Law Library 9:00 A.M.Rock County Courthouse April 05, 2005Chair Hoime called the meeting to order with all Commissioners present.Brian Paulsen of Paulsen Architects was introduced to the County Board. Mr. Paulsen has been contracted by Rock County to do a space need analysis on the law enforcement building. Motion by Boyenga, seconded by Jarchow, to approve the April 05, 2005, County Board agenda, declared carried on a voice vote. Motion by Wildung, seconded by Bakken, to approve items on the consent agenda, declared carried on a voice vote. 1. Resolution No. 16-05, supporting the efforts of the SRDC2. FSA Contract 49-186-05 with New Dawn, Inc. to provide Supported Independent Living Services to eligible Rock County clients. Contract effective 1-1-05 to 12-31-05.3. Amendment to FSA contract 110-1689-05 with Habilitative Services Inc. to provide Home and Community Based Waivered services to one individual. Amendment redistributes units of service to better meet client’s needs. No increase in cost. Contract effective 1-1-05 to 12-31-05.4. FSA Contract 129-1689-05 with Habilitative Services Inc. to provide Home and Community Based Services to one eligible Medical Assistance client. Contract effective 1-1-05 to 12-31-05. 5. FSA Contract 130-1689-05 with Habilitative Services Inc. to provide Home and Community Based Services to one eligible Medical Assistance client. Contract effective 1-1-05 to 12-31-05.6. Foster Care Licensing – Nick and Shawna SjaardaMotion by Boyenga, seconded by Wildung to approve the March 22, 2005, County Board minutes, declared carried on a voice vote.Jon Ramlo, Rock-Nobles Community Corrections Director, presented a program update and a comparison of the three types of corrections in the State of Minnesota — Department of Corrections, Probation only, and Community Corrections. No action was taken. Tom Houselog, Land Records Office Director, presented an assessment review for year 2005. Mr. Houselog also informed the County Board that the pending tax court claim had been dropped by the Tuff Village. Eric Hartman, Land Management Office Director, presented (6) conditional use permits for gravel extraction:oBuffalo Bituminous Located in the SE 1/4 of Section 15 in Luverne TownshipoRupp Construction Located in the NW 1/4 of Section 33 in Battle Plain TownshipoPronk Ready Mix Located in the NW 1/4 of Section 28 in Battle Plain TownshipoPronk Ready Mix Located W60 acres of NE 1/4 and the E 1/2 of the NW 1/4 and the W 1/2 of the SW 1/4 of Section 10 in Battle Plain TownshipoPronk Ready Mix Located in the SE 1/4 of Section 3 in Battle Plain TownshipoPronk Ready Mix Located in the SW 1/4 of Section 16 in Battle Plain TownshipMotion by Wildung, seconded by Boyenga, to approve the conditional use permits, declared carried on a voice vote. Mark Sehr, County Engineer, and Don Klosterbuer, County Attorney, presented the following bids for projects SAP 6705-31 and SAP 67-637-01, US Highway 75 and 131st Street: oBuffalo Bituminous, Inc $1,574,733.25oHenning Construction $1,605,830.22oCentral Specialties $1,612,290.32oR & G Construction $1,789,845.12oDuininck Brother, Inc. $1,831,361.32On a recommendation by the Engineer, motion by Jarchow, seconded by Boyenga, to accept the bid from Buffalo Bituminous for $1,574,733.25, subject to Buffalo Bituminous providing the additional items as specified in the bid, declared carried on a voice vote. Bill Ketterling, of Ketterling Sanitation Services, Inc. requested to amend the MSW contract with Rock County by adjusting the "per trip" charge for hauling municipal solid waste to the Lyon County landfill as a result of the increased fuel prices. Motion by Bakken, seconded by Boyenga, to deny the request, declared carried on a voice vote. The Engineer requested approval of Resolution No. 17-05, vacating .08 acres of highway right-of-way adjacent to CSAH 9 by the landowner Ann M. And Sven O. Bildtsen at 1513 170th Ave.; Luverne, Minnesota. Motion by Boyenga, seconded by Bakken, to approve Resolution No. 17-05, declared carried on a voice vote. The County Board discussed having a booth at the Rock County Fair for distribution of information regarding county departments and projects; the County Board referred the items to Department Heads. The County Board discussed the county’s representation on the Luverne Community Economic Development Corporation committee. Currently