The top story this week was Mother’s Day. Steen was a buzz all weekend long with strange cars coming in and out of town visiting relatives and mothers. Many Steen residents entertained guests on Sunday for dinner or left town to visit their mothers.Mildred Keunen and Jo and Joyce Aykens traveled to Orange City on Sunday afternoon for lunch with Paul and Carole Aykens, Vince and Laurie and little McKenzie Kurtz and Susan and Jaden Veldkamp. They not only celebrated Mother’s Day but they celebrated Paul’s birthday with chocolate cake and ice cream. They all had a great time.Joan Hoogeveen had dinner guests on Sunday. Daughter Janice and husband Jerry Peters of Chandler and Rick and Audrey De Boer and daughter Dana from Tea, S.D., were all honored guests as they celebrated Mother’s Day.Across the street Henrietta Huenink had several guests over as well for Mother’s Day. Alvin and Donna Bodewitz of Sioux Falls had supper with mom on Saturday evening. On Sunday Norma and Wayne Van Whye of Lester Iowa, Pete and Judy Boeve of Sioux Falls, John and Glenda Madsen of Fairmont, Kenny and Glenda Bodewitz of Valley Springs and Jo Nuffer of Hills all attended a late afternoon lunch with Henrietta and had a great time together.Mark and Lisa Paulsen and sons, Bryce and Bryant of Marshal, and Glen and Marla Paulsen and children Grant and Megan of Sioux Falls joined Melvin and JoAnn Paulsen at the Royal Fork in Sioux Falls on Saturday for an early Mother’s Day dinner.On Mother’s Day Melvin and Jo Ann had dinner with Melvin’s mother, Laura Paulsen, at the Tuff Home. In the afternoon they attended the Singing Boys Choir at the First Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls. Jacob Bos, son of Ron and Noreen Bos, sings in that choir.Roger Bosch of Belleview, Neb., came up earlier in the week to celebrate Mother’s Day with his parents, Bill and Bertha Bosch. They had lunch together on Thursday and had a wonderful time.To kick off the Mother’s Day festivities, the Steen Reformed Girls League hosted its mother-daughter banquet. More than 160 women were in attendance. They had a wonderful meal and great entertainment, all provided by the Girls League. Dolly Van Der Weed and Denise Dudley are this year’s sponsors of the Girls League, and they did an exceptional job planning this event.On Thursday morning Mildred Keunen invited Brian Dengler over for a light brunch, which was wonderful, and they had a great time reminiscing.In Hospital News:Anna Mea Berghorst was released from the hospital late last week after undergoing surgery once again to fix her pacemaker. She is glad to be home and is doing much better.Don Schouwenburg underwent gallbladder surgery on Sunday morning. He will be there for a few more days.Dorothy Van Der Weerd underwent knee replacement surgery last Wednesday afternoon and is home and doing pretty well. In Community News:A new Summer REC program will begin in Steen starting on Wednesday, June 7, at 7 p.m. at the ball diamond. Grades 1 and up are encouraged to come on out and enjoy some fun and games. We will meet every Wednesday night during the summer. In the case of rain, we will meet at the church. If you wish to donate any sporting equipment or funding to this new program, please contact Brian Dengler at 855-2336 ext. 12.This Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. both Hills-Beaver Creek and Luverne Community schools will hold their baccalaureate services. All are encouraged to attend.In Church News:This Sunday the Steen Reformed Church will be honoring their seniors in their morning service. Also on Friday and Saturday Steen Reformed seniors will be going on a Senior Get-Away to the Twin Cities where they will relax and enjoy a weekend of fun and laughter.In closing this week, I am reminded of how many blessings God has poured into my life. So many of life’s little blessings each day go unnoticed and slip away, while we continue to grumble and fuss, ignoring the God who gave them to us. How much happier our lives would be, if instead of complaining, we would stop to see the numerous blessings He gives us each day, which lighten our burdens and brighten our way! Have a great week and a great day.If you have anything that you would like to have placed in the Steen News, contact Brian Dengler @ 855-2232 or by e-mail @ knowgrowshow@hotmail.com.

