By Sara QuamThe Rock County Board of Commissioners commended Family Services, especially collections worker Wendy De La Rosa-Gacke, for recouping some of the assistance clients receive.Family Services Director Randy Ehlers said, "We’ve taken the philosophy that if you need assistance you deserve it, but if at a point you can pay it back, you should."People who live below the federal poverty level or who are already receiving cash assistance aren’t asked to repay any previous assistance.Collections are done for detox services and medical assistance in the case of someone who dies and has no spouse or children to live off existing assets.Since 1997, the county has collected almost $1 million. After state portions and local costs, the county has kept $328,954 of that. The cost of operating collections is about $20,000 a year, including salary and benefits. Federal money aids the program.Drug and alcohol reportThe board reviewed a Drug and Alcohol Normative Evaluation, which tracks information on people who’ve been through chemical dependency treatment in the county.In 2004, for example, there were 64 admissions to centers. Forty-three of those were men. (Some people may enter more than once and count as another admission.)Commissioner Richard Bakken said, "Our county certainly doesn’t have a shortage of these kinds of problems."Other facts from the report include:
The majority, 28, were age 18 to 24. The average age was 28.7 years old.
59 were white; 2 were Hispanic
39 were single
19 had full-time jobs; eight had part-time jobs, and 11 were students.
19 did not complete high school
27 went to treatment as a condition of probation; eight entered treatment to avoid losing a relationship
3 were pregnant
11 left the program against staff adviceMost of the inpatient treatment is done through the New Life Treatment Center in Woodstock, and most of the outpatient treatment is done through Luverne Community Hospital.Gas tax updateThe board received an update on the gas tax from Auditor Treasurer Gloria Rolfs. The taxes collected were increased slightly from last year.Duininck Brothers, Henning Construction, Northern Con-Agg, Pronk Ready Mix and W&N Construction contributed to the tax.The county received $22,630.65 for the Road and Bridge Fund; $3,771.77 for the Special Reserve Fund, and $11,315.33 for various townships.Luverne Township received the most, with $3,118.29.Capital improvementsThe Board voted to move forward in the development of a five-year capital improvement plan that would utilize bonding to pay for special projects.The Board set a public hearing for 8 p.m. Monday, May 23, in the Rock County Human Services Meeting Room. Commissioner Jane Wildung said the meeting should be at night to allow more people to attend. "I think this will be a good process," she said.If the board decides to use bonding to pay for special projects through the CIP, it is subject to a reverse referendum that can be forced through a petition.Chairman Ken Hoime said, "The CIP doesn’t force us to spend the money, but it gives us the authority."Based on taxable market value, Rock County may bond for $462,626 per year.

By Lexi MooreHills Community Club members continue to plan for Hills Friendship Days June 10 and 11. Tuesday night’s meeting gave members a chance to finalize plans for this year’s events.Community Club members have brought back many of the events from past years, but have added new events to attract more visitors.New events include stroke screening, 3-on-3 basketball tournament, free-throw shooting contest, martial arts demonstration, a carnival for children, petting zoo and horse rides, face painting and bingo.Stroke screening is being offered as part of the mini-health fair on Saturday morning. The screening can detect carotid artery, stroke, abdominal aortic aneurysm and peripheral arterial disease. The cost per test is $40. All three tests cost $110. To pre-register for any of the screenings or a bone density check, call Bonnie Leenderts at 962-3318 or 605-360-0719. The 3-on-3 basketball tournament is available for boys and girls in grades 7 - 12, based on the grade the student finished during the 2004-2005 school year.Each team will need to pay a $10 registration fee. The event will be held at the Hills City Basketball Court beginning at noon on Saturday, June 11. The start time may change depending on the number of teams registered.Interested teams must pre-register and pre-pay by June 5. Call Missy Bass at 962-3733 for questions or to register.The free-throw shooting contest is for boys and girls in grades 4 - 6, based on the grade the student finished during the 2004-2005 school year. The event will be held at the Hills City Park Basketball Court on Sat. June 11. Registration begins at 10:15 a.m.The Tiger Academy, a Brandon martial arts school, will be giving a martial arts demonstration prior to the start of the parade.Hills Christian School is sponsoring a kids’ carnival with games and prizes at the Hills City Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Also at the park, the Rock County 4-H Club will host a petting zoo and horse rides.Other additions to activities at the park will be face painting offered by the Hills-Beaver Creek Music Department and bingo for all ages.Long time activities still on the Friendship Days roster are the FFA Alumni Pancake Breakfast, four-person best ball golf tournament, Hills Country Cruisers poker run, co-ed double elimination sand volleyball tournament, homemade ice cream by the Hills Lions Club and the evening parade which will include the kiddie parade.To sign up to be in the parade, call Lisa Durst at 962-3389 as soon as possible.This year the Community Club evening meal at the Legion will be a Whopper Feed. The Community Club is still looking for volunteers to help serve Whoppers and to welcome guests. If interested in helping with the Whopper Feed or any other Friendship Days event, please call Lisa at 962-3389.Donations from individuals and companies are still being accepted. Donations help sponsor trophies, jump tent and entertainment rentals, bring special entries and music for the parade and afternoon and evening entertainment.Friendship Days is a time to showcase what the city of Hills has to offer.

