10 years ago (1996)
About 750 people attended a meeting with state education officials this week. The officials had suggested that the Hills-Beaver Creek High School cooperate with Luverne and remodel its elementary school. Instead, the School Board voted to send to the Commissioner of Education the district’s $5.5 million bond election request to reconstruct and renovate school buildings in Hills and Beaver Creek.25 years ago (1981)
After more than a year of study by a citizen advisory committee, a proposal for a county-city law enforcement center is a big step closer to reality. The city gave tentative approval and the county is expected to address it at its next meeting.
Jake Boomaarden has been a referee for the past 35 years. He said he likes making calls based on gut feelings and "coaches who mind their own business."50 years ago (1956)
Deanna Nelson, 14, was the champion speller in a county spelling contest. The winning word was "scherzo."
Luverne voters will have the opportunity in Tuesday’s city election to cast their ballots on the proposed $150,000 bond issue to finance a new community hospital here.The bond issue will supplement funds raised by private and civic organizations for the new structure and equipment. The Hospital Board reported that the total cost will be about $200,000.75 years ago (1931)
Average day wages for farm hands is $1.25 according to reports from 33 Minnesota counties.
Rock County Agent C.G. Gaylord and County Auditor Ray Koehn are organizing an extensive weed elimination campaign. There are nearly five hundred landowners and tenants filling voluntary roles as section foreman.
Both representatives of the Luverne High School placed in the inter-regional declamatory contest held Wednesday evening at Springfield, when Miss Jean Long was awarded second honors in dramatics and John V. Connell fourth in the oratorical group.100 years ago (1906)
A temple of Rathbone Sisters, the auxiliary lodge of the Knights of Pythias, was organized in this city Saturday. The lodge will be known as Luverne Temple No. 41 and starts with a membership of 31. The temple begins its existence under the most favorable circumstances and will undoubtedly develop into a strong and successful lodge, taking rank with the local lodge of the Knights of Pythias, which is regarded as one of the leading lodges of that order in the state.

By John RittenhouseArea athletes were not overlooked when the 2005-06 All-Red Rock Conference Boys’ Basketball team was announced last week.Two Adrian High School players and one Hills-Beaver Creek Patriot made the 18-player All-RRC Team.One H-BC athlete and another from Adrian were two of 12 players to receive honorable mention selections doled out by the RRC coaches.Adrian senior post Brad Brake and junior post Ryan Lonneman, and H-BC junior post Aaron Esselink are the area athletes on the All-RRC roster.Adrian senior guard Lee Stover and H-BC senior post Jason Hup received honorable mention from the RRC coaches.Edgerton and Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin led all teams by collecting three All-RRC selections each.Making the list from Edgerton are Max Zwart, Reed Van Hulzen and Derek Westenberg. ML-B-O’s Matt Myers, Lance Bartel and Dan Snyders grace the roster.Fulda, Murray County Central and Southwest Christian drew two all-conference picks each.Fulda’s John Isder and Sam Woitalewicz, MCC’s Derik Johnson and Paul Counter, and SWC’s Jordan Huisken and Brent Van Schepen cracked the list.Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster’s Lon Eichenberger, Red Rock Central’s Blake Walker and Westbrook-Walnut Grove’s Jon Kells round out the team.Other honorable mention selections include Edgerton’s Tony Fluit, Fulda’s Lucas Isder and Tim Haberman, MCC’s Chris LeTendre, SWC’s Eric Schaap, Southwest Star Concept’s Lloyd Kalfs, RRC’s Kyle Huls and Matt Moldan, SV-RL-B’s Jared Bourquin and W-WG’s Jake Wahl.

By John RittenhouseBased on early indications, expect the Luverne boys’ track team to field a competitive 800-meter relay team this season.The Cardinal foursome proved it was for real during one of the biggest meets LHS will compete in this season, the Dan Lennon Invitational staged at the Dakota Dome in Vermillion Monday.Mixing it up with some of the best teams from a four-state area in the Class A version of the event, LHS seniors Jordan Siebenahler and Mike Kunstle, junior Ben Uphoff and sophomore Chris Ashby stood tall.The Luverne squad turned in a 1:38.52 during the meet, placing second to the team from Bellveue East."Our kids ran hard," said Cardinal coach Craig Nelson. "Placing second at a competitive meet like this one is no small accomplishment."The LHS boys didn’t come away with any more top-eight finishes at the meet, but the Cardinal girls did.After placing first in the 800-meter run at a meet in Vermillion on Saturday, Luverne’s Lexi Heitkamp turned in another strong performance on Monday.Heitkamp placed eighth in the 800 with a time of 2:33.4.The girls’ 1,600-meter relay team placed eighth with a time of 4:35.06 at the meet.Alyssa Stegenga, Abby Elbers, Tara Muck and Britton Dyer formed the squad.The Luverne teams host their annual quadrangular meet Tuesday.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne track teams made their 2006 debut at the United States Track and Field Midwest High School Indoor Championships staged at the Dakota Dome in Vermillion, S.D., Saturday.Luverne attended the meet at less than full strength as some of the athletes had prior commitments to fulfill.Still, Cardinal coach Craig Nelson was proud to report that his teams returned home with one meet championship and 10 other Top 8 finishes."We had a really good meet," he said. "The kids did very well. We saw a lot of team’s we haven’t seen before, and we had an excellent day."Lexi Heitkamp turned in the top performance for the LHS girls by winning the 800-meter run with a time of 2:30.7.Heitkamp also ran with Luverne’s 1,600-meter relay, which placed eighth in 4:37.57. Amanda Kannas, Tara Muck and Britton Dyer round out the squad.Muck finished sixth in the 500-meter dash with a time of 1:36.19.Debbie Schneiderman made a bid to win the 3,000-meter run before finishing second with a time of 12:04.71.Katie Schneiderman placed fourth in the 3,000 (12:14.27) and fifth in the pole vault (7-6).Luverne’s Erin Hoiland placed fourth in the long jump with a 14-10 1/4 effort.Chris Ashby turned in the top effort for the LHS boys by finishing second in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.93.Mike Kunstle and Jordan Siebenahler placed fourth and eighth with respective 7.41 and 7.67 times in the 60-meter dash.Ben Uphoff placed sixth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.31."A lot of our young kids ran quite well. We faced some good competition, and we were pleased with the results," Nelson concluded.