For Brian As You Graduate Our son, Brian, graduated last week from Southeast Tech as an automotive technician. We are so proud of him and his accomplishments that Doug and I haven’t a button left on any of our shirts for the popping thereof.Brian and his twin brother, Blake, attended Hills-Beaver Creek High for their last two years of high school and graduated in 2004. Blake will be a junior at USD this fall.The high school years are very important in ateen’s life. It was the boys’ choice to transfer from Sioux Falls when we bought the farm. They went from being numbers in a city to faces with names in a town. We are extremely pleased at how the boys were received at HBC and how they grew in their years there.I could go on for pages about our children but this column is for Brian and for every other person taking a step to another level of life.Today, Brian and others, I would like to share with you some things that I know now but wish I had known sooner. Maybe somebody told me all this and I just did not pay attention at the time, but there is a chance that I might have. So I take this opportunity to pass along the chance in seven mini-sermons.1. Responsibility and authority are not the same things. Authority usually refers to your power over people. Those who crave authority usually lose it and it is ugly. Responsibility refers to your pledge to people.Most people hunger after authority and avoid responsibility. I have learned first hand that you can lose total respect for a person who does not take his responsibilities seriously. You have a great sense of accountability and I applaud it. I admire it in you. Don’t ever lose it.2. There are only two things in life that are free. When you place money into a savings account, you earn interest. Then that interest earns interest, or "compounds", which makes your money grow just that much faster. Compounding interest is something for nothing. The populace that are in search of the proverbial ‘free lunch’ should save the price of a large fry every week, put it in an interest bearing account, let it compound and then they could have their something for nothing. Save early and save often. Putting away for the future is not that hard if you make it a priority and a habit. It’s a no-brainer.There is nothing else on this earth that is free except your mother’s love.3. Don’t smoke. I could have paid for your entire education with what I spent on cigarettes. The dangers of second-hand smoke were not talked about in the mid 80’s. I live with that guilt every day that I may have stupidly planted the tiniest of cancer seed somewhere. You know, I cannot recall if anyone ever told me not to start or to quit smoking. So I’m telling you. 4. Integrity always matters. It matters to God and it should matter to you. Do what you promise you will do. It is as simple as that. It is telling the truth and doing the truth. It is doing something right even if no one would know if you did it wrong. It is accepting the blame if you make a mistake. It is making amends.5. Until you know how to handle a small amount of cash well, lots of money will only create bigger problems. More money will not fix everything. Remember to never keep it all (give some away) and never spend it all (save some for the future). Then you will never be broke.6. A sense of humor is a valuable asset. You can’t list it on a job application or use it as collateral on a loan but it will take you farther than you can ever imagine. Laugh at yourself like I do and you will never run out of material.Some people have trouble seeing the humor in their life situations. Never laugh at someone else’s mistakes unless they are laughing first. Humor sensitivity is an art. 7. Hand out lots of "atta boys." You would be surprised at how a small effort can really hearten another person. It shows that you have care and concern for them. A little encouragement goes a long way. It can be something that is hard to give away but it will always come back to bless you. Remember that false praise is just that: false. See number 4. Iris Murdoch, prolific British novelist, quips, "We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion. The great task in life is to find reality." You are smart and good, I’m so proud to say. Laugh out loud along your chosen way. Target purpose, set a goal and don’t tempt fate. I will always be here to help you close the gate.Love, MomStory ideas or comments can be e-mailed to Nancy at Nancy861@msn.com or

