, 2024The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group that began in the January 7, 1943, issue of the Rock County Star Herald. Members of this group consist of persons of age 75 and older. The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on April 6, 1944. Mrs. Zillah E. Wilson continues her life story: The years after their marriage proved to be busy ones for Mrs. Wilson. From 1899 to…- January 10, 2024It’s been a while since the Star Herald issued thumbs up and thumbs down for the good and bad in our community, and our news team put our heads together for a fresh list to consider. Thumbs up — to Luverne’s citywide Christmas tree pickup. It’s a much-appreciated perk for living in the city and another reason to “Luv Luverne.” Thumbs down — to another planned postage rate increase for…
By Brenda Winter, columnistJanuary 10, 2024(If you haven’t yet read Lori Sorenson’s Jan. 4th column, “Be Like George,” do it now. Then read this one.) A week and a half before he died, Flower George Bonnema marched into my living room. Observing the wilting leaves on my Peace Lily plant, he poked the dry dirt. “This needs water.” He paused. “And it needs to be repotted. It’s root-bound.” George was at my house to drop off a Christmas…
By Rick Peterson, general managerJanuary 10, 2024Over the holiday weekend we did a little cupboard cleaning at the Peterson household. By that I mean down-sizing the number of pots, pans, coffee cups, thermo beverage containers and just about anything else that hasn’t seen the light of day for some time. While doing so, we would run across some things we forgot we even had – or what they were, in a couple of cases. I must say it was quite…
By Sgt. Troy Christianson, Minnesota State PatrolJanuary 10, 2024Question: I was wondering, with the ads on television showing people driving with their hands off the steering wheel, is that legal in Minnesota if your vehicle has that capability? Answer: I believe you are asking about autonomous vehicles, or self-driving cars, which are capable of sensing their environment and operating without human involvement. Minnesota law states that every driver is…
January 03, 2024Unseasonably warm weather this winter has prevented the usual ice fishing and ice activities that would normally occur this time of year. While many lakes and rivers still have open water in southwest Minnesota, colder weather is coming and some may be tempted to venture onto the ice too soon. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has been urging people to be aware of degraded ice…
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