Harvey Peter Huiskes, 75, Harlingen, Texas, formerly of Luverne, died Saturday, Feb. 4, 2006, in Harlingen.Services were Thursday, Feb. 9, with the Rev. Richard officiating. Burial was at Las Rusias Cemetery in Harlingen. Harvey Huiskes was born to Joe and Anna Marie (Peterson) Huiskes on April 15, 1930, in rural Beaver Creek. He moved with his family to a farm near Hardwick where he attended a rural school. In 1943 his family moved to Luverne. He worked for Worthmore Produce and Paulson Dehydrating Plant in Luverne. He also worked for Carlos and Katherine Rocco, carnival owners. He moved from Luverne to Harlingen. He than worked as a groundskeeper at 77 RV Park and Harlingen Storage and Mini Warehouse. Survivors include one brother, Harry (Jeannette) Huiskes. Mr. Huiskes was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, Alvin, and an infant brother, Henry. Trinity Funeral Home, Harlingen, was in charge of arrangements.

10 years ago (1996)"Eight FFA members from the Hills-Beaver Creek chapter competed in the Sioux Empire Farm Show Dairy judging contest, held Jan. 26. The members included Ryan Burgers, Scott Harnack, Craig Korthals, Randy Mulder, Renee Noll, Amie Nuffer, Linda VanderBerg and Summer Wysong.The top judge was Amie Nuffer."25 years ago (1981)"Hugo Goehle was honored this week for his 400th career victory as basketball coach at H-BC. Goehle’s career at H-BC spans more than a quarter of a century and he has voiced an intention to shoot for the 500 victory mark."50 years ago (1956)"The school board had a luncheon meeting February 14, with Mr. Kepp, the general contractor, Mr. Zwart, the electrical contractor. Mr. Meester, the plumbing contractor, and also Mr. Olson, a representative of the Beuttler Architect firm. A working schedule for the construction of the school addition was worked out. Mr. Kepp advised the school board that a full crew would be on the job until completion. Mr. Meester planned to move his plumbing crew in as soon as the roof is on the shop."75 years ago (1931)"The Crescent has been asked to get the sentiment of the citizens in our town, as to whether or not the village shall hire a band instructor, or ask the businessmen to again shoulder the burden.The main object is to keep the people at home and have our own band, as we did last summer or do we all want to go to other towns and hear their music?"100 years ago (1906)"The young ladies of the G.H.J.C. gave an invitation party at the opera hall Saturday evening which proved to be the social event of the season. The hall had been tastefully decorated for the occasion. About thirty couples were present and the fore part of the evening was pleasantly spent to carrying out a program, after which a dainty lap supper was served. The remainder of the evening was spent in games and dancing, music being furnished by a large phonograph."

An Ode to the SundemsTheirs are the faces behind the busiest corner in town,with gas pumps, movies, candy and coffee,they make their sales without ever wearing a frown.Orv’s jolly personality, even when the temperatures fall,makes stopping for gas at the station,a joyful delight for residents big and small.As Bonnie takes our cash,she is always warm and welcoming,with plenty to say before patrons make a dash.Last week, folks seeking their service,were met with a sign of temporary closing,needless to say the town was nervous.Without their tales, their help, their laughter,how would we survive without this star couple?Who would heat our homes, pump our gas and make us happier?When the doors remained locked another day,I realized pumping my gas was up to me,Without Orv’s help and Bonnie’s sweet voice, there was no other way.Life continued without their help,but not with the same pleasure andnot without at least several hundred people uttering a yelp.Together, they are Hills’ heroes,constantly putting us before themselves,with few complaints and vacation days usually totaling zero.Last week, when they hung up that sign and left town,they left behind adoring fanswho missed them sunup to sundown.A much-deserved vacation they took.We all want them rested and happy,for life without them was a terrifying look.Story ideas or comments can be e-mailed to Lexi Moore atlexim@star-herald.com or called in at 962-3561.

Harriet Skattum went to Forestburg, S.D., last week Saturday for a visit in the home of her daughter and son-in-law, Margo and Dewayne Edwards. Saturday she joined other relatives to attend funeral services for a niece, Sharon Peck, in Huron, S.D. She returned to Hills last Wednesday. Evangeline Opheim and sons Alan and Paul attended a gathering in Centerville, S.D., recently honoring her cousin, Everett Knudtson, on his 40th birthday. Some 50 friends and relatives attended. Mae Top returned home Monday after spending a few days in the Sioux Valley Luverne Hospital in Luverne.

