By Lori EhdeFuneral services were Wednesday for a Luverne couple killed in a crash Saturday afternoon near Rock Rapids.Walter and Mathlida Van Meeteren, 82 and 79 years old respectively, died when their car collided with a semi trailer three miles north of Rock Rapids.According to information from the Lyon County Sheriff’s Department, the accident was reported at 2:40 p.m.The report states that a 1994 Oldsmobile driven by Walter Van Meeteren was traveling west on 130th Street.The Van Meeteren vehicle apparently failed to yield at the Highway 75 intersection where it collided with a 1993 Peterbilt semi trailer rig driven by Daryl Wallace Nelson, 59, of Detroit Lakes.The semi landed in the west ditch and the Oldsmobile ended up in the east ditch following the crash.The Van Meeterens were taken to Merrill Pioneer Hospital in Rock Rapids where they were pronounced dead.Nelson was also transported to the Rock Rapids Hospital, where he was treated and released later that evening.The semi, owned by B.M. Transport, Detroit Lakes, sustained about $15,000 in damages, and the Oldsmobile about $5,000.The Van Meeterens have roots in Iowa. They married and farmed near Boyden until 1953 when they moved to Rock County where they raised six children.She was active in the Luverne Christian Reformed Church and enjoyed quilting, sewing and bird watching.He, too, was active in the Luverne CRC and enjoyed fishing, softball, gardening and helping local farmers.See page 10A for the complete obituaries.

By Sara Quam Hours of alcohol serving was again a part of the Luverne City Council agenda Tuesday.The Howling Dog Saloon last week requested a waiver to the ordinance that says alcohol can’t be served Christmas Eve after 8 p.m.Manager Jodi Christy said the request was because Christmas Eve is on a Saturday this year and that is the busiest day of the week for the bar. Since the waiver wasn’t granted, Christy and owner Troy Tuma requested the council revisit the ordinance itself, saying that state law allows businesses to be open regular hours on holidays.Tuma said, "Not everybody is religious and not everyone has a family. I would ask that you allow it to be up to the businesses."Councilman Esther Frakes said she thought the public "no" vote for Sunday liquor showed the community’s preference on the holiday issue."I can’t vote in favor of changing the ordinance," she said. "I feel that is what best represents my constituents."Councilman Pat Baustian said, "I think 8 p.m. is late enough on Christmas Eve, too."The Tuesday meeting didn’t include a vote, but it probably won’t come before the city again for lack of support among the council members.No councilmen spoke in favor of changing the ordinance and leaving the Christmas Eve issue up to business owners.Serving until 2 a.m. The Howling Dog also requested the city change language in its ordinance that says liquor can’t be served any night after 1 a.m.Two years ago, state law changed, allowing establishments to serve until 2 a.m., but Luverne’s ordinance never changed.A city may be more restrictive than state law, but not more lenient.With no request before the Council until now, the ordinance stayed at 1 a.m.Council members said they wouldn’t object to adding an extra hour to the allowed time of alcohol serving. Administrator John Call said he asked the Rock County Sheriff for an opinion. The sheriff said law enforcement would enforce laws the same and wouldn’t be burdened by the change.The cities of Worthington and Adrian allow serving until 2 a.m. and cities in South Dakota and Iowa have served until 2 a.m. for years.Luverne establishments say that has always been a source of competition for them.To get a license to sell until 2 a.m., there is a state fee that ranges from $200 to $1,000, depending on gross receipt sales. The city itself may also impose a separate fee for businesses that want their liquor license to be until 2 a.m.

