ORDINANCE NO. 281, THIRD SERIESAN ORDINANCE RELATING TO HOURS AND DAYS OF SALE OF BEER, LIQUOR SALES, SALES BY ON-SALE WINE LICENSEES, AND CONSUMPTION AND DISPLAY LICENSEES BY AMENDING SECTION 5.33, 5.43, 5.51, AND 5.70, SUBD. 2.F, AND ADOPTING BY REFERENCE CITY CODE CHAPTER 5 AND SECTION 5.99 WHICH, AMONG OTHER THINGS, CONTAIN PENALTY PROVISIONSTHE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LUVERNE ORDAINS:SECTION 1. City Code, Section 5.33, is hereby amended in its entirety to read as follows: HOURS AND DAYS OF SALE OF BEER. No sale of beer shall be made between the hours of 2:00 o’clock A.M. and 8:00 o’clock A.M. on any weekday, Monday through Saturday, inclusive, nor on any Sunday between the hours of 2:00 A.M. and 12:00 o’clock noon, nor after 8:00 o’clock P.M. on December 24.SEC. 2. City Code, Section 5.43, is hereby amended in its entirety to read as follows: HOURS AND DAYS OF LIQUOR SALES. No sale of liquor shall be made after 2:00 o’clock A.M. on Sunday, nor until 8:00 o’clock A.M. on Monday, nor between the hours of 2:00 o’clock A.M. and 8:00 o’clock A.M. on any weekday, nor after 8:00 o’clock P.M. on December 24.SEC. 3. City Code, Section 5.51, is hereby amended in its entirety to read as follows: HOURS AND DAYS OF SALES BY ON-SALE WINE LICENSEES. No on-sale of wine shall be made between 2:00 o’clock A.M. and 12:00 o’clock noon on Sunday, nor between 12:00 o’clock midnight and until 8:00 o’clock A.M. on Monday, nor between the hours of 2:00 o’clock A.M. and 8:00 o’clock A.M. on any weekday, nor between the hours of 8:00 o’clock P.M. on December 24 and 8:00 o’clock A.M. on December 25. SEC. 4. City Code, Section 5.70, Subd. 2.F., is hereby amended in its entirety to read as follows: Hours and Days. No licensee may permit a person to consume or display liquor, and no person may consume or display liquor, between 2:00 o’clock A.M. and 12:00 o’clock noon on Sundays, and between 2:00 o’clock A.M. and 8:00 o’clock A.M. on Monday through Saturday.SEC. 5. This ordinance shall take full force and effect seven (7) days after its publication. (1-5-06)

ORDINANCE NO. 280, THIRD SERIESAN ORDINANCE RELATING TO LAND USE REGULATIONS (SUMMARY)The City Council unanimously introduced and adopted an ordinance relating to land use regulations that were inadvertently omitted from the current code edition, that all or in part is the same as stated in the previous code edition. The following sections of the code affected are as follows:Adding language clarifying attached/detached accessory structure requirements and adding language regarding private swimming pools which had been inadvertently omitted in Section 11.09, Subd. 4.Land use regulations in Section 11.09 for Limited Industrial (I-1) Subd. 10, Special Industrial (I-2) Subd. 11, and Public (P) Subd. 12 zoning districts that were inadvertently omitted. Requirement inadvertently omitted from the sign code regarding freestanding signs within .2 miles of Interstate 90 and along Highway 75 in Section 11.16, Subd. 2 (C).This ordinance shall take full force and effect seven (7) days after its publication. (1-5-06)

By John RittenhouseThe Adrian wrestling team turned in a strong performance during The Clash staged in Rochester Friday and Saturday.After losing the first match of the 32-team event, the Dragons posted five consecutive wins to win the Division 5 title and place 17th overall.Midwest City, Okla., handed the Dragons a 45-27 setback to open the event Friday.Adrian bounced back to beat Coon Rapids (32-20) and Billings, Mont., (39-27) to complete Friday’s rounds.The Dragons bested Lodi, Wis. (55-14), Valentine, Neb., (56-16), and Ponca City, Okla., (35-33) on Saturday to finish the event with a 5-1 mark.Will Lutmer, Brandon