Commissioner Jarchow serves as the county’s representative with Administrator Oldre serving as the alternate. After discussion, they determined that no changes would be made. Gloria Rolfs, Auditor/Treasurer, presented a solid waste abatement of $63.00 on parcel #15-0311-000 located in the City of Hills; motion by Bakken, seconded by Boyenga, to approve the abatement, declared carried on a voice vote. Motion by Wildung, seconded by Jarchow, to approve the per diems of $400.00 and claims, declared carried on a unanimous vote. A complete listing of the claims is available by request at the Auditor/Treasurer’s office. General Revenue $ 39,726.48Family Services $ 79,089.81Road & Bridge $ 7,574.29Land Management $0.00Rural Water $0.00TOTAL $126,390.58Motion by Boyenga, seconded by Bakken, to approve the fund balance report, declared carried on a voice vote.The Auditor/Treasurer presented a Deputy Registrar review for 2004, which indicated an overall performance review of excellent. Motion by Wildung, seconded by Bakken, to congratulate the Deputy Registrar’s office for a job well done, declared carried on a voice vote. The County Board was in receipt of a letter from RSVP detailing a 2004 program update and extending an invitation to the County Board to attend their Lifetime Award ceremony scheduled for April 23rd at 10:00 A.M. in the Luverne Elementary Commons. They also requested whether or not a Commissioner would participate in the ceremony. It was determined that Commissioner Jarchow would speak at the event and Commissioners Bakken and Hoime indicated that they would attend. The County Board was informed of the Tri-County (Rock, Nobles, Pipestone) Foster Care banquet scheduled for April 25th at 6:30 P.M. at the Countryside Inn in Adrian and it was determined that Commissioners Hoime and Bakken will attend that event. The County Board was reminded of a meeting with the cities of Hills, Hardwick, Kenneth, Magnolia, Steen and Beaver Creek. Purpose of the meeting is to review law enforcement performance in the contracted cities and to discuss contract extension proposal. Commissioner Boyenga informed the County Board that the RC&D grants are still pending and that these documents will be reviewed at their next meeting. Commissioner Bakken informed the County Board that he had attended the St. Cloud Bio Terrorism meeting regarding animal feedlots and that very good information had been presented. The County Board was reminded of the annual meeting for Southwest Mental Health.The County Board requested that the Nobles-Rock Public Health and Rock-Nobles Community Corrections joint powers agreements be placed on the April 19th County Board agenda with the County Attorney attending that meeting as well. With no further business to come before the County Board, meeting was declared adjourned. Ken Hoime, Chairman of the BoardATTEST:Kyle J. Oldre, Clerk to the Board(4-21)

MARCH 29, 2005MINUTES OF THE REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 2184, ROCK COUNTY, LUVERNE, MINNESOTA. A regular meeting of the Board of Education, ISD #2184, was held in the District Office on Tuesday, March 29, 2005, at 7:30 p.m. The following members were present: Vicki Baartman, Colleen Deutsch, Laura Herman, Dan Kopp, Cary Radisewitz, Bill Stegemann, and Becky Walgrave. Also present: Superintendent Vince Schaefer, Marlene Mann, Stacy Gillette, Gary Fisher, Marie Atkinson-Smeins, Jennifer Engesser, Dan Amborn, LaDonna Van Aartsen, Janine Papik, Lori Gladis, Michelle Johnson, Erin Hoiland, Becca Sandager, Lori Ehde – Rock County Star Herald. The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Becky Walgrave. Superintendent Schaefer gave announcements including there is an addendum to the agenda. Motion by Stegemann, second by Radisewitz, to approve the agenda with addendum. Motion unanimously carried. Marie Atkinson-Smeins, Elementary School counselor, gave a presentation showing the work she is doing with the Elementary students. Administrative reports were given. Motion by Kopp, second by Deutsch, to approve the minutes of February 24, 2005. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Radisewitz, second by Herman, to approve payment of the district bills in the amount of $917,336.90. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Deutsch, second by Kopp, to receive the Student Activity Report showing the balances as of February 28, 2005. Motion unanimously carried. Erin Hoiland and Becca Sandager presented information to the School Board regarding the Spanish trip planned for June 14 through June 28. Approximately 9 students are participating. Motion by Radisewitz, second by Deutsch, to approve this trip paid for by each individual student. Motion unanimously carried. Business Manager Marlene Mann reviewed the bids received for the Middle School/High School office remodeling project as follows:BIDDERS – GENERAL BASE BID 1 ALTERNATE STORAGE CABINET BIDVAN AARTSEN CONSTRUCTION $88,820. $1,450.DESIGN CRAFT $98,933 $1,650.JANS CORPORATION $81,700. $1,300BLADHOLM CONSTRUCTION $85,683. $1,630.BIDDERS – MECHANICAL BASE BID 3MIDWESTERN MECHANICAL $58,390.BIDDERS – ELECTRICAL BASE BID 2EVERSON ELECTRIC $19,650.MCCLURE ELECTRIC $18,804.BRAD SIEVE ELECTRIC $19,950.FULDA ELECTRIC SERVICE $18,525.Motion by Kopp, second by Stegemann to accept the low bids of Jans Corporation, Midwestern Mechanical, and Fulda Electric Service with the alternate storage cabinet bid. Total cost of the project will be $159,915.00. It will begin as soon as school is dismissed for the summer. Motion carried unanimously.Motion by Kopp, second by Baartman, to approve the Southwest/West Central Service Cooperative contracts for the 2005-2006 school year in the total amount of $111,025.45. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Stegemann, second by Deutsch, to set the bid date of April 26 at 2:00 p.m. to receive bids on a roofing repair project for the Ag Shop and Library area. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Kopp, second by Herman, to authorize participation in the Child and Teen Checkups Program provided by Nobles-Rock Public Health. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Stegemann, second by Deutsch, to approve the final Seniority and Probationary List for certified staff. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Deutsch, second by Baartman, to approve Jerrod Gertsema as part-time long term substitute for Jill Wagner, Elementary EBD teacher, for the remainder of the school year. Motion unanimously carried.Motion by Stegemann, second by Radisewitz, to approve a maternity leave request for Angela Fick, paraprofessional, beginning approximately May 2 for the remainder of the school year. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Baartman, second by Herman, to accept the retirement of Steve Kollmann, Elementary Physical Education teacher, effective June 3, 2005. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Deutsch, second by Stegemann, to accept the resignation of Rosemary Moekre, paraprofessional, effective April 8, 2005. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Kopp, second by Herman, to approve Sarah Johnson as volunteer softball coach for grades 9-12. Motion unanimously carried. Discussion was held regarding Kindergarten. The District has supplemented this program with $120,000 out of the general fund that is not funded by the State of Minnesota for the past five years. Four options were discussed at a school board work session. A survey will be sent to all families with children old enough to attend kindergarten this fall. Superintendent Schaefer noted that he had received the Notice of Intent to Negotiate from the Luverne Education Association.Committee reports were given.The upcoming meeting dates were reviewed. Motion by Kopp, second by Deutsch, to adjourn the meeting. Motion unanimously carried.Dated: March 29, 2005Colleen Deutsch, Clerk (4-21)

MARCH 23, 2005MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 2184, ROCK COUNTY, LUVERNE, MINNESOTA.A special meeting of the Board of Education, ISD #2184, was held in the District Office on Wednesday, March 23, 2005, at 12:00 p.m. The following members were present: Vicki Baartman, Colleen Deutsch, Laura Herman, Dan Kopp, Cary Radisewitz, Bill Stegemann, and Becky Walgrave. Also present; Superintendent Vince Schaefer. The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Becky Walgrave. Motion by Stegemann, second by Baartman, to close the School Board meeting at 11:58 a.m. pursuant to Minnesota Statute 13D.05, Subd. 2(b) for the preliminary consideration of allegations or charges against an employee. Those acting in favor: Baartman, Deutsch, Herman, Kopp, Radisewitz, Stegemann, and Walgrave. Those voting against: none. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Kopp, second by Deutsch, to open the School Board meeting at 1:10 p.m. Motion unanimously carried. Motion by Radisewitz, second by Herman, to adjourn the meeting at 1:11 p.m. Motion unanimously carried.Dated: March 23, 2005Colleen Deutsch, Clerk (4-21)