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne baseball team snapped a six-game losing streak during a Southwest Conference double-header in Jackson Thursday.After dropping a one-run decision in the opener, Luverne edged Jackson County Central by one run in Game 2.The split left LHS with a 2-5 conference record.JCC 3, Luverne 2The Cardinals put up a good fight before falling by one run during the first game of Thursday’s road set.Luverne led 1-0 when Micah Boomgaarden reached base after being hit by a pitch before scoring on an error by JCC’s shortstop in the top of the first.JCC, however, scored three runs in the second and third innings to move in front 3-1 before the Cards capped the scoring in the top of the fourth.Craig Oeding singled and scored Luverne’s final run when Tyler Reisch was hit by a pitch with the bases full.Marc Boelman pitched the first four and two-thirds innings and took the loss for LHS. He fanned eight batters and allowed seven hits and three runs. Nate Boler recorded the final out of the fifth inning, and Caleb Bruynes struck out three batters when he hurled a scoreless sixth frame.Box score AB R H BIClark 4 0 0 0Boomgaarden 0 1 0 0Boelman 3 0 0 0Petersen 2 0 0 0Johnson 0 0 0 0Reisch 3 0 2 1Fitzer 2 0 0 0Nath 3 0 1 0Lundgren 2 0 0 0Elbers 2 0 0 0Oeding 4 0 2 0Luverne 6, JCC 5The Cards earned their first win since April 11 when they nipped JCC by one run in Game 2.Reisch drove in three runs at the plate and Andrew DeBoer and Jake Clark combined efforts on the mound to beat the Huskies.After JCC plated one run in the top of the first, LHS countered to tie the game when Boomgaarden and Boelman slapped singles to ignite a rally in the bottom of the first. When the Cards tried a double-steal, a wild throw to third base allowed Boomgaarden to score.JCC regained the lead at 2-1 before Luverne moved in front to stay with a three-run third inning.Boelman singled home one run and Reisch picked up two RBIs with a single that gave LHS a 4-2 lead.A sacrifice fly by Reisch increased Luverne’s lead to three runs (5-2) in the bottom of the fifth, but JCC drew within one run (5-4) by scoring twice in the top of the sixth.Ben Nath was hit by a pitch and scored on an error in the bottom of the sixth to give the Cards a 6-4 advantage. JCC scored once in the top of the seventh before the final out of the game was registered.DeBoer tossed five innings of four-run (three were earned) ball to notch the win. He recorded six strikeouts. Clark pitched two innings of one-run relief to garnish a save.Box score AB R H BIClark 4 1 1 0Boomgaarden 3 3 3 0Boelman 4 1 3 1Petersen 1 0 0 0Goembel 1 0 0 0Reisch 2 0 1 3Fitzer 3 0 1 0Nath 1 1 0 0Johnson 2 0 0 0Oeding 3 0 0 0

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne tennis team reeled off four straight victories to up its season record to 8-5.The Cardinals secured a three-point win in Brandon, S.D., Wednesday, May 3.Luverne nipped Pipestone by one point in Pipestone Thursday, then the Cards defeated the Arrows and Yellow Medicine East to win the YME Tournament in Granite Falls Saturday.The Cardinals play in Fairmont today before traveling to Sherburn to challenge Martin County West Monday.YME tourneyThe Cardinals pulled out a tight match and turned in one dominating performance to win the team title of the YME Tournament in Granite Falls Saturday.Luverne edged Pipestone 4-3 in the opener before coasting to a 7-0 victory over YME in the finale.Two singles players and two doubles teams went undefeated during the tournament for LHS.David Nelson notched 6-3 