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)

‘Eight Below’ at Palace this weekendAfter another successful run by the Green Earth Players, the Palace Theatre will be going back to its regular series of movies.Starting this weekend, the new Disney family movie, "Eight Below," will be showing at the Palace.According to a review in the Calgary Sun, the story follows two men and their scientific expedition in Antarctica, where they end up having to abandon their sled dogs.The dogs are left to fend for themselves when the men are injured and need to be rescued by a helicopter.Bad weather prevents the rescue of the dogs, leaving them to make the trek back to safety on their own.According to a posting on the IMDB Web site, (I’m not swearing it’s true,) the movie is based on a true story that happened to a group of Japanese explorers. The dogs who survived are considered heroes in Japan and have statues to commemorate them.The movie is scheduled to run at 7 p.m. this Friday and Saturday and again at 2 p.m. Sunday.Which banker will have to kiss the pig?The Relay for Life committee has added one more fund-raising attraction to this year’s event.A "Who Will Kiss the Pig" contest will be held between two Luverne ag lenders.Jim Boeve, representing Minnwest Bank and Cliff Boom from First Farmers and Merchants, will hold an on-going fund-raiser until the opening ceremonies of the Relay for Life on June 16th.Both bankers will have piggy banks set up in their respective banks to help collect donations for the 2006 event.As part of the opening ceremonies, the banker with the least amount collected will have to pucker up and give "porky" a big wet one.So if you want to save Cliff or Jim from having to kiss a pig, stop at his bank and give a donation. Or if you would like to see Cliff or Jim have to kiss the pig, stop at the other guy’s bank and give him a donation.Either way, the money goes to the Relay for Life, so you can’t go wrong.New DST dates go into effect next yearAs you can tell by the clock on the front page of the Star Herald, this Sunday is when you set your clock ahead for daylight-saving time, but that will change. On August 8, 2005, President George W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005, changing the dates for daylight-saving time in the U.S. In 2007 DST will begin on the second Sunday of March and end the first Sunday of November. The Secretary of Energy will report the impact of this change to Congress. Congress retains the right to revert the daylight-saving time back to the 2005 time schedule once the Department of Energy study is complete.Our standard time was created by the railroads on November 18, 1883, but wasn’t formally adopted by the United States Government until March 19, 1918.The Act to Preserve Daylight and Provide Standard Time for the United States was enacted on March 19, 1918. It both established standard time zones and set summer DST to begin on March 31, 1918. Daylight-saving time was observed for seven months in 1918 and 1919.After the War ended, the law proved so unpopular (mostly because people rose earlier and went to bed earlier than people do today) that it was repealed in 1919 with a Congressional override of President Wilson's veto. Daylight-saving time became a local option and was continued in a few states, such as Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and in some cities, such as New York, Philadelphia and Chicago.Since then, Franklin Roosevelt had a year-round DST during WW II and Richard Nixon signed into law the Emergency Daylight-saving Time Energy Conservation Act of 1973, which lasted for 15 months.Daylight-saving time is not observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Arizona. The Navajo Nation participates in the daylight-saving time policy, even in Arizona, due to its large size and location in three states.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

A Gift for the King"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these my brothers, you did for me." Matthew 25:40I was browsing through the aisle of a craft store, looking for a fun project to do with my granddaughters, when a Nifty Knitters set caught my eye. There were four colorful, concentric, round looms nestled attractively in a clear carrying bag.Soon my 6-year-old granddaughter and I were happily winding yarn around the pegs on the looms and making stocking caps. The caps were easy to make, and before long a few residents and staff members here at the nursing home were making caps, also. Together we made about 40 caps that we put in our Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. When the shoebox project was completed, we kept making caps.We showed the caps to our friends from Southwestern Youth Services in Magnolia, and it turned out that they also were interested in learning to knit. We purchased more looms, and with the boys’ help we’ve knit more than 200 stocking caps. Our most recent projects have been to give the caps to Union Gospel Mission in Sioux Falls and also to the SYS boys’ families. Over the years we’ve had more yarn donated to us at MJB than we thought we’d ever use, but the day came recently when the yarn supply was gone. SYS put an ad in the paper asking for donations and people responded — but now we’re getting low on yarn again and are thinking up other ways to keep our supply strong.Spring will be coming soon — and during the summer people won’t need stocking caps — but we’ll keep on knitting because next winter it will be cold again and we’ll have caps ready for people who need them. It is exciting for us to think of our stocking caps traveling around the world with Operation Christmas Child or lifting the spirits of someone who might be homeless or struggling financially. It is such a simple thing to knit a cap while riding in the car or watching TV. It is a small thing for us to do and yet God tells us that our gifts are important — each cap we knit is a gift to Him. The Bible says that at the last day the King will say, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these my brothers, you did for me." Matthew 25:40Here we are in the season between Christmas and Easter — the two holidays we celebrate to remember the Greatest Gift ever given — the gift of Jesus our Savior. As we remember His gift to us, we thank Him for giving us wonderful and creative ways to give our gifts back to Him. Who would have thought that something as simple as making a stocking cap could be a gift for our King?

