Thinking spring is easy to do when the snow is all gone and the skies turn a bright blue. The lawns are turning green — oh, what a beautiful scene. It won’t be long before we’re using our window screens. My garden is bare, which gives me some despair, but as soon as my wife will let me, I’ll be out of her hair. And then, she’ll be a spring widow or at least it will seem so, as I’ll be out trimming and mowing the beautiful green.March is here and I don’t believe the old adage is true this time around. Besides the wind, it sure felt like March came strolling in like a little lamb with temperatures reaching the 40’s and 50’s. Some visiting might want to winter in Steen rather than in Florida. I guess I would anyway. In news this week, excitement stirs over the news of a new family moving into town and just at the right time. Marlin and Linda Elbers have sold their home to Ryan Boltjes of Ellsworth and the closing will be on Friday. Ryan and his two children plan to move in this weekend. Welcome to Steen! Marlin and Linda are in the process of moving and have the job pretty close to finished. They just built a new home in the Scholten Drive Addition on the west end of Steen. Friends and family have been aiding with the moving process and on Wednesday night Jo Aykens had them over for supper to say goodbye and to help out. Roger Bosch, son of Bill and Bertha Bosch, traveled from Bellview, Neb., this past Friday to spend some time with his dad at the Mary Jane Brown home. Due to the flu the Dutch hymn sing was cancelled at the Tuff Home. More news on that next week.On Saturday Malena Boeve celebrated her birthday. Many friends and family members aided in her celebration through phone calls, cards and a lunch at her house Sunday afternoon. Happy birthday, Malena!Beth (Bonnema) Sakurai will return to Japan on Friday after a week-and-a-half stay at the Steen bed and breakfast (AKA the Denglers). She has been spending time with her brother Don, who is recovering from surgery at the Veterans Hospital in Sioux Falls. Don is doing much better and gaining strength. Visitors are welcome.This past Friday former Steen resident Laura Mae Bosch underwent angioplasty surgery to clean out some blocked arteries. She is doing well. Also, last Friday the Steen Reformed Church held its Women’s Day of Prayer services with approximately 70 women in attendance. Ranee Hagen spoke on prayer, and I was told she did an absolutely wonderful job!Congratulations to the H-BC boys’ basketball team as they wrapped up their season this past week. Thank you, gentlemen, for a great season!News from the Steen City Council: they have lowered the price of the City Hall to $29,000 in hopes someone will buy it. They wish to sell it as soon as possible so they can get underway with construction on a new city hall on Main Street.In church news, there was an open house bridal shower for Jennifer Saarloos on Saturday. Many women from the community attended. This past week the church installed a new phone system with voice mail and implemented a prayer ministry.If you or anyone you know has any prayer concerns, they may call the church, request the prayer line and leave a prayer concern or praise. You can also call this prayer line to hear the latest prayer concerns! The number for this prayer line is 855-2336.The Jr. RCYF youth group would like to invite the community to their soup supper on March 15 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. That’s all for this week. 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!

