Don E. Wallenberg, 87, of Sioux Falls, S.D., died Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2006, at Avera McKennan Hospice in Sioux Falls.Services were Friday, Jan. 13, at East Side Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls. Don Wallenberg was born March 26, 1918, in Rock County to George and Ragna (Bjerk) Wallenberg. He attended school in Beaver Creek and worked as a hired hand for relatives and friends in the area. On March 7, 1947, he married Leona Kasemodel. After farming near Hardwick for two years, they moved to Sioux Falls, where he worked in the curing department for John Morrell & Company for 31 years. After his retirement in 1980 he enjoyed several winters in Tempe, Ariz., and summer vacations in Northern Minnesota.Mr. Wallenberg attended East Side Lutheran Church. He was a member of the Local 304A Union and a member of the Moose Lodge. He enjoyed reading, walking, fishing and spending time with his family.He is survived by his wife; two sons, Gail (Colleen) Wallenberg, Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Steven (Debra) Wallenberg, Sioux Falls; three grandchildren, Nicole (Quinn) Damgaard, Council Bluffs, Joshua Wallenberg, Omaha, Neb., and Callie Wallenberg, Sioux Falls; one great-granddaughter, Brooklyn Damgaard, Council Bluffs; and one brother, Orland (Lillian) Wallenberg, Sioux Falls.He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, Raymond and Eugene, and two sisters, Rosella Kolsrud and Darlene Herrmann.Chapel Hill Funeral Home of Sioux Falls was in charge of arrangements.

Lucille M. Schaefer Ehde, 89, of Wheat Ridge, Colo., died Dec. 31, 2005, at Wheat Ridge.Lucille Elliott was born Oct. 24, 1916, in Hurley, S.D., to Raymond and Vera Elliott. She graduated from Hurley High School and earned her LPN degree at Sioux Valley Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D. She married Calvin B. Schaefer at Parker. They had three children. In 1987 she married William Ehde of Hills and resided there until Mr. Ehde’s death in 2000.She is survived by two sons, Jim (Anne) Schaefer and Keith Schaefer; one daughter, Sharda (Lyle) Kratcha; eight grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and a sister, Beryl Koller.

Sharon Rae Delfs, 62, Steen, died Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2006, at Merrill Pioneer Community Hospital in Rock Rapids, Iowa.There was a memorial service Friday, Jan. 13, at Roste Funeral Home in Rock Rapids.Sharon Rae Piersal was born Nov. 29, 1943, at Helena, Mont., to Raymond and Swanhild "Swanie" (Oien) Piersal. She grew up in Baltic, S.D., where she attended school and graduated from Baltic High School in 1961. She continued her education at General Beadle College in Madison, S.D. She married Gary Delfs on April 1, 1963, at Wheaton. They lived in several communities and settled in Sioux Falls, S.D. In 1966 they moved to an acreage near Steen, where they lived for 30 years and raised their family. Mrs. Delfs later worked at Tuff Memorial Home in Hills. She enjoyed collecting baskets, cooking, gardening, bird watching, playing cards and spending time with her grandchildren. Mrs. Delfs is survived by her husband; three sons, Gary Jr. (Terri) Delfs, Steen, Craig (Julie) Delfs, Madison, S.D., and Jeff (Beth) Delfs, Canton, S.D.; six grandchildren; one brother, James Piersal of Texas, and one sister, Carol Francisco of Seattle.She was preceded in death by her parents and a son, Lyle.Roste Funeral Home of Rock Rapids was in charge of arrangements.

Lolita A. Anderson, 86, Luverne, died Friday, Jan. 13, 2006, at the Mary Jane Brown Home in Luverne.Services were Monday, Jan. 16, at the United Methodist Church in Luverne with the Rev. Terry Morse officiating. Burial was at Maplewood Cemetery in Luverne.Lolita Noll was born July 1, 1919, in Davenport, Iowa, to William and Anne (Jasper) Noll. In 1929 she moved with her family to Rock County and graduated from Beaver Creek High School in 1936.She married George Hofelmann on Aug. 18, 1940, in Springwater Township, where they lived and farmed. Mr. Hofelmann died on Oct. 17, 1975.She married Ted Anderson on Sept. 26, 1979, in Las Vegas, Nev. After their marriage, they lived in Luverne. Mrs. Anderson worked at various places in Luverne, including the Luverne Community Hospital and the Viking Inn.Mrs. Anderson was a member of the United Methodist Church in Luverne and the Luverne VFW Ladies Auxiliary. She enjoyed baking, gardening, traveling, camping and fishing.She is survived by her husband; two children, Steven (Carol) Hofelmann, Carlton, Ore., and Connie (Stan) Olson, Beaver Creek; four grandchildren, Craig, Brett and Rochelle Olson, and Dana Rugg; eight great-grandchildren; one brother, Vernon (Louise) Noll, Luverne; nine stepchildren, Michele (Vernon) Perkins, Worthington, Stephanie (Gary) Frackman and Barbara Wise, all of Anchorage, Alaska, Julie (Calvin) Kuipers, Mankato, James (Laura) Anderson and Wendy (Dick) Grill, all of Luverne, Daniel (Becky) Anderson, Hills, Stephen (Donna) Anderson, Linton, Utah, and Thomas (Roxie) Anderson, Oceanside, Calif.; and many stepgrandchildren and stepgreat-grandchildren.She was preceded in death by her parents and her first husband.Dingmann Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

