By John RittenhouseIn a ragged football game that included a combined 13 penalties and 11 turnovers, the Adrian Dragons made enough positive plays to earn a 14-0 home win over Tracy-Milroy-Balaton Thursday in Adrian.The penalty flags and turnovers kept both teams from scoring additional points during the course of the game.Thanks to the play of Adrian’s defense, 14 points was more than enough to win the game."We played pretty well on defense," said Dragon coach Randy Strand."Other than that, it was a very poorly-played game. If we could have given our quarterback some time to pass the football, or if we could have caught the football, it could have been a 30-point game."Adrian, which sported a decisive advantage in total yardage (302-145) in the contest, didn’t take advantage of it.The Dragons were flagged for six penalties and turned the ball over four times in the game, and the mistakes kept AHS from icing the game early.Fortunately for AHS, T-M-B was plagued by miscues as well. The Panthers turned the ball over in seven times and were flagged seven times in the contest.With Adrian’s defensive giving the offense a short field to play on, the Dragons did record first- and third-quarter touchdowns.After the defense forced the Panthers to punt from deep inside their own territory late in the first quarter, a short kick allowed the AHS offense to set up shop on T-M-B’s 34-yard line. On the third play of the possession, Adrian quarterback Cody Reverts hooked up with Jory Haken for a 27-yard touchdown pass to give the Dragons a 6-0 lead with 26 seconds remaining in the first period.Adrian’s third-quarter touchdown was set up by a fumble recovery from Clint Metz on the T-M-B 11.Reverts, who ran for 115 yards and passed for 112 during the game, scored two plays later on a two-yard run. A Reverts-to-Billy Anderson conversion pass capped the scoring with 1:41 left in the third period.The victory upped Adrian’s season record to 4-3. The Dragons completed the regular season by hosting Dawson-Boyd Wednesday night.Team statisticsAdrian: 190 passing yards, 112 rushing yards, 302 total yards, nine first downs, six penalties for 55 yards, four turnovers.T-M-B: 78 rushing yards, 67 passing yards, 145 total yards, eight first downs, seven penalties for 45 yards, seven turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Anderson 12-36, Reverts 20-115, Haken 11-39.Passing: Reverts 7-16 for 112 yards.Receiving: Cody Kontz 3-42, Haken 1-27, Anderson 2-41, Brandon Diekmann 1-2.Defense: Will Lutmer seven tackles and one sack, Jordan Brake eight tackles and two sacks, Anderson two interceptions, Nate Engelkes one interception, Glen Kruger one interception, Kontz one interception, Metz one fumble recovery, Joel Hoffman one fumble recovery.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne volleyball team wrapped up a 6-18-2 regular season by playing in three events since last Thursday.The Cardinals finished 0-6 in Southwest Conference play after losing a three-game match in Windom Thursday before falling in four games at home to Worthington Tuesday. Luverne went 1-4 and placed fourth at the Pipestone Tournament Saturday.Luverne drew the eighth seed for the South Section 3AA Tournament. The Cards play No. 9 Lake Crystal-Welcome-Memorial to open the event at 7 p.m. Monday in Jackson.Worthington 3, Luverne 1The Cardinals came up empty in an attempt to record a SWC win against the Trojans Tuesday.The match was tied at one game each before Worthington prevailed in Games 3 and 4 to upend the Cards in front of their Parents’ Night crowd.Game 1 was tied at one when Worthington went on a 15-2 run to open a commanding 16-3 lead. Luverne trimmed the difference to eight points (16-8) with a kill by Chelsea Park, but the Trojans wouldn’t let the Cards creep any closer before prevailing 25-14.Luverne led 10-3 after Lindsey Olson delivered a service point in Game 2. Worthington countered with a 12-6 surge to trail 17-15 before Park capped a 5-1 surge to give the Cards a 22-16 lead they would turn into a 25-22 win.Worthington scored the first four points of the third game on the way to building a 19-7 advantage. Luverne rallied to trail by four (21-17) when Dinah Xaphakdy served a point as the game progressed, but the Trojans scored the next four points to win 25-17.Luverne scored the first three points of the fourth game and led 8-7 moments later. The score was knotted at 11 when Worthington rattled off six straight points to gain a 17-11 lead.Luverne closed to within two points (17-15) of the Trojans with a service point from Olson, but a 6-4 spurt for the Trojans gave them a 25-19 victory.Maggie Kuhlman led the Cards with 10 kills and nine digs, while Meghan