10 years ago (1995)
Dr. George Maurer, Emmetsburg, Iowa, signed a contract April 25 to be Luverne’s superintendent.
Luverne High School choir members Gretchen Papik and Chris Sorenson and band member Jamie Schneekloth were selected to participate in the Minnesota All-State Band and Choir.25 years ago (1980)
The Magnolia School District will have a dissolution election. The school board said the district can operate for just one more year without going into further debt or proposing an additional mill levy referendum to raise more tax dollars.
The Luverne High School spring play will be "Arsenic and Old Lace" starring Sheree Moeller and Deb Hamann. Other cast members include Mike Akkerman, Dave Renes, Pam Goeske, Janice Fick, Charles Schmidt, Tim Hamann, Larry Kemerling, Mary Welch, Harold Dunkle, Larry Melzer and Kelly Broer. Kristi Wegner and Brenda Winter are assisting Karen Johns, director.50 years ago (1955)
The juvenile population of Hills is enjoying real fall carnival enjoyment this week on account of a gayly painted pony Merry-go-round and Kiddy-car ride having set up business on the empty lots across the street from the band stand. One remarkable thing about the hurdy-gurdy organ is that the music ground out is all nice, clean music, with a lilt and swing from the gay nineties and on, instead of the usual hot tom-tom banshee stuff that rasped the nerves of music lovers the past decade. It’s good business, too, as it draws the old folks around and makes them easy marks for extra nickels.75 years ago (1930)
The city of Luverne passed an ordinance requiring parallel parking on Main Street. The city is also imposing a special tax on curb and sidewalk businesses that have lubricating stands, free air station or gasoline pumps.
Nelson Brothers advertised prom dresses for $9.75 to $16.75.
"A resident of the Hardwick community reports that his hunting record for the past winter shows that he has killed 14 dogs as an offset to the loss of seven sheep. He doesn’t know to whom these dogs belonged, but he has retained identification collars or other wearables wherever possible and will be glad to confer with canine fanciers who are short their dogs, for this sheep owner is rather unreasonable in that he isn’t satisfied with killing the dogs, but would also like to submit claims for damages if he only knew who the owners of the dead dogs were."100 years ago (1905)
Important improvement in Luverne’s train service is promised for the near future and the present indications justify the expectation that by the first of the month Luverne will have four additional passenger trains.
Work was begun at the Luverne Brick Yard Monday afternoon, and the plant is now being operated at its full capacity.

Do you serve on committees? How’s that working?Serving on committees or boards can be rewarding, but depending on how they are run and organized they can also be frustrating.The Extension Service of the University of Minnesota is offering a workshop with "Twenty Things Everyone Needs to Know When Serving on a Committee."The topics include
Six traps to avoid
Four keys to committee productivity
Five skills for group leaders to succeed
Five skills for group member to make a differenceAccording to Extension, there target audience is County/City department heads and appointed committee members, City/County Township board members, Community Committee Chairpersons, Church Committees, Chairpersons or representative, or just people interested in serving on a committee in the future.There is no cost for the training program so if you would like to attend, the session will be held at the Rock County Community Library on Monday, May 16, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.To register, contact the Rock County Extension Office, at 507-283-1302.Wethor accepts superintendent position at Worthington Country ClubBob Wethor, LHS class of ’92 has accepted the position of superintendent at the Worthington Country Club.Wethor started his career as a golf course superintendent working for Mike Kunkel at the Luverne Country Club.After six years in Luverne he accepted the position of Assistant Superintendent at the Westward Ho Country Club. A position he held for four years.For the past five years he has served as superintendent at the Pipestone Country Club.In addition to his new position in Worthington, Wethor was recently elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the South Dakota Golf Course Superintendents Association where he has been a member for the past ten years.County Engineer lifts weight restrictionRock County’s Engineer, Mark Sehr has lifted spring weight road restrictions for Rock County road.The restriction were lifted at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, May4.The restrictions had been in effect since March 23.According to Sehr, the weight restrictions are determined by the Minnesota Department of Transportation based on sensors throughout the state.The sensors monitor both ground moisture as well as ground and surface temperature.According to a MnDOT web site the average weight restriction in the south zone last 9 weeks and runs from March 9 to May 8.PrairieWave acquires Rapid City firmPrairieWave Communication, a cable, phone and internet provider in Luverne has agreed to purchase Black Hills FiberCom.The company is similar in its offering, also providing phone service, cable TV and internet services in Rapid City and surrounding areas.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