I grew up in town. There is no denying it and it shows. Things are different there. Not better, not worse, just different. We had the biggest yard in the neighborhood, where kids gathered for all sorts of games. There was a huge tree at one end and my dad’s garden at the other. Beside the garage there was a side yard. Near the back door stretched a clothesline, which my mother used religiously (not by choice) because there was no dryer. The only fence in the yard was a rectangular piece about eight feet long on which a grape vine grew. (My dad and grandpa made wine one year, but that is another story.) There were no gates or barriers in our yard and we lived across the street from an entire empty block in West Sioux that we referred to as the vacant lot.I have an older brother and a younger sister, and we played outside in the fresh air and sunshine. We had a great stay-at-home mom, who was full of creative ideas to keep us busy. My mind is full of brilliant childhood memories of catching butterflies, drowning gophers out of their holes, hide and seek, kick the can, snowmen, snow forts, snowball fights and fun in the sun. Despite the lack of barriers in my youth, one lesson that I have learned in life is to "close the gate" behind me.While growing up, my siblings and I would say good-bye and announce where we were going. It came to be expected that my dad would come back with "don’t let the door hit you on the way out." It was always said jokingly, with love, and it became a sort of family ritual. While in my thirties I converted it to "close the gate behind you" and gave it a deeper meaning. Maybe my dad had a deeper meaning in mind, but I don’t think so.Closing the gate is a way of life. There are many different meanings to this very simple phrase. I run a small daycare where closing the gate on the basement stairs and across the driveway to the backyard is a matter of safety. It is a coveted privilege and honor reserved for big kids on rare occasion to go beyond the gate and into the front. When moving livestock on a farm (I’ve heard tell), gate closing is not esteemed or fun and sometimes involves a whole lot of waiting and absolutely no excitement. But it is vitally important work. Ask any farmer who has ever had the pasture gate left open by careless hunters, and they will tell you in great length and with much arm waving and gestures of its importance. But figuratively speaking, closing the gate is about tying up loose ends. It is about putting the past behind you. It is about making amends to repair or restore a damaged relationship. It is about making apologies when they are due. It is about owning up and going beyond. It is about forgiving and forgetting."Closing the gate" is a way of life that I have tried to embrace and practice on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis. I try every day to do it with humor and grace, but it is difficult. Home alone and on my way to work at 6:30 one morning, I came out of the back door of the house, put my old dog in the car, went back in for something and came out again. The house yard was fenced with chain link and there was a gate two steps down from the walk. I had not shut the yard gate while going back to the house because I was coming right back. To make a long story short, I fell and hit the right side of my face on the gatepost and hinges. I knocked myself senseless and nearly put out my right eye. I broke bones in my face that bother me to this day. Surgery was available that may or may not have helped, and I decided the risks outweighed the potential benefits and opted out. It was a senseless accident that may or may not have happened if I had taken the 10 seconds necessary to shut that gate.That accident happened three years ago last August. Because I cannot take much jarring and cold and wind bother my face immensely, I have been banished to the shores of Catfish Bay when I used to live on the water. I run around outside on a cold or windy day with these huge snow ski goggles on, and it is not because I have been skiing. Wearing my full-face motorcycle helmet while riding is not a choice for me but a necessity. A lot has changed since my fall. The fence and gate were eventually removed but the lesson remains. This is not a "woe is me" tale. It is an example of life — how we need to expect the unexpected and use the tools that the good Lord has given us to move beyond the past and put things behind us once and for all. How many open gates are there in your life? Forgive, love, laugh, live and "close the gate behind you." Story ideas and comments can be e-mailed to at Nancy861@msn.com or called in at 962-3411.

This past week Steen residents braced themselves for the first 2006 blizzard. Warnings flashed across the bottoms of our televisions screens, weather radios beeped and the snow which was to be so deep ended up being just a little powder under our feet. But what was to follow did give some dismay as a Canadian clipper kept us at bay, with temperatures reading almost minus twenty, which isn’t really funny there was nothing to do but snuggle with your honey. This past Saturday Brad and Linda Bosch in a very last minute move to avoid colder weather decided to go on a vacation to much warmer weather. They headed south down Mexico way to catch some much needed rays. Also on R&R this week is the Alan Baker family. They left for Florida last Wednesday morning.In hospital news this week Don Bonnema, long-time resident of Steen, underwent surgery last Monday at the Vets Hospital in Sioux Falls to remove a spot from his lung. He hopes to return home sometime this week.In Steen news Kevin Van Batavia, son of Mel and Minnie Van Batavia, received a high-ranking honor this past week as Jr. Sailor of the Year. Kevin is serving as an aviation technician for fighter squadron VFA 106 and is currently stationed out of the Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He was awarded this honor while on sea duty on the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman. This week is National FFA Week, and our local schools are celebrating those who are involved in our rural farming industries. Many Steen students are involved with FFA and do many services for those in this area. Thank you to our FFA members and to their supporting business. In church news the Steen Reformed RCYF youth will be taking twelve members to Lincoln, Nebraska, this weekend for Dare 2 Share. This is a national outreach program that teaches and challenges young people to share their faith with family and community. Starting Sunday, Feb. 26, the Steen Reformed Church will begin a six-week church-wide experience titled "Come Thirsty." This is a very exciting event where the church breaks into small groups and meets every Sunday night to explore spiritual thirst and how to drink from the living water. If you are interested in joining a small group or attending these special worship services, please contact the Steen Reformed Church at 507-855-2336. All are welcome.In closing, I leave you this final thought titled "Family Ties." "Family ties are precious things, woven through the year. Of memories and togetherness, of laughter, love and tears. Family ties are treasured things, and far though we may roam, the tender bonds with those we love still pull our hearts toward home." –(author unknown)If you have any news you would like placed in the Steen news, please contact Brian at 855-2232 or at knowgrowshow@hotmail.com. Blessings!