Cronberg added six kills and three blocks. Xaphakdy was 19 of 19 serving with 14 points and two aces, Park charted 14 set assists and Erin Hoiland registered three blocks.Pipestone tourneyThe Cardinals went 1-2 and placed fourth during Saturday’s six-team tournament in Pipestone.Luverne went 1-1 in pool play, earning a position in the third-place match. Brookings, S.D., swept the Cardinals in the finale, leaving LHS in fourth place.The Cards opened the tournament by securing a 2-1 victory against RWV. The teams each won one game by 25-22 tallies to start the match. Luverne notched a 15-12 win in the third game to take the match.Mitchell, S.D. upended the Cardinals by 25-23, 27-25 and 15-9 scores in the second round of pool play.Brookings saddled the Cards with 25-10, 25-14 and 25-15 setbacks in the third-place match.LHS coach Lori Oechsle was happy with the way her short-handed team played during the tourney."We played well with the people we had. We had to bring up three freshmen for the tournament because of a band event, and they played pretty well," she said.Park, who charted 60 set assists during the tournament, completed 27 of 30 serves with seven aces and 15 points. Along with recording four blocks, Becca Sandager completed 23 of 25 serves with three aces and 12 points. Kuhlman led the Cards with 26 kills and went 28 of 30 serving with 16 points and two aces.Cronberg registered 18 kills and nine blocks during the event. Hoiland added 16 kills to the cause.Windom 3, Luverne 0Luverne’s best serving night of the season wasn’t enough to give the Cardinals their first conference win of the season when they traveled to Windom Thursday.The Cards completed 93 percent of their serves, but it was receiving serves that hampered LHS during 25-8, 25-19 and 25-15 losses to the Eagles."We did serve the ball well," said LHS coach Oechsle. "We just couldn’t pass it very well. Windom was hitting the ball to the open spots, and our girls were not getting there to pick them up."Xaphakdy (10 of 11 with six points), Kuhlman (eight of eight with three points and one ace) and Hoiland (eight of eight with three points) led the Cards in serving. Kuhlman and Hoiland charted six and four kills respectively. Xaphakdy had six set assists.Park recorded six set assists and Cronberg added four blocks to Luverne’s cause.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne football team battled back from a halftime deficit to defeat Jackson County Central 28-16 Friday in Luverne.Trailing 10-7 at the intermission, the Cardinals turned things around in the third and fourth quarters to outscore the Huskies 21-6 and win the game by 12 points.The victory was Luverne’s fourth straight and placed more importance on the annual Battle Ax game played in Pipestone Wednesday night. If the Cardinals could beat their long-time rivals in the regular-season finale, they would host a game to open the playoffs Tuesday night."If we beat Pipestone, we would be either a third or a fourth seed. If we lose, we could slip to a sixth seed," said LHS coach Todd Oye.Luverne needed to beat JCC to put itself in a position to host a playoff game.Coach Oye said the Huskies played well throughout the contest, but it was Luverne’s ability to pass the ball in the second half that settled the issue.Cardinal quarterback Nick Heronimus completed four of five passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns to ignite Luverne’s second half comeback."Our ability to pass the ball in the second half was the difference," Oye offered.Luverne’s rally began in the third quarter, when the Cardinals struck quickly with their second and fourth offensive possessions of the second half.The teams exchanged punts to open the second half, and the Cardinals gained possession of the ball on JCC’s 45-yard line to start their second offensive series.After Heronimus gained seven yards with a run on the first down, he hooked up with Jake Hendricks for a 38-yard touchdown pass on second down. Chris Engesser booted his second of four straight extra points after the touchdown to give the Cards a 14-10 advantage.The Luverne defense came up big by forcing JCC to punt from deep inside its own territory late in the third quarter.With pressure being applied on the punter by Luverne’s front linemen with the punt return squad, JCC ended up losing three yards with the kick.LHS took over on the JCC 10-yard line, where Heronimus threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Mike Kunstle on the first play of the possession to make it a 21-10 game with 1:16 remaining in the third period."Being able to get that extra cushion was important," Oye admitted."Being able to score on the first play after a