and 6-1 wins over Pipestone’s Jamie Gustafson before saddling YME’s Eric Dubbelde with a pair of 6-0 setbacks at No. 1 singles.Derek Boeve secured 6-3 and 7-5 wins over Pipestone’s David Janssen before handing YME’s James Kostenson a pair of 6-0 losses at second singles.Nick Heronimus and Weston Sawtelle went 2-0 at No. 1 doubles, and Jamie Vickery and Austin Lee prevailed twice at No. 3.Heronimus and Sawtelle downed Pipestone’s Mike Steffon and Greg Mitchell (6-2, 6-0) and YME’s Justin Thomas and Clarke Christian (7-5, 6-4). Vickery and Lee topped Pipestone’s Dave Delaney and Chad Vander Poel (6-4, 1-6, 6-3) and YME’s Aaron Lynner and Barry Jacobson (3-6, 6-1, 6-4).Zach Sanderson and Matt Kreuch went 1-1 at No. 3 and No. 4 singles respectively. Erik Stegemann and Jeremy Hoff went 1-1 at No. 2 doubles.Luverne 4, Pipestone 3The Cardinals pulled out a one-point win during a non-conference match played in Pipestone Thursday.The teams split four singles matches, but LHS went 2-1 in doubles to win the overall battle.Heronimus and Sawtelle saddled Mike Steffen and Greg Mitchell with a pair of 6-2 setbacks at first doubles. Stegemann and Hoff won 6-2 and 6-4 against Bryce DeWilde and Matt Kondrot at No. 2 doubles.Pipestone’s Dave Delaney and Chad Vanderpoel edged Grant Oldre and Vickery by 6-4 and 7-5 tallies at third doubles.Luverne’s singles wins came from Nelson and Boeve at No. 1 and No. 2. Nelson handed Jamie Gustafson a pair of 6-2 losses. Boeve bested David Janssen 7-6 (8-6 in the tie-breaker), 3-6, 6-3.Pipestone’s Erik Henriksen edged Sanderson 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 at third singles. Arrow Paul Prunty defeated Kreuch 6-2, 7-6 (7-2 in the tie-breaker) in the fourth slot.Luverne 6, BV 3Solid play in singles carried the Cards to a three-point win over the Lynx Wednesday, May 3, in Brandon.Luverne won five of six singles matches to secure a win in a match that was rained out April 24.Boeve (10-7 over Matt Hubbell at No. 2), Heronimus (10-4 over Ina Blue at No. 3), Sanderson (10-7 over Logan Soper at No. 4), Sawtelle (10-3 over Andrew Peschang at No. 5) and Kreuch (10-8 over Dan Bohle at No. 6) posted singles wins for LHS.BV’s Bryan Wehrkamp bested Nelson 10-6 at first singles.Heronimus and Sawtelle topped Blue and Justin Vermeer 10-3 at second doubles.BV’s Wehrkamp and Hubbell handed Nelson and Boeve a 10-6 setback at first doubles. Bohle and Soper edged Stegemann and Hoff 10-8 in the third slot.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne baseball team split two games early this week.After falling by one run in Fairmont Monday, the Cardinals defeated Windom by four runs in Luverne Tuesday.The 3-8 Cards play in Pipestone today and compete at the Lac qui Parle Valley Tournament in Madison Saturday before hosting Murray County Central Monday.Luverne 6, Windom 2The Cardinals notched their third Southwest Conference win of the season when they clipped the Eagles by four runs Tuesday in Luverne.Andrew DeBoer tossed a complete game to pick up the win. DeBoer fanned nine batters and surrendered five hits, two walks and two runs (one was earned) during his seven-inning stint on the mound.DeBoer blanked Windom through the first five innings, allowing his teammates to build a 5-0 lead.Marc Boelman singled home runs in the first and third innings, and Chris Fitzer added a two-run double in the third to make it a 4-0 game.Boelman reached base on a fielder’s choice and scored when Ben Nath singled in the fifth to give the hosts a five-run lead.Windom plated single runs in the sixth and seventh innings.Luverne’s final run came in the bottom of the sixth, when Micah Boomgaarden came through with a sacrifice fly.Box score AB R H BIClark 3 1 1 0Boomgaarden 1 1 0 1Fitzer 4 1 2 2Boelman 3 1 2 2Reisch 3 0 0 0Nath 3 0 2 1DeBoer 3 0 0 0Lundgren 2 0 1 0Elbers 2 2 1 0Fairmont 2, Luverne 1The Cardinals came up on the short end of a one-run decision when they traveled to Fairmont for a non-conference tilt Monday.The teams battled to a scoreless