Midwest Wireless proposes to construct a 195-foot tall self-support communications tower with an adjacent equipment shelter in the Interstate 90 (north side of road) and County Road 6 (west side of road) area of Right-of-way east of Beaver Creek, MN 56116, in Rock County. If you are concerned about the effect this tower may have on Historic Properties, please write to: Mel Stafford, Trileaf Corp., 616 Billy Sunday Road, Suite 100, Ames, IA, 50010, 515-233-4282. Please include the Tower Location and the location of the historic resource that you believe might be affected.(7-20. 7-27, 8-3)

By John RittenhouseEight team champions were crowned during the fourth annual Britz Open golf tournament staged at the Luverne Country Club Saturday.A total of 43 two-person teams competed in the 18-hole event, which featured nine holes of scrambler play and nine holes of alternate shot competition.Twenty-six teams competed in the morning session of the tournament, and 17 teams played in the afternoon.Colby Anderson and Paul Barduson teamed up to win the men’s afternoon and overall titles of the tournament.Anderson and Barduson finished the event with a 32-35-67.Other afternoon titles went to Melissa Kopp and Kim Bennett in the women’s division, Shirley Top and Marla Van Dyk in the senior women’s division, and Anne and Ryan Tjeerdsma in the mixed division.Morning titles went to Dan Serie and Tim Knoll in the men’s division, Myrna Van Voorst and Nancy Frakes in the senior women’s division and Victor and Nikki Van Dyk in the mixed division.Taking top honors in the junior division were Ben Nath and Krista Van Dyk.Final standingsMorning men’s division, Serie and Knoll, first, 33-36-69; Jamie and Corey Stratton, second, 35-35-70; Mike and Andy Haakenson, third, 33-43-76.Afternoon men’s division: Anderson and Barduson, first, 32-35 67; Jack Bennett and Mike Haakenson, second, 31-39-70; Cory Norman and Craig Martinson, tied for third, 34-37-71; Scott Remme and Andy Wessels, tied for third, 36-35-71.Afternoon women’s Division: Kopp and Bennett, first, 34-38-72.Afternoon senior women’s division: Top and M.Van Dyk, first, 44-47-91.Morning senior women’s division: Van Voorst and Frakes, first, 40-42-82; Top and M.Van Dyk, second, 45-50-95; Evelyn Feit and Eileen Reisch, third, 56-57-103.Juniors division: Nath and K.Van Dyk, first, 39-41-80; Dylan Skattum and Brady Dinger, second, 40-41-81; Matt Sterrett and Phil Paquette, third, 45-45-90.Mixed morning division: Victor and Nikki Van Dyk, first, 33-37-70; Lorna and Colby Anderson, second, 34-38-72; Jack and Kim Bennett, third, 34-40-74.Mixed afternoon division: Anne and Ryna Tjeerdsma, first, 36-34-70; Carmen and Corey Stratton, second, 36-38-74; Brittany Boeve and Chris Fitzer, third, 38-37-75.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne Redbirds went 1-1 during the first two rounds of the Gopher League Playoffs.Pipestone topped Luverne by four runs during the tournament opener at Redbird Field Friday. The Redbirds bested Heron Lake by 11 runs during an elimination game played in Luverne Sunday.The 12-12 Redbirds hosted Hadley for an elimination game Wednesday, July 26. Another elimination game will be played Friday, with the final round of the event scheduled for Sunday.Luverne 12, HL 1Jared Pick nearly pitched a no-hitter to highlight Luverne’s 11-run win over Heron Lake Sunday at Redbird Field.Leading 12-0 entering the top half of the seventh inning, Pick was one out away from a no-hitter when he retired the first two batters of the frame.His gem was spoiled with a Texas League single to right field, which led to HL scoring one unearned run before the inning was complete.Pick fanned 13 batters and yielded two hits when the contest was complete.Mike Wenninger, who drove in six runs at the plate, gave the Redbirds a 4-0 lead with a three-run homer in the first inning and a sacrifice fly in the third.Luverne plated eight runs in the fourth inning, which featured two-run singles by Wenninger and James Fisher, one-run singles by Tony Sandbulte and Terry Eernisse, and a two-run error off the bat of Zach Wysong.Box score AB R H BISandbulte 3 2 1 1Boen 1 0 0 0Studer 5 2 2 0Wysong 4 2 2 0Wenninger 3 2 2 6Eernisse 3 1 1 1Kuhlman 1 0 0 0Kurtz 3 1 1 0Cote 1 0 1 0Fisher 4 1 2 2Fodness 3 1 1 0Pick 3 0 0 0Shelton 1 0 0 0Pipestone 11, Luverne 7The visiting A’s scored eight runs in the first three innings to set the stage for a four-run victory over the Redbirds during Friday’s tournament opener in Luverne.Pipestone scored four runs in the first inning and scored twice in the second and third frames to gain an 8-1 lead.Luverne outscored the A’s 6-3 in the final five innings, but it wasn’t enough to get back into the game.Wenninger singled home Luverne’s first run in the bottom of the first inning, and Wyatt Cote’s two-run double in the fifth made it 8-3.Pipestone scored once in the top of the seventh inning to extend its lead to 9-3, but Wysong drew a bases-loaded walk and another run scored on a passed ball for Luverne in the bottom of the seventh to make it 9-5.Pipestone scored twice in the eighth before Luverne scored the final two runs of the game in the bottom of the ninth.Wenninger received an RBI for a ground out and Adam Kurtz registered a sacrifice fly to account for Luverne’s final two runs.Jesse Kuhlman surrendered six runs (four were earned) and four hits in the first two innings, taking the loss for the Redbirds. Kurtz tossed seven innings of five-run (one was earned), seven-hit, five-strikeout relief.Box score AB R H BISandbulte 2 2 0 0Studer 3 1 1 0Cote 1 0 1 2Wysong 2 1 0 1Wenninger 5 0 1 2Kurtz 4 0 0 1Shelton 3 0 0 0Groen 2 0 0 0Fisher 4 0 0 0Fodness 4 1 2 0Pick 3 2 1 0

