By Lori EhdeStudents and staff in Luverne Public Schools are already feeling the effects of higher heating prices this winter.Fuel oil costs may increase by as much as 30 percent this winter, so school administration decided this fall to keep buildings cooler.Thermostats have been set 4 degrees cooler – at 68 degrees, which means sweaters and sweatshirts are necessary to stay comfortable."People have had to bundle up and wear a few extra layers," said Superintendent Gary Fisher. "We really have acclimated to it now, though."Based on current heating fuel prices, lowering thermostats 4 degrees can save roughly 1 percent per degree over the course of the winter.Last year – a relatively mild winter – the district spent $122,325 on fuel oil to heat the school buildings.If costs increase by even 25 percent, Luverne schools would pay more than $30,500 more this winter. Keeping thermostats at 68 degrees could potentially save nearly $5,000 in the long run, all things kept equal.District Finance Officer Marlene Mann said Luverne may not see that full savings, because in some areas of the school buildings, the rooms are simply too cold."Temperatures fluctuate, depending on whether the sun is shining or the wind is blowing," she said."We’ve had to move it up to 69 degrees some days."Fisher said, "We certainly don’t want to make it so it’s unbearable so people are more worried about staying warm than they are about learning."

By Sara QuamProponents of expanding the Luverne Municipal Airport runway say it would improve the local economy in many ways.One of those ways is by helping a huge existing business — agriculture.Airport Board Chairman and Luverne City Council member Pat Baustian said that by having the airport, farmers can spray for soybean aphids and get better yields.Fields sprayed for aphids yielded an average of 12 bushels more per acre than fields that aren’t sprayed, according to Matt Mostad, a crop advisor with J.R. Simplot Co."Some had 17 bushels difference," Mostad said.Baustian said the improved yields couldn’t happen without the airport.Mostad said, "There’s a definite benefit to spraying by air."Aphids attach themselves to the underside of the plant leaves, and the air spraying stirs the leaves and hits the plant better.It costs about $7 per acre to spray for the aphids and the profit improvement is much greater, if beans are $5.70 per bushel, for example.Simplot sold chemical to spray 29,000 acres in Pipestone and Rock County.This summer about 34,000 acres of soybean crop was sprayed for aphids in Rock County.Advantage of longer airport runwaysThe city of Luverne is in the midst of a runway expansion effort to increase the runway from 2,500 feet to 4,200 feet long.A longer runway would mean bigger loads of insecticide could be flown, in some cases, making the fight against aphids more efficient.Planes can generally spray about 160 acres at a time.Mostad said, "There are a few planes that would definitely benefit from a longer runway."Baustian said, "People used to think of the airport as some kind of boys’ club, but it’s a very important part of our infrastructure."The next step in getting a longer runway is an environmental assessment, which the city might be able to get funded through the state. City Administrator John Call, Mayor Andy Steensma and Airport Board member Steve Perkins are going with a project engineer to a meeting with MnDOT to try to secure funding next week. With that, the project would move forward and possibly be done in a couple years, rather than in the next seven or so.The bug that bugs soybean plantsMostad said aphids were handled better this year than ever before."It’s all timing, and we don’t have that long of time to get to them," Mostad said.The aphid battle is a fairly new one to agronomists and farmers.The soybean aphid first arrived in the United States in 2000. They are difficult to see because of their small size, but are comparable to the head of a pin. They are lime green in color.They are harmful to soybean crops because they suck the sap out of soybean leaves, limiting plant growth and creating yield loss. The University of Minnesota Extension Service says that the economic treatment threshold for soybean aphid is 250 aphids/plant on at least 80 percent of the plants. Soybean aphid populations at or above this level justify an insecticide application since treatment costs should be at least offset by prevented yield loss. Populations below this threshold should be monitored every three to four days. Under favorable conditions (temperatures in the low 80s and drier conditions), soybean aphid populations can double in about two to three days. The asexual insect is actually born pregnant.The economic treatment threshold has a built-in safety measure of about seven days in order to give growers time enough to make an application before yield loss occurs, which is when soybean aphid populations reach about 1,000 aphids/plant.