draw through five innings before LHS broke through in the top of the sixth. Jake Clark singled and scored on a fielder’s choice to give LHS a lead.Fairmont countered with a two-run rally in the bottom of the sixth before blanking LHS in the seventh to win by one.Ben Nath tossed three and two-thirds innings of shutout ball before giving way to Chris Fitzer, who was charged with the loss after yielding two runs in two innings. Nathan Boler recorded the final out of the sixth inning for LHS.Box score AB R H BIClark 3 1 1 0Boomgaarden 2 0 0 0Boelman 3 0 0 0Reisch 3 0 1 1Fitzer 1 0 0 0Nath 3 0 0 0DeBoer 3 0 0 0Lundgren 3 0 0 0Oeding 0 0 0 0

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne girls’ golf team put together its most impressive stretch of the season by posting nine wins during four events.The Cardinals topped Pipestone and Jackson County Central during matches played at the Luverne Country Club Thursday and Tuesday respectively. Luverne won a triangular meet in Tracy Friday, and placed second in a seven-team field at the Worthington Invitational Saturday.Luverne, 13-3 overall, plays at the Fairmont Invitational Saturday before hosting Adrian Tuesday.Luverne 181, JCC 213The Cards completed a 4-2 conference season by besting the Huskies by 32 strokes at the LCC Tuesday.Alyssa Klein led the Cards to victory by shooting a six-over-par 42 to lock up medalist honors.Nikki Van Dyk, Brittany Boeve and Em Juhl contributed 43-, 47- and 49-stroke rounds to the winning effort, while Krista Van Dyk and Kaia Nowatzki shot 51- and 65-stroke rounds without padding the scoring.Michelle Edlin paced JCC with a 43.WHS inviteThe Cardinals experienced team and individual success during Saturday’s tournament at the Worthington Country Club.LHS placed second as a team and three girls placed in the Top-10 finishers individually.Marshall emerged as the champion of the seven-team event with 359 strokes, while Luverne placed second with 376.Individually, both Luverne’s Boeve and Marshall’s Abbie Lecy shot 87s to lead the field. Boeve prevailed in a tie-breaker to win the individual crown.Klein and Nikki Van Dyk placed third and ninth individually with respective 88- and 99-stroke efforts.Juhl, Krista Van Dyk and Nowatzki carded 102-, 104- and 113-stroke rounds for LHS.T-M-B triangularThe Cardinals won the team championship during Friday’s triangular in Tracy.LHS compiled a 179-stroke total to best Murray County Central (204) and Tracy-Milroy-Balaton (238) in team competition.Nikki Van Dyk fired a 42 to lead the Cardinals.Boeve, Klein and Juhl added 44-, 46- and 47-stroke efforts to the winning team tally.Krista Van Dyk and Nowatzki shot 57- and 61-stroke rounds without influencing the scoring.Luverne 181, Pipestone 233The Cardinals posted an easy win when they played the Arrows in a non-conference match at the LCC Thursday.With Boeve shooting a four-over-par 40 to lead the way, LHS coasted to a 52-stroke victory.Klein, Nikki Van Dyk and Nowatzki added 44-, 47- and 50-stroke efforts to Luverne’s team tally.Juhl and Krista Van Dyk carded 53- and 58-stroke scores without contributing to the scoring.Katherne Newhouse led Pipestone with a 56.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne boys successfully defended their 2005 title at the Section 3A True Team Track and Field Championships staged in Slayton Monday.Luverne, which advanced to the state meet in true team competition for the first time last season, will make a repeat appearance after running away with the section title.The Cardinals won the nine-team meet with 505 points, easily outscoring second-place Murray County Central (421) by 83 points.Luverne will compete at the state meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 20, in Stillwater.The LHS girls placed second (586.5-532) to two-time defending true team state champion Cedar Mountain-Comfrey-Springfield at the section meet. The LHS girls will find out if they will advance to the state meet as an at-large qualifier on Saturday.Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth-Edgerton also participated at the true team meet. The boys placed third with 410.5 points. The girls placed sixth with 368.5 points.Strong individual performances carried the Cardinal boys to their second straight section title. LHS athletes won 10 individual titles and placed second in a pair of individual events during the meet."True to their success all season, the boys put it all together to have a successful meet," said Cardinal coach Craig Nelson."It makes a big difference when you have two guys place in the top four in events at this meet. That’s what we did."Mike Kunstle led the charge for LHS by winning four meet titles. He prevailed in the 100-meter dash (11.65), 200-meter dash (11.65), long jump (20-7 1/2) and triple jump (40-8 1/2).Chris Ashby and Thomas Christiansen won two events. Ashby won the 110- and 300-meter hurdles with respective 15.71 and 40.83 times. Christiansen won the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs in 4:45.65 and 10:31.89.Tom Ward won the 800-meter run in 2:09.74 for LHS. Jake Hendricks, who placed second in the 200 with a time of 23.46, won the 400 in 51.19.Tim Miller placed second behind Ward in the 800 with his 2:11.22 effort.Luverne’s 400- and 800-meter relays finished second with 46.65 and 1:36.39 times.C.J. Xaisongkham, Erick Phommaracksa, Ashby and Jordan Siebenahler ran the 400. Mark Van Aartsen, Siebenahler, Ryan Jacobsma and Ward teamed up in the 800.The LHS girls won two events and placed second in three events.Lexi Heitkamp, who cleared 5-0 to finish second in the high jump, won the 800 in 2:25.65.The 400-meter relay consisting of Morgan Bosshart, Alyssa Stegenga, Stephanie Hendricks and Erin Hoiland turned in the winning time of 53.37.Victoria Arends placed second in the 300-meter hurdles in 49.12, and the 800-meter relay team of Bosshart, Brittany Mulder, Hendricks and Hoiland placed second in 1:52.95.The H-BC-E-E boys won the 400- and 1,600-meter relays with respective 46.62 and 3:36.71 times during the meet.Pawel Matejski, Cody Rozeboom, Casey Van Midden Dorp and Aaron Vander Schaff ran the 400. Rozeboom, Cody Schilling, John Sandbulte and Kerry Fink teamed up in the 1,600.Fink placed second with a time of 51.96 in the 400.The Patriot girls left the meet as champions of the 1,600-meter relay. Amanda Connors, Ashley Bucher, Amanda Tilstra and Mya Mann ran the distance in 4:20.4.Here is a look at the team standings and the rest of individual results turned in by LHS and H-BC-E-E athletes.Boys’ standings: Luverne 505, MCC 421, H-BC-E-E 410.5, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 360, Jackson County Central 345, CM-C-S 278, Southwest United 264, Wabasso 157.5, Lincoln HI-Lake Benton 120.Girls’ standings: CM-C-S 586.5, Luverne 532, SWU 477, Windom 456, JCC 389, H-BC-E-E 368.5, W-WG-RRC 345, T-M-B 345, MCC 337, Wabasso 271.5, LH-LB 155.5.Luverne boysThird place: Ben Uphoff, 300 hurdles, 17.19; Craig Rogers, shot, 41-8; Rogers, discus, 108-9; 1,600 relay (Uphoff, Xaisongkham, Christiansen and Hendricks), 3:38.9.Fourth place: Siebenahler, 100, 11.99; Uphoff, 300 hurdles, 42.44; Devin Nelson, pole vault, 8-6; Hendricks, long jump, 19-3.Fifth place: Steve Schneiderman, 3,200, 11:03.44; Ward, high jump, 5-6; Aaron Altman, discus, 105-0.Sixth place: Ward, 1,600, 5:11.2; Schneiderman, pole vault, 8-0; 3,200 relay (Miller, Schneiderman, Jacobsma and Xaisongkham), 9:16.34.Ninth place: Jacobsma, 400, 56.97.10th place: Miller, high jump, 5-2; Sam Dooyema, shot, 37-7 1/2.12th place: Miller, triple jump, 35-8 1/2.Luverne girlsThird place: Heitkamp, 1,600, 5:30.81; Abby Elbers, triple jump, 32-10; 3,200 relay (Katlyn Sawtelle, Kelsey Dooyema, Kayla Raddle and Tara Muck), 10:23.63.Fifth place: Elbers, long jump, 15-2 1/2.Sixth place: Sawtelle, 400, 1:03.72; Arends, 100 hurdles, 17.82; Sawtelle, pole vault, 7-6; Natalie Willers, discus, 98-7; Willers, shot, 31-4; 1,600 relay (Arends, Britton Dyer, Elbers and Heitkamp), 4:29.02.Seventh place: Hendricks, 200, 