short punt was big for us."The importance of Luverne’s second touchdown of the third quarter became evident when the Huskies climbed back into the game with a 13-play, 62-yard drive with their next offensive possession.Running back Nathan Stender capped the march with a two-yard touchdown run at the 8:13 mark of the fourth quarter, ending a six-game streak of playing shutout ball in the second half by the LHS defense.The defense, however, successfully stopped JCC’s run for a two-point conversion, leaving the Cardinals with a 21-16 lead.JCC gained possession of the ball with 5:59 left to play, but a sack by Luverne’s Seth Goembel forced the Huskies to punt with 2:26 remaining.Luverne took over on its own 49-yard line and put the game away when Derek Elbers dashed 39 yards for a touchdown four plays later.JCC, which put together two nice offensive drives to open the game, scored the game’s first points with a field goal at the 11:48 mark of the second quarter.Luverne countered with a 19-play, 73-yard drive that ended with Chris Ashby scoring on a five-yard run to make it a 7-3 game with 3:15 remaining in the first half.The scoring march featured the Cardinals converting five third-down situations and two fourth-down situations into first downs.After Luverne gained its four-point lead, JCC returned the ensuing kickoff 62 yards to the LHS 35. Five plays later, JCC’s Marcus Schultz scored on a nine-yard run with 35 seconds remaining in the second period to give the Huskies a 10-7 halftime advantage.Team statisticsLuverne: 174 rushing yards, 106 passing yards, 280 total yards, 11 first downs, seven penalties, zero turnovers.JCC: 109 rushing yards, 90 passing yards, 199 total yards, 13 first downs, seven penalties, zero turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Ashby 6-15, Ben Nath 9-58, Elbers 14-74, Heronimus 8-27.Passing: Heronimus 8-12 for 106 yards.Receiving: Clark 2-38, Kunstle 3-18, Elbers 1-11, Hendricks 2-39.Defense: Kunstle two sacks, Goembel one sack.

Import World opens Sioux Falls storeSaying they have been encouraged by patrons of the Luverne market, Jenny Anderson-Martinez and her husband, Arturo, have opened a second Import World store in Sioux Falls.With more than 2200 feet, the new store handles similar items, only a lot more variety.Some of the areas they expanded on include textile embroidering and wood carved items from India and Africa, as well as pewter and ceramics from Mexico.The new store is located at 3815 S. Western in the Independence Plaza.The couple opened their first store in the Palace Theatre building in Luverne in November 2004.Scouting for foodThe bag appearing at your home this Saturday is for the Scouting for Food drive.Cub Scout Pac 280 and Boy Scout Troup 280 will be delivering the bags to local residents to collect canned food items and eyeglasses for the Scouting for Food program.The Cub Scouts will be canvassing the city of Luverne while the Boy Scouts will be covering other Rock County communities including Hills, Beaver Creek, Ash Creek Kenneth, Hardwick and Steen.You will have a week to think about how you want to fill up the bag. The Cub and Boy Scouts will be back on Saturday, October 29, to collect your contribution.All food collected will be donated to the local food shelf.If you have any outdated eyewear you are no longer using they can also find a good home for them.Meth Task Force makes Luverne presentationThe Southwestern Meth Task Force is sponsoring a talk from Omaha, Neb., police officer Chuck Matson.The talk titled "The Ugliness of Drugs – Meth" will be presented three times on Monday, Oct. 24, in Rock County.The presentations will be at 9:30 a.m. at Luverne High School, again at 10:30 a.m. at Luverne Middle School and finally at 1 p.m. at Hills-Beaver Creek High School.The programs are open to the public.If you have any questions, or would like more information, contact Linda Bosch at Rock-Nobles Community Corrections at 283-5077 or Jon Ramlo at 507-372-8285.How to save with rising heat costsWhether you want to blame it on Katrina and Rita or just the big bad energy companies taking advantage of the situation, fuel prices are probably going to go up this winter.The U.S. Department of Energy expects the cost of heating fuels to continue to rise throughout the heating season.One of their estimates puts the increase at 71 percent over the cost of last year’s heating bill.According to the Comfort Institute, that could raise annual home and water heating bills for most homeowners $500 to $800. For many, the bill could be more than $1,000.Although the price of fuel may be out of your control, there are a few things you can do around the house to control those expenses.