By Sara QuamThe Luverne Fire Department has decided to expand its current site rather than to build new in order to get an updated facility.The Luverne City Council reviewed plans Tuesday that have a cost estimate of $826,000.City Administrator John Call said, "I do commend the Fire Department for the work and study that went into this."A new building at a different location would cost about $1.38 million.The Luverne City Council still has to formally approve the project. The Fire Department wants an updated facility in order to bring all the equipment inside one building and to provide easier access for emergencies.Now, one ladder truck is stored in the city electric department building because it won’t fit in a current Fire Department bay.The preliminary plans have the addition going to the west of the current building, doubling its size and bringing it up to handicap accessibility codes.The building is used for some open houses and educational events, so accessibility is an issue for more than department members.The city has already purchased John Krogmann property for $40,000 that would allow for the expansion.Another garage across the alley from the Fire Department is owned by the Luverne School District, who will likely sell the garage and land, which has been appraised at $23,000, to the city. Rock County has said it is interested in purchasing the garage and moving it off site, so the city would end up spending about $13,000 for that acquisition.Holy Trinity Episcopal Church has expansion plans of its own that shouldn’t be hindered by this effort of the city’s. Also, The Southwest Mental Health Center will receive easements for parking similar to what they already have.The city has researched financing the expansion through bonds. They will be purchased at the same time as some tax increment financing districts go off the tax rolls, so property taxpayers won’t feel the difference, Call said.The project needs to have detailed plans and specifications, which will probably start under an architectural contract in January. The project will likely be bid by March.

By Sara QuamMarie Wiegel has spent 91 Christmases in her Bishop Street home.She enjoys Christmas and makes it festive with many handmade tokens of the holiday, from crocheted wreaths to hanging stars made from drinking straws strung together.At almost 96, her creativity hasn’t slowed."I probably learned some things by working with kids all those years," Wiegel said.She was an elementary teacher in Kenneth, Hardwick and Luverne and a librarian in Luverne. Wiegel said she greatly enjoyed reading to children and doing crafting and other activities with them.Some of the things she makes for Christmas include hand-written cards made from paper or other used cards."I don’t throw anything away, not even a bent pin," Wiegel said. "I make flowers out of the circles from paper punches. I don’t like to throw anything away."That’s not to say she’s a pack rat because she manages to use everything she saves.She even decorates the corners of used envelopes with poinsettias to be used as bookmarks."It hurts my feelings to see a dog-eared book," she said.More than just craftsWiegel said she hopes her little labors of love do some good for people in need.Whatever she earns in donations or payments for her creations goes to a charitable gift from Wiegel. She also donates her crafts themselves.One of the recipients of Wiegel’s work is Eileen Reisch, who organizes donations for 11 Catholic parishes. The donations go to various missions and charities such as Sharing Hearts are Helping Everyone locally, and the Children’s Inn in Sioux Falls, where victims of domestic violence seek shelter.Reisch said, "Marie is an ardent sewer and makes blankets by the dozens. She has a pile now we have someone going to pick up for her."Wiegel said she hopes more people will volunteer their talents to Reisch. Reisch said, "I think she’s the most talented person, but she’s very humble and pious. I tell her she doesn’t know what an inspiration she is to so many people."

By John RittenhouseA late rally by the Hills-Beaver Creek girls wasn’t enough to produce a Red Rock Conference basketball win against Murray County Central Friday in Hills.Trailing 27-22 at halftime, H-BC battled back to gain a one-point lead with five minutes left to play.MCC, however, controlled play over the final five minutes to pull out a 55-48 win."We had our opportunities to win, we just couldn’t do it," said H-BC coach Jason Blosmo."They hit their free throws late, and we couldn’t capitalize on our last couple of possessions."Stacy Bush played a solid game consisting of 15 points, seven steals, six rebounds and five assists for H-BC.Chelsi Fink and Kari Roozenboom netted 13 and 10 points respectively for H-BC. Amanda Tilstra added six rebounds.The 2-5 Patriots play at the Cardinal Holiday Classic in Luverne Dec. 29-30.Box scoreBush 2 3 2-4 15, Tilstra 1 0 0-1 2, Fink 2 3 0-0 13, Helgeson 3 0 0-0 6, Roozenboom 4 0 2-2 10, Hoyme 1 0 0-0 2.Team statisticsH-BC: 19 of 56 field goals (34 percent), four of seven free throws (57 percent), 25 rebounds, 22 turnovers.MCC: 19 of 53 field goals (59 percent), 17 of 29 free throws (59 percent), 36 rebounds, 22 turnovers.