Jackson Bond to appear on ‘CSI’Bill and Janet Preuss will be making sure they don’t miss next Monday’s episode of "CSI Miami."Bill’s great-nephew, Jackson Bond, age 9, will be one of the featured performers in the CBS series.Not a lot is known about the story line, so that will have to be a surprise, but how Jackson got to where he is, is not.Jackson was originally discovered two years ago at age 7 by a talent agent while performing a skit for a Twin Cities Lions Club.The talent agent must have had a good eye, because of 700 boys trying out for the part, Jackson was chosen to play the son of Nicole Kidman in this fall’s movie release of "The Visiting," a remake of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," released in 1956 and again in 1978.From October to December 2005, Jackson spent his time with Nicole shooting scenes in the Baltimore and Washington D.C. areas, and he has very nice things to say about her.Since working on "CSI Miami," which was shot about two weeks ago, he has done commercials for "Build-A-Bear", a voice-over for U.S. Swim and Fitness, and this week is doing a shoot for Target.Next week Jackson is scheduled to fly to California to audition for 6 to 8 episodes of a pilot where the character plays a gifted athlete who also happens to be a genius.The production company hopes the episode will impress one of the networks and get picked for next year’s season.But for now, you can catch Jackson Bond on "CSI Miami" at 9 p.m. Monday, March 6.Bell Museum to honor BrandenburgLuverne native Jim Brandenburg will be the featured artist and special guest at "Drawn to Nature," a public benefit and art sale for the University of Minnesota’s Bell Museum of Natural History.Brandenburg will be honored with a multi-media presentation and an honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, from the university for his contributions to environmental awareness and preservation.In addition to Brandenburg, nationally known artists include contemporary artist Daniel Wheeler, painter Cole Johnson, photographer Chris Faust, botanical painters Tim Trost and Wendy Brockman, landscape painter Scott Lloyd Anderson, naturalist Jim Rataczak and environmental sculptor Alis Olsen.The sale will feature more than 150 original pieces of art by Brandenburg and the guest artists.The event will be at 6 p.m. Friday, March 31, at the McNamara Alumni Center in Minneapolis. All proceeds will go toward the Bell Museum’s exhibit and educational programs.’05 deer harvest third largest on recordEven though the number of deer harvested by firearms was down 6 percent, an 11 percent increase in archery and a 50 percent increase by muzzleloaders pushed the 2005 deer harvest above 255,555, the third largest in state history. A total of 59,000 hunters purchased an all-season license. Firearm hunters harvested 216,000 deer, while archery and muzzleloaders harvested 23,200 and 14,000 respectively.Hunters who participated in the early antlerless season on Oct. 15 and 16 harvested 1600 deer, according to the Minnesota DNR.The past three years have been good to Minnesota deer hunters, providing hunters with the top three harvest years ever on record.According to Lou Cornicelli, DNR big game coordinator, the interest in muzzleloader hunting is a primary reason for the increase."I think people are really grabbing on to the fact they can extend their time in the field by getting into muzzleloader hunting, which overall isn’t very expensive," Cornicelli said.Because of our mild winter, Cornicelli expects next fall to be another bountiful harvest.The antlerless season will continue to be used as a management tool as long as a large deer population exists. For the 2006 season, the deadline for the "either sex" permit application is Sept. 7. Archery deer hunting begins Sept. 16. Statewide firearms deer hunting season opens Nov. 4, and the muzzleloader season opens Nov. 25.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALSNobles-Rock Community Health Services is soliciting proposals for agency management services.Proposals may be obtained from the Nobles-Rock Community Health Services, 315 10th Street, P.O. Box 757, Worthington, MN 56187. Proposal due date is March 31, 2006. The Nobles-Rock Community Health Board reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to waive any and all informalities therein and to accept any proposal deemed to be in the best interest of the agency. Dated: February 15, 2006Melvin J Ruppert, Nobles County, Co-Interim DirectorKyle Oldre, Rock County, Co-Interim Director(2-23, 3-2)

Public NoticeClose Proximity Property Owners and Local Officials of the Rock County Planning & Zoning CommissionNotice is hereby given that the Rock County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Monday, March 6th, 2006, at the Rock County Family Services Building located at 2 Roundwind Road in Luverne, MN at 7:45 P.M. to act on the following conditional use permit application:Conditional use: Expansion of an existing feedlot located within 1/4 mile of a neighboring residence. Property Owner: Jeff & Larry SwensonLegal Description: SE 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of section 18 in Mound Township, Rock County, Minnesota. The conditional use permit is for the expansion of an existing feedlot on the property described above. The existing feedlot has a 60’ x 210’ open lot and a 75’ x 110’ open lot, both with runoff controls to house 60 Stock Cows and 60 feeder cattle equaling 102 animal units. The proposed facility consists of a 101’ x 161’ total confinement barn to house 2000 head of swine between 55 and 300 pounds. Using 0.3 animal units per head, total animal units are 600. The building shall have a 101’ x 161’ x 8’ poured reinforced concrete pit for manure storage. The total animal unit capacity will be 702.The described property is zoned as A-2, General Agriculture. All persons interested may appear and be heard at said time and place, or submit views in writing or by representative. Dated: February 23rd, 2006By Order of the Rock County Planning & Zoning CommissionEric Hartman, Zoning Administrator311 W. Gabrielson RoadLuverne, MN 56156507-283-8862(2-23, 3-2)