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne Cardinals bowed out of the Section District Division II American Legion Baseball Tournament after dropping games in the first two rounds of the double-elimination event.Blue Earth nipped the Cards by one run in Friday’s opener in New Ulm. Lake Crystal handed Luverne a five-run setback during an elimination game played Saturday.Luverne ends the year with a 5-12 record.LC 5, Luverne 0The short-handed Cardinals completed their year by dropping a five-run game to Lake Crystal Saturday in New Ulm.With eight players on the field, the odds were stacked against Luverne before the game started.LC took advantage of the situation by scoring four runs in the bottom half of the third inning and plating a single run in the fifth to win by five.Luverne was limited to three hits in the game. Seth Goembel and Caleb Bruynes singled in the fifth inning, and Goembel doubled in the seventh.Bruynes tossed all six innings and was saddled with the loss.Box score AB R H BIBoomgaarden 3 0 0 0Clark 2 0 0 0Boelman 3 0 0 0Reisch 3 0 0 0DeBoer 3 0 0 0Goembel 3 0 2 0Bruynes 3 1 0 0Richters 3 0 0 0BE 6, Luverne 5The Cardinals let a 5-0 lead slip away during the tournament opener against Blue Earth on Friday.Luverne scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning and one in the third to lead early.BE, however, trimmed the difference to two runs (5-3) before scoring three times with two outs in the seventh inning to prevail by one.Marc Boelman doubled home a run during Luverne’s four-run first inning, which also featured two runs scoring on a three-base error by BE’s right fielder. Andrew DeBoer, who gained third base on the error, scored on a passed ball.Boelman singled and scored on a passed ball to make it a 5-0 game in the third.DeBoer blanked BE through the first three innings of the game before surrendering six runs in the next three and two-thirds innings to take the loss. Chris Fitzer relieved DeBoer in the seventh and recorded the final out.Box score AB R H BIBoomgaarden 3 1 0 0Clark 4 1 1 0Boelman 4 2 2 1Reisch 3 0 0 0Fitzer 3 0 0 0DeBoer 3 1 0 0Goembel 3 0 0 0Bruynes 3 0 0 0Richters 2 0 0 0Elbers 1 0 0 0

