Locals travel to path of totality to view 2024 eclipse
The highly anticipated 2024 total eclipse of the sun occurred Monday, April 8, across North America, and several groups of Rock County residents traveled to experience the once-in-a-lifetime ev
Student perform 'Legally Blonde The Musical'
When the LHS production of “Legally Blonde, the Musical” opens next week for six evening performances, audiences will be surprised at what they see.
Roeman retires from 38-plus years with county FSA
Stacey Roemen celebrated her retirement from 38 years with the Rock County Farm Service Agency Saturday night at Take 16, which was crowded with family, friends and well-wishers.
Thone wins spelling bee C-H-A-M-P-I-O-N-S-H-I-P
Twenty-three of the best spellers in southwest Minnesota participated Saturday morning in the 2024 SW MN Spelling Bee hosted at the Luverne Middle School.
History Center to host April 18 celebration
The Rock County History Center’s construction project is complete, and staff and volunteers are hosting a celebration from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 18.
Palisade Lutheran Church celebrates 150 years of worship
Palisade Lutheran Church will celebrate its 150th anniversary Sunday, April 14, at the corner of Minnesota Highway 23 and 121st Street (County Road 5).
News
- By Lori SorensonMay 12, 2020Pork processing plants in Sioux Falls and Worthington closed a month ago when coronavirus outbreaks spread among workers. Meanwhile, Premium Iowa Pork has been plugging away at the $30 million overhaul of Luverne’s former Gold’N Plump facility to serve as its latest antibiotic-free pork processing plant. May 4 was the planned date for 250 workers to start processing 2,500 hogs per day, but…
- By Lori SorensonMay 12, 2020The Luverne Dollars for Scholars chapter hit a milestone Monday night during the Luverne High School awards program, which was shared via YouTube. Midway through announcing the list of 68 seniors who received scholarships, chapter president Don Klosterbuer paused to recognize that the program had awarded $5 million to 1,942 LHS graduates since it began in 1984. The video inserted animated…
- By Lori SorensonMay 12, 2020Flagged wooden stakes along road shoulders in western Rock County mark areas where soil borings are testing road quality for the upcoming Walleye Wind Farm construction. The 100-megawatt wind farm will have 36 turbines in Beaver Creek and Martin townships along with portions of Rose Dell, Springwater, Luverne and Mound. NextEra will focus on selecting turbine sites in the townships, and exact…
- By Mavis FodnessMay 12, 2020For the past decade, Luverne’s Kim Vander Poel found strength among the runners and other cancer survivors participating in the Avera Race Against Cancer in Sioux Falls each May. Since her successful fight against cancer in 2009, family members would form a team around Vander Poel and complete the 5K race. This year, however, due to the COVID-19 restrictions and to curb the spread of the virus,…
- By Lori SorensonMay 12, 2020The Minnesota Department of Health confirmed 19 cases of coronavirus so far in Rock County as of Tuesday morning, up one from 18 a week ago. The numbers have leveled off somewhat in neighboring counties where outbreaks sickened hundreds in meat processing plants in Sioux Falls and Worthington. Minnehaha County has 2,978 (up from 2,195 a week ago) and Nobles has 1,269 (up from 1,069 last week).…
- By Lori SorensonMay 12, 2020The goal was $40,000, but by the weekend the “Share the Luv” campaign had raised nearly $45,000 for the gift card promotion. “It looks like it’s going to be an outstanding promotion,” said Rick Peterson, general manager of the Rock County Star Herald, which is teaming up with the Chamber and KQAD-K101 for the upcoming radiothon to sell gift cards. Nearly 170 Rock County businesses (see the back…
- May 12, 2020Southwestern Youth Services, Magnolia, will benefit from hand-me-down furniture and office equipment formerly used by the Luverne School District. The school is leasing storage space in the former Kawasaki building near downtown Luverne, and SYS stopped there Tuesday morning to load up some file cabinets, desks, tables and other equipment. Pictured are SYS education director Carol Naasz (left),…
- By Mavis FodnessMay 12, 2020Crop producers across the state are nearly a month ahead of schedule in corn planting, according to Monday’s crop progress and condition report. At 89 percent complete, corn planting is two weeks ahead of schedule, due to the continued mild weather conditions. Farmers had 4.8 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending Sunday. During the previous week there were 5.2 suitable days. Last year…
- By Mavis FodnessMay 12, 2020When the coronavirus pandemic canceled this year’s NCAA Men’s March Madness Basketball Tournament, it also canceled Hills-Beaver Creek High School’s participation in the data analysis competition. Or that’s what H-BC secondary mathematics teacher Nora Wysong thought. But she learned the teams of Whitney Elbers and Sadie Fuerstenberg calling themselves the “Fluffy Hedgehog” and Joslyn Birger and…
- May 12, 2020Due to Minnesota 4-H’s restriction not to conduct in-person events until July 1 to help slow the spread of COVID-19, organizers last week canceled all competitive Western Heritage events for 2020. “As we move forward, a team will be looking for potential ways to engage 4-H Western Heritage youth,” said Extension educator Renee Kostick. “We want to recognize all youth who have found mastery and…
- By Lori SorensonMay 05, 2020It’s beginning to look like graduation season in downtown Luverne this week with 92 light pole banners honoring students in the Luverne High School Class of 2020. Brian Remme, city electric utility supervisor, began hanging the banners Tuesday morning. “They really look good,” he said. “I think it’s going to do something different for Main Street.” Jim Juhl of Myhre Studio photographed the…
- By Lori SorensonMay 05, 2020Billy and Rachel Horsman, Luverne, are grateful their coronavirus symptoms weren’t as bad as those often associated with the deadly illness. He contracted it from co-workers at his Sioux Falls manufacturing job, and she got it from him, both of them reporting allergy-like symptoms with a headache and body aches, and only for a few days. Billy said he got tested because his symptoms were like…
- By Mavis FodnessMay 05, 2020Weekends typically bring crowds and welcome business to the Green Lantern Cafe and Bar in Hardwick. But on Saturday, only a handful of customers entered the business, picked up their take-out orders and went home. Under state order, small business owners like Steve and Linda DeSplinter have removed the cafe’s traditional tables and chairs to keep people from lingering and they locked the…
- May 05, 2020The first bison calves arrived last week at the Blue Mounds State Park north of Luverne, when three were born on Wednesday and Thursday. According to park manager Chris Ingebretsen, park staff anticipates at least one calf born each week from now through the end of June. The park remains closed to camping, due to the coronavirus pandemic but remains open for daytime visits. The bison and the…
- By Mavis FodnessMay 05, 2020Hills-Beaver Creek High School Principal Molly Schilling will be the new superintendent in the Adrian School District starting July 1. Schilling was selected last week from 12 applicants and was one of three finalists for the position to replace retiring superintendent Roger Graff. Graff announced his retirement in February after 17 years with the Adrian district. His last day is June 30. Adrian…
- May 05, 2020Twenty staff members with Hills-Beaver Creek Public Schools spent Friday morning cleaning the ditches along Hwy 270 between Hills and Steen. Traditionally the senior class completes the fall and spring cleanup but due to the coronavirus and the issuance of distance learning, the students were unable to complete the spring event. Instead senior class advisor Dan Ellingson enlisted the help of…
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