PUBLIC HEARING NOTICEThe Rock County Board of Commissioners will be conducting a Public Hearing on February 21, 2006, at 9:00 A.M. in the basement of the Rock County Community Library located at 201 W. Main Street; Luverne, Minnesota to hear input regarding three petitions to drain into Judicial Ditch No. 2.Susan Skattum, Office Mgr/Comp TechRock County Administrator’s Office2-9

PROBATE COURTDISTRICT COURT PROBATE DIVISIONSTATE OF MINNESOTACOUNTY OF ROCKIn Re: Estate ofRichard Ketterling, Deceased ORDER AND NOTICE OF HEARINGON PETITION FOR ADJUDICATION OFINTESTACY, DETERMINATION OF HEIRSHIP AND APPOINTMENT OF ADMINISTRATOR IN SUPERVISED ADMINISTRATION AND NOTICE TO CREDITORSTO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS AND CREDITORS:It is Ordered and Notice is hereby given that on the 27th day of February, 2006, at 3:30 O’clock P.M., a hearing will be held in the above named Court at Rock County Courthouse, Luverne, Minnesota, for the adjudication of intestacy and determination of heirship and for the appointment of Jack J. Maras, whose address is 620 West Fletcher, Luverne, Minnesota 56156, as administrator of the estate of the above named decedent in supervised administration, and that any objections thereto must be filed with the Court. That, if proper, and no objections are filed, said administrator will be appointed to administer the estate, to collect all assets, pay all legal debts, claims, taxes and expenses, and sell real and personal property, and do all necessary acts for the estate. Upon completion of the administration, the administrator shall file a final account for the allowance and shall distribute the estate to the persons thereto entitled as ordered by the Court, and close the estate.Notice is further given that ALL CREDITORS having claims against said estate are required to present the same to said administrator or to the Court Administrator within four months after the date of this notice or said claims will be barred.Dated: February 1, 2006 /s/ Timothy K. Connell Timothy K. Connell District Court Judge/s/ Douglas E. Eisma /s/ Sandra L. Vrtacnik Douglas E. Eisma Sandra L. VrtacnikAttorney for Petitioner Court AdministratorEisma and Eisma130 East Main, Box 625Luverne, MN 56156(507)283-4828I.D. #158343 2-9,2-16

PROBATE COURTDISTRICT COURT – COUNTY COURTPROBATE DIVISIONSTATE OF MINNESOTACOUNTY OF ROCKIn Re: Estate ofDarlene Anderson, Deceased ORDER AND NOTICE OF HEARING FOR FORMAL PROBATE OF WILL AND APPOINTMENT OF PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE IN SUPERVISED ADMINISTRATION AND NOTICE TO CREDITORSTO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS AND CREDITORS:It is Ordered and Notice is hereby given that on the 27th day of February, 2006, at 3:30 O’clock P.M., a hearing will be held in the above named Court at Rock County Courthouse, Luverne, Minnesota, for the formal probate of an instrument purporting to be the will of the above named deceased, dated September 3, 2003, and for the appointment of Jack Anderson whose address is 22397 200th Street, Nevis MN 56467, as personal representative of the estate of the above named decedent in supervised administration, and that any objections thereto must be filed with the Court. That, if proper, and no objections are filed, said personal representatives will be appointed to administer the estate, to collect all assets, pay all legal debts, claims, taxes and expenses, and sell real and personal property, and do all necessary acts for the estate. Upon completion of the administration, the representative shall file a final account for the allowance and shall distribute the estate to the persons thereto entitled as ordered by the Court, and close the estate.Notice is further given that ALL CREDITORS having claims against said estate are required to present the same to said personal representatives or to the Court Administrator within four months after the date of this notice or said claims will be barred.Dated: February 1, 2006 /s/ Timothy K. Connell Timothy K. Connell District Court Judge/s/ Douglas E. Eisma /s/ Sandra L. Vrtacnik Douglas E. Eisma Sandra L. VrtacnikAttorney for Petitioner Court AdministratorEisma and Eisma130 East Main, Box 625Luverne, MN 56156(507)283-4828I.D. #158343 2-9,2-16

AN-CNMINNESOTA SECRETARY OF STATECERTIFICATE OF ASSUMED NAMEMinnesota Statutes Chapter 333The filing of an assumed name does not provide a user with exclusive rights to that name. The filing is required for consumer protection in order to enable customers to be able to identify the true owner of a business.1. State the exact assumed name under which the business is or will be conducted:CLEVERINGA CONSTRUCTION2. State the address of the principal place of business.879 100th Ave. Luverne MN 56156 Street City State Zip code3. 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. Attach additional sheet(s) if necessary. Merlin Cleveringa 879 100th Ave. Luverne MN 56156 Name Street City State Zip4. 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/ Merlin Cleveringa Merlin Cleveringa, Owner11/19/2005 Merlin Cleveringa 507-920-5631Date Contact Person / Daytime Phone Number2-9, 2-16