By John RittenhouseThe Ellsworth boys’ basketball team won 27 games this season largely because of an explosive offense.Unfortunately for the Panthers, the well ran dry when they most needed to draw a drink during Saturday’s championship game of the Minnesota State Class A Basketball Tournament against Rushford-Peterson at the Target Center in Minneapolis.Ellsworth made 53 percent of its field goals while outscoring its opponents by an average of 21 points each game during the regular season.But the Panthers simply went cold offensively during the championship clash against the Trojans. The end result of the offensive blackout was a 55-52 loss to R-P, ending Ellsworth’s 27-5 season that yielded the school its second second-place finish at the state tournament in the last four years.The Panthers struggled on offense in the first half, making four of 19 field goals (21 percent) on the way to falling behind 29-15 when the first 18 minutes were complete. EHS fared better in the second half, shooting at a 44-percent clip (14 of 32) from the floor. The improved offensive efficiency in the second half enabled the Panthers to draw within three points of the Trojans twice in the final 15 seconds of the game.Ellsworth, however, couldn’t completely overcome the deficit it faced after an inconsistent offensive experience in the first half."They were playing a 2-3 zone, and they were double-teaming Cody (Schilling, a sophomore starter)," said EHS coach Markus Okeson. "If we would have shot the ball like we did in any of our previous games, we would have been all right. We were stagnant on offense today. We held the ball a lot and didn’t attack their zone."When opponents played zone defense against the Panthers in the regular season, the decision usually proved to be a bad choice.Schilling, one of three EHS players to make the All-Tournament Team, has the ability to dissect a zone with his tenacious drives to the basket. When the openings to the hoop were closed, Schilling had the option to pass the ball to outside shooting threats Aaron Van Der Stoep and Bryan Kramer, who have the knack of shooting teams out of their zones from beyond the three-point line.Things didn’t work out that way on Saturday.Schilling, who improved his scoring output during each state tournament outing, canned 13 of 21 shots while scoring a game-high 34 points. The balance of the team shot a combined five of 30 (17 percent) from the field, opening the door for unranked R-P to win its first state basketball title as a consolidated school district.Van Der Stoep, who made the All-Tournament Team along with Kramer and Schilling, got off to a good start when he nailed a three-point shot to open the scoring 1:13 into the game.The 3-0 lead, however, would be the lone advantage EHS would sport in the title tilt.R-P, which made 50 percent of its field goals in the first half, controlled play the rest of the half. Trojan guard Tyler Drinkall, the tournament’s most valuable player, scored nine of his team-high 22 points in the first half and 6-6 senior post Adam Norton added eight of his 10 points in the first 18 minutes to lead R-P to a 29-15 halftime advantage.The Panthers would have benefited from a strong start to the second half, but it didn’t happen.EHS did trim the difference to nine points (34-25) when Schilling cashed in on a pair of free throws with 12:52 left to play. The Trojans countered with a 9-2 surge capped by two free throws from Norton with 9:02 remaining to give R-P its biggest lead of the game at 43-27.It was gut-check time for EHS at that point, and the Panthers met the challenge by outscoring the Trojans 25-12 the rest of the game to make things interesting late in the contest.EHS trimmed the difference to four points twice (50-46 at 1:35, and 52-48 with 56 seconds remaining) before Schilling drained a field goal with 13.6 seconds left to make it a 53-50 game.R-P’s Jeremy Olson settled the issue by converting a pair of free throws with 12.3 seconds left to extend the Trojans’ lead to five points at 55-50. Schilling capped his 34-point effort with a field goal with 2.9 seconds remaining to end the scoring."We switched things up by picking them up with full-court pressure and we were able to create some offense with our defense by coming up with a turnover or two in the second half. The difference came down to us being stagnant on offense for too much of the time," Okeson said.Although the first-year EHS coach was disappointed with the way things played out in the championship game, Okeson said it wouldn’t taint what has been a remarkable year for himself and the Panthers."Finishing second at the state tournament is not too bad. We had a heck of a season. We won’t let this one loss dictate what we think about this season overall."Box scoreDeBerg 2 0 3-4 7, Kramer 0 1 0-0 3, Schilling 12 1 7-10 34, Van Der Stoep 0 2 0-0 6, Herman 0 0 2-4 2, Klaassen 0 0 0-0 0.Team statisticsEllsworth: 18 of 51 field goals (35 percent), 12 of 18 free throws (67 percent), 31 rebounds, six turnovers.R-P: 18 of 42 field goals (43 percent), 13 of 23 free throws (57 percent), 39 rebounds, 11 turnovers.

