By John RittenhouseA pair of Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth-Edgerton track athletes earned individual honors during the Frisby Relays in Tracy Tuesday.Rosie Lewis picked up the meet’s Most Valuable Athlete for the girls and Tyler Bush captured the same honor for the boys at the meet hosted by Lincoln HI.Lewis won the shot put and discus titles with tosses of 32-1 and 98-9 respectively.She also ran legs with H-BC-E-E’s winning 400-meter and medley relay teams, which turned in respective 53.67 and 4:28.27 times. Mya Mann, Amanda Connors and Cassi Tilstra joined Lewis in the 400. Kelly Mulder, Mann and Tilstra round out the medley squad.Bush ran the anchor leg for H-BC-E-E’s 400-meter, 800-meter and sprint medley relays, which produced the winning times of 45.88, 1:36 and 1:41.05. Cody Scholten, Kale Wiertzema and Jan Sommerling joined Bush in all three races.The H-BC-E boys, who matched the girls’ effort of winning seven event titles during the meet, took top honors in the medley and 1,600-meter relays.Roger DeBoer, Cody Schilling, John Sandbulte and Tyler Paulsen ran a 4:12.42 in the medley. Brent Kramer, Derek Haak, Scholling and Sandbulte registered a 3:59.02 in the 1,600.Haak and Dustin Verhey posted wins in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs with times of 5:11.13 and 11:13.H-BC-E-E’s Rayna Sandoval and Amanda Tilstra won the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs for the girls with times of 6:09 and 14:12.The 1,600-meter relay team consisting of Mann, Bucher, Amanda and Cassi Tilstra finished first in 4:29.31.Here is a look at the rest of H-BC-E-E’s top efforts during Tuesday’s meet.H-BC-E-E girlsSecond place: Mulder, discus, 90-3 1/2; A.Bucher, 3,200, 14:12;Jocelyn Bucher, 1,600, 6:32; sprint-medley relay (Connors, A.Bucher, J.Bucher, A.Tilstra), 2:04.34; 800 relay (Kari Roozenboom, Ashley Hoyme, J.Bucher, Mulder), 2:03.65.Third place: A.Bucher, long jump, 13-5 1/2; Cassie Duncan, high jump, 4-4; Laura Timmer, 1,600, 6:38.Fourth place: Timmer, discus, 69-7; Mulder, shot, 29-6 1/2; Connors, 100, 14.22; Brittany Helgeson, 400, 1:13.27.Fifth place: Roozenboom, high jump, 4-0; Hoyme, 400, 1:14.17.Sixth place: Helgeson, high jump, 3-10; Roozenboom, 100, 15.13.H-BC-E-E boysSecond place: Paulsen, 3,200, 11:31; Sandbulte, 100, 12.25.Third place: Sandbulte, long jump, 17-4; Cody Penning, 3,200, 12:24; DeBoer, 100, 12.33.Fourth place: Schilling, high jump, 5-4; Kramer, 1,600, 5:44.Fifth place: Adam Voss, discus, 80-6; Voss, shot, 31-5; Kenny Gardner, 400, 1:06.75; Stephan Harsma, 1,600, 6:24.Sixht place: Chris Ahrenholtz, discus, 61-1; Schilling, long jump, 16-5 1/2; Ahrenholtz, shot, 27-2; Brandon Gruis, 400, 1:09.1.

Better get your passport up-to-dateIf the United States Department of State follows through with their Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, a lot more people will need to have current passports.If the new rules are enacted, U.S. citizens will be required to carry a passport for travel to and from countries that were previously exempt.The first phase would go into effect December 31 of this year, with a passport required for travel to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda and South America.On December 31, 2006, a passport would be required for all air, sea and land border crossings including Mexico and Canada.Generally, passports can take up to six weeks to get, and according to Sue Hoffman from Great Planes Travel, trips to Mexico and Canada are often booked at the last minute.‘Healing the Wounds’ video ready for saleA 10-minute documentary concerning the health problems of rescue workers involved in the 9/11 attacks. is now available.Diane Sherwood created the video after two different trips to New York, where she interviewed both the rescuers as well as the health care professionals involved in their care.The filming was completed in November of 2004.The taping was completed on Sherwood’s second trip to New York, where she hired both film crews as well as still photographers for the filming.The money raised from the tape will go to a medical facility to treat workers who breathed in the toxic dust during their rescue efforts.According to Sherwood, the film crews have enough footage to release a longer version of the documentary at a future date.If you would like a copy of the tape, they are available from Sherwood for $5, or for $8 she will ship one to you.You can get more information by contacting her at 283-4194, or e-mail her at infor@rememberrally.com.Buy your kids a life jacket — it’s the lawEffective May 6, children under the age of 10 will have to wear a life jacket while boating on Minnesota waters.The new law is called the Grant Allen Law, named after the child who drowned when he fell out of his father’s boat in 2003.The new law requires that a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket be worn by children younger than age 10 in boats that are underway or otherwise not tied up to a dock or permanent mooring.There are a few exceptions to the law. Children are not required to wear a life jacket if they are in the boat’s enclosed cabin or below deck or on an anchored boat that is being used as a platform for swimming or diving.Also, children on board commercial or charter vessels with a licensed captain are exempt from the life jacket requirement.For the first year, boat owners will get a warning for the first offense and a petty misdemeanor for the second offense.After May 1, 2006, a violation will get you a petty misdemeanor on the first offense.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