28.75; Hoiland, long jump, 14-11 3/4.Eighth place: Stegenga, 100, 14.03; Debbie Schneiderman, 3,200, 13:23.15; Rachel Nath, 300 hurdles, 54.13; Katie Schneiderman, pole vault, 7-6.Ninth place: Stegenga, triple jump, 30-3 1/4; Ariella Bucher, discus, 89-0; K.Schneiderman, 3,200, 13.34.27.11th place: Sawtelle, 800, 2:42.1; Amanda Kannas, 1,600, 6:06.38; Raddle, high jump, 4-4.12th place: Dyer, 400, 1:06.78.13th place: Hoiland, 100, 14.26; Bucher, shot, 28-9.14th place: Mulder, 200, 29.21.15th place: Nath, 100 hurdles, 19.02.H-BC-E boysThird place: Van Midden Dorp, long jump, 19-6; Tyler Paulsen, 1,600, 4:54.62; Halden Van Wyhe, 3,200, 11:01.5; 3,200 relay (Sandbulte, Brent Kramer, Van Wyhe and Adam Finke), 8:57.4.Fourth place: Roger DeBoer, 110 hurdles, 18.6; Paulsen, 800, 2:11.55; Fink, 200,23.68.Fifth place: Pete Luchtenburg, pole vault, 8-6; Vander Schaff, 100, 12.02; Matejski, 200, 24.99; 800 relay (Van Midden Dorp, Schilling, Rozeboom and Vander Schaff), 1:38.23.Sixth place: Sandbulte, 300 hurdles, 45.05; Dustin Verhey, 3,200, 11:04.2.Seventh place: Luchtenburg, 110 hurdles, 20.04; Kramer, 1,600, 5:12.37.Eighth place: Weston DeBerg, high jump, 5-4; Sandbulte, triple jump, 36-8.Ninth place: Aaron Esselink, shot, 38-3; Schilling, high jump, 5-2; Schilling, triple jump, 36-5; Matejski, 200, 24.99.10th place: Nathan Tinklenberg, pole vault, 7-6; Fink, long jump, 17-9.H-BC-E-E girlsThird place: Mann, 400, 1:01.75.Fourth place: Rosie Lewis, shot, 32-8; Tilstra, 800, 2:33.7; 800 relay (Santana Wysong, Connors, Jocelyn Bucher and Lewis), 1:56.79; 3,200 relay (Connors, A.Tilstra, Brooke Tilstra and J.Bucher), 10:44.7.Fifth place: Mann, 200, 28.4.Sixth place: Mann, long jump, 15-1; Heather Kerner, 800, 2:35.8; Rayna Sandoval, 3,200, 13:19.6; 400 relay (Wysong, Whitney Wilgenburg, Jayme Plimpton and Taylor Vaughn), 56.4.Eighth place: Brittany Helgeson, high jump, 4-4.10th place: Lewis, discus, 88-2; A.Bucher, long jump, 14-4.

By Lexi MooreResidents attending Hills-Beaver Creek events in the Hugo Geohle gymnasium will have a more comfortable place to sit next fall.The school district purchased a set of aluminum, self-contained bleachers at an auction in Huron on Friday.Huron College, which closed in December of 2005, sold most of the school’s inventory during a large auction.H-BC’s David Deragisch and Steve Wiertzema attended the auction with auctioneer Keith Elbers. On Thursday, during the auction’s preview, Deragisch measured and tested the bleachers.The specifications closely match the H-BC gym and should accommodate nearly as many people."They appear to be a perfect match – and the auction gave us a chance to get them at an incredible price."Because the bleachers are self-contained, nothing can fall between the rows and end up on the floor.On Friday, the group purchased one set of bleachers with a winning bid of $7,500.Huron College purchased and installed the bleachers in 1995. They are electronic and expand and retract with the push of a button.Deragisch reported to the School Board on Monday that the bleachers currently have two sets of steps. He has already contacted the company that manufactures the bleachers to see about adding a third row of stairs in the middle.The company said that could easily be done and was surprised by the price paid. The set would sell for over $50,000, if purchased new.The district hopes to install the bleachers during the summer months, giving cleaning crews a chance to thoroughly polish the floor underneath.In addition to the bleachers, the school purchased 60 shoulder pads to be used by the H-BC Patriot football team.The district has been short on pads in past years and this purchase should eliminate that problem.Pads cost roughly $125, if purchased new. The district paid $900 at the auction, making each set $15.New teachers hired
Mandy Kor, Hills, has been hired as a full-time English teacher at the H-BC High School for the 2006-07 school year.The board approved a $30,893 salary and may hire her as a head volleyball coach in the future.