AN-CNMINNESOTA SECRETARY OF STATECERTIFICATE OF ASSUMED NAMEMinnesota Statutes Chapter 333The filing of an assumed name does not provide a user with exclusive rights to that name. The filing is required for consumer protection in order to enable customers to be able to identify the true owner of a business.1. State the exact assumed name under which the business is or will be conducted:CARDINAL BUILDING SYSTEMS2. State the address of the principal place of business.102 E. Maple Luverne MN 56156 Street City State Zip code3. 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. Attach additional sheet(s) if necessary. Luverne Building Center, Inc. 102 E. Maple Luverne MN 56156 Name Street City State Zip4. 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/ Samuel D. Berghorst Samuel D. Berghorst, President1/24/2006 Samuel D. Berghorst (507) 283-9151Date Contact Person / Daytime Phone Number2-9, 2-16

Hospice kickoffThe planning has begun for the 13th annual Hospice Charity Dinner and Auction.Once again the event will include both a live and silent auction.According to organizer Helen Saum, the auction this year will include a variety of donated merchandise including gift certificates, framed art work, handmade items, and sports-related items, including Vikings tickets.The popular wine and jewelry raffles from past years will also be making a return.This year’s event will have a New York City theme. All ticket holders will be eligible for the drawing at the end of the evening for a weekend for two to New York City.Tickets are $40 each, or you can purchase a table for 8 for $450.Last year’s event grossed more than $49,000, which goes toward the operation of the Hospice Cottage in Luverne.The 2006 banquet will be at the Blue Mound Banquet Center on Friday, April 21, with the silent auction beginning at 5 p.m. and the dinner starting at 7 p.m.Volunteers needed …A kickoff meeting is planned for Friday, Feb. 17, at the Blue Mound Banquet Center from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., when the 2006 fund-raising activities will be discussed. Along with longtime volunteers, new volunteers are needed.If you would like to volunteer and attend the planning session, contact Helen Saum by Feb 13th at the Hospice office at 402 E. Main at 283-1805.Luverne native chosen to compete in ’06 Custer StampedeLuverne native Shelley Creeger Stoltenberg is among 23 artists chosen to create 20 one-of-a-kind life-size buffalo art.The artists will also decorate ten table-size buffalo.The artwork will be on display in Custer throughout the summer.Ten of the artists chosen are from South Dakota, five are from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and two others from Wyoming.Other participants hail from New Mexico, Colorado, North Carolina and Montana.Stoltenberg is currently living in Spearfish, S.D.Too old for the Army? Maybe notIf you’re between the ages of 34 and 40 and were thinking about a career change, the army may be the place for you.The maximum age for anyone to enlist in the army was 34 until recently, when the age was raised to 40.The army also announced that it has doubled the maximum combination of cash enlistment bonuses, up to $40,000 for the active Army and up to $20,000 for the Army Reserve.The new incentives were made possible under the provisions of the 2006 National Defense Authorization Act.The change allows the active Army recruitment age limit to match the Army Reserve age limit.The Army Reserve enlistment age limit was raised last March.The maximum combination of cash bonuses for an active Army enlistment of three years is $10,000, except for a few occupational specialties that may qualify for up to $40,000.Some of the incentives may also be combined with either the Army’s Loan Repayment program or the Army College Fund.The Loan Repayment Program can repay up to $65,000 in qualifying student loans and the Army College Fund combined with the Montgomery GI Bill offers recruits up to $71,424 for higher education.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

With the 2006 Winter Olympic Games set to begin this weekend in Torino, Italy, I’m sure many Rock County residents will be watching some of the events unfold from the comfort of their living rooms over the next two weeks.Under normal circumstances, I pay about as much attention to the Olympics as I do my frost-covered lawn at this time of year.When you attend local sporting events four or five nights out of the week, hurrying home to watch a bunch of people I’ve never heard of competing in events I don’t understand is something I try to avoid.That, however, might change this time around.After recently discovering there will be a person with Rock County ties competing in Italy, I will try to witness some of the Alpine skiing events if the opportunity presents itself.While many of you may have never heard of Kaylin Richardson, one of 34 Minnesotans who will compete in the Winter Games, she will serve as the focal point of the Olympics for one area family.Richardson, 21, is the cousin of Luverne’s Jim and Darrell Rockman, and both men take pride in the fact she is an official member of the United States Ski Team.Richardson, who hails from Edina, is connected to my friends through their mother, Luverne’s Doris Rockman.Doris is the sister of Linda Richardson, who is the mother of the 5-11, 150-pound Kaylin Richardson.As one would expect, Kaylin Richardson has devoted a good share of her life to the sport of skiing in order to become a member of the U.S. Team.Following in the footsteps of her brothers (Chris and Tom Richardson), she started skiing at the age of five and has been involved ever since then.Kaylin started racing at the age of 9 as a member of Team Gilboa and developed into one of the nation’s top junior performers. She earned a bronze medal in the Downhill and Super Giant Slalom events at the Central J3 Junior Olympics in 1999 and was the slalom champion and combined slalom-downhill bronze medalist at the J1-2 Junior Olympics in 2000.In preparation for the Games in Italy, Richardson has been training and finding some success at pre-Olympic events in Europe.She placed fourth in the Slalom at the European Cup staged in France on Jan. 31. Five days prior to that, Richardson finished seventh at the Giant Slalom at a International Ski Federation race in Austria.According to predictions made in Sports Illustrated’s Winter Olympics Preview edition that I received on Friday, Richardson is not expected to medal in Italy.A magazine’s forecast of how things will turn out in Torino means little to the Rockmans right now.A member of the family will be living her dream of competing on one of the world’s biggest stages, and they have reason to be proud of that.As for myself, now I have a reason to watch at least a part of the Olympics instead of doing my best trying to avoid it.