Have your duct system tested for leaks. According to the Department of Energy (DOE), gaps, joints and disconnections in the typical home’s duct system are more significant than those around doors and windows.
Get a "blower door" test. Originally designed by the DOE, it pinpoints where your home’s worst air leaks are.
Close your fireplace damper. You might be surprised how many people forget to close it after burning wood.
Replace your furnace filters. Most systems need this done every month.
Have your heating system cleaned and tuned. It reduces the chances of breakdowns and improves safety.
Install a programmable set-back thermostat. Turning down your thermostat 8 degrees for 8 hours a day will save you 8 percent on your home heating cost.
Consider replacing your heating system. If your system is more than 12 years old, it probably wastes 35 percent of your fuel bill.Hunters under 25 must complete firearms safety courseCompletion of a Hunter Education/Firearms safety course is now required to get a hunting license for those younger than 25.A previous hunting license, that does not indicate hunter safety training was completed, is no longer enough to buy a new hunting license in Minnesota for anyone born after Dec. 31, 1979, according to Mike Hammer, the DNR’s Education Program coordinator.Hunters older than 25 or hunters who can prove they received training from another state are not affected.Pheasant season opened last Saturday, and deer season opens on Nov. 5.Failing to complete the Firearms Safety/Hunter Education course as required and unlawfully purchasing a license can be a misdemeanor violation with a maximum fine of $1,000. If a wild animal is taken under the invalid license, the penalties can include loss of hunting privileges, loss of firearms and wildlife restitution cost, in addition to the criminal fine.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

By Lori EhdeThe wheels are in motion for Luverne to adopt a family displaced by Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf region of the South.Working through the Rock County Ministerial Association, a small group of local residents applied through the Foundation For Hope to provide temporary housing in Luverne.The organization was recommended by local churches as a reputable organization that partners with the Red Cross and others to connect evacuees with temporary housing.Judi Wiley, president of the Rock County Ministerial Association, reported this week that the Foundation had identified a Southern family that was willing to relocate to Luverne."Many of us do not realize that there are still families living in sports domes, sleeping on cots and eating in masses in the hurricane-ravaged South. Families separated from friends and extended family, waiting for a place to call home," Wiley said."One family’s wait is over. They are moving to Luverne."Wiley didn’t have their names yet, but the family consists of a woman, her four children, their grandmother and a small dog.The children’s ages are 14, 11, 7 and 4, and they’ll be staying in a house on Jackson Street in Luverne owned by First Baptist Church.Wiley said the church has agreed to waive rent for the family for 90 days until they can get settled. "This family has nothing but three paper bags with them," Wiley said.She said she spoke with the Foundation For Hope representative who interviewed the family, who registered with the organization. "She said they are just wonderful," Wiley said. "I asked her which denomination they were affiliated with, and the woman told me she didn’t know that, but that she had prayed with the family and that the grandmother ‘really loves Jesus.’ That’s all I needed to hear," Wiley said.The family has been living as refugees in the Cajun Dome, but that will close down by the end of the month, so Wiley said they’re expected sometime in the next week.The Federal Emergency Management Agency will fund the family’s transportation to Luverne. Some furniture has been donated from Volunteers of Mercy, and volunteers have come forward to help set up the house.But from there, Wiley said, it will be up to Luverne to care for its adopted family.Following is a list of items the family will need to get started in their temporary home:oPots and pans, baking pansoDish towels, bath towels, wash clothesoDishesoSilverwareoSchool suppliesoSoapsoTVoBicyclesoVacuum cleaneroMops and brooms, cleaning suppliesoCoffee pot, toaster, can openeroBasic food items, i.e.: cooking oil, salt, pepper, sugar, etc.oPersonal itemsTo donate call Wiley (227-9258) or Cheryl Thacker (283-3674).An account has been opened at First Farmers and Merchants Bank, and people can donate to the "Psalm 121 Project." Psalm 121 reads, "Whatever you do for the least of the brothers, so you do it to me."Luverne Katrina Relief Committee members Wiley and LaDonna Van Aartsen are authorized account managers for the donations.Edgerton has also been matched with a family to adopt from the hurricane-ravaged communities of the South.The adoptions through Foundation For Hope are intended to be temporary – about three to six months, until the families are able to function on their own in their new towns or return South to rebuild.In Luverne’s case, Wiley said the family intends to permanently relocate in the area. The woman plans to find work in housekeeping while her mother cares for the children.