Happy Mother’s Day to all the daughters who have become their mothersThere’s nothing quite like being a mom to turn you into your own mother.The older I get and the older my children get, the more I see and hear my mother in my house.The other day, I looked down at the mop bucket and wondered, "How did Mom’s hands get in there?" And I glanced up at the patio door and saw her determined frame in the reflection attacking scuffs in the linoleum.And when I emptied the bucket I heard her say, "Seems like I just did this yesterday! Look at that dirty water." But there’s nothing like scolding my children to really bring Mom’s words to the present. "How is it that you can be so smart and yet do something so dumb!?" was one of her favorite expressions. … Or maybe I just heard it more often than anyone else in my family.In honor of Mother’s Day Sunday, I’ll share a few other expressions I’m now borrowing from Mom:o"Put a smile on your face, no one will notice your shoes don’t match your belt." Lots of things can be inserted in the second part of the phrase, like a zit on your chin or pants that are too short or a bad hairdo.o"If you’re that bored, I can sure find something to keep you busy." She didn’t have to say this very often, because we learned to never be bored around Mom.o"If someone’s being mean, it’s probably because she’s feeling badly about herself and you should treat her kindly."The short versions of that expression were "Kill them with kindness" or "Don’t stoop to their level of behavior."o"Money can’t buy you happiness." This usually came up if we were openly jealous of someone’s good fortune. "Do you think they’re any happier than we are?" would be the follow-up question.o"You are your own worst enemy and your own best cheerleader."In other words, "You can do or be whatever you want to do or be if you make up your mind it’s possible."Moms are so smart. Happy Mother’s Day … to the original moms and to all their daughters who have become their mothers.

By now the Easter dinner leftovers are long gone, but what about those uneaten Marshmallow Peeps? The pastel-colored, chick-shaped confections may be a little harder and more difficult to chew, but Fortune magazine recently reported how the popular candies may be adapted for other uses. According to Fortune, consumers buy 1.2 billion Marshmallow Peeps a year. About a third of those Peeps "are bought not for eating but to be used in science experiments, arts and crafts and rituals." The arts, crafts and ritual uses are comparatively easy to understand, but the idea of using chick-shaped candies in the name of science is — much like a three-year-old Marshmallow Peep left on a shelf — hard to swallow. But it’s true. In the late 1990s, two professors from Emory University did extensive research on the Peeps and found only one liquid, an industrial-strength chemical solution, that could dissolve the candy chicks. On April Fool’s Day 2000, NASA launched five Peeps in a balloon from the Marshall Space Flight Center. Unfortunately, the candy chicks were lost when the balloon ruptured. Dissolving and astronaut-wannabe chicks aside, there must be other scientific uses for Marshmallow Peeps. For example, the chicks might someday be part of an important dietary study. One test group would be fed nothing else but leafy, green and yellow vegetables for one month. Another study group would be fed only Marshmallow Peeps. At the end of the study, the vegans will undoubtedly be lean, physically fit and eager to run the First Annual Marshmallow Peep Marathon Race. The Peep eaters will predictably be high strung, due to their high sugar intakes, and overweight. It all sounds very simple, but that’s how many dietary studies become bestseller books. The Peeps could also be used for longevity studies. It’s a commonly accepted fact that the candies have a shelf life of at least 25 years, which anyone knows is equivalent to 180 human years. Perhaps the physical makeup of Peeps could be adapted to humans. Should our skin be dyed bright yellow or pink so that we resemble them? Should we all be rolled in sugar in order to receive protective coatings against the elements? Military scientists at the Pentagon might consider the curious results of Peep jousting matches, the latest Peep torture shown on various Web sites. Peeps armed with toothpicks in their tiny beaks face each other in a microwave oven and as they expand from the radiation, their lances move closer. The first chick to strike a blow wins. This would be a perfect way for the Pentagon to observe the effects of radiation on military might and soldiers’ aggressiveness and willingness to go into battle. With a few graham crackers and a couple of chocolate bars, the discarded results of the experiments could become s’mores, a tasty treat for the weary scientists. The Peeps will not have melted in vain. Nursing students could practice giving injections to Marshmallow Peeps. They (the Peeps, not the nurses) are, after all, soft and pliable like many humans, but they won’t yell out when they’re in pain. Doctors in training could use the Peeps as they practice making first incisions for future surgeries. Perhaps the scientific uses for Marshmallow Peeps aren’t all that difficult to imagine after all.