Star Herald love story is nearly lost due to Olson-Nelson audio errorOn the front page of our B-Section today, you’ll find a love story about a local couple who renewed their vows on their 30th anniversary.Lyle Olson surprised his wife, Rhonda, with a 200-guest ceremony, a wedding gown and a honeymoon trip to Hawaii.It’s a romantic, inspiring story about a couple truly living happily ever after – even 30 years later.The story behind the story, however, is equally as interesting as the story itself.Shirley Top, a friend of the Olsons, told the Star Herald last fall about the surprise ceremony and wondered if we’d be interested in doing a story.The tip came to me via voice mail at the office, and listening to the phone message, I mistook the name Lyle Olson, to be Lyle Nelson At our next news meeting, I assigned the story to Sara, who promptly called the Nelsons to request an interview.For a long time, we didn’t hear from anyone.At our weekly news meetings, Sara reported that she was still hoping to hear back from the couple, and that she’d leave another message on their answering machine.She eventually spoke with Shirley, to let her know she’d tried to reach the Nelsons but hadn’t heard back from them."Nelsons?" Shirley said. "You mean Olsons?"Oh … Olsons.At the next news meeting, Sara reported the case of mistaken identity. Blushing, she recalled the second message she left on the Nelson machine."Hello, Nelsons," she said playfully. "You’re probably still gone on your second honeymoon … Congratulations on your second wedding."We speculated on how this message may have been received in the Nelson home.Perhaps it was Mrs. Nelson who played the message on the answering machine and didn’t want to say anything for fear of ruining the surprise.So, while we were waiting for a reply at the Star Herald, it’s possible that Mrs. Nelson was anxiously awaiting her "surprise" anniversary present.We never did speak with the Nelsons, and we wonder if they ever got the messages. If so, we apologize for any confusion (or anticipation) we may have caused.If not, um … never mind. Meanwhile in the Olson home, the intended recipients of the message were completely unaware of our request, blissfully remarried and enjoying their second honeymoon.At the same time, Shirley Top, who so thoughtfully tipped us off to the romantic story, was likely scanning the Star Herald pages weekly, looking for the story.Well, Shirley, patience and persistence — and hearing the difference between Nelson and Olson — have paid off, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

"The Power of Christ’s Love In Us"Love is a powerful emotion for most people. Young children need to feel loved in order to feel like they belong to someone. Without love they feel abandoned and isolated, rejected and a nobody. As they grow older, feelings of love revolve around sexuality and relationships. Our value and worth are determined by how we fit in and get along with one another. Even young adults fall into this trap of feeling worthless if they are not in a serious relationship. Middle-aged people are not immune either; mid-life crisis is all about how we feel about ourselves. If we feel unfulfilled, it can be traced to feelings of insecurity about who we are or what we have not accomplished in our lives, which is related to contentment in our love relationships. Senior citizens need to give and receive love also. Again, it nurtures their sense of value and worth, which provide our reason for living.Love is powerful and leads people to believe that whatever they do in the name of love is good. But this is not true. Love needs to be defined clearly before it can be acted on properly. No one defines love better than the One who defines Himself as love, and that is God. "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that ‘God sent his only son into the world, so that we might live through him’" (1 John 4:10). St. Paul adds, "For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised" (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).This is how God would have us to understand love. It comes to us through faith, which is created in us by the Holy Spirit working through Word and Sacrament. This faith receives the love that God places in us, giving us value and worth based on the works of Christ on our behalf. Christians then pass this love onto others through our daily activities and relationships. This powerful love is based on giving to others rather than on receiving from others. It begins with God and then returns to God as it flows through God’s loving people.God’s love is the love that makes all other loving relationships all that they can be. Without God’s love, all other loving relationships are simply selfish and self-serving relationships. It is God’s love that bonds a man and a woman together for a lifetime in marriage. It is God loving a man and a woman first that enables them to be willing to give themselves fully to each other and not fear what the future might bring. Content in God’s faithfulness, they will be content with each other because God has promised that His "grace (undeserved love) is sufficient" for every situation.God’s love is what binds parents to their children and children to their parents. God’s love is what makes friendships lasting and even makes us good workers. Knowing that we are loved by God gives us the motivation to be giving in every aspect of our lives. Content in God’s amazing love through Jesus Christ makes us free to give of ourselves freely and abundantly. It is good to know God and His love for us through Jesus Christ. It is the power of life and salvation.As we think about love during February, may we remember that it all begins with our loving God. Because of Him and His Son, Jesus Christ, we need never feel abandoned or rejected, worthless or unnecessary. We are here because God wanted us and needed us to receive His love and share His love with others. Be the valentine to others that Christ is to you.