By Lori EhdeLuverne School District residents will head to the polls Tuesday to support or reject a proposed $700 per pupil operating referendum.There will be one main polling place for all district residents, and that will be the Luverne High School-Middle School gymnasium.Polls open at 10 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.Superintendent Gary Fisher said Tuesday that one more information piece on the referendum will be distributed to district property owners this weekend."We’ve tried to do as much as we can, but at this point, I’m hoping people in the community will vote with their hearts," Fisher said."This is an important vote for the community."Through direct mailings, published legal notices, news stories in the paper and on radio, published commentaries and even a phone campaign, Fisher said he hopes the public is informed about the referendum."We’re hoping we’ve provided enough information for voters," Fisher said.He said one point that needs reiterating is that the state pays half of the levy, if it’s approved. Of the $700 referendum, the state will pay $323.27 per pupil, and the the local effort will be $376.39."It’s one of those things where taxpayers have already paid that money to the state, and someone’s going to get those dollars," Fisher said. "We might as well bring some of that money back to the district."Luverne School District is among 81 districts statewide proposing operating referendums to pay bills.If approved, Luverne’s $700 per pupil operating levy will bring $900,000 per year to the district for up to 10 years.School Board members and administration say this is the amount necessary to make ends meet. Last year, Luverne spent $7,660 per student compared with the state average of $8,379.On a $100,000 home in Rock County, the referendum would require roughly an additional $200 per year, or about $17 per month.If approved, the referendum will affect taxes on agricultural property based only on the value of the house, garage and one acre.

By John RittenhouseThe Adrian Dragons wrapped up a 7-16-3 volleyball season in Luverne Friday.Playing No. 1 Southwest Christian in the quarterfinal-round of the South Section 3A Tournament, the eighth-seeded Dragons were not projected to win.Adrian did put up a good fight, but it wasn’t enough to keep the E-Gals from advancing to the semifinals with a 3-1 victory."I was really pleased with our effort," said AHS coach Mary Jo Graphenteen."The girls played to win, and they came out ready to play. We didn’t play one of our best matches, but we hung in there the whole night. The girls did the best they could against a very good team."SWC, the state’s fourth-ranked Class A team, took charge of the match early.After securing a 25-20 victory in Game 1, the E-Gals rolled to a 25-13 win in the second game to open a 2-0 advantage.Adrian battled back in the third game to pull out a 25-23 win.The score was tied at 10 in Game 4 when Adrian missed a serve that sparked a 4-0 spurt for the E-Gals. SWC ended the game with an 11-6 surge to prevail 25-16."Serving probably was the key to the match," Graphenteen said."We would go on a run, then we would miss a serve. We served 76 percent as a team in the match, and you don’t win many matches with that type of a serving percentage."Seniors Brittany Bullerman, Jessica Parsley and Jolene Reisdorfer performed well in their last matches in AHS colors.Bullerman recorded 10 kills and 15 digs, Parsley added nine kills and Reisdorfer charted 10 digs.Kayla Bullerman notched 21 set assists and went 10 of 11 serving for the Dragons.