Bullerman and Nate Engelkes all went 6-0 at the tournament.Lutmer recorded six consecutive pins over MC’s Chad Grandstaff (1:01), CR’s Alex Krenik (5:53), Billings’ Zach Jones (2:55), Codi’s Cody Weber (1:10), Valentine’s Brandon Ormesher (2:58) and PC’s Sonny Biggoose (2:33).After securing a 5-1 decision win over MC’s Grant Young, Bullerman proceeded to pin CR’s Mike Cullen (1:08), Billings’ Casey Barta (51 seconds), Codi’s David Koenig (3:30), Valentine’s Mason Ormester (1:42) and PC’s Kyle Baldwin (2:40).Engelkes won by forfeit against MC before pinning CR’s Jason Engstrom (1:42), Billings’ Kory Landwick (48 seconds), Codi’s Ross Elsing (3:09), Valentine’s Matt Spain (1:54) and PC’s Lucas Rosholt (2:17).Tyler Wagner, Rody Reverts and Stephen Loosbrock all went 4-2 for the Dragons, while Zach Reker finished with a 3-2 mark. Camron Bullerman and Matt Gades went 3-3. Clint Metz, Brock Bullerman and Tony Thier sported 2-4 marks at tournament’s end. Tanner Loosbrock and Neil Mulder posted respective 1-5 and 1-2 records. Andy Heitkamp (0-3) and Shea Klooster (0-1) were winless.The 12-3 Dragons wrestle at a triangular in Lamberton tonight.Match wrap-ups.Midwest City 45, Adrian 27160 (M) Wood pins Metz.171 (A) Wagner pins Kretschmar.189 (A) Reverts pins Hill.215 (A) Engelkes by forfeit.275 (A) Lutmer pins Grandstaff.103 (M) Gunter t.f. Bk.Bullerman.112 (M) Untrauerpins S.Loosbrock.119 (M) Johnsonpins C.Bullerman.125 (M) Johnson 15-3 Thier.130 (M) Hill 9-6 Gades.135 (M) Meyer pins T.Loosbrock.140 (M) Mahan t.f. Heitkamp.145 (A) Bd.Bullerman 5-1 Young.152 (M) Thigpen 17-5 Reker.Adrian 32, Coon Rapids 30171 (A) Wagner 15-6 Schuldt.189 (A) Reverts 8-1 Morgan.215 (A) Engelkes pins Engstrom.275 (A) Lutmer pins Krenik.103 (C) Anderson7-0 Bk.Bullerman.112 (A) S.Loosbrock 3-1 Murphy.119 (C) Anderson 7-4 C.Bullerman.125 (A) Thier 10-2 Tucker.130 (C) Moren 9-8 Gades.135 (C) Adams pins T.Loosbrock.140 (C) Adams pins Heitkamp.145 (A) Bd.Bullerman pins Cullen.152 (C) Curtis pins Klooster.160 (C) Eagon 13-7 Metz.Adrian 39, Billings 27189 (A) Engelkes pins Landwick.215 (A) Reverts pins Kuske.275 (A) Lutmer pins Jones.103 (B) Gretch 7-4 Bk.Bullerman.112 (B) Bond 8-1 S.Loosbrock.119 (A) C.Bullerman pins Goodell.125 (B) Jones 12-3 Thier.130 (A) Gades 10-7 Jacobson.135 (B) Kintzing 5-3 Loosbrock.140 (A) Bd.Bullerman pins Barta.145 (B) Salminem pins Heitkamp.152 (B) Kohn pins Reker.160 (B) Duffield 5-0 Metz.171 (A) Wagner pins Christiansen.Adrian 55, Codi 14215 (A) Engelkes pins Elsing.275 (A) Lutmer pins Weber.103 (A) Bk.Bullerman 4-3 Sokol.112 (A) S.Loosbrock 4-0 Schutz.119 (C) Padley pins C.Bullerman.125 (C) Madigan 12-2 Thier.130 (C) Einerson 12-2 Gades.135 (A) T.Loosbrockpins Anderson.140 (A) Bd.Bullerman pins Koenig.145 (A) Mulder 12-4 Lehr.152 (A) Reker pins Heid.160 (A) Metz 6-5 Kearney.171 (A) Wagner pins Zeman.189 (A) Reverts pins Miller.Adrian 56, Valentine 16275 (A) Lutmer pins Ormesher.103 (A) Bk.Bullerman11-3 Leonard.112 (A) S.Loosbrock pins Stoger.119 (A) C.Bullerman pins Tinant.125 (A) Thier pins Arnold.130 (A) Gades pins Ramm.135 (V) Risseeumpins T.Loosbrock.140 (V) Arnold 13-5 Mulder.145 (A) Bd.Bullermanpins Ormesher.152 (A) Reker pins Hand.160 (A) Metz 14-9 Hanson.171 (V) Graham 6-4 Wagner.189 (V) Belville 4-3 Reverts.215 (A) Engelkes pins Spain.Adrian 35, Ponca City 33103 (P) Reedy 5-0 Bk.Bullerman.112 (A) S.Loosbrock pins Carness.119 (A) C.Bullerman pins Orange.125 (P) Branscum 7-1 Thier.130 (A) Gades pins Miller.135 (P) Kincaid 19-7 T.Loosbrock.140 (A) Bd.Bullermanpins Baldwin.145 (P) Shelton pins Mulder.152 (P) Baird pins Reker.160 (P) Keating 13-3 Metz.171 (P) Fansler 16-5 Wagner.189 (A) Engelkes pins Rosholt.215 (P) Empting 7-5 Reverts.275 (A) Lutmer pins Biggose.