Sugar Books During the WarThe following appeared in the Rock County Herald on May 15, 1942:APPLICATIONS FOR SUGAR BOOKS IN COUNTY 10,1769,456 Books Issued During 4-day Period of Registration Last WeekWith 1,349 persons registering Thursday, the last of the four days set aside for the purpose, a total of 10,176 applications were made for sugar rationing in Rock County during the general consumers’ registration Monday through Thursday of last week, stated V.M. Barrett, county superintendent of schools and director of the sign-up.The last day of the registration also saw 1,214 rationing books issued in the county, bringing to 9,456 the total of books issued during the registration.Must Wait Till 21st Persons not registered during the four days last week will not be able to register until May 21. After that date, they can register at the offices of their local rationing boards. Meanwhile, they will be unable to buy sugar. Many misapprehensions have arisen over the use of ration books, stated T.G. Driscoll, state rationing administrator. Grocers in a few cases have allowed consumers to buy only a half-pound of sugar for the first stamp in their ration book. Each of the first four stamps is good for one pound of sugar, Driscoll pointed out, and the pound in each case must last the owner of the book for two weeks. A purchase must be made with the first stamp before May 16, or it will be worthless. The second stamp will allow the purchase of one pound for each bookholder between May 17 and May 30. The third stamp in the same way will cover the next two weeks, and the fourth the succeeding two weeks. Value of the remaining stamps in the books will be determined later.Status Cleared UpA new regulation just received clears up status of persons eating in restaurants, boarding houses and college dormitories. Such persons were asked to register as individuals and get ration books, though these places are registered as institutional users of sugar and cannot use the individual books. Under the new rule, a person who arranges to eat as much as 12 meals a week in such an establishment must surrender his ration book to the operator of the place, who will return it when he quits taking as much as 12 meals there. A similar provision directs that persons going to a hospital or other institutions to surrender their ration books if they expect to stay as much as 10 days. The provisions are designed to prevent the ration book being used by other members of the family while the owner of the book is away from home. Donations to the Rock County Historical Endowment Fund can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, P.O. Box 741, Luverne, MN 56156. Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

Time for public input is not after decisions are madeA few things came to mind as I covered Thursday’s School Board meeting (see the front page story).On one hand, I’ve always admired a dedicated group of individuals who care enough about a public issue to be heard at a public meeting.The parents who addressed the board last week were thoughtful, articulate and, above all, passionate.On the other hand, I couldn’t help but wish we’d heard this dialogue at any of the dozen or more previous School Board meetings where all-day kindergarten was on the chopping block.Arriving at the decision to cut all day kindergarten was a painful process for board members.I know, because I was at those meetings where they were hacking away at middle school and high school programs in order to save other items they felt were priorities – including all day kindergarten.And I was practically alone in the audience.There was very little passionate public input at this stage of the process.I wrote stories about the discussion and the possibility of cutting the program, but I know not everyone reads my stories. … And not everyone reads the School Board minutes in the legal notices. … And not everyone listens to local news on the radio.But maybe they should. Because then they would know the cut wasn’t a rash decision. And they’d know the office remodeling project has nothing to do with depriving the kindergarten program of money.Or at least they wouldn’t be critical of their elected officials for not making them aware of the issue before voting on it.I cringed every time I heard someone say the parents should have been given notice, or there should have been a public meeting.There have been public meetings; they’re called School Board meetings, and they’ve been twice a month on Thursdays for as long as I can remember.There’s a time for public process and feedback, and after decisions are made is not the time.Considering where state funding for education is headed, all parents would do well to start paying attention now. That way, positive input can be considered before the hard work is done.