Once upon a time many, many, many years ago, a tiny baby was born. She had naturally curly hair and was the most beautiful child in the world, or at least her mother always said so. The daughter was nurtured and encouraged and cherished. She grew up to be a semi-normal kid, but had secret ambitions of becoming Golda Meir. As time wore on, she graduated from high school and then continued on to college to be a librarian instead of the Prime Minister of Israel. Through these tumultuous years of self-actualization, the mother stood by her daughter during the good times and the bad times. And there were many bad times. During this time the daughter became a feminist and caused all sorts of turbulence in the family. She decided she would not be like her mother and slave over a hot stove, work 40 hours a week, do the laundry, do the gardening, do the cleaning, and after all of that, still get her husband a dish of ice cream while they watched TV together. As the years passed by, the daughter’s radical feminist views became less radical. She began to see her mother in a different light. The mother was kind to everyone. She went the extra mile when someone was hurt or down. She made her children and grandchildren feel very, very important. She was unselfish and put the feelings of others first. She was fun, she was smart, and she was adventurous. When the daughter got to be in the middle years, she finally realized that, yes, Golda Meir was someone to be admired, but if she really wanted to be an exceptional woman, she would have to grow up to be just like her mother. Sunday is Mother’s Day. Cherish her. Check out this new book for a heart-warming story, "A Good Yarn" by Debbie Macomber. Elise Beaumont, a retired librarian, joins one of Lydia Hoffman’s popular knitting classes. Since losing her life savings, Elise has been living with her daughter, Aurora — the only positive legacy from her brief marriage to professional gambler Marvin Beaumont. Now she learns that her one-time husband plans to visit and that Aurora wants a relationship with her father, regardless of how Elise feels about him. Bethanne Hamlin, like Elise, is facing the fallout from a divorce. But her husband, Grant, left her for another woman — not a pack of cards — and she's still struggling to reshape her life. She joins the knitting class at her children's urging; it's the first step in her effort to recover a sense of dignity and hope. Then she starts a small business and meets a man with whom she has something surprising in common! Courtney Pulanski is a depressed and overweight teenager. She's staying with her grandmother, who's trying to help her… help that takes the form of dragging her to seniors' swim sessions — and to the knitting class at "A Good Yarn." Like so many women, these four find companionship and comfort in each other and in this age-old craft. Who would've thought that knitting socks could change your life?

DISTRICT COURTPROBATE DIVISIONFIFTH JUDICIAL DISTRICTNOTICE AND ORDER OF HEARING ON PEITITON FOR APPOINTMENT OF SUCCESSOR PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVESTATE OF MINNESOTACOUNTY OF ROCKESTATE OFVIRGINIA MAE SMEDSRUD A/K/A VIRGINIA M. SMEDSRUD DECEDENTIt is Ordered and Notice is given that on Monday, May 23, 2005, at 3:30 (p.m.) a hearing will be held in this Court at Rock County Courthouse, Minnesota, for the appointment of David D. Smedsrud whose address is: 408 West Brown, Luverne, MN 56156 and (2) Kellie Jo Smedsrud whose address is: 909 Douglas, Yankton, SD 57078 as personal representatives of the Estate of the Decedent in SUPERVISED administration. Any objections to the Petition must be filed with the Court prior to or raised at the hearing. If proper and if no objections are filed or raised, the successor personal representatives will be appointed with full power to continue the administration of the Estate. /s/ TIMOTHY K. CONNELLTIMOTHY K. CONNELLJudge Date/s/ SANDRA L. VRATCNIKSANDRA L. VRATCNIK Court Administrator DateAttorney for PetitionerBENJAMIN VANDER KOOI, JR.VANDER KOOI LAW OFFICES, P.A.127 E. MainP.O. Box 746Luverne, MN 56156-0746507-283-9546Attorney I.D. No. 112124(5-5, 5-12)

SURPLUS PROPERTYPursuant to City Code, Section 2.71, Subd. 3 (c), the City Council has declared the following City of Luverne property as "excess" property and ordered it sold via open market: Electric Dept. Two (2) oil circuit breakers 600 amp, 1956, 23kV, type S Made by Westinghouse One (1) Oil breaker 600 amp 1975, 24kV, Type S, Made by General Electric. One (1) Ditch witch tandem axle trailer with surge brakes GVWR 9420 and GAWR 8000One (1) 1987 Square D 1200 amp Fluarc SF6 Substation Circuit Breaker Voltage rating of 15 kV to 25.8 kV Public Works Dept. Three (3) 60 Gallon Handcrank Oil Lubsters One (1) HTC 1800 Truck Conveyor One (1) VecTec Bison, Serial #100917 Mosquito Sprayer (Briggs Stratton Twin Cylinder 18 HP Motor) Public Utilities Dept. One (1) Digester Cover One (1) Boiler Rock County Pool & Fitness Center One (1) Precore 515e Skier One (1) Schwinn 330 Stepper One (1) Schwinn Airdyne Bike One (1) Recumbent BikePlease call City Hall (507-449-2388) for details.(5-5)