By John RittenhouseThe Adrian girls’ basketball team opened the 2006 portion of its schedule by posting an impressive home win Tuesday.Led by a 31-point performance by Sam Lynn, which included the freshman guard sinking four clutch free throws in the game’s final 30 seconds, the Dragons pulled off a stunning 63-60 come-from-behind victory over Southwest Christian.After facing a deficit as large as 12 points in the second half, Adrian drew within one-point (56-55) when Katlin Wiertsema drained a field goal with 2:15 left to play.Senior Brittany Bullerman gave the Dragons their first lead of the night at 57-56 with a field goal at the 1:45 mark, and AHS led by one again (59-59) when Lynn hit a driving shot with 58 seconds remaining.Lynn, who made all eight of her free throws in the game, iced the game by sinking two charity shots with 28.1 seconds left and two more with 8.9 seconds showing on the clock.It looked like the Dragons might be in for a long night when SWC raced to a 9-2 lead in the first half on the way to opening a 20-8 advantage 5:42 into the contest.Adrian rallied to trim the difference to three points twice late in the first half, but SWC countered with a 13-6 surge late in the half to gain a 39-29 halftime advantage.Bullerman netted 12 points for the winners. Wiertsema led AHS with seven rebounds.The 3-5 Dragons play in Round Lake tonight before hosting Comfrey Tuesday.Box scoreEr.Thier 0 0 1-2 1, Em.Thier 1 0 0-1 2, Tjepkes 1 0 0-0 2, N.Lynn 1 0 1-1 3, S.Lynn 7 3 8-8 31, Reisdorfer 0 0 0-0 0, K.Bullerman 1 0 0-0 2, Kl.Wiertsema 1 0 0-0 2, B.Bullerman 5 0 2-3 12, Kt.Wiertsema 3 0 2-6 8.Team statisticsAdrian: 23 of 49 field goals (47 percent), 14 of 21 free throws (67 percent), 25 rebounds, 22 turnovers.SWC: 23 of 63 field goals (37 percent), 12 of 23 free throws (52 percent), 22 rebounds, 12 turnovers.