By John RittenhouseLed by guard Chelsi Fink, the Hills-Beaver Creek girls’ basketball team pulled off an upset by knocking off Ellsworth in the opening round of the South Section 3A Tournament in Edgerton Thursday.Fink, who scored a game-high 26 points, cast the most important stones in what developed into an 82-18 double-overtime victory for the Patriots.The H-BC junior drained three consecutive free throws at the end of regulation play to force overtime. Fink then hit what turned out to be the game-winning shot with 12 seconds left in the second overtime session.H-BC, the tournament’s 10th seed, surprised the seventh-seeded Panthers by opening a 37-30 halftime advantage.Ellsworth tied the game at 38 when Amy Tiesler hit a free throw at the 15:19 mark of the second half, and the score was tied at 51 when Ellsworth went on a 10-2 spurt capped by Brooke Kramer’s three-point play to give the Panthers a 61-53 lead with 5:42 left in regulation play.H-BC crept to within one point of EHS before Panther senior Rachel Kvaale sank a pair of free throws with 16.3 seconds left to give her team a 67-64 advantage. Fink, however, was fouled in the act of shooting a three-point shot with 1.1 seconds left. She hit all three free throws, sending the contest to overtime.Both teams sported two-point leads in the first overtime, with Ellsworth’s coming with 23.8 seconds left, when Kvaale hit two free throws to give EHS a 74-72 edge. H-BC’s Ashley Hoyme returned the favor with 13 seconds remaining, tying the game at 74 after burying a pair of free throws to force a second overtime.Each team sported one-point leads during the second overtime before Ellsworth’s Rosie Lewis converted a free throw with 23.1 seconds remaining to give the Panthers an 81-79 cushion.Fink answered the challenge for H-BC by drilling a three-point shot from the top of the key with 12 seconds remaining, giving the Patriots their one-point win.The win sent the 6-20 Patriots to Saturday’s quarterfinals in Worthington. The loss ended Ellsworth’s 10-12 campaign.Along with leading the Patriots in scoring, Fink collected a team-high 13 rebounds. Kari Roozenboom pulled down 12 rebounds and scored 11 points. Stacy Bush added 14 points, five assists and four steals to the winning cause. Hoyme chipped in 11 points.Tiesler (24 points and 11 rebounds), Lewis (10 points and 14 rebounds) and Kramer (13 points and 11 rebounds) registered double-doubles for the Panthers. Kvaale netted 19 points and charted five assists.Box scoreH-BCJ.Bucher 0 0 0-0 0, Fransman 1 1 2-4 7, Bush 5 1 1-2 14, Tilstra 2 0 0-1 4, Fink 3 4 8-19 26, Helgeson 3 0 3-5 9, Roozneboom 3 0 5-6 11, Hoyme 4 0 3-4 11.EllsworthTiesler 6 1 9-12 24, Connors 1 1 0-0 5, Kramer 4 1 2-2 13, Mann 1 0 1-2 3, Kvaale 1 3 8-8 19, Kix 2 1 0-0 7, Lewis 4 0 2-5 10.Team statisticsH-BC: 27 of 73 field goals (37 percent), 22 of 41 free throws (54 percent), 48 rebounds, 17 turnovers.Ellsworth: 26 of 72 field goals (36 percent), 22 of 32 free throws (69 percent), 48 rebounds, 36 turnovers.

By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek boys finished the regular season with a 3-23 record after dropping their home finale to Lincoln HI Monday.The game appeared to be up for grabs when the score was knotted at 33 after the first half was complete. The Rebels, however, outscored the Patriots 41-32 in the second half to win 74-65.LH settled the issue with a strong start in the second half.The Rebels went on a 31-15 run in the first 9:34 of the second half to open a 64-48 lead with 8:26 left to play.The Patriots trimmed the difference to nine points three different times in the final 4:24, but that proved to be as close as they could come to catching the Rebels.Both teams had their moments in the first half.LH scored the first six points of the game before falling behind 26-21 when Jason Hup converted a field goal for H-BC with 2:16 remaining.The Patriots led 33-31 when Adam Finke finished a rare four-point play with 37 seconds left. LH tied the game with a pair of free throws late in the half.Hup finished the game with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Aaron Esselink poured in 27 points. Halden Van Wyhe registered seven assists.H-BC opens the South Section 3A Tournament at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Edgerton Public School. The 11th-seeded Patriots take on No. 6 Fulda.Box scoreVan Wyhe 0 0 4-4 4, Rozeboom 1 0 2-2 4, Finke 1 1 2-3 7, Leuthold 0 0 0-0 0, Scholten 0 1 0-0 3, Van Batavia 0 0 0-0 0, DeBoer 0 0 0-0 0, Hup 7 0 4-6 18, Sandbulte 1 0 0-0 2, Esselink 10 0 7-9 27.Team statisticsH-BC: 22 of 63 field goals (35 percent), 19 of 24 free throws (79 percent), 37 rebounds, 18 turnovers.LH: 24 of 61 field goals (39 percent), 19 of 30 free throws (63 percent),