Every year I try to come up with a meaningful quote on friendship when the Friends of the Library conduct their membership drive. Here it is: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13). The Friends of the Library don’t want you to lay down your life for them, but they would like you to join them in supporting the library. The Friends do nice things for us like providing financial assistance in purchasing books, furniture, computers, etc. They also help with children’s programming by sponsoring puppet shows or musical performances.The Friends organize the annual book sale in September where the community can donate their used books and purchase other used books. Proceeds always go to the library or to a special reading program in the community. Stop by the library this week (or any time) and sign up to be a member of this valuable organization. Membership fees are $10 for individual, $15 for a family, and $25 for a business or organization. Next week is National Library Week, April 2-8. We will be giving out book bags and, more important, refrigerator magnets with our hours and phone number. This way you won’t have to spend 45 minutes trying to locate us in the phone book. New on the shelf this week is "The Tenth Circle" by Jodi Picoult. Trixie Stone is 14 years old and in love for the first time. She's also the light of her father's life — a straight-A student; a freshman in high school who is pretty and popular; a girl who's always looked at her father as a hero. Then her world is turned upside down with a single act of violence. For 15 years, Daniel Stone has been an even-tempered, mild-mannered man: a stay-at-home dad to Trixie and a husband who has put his own career as a comic book artist behind that of his wife, Laura, who teaches Dante's Inferno at a local college. But years ago, he was completely different: growing up as the only white boy in an Eskimo village, he was teased mercilessly for the color of his skin. He learned to fight back: stealing, drinking, robbing, and cheating his way out of the Alaskan bush. He reinvented himself, channeling his rage onto the page and burying his past completely. Now, Daniel, a man with a history he has hidden even from his family, will venture to hell and back in order to protect his daughter. (Also available on CD.) "Circle of Quilters" by Jennifer Chiaverini. Elm Creek Quilts, the thriving artists' retreat at Elm Creek Manor, is a place that stakes its sterling reputation on the creative energy and collective goodwill of its teachers and students. When two of its founding members decide to leave the fold, the Elm Creek Quilters face untold changes in their personal lives and in their business. As the news spreads, a single question emerges: Who can possibly take their place? Quilters everywhere are vying to land the prestigious post. Among the candidates are Maggie, whose love of history shines through in all her projects; Russ, the male quilter whose path-breaking style could lend Elm Creek Quilts an intriguing aesthetic departure; and Karen, a novice teacher whose gift for language complements her deep understanding of the quilters' mission. In the course careful deliberations, cherished memories resurface and inspiring visions for the future take shape. Only by understanding the meaning of their own labors can they select the ones who have earned a place among the circle of quilters. (Also available on cassette.)