A boy, Gavin Blake, weighing 7 pounds 14 ounces, was born Monday, Jan. 9, 2006, at Sioux Valley Hospital, Sioux Falls, S.D., to Jason and Suzanne Johnson, Beaver Creek. He joins a brother, Quentin, 20 months old. Grandparents are Alverne and LaRay Johnson, Jasper, and Kerry and Janet Lutter, Beresford, S.D.Beth Sandager left Hills last Monday and the Cities on Tuesday for San Jose, Calif. There she is taking a course in Spanish and working part-time in a hardware store where she meets the customers and which helps to improve her Spanish vocabulary.Brian Kirsch was a Sunday dinner guest in the Bob and Twila Kirsch home.Chuck DeBoer, joined by others from the Sioux Falls American Reformed Church, left Monday for Pella, Iowa, where they will be attending Classis meetings.Bob and Twila Kirsch motored to Okabena Friday to attend basketball games of their children. Riley Lentz accompanied them back to Hills to spend until Monday there.School was not in session Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Day. The teachers had an in-service meeting.

By Sara QuamManagers at the Rock County Pool and Fitness Center said they hope the Fitness Challenge will bring in new members and also encourage current members to expand their experiences.The three-month program starts in February and costs $55 for new members and $10 for existing members to participate. The Fitness Challenge has participants logging their own minutes of time on certain exercises, with prizes and incentives along the way.Manager Robyn Wessels said, "We ended on a strong note in December, so we’re hoping that will continue into the New Year."Attendance from August through December of 2005 was much greater than attendance in 2004.Actual memberships weren’t on the rise in some categories, however.There were 419 family memberships in 2004 and 353 in 2005.There were 419 individual memberships in 2004 and 359 in 2005. There were big increases in the monthly family and monthly individual memberships, which are commonly used for people who exercise indoors in the winter or summer only, or for students home on college breaks.There were 30 family monthly memberships in 2004 and 67 in 2005. There were 76 monthly individual memberships in 2004 and 315 in 2005. Total memberships in 2005 were 1,094, compared with 944 in 2004.Age limitsManagement was asked to consider lowering the age of people allowed to use the facility, which is now 14.Other fitness centers or pools in the area allow children younger than 14 to use their facilities, but either the staff must supervise their activity or an adult is required to accompany the child.Manager Sam Honerman said, "If we could afford to have someone in the room all the time, it would make a difference."She said the spa has to have an age limit of 14, so it has been easier to enforce that age in the entire facility.Honerman said it may also be difficult to enforce the adult supervision rule, because some adults might not take that role seriously, and it will take staff time to make sure children are properly supervised. She said currently groups of 14- or 15-year-olds have caused problems and lowering the age might just exacerbate that.Commission member Ken Hoime said, "We have a lot of expensive equipment and I think we’re very safe at 14 and we should stay there." Commission member Karen Radisewitz said children older than 14 usually have some training for properly using equipment, and for their safety, the current age limit makes sense.

By Sara QuamThe Luverne Fire Department has 30 new, self-contained breathing apparatuses that will be partially paid for by grants of $87,780.Luverne City Councilman Pat Baustian said at the Tuesday council meeting that firefighter Dan Nath, Fire Chief Don Deutsch and Luverne Economic Development Director Jill Wolf deserve credit for working to get the grant.The breathing apparatuses should be in service for the department by the end of the month. They are used by all firefighters during calls so they can breathe under all circumstances.The city will pay $36,736 of the cost. City Administrator John Call said, "I figure that the grant saved the city $113,000."The city would normally replace a few at a time without a grant like this.In other city news Tuesday:
The Luverne City Council called a public hearing for Feb. 14. The hearing will be to allow public comment and for the council to state the intent to borrow up to $1.5 million in general obligation bonds. The council may choose not to bond for the full amount, but it is an option after the hearing.The bond hearing was earlier intended to be for $830,000 for the Fire Hall expansion along with $48,000 for architect, engineering and related fees as well as some extra for cost overruns.However, the City Council is using the option to bond for up to $1.5 million in case money is needed for work on the old hospital.
The Luverne Economic Development Authority accepted with regrets and thanks the resignations of Larry Wills and Nate Golla. Their seats, which expired at the end of 2005, will not be filled, and the LEDA will be a five-person board.
The council increased residential building permit fees for 2006 in an ordinance. Some of the fees are: —furnace replacement, $15; plumbing plan review, $50 per hour—residential construction has a range depending on value. For example, up to $2,500 value is $35; $100,001 to $500,000 is $792.50 for the first $100,000 plus $5 for each additional $1,000 or a fraction thereof, to and including $500,000.
The council declared two generators as surplus and directed staff to try to sell them on the open market.

