By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek girls’ basketball team finished a 5-20 regular season in Slayton Monday.H-BC had hopes of knocking Murray County Central out of a share of first place in the Red Rock Conference, but an upset didn’t materialize as the home-standing Rebels walked away with a 69-55 win.The Patriots did knock down a season-high 12 three-point shots to hang with MCC most of the night.The Rebels, however, used their strong play in the paint to win by 14."We didn’t match up with them very well in the paint," said H-BC coach Jason Blosmo."They shot 50 percent for the night, and most of their points came from the inside. We just didn’t have any answers for them on the inside."MCC outscored the Patriots 40-31 in the game’s first half.The Patriots did trim the difference to six points with 9:00 remaining in the second half, but they couldn’t complete the comeback."When we were down by six in the second half, we became impatient and didn’t take care of the ball as well as we could have," Blosmo said.Kerri Fransman buried eight three-point shots to lead the Patriots in scoring with 18.Chelsi Fink and Stacy Bush contributed 11 and 10 points respectively to the cause.Bush finished with eight assists, six rebounds and four steals. Amanda Tilstra led H-BC with eight rebounds.H-BC drew the 10th seed for the South Section 3A Tournament. The Patriots play No. 7 Ellsworth at 7:30 tonight in Edgerton Public School in a preliminary-round game.Box scoreFransman 0 6 0-0 18, Bush 2 2 0-2 10, Tilstra 4 0 0-0 8, Fink 2 2 1-2 11, Helgeson 1 2 0-0 8, Roozenboom 0 0 0-2 0.Team statisticsH-BC: 21 of 64 field goals (33 percent), one of six free throws (17 percent), 31 rebounds, 14 turnovers.MCC: 32 of 62 field goals (50 percent), five of five free throws (100 percent), 40 rebounds, 16 turnovers.

Time to bury the funeral home issueIt’s not really about agreeing on zoning definitions. It’s not even about specific conditions placed on a building permit. Yet, somehow the Dingmann Funeral Home relocating to Fledgling Field has been postponed again. It’s almost as if lawyers, advocates and city leaders are looking for excuses to put it off — all the while saying they wholeheartedly want the project to go through.One newcomer to Luverne said he couldn’t believe the issue had become what it is. Frankly, we can’t either.The first time around, Dingmann was denied the request to build on Fledgling Field because of improper zoning. After many more rounds of negotiations and a couple of years later, there was a memorandum of understanding that had Dingmann going in the former medical clinic building. Then, that was determined to be non-binding — a document with little teeth. Yet, that is what the city and Dingmann are now trying to overcome. The same people involved, lawyers and Luverne City Council members, appear to have the same end goal in mind. It’s too bad that the actions aren’t matching the desires.Dan Dingmann won’t terminate the memorandum of understanding until he’s confident he can have a new business location. The city doesn’t want to give Dingmann a permit until they are released from this memorandum of understanding in order to negotiate with someone else to fill the clinic.If the memorandum of understanding is such an issue, we suggest this: draft a new document that outlines when everyone will step away. Then they will be free to find another topic to ponder and debate.

10 years ago (1996)
Aric Leenderts and Matt Metzger both reached the milestone of scoring more than 1,000 points in their basketball careers.
A consultant who completed a management study recommended that Hills-Beaver Creek focus on a cooperative secondary program with Luverne. The report also recommends the elementary facility be improved and that those classes remain where they are.
Hills-Beaver Creek junior Matt Ebert spent a semester as a page in Washington, D.C.25 years ago (1981)
Ronald Folle will be the new pastor at St. John Lutheran Church, Luverne.
Local governments are interpreting and waiting for more information on federal budget cuts announced by President Reagan.50 years ago (1956)
Sale of the church structure and site of Grace Lutheran Church, at the corner of Luverne Street and Freeman Avenue, to the American Reformed church of Luverne, was completed last week. Purchase price was $9,300.
After 50 years of doing business in the same location J.E. Treat sold his drug store and moved his roll-top desk out with him last week. The sale of Treat’s Drug Store here to Al Bot recently marked over a half century in the ancient profession of pharmacy for Mr. Treat. He was also an assistant secretary of the Rock County Building and Loan.75 years ago (1931)
The Luverne Auto Show will be March 2, 3 and 4.
The progressive people of Hills have completed arrangements for the 1st annual Hills Poultry, Corn and Crop Show to be held Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 18 and 19. Liberal merchandise and cash prizes will be awarded.100 years ago (1906)
The members of the Royal Neighbor lodge are feeling quite jubilant over the fact that their membership has now passed the one hundred mark.
The plan of having a truant officer to assist in enforcing the compulsory education law has proved so advantageous that the board of education, at its regular meeting Monday evening, decided to continue the services of such officer.