By John RittenhouseFor the first 21 minutes of Thursday’s boys’ basketball game against Southwest Christian in Hills, it looked liked Hills-Beaver Creek was on course to pick up its first win of the season.Unfortunately for H-BC, basketball games last 36 minutes.It was in the final 15 minutes when SWC rallied to outscore the Patriots 38-17 to record a 59-46 win.In the end, it was turnovers that cost H-BC the game. SWC’s pressure defense created 32 turnovers, and the Eagles scored enough points with the extra opportunities to win by 13.Neither team could generate much offense in the first half.H-BC, which scored the first two points of the contest, found itself trailing 10-9 when SWC used a 6-1 surge to gain a 16-10 cushion.The Patriots, however, outscored the Eagles 11-2 the rest of the half and led 21-18 when Darin DeBoer converted a field goal with two seconds remaining.H-BC inflated its lead to eight points (29-21) when Cody Rozeboom hit a two-pointer at the 15:25 mark of the second half, but the game slipped away from the Patriots after that.SWC moved in front 43-39 after putting together a 22-10 run.H-BC trimmed the difference to two points (43-41) before being outscored 16-5 in the final five minutes in what ended as a 13-point setback.DeBoer led the Patriots with nine rebounds and three steals in the game, while Rozeboom added seven rebounds and 11 points. Aaron Esselink scored a team-high 14 points. Adam Finke contributed five assists to the cause.Box scoreVan Wyhe 0 1 1-3 4, Rozeboom 4 0 3-5 11, Finke 0 0 0-0 0, Scholten 0 0 0-0 0, DeBoer 4 0 1-1 9, Hup 3 0 0-0 6, Sandbulte 1 0 0-0 2, Esselink 5 0 4-8 14.Team statisticsH-BC: 18 of 50 field goals (36 percent), nine of 17 free throws (53 percent), 30 rebounds, 32 turnovers.SWC: 25 of 63 field goals (40 percent), eight of 20 free throws (40 percent), 27 rebounds, 19 turnovers.

By Lexi MooreYears ago, Luella Schlueter started writing the "Hills Local News" for the Hills Crescent newspaper. The column covered the events, travels and stories of local residents and businesses.Along the same lines, Mildred Paulson, Steen, began submitting a column, "Clinton Chatter," to the paper.The women received phone calls and letters from residents interested in having their news published in the paper.This time of year was always the busiest for the contributing writers. Families would report their holiday news including who came to Christmas dinner and what was served.Little did they know that they were responsible for recording a big part of the history in the area.In June of 2005, Luella announced that she planned to retire from writing in July. She wanted more time to enjoy her life and to travel.Luella and the Crescent searched for a new candidate to continue the tradition of capturing local news and found Cheryl Pavel, Hills, to be an ideal and willing candidate.Cheryl took over the position in July and began submitting a weekly column.Unfortunately, Cheryl’s schedule made it hard for her to keep up with the news on a regular basis, and she felt that support for the column was diminishing in the area.In November she announced to the paper staff that Dec. 27, the week following the Christmas holiday, would be her final column."It’s been fun; I really enjoyed getting to meet new people through this experience."Cheryl continues, "For me personally, it was a good opportunity to come out of my shell and meet some more people in the community."In September problems with Mildred’s health prevented her from continuing writing for the paper. She took a medical leave of absence and the paper began advertising for someone to write her column while she worked on improving her eyesight.After a month of advertising, the Crescent had not heard from any parties interested in writing on Steen news, so the column disappeared from the pages of the paper.The editor of the Crescent is asking its readers for feedback on "Hills Local News" and "Clinton Chatter." This time of year, when families are gathering and children are performing in various activities, the column seems both helpful and entertaining.If readers enjoy this column, they need to help keep it alive.First, the paper needs a creative and devoted resident who is interested in gathering the news of local residents and businesses for the paper. The individual could cover the social news of Hills, Steen and Beaver Creek or they could just take over where Cheryl left off.Second, the area needs a readership that is not only interested in reading about local news but also interested in submitting their stories and travels as well.Cheryl was not happy to hear that the column might not be published following her resignation."I would hate to see it go," she said. "I think it needs someone who can give it the attention it desires and unfortunately, right now, that is not me."Columnists for the Crescent are compensated for their time and welcomed into the Crescent family with open arms. Residents interested in helping write the history of our area are encouraged to call 283-2333 or 962-3561 and talk to Lexi or Lori.If a willing writer cannot be found, then the first Crescent publication of 2006 will be printed without featuring the stories of the residents who keep this paper in existence.