By John RittenhouseThe Ellsworth boys raised their basketball record to 11-0 after slaying a pair of quality opponents.The Panthers beat Mitchell Christian by 11 points in the championship game of the Mitchell Holiday Tournament Wednesday, Dec. 28. EHS left Lake Benton with a 16-point victory Tuesday.Ellsworth hosts Lincoln HI tonight before playing in Hills Monday.Ellsworth 75, LB 59The Panthers shot the lights out of the gym when they challenged the Bobcats in Lake Benton Tuesday.EHS canned 67 percent of its field goals and played solid defense on the way to recording its 11th straight victory."It was a fairly close game, between 10 and 14 points most of the way. We just shot the ball well and played pretty good defense," said Panther coach Markus Okeson.With Cody Schilling scoring 13 of his game-high 20 points and Ben Herman netting all of his 10 points in the first half, the Panthers opened a 12-point (37-25) halftime advantage. The Panthers used a 38-34 scoring edge in the second half to win by 16.Bryan Kramer and Aaron Van Der Stoep chipped in 17 and 15 points to the winning effort. Schilling added eight assists and seven rebounds.Box scoreDeBerg 3 0 1-2 7, Deutsch 2 0 0-1 4, Kramer 4 3 0-1 17, Schilling 7 1 3-4 20, Van Der Stoep 2 3 2-2 15, Herman 5 0 0-1 10, Chapa 0 0 2-4 2.Team statisticsEllsworth: 30 of 45 field goals (67 percent), eight of 15 free throws (53 percent), 27 rebounds, 11 turnovers.Ellsworth 62, MC 51The Panthers completed their trek to the Mitchell Holiday Tournament title by defeating Mitchell Christian by 11 points in the championship game Wednesday, Dec. 28.MC, South Dakota’s top-ranked Class B team, scored the first eight points of the game and led 16-13 at the end of the first quarter.Ellsworth battled back to gain a 27-24 halftime edge before opening a 10-point lead (45-35) entering the fourth quarter. The Panthers used a 17-16 scoring edge in the final period to prevail by 11."MC has a good team, and it was nice to have a game like this one," said EHS coach Okeson. "We didn’t need another 40-point win. Games like this keep the kids focused."Schilling, who led the Panthers with 13 rebounds and eight assists, scored 15 of his team-high 27 points in the decisive second half. Kramer and Van Der Stoep added 19 and 10 points respectively.Box scoreDeBerg 1 0 0-0 2, Kramer 6 1 4-5 19, Schilling 10 0 7-7 27, Van Der Stoep 0 2 4-4 10, Herman 1 0 0-0 2, Chapa 1 0 0-0 2.Team statisticsEllsworth: 22 of 41 field goals (54 percent), 15 of 16 free throws (94 percent), 24 rebounds, 10 turnovers.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne girls advanced to the championship game of the Luverne Cardinal Basketball Holiday Classic by defeating the Southwest Star Concept Quasars 48-36 during Thursday’s semifinals.Luverne overcame a sluggish offensive performance with balanced scoring and an outstanding effort at the charity stripe. The Cards made 80 percent of their free throws and outscored SSC 20-2 at the line."We won the game at the line," said LHS coach Phelps."They played a zone defense, and we didn’t get into a very good offensive flow. We did have nice balance in scoring and gave a good defensive effort."The teams exchanged leads in the early stages of the game before the Cards opened a 21-14 halftime advantage.Luverne cashed in on its free throws late in the game to outscore SSC 28-24 in the second half to win by 11.Mindy Nieuwboer scored 13 points, collected seven rebounds and charted six steals for LHS. Maggie Kuhlman chipped in 13 points and five assists. Samantha Gacke recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.Box scoreKlein 1 0 2-2 4, Nieuwboer 2 1 6-6 13, Snyder 0 0 4-6 4, Kuhlman 1 2 5-5 13, Hoiland 0 0 0-2 0, Vogt 1 0 2-2 4, Gacke 5 0 1-2 11.Team statisticsLuverne: 13 of 61 field goals (21 percent), 20 of 25 free throws (80 percent), 26 rebounds, 10 turnovers.SSC: 18 of 51 field goals (35 percent), two of three free throws (67 percent).