By Sara QuamThe Rock County Master Gardeners are still working on the healing garden project that will be at the new Sioux Valley Luverne Medical Center.Master Gardener Lynette Jauert reported to the Rock County Commissioners that the project will be paid for mostly by grants.The county was interested in the progress for information only. There was no request from the Master Gardeners.The project looks to be coming in under the budget of about $138,000 and many grants are coming in or are in the works.Jauert said the project couldn’t be as well-planned or designed without Molly Furgeson, a master’s of agriculture in horticulture student at the University of Minnesota.With Furgeson, Jauert said the healing garden has the benefit of additional professors from the U of M working on fine-tuning the design.Jauert said the garden will be a place to stimulate senses of touch, smell and sight for people who visit it. She hopes it is a place for the staff to have lunch and for people staying at the hospital to get a breath of fresh air or a beautiful view. Inpatient rooms, rehab and the maternity ward all face the garden, yet people inside it won’t feel like they are being seen because of the design. By definition, a healing garden means the horticulturist designed it to work with or around people’s abilities or limitations. The garden is meant for people to use to reduce stress and aid the healing process.It is designed with little "getaways" where patients or visitors will have space to reflect or get privacy. The furniture will be light enough, however, so people can move it to cluster for conversation or gatherings.The benches will have arms, making them easier for the weak to rise from a seated position.Walkways are wide enough for two wheelchairs to meet. The list of features includes everything from plants that will be attractive yearlong to elements that will attract birds.The use of Sioux quartzite is key, Jauert said."Molly grew up spending time at Blue Mounds State Park and wanted to capture that," Jauert said.The design will have a local, prairie feel that will include some decorative native grasses. However, Jauert said it was taken into consideration that some local patients would cringe at the sight of "native plants" that they consider noxious weeds.She said some early plantings will be blooming soon, and dirt work and electrical and plumbing will start this spring.

By Sara QuamThe City Council got a demonstration on the new Luverne Fire Department self-contained breathing apparatuses. Don Deutsch said, "As Fire Chief, I would like to thank the Council for stepping up and making sure we had enough masks that everyone gets their own."The Luverne City Council paid $36,736 and the Fire Department received a grant for $87,780 to go toward the new equipment.Deutsch said, "By getting the grant, we could get them all at one time."Each firefighter now has his own mask that he is responsible for maintaining, which Dan Nath said is good for cleanliness and efficiency because with ownership comes increased care for the equipment.The new apparatuses have many improvements from the previous equipment:
They are voice amplified, whereas the former made vocal communication muffled.
The new breathing apparatuses can hook up to one another, in the case of a firefighter running out of air.
The new have more comfortable harnesses and masks.
The new breathing apparatuses have fewer moving parts, requiring less maintenance.
The new equipment has a timer, indicating how much air is left to the firefighter and an alarm alerting them when there is about five minutes of air remaining.
They also have the capability of calculating how much air a firefighter is using based on individual breathing patterns. Each air tank lasts about a half hour.Some of the previous equipment was up to 30 years old, although pieces had been replaced or updated through the years.Emergency trainingAlso at the Luverne City Council meeting Tuesday, Building and Zoning Administrator Dan Delgehausen reported about his training in emergency management.Federal law requires all cities to have an Incident Command System. Delgehausen said, "It’s not for putting out fires, or running down terrorists or anything of that kind. It’s more for being organized and having a plan in place in the case of a disaster."Delgehausen said a flash flood, massive fire, chemical spill or tornado would all be devastating to the community. Handling the situation starts with effective communication and going into it, knowing who can help — whether it’s national or state agencies or working with Rock County.Much of the city’s plan already follows Rock County’s and avoids redundancies. Public Works Director Ken Vos said, "In Public Works, we all know that if we lose communication, we all meet down at the shop, no matter what." That was valuable in the case of the windstorm during the summer of 2004.Key city staff members are meeting almost weekly about the Incident Command System, even though it is just in the rough draft stages.Part of the plan and Delgehausen’s training includes how to properly document work done or resources used for federal reimbursement for costs.The plan will come before the council for approval, outlining procedures and protocols for how to handle any feasible type of disaster as efficiently as possible.Delgehausen said, "You can’t prepare for every single possibility, so we can be ready to work together."City Administrator John Call said the plan will be helpful."In the case of mutual aids, it’s not as much that we won’t have resources, but it’s how we manage them, because everybody will want to come to help," Call said.The City Council will keep up with Delgehausen’s training throughout the process and will look at a draft of the plan in about a month.