By John RittenhouseHills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth’s bid to reach the Section 2 Nine-Man Football championship game was thwarted by a talented Edgerton squad Saturday in Edgerton.Taking on the state’s third-ranked team and the No. 1 seed for the section tournament, the Patriots needed to play well early to give themselves a chance to spring an upset on the Flying Dutchmen.Edgerton proved to be uncooperative in that respect.The Flying Dutchmen racked up 514 total yards and scored 34 first-half points on the way to a convincing 56-16 victory over the Patriots.Edgerton, 9-0 overall, hosts Westbrook-Walnut Grove Saturday for the section title game. H-BC-E’s 3-7 season comes to an end.The Flying Dutchmen turned a couple of big plays into a 12-0 lead in the game’s first quarter.After forcing H-BC-E to punt early in the contest, Edgerton moved the ball to H-BC-E’s 40-yard line before facing a fourth-and-12 situation. Instead of punting, Edgerton elected to go for a first down. It proved to be a wise choice as quarterback Max Zwart hooked up with Brett Elgersma for a 40-yard touchdown pass at the 8:01 mark of the opening period."We had the kid covered," said H-BC-E coach Dan Ellingson. "He just came up with the ball, broke a tackle and scored."Edgerton doubled its lead after recovering a fumble in H-BC-E late in the first quarter. Zwart found the end zone at the end of a 14-yard run with 36 seconds remaining in the stanza, leaving the hosts with a 12-0 cushion.The Patriots made a bid to get back into the game when they advanced the ball into Edgerton territory in the second period. The drive didn’t produce any points as a potential touchdown pass was dropped in the end zone.Edgerton proceeded to put the game away by scoring 22 points in a span of 3:30 late in the second period to gain a 34-0 halftime advantage.Elgersma opened the scoring run with a two-yard plunge at the 4:58 mark of the second quarter.Edgerton got the ball back moments later by recovering an on-side kick, which set up a 68-yard touchdown run by Kevin Vander Schaaf.The Patriots lost their second fumble of the game a few plays later, and Edgerton took advantage of the situation when Vander Schaaf scored on a 38-yard run with 1:28 remaining in the first half."Those three quick scores late in the first half really hurt us," Ellingson said. "It was just too big of a deficit to overcome."Edgerton turned its first possession of the second half into a 42-0 lead when Elgersema scored on a two-yard run.H-BC-E countered with a drive that ended with Jarid Hoogendoorn scoring on a two-yard plunge at the 4:02 mark of the third period. Adam Finke tossed a successful conversion pass to Weston DeBerg after the touchdown, making it a 42-8 game.H-BC-E’s Ryan Kix blocked a punt late in the third period, setting up a 15-yard touchdown pass from Finke to Cody Rozeboom on the first play of the fourth quarter. Finke ran in the two-point conversion to trim Edgerton’s lead to 26 points (42-16).Edgerton capped the scoring with a 34-yard touchdown run by Trey Manitz at the 4:35 mark of the fourth quarter and a 41-yard scamper by Pat Kleinjan with 1:33 left to play."We just gave up too many big plays," Ellingson concluded.Team statisticsH-BC-E: 153 rushing yards, 85 passing yards, 238 total yards, 11 first downs, five penalties for 30 yards, two turnovers.Edgerton: 474 rushing yards, 40 passing yards, 514 total yards, 14 first downs, six penalties for 40 yards, one turnover.Individual statisticsRushing: Jon Klaassen 18-94, Hoogendoorn 8-33, Finke 9-6, Casey Van Middendorp 3-7, DeBerg 2-9, Kale Leuthold 2-4.Passing: Finke 6-19 for 85 yards.Receiving: Rozeboom 3-64, DeBerg 2-13, Klaassen 1-8.Defense: Rozeboom one interception, Tom Leuthold 14 tackles, Jason Hup eight tackles, Mitchell Leuthold five tackles, Kerry Fink seven tackles, John Sandbulte four tackles, Jason Martens four tackles.

By John RittenhouseLuverne’s 2005 volleyball season came to an end during the quarterfinal round of the South Section 3AA Tournament Friday in Windom.Taking on No. 1-seeded Jackson County Central, No. 7 LHS needed to pull off an upset to advance to the semifinals.An upset didn’t develop as the Huskies outscored the Cards 75-46 on the way to a 3-0 victory.Luverne played well enough to challenge JCC in all three games. The Cards, however, couldn’t win a game against the state-ranked Huskies."They hit the ball hard and we couldn’t cover them," said Cardinal coach Lori Oechsle."We tried to make some adjustments, but we couldn’t come up with anything."Luverne ends the year with a 7-19-2 record.The Cards rallied from a 7-2 deficit in the first game to trail by one point (11-10) when Brittany Vogt delivered a service point.JCC countered with an 8-4 surge to open a 19-14 lead as the game progressed, but Luverne whittled the difference to two points (20-18) when Maggie Kuhlman served a point to cap a 4-1 spurt.The Huskies recovered to score the final five points of a 25-18 victory.Luverne sported three one-point leads in the early stages of Game 2. The score was knotted at nine when JCC mounted a 16-6 run to secure a 25-15 win.A kill from Vogt gave the Cards a 4-3 edge in the third game before JCC put together an 11-2 run to gain a 14-6 advantage.Luverne trimmed the difference to five points twice as the game progressed, but a late 10-3 surge by the Huskies clinched a 25-13 win, sending JCC to the semifinals.Meghan Cronberg led the Cards with seven kills and four blocks during the match. Kuhlman charted six kills and five digs, while Jessa Dahl and Erin Hoiland chipped in two blocks each.Chelsea Park paced LHS with 22 set assists. Park completed eight of 10 serves with four points and two aces. Dinah Xaphakdy, who added six kills to the cause, went 10 of 10 serving with four points. Vogt was seven of seven with four points, and Kuhlman was nine of nine with four points.