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne VFW baseball team completed an undefeated run through the Third District Southern Division Playoffs by posting 10-run wins over Worthington and Adrian Thursday and Saturday respectively.Luverne defeated Worthington at Redbird Field Thursday before winning the championship against Adrian in Pipestone on Saturday.The 21-9 Cardinals advance to the Third District Tournament in Marshall this weekend. Luverne plays Marshall Blue at 1 p.m. Saturday to open the event.Luverne 10, Adrian 0The Cardinals won their third-straight tournament game by the 10-run rule when they toppled Adrian during Saturday’s title tilt in Pipestone.Zach Olson threw five innings of shutout ball and was one of six Cardinals to drive in at least one run in the contest.Olson fanned eight batters, yielded three hits, walked one batter and hit one batter during the game.Luverne supported the pitcher by scoring two runs in the first and fourth innings, and three in the second and third frames.Phil Paquette walked and Brent Dinger singled in the bottom of the first. Both runners scored on an error.Paquette tripled home a run and scored on a wild pitch during a second-inning rally that also featured Chris Den Hoed laying down a squeeze bunt.Tanner Skattum singled home a run and Derek Van Santen and Zach Clark received RBIs for groundouts in the third.Olson tripled home a run and Skattum slapped a run-scoring single to give the Cards a 10-run lead in the fourth.Box score AB R H BIHoff 3 0 0 0Den Hoed 2 0 0 1Paquette 2 2 1 1Dinger 3 2 2 0Olson 2 2 2 1Skattum 3 1 2 2Ossefoort 2 1 1 0D.Van Santen 3 1 1 1Clark 2 1 1 1Luverne 10, Worthington 0The Cardinals disposed of Worthington in five innings during Thursday’s game at Redbird Field.Dinger tossed one-hit ball for five innings and Jeremy Hoff and Clark drove in three runs each to lead Luverne to victory in the second-round contest.Dinger, who fanned nine batters, dominated the Worthington lineup. He did load the bases with walks in the third inning, but escaped the jam without surrendering a run.After taking a 1-0 lead with an RBI single from Skattum in the bottom of the second, Luverne put the game away by scoring nine runs in the fourth and fifth innings.Hoff tripled home three runs and Clark singled home another during a four-run fourth inning.Clark chased home a pair of runs with a single, Skattum slapped an RBI double and Van Santen and Den Hoed contributed RBI singles to a five-run rally in the fifth that ended the game by the 10-run rule.Box score AB R H BIHoff 3 0 2 3Den Hoed 3 0 1 1Paquette 3 0 0 0Dinger 3 0 0 0Olson 3 2 1 0Skattum 3 2 3 2Ossefoort 3 2 2 0Graphenteen 1 0 0 0D.Van Santen 1 2 1 1Clark 2 2 2 3

Rock County Golf Scrambler for kidsThe 9th annual Rock County Golf Scramble and Dinner has been set for Aug. 7.The organizers are looking for individuals and teams to participate.Participants will have the option of golf only, dinner only or both.Registration for the golf scramble will begin at 4:30 p.m. with a shotgun start at 5:30 p.m.The social hour will begin at 7 p.m. followed by dinner and an awards presentation.The event, held at the Luverne Country Club, helps raise money for the Rock County Collaborative programs which serve Rock County children and their families.For more information, contact the Extension office at 283-1302.Minnesotans seem to think we are on track"What do you think is the single most important problem facing the state of Minnesota today?"According to the Star Tribune’s Minnesota Poll, most voters feel the state is on the right track, 54 percent this year, compared with 50 percent last year.Since the last Minnesota poll, fewer people are concerned about the economy, with more worrying about education and taxes.The poll also indicated an increase in people who will be voting for someone based on their position on a single issue, with abortion being the most prevalent. Most political analysts agree anti-abortion advocates are the vast majority of the group.Of Minnesotans polled, 45 percent considered themselves single-issue voters.Top single-issue subjects of concern among voters include:
abortion, 27 percent
education, 13 percent
gay rights/marriage 12 percent
Iraq war, 8 percent
immigration, 7 percent
taxes, 6 percentThe paper also cited new areas of concern, which didn’t show up on the poll in recent years. Of some concern this time around are gas prices, immigration, and roads.Of voters who cited multiple concerns, the only two issues in double digits were education at 22 percent and taxes at 15 percent.In 1988 and 1990, only 3 and 5 percent respectively listed education as an important problem facing Minnesota.Taxes, as you might expect, has always been a double-digit issue in Minnesota.In 1984, the first year poll results were listed, 24 percent of voters named taxes as an important political issue.The issue of taxes was at its lowest at 10 percent in 2000.Goodwill suspends collection routesThe high price of gas has taken one more toll.Goodwill Industries of Sioux City has suspended their Ambassador routes for the remainder of 2006.According to a recent press release, the decision was made due to escalating fuel and transportation costs.The agency plans to use the remainder of the year to reevaluate the transportation priorities.If gas prices should return to former levels, service could be reinstated.……………According to Jupiter Research, almost half of 13- to 16-year-olds have cell phones.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

Whose church?"Pastor, is there anything going on in your church Tuesday night?" I recognized the voice of the caller immediately. John was the president of the Luther League, the youth group of the congregation where I was serving back in the mid ’70s. Though I understood his question, it needed to be modified, so my response was, "Whose church?" "Is there anything going on in your church Tuesday night?" He repeated. "Whose church?" I also repeated. Then he understood and gave a chuckle, "In our church?" "That’s much better," I said, "and the answer is ‘No.’" So he set up a time for a youth activity on that Tuesday night.One of my pet peeves as a pastor is church members speaking in a language of detachment from their congregations. It gives an impression that the church is the pastor’s possession, or it belongs to them instead of us. Of course, John was speaking of the church building when he wanted to know whether or not there was anything else happening that Tuesday night. The New Testament speaks of the church as a people called out from the world to be joined together into Christ. The New Testament uses all kinds of imagery to describe the church: Christ as the vine and we the branches (John 15); the building of God with Christ as the cornerstone and we built together as living stones (1 Peter 2); the Body with Christ being the head and we his members (1 Corinthians 12). These pictures demonstrate a connection of Christ to his people. The church does not belong to us, but we belong to the church with Christ as the owner. So, when you speak of your church, whether you mean the congregation or the place of gathering, I hope you do so with a sense of attachment. Use words such as we, us or ours instead of you, they, or theirs. Church members can say ours whether speaking of the congregation, the church building, their denomination, or the church as a whole. The ours is not because we possess the church, but because we belong to it. The one who can rightly speak in a possessive manner about the church is Christ. Yes, it is Christ’s church, not yours or mine. But as Christians it is our church because we belong to Him who is Lord.