By Sara QuamRock County Commissioners turned down requests Tuesday to allow more landowners into Judicial Ditch 2.The ditch in northern Rock County is at capacity as it is, the board ruled, and can’t handle any additional water.Kevin Hunstad and Ryan Hunstad together turned in one petition, Kevin Hunstad turned in one, and Orin Oye turned in another.Ditches direct water drained from agricultural properties in order to make them more productive.The area of Ditch 2 is labeled as the "Big Marsh" on historic maps, and Kevin Hunstad testified in a hearing Tuesday that that’s still the case today."I’m willing to pay into it," he said. Hunstad said he loses crops and is working on a tiling bid for improvements to his property, so time is money for him.He can’t improve his situation, however, until he gets approval to join the ditch that was originally constructed in 1912.The commissioners said they understood his issues, but the ditch can’t handle more water and it will have to be improved before more landowners can use it.Ditch 2 is in parts of Rose Dell and Denver Townships.Commissioners voted against the property owners joining the ditch partly based on a recommendation from the Ditch Advisory Board.Commissioner Ken Hoime said, "I hope we can open this up and find out what we can do to improve it."An improvement in 1982 met with opposition from some landowners and the full recommended improvements were not done.Landowners are assessed for ditch improvements.Hoime said, "I encourage them to file for improvements. I feel for the people who are in this situation."The county itself can’t initiate an improvement.The Rock County Board of Commissioners scheduled another hearing for a petition to improve Ditch 3. That will be at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 21, in the Family Services building.Prairie Ecology BusChrystal Dunker, executive director of the Prairie Ecology Bus Center met with commissioners Tuesday.The bus comes to Rock County for some programming, but not as often as Dunker would like."You have the state park, Touch the Sky Prairie and the Rock River. Those all present us with great educational locations."The bus is a traveling science lab that exposes children from kindergarten through high school to various environmental lessons and information.She said that sponsors from Rock County are needed in order to bring the bus more often. It has been at the county fair. Workers from Prairie Ecology Bus Center also give recycling lessons to Luverne students, but they don’t get the outdoor activities that Dunker said are more important.On one trip to Luverne, students hand-harvested seeds from prairie plants to be planted elsewhere on Touch the Sky.Dunker said it’s important for young people to know about where they live and to relate concepts of the natural environment to their lives."It’s not just agriculture here. We’ve got these other pockets of unique environment around the agriculture," she said.The bus is based out of Lakefield. In other county business Tuesday, commissioners:
Entered into an agreement to receive Federal-aid Safety Funds. The county will put the $18,000 toward a study by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, which will look into safety issues on three Rock County intersections.County Engineer Mark Sehr selected the intersections that will have safety audits. They are: the intersection of County Road 4 and 9 by the radio station; the intersection of County Road 4 and 17, known as the Manley corner, and the intersection of Highway 75 and County Road 5 by the Luverne High School.
Received a gravel tax collection report from County Auditor/Treasurer Gloria Rolfs. In 2005, local gravel companies paid a total of $36,364.17 in county gravel tax.Of that total, the road and bridge fund received $21,818.51. The special reserve fund received $3,636.40. Townships in the county received $10,909.26.

By Lori EhdeThe Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce will sponsor its Home, Health and Garden Show Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Cardinal gym and commons.What used to be the Luverne Home Show will now include health and garden issues."By broadening the base, we felt we would attract more people, which will be good for all our vendors," said Chamber Director Dave Smith.He said Sioux Valley Luverne Hospital has played a big role in promoting the health aspect of the event, offering health information and free tests."They’re going to have three booth spaces along one side of the commons," Smith said. "We want to encourage people to come up and avail themselves of that free service."The Luverne Housing and Redevelopment Authority used to put on the show in the Blue Mound Ice Arena in April, when it no longer conflicted with ice activities.The new location at the school allowed the Chamber to schedule the event earlier in the year."We felt the previous shows were too late in the season, and many exhibitors had already booked their summer business," Smith said."We also feel the area is more user-friendly with plenty of parking and easy access," Smith said.When the Chamber offered to take over the event as a fund-raiser, Smith worked with former HRA members who had worked on the Home Show in the past.The current committee includes Sam Berghorst of Luverne Building Center, Scott Adams of Cragoe Realty, Jim Boeve of Minnwest Bank, Sue Schneekloth (HRA member), Lynn Lopau of the Master Gardeners, and Darci Pap of Sioux Valley Luverne Hospital.Along with nearly 50 vendors from the home, health and garden fields, demonstrations will also be available in the commons area throughout the day. "We’re hoping that this will be the start and grow from here on," Smith said. "I think this is going to develop into a real plus for the community and for the Chamber."No admission is charged to those attending the event, but vendors are charged per booth space, and those proceeds go to the Chamber.Presentations include:o9:30 a.m. Nate Golla from the Luverne Farm Store will talk about lawn care tips including how you can prepare your lawn for spring.o10:30 a.m. John Ball, professor of forestry at South Dakota State University, will present a program concerning trees and shrubs in southwest Minnesota.o11:30 p.m. Holly Sehr, a physical therapist with Sioux Valley Luverne Hospital, will present a session dealing with proper lifting techniques. The lifting techniques can also be used as an exercise program to prepare you for your outdoor spring activities.o1 p.m. Mitch Moe from Wausau Supply will present a program on composite decking materials and construction.o2 p.m. Teresa Meyer from Sioux Valley Home Medical Equipment will discuss home air purification. Advantages of clean air systems designed to clean your entire home through your furnace will be discussed.In addition to free admission, visitors can register for door prizes, and concessions will be available.For more information contact the Luverne Chamber at 283-4061.

