MINNESOTA SECRETARY OF STATECERTIFICATE OF ASSUMED NAMEMinnesota Statutes Chapter 333The filing of an assumed name does not provide a user with exclusive rights to that name. The filing is required for consumer protection in order to enable consumers to be able to identify the true owner of a business.1. State the exact assumed name under which the business is or will be conducted:A Cut Above2. State the address of the principal place of business. A complete street address or rural route and rural route box number is required; the address cannot be a P.O. Box.210 E Main Luverne MN 561563. List the name and complete street address of all persons conducting business under the above Assumed Name or if the business is a corporation provide the legal corporate name and registered office address of the corporation. Kristi Knutson 1897 101st St P.O. Box 99 Magnolia MN 56158 4. I certify that I am authorized to sign this certificate and I further certify that I understand that by signing this certificate, I am subject to the penalties of perjury as set forth in Minnesota Statutes section 609.48 as if I had signed this certificate under oath./s/ Kristi Knutson 4-11-06 Kristi Knutson owner Date Kristi Knutson 507-283-9346Contact Person Daytime Phone Number(4-13, 4-20)

The best thing about covering high school sports is that you know what you’re going to get in terms of effort from the athletes.Unlike many professionals, high school athletes lay it on the line for the love of the game."Playing with passion" are the words I would use to describe 2005 Hills-Beaver Creek High School graduate Cody Scholten on the Patriot football team a couple of years ago.Scholten was an intense competitor as a two-way starter on offense and defense, and he played the game with a lot of heart.He twice was selected to the All-Southwest Ridge Conference Football Team during his playing days at H-BC, and always seemed to be near the ball or making a tackle when playing as a linebacker on defense.Although he hasn’t played a high school football game in more than 17 months, Scholten’s passion for the sport hasn’t died.That’s why he subjected himself to the rigors of being a red-shirt freshman with the Dakota State University football program in Madison, S.D., last fall.And, when he decided to leave the school for the reason of changing majors, Scholten made sure he would be able to pad up and play football even though the new school he will attend next fall (Southeast Technical Institute in Sioux Falls) does not have a team.Instead of playing college ball, Scholten will be a member of the Dakota Lawdawgs, a Sioux Falls-based team that’s a member of the North American Football League."I’m really pumped up about this," Scholten said. "Now I can go to Southeast Tech and still play football."Scholten drew his lead to play football for the Lawdawgs at DSU last fall.One of the DSU linebackers played with the NAFL team the summer before, and he gave Dakota coach Jordan Taylor Scholten’s phone number when Taylor made it known the Lawdawgs would need more linebackers this season.After checking out a team practice in February, Scholten liked what he saw, and he’s been attending the team’s every other Saturday practice the last two months.Scholten said the practice schedule is about to become more demanding.Starting May 13, the team will practice every day in preparation for the June 3 season opener against the Kansas City Panthers at Howard Wood Field.Once the season begins, the team will practice Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until the campaign is over. The NAFL playoffs begin Sept. 23.The commitment to play with the Lawdawgs is a big one, but Scholten with his current job with Sioux Vocational Services in Sioux Falls.Even if there were conflicts between his work and play, I’m not so sure work would be on the winning side.Scholten once made the Top-30 Club out of more than 400 athletes who attended the Tice Brothers Football Camp (ran by former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Tice) in the summer of 2004. He said he’s is too passionate about his football to be distracted from it. "I just love to play football and I’m not ready to give it up yet," he said.