By Lori EhdeThe Citgo Food Shop on North Highway 75 has a new owner as of this week.Glen Gust of Glen’s Food Center, Luverne, announced this week that he purchased the gas and convenience store from Palisade Oil, Garretson."I’ll be a locally-owned, independent convenience store," Gust said, "just like I’m a locally-owned, independent grocery store in Luverne."He officially takes over the business on Monday.Joel Nath, a long-time Glen’s Food Center employee, will manage the store. "I look forward to people coming in to see me," he said.Nath has experience in Glen’s deli, the Banquet Center and meat department."So he has lots of experience in the food industry," Gust said.Immediate plans include replacing the pumps so they’re able to accommodate 24-hour credit card gas customers.In addition, the convenience store will stock new inventory, deli items and gourmet coffee."We’ll run lots of promotions between Glen’s and the gas station," Gust said.Gust said he’s looking forward to taking over the Citgo shop."There’s nothing wrong with a little challenge," Gust said. "That’s what I say."In related business news, Gust said he sold Harvey’s Trading Post to Denny and Scott Remme on Oct. 1. The new owners said they’d be prepared to announce their plans for the business in the near future.

By Lori EhdeA 16-year-old Luverne girl is recuperating from injuries she received in a four-car accident Friday afternoon.Stephanie Steensma was northbound on Highway 75 near Luverne High School when she stopped behind a pickup that was waiting for a van to turn left on Dodge Street.According to the accident report, a Mack truck coming from the south failed to slow for the stopped traffic. It rear-ended her 1998 Saturn, slamming it into the Dodge pickup in front of her.In a chain reaction, the pickup, driven by Luverne’s Terry Schneekloth, then rear-ended the van, driven by Denise Ernst, Luverne.Steensma, who had been wearing her seatbelt, was taken by Rock County Ambulance to Sioux Valley Luverne Hospital, where she was treated for minor injuries and released on Saturday.According to her grandfather, Andy Steensma, she’s stiff and sore, and she’ll be monitored for possible back injuries."She keeps finding glass in her hair," he said. "But she’s very fortunate to be alive."According to the report, none of the other drivers involved in the accident were injured.The report stated that Ernst had her left turn signal activated.The driver of the Mack truck, 44-year-old Douglas Donald Mathias, Worthington, was cited for failure to drive with due care.

By Sara QuamIt’s no secret that public health educator Paula Anderson not only believes everyone should quit smoking but that they should not smoke around others.She said Tuesday to the Rock County Commissioners that she thinks the only way to do that would be to get a county-wide ban on smoking in restaurants and bars.But Anderson hasn’t asked commissioners to do that yet. Even she, with all her enthusiasm for a ban, thinks it’s too soon.Anderson and other workers in the health field are not alone in their opinion. There is even a Safe Air For Everyone coalition in the county. She said their theory is essentially, "You can smoke, but don’t do it around other people. It’s like, you can drink, but you can’t drive and endanger other people."Smoking, obesity and alcohol are the top leading causes of preventable death nationwide. Following those is second-hand smoke.Anderson said the additives, not necessarily the tobacco itself, in cigarettes are harmful to breathe second-hand. Tobacco manufacturers put chromium VI (the chemical made famous in the movie "Erin Brockovitch"), lead, ammonia, asbestos and hydrogen cyanide as additives in cigarettes. She said to commissioners that forcing bars and restaurants to be non-smoking doesn’t hurt them. "Our information comes from objective sales tax data that says their sales stay the same or increase after the switch," Anderson said.She said special interest groups that say bars and restaurants are hurt by going non-smoking are misleading the public."The tobacco industry has a lot of money," Anderson said.And, speaking of money, smoking costs Minnesotans $2.64 billion a year, she said.Sharkee’s owner Dave Halverson said current sales tax figures show that Minneapolis’ ban on smoking in bars hurt them. "I looked at information that came from sales tax, too," Halverson said.He said a county or city ban on smoking would hurt business because people could easily go just outside the county to smoke in bars."It’s not just the smokers, but they bring their non-smoking friends out with them. I’m not saying all my customers smoke, but they all go out