By Lori EhdeMyrtle Gehrke said she wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for her crocheting needle.It’s not that crocheting has saved her life, but on more than one occasion she said it’s saved her mind."I have to keep busy with my hands," she said. "When I’m crocheting, I have to concentrate on that, and I forget about everything else."At 82, she said her nerves are fragile and if she’s not careful, she’s prone to nervous breakdowns."I’ve had three," she said. "And one time, it was so bad I almost drove my car into the river."But she knows what to do to manage her condition, and she’s convinced that crocheting has kept her healthy and happy to this point."I get so involved with it, and so focused," she said. "Today I almost missed dinner because I was crocheting."Actually, Myrtle’s good at anything involving a needle and thread.She turns out afghans like a one-woman textile factory (she’s made nearly 100 in the past 20 years) and it’s nothing for her to put together a quilt on a moment’s notice.She made one quilt out of all her dresses in 2002 when she moved into Poplar Creek assisted living apartments. "I couldn’t wear dresses anymore because I wear surgical stockings, but now I have this," she said about the colorful, hand-stitched block quilt.But crocheting is her first love.She remembers her mother, Frances Ross, teaching her the art when she was about 10 years old.At 14 she began doing housework for Walt and Violet Anderson, who ran the Gamble Store in Luverne.She remembers spending all her spare time crocheting then, as well as when she and her husband, Orey, ran Orey’s Café for 17 years.In more than 70 years of crocheting, she’s not afraid to say she’s good at it, and there’s not a doily pattern she can’t master.She recently bought a book of doilies. "I’ve done every one in the book," she said.There’s no way of knowing exactly how many doilies, crosses, or lettered names she’s completed through the years.But the countertops and coffee tables in Poplar Creek are graced by Myrtle’s artwork, and she has dresser drawers and boxes under the bed filled with priceless works, including her mother’s tatting.She enjoys giving them away as gifts to friends, family and staff at Poplar Creek. "I can crochet just about anything anybody wants," she said. "One woman just told me she’s always wanted embroidered pillowcases with crocheted lace edging, so I did that for her."While she has arthritis in one leg, Myrtle knows she’s fortunate her hands are limber.And it’s a blessing she hasn’t wasted.Her friends and acquaintances at Poplar Creek have asked her to help them with minor clothing repair and tailoring.She’s peeled 80 pounds of potatoes for Poplar Creek since moving there, and she’s helped frost cookies, too. "They always come to me to do these kinds of things," Myrtle said. "I’ve really had a good time in here."

By Lexi MooreHills’ only café, Donatello’s Café and Deli, was added to the local real estate market this week.The café is owned and operated by Eugene and Diane Immediato of Jasper. The couple decided in January to sell the restaurant they opened last June."I have accomplished what I wanted here and have other projects to move on to," said Eugene."I am a task-oriented person and I have been successful in this task. It is time for me tackle the next task."Their goal when purchasing the building from the City of Hills in December 2003 was to fill a need of the community. The couple feels they have fulfilled that need and now hope someone local buys the restaurant."It would be nice if someone local, who knows the pulse of Hills, takes over," he said.The opening of the restaurant changed the look of Main Street in Hills. In the opening months, cars, lawnmowers and bicycles filled formerly empty spaces on the road.Eugene said the business has been profitable and fun to operate.Both his wife, Diane, and his son, Eugene Jr., said they are sad to see the place leave the family’s hands.Eugene Jr. said, while making a sandwich, "I love this place – the people, the work — it has been great for me."Community excitement changed to an overall positive response to the quality of food and the prices. After their sixth month anniversary in December, the couple reported being pleased with sales.They said the business has several untapped areas of potential, including pizza, catering and increased advertising.The Immediatos listed their business with Keith Elbers of Real Estate Retrievers.The listing, found on the Real Estate Retrievers Web site, describes the business as a "new restaurant and the only one in town, very profitable and productive."Eugene encourages interested buyers to contact Elbers to see the financial books and complete lists of mechanical inventory.The couple plans to sell the restaurant as a turnkey operation. They will train and assist new owners on every aspect of the business.The sale includes all of the equipment, training and the 140-by-67-foot building, which includes a large basement.The Immediatos say community support has been overwhelming, and leaving will be like leaving behind a family."People come in and you feed them, and that is an important relationship," Diane said. "I got used to seeing the same faces every day. It has been nice."