Now that you have those spireas trimmed, you can keep your shears in hand to clean up your daylilies. The dwarf varieties like Happy Returns or Stella D’Oro have pretty much finished blooming for the first time around. They are called repeat bloomers because they will come back into bloom in just a couple of weeks. To encourage that rebloom and to keep them looking clean and fresh, you want to cut out those stems that have finished blooming. Many of the stems will have seedpods on them and you can tell the difference between the pods and buds. The pods are blunt ended and the buds are long and pointed. Remove the stalks of finished blooms as far down as you can, and when you have finished, the plants will look like they did in the spring … we’d all like to look like we did in the spring, wouldn’t we!This is also the time to give your roses a last round of fertilizer for the season. Feeding them after the first part of August encourages new growth that will not have time to mature or harden before frost, and this growth will die back in the winter. Also, be sure to be on the watch for holes in the leaves indicating another hatch of those worms we dealt with in late June. This is about the time we see another round of them, and their feeding does even more damage to the plant now than the first hatch.If you have cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts, the cabbage loopers (again a green worm) are trying to eat the plant so you don’t have to! Broccoli that has been harvested earlier and kept reasonably safe from the worms will make a great fall crop. Often during the summer, small heads form and turn into yellow flowers almost overnight. If you aren’t keeping up harvesting those small heads, keep cutting them off, and as the weather cools in the fall, you will be rewarded for your efforts with a crop of the best broccoli of the season.The worms are easy to control with either a dust or a spray. We carry Dipel Dust, which is a biological insecticide … it is toxic to the worms, but not as toxic to humans. Using a dust or a spray isn’t my issue … getting the application made is. If the leaves are stripped from the plant before you counter the attack, the plant will not have the strength to make that great crop I was talking about earlier. If you have ever-bearing strawberries, now is when you want to start a faithful watering schedule to insure a good fall crop of berries. My new patch is producing great berries right now, and I give them about an inch of water per week, and they are rewarding me for my efforts. Fall-producing raspberries likewise should be kept watered now. The plants are in bloom and watering them now will insure a quality crop of berries later in August.

This appeared in the Rock County Herald on July 13, 1898:THE VILLAGE COUNCILA regular meeting of the village council was held in the council room Tuesday evening, July 5, 1898.Members Present — John Kelley, president; S.L. Chapin, J.P. Houg, trustees; E.C. Schwartz, recorder. Minutes of previous meeting read and approved. The following bills were examined and on motion allowed and ordered paid:
Geo DeLate, salary as engineer for June $ 65.00
Jas Hughes, salary as electrician for June 50.00
Chas Brockway, salary as assistant for June 40.00
NF Bates, salary as marshal for June 40.00
HH Strever, salary as watchman for June 40.00
EC Schwartz, fees as recorder and 3 days Board of Review 33.37
John Kelley, 3 days Board of Review and cash advanced street account 9.50
SL Chapin, 2 days Board of Review 6.00
LJ Okra, assessing p.p. and R. estate tax 1898, claimed $225.00, allowed 200.00
WH Maxwell, labor on streets 52.00
HM Johnson, excavating water connection 18.05
John Kloker, excavating water mains 5.25
Clyde Chapin, labor on water mains 2.62
Philbrick Bros. Labor painting standpipe 14.00
L R Priag, freight and drayage 3.92
Jas Larkin drayage and unloading coal 6.00
Leicher Bros. Lumber and bolts power house 6.25
Cunningham & Co, lantern .40
Mead & Millhouse, supplies power house 12.87
EA Brown, coal 100.89
JC Johnston & Co, lumber 8.07
WI Teetor, brooms power house 1.75
SR Sykes, supplies power house 1.80
The Addyston Pipe and Steel Co, pipe for water mains 155.94
The Ferguson Supply Co. supplies power house 9.10
SL Chapin, salary as chief of fire department to July 1 6.25Total $935.03Council adjourned.E. C. Schwartz;RecorderNote: Now our city bills for one month run a little more than $1 million dollars. What a change!Donations to the Rock County Historical Endowment Fund can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, P.O. Box 741, Luverne, MN 56156.Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.