No matter what happens the rest of the spring, the Adrian Area softball team has already accomplished one of its primary goals for the 2005 season — the players are having fun.As expected, the first-year program is struggling when it comes to winning games. But, according to AA coach Jason Langland, the girls are enjoying themselves during what has been an 0-8 varsity campaign through last weekend’s tournament in Okabena."There’s something about baseball and softball that is different than other sports," Langland said. "The kids just like going on the field and playing the game. Everyone still is having fun playing softball right now."In my mind, that’s what high school athletics is all about.Sure, it’s nice to be successful. But you can’t judge the experience of participating in extra curricular activities by a team’s win and loss record. As long as the kids are working hard and having fun in the process, they will acquire some positive memories that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.The AA softball team is a perfect example of what is good about high school athletes. Although the Dragons have yet to record a win, the players are committed to the cause of improving as players."We never looked at it like it would be an unsuccessful season if we didn’t get a win. We went into it with the attitude that we wanted to score some runs and be competitive in some games, and we wanted to make it fun for the girls," Langland said.Although the squad is winless, AA is making progress as a team.The Dragons sported their first lead in program history during a 14-3 road loss in Edgerton May 9.During Saturday’s tournament in Okabena, the Dragons forced two of the three teams it faced to play seven-inning games. More important to the coach was the fact that AA scored 10 and 12 runs in two of the contests."At the beginning of the year, I didn’t think we would score 10 runs in any game," Langland said. "Then we scored 10 or more runs in two games this weekend. Now that the girls are getting more at bats, and they’ve been exposed to more game situations, you can tell they are gaining confidence."AA will continue to use baby steps as a way to measure its successes as a program, but before long, the Dragons will be up and walking with the other area softball programs."I think the program will take off and grow," Langland said."We started with a bunch of girls with no softball experience, and they all have come a long way as players since the beginning of the year. I’m pretty optimistic about our junior varsity and junior high teams because they have some pretty good ball players. In a couple of years, we’re going to be very competitive."

"Waste not, want not" must not be a popular expression in England. Reuters reports, "British households throw about a fifth of their food, untouched and uneaten, straight into the rubbish bin."In addition, the Britons no longer prepare meals from leftovers and "they over-cautiously chuck food, which may be perfectly edible, as soon as it passes its sell-by date." As a result, each man, woman and child throws out food worth $793 a year. They obviously weren’t raised with memories of America’s Great Depression hanging over their heads. The attitudes of British food tossers show up occasionally at our doorsteps in the form of the Expiration Date Police, or as we affectionately refer to them, the EDP. The EDP is made up of well-meaning friends and relatives, often grown children, who routinely check our refrigerators and kitchen shelves for violations of food expiration dates. Judging by their actions, their sole mission in life is to save us from ourselves. Sell-by dates, food expiration dates and best when used by dates are all the same to the EDP. They’re just different ways of saying the same thing. Younger generations may not believe this, but food expiration dates are fairly new. Until they came out, people were expected to use their own common sense and the choice of whether or not to die of bad food was always left up to the individual. The rule of thumb seemed to be, "If it smells bad, throw it out." If we threw it out, we inevitably experienced pangs of post-Depression guilt. Members of the EDP say things such as, "This blue cheese dressing expired three days ago! What are you trying to do, kill yourself?" They never knew my mother, who would keep opened jars of mayonnaise in the kitchen cupboard and would scrape off the surface mold on jars of her homemade jams and jellies before serving them. If we would protest, her usual response was, "How do you think penicillin was discovered?" As usual, her logic was flawless. Being raised by people who had gone through the Great Depression with very little to eat was an adventure in itself. It was an indelible experience that would follow us the rest of our lives. As long as there are starving children in Asia, we continue to eat for them and the general good of mankind. Parental advice in those days consisted of four words, "Eat it or starve." If we refused to eat, no kind-hearted parent would try to appease us with a more palatable food choice. The only exceptions to the eat-everything rule were chunky milk and fuzzy leftovers, which had evolved over the years into more intelligent life forms and were able to communicate. All kids of that time knew that being a member of the Clean Plate Club was on the same level of saintliness as having perfect Sunday school attendance or an impressive report card. Perhaps there’s a good reason for those of us wiser and older to avoid both food expiration dates and having younger friends and relatives making throwaway decisions for us. This is especially true if the throwers are knowledgeable about current life expectancies. "Sis, I was just thinking. With her lifestyle, Mom was only expected to live until 80 and she’s 98 now.""Bob, are you thinking what I’m thinking?"As we overhear their conversations, we might as well be sitting there with expiration dates stamped on our foreheads.