Today, I feel like spring is really putting the rush on us ... we wait so long for its arrival and then suddenly find ourselves trying to keep up. I have a few things on the "to do" list for you: Get spring pruning done soon! Cutting off the growth that has to be removed before it breaks bud puts the plant’s energy into producing the new growth we want to see. A specific tip on pruning clematis vines: If the variety is the purple Jackman, it can be cut down to the ground; however, the newer colors and varieties are only pruned back to where there is new growth showing. These newer varieties do not have the vigor of Jackman and seldom grow to more than six feet tall even after being established eight to 10 years. Cutting these varieties to the ground will not kill them, but you will be waiting that much longer to get any appreciable height to them. I am as passionate as anyone about that FIRST ripe tomato … I set up my "wall ‘o waters" last week. This circular device has vertical cells that you partially fill with water; the weight of the water closes the top so it looks like a teepee. During the day, the sun warms the water and heats the ground inside. The water retains the heat at night so you can plant frost sensitive plants like tomatoes about four weeks earlier. As the plants grow, the cells are filled to the top with water so the top opens up, allowing the plant to grow while still retaining the heat factor … believe me, it works! We have the "wall ‘o waters" available here at the greenhouse, and they can be reused year after year. If you have spots in your lawn that need to be repaired or areas to seed, get at that as soon as possible. Spring seeding always means competing with the weed seed, so you know what you’re up against. I’ve had calls about when to put down pre-emergent herbicide for control of crabgrass. That application needs to be done when the lilacs begin to bloom. If you apply it too early and we get a substantial rain, the product leeches below the surface and its effectiveness is really diminished. Put it on too late, and you have really missed the bus! I don’t have a hot line on the weather and have to guess just like the rest of you, but I have planted my spinach … next week, I’ll go for peas, radishes, and the cole crops like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and kohlrabi. If you are or are not a gardener, I sincerely hope you are enjoying the drama and beauty of spring. And just as spring brings new life to our world, Easter is the promise of new life for those who believe. Happy Easter!

The world’s finest hourNearly 2,000 years have passed since that first Easter. A few friends of Jesus knew that he had been raised from the dead.Before the century was over, the message of the resurrection had spread around the Mediterranean Sea, to Rome, to North Africa, perhaps to Spain. Today there is no name in all the world as universally honored as the name of Jesus.During the 2,000 years, empires have come and gone. The names of great kings and leaders are forgotten or tucked away in libraries.Jesus lives on — in the hearts of hundreds of millions of people! And why not? He is a risen Lord. He lives. He was raised from the dead. He is the symbol of a life which death cannot destroy. But he is more than a symbol. He is the source of life. He is the fullness of what we call human. He is the fullness of what we call divine.There is no victory in battle, there is no advance in government; there is no triumph in science to rival the supreme significance of that first Easter. For a bewildered and disenchanted world it has become the one assurance that we do not struggle alone on this planet. God has invaded and intervened. This is what Easter tells us.The God who holds this vast universe in mysterious balance loves us. He loves us enough to have come to us and to have become one of us. He loves us enough to have died on a cross on Good Friday for us. This is the guarantee of Easter.In a direct way and in many indirect ways, the resurrection of Jesus has given the human race courage to struggle for justice, to embrace one another in mercy, to explore this universe of our Lord, and to sustain one another in the hope of a kingdom that death itself cannot destroy. Easter is the world’s finest hour.

4-H Clubs in 1939The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on April 21, 1939:4-H CLUBS HAVE 304 MEMBERSBlue Mound Climbers Head List with Most New MembersThe thirteen Rock County 4-H clubs are now well under way with their 4-H club projects and activities for 1939. Three hundred four members are enrolled to date, with a total of 642 projects.The present enrollment is 15 below last year, but a goal of 350 members is hoped to be reached by June 1st. Many of the clubs have done a fine job of securing new members. The Blue Mound Climbers have made the largest enrollment gain over last year, having exceeded their 1938 enrollment by 11 members. The title of being the largest club in Rock County still belongs to the Live Wires. The county enrollment by clubs is as follows:Blue Mound Climbers, 32; Blue Ribbon, 26; Denver Go-Getters, 14; Jolly Juniors, 21; Kenneth Hustlers, 17; Live Wires, 46; Magnolia Busy Bees, 8; North Star, 36; Royal Purple, 23; Steen Royal H’s, 17; Sunshine, 17; Willing Workers, 24.Boys and girls interested in enrolling are urged to send their cards to the county agent’s office as soon as possible.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.