By John RittenhouseThe Adrian Dragons earned their first berth in the championship game of Section 3A Playoffs in three years after defeating Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin in Adrian Saturday.Trailing 8-0 after 12 minutes of play, the Dragons rallied to score 17 unanswered points to post a 17-8 win over the Wolverines.The win was Adrian’s fourth straight, and it upped the team’s season record to 7-3.The seventh-seeded Dragons will face a monumental task when they travel to Springfield for Friday’s section title tilt.After coasting to a 55-0 win over Murray County Central in Saturday’s section semifinals, the Tigers raised their record to 10-0. Springfield is the state’s top-ranked Class A team, and AHS coach Randy Strand respects what the Tigers have accomplished this season."We’ll have our hands full," he said."Springfield runs the triple-option (offensively), and they are huge on the line. It will be a challenge for us, but I would rather be playing at this time of year instead of being on the outside looking in."The Dragons found themselves in an 8-0 hole during Saturday’s game against the seventh-seeded Wolverines.After taking over on the 12-yard line, the Wolverines drew first blood at the end of their second offensive possession of the contest.ML-B-O advanced the ball 88 yards in 19 plays. The drive ended with Danny Snyder scoring on a one-yard plunge during a fourth-and-goal situation. When ML-B-O quarterback Lee Fast tossed a successful conversion pass to Derek Radtke, the Wolverines sported an eight-point lead with 1:18 remaining in the first quarter.The Wolverines had a golden opportunity to increase their lead when they recovered a fumble on the ML-B-O 40-yard line moments later. The visitors advanced the ball inside Adrian’s 20-yard line, where they attempted a pass that was picked off by Nate Engelkes and returned 88 yards for a touchdown at the 11:02 mark of the second quarter.An Adrian penalty negated what was a successful two-point conversion following the touchdown, and the second attempt failed, leaving the Wolverines with an 8-6 edge.The game’s second half belonged to the Dragons, who asserted themselves on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball."We controlled the line of scrimmage in the second half," Strand said."Our linemen came alive, our runners picked it up and we started to control the ball offensively. Our defense shut them down, too."The defense helped give the Dragons their first lead of the game when Cody Reverts picked off a pass in ML-B-O territory during the third quarter.Adrian’s offense moved the ball from the 41 to the 20 before facing a third-and-long situation. The Dragons elected to kick a field goal, and eighth-grader Adam Diekmann came through when he booted a 36-yarder through the uprights to give AHS a 9-8 edge at the 1:09 mark of the third quarter.Adrian iced the contest with an impressive fourth-quarter drive.The Dragons advanced the ball 66 yards in 13 plays before Reverts scored on a 15-yard run with 5:21 left to play. When Reverts carried in the two-point conversion, Adrian owned a nine-point cushion at 17-8.ML-B-O did move the ball inside Adrian’s territory with less than four minutes remaining, but the drive stalled. AHS took over and successfully ran the remaining time off the clock.Team statisticsAdrian: 199 rushing yards, 21 passing yards, 220 total yards, 15 first downs, three penalties for 25 yards, one turnover.ML-B-O: 139 rushing yards, 67 passing yards, 206 total yards, 12 first downs, two penalties for 10 yards, three turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Billy Anderson 18-67, Reverts 18-92, Jory Haken 7-40.Passing: Reverts 2-14 for 21 yards, Cody Kontz zero for two for zero yards.Receiving: Kontz 1-10, Ryan Lonneman 1-11.Defense: Engelkes one interception, Will Lutmer nine tackles and one sack, Reverts one interception, Glen Kruger 15 tackles, Clint Metz 10 tackles and one interception, Alex Suedkamp two sacks.