By Lori EhdeFor years, Joann O’Leary has been studying the role of attachment in parent-child relationships, and she believes that understanding that role is critical in helping parents and families heal from grief and loss.O’Leary, a parent-infant specialist, will be in Luverne Thursday and Friday, Jan. 19 and 20, for a conference with area professionals and to help local families who have experienced the loss of a child or an unexpected outcome during pregnancy.The daytime schedules will be geared toward local family educators, teachers, healthcare professionals, clergy and other professionals, who will gain insight on how to support families in their loss.Continuing education credits are available. Call Community Education, 283-4724, to register.Especially for parentsThe Thursday evening program is for parents and grandparents who have experienced the loss of a child or an unexpected outcome of a pregnancy, such as a special needs child, loss in a multi-fetal pregnancy or adoption.O’Leary said she looks forward to meeting families during that Thursday night session at the Blue Mound Banquet and Meeting Center."It will be a chance for people to come and talk about the losses in their families," O’Leary said. "People can explore and share ways they’ve moved forward – not moved on. I don’t believe we ever move on but most people do find some meaning in their losses, because you’re so changed by the experience."From 6 to 8 p.m. she’ll facilitate an open discussion about society’s messages concerning grief and loss and she’ll discuss the life-long role of parenting in the event of unexpected outcomes."It will be a chance to talk with a group of people with similar but different experiences and share recovery stories," O’Leary said. "It can be a very healing process."Parents and grandparents are welcome to attend. They don’t need to register and there’s no fee to attend.

By Lori EhdeLuverne School Board members met at noon Monday to discuss the process of teacher contract negotiations.The offer currently on the table for teachers to consider is an 8.483 percent increase in salaries and benefits over the next two years.Of the total package increase, salaries comprise about half. The rest accounts for health insurance, retirement contributions, and in most cases extra assignments in classes and activities.After two sessions with a mediator, the negotiating committees of the School Board and Luverne Education Association haven’t yet agreed on a contract.The state of Minnesota has imposed a Jan. 17 deadline for school districts to finalize teacher contracts.After that, districts are penalized $25 per pupil for late contracts, which in Luverne would amount to $32,000.At Monday’s meeting, School Board members and administration said they hoped to arrive at a fair contract."We have a good salary schedule here, and the teachers have worked hard to get where they are," said Superintendent Gary Fisher. "The teachers need to be paid well for the job they do."At issue, he said, was arriving at a fair contract that’s fiscally responsible to the taxpayers of the district.On one hand, Luverne could compare its contract offer to that of similar-sized districts statewide. That comparison would include rich Twin Cities suburban school districts with growing student populations.Or, Luverne could compare its offer to that of similar-sized districts in greater Minnesota or Southwest Minnesota.Among districts statewide, the average settlement has been an 8.42 percent salary and benefits increase, and schools Luverne’s size are settling at an average of 8.36 increase.For example, Redwood Valley settled with its teachers on a salary and benefits increase of 7.62 percent over the next two years. Jackson settled at 8.8 percent, Worthington at 6.96 percent and Pipestone at 7.64 percent."It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see we’re right in the range," Fisher said of Luverne’s 8.483 percent offer.Some teachers have argued that many outstate districts like these have budgets in statutory operating debt. Luverne district, they point out, is not in debt, and actually has a fund balance to consider with regard to teacher salaries."That’s the challenge," Fisher said. "Who do we compare ourselves to as far as where we’re at?"The negotiating committee of the School Board includes Cary Radisewitz, Colleen Deutsch and Bill Stegemann. The negotiating committee of the LEA is Doug Dooyema, Dianne Headrick, Jane Cote, Patsy Amborn and Craig Nelson.Amborn said the LEA negotiating team met with Fisher after school Monday in another effort to arrive at a settlement."At that meeting we felt we had come to an agreement where we split the difference between our last offer and the board’s last offer," she said.Amborn said the negotiating team didn’t have a chance to bring that option to its LEA members, because the district instead responded with a counter offer."Right now we haven’t had time to consider this one," Amborn said.Negotiations will continue, and the School Board has scheduled another meeting for Monday, Jan. 16, for what they hope will be to ratify a contract settlement before the Jan. 17 deadline.