By Lori EhdeA rural Hills man was sentenced in Rock County District Court for his role in a meth lab seized last fall.Darwin Gene Otten, 45 at the time of the arrest, was sentenced on Feb. 13 to 180 days in the Prairie Justice Center, Worthington. He’ll get credit for 94 days already served.Otten initially faced two charges of first-degree controlled substance crimes — one for attempted manufacture of meth and one for conspiracy to produce meth (for possessing the precursors to produce meth). Otten was also charged with fifth-degree controlled substance crime for possessing meth.He and Donald Frederick Wilson, 50 at the time, were arrested Nov. 12, after authorities found a meth lab in the house they were renting in Martin Township near Hills.With the aid of the High Risk Entry Team, law enforcement recovered a handgun and a long list of items used to manufacture meth. Many of the items were found in a shop and corn crib on the premises.The list includes, for example, starter fluid, paint stripper, acetone, pseudoephedrine, glass jars, rubber gloves, coffee filters, lithium batteries, drain opener, anhydrous ammonia tanks, a hot grill, a bong and miscellaneous containers with colored, layered mixtures.The two men were living on a rented acreage owned by Charlie Sandager, who later decided to destroy the home, rather than pay the high cost of detoxifying the place of meth residue.In addition to jail time, Otten must pay more than $2,000 in fines, complete in-patient chemical dependency treatment and aftercare, complete halfway house placement, attend AA or NA meetings at least twice a week, abstain from alcohol or other mood altering substances, submit random blood, breath or urine samples, provide a DNA sample and be on probation for three years.Wilson, who is currently in custody of the Prairie Justice Center, Worthington, is scheduled for jury trial March 29 and 30 in Rock County.

By Lori EhdeCriminal sexual assault charges against a Colorado man were dismissed in Rock County last week when the victim’s family decided not to put the girl through testifying in court.John Leslie Lomax, 43, Colorado Springs, Colo., was charged last summer after a 6-year-old girl said he had touched her in the Comfort Inn swimming pool in Luverne.According to the complaint filed June 7, 2005, the girl was swimming with her cousins when Lomax befriended them in the pool on the evening of June 4.Police were called to their hotel room after the girl spontaneously announced that "John" had touched her on her private parts with his finger and asked if it felt good.She said this to her aunt, who had been watching the girls and an infant near the pool. The aunt told police that the girl pointed to her genitals when she described the encounter.The girls identified Lomax as wearing a gray swimsuit and having a large tattoo on his arm.He was still by the pool when police found him and questioned him.He admitted to playing in the pool with the girls, but that he didn’t recall intentionally touching the 6-year-old as she described. If he did, he said, it was an accident.Before taking Lomax to jail in Worthington, they searched his room and found knives in a bag, along with a fully loaded semi-automatic pistol.According to the complaint, Rock County forensics experts conducted taped interviews with the girl, asking her to show, with dolls, what happened in the pool and how she was touched.Lomax was charged with second-degree and fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct. If convicted, the maximum penalty would have been 25 years in prison, a $35,000 fine or both.Lomax was scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on Feb. 13, but that was canceled when the victim’s family decided she wouldn’t testify.According to Assistant Rock County Attorney Jeff Haubrich, the case is built around the girl’s testimony."There was no physical evidence and there were no witnesses," Haubrich said. "Without her the case is dismissed."Lomax is facing separate charges in Rock County, however, for possessing an uncased, loaded firearm.He pleaded guilty to those gross misdemeanor charges Friday was fined $500 plus court fees. He forfeited the gun.

By Sara QuamThe Luverne airport will get a new hangar to replace the one that was destroyed by the 2004 windstorm. The tee hangar bid was awarded to MJ Neisen Asphalt, Arlington, at $355,125. Considering administrative and engineering fees, the total cost will be closer to $398,275.The city is expecting approval of a state grant of $95,950. The city will take out a no-interest 10-year loan for $165,100. After insurance proceeds from the windstorm, the city will pay $41,225, which it has on hand in the airport fund.Hangars are rented out, so they also generate some income for the airport.The other bid was submitted by Design Craft, Luverne, for $359,963.Longer runway still in the worksIn order for Luverne Municipal Airport to get a new runway, the next step is an environmental assessment.Funding for an engineer to complete the assessment will be approved at a future Luverne City Council meeting. The assessment will determine a new runway’s effect on wildlife, any wetlands and the general area within the fly zone.The assessment will likely be funded 95 percent federally and will cost the city less than $2,000. After the assessment is completed, the Federal Aviation Administration must approve it. The city has changed its plans to build a 4,200-foot runway to a 3,500-foot runway. A study on the number of larger planes and frequency of use steered that change.Now, larger planes have difficulty using the short runway.The city is also waiting for a land appraisal for 92 acres of Rob Stegenga’s land that the city is interested in purchasing for the new runway.