Shame, Shame, Shame!Coffee shop rumors seem to prevail over good judgment and facts from what I have seen, heard and read.Example #1: Two good men, Dave Hauge and Tom Martius, were not returned to their positions on the city council after our last election. In my opinion both were trying very hard to study the facts and base their decisions on what was best for the city of Luverne. Example #2: the law enforcement issue which brought forth much discussion. It seems that the county would not budge at all on the issue until the appointment of a committee of 12 outstanding citizens who were to study the issue in depth. The county then quickly accepted one of the many proposals that the city had offered. Why? Because the study would have shown that the city could have saved about $100,000 per year and had more control with a City Police Force. Example #3: It was brought to the public’s attention that Rock County was still charging the citizens of Luverne a large sum of money for closing a Land Fill Project that had been completed for some time now. Why" I have not seen any apology for this situation nor a repayment plan. Example #4: City Administrator fired! I read in the Worthington Daily Globe (May 11) what Mayor Andy Steensma’s reply was to the situation and Esther Frakes’ comments to the Star Herald as to what was the cause of the termination. Read their own words about the qualities that Greg La Fond possessed and used in doing his duty as city administrator. They said he was well liked by all Luverne employees, had great knowledge of government regulations and leadership. No one had a bad thing to say about him and yet he was given a no-cause termination? All this was done in a special City Council meeting that violated the Minnesota State Meeting Laws. I agree wholeheartedly with Sara Quam’s comments in the May 12th issue of the Star Herald. Who will want to become the new City Administrator when they learn that La Fond did everything right, and still lost his job? I blame coffee shop rumors. This should be of great concern to all of us.A concerned citizen.Eugene MannLuverne

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne softball team was unable to spring an upset when it traveled to Pipestone for a Southwest Conference double-header Monday.Taking on an Arrow team that is tied for first place in the league, the Cardinals had an opportunity to play a role in settling the SWC title.Pipestone, however, took both ends of the twin bill.Cami Fey pitched a six-inning no-hitter to lead the Arrows to a 10-0 victory in Game 1.The Arrows backed their pitcher by scoring six runs in the first two innings and adding four more counters in the fourth and sixth frames.Sarah Wynia tossed six innings and took the loss for LHS. Wynia walked nine batters, allowed eight hits and fanned four Arrows.Pipestone completed the sweep by edging the Cardinals 4-1 in Game 2.The Arrows plated single runs in the first, third, fifth and seventh innings before Luverne capped the scoring in the bottom of the seventh.Singles by Kerri Fransman and Jessa Dahl, along with Sarah Ailts reaching base with a fielder’s choice, loaded the sacks for LHS in the seventh. Sarah Schneekloth’s ground out plated Fransman with the team’s lone run.Wyina threw all seven innings. She walked five batters, surrendered four hits and recorded two strikeouts.Luverne, 5-8 overall and 3-7 in league play, hosts Worthington for a twin bill today before playing a game in Ellsworth Friday.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne golf teams participated in the first Southern Minnesota Alliance Invitational staged at different courses in Fairmont Saturday.The Alliance, which consists of teams from the Southwest and South Central Conferences, attracted all 13 schools to its first golf invitational on a cold and windy day.SWC teams earned bragging rights at event’s end as the Marshall girls won the team championship at Interlaken Country Club, and the Jackson County Central boys claimed the team championship at Rose Lake Country Club.The Luverne girls placed fifth and the boys eighth in their respective fields.Nikki Van Dyk led the LHS girls by shooting a 92. She placed sixth in the individual standings.Brittany Boeve, Alyssa Klein and Jessica Klein added 95-, 97- and 108-stroke rounds to Luverne’s team tally. Lindsey Severtson and Kaia Nowatzki shot 111- and 126-stroke scores without influencing the team effort.New Ulm’s Morgan Hagedorn shot a 90 to win the individual title for the girls.Andy Haakenson set the pace for LHS by shooting an 88 in boys’ competition.David Nelson carded a 90, while Kirk Oldre and Dan Hup rounded out the scoring with 97s. Skyler Hoiland and Grant Oldre turned in 103s without impacting the scoring.New Ulm’s Jim Fromm won the individual crown with a 74.Girls team standings: Marshall 379, Blue Earth Area 382, Windom 385, Fairmont 391, Luverne 392, NU 394, Worthington 411, Waseca 423, JCC 437, Redwood Valley 444, St. Peter 446, Pipestone 453, St. James 514.Boys team standings: JCC 337, Marshall 338, NU 340, Pipestone 348, BEA 351, RWV 363, Windom 365, Luverne 372, Fairmont 373, Waseca 379, Worthington 365, SP 382, SJ 410.