By Lexi MooreResidents of Beaver Creek will not be watching the construction of a cell phone tower anytime soon, and cell phone users in that neighborhood won’t see improved reception soon, either.Midwest Wireless representative Andy Bobrytzke’s building permit was denied during the December Beaver Creek City Council meeting.The building permit was for the construction of a 180-foot cell phone tower and a smaller structure to be placed on the land adjacent to Rauk’s Convenience front lot to the east.Bobrytske first appeared in front of the council in September to inquire about the possibility of placing the tower inside the city limits.Midwest Wireless had been exploring options for building a tower in the area to improve service to Beaver Creek and Highway 6.At that time he indicated that several local farmers had been unwilling to accept a deal from the company but that Phyllis Helgeson, a landowner within the city limits, had given the company an option to buy a portion of her property."The portion of her property we were considering is at the top of a hill. A tower would greatly improve reception to the area."Bobrytske was also in attendance at the November meeting to inquire about the process of getting approval to build within the city.The council informed him that he would need to submit an application for a building permit.The application was submitted and the issue was placed on the agenda for the evening of Dec. 13.At the December meeting a motion was made by Burdell Willers to deny the building permit. Jamie Dysthe seconded the motion, bringing the issue to a vote.The council’s vote ended in a tie with Willers and Caroline DeBoer voting in favor of denying the permit and Dysthe and Arlyn Gehrke voted against the motion.The City’s policy in the case of a tie requires the mayor to cast the deciding vote.Mayor Al Blank voted to deny the permit because the area where Bobrytske wanted to build the tower was residential, not commercial property."Any way you look at it, a 180-foot tower is not residential," Blank said."Outside of added coverage for a few cell users, there is no monetary advantage for the city to accept this permit."Mayor Blank said he didn’t know if the company would submit another application in a different area."I got the impression that we were their last chance," Blank said.Bobrytske said that Midwest Wireless has already allocated the funds for the project and had wanted to finalize the deal before the end of the year."I guess now we will have to reevaluate what we are going to do with the money. We can’t just let it sit there – that wouldn’t be good business."He doesn’t know whether or not the company will be able to secure another piece of land in the town, especially because the elevation drops so dramatically from the south portion of town to the north.

By Lori EhdeMembers of New Life Celebration Church spent their morning worship packaging and delivering cookies Sunday in Beaver Creek.The congregation, which worships weekly in the Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary School gym, brought in more than 150 dozen cookies, boxed them, and delivered them to every home in Beaver Creek."It was remarkable to watch nearly 200 adults, teenagers and children working and laughing together and truly excited about their participation in this simple act of Christian love," said New Life Pastor Tim Olsen.He said the cookie activity was a way to spread "the good news of Emmanuel" (God with us) in the community and to say thanks to the town for hosting them in the school.Sunday’s cookie project was the culmination of a week’s worth of community outreach and service activities the church committed to instead of a Christmas program this year."We thought rather than spending time practicing a Christmas drama, we’ll all be part of a real-life drama," Olsen said last week.For example, on Dec. 10, mechanically inclined members of the church volunteered their time to perform free car tune-ups for people who couldn’t afford it.Another group served 308 meals at the Banquet in Sioux Falls, another helped the new Katrina family in Luverne, and another collected donations for "Operation Christmas Shoebox" and then went caroling.As a final community service called "Share the Warmth," New Life Celebration Church will assist area families struggling to pay utility bills.Qualified recipients will receive a one-time, limited payment of their utilities bill.Donations to the "Share the Warmth" fund are welcome from the public.New Life Celebration offices are located in the Brandenburg Gallery building downtown Luverne. The phone number is 449-6522 and the e-mail address is nlcc@iw.net.