By John RittenhouseThursday’s Section 3A Cross Country Championships at the Adrian Area Country Club proved to be a rewarding meet for two programs representing the Star Herald coverage area.With four team berths in the state field up for grabs, three went to teams from Adrian and Luverne.Add to the mix another LHS runner who qualified for the state meet individually, and the end result is record representation from area schools when the Minnesota State Class A Cross Country Championships take place at St. Olaf College in Northfield Saturday.The day was a history-making one for Adrian’s program, which won the section team titles in the boys’ and girls’ competitions.This is the first time any AHS girls’ squad has qualified for state competition of any kind.For the AHS boys, it will be the sixth time they’ve earned the right to run at state. The last time the Dragons qualified was 1999, when they shared a program with Edgerton."I have nothing but praise for our kids," said AHS coach Doug Petersen, who was named the Section 3A Girls’ and Boys’ Coach of the year after the meet."Their hard work and dedication is really showing right now."Joining Adrian in girls’ team competition at the state meet will be Luverne, which earned its fourth consecutive trip to Northfield by placing second at the section meet for the fourth straight year.AHS and LHS finished first and second with 29 and 73 points in the girls’ field. The Cardinals easily outscored Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin, which finished third with 116 points, by 43 counters."Our goal from the beginning of the year was to make the state meet our final destination," said LHS coach Bruce Gluf."The kids have risen to meet that challenge four years in a row now. A lot of people didn’t pay much attention to us this year, which was all right with us. We ran well enough to get to Northfield again, and that’s the only thing that matters."LHS senior Thomas Pinkal also earned a trip to Northfield by placing fourth individually with a time of 17:16.The top 10 finishers in section competition advance to state, and Pinkal, who actually tripped at one point of the race, is one of them."Thomas ran a great race," Gluf said. "I think he was a little disappointed to place fourth, but he shouldn’t be. He’s moving on."So are the Adrian boys, who outscored Redwood Valley 60-76 to win their first post-season title since the 1983 boys won the Region 2 championship.With Brandon Bullerman placing eighth in 17:35, Lee Stover 10th in 17:48 and Ethan Wieneke 11th in 17:55 to lead the way, the Dragons stunned coach Petersen by claiming the team title with a 16-point margin."Actually, I was surprised how easily it happened for us on the boys’ side," Petersen said. "We knew we had to win with our depth, and we were able to do that."Jarod Boltjes and Jordan Pater capped the scoring for the AHS boys by placing 15th and 20th in 18:11 and 18:25 respectively.Jack Albertson and Nathan Reyne finished 22nd and 25th in 18:30 and 18:37 for the Dragons.The Adrian girls, the state’s No. 1-ranked team, turned in a dominating performance featuring four athletes placing in the top-10 runners."We had five girls finish the race with times under 16:00," Petersen said. "That’s awesome running.""The girls saw what the boys did during their race, and they were ready to go after it when their time came to run."As she has all season, Morgan Lynn led the Dragons by winning the individual title with a time of 15:01.Erica Thier finished third in 15:28, Megan Henning fifth in 15:30, Leslie Stover ninth in 15:49 and Hailee Heitkamp 11th in 15:59 to round out the scoring.McCall Heitkamp and Natasha Slater placed 29th and 48th with times of 16:59 and 17:58 for AHS.Strong individual performances by Lexi Heitkamp and Debbie Schneiderman carried the Luverne girls to their second-place finish as a team.Heitkamp placed second individually with a time of 15:24. Schneiderman finished eighth in 15:40.Katie Schneiderman placed 16th in 16:19, Kayla Raddle 17th in 16:22 and Kelsey Dooyema 30th in 16:59 to round out the scoring for the Cards.Amanda Kannas and Rachel Saum finished 32nd and 44th with times of 17:06 and 17:44 during the event."I give all of the credit to these kids," Gluf said. "They are the ones who wanted it, and they are the ones who put in all of the hard work."With Pinkal setting the pace, the Luverne boys placed fourth in a 16-team field with 126 points.Tom Ward made a bid to qualify for state individually before placing 11th in 17:58.Steve Schneiderman finished 14th in 18:08, Craig Oeding 50th in 19:39 and David Nelson 54th in 19:45 to cap the team scoring.Brandon Schultz and Eric Stegemann placed 80th in 20:47 and 82nd in 20:50 for the Cards."I felt bad for the senior boys who won’t get the chance to run at state again this year," Gluf said. "Overall, I think the boys had a good season."Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth fielded complete teams for both varsity races.The Patriot boys placed sixth with 174 points. The girls finished ninth with 251 points.Halden Van Wyhe led the H-BC-E boys by placing 18th in 18:22.Tyler Paulsen finished 26th in 18:39, Dustin Verhey 31st in 18:49, Brent Kramer 49th in 19:37 and John Sandbulte 59th in 19:51 to make contributions to the team effort.Cody Penning and Tom Scholten placed 63rd in 20:08 and 72nd in 20:32 for the Patriots.May Mann turned in the top effort for the Patriot girls by placing 39th in 17:22.Rayna Sandoval finished 42nd in 17:30, Jill Weitgenant 54th in 18:16, Courtney Hoogendoorn 55th in 18:17 and Heather Esselink 66th in 18:36 to cap the scoring for H-BC-E.Jayme Plimpton placed 81st in 19:19 for the Patriots.Girls’ standings: Adrian 29, Luverne 73, ML-B-O 116, Windom 137, RWV 144, Martin County West 200, Springfield-Cedar Mountain 200, Pipestone 250, H-BC-E 251, Murray County Central 272, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 291, Westbrook-Walnut Grove-Red Rock Central 321, Southwest United 324, Jackson County Central 330, Buffalo Lake-Hector-BOLD 359, Renville County West 388, Lakeview 513.Boys’ standings: Adrian 60, RWV 76, Southwest Christian 122, Luverne 126, RCW 155, H-BC-E 174, MCW 230, MCC 230, JCC 235, S-CM 240, Windom 254, SWU 257, ML-B-O 356, W-WG-RRC 364, Pipestone 368, BL-H-BOLD 372.

November is National Hospice MonthNovember is National Hospice Care Month and the local Hospice of Sioux Valley Luverne Hospital is planning to use the opportunity to host a free educational seminar on issues regarding end-of-life care.The free seminar is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14, in the Blue Mound Room at the Sioux Valley Luverne Hospital.The purpose of the seminar is to help people understand options for care when facing a serious or life-limiting illness.The local event is part of a national campaign initiated by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, which encourages people to plan for the care they would want and to share their wishes with family and healthcare providers.Along with talking to your family, close friends and healthcare professionals, the hospice professionals also encourage people to complete an advance directive, also known as a living will.According to the NHPCO, one million people were served by the nation’s 3300 hospice providers last year.The local forum is free of charge and is designed to help those attending to understand what hospice is, the service provided and when hospice care is appropriate.Ways to help initiate conversations about the end-of-life questions with family members will also be addressed.River Road bridge to be replacedConstruction will begin on the replacement of the River Road bridge next Monday.The bridge is located about a half mile south of County Road 4, off the City Park entrance.To help you locate it mentally, it’s the one that takes a hard left turn, then heads east toward the gun club and golf course.A couple of families who live past the bridge will have to take the long way around, out past the radio station for a while.The replacement bridge will be considerably larger than the current structure, going from 24 feet wide to 35 feet wide and from 32 feet long to 75 feet long.The project is expected to take 10 to 12 weeks and cost $253,000.Duininck Brothers, Prinsburg, Minn., was awarded the project.‘Greatest Game’ at the Palace this weekendThe Palace Theatre continues their regular series of movies this weekend with a showing of "The Greatest Game Ever Played."The movie is a golf drama based on the true story of the 1913 U.S. Open, where 20-year-old Francis Ouimet defeated reigning champion Harry Vardon.Although golf, which really is the greatest game ever played, is used as a backdrop, the movie is really about someone trying to reach his goal after he was told he can’t achieve it.Without the benefit of any big actors’ names, the movie has done well with very good reviews.The biggest name associated with the movie is the director, Bill Paxton, who is better known for his acting in "Twister" and supporting roles in "Aliens and True Lies."Show times are 7:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. on Sunday.Other movies coming to the Palace in November include "North Country," starring Charlize Theron, and the animated movie, "Chicken Little."Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com