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne boys reeled off two straight wins to capture the championship of the Luverne Cardinal Basketball Holiday Classic late last week.Luverne survived a triple-overtime scare to best Southwest Star Concept by six points during Thursday’s opener. The Cards won the title with a five-point victory over Lake Benton Friday.Luverne, 9-0 overall, plays in Redwood Falls Friday before hosting Lennox, S.D., Tuesday.Luverne 68, LB 63The Cardinals overcame a rough start to best the Bobcats by five points during Friday’s title tilt.After falling behind 15-5 in the first 6:29 of the game, Luverne battled back to outscore LB 63-48 the rest of the night to secure the championship.Luverne’s comeback started late in the first half, when reserve post Andrew DeBoer came off the bench to score eight consecutive points and knot the score at 24 with 4:33 remaining.A three-point play by Marc Boelman gave the Cards their first lead at the 2:16 mark of the first half, and Derek Boeve extended the difference to six points (35-29) with 53 seconds remaining before LB scored the final two points of the half to trail 25-31.Jake Hendricks, who hit five three-point shots and scored all 18 of his points in the second half, buried a pair of threes in the first minute of the second half to give the Cards a 41-31 advantage. Luverne led by 13 (54-41) when Hendricks canned a three at the 10:15 mark of the half before LB trimmed the difference to five with a three in the final seconds of the contest.Boelman and Boeve finished the game with 17 and 13 points respectively. Nick Heronimus and Jake Clark collected six rebounds each. Boeve and Hendricks contributed six and four assists to the winning cause.Box scoreBoelman 6 0 5-6 17, Miller 1 0 0-0 2, Hendricks 0 5 3-8 18, Clark 0 2 1-2 7, Boeve 5 1 0-0 13, DeBoer 4 0 0-0 8, Heronimus 1 0 0-0 2.Team statisticsLuverne: 25 of 45 field goals (56 percent), nine of 16 free throws (56 percent), 23 rebounds, 12 turnovers.LB: 26 of 55 field goals (47 percent), three of six free throws (50 percent), 16 rebounds, 13 turnovers.Luverne 60, SSC 54The Cardinals faced the prospect of receiving their first loss of the season before winning a triple-overtime thriller against the Quasars during Thursday’s tournament opener.Luverne, which trailed 25-23 at halftime, battled back to tie the game at 48 before regulation play was complete.The Cards matched SCC’s scoring output in the first two overtime sessions before outscoring the Quasars 6-0 in the third overtime to notch a 48-minute, six-point win."We didn’t play our best basketball," said Cardinal coach Tom Rops."This was a hard game to get motivated for, and I think that showed. Give SSC credit because it controlled the tempo, handled our pressure and was able to get the ball inside to make it a close game."The Quasars led by seven points with less than seven minutes remaining in the second half before the Cards came storming back to move in front 47-46 with a steal and a layup from Jake Clark.The Cards led 48-46 before SSC’s 6-9 junior post James Granstra tied the game with a field goal with 16 seconds remaining.Luverne, which led 50-48 in the first overtime, appeared to be in trouble with the score tied at 50 late in the session.The Cards were holding the ball for a final shot when Coach Rops was whistled for a technical foul after touching the arm of one of his players when the game was in progress. SSC’s Trevor Leopold drained both free throws resulting from the technical foul to give the Quasars a 52-50 edge with 21 seconds remaining, but Luverne stole SSC’s ensuing in-bound pass to set up a game-tying field goal by Marc Boelman with 11 seconds left.Luverne’s Jake Hendricks came up with another steal after Boelman’s basket, but the Cards missed two free throws with 1.4 seconds remaining to force a second overtime.Andrew DeBoer gave the Cards a 54-52 lead at the 2:28 mark of the second overtime after turning an offensive rebound into a field goal. SSC tied the game moments later, and a third overtime was needed when the Cards missed a last-second shot to end the second overtime.The game’s momentum favored Luverne when DeBoer drew Granstra’s fifth personal foul with 3:15 remaining in the third overtime.DeBoer sank one of two free throws to give the Cards the lead, and Clark hit a field goal with 1:14 remaining to make it a 57-54 game. Hendricks hit one charity shot and Boelman added two more in the final 30 seconds of the game to ice a six-point win for LHS.Hendricks led the Cards with 19 points and six steals in the game. Derek Boeve netted 11 points and recorded four steals. Clark scored 11 points and Nick Heronimus pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.Box scoreBoelman 2 0 5-5 9, Miller 0 1 0-0 3, Hendricks 3 3 4-6 19, Clark 3 1 2-211, Boeve 1 2 3-4 11, DeBoer 1 0 1-2 3, Heronimus 2 0 0-3 4.Team statisticsLuverne: 19 of 61 field goals (31 percent), 15 of 24 free throws (63 percent), 27 rebounds, 11 turnovers.SSC: 22 of 48 field goals (46 percent), nine of 11 free throws (82 percent), 24 rebounds, 18 turnovers.