together and I think the smoking friends would get them to go somewhere else," Halvorson said."If the whole state does it, then fine, I’d have no objection to it."Anderson said people should see second-hand smoke elimination like any other health standard, such as sanitation practices in a restaurant.Anderson said she worries about restaurant and bar workers who are exposed to the 250 cancer-causing chemicals in cigarettes without even smoking themselves.Anderson said, "People say it’s their choice to work there, but that’s like saying someone who is sexually harassed has a choice to stay at their job. Sometimes they don’t have a choice."Even sitting in a non-smoking section of a restaurant, if it’s not completely enclosed, can be harmful she said. "Sitting in that non-smoking section for two hours is like smoking 1 1/2 cigarettes. … It’s kind of like saying there’s a non-peeing section of a pool. It just spreads."Ten states have banned smoking altogether in bars and restaurants. Anderson said the trend may become nationwide but would be better coming from a local initiative.Anderson also plans to talk to the Luverne City Council about second-hand smoke issues but won’t ask them to ban smoking yet.

By Lori EhdeAs the Nov. 8 election day approaches for Luverne’s proposed operating referendum, efforts to educate voters are picking up speed.Information about the proposed referendum was mailed to all property owners Oct. 12 and last week volunteers followed up with phone calls.Luverne teacher Patsy Amborn was one of 30-some people who each called anywhere from 30 to 60 homes.Berkley Information Services offered the use of its phones for the effort.Amborn and others who spoke with prospective voters last week said she’s unsure where the district stands on the referendum.Callers identified themselves and asked if residents were aware of the proposed operating referendum and if they plan to vote in the coming special election."Responses varied from very positive and aware to ‘I’m not aware’ and ‘No, I’m not interested,’" Amborn said.School Board member Vicki Baartman was also among the volunteer callers last week. She said she’s not sure if the phone campaign will have a positive effect on the voting outcome, but she said it was still worth the effort."I’m just glad we at least had the opportunity to get them the information," she said.The issue about all day every kindergarten is apparently an issue with some residents. Some are angry that the program was cut last year, and they say they won’t support the referendum if there are no plans to reinstate it. Others have said they won’t support the referendum if the money will be used only to reinstate all day every day kindergarten.Luverne School Board members addressed the referendum campaign during their Thursday, Oct. 13, meeting.Like 81 other school districts in Minnesota, Luverne is proposing a referendum just to keep its head above water, not to reinstate previously cut programs.In Luverne, that will require passage of the proposed $700 per pupil operating referendum that district residents will vote on Nov. 8. If approved, it will bring $900,000 per year to the district, an amount administration and board has identified as sufficient to make ends meet."There are still some people with the mistaken idea that we’re getting 4 percent increase in new money from the state," said board chair Becky Walgrave."I still get comments that we have all this new money coming in, and my response is we’re not getting 4 percent; we’re getting 1.7 percent - $139,000. We’ll be lucky if that covers our added fuel costs for this year."Superintendent Gary Fisher told School Board members he’s visiting coffee groups, Senior Dining crowds and other small groups in order to talk one-on-one with district residents.Board member Bill Stegemann said, "I hope folks take time to read the information. The outcome of this election will have a profound effect on the future of the district.In other business Thursday, the board:oDiscussed the possibility of setting the district thermostats 4 degrees cooler to conserve heat. Last year the district spent $122,325 on heating fuel, and those costs are expected to rise more than 30 percent this winter.oHeard a report from student members of the Annual and Echo staffs and their advisor Amy Sahly. The group was on the agenda as a showcase item.oApproved long-term medical leave for Judy Thies, paraprofessional, beginning Nov. 1 for roughly five weeks.oHired Chris Medill as boys head hockey coach.oAccepted the resignation of Greg Hurst, custodian, effective Sept. 30.oSchool Board meetings in November will be Nov. 10 and Nov. 22 at 7:30 p.m. both dates.