Patti Nelson was hired to be the H-BC high school and junior high band instructor for the 2006-07 school year. Nelson has several years of experience.Her contract is for a 75-80 percent full-time teacher at a salary of $29,714. The position may become full-time after the first semester concludes.

By Lexi MooreActive real estate markets in the Hills area prompted a 12- to 16-percent increase in the value of residential homes as well as a 27-percent increase in farmland.Tom Houselog and Mark Hovland of the Rock County Assessor’s Office attended Tuesday’s council meeting to explain to the council and residents the reasons behind the increase in land values.Following an evaluation of residential sales from October 2004 to September 2005 the assessor’s office saw an increase in the value of all residential homes in Hills.Older, two-story homes saw the biggest residential increase in value, increasing by at least 15 percent.The large increase in farmland was a result of high sales in Martin Township. Properties in the township increased by 20 to 50 percent.Houselog explained, "All values are market driven – the markets in the area have really taken off."He pointed out that in the four previous years the area had not experienced much of an increase, if any.2005 Audit ReportThe City of Hills ended their fiscal year with a $497,734 balance in the general fund.Total expenditures and revenues increased when compared with the 2004 fiscal year.Although the city collected $266,324 in revenue, they incurred $324,427 in expenditures. The $48,524 in excess spending didn’t leave the city in debt, because the year started with a healthy fund balance.The largest fund increase was the Economic Development Authority, which increased by nearly $200,000, ending the year with a balance of $213,183. The increase was a result of the sale of the Economic Development Association’s apartments on Josephine Drive.Kenneth Chavarria purchased two of the units in October and Carol Vermeer purchased one in April of 2004.All utility funds experienced growth during the year. oWater took in an operating income of $6,148.oSewer ended the year with a $35,851 net income.oGarbage took in $42,315 in revenue and spent $39,532, resulting in an overall income of $2,783.Matt Taubert from Meulebroeck, Taubert & Co. presented the audit to the council and was pleased with the fiscal responsibility of the council."All of your funds had small increases, that means you are doing your job well."The only problems Taulbert reported in the audit dealt with the fire fund.Changes at the state level required that control of fire department financial books be in the hands of the city.Hills Fire Department complied with the new mandates by closing their accounts near the end of the year, but the finding still had to be sited in the audit.Another problem was sited regarding the purchase of the fire tanker. The state requires the city to ask for sealed bids on all purchases made over $50,000.The city did not ask for sealed bids when if purchased the truck with Martin Township. They gave the responsibility of finding a truck to the department, who solicited quotes from various dealers.ATV/golf cart resolutionThe council passed a resolution that would permit the use of golf carts, ATV’s and motorized vehicles to be used on city property.The resolution states that drivers would have to take the shortest possible route to get from place to place and abide by all laws regarding the use of recreational vehicles. In other city business:
Wayne Ward reported the city’s lagoons are taking in an extra 4,000 to 5,000 gallons per day. The council speculated that the problem could be caused by residents running sump pumps into city drains.The council plans to place an ad reminding residents that that process is not legal.
Projects at the American Legion building are still progressing despite a change with the painting contractor. Due to an injury the city has been forced to find a new painter to finish the job started by Connie Kole.In addition to painting, the city is seeking quotes to replace several doors in the building. They hope to make the door to the clubroom larger and replace the front doors. Repairs have already been made to the door leading into the township room.A cleaning crew from Service Master will clean carpet and tile in the building on May 22.
Problems with creeping Charlie and dandelions might become city business if residents do not take care of the problem themselves.The council, based on city code, may begin treating residents’ lawns and assessing the property owners for the cost if the problem persists.They plan to place an ad reminding residents of their lawn care responsibilities.