SWMF micro loan makes Coffey Haus purchase possibleWhen Tammy Makram decided to purchase the Coffey Haus in Luverne, like any new business owner she had to decide how to finance it.To make her dream come true, Makram became the first business owner in Rock County to use the Micro Enterprise program of the Southwest Minnesota Foundation.Connie Connell serves as a local representative on the SWMF board.Along with the loan for the purchase of the business and extra equipment, Macram received support and training as part of the program as well.The Micro Enterprise program is available in 18 counties and offers loans of up to $35,000 for start-up or existing for-profit small businesses located in southwest Minnesota.The program receives funding assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration, as well as from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Otto Bremer Foundation.The SWMF is an independent, nonprofit organization that has contributed nearly $38 million to date through its grant and loan programs in southwest Minnesota. It has helped more than 350 businesses start or expand through its business finance programs, which have created or retained more than 6,250 jobs to date in the 18 counties of southwest Minnesota.A vote for appropriate cell phone useI am an avid cell phone user. I feel lost if I leave my phone at home or at my desk at work. However, some places are inappropriate for these wonderful devices.I find myself almost having a panic attack when I’m at a wedding or funeral and realize I forgot to turn my cell phone off. Fortunately, I haven’t had one of those embarrassing moments yet.In that line of thought, I was pleased to read in the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the National Association of Theatre Owners has petitioned the FCC for permission to block cell phone signals in movie theatres.What a great idea. I think people can revert back to the old way of life for a couple of hours.Now, let’s keep cell phone use off airplanes …Meth cookers cleaning up their own mess?Thanks to a new law effective Jan. 1, people convicted of manufacturing or attempting to manufacture methamphetamine or similar drugs may be required to pay restitution to police and firefighters or any other government agencies involved in an emergency response to their criminal activity.Currently, the owners of the property have to bear the burden of the cleanup. The new law addresses that issue also.The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Steve Smith (R-Mound) and Sen. Jane Ranum, (DFL-Mpls.) requires meth makers to pay restitution to any property owners who "incur removal or remediation costs" as a result of their crime.The sites must be cleaned up according to Department of Health guidelines, and anyone selling property that formerly housed a meth lab must inform potential buyers that meth production occurred on the property.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

I received an e-mail suggestion for a New Year’s resolution that I have been considering for 2006. "Life should not be a journey to the grave intending to arrive safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid into the coffin with a martini in one hand and a chocolate bar in the other, body totally worn out and screaming ‘Whoa, what a ride!’ " This is tricky. You wouldn’t want to skid into the coffin too soon. If you drank martinis and ate chocolate all day every day, you might skid into the coffin at 50. Nobody wants that. But if you drink V-8 juice and eat apples all day every day, you might bore yourself to death at 50. It’s difficult to get a full grasp of this concept. In fact, I need a lot more time to deliberate on such a proposition. Until then I’m going to stick to the basics: take my mother shopping more, be more like Martha, exercise, go more places and do new things, help others, spend more time with family and friends, eat sensibly, clean the house, learn something new, get organized, and read more. Speaking of … A brand new book budget is in place for 2006 and just in time for the adult winter reading program, "Cold Hands, Warm Books." Be sure to come in this week to register and get busy reading. "Every Breath You Take" by Judith McNaught. High atop a snow-covered hill, the stately old Wyatt mansion is perched like a crown, its stained glass windows glowing like colorful jewels. Such opulence surely means success and happiness. But on the eve of Cecil Wyatt’s 80th birthday, all the money in the world won’t bring back his missing grandson, William Wyatt. The only thing for certain: Foul play was involved. The family, the police, and the media have tried in vain to discover the young man’s fate. Now suspicion has turned toward William’s own half-brother, the distant and enigmatic Mitchell Wyatt.Kate Donovan never dreamed that a chance romantic encounter on a tropical island paradise would tag her as a suspect in a high-society murder case. But after Kate tangles with the darkly charismatic Mitchell Wyatt, she finds herself cast in a shadow of guilt and mistrust. As the Chicago police tighten their net, it will take all of Kate’s ingenuity to clear her name. With her calm, cool wit and the help of a man who may or may not be a dangerous catch, Kate vows to claim the life and love she desires. "Mad River Road" by Joy Fielding. After spending a year in prison, Ralph Fisher has explicit plans for his first night of freedom: tonight, someone will be held accountable. He goes to murderous lengths to obtain the address of his former wife — the woman he blames for his fate and against whom he has sworn vengeance. Determined to bring her to his idea of justice, Ralph's next step is to travel to Dayton, Ohio, where his ex-wife is struggling to make ends meet on Mad River Road. In Florida, Jamie Kellogg is a pretty, but unaccomplished, 29-year-old woman in a dead-end job, with an ex-husband in Atlanta and a virtual stranger in her bed. But this stranger is everything the previous men in her life weren't: tender, attentive, and adventurous. After convincing Jamie to quit her miserable job, he proposes a romantic getaway. While Jamie wonders if this thrilling man might finally be her Prince Charming, they plan a road trip to visit his son, who lives with his mother on a street called Mad River Road ...