By Lori EhdeLuverne School District will see more than $90,000 of new computer equipment and software in the coming months, courtesy of Microsoft Corporation.Luverne typically budgets $40,000 annually for its technology hardware and upgrades."Yes, this is a good thing for Luverne," said district finance officer Marlene Mann. She presented details to Luverne School Board members at their Thursday, Feb. 9, meeting.The money is from a settlement of a class-action lawsuit in which Minnesota customers and businesses claimed Microsoft Corp. was violating anti-trust laws by overcharging for its Windows operating system and its Excel and Word programs.The company had denied overcharging, saying the prices on its products had dropped.The vouchers will automatically go to districts which will be able to shop from a list of 1,500 hardware and software products – not all of them Microsoft. Districts have until 2012 to use up the vouchers, but Mann said Luverne’s technology department won’t waste time shopping."We’ve learned that money that’s here today might not be here tomorrow, so we’ll spend it quickly," she said.Many of Luverne’s planned purchases include items that will improve the long-term technology of the district.For example, several hardware upgrades are planned to network servers and switches that serve multiple labs."They’re the sorts of things that will make life better here, but you may not notice them on the outset," Mann said.In addition to district-wide upgrades in general purpose equipment and curriculum software, other purchases include printers, projectors, six or eight additional computers in the Mac lab, a 15-unit mobile lab for the elementary and technology training.The exact amount Luverne will receive is $90,141.36.Of that, $46,181 will be used in the elementary school, $23,211 will be spent on the middle school, $20,507 will go toward high school technology improvements and $225 in the alternative school.The amounts awarded to each building were determined in the settlement and must be spent half on hardware and half on software.Luverne’s vouchers are among $55 million that will be available to districts statewide, based on the percentage of students enrolled in state free and reduced meals.Roughly $430,000 worth of vouchers will be spent by schools in southwest Minnesota. It breaks down as follows:Luverne, $90,141.33Pipestone, $99,831.53Adrian, $54,084.80Ellsworth, $15,549.38Edgerton, $24,338.16H-BC, $23, 662.10Ruthton, $18,929.68Brewster, $15,324.03Fulda, $37,408.65Murray Co., $51,380.56The money is part of a $182 million settlement that made vouchers available to residents and businesses that purchased certain products from Microsoft.Half the value of the unclaimed vouchers was made available to the Minnesota Department of Education after the public deadline to claim them had passed.Tobacco settlementMicrosoft isn’t the only one giving money to Luverne schools.Mann told School Board members Thursday that nearly $11,000 was paid to the district as part of its share of a tobacco settlement dating back to 1998.However, it’s unclear how the money will be spent.Those eligible to receive the money include anyone on the district’s Blue Cross-Blue Shield plan between 1978 and 2001. That includes about 100 Luverne School District employees on the health plan during that time, and the district itself, which paid a portion of the premiums.Mann said she’s meeting with the insurance committee and representatives from the district bargaining units to agree on appropriate use of the funds.Many districts are opting to put the money toward general health or wellness programs.To disperse the money fairly would require administrative costs – particularly in locating eligible employees who are no longer with the schools today.Many districts are finding that individual awards wouldn’t amount to much, but pooling the money for the health of the district would benefit a broader good and would better fit the initial intent of the lawsuit.Blue Cross was the first health plan in the nation to sue the tobacco industry, to hold the industry accountable for its actions and to prevent a new generation of smokers in Minnesota.The industry settled the lawsuit in 1998, agreeing to pay Blue Cross $469 million in damages and to change the way cigarettes are marketed in Minnesota.Blue Cross remains the only health plan to have recovered damages.In other business:
The district will receive bids on the track resurfacing project at 1 p.m. on March 9. The estimated $200,000 project will be budgeted for next year, since the work won’t be completed until after July 1.
The board approved a $5 fee increase for driver’s education, bringing the cost to $245. The increase will cover about $1,000 in new textbooks and salary increases for licensed teachers (about 50 cents more per hour).
The board accepted the resignation of Michelle Schrantz as middle school softball coach and hired Lucinda Rofshus for the job.
The board accepted the resignation of choral director Beth Behal, who has been on an extended leave of absence. She has started a restaurant, Camille’s, in Sioux Falls and has chosen to stay with the business.The board praised her work with the choral department and also commended her replacement, Kyle Eastman, for continuing the excellence over the past two years.
The board approved a request by athletic director Todd Oye to make it the district’s policy to cover the cost of head coaches joining the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association.It will cost the district $450 this year, but it ensures that all students who qualify for athletic and academic recognition (such as Academic All-Star, for example) properly receive that recognition.
The next board meeting will be at 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23.