Follow old advice: Don’t worry, be happyA wise old man just told me that every day spent worrying takes 10 days off my life.Uh-oh.Like many people, I frequently waste energy by worrying.That nagging little fret in the back of my mind that says things won’t go my way doesn’t quite keep me up nights, but it’s certainly not doing me any good.In the process of moving from my recently sold home, I worried about getting all the packing done ahead of time, breaking the crystal and about helpers seeing the dusty corners.If I were more mature and less insecure, I just wouldn’t worry as much.During just a half hour of TV watcing, there are at least a few anti-anxiety medications advertised, so clearly, I’m not the only person with weight on her brain.Anticipating the worst, having undue concern, feeling apprehensive — they’re all pretty common.In fact, 40 million people have an actual anxiety disorder, which is much worse than my moments of distress. Sometimes I worry to show I care, or because I think that if I put enough thought into something, I can change the outcome. That state of disquiet isn’t good because it wastes other opportunities for productivity.And it’s a symptom of a lack of faith that things will be work out and that even bad things happen to us for a reason."Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful," is in the Bible in John 14:27.Psalm 55:22 says, "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall."With that, I had better stop the misuse of my cares. In other words, if my crystal breaks during a move, I’ll get new glasses.Except now I’m worried about all those days I’ve shaved off my life expectancy by worrying and how I’m going to retrieve them.

As the weight continues to drop off the Big Loser II participants so do the inches. All 16 participants were measured recently, and those measurements were compared to their measurements from the start of the 16-week program.Measurements of the neck, chest, waist and hips are being recorded. The average Big Loser has lost 11.75 inches total after the first 8 weeks. On average they lost three-quarters of an inch off the neck. They shed another 2.5 inches off the chest. Everyone was cinching up their belt a notch or two, because on average they have taken a little more than 3 inches off their waists. They also took 2 1/2 pounds off the hips as well.As far as the guys go Kyle Oldre has lost the most inches so far. His total inches lost are 19 1/4 inches. Steve Top is next; he has taken off 14 1/2 inches. Bruce Dysthe has dropped 12 inches himself.Leading the way for the gals is Gerry Sandstede, who has dropped 13 inches. Melissa Sterrett has shed 12 inches so far, and Carol Foster has lost 8 inches.One of the more interesting sets of measurements are those of Rick Dawson. While Rick’s weight loss has been minimal he has lost 4 1/2 inches. He has been watching what he is eating and increased his exercise routine to shed 2 1/2 inches off his waist alone.Big Loser II is past the halfway point, and all the participants still need your encouragement. If you happen to run into one of the Big Losers give them a much-deserved pat on the back.

I am writing this letter in response to Ms. Rollinger-Welch’s letter to the Star Herald a week ago.My first thought and reaction when I read the last paragraph "the residents along Fledgling Field get dead people" was thoroughly disgusting. Ms. Rollinger-Welch needs to grow up and have a little respect for people who are deceased and for the wonderful people who handle their deaths (such as Mr. Dingmann). Some day you will also be one of the "dead people" and hopefully, people then will show more compassion, empathy and reverence than you have displayed in your letter.Cheryl Heikes, Luverne

I feel compelled to respond to the Jenny (Bollinger) Welch April 6 2006, letter to the Star Herald.To make comments about the Fledgling Field debate is fine, but the last paragraph bothers me. The residents along Fledgling Field are not getting "dead people." They will be seeing friends, relatives, neighbors and loved ones for the final time in a beautiful setting that will be landscaped and maintained as nice as the best place in town. They will be paying their respects to civic leaders, teachers, business men and women, government employees, veterans and people who put in 50 years of work at the same job.They will see people who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.They will not be getting dead people. Bill FrakesLuverne