LUVERNE PUBLIC SCHOOLSLuverne, MinnesotaMarch 23, 2006Sealed bids will be received by the Luverne Board of Independent School District No. 2184, Luverne, Minnesota, for the following items:A. One 2006 Model CarB. One Suburban or Equal VehicleSaid bids will be received up to 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 20, 2006, at the District Office in the Middle-Senior High School Building, Luverne, Minnesota.Bidders may receive specifications and information at the Office of the Superintendent of Schools.The School Board reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to waive any technicalities. Cary Radisewitz, Ed.D.Clerk(3-30, 4-6)

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON REQUEST FOR ADJUSTMENTPursuant to the City of Hardwick Zoning Ordinance, notice is hereby given that the Board of Adjustment and Appeals of the City of Hardwick, will conduct a public hearing to be held at the Council Chambers, Hardwick City Hall, Hardwick, Minnesota, on Tuesday, April 11, 2006, at 6:30 p.m. The purpose of the hearing is to consider the application of Mouw’s Feed and Grain, Inc. for an adjustment and variance from the provisions of the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Hardwick, and to permit and allow the construction of a grain storage facility and related equipment.Dated: March 27, 2006./s/ Tamera JohnsonTamera JohnsonHardwick City Clerk(3-30, 4-6)

MINNESOTA SECRETARY OF STATECERTIFICATE OF ASSUMED NAMEMinnesota Statutes Chapter 3331. State the exact assumed name under which the business is or will be conducted:Beaver Creek Electric2. State the address of the principal place of business.513 N. Freeman 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. John H Williams 513 N. Freeman Luverne MN 561564. 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/ John H. Williams3-10-06 John H. Williams (Owner/Sole Proprietor) Date John H. Williams 507-283-4163Contact Person Daytime Phone Number(3-30, 4-6)

FEBRUARY 23, 2006MINUTES OF THE REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 2184, ROCK COUNTY, LUVERNE, MINNESOTA.A regular meeting of the Board of Education, ISD #2184, was held in the District Office on Thursday, February 23, 2006, at 5:00 p.m.The following members were present: Vicki Baartman, Colleen Deutsch, Laura Herman, Dan Kopp, Cary Radisewitz, Bill Stegemann, and Becky Walgrave. Also present: Gary Fisher, Marlene Mann, Stacy Gillette, Alissa Johnson, Nadine Raley, Gary Shamatt, Jesse Shamatt, Barb Antoine, Carolyn Olson, Bailey Scholten, Matt Raley, Roger Headrick, Wendy Nath, and Lori Ehde - Rock County Star Herald.The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Bill Stegemann.Announcements were given.Motion by Herman, second by Deutsch, to approve the agenda. Motion unanimously carried. Administrative reports were given.Motion by Deutsch, second by Kopp, to approve the School Board minutes of February 9, 2006. Motion unanimously carried.Motion by Stegemann, second by Kopp, to approve payment of the District bills in the amount of $837,532.69. Motion unanimously carried.Motion by Kopp, second by Herman, to accept the Student Activity report showing the balances as of January 31, 2006. Motion unanimously carried.Motion by Kopp, second by Deutsch, to approve the sale of the Community Education garage to the City of Luverne for the amount of $21,000.00. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Kopp second by Deutsch, to accept the resignation of Sherri Thompson, part-time Elementary Secretary effective February 10, 2006. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Baartman, second by Herman, to approve the hiring of Mandy Kor as part-time Elementary Secretary. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Kopp, second by Baartman, to approve the hiring of Paula Lammert as long-term substitute for Tiffany McGunegill, Special Education teacher, beginning on or about April 4, 2006. Motion unanimously carried. Superintendent Fisher presented the first reading of Policy #404.15 – Minnesota State High School Coaches Association. The second reading will be at the next school board meeting to be held on March 9.Cliff Carmody, SW/WC Service Coop, will be meeting with Mr. Fisher on Tuesday, February 28, to review the Strategic Planning process. The Personnel Committee will meet with Mr. Fisher to establish a Superintendent’s Appraisal form and process. No committee reports were given.Motion by Kopp, second by Deutsch, to adjourn the meeting. Motion unanimously carried. Dated: February 23, 2006Cary Radisewitz, Clerk(3-30)