Sometimes other people toot our horns for usNot many people are lucky enough to be thanked for a job they are already paid to do.I’m lucky, then.Just since the last paper came out, the Star Herald received a "thank you" call from our local community theater group. We featured the current play production on our March 23 full-page "Community Pride" ad. The ad is sponsored by various businesses that pay for the space to be given to a worthy community event of the Star Herald’s choosing once a month.The Green Earth Players gave us partial credit for good box office sales because of that ad, which was free to them, courtesy of the other businesses paid to sponsor the page.You’re welcome.The other "thank you" we received was from fourth-grade Luverne students who wrote personal notes because we published some of their book recommendations during February, which is "I love to Read Month."Some of the statements of thanks also included questions, which I’ll try to answer.Q. Is this the first time you did book recommendations from a school?A. It is the first time, to my knowledge. About four years ago, we did a feature story on some adult readers’ book recommendations.Q. If there is a sports article that you would like to report and it is far away, how do you get the information that you need to know?A. John does travel to cover some sporting events, such as the recent state basketball tournament or other sectional playoffs. However, he can’t be all places at once, and he sometimes has to interview coaches and get the facts of the game after it’s finished.Q. I have always liked looking at the sports section of the paper. Also thank you for putting in the Climb Theater pictures. I liked the fact that I was there. I think it was the first time I have been in the newspaper! What is it like working at the Star Herald? A. It’s fun to get to see lots of people and do a variety of things during our workday. Sometimes we don’t like to report on bad news, such as fires or deaths or accidents. But no job is perfect and our job is to show people what is going on in Rock County. Q. What is the biggest thing you have written about? A. One of the big news items this week is the Ellsworth boys’ basketball team at the state tournament. Sometimes big national stories also have local importance and we cover them, too. When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, we talked to people from Luverne who lived in Louisiana, and we reported on Louisana natives who found refuge in Luverne.Q. How long has there been a Star Herald? A. We’ve been a business for 133 years. You may want to check my math, but we started publishing the newspaper in 1873.Other notes were just plain nice.oI like to see my picture in the paper. … Thanks for letting people recommend books!oThanks for giving the Boy Scouts a tour one year ago.oI like looking at the newspaper.One of the best statements was this: "I enjoy your newspaper, so please don’t go out of business." We’ll do our best, Bryan. Thanks.

This week I’m going to tell you how to, and how not to, prune evergreens.Let’s start with the juniper family … we have low spreaders, the "vase" shaped growers, and the pyramids. The low spreaders should always be pruned from the bottom. Pull aside the shortest branches on the top to expose the stems of the longest runners underneath. These long branches should be cut back as far as possible, preferably within a few inches of the main stem. This pruning will reduce the diameter of the plant, and the shorter stems cover up where you removed those long branches. When you get under all that growth, most often you will find a lot of brown foliage. This is caused by the shade created by the branches above, so pruning from the top down would expose all that brown … pruning from the bottom eliminates it. The only branches I prune off the top are stems that loop back over the crown instead of radiating out from it. These branches are sure to become a headache later, because they shade the growth beneath them, and if you have to remove them later, you will end up with a brown streak where they were. Often, I see people try to limit the size of this form of juniper by trimming the edges. The result of this pruning will be an edge of layers of dead "stumps" … not at all attractive! The vase-shaped junipers are the type that people often shear into a mound or box form. They will tolerate this type of pruning for a while, but eventually you get to a literal "dead end." Junipers cannot be cut below where there is green growth, so after several years of shearing, the only green growth that is left is on the very tips of the branches. Any stress to the plant will result in dead areas that cannot be renewed, so you get to start over. As I mentioned, this is a vase form, meaning the branches arch up and out from the center of the plant. Correct pruning is accomplished by cutting these longest arching branches back, generally removing about half of their length. Again, the shorter branches will cover up where you made the cuts, and in the next season, those will be the branches you cut back. Remember not to cut past where there is green growth. The stem you cut back will branch out and continue to grow. Keeping up this schedule of pruning annually will keep this form of juniper looking great. Our last form of juniper is the pyramid. Other than topiary forms, this is the only form of juniper that is pruned by shearing. Start early and be persistent. Shearing will result in the pyramid staying full and tight. You have to allow for a little growth each year, so you will be restricting the growth, not eliminating it. Shearing is best done in spring … the other pruning can be done anytime … just be sure to get to it! We work a lot more years at keeping our junipers from growing too big than we do waiting for them to get big enough. The arborvitae family of evergreens is different from the junipers in that they respond well to shearing in either the upright or globe forms … again, don’t wait until they are too big to get started. I prefer to do my shearing in the spring, because soon the new growth will cover up were I did the shearing. Pruning later in the season will leave the cut ends visible until the next season’s new growth covers it up.

The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on January 5, 1933:MARRIAGE LICENSES TOTAL 66 IN 1933Precedent Broken by November Outstripping All Other Months, Including June, in Number Issued.A total of 66 marriage licenses were issued in Rock county during 1933, according to announcement yesterday by Clerk of Court O. E. Ferguson. Sixty-five licenses were issued in 1932, 80 in 1931, and 104 in 1930.As a noteworthy departure from what is usually the case, November outstripped all the other months, including June, with ten licenses. June, May and September vied for second place with seven each. There were six licenses issued both in February and August, five both in March and July, four both in January and December, three in October and two in April.Last year was the first full year affected by the five-day marriage law, which applied for the last six months of 1932. Economic conditions have apparently exercised little, if any, influence over the number of marriages. It is believed that the five-day law also is responsible for the decreases in the number of licenses issued.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.