I have been called it all, a hippie, an environmentalist, a liberal, even a tree hugger. Call me anything. The truth is, I love this planet!I like watching gophers play in the grass, squirrels hunt in my yard, white clouds move across blue skies, deer run through fields. Basically, I like nature. It entertains me, but most importantly, I have it to thank for my life.Here in Minnesota, we have an abundance of nature and land. In fact, we have so much that many take it for granted. We are lucky.Many cities around the world continue expanding their borders without limits, diminishing their resources and access to nature. With expanding borders come more industry and waste.Traffic in these cities creates ozone watch days, preventing children and the elderly from enjoying the outdoors. There were many days during Texas falls and springs where recess would be held in the gym, not because of snow, but because the air was unfit for children to breathe.Strip malls and giant retail centers are buying up farm land to create suburban living. Animals are being displaced and the air and water we need to live are being jeopardized.Just because we do not have these problems in Beaver Creek, Steen or Hills does not mean they do not affect us.Humans have struggled to find ways of protecting our resources and the beauty our planet has to offer.When Earth Day was created 35 years ago, it was done to promote awareness of activities that protect our environment. Earth Day is the only event the entire planet celebrates simultaneously by people of all backgrounds, religions and nationalities.It is easy for me to type these words, but it takes considerably more effort to actually live by them.Rock County Waste Management offers several ways for county residents to minimize the amount of waste we produce.RCWM offers four "waste watch" tips in their 2003 Rock County Solid and Hazardous Waste Disposal Guide.üReduce the amount, or the toxicity, of trash generated.üReuse items as often as possible.üRecycling conserves natural resources, energy and landfill space and it reduces water and air pollution.üBuy recycled products. To make recycling work, consumers need to buy products made from recycled materials.Residents in Beaver Creek, Steen and Hills are offered the following recycling options through RCWM. Products intended for recycling should be placed in the bins labeled "paper" and "plastic" and set curbside.üNewspapers, phone books, fiber egg cartons, junk mail, envelopes, writing paper, computer and copy paper, can be placed in the paper recycling bin.üMagazines and catalogs can be bundled up and placed on top of the paper projects mentioned in the previous bullet.üCorrugated cardboard and paper bags can be broken down and placed next to recycling bins on recycling day.üPlastic containers coded with No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 inside the recycling symbol can be consolidated into the bin labeled plastic.üTin/steel cans and aluminum cans are accepted and can be mixed with plastic products in the plastic bin. The ends of the cans are acceptable as well.In order to increase the chances that your recycling products actually get recycled, it is necessary to follow a few guidelines.üPaper products should be free of paper clips, fasteners, rubber bands and carbon paper.üNo glass products are accepted; therefore any glass mixed with recycling will be thrown out.üWaxed packaging, such as pop and beer cartons, are not accepted. The treatments that give the cartons ‘wet-strength’ often cause problems in the recycling process at the factory.If residents take these steps and teach their children that it is important to conserve rather than waste, perhaps future generations will still have the ability to go fishing, hiking and drink fresh water.

WW II project moving alongWe recently received an e-mail from Megan Horvath, a project coordinator of the upcoming Ken Burns WW II documentary.According to Megan, the production team is in the middle of editing the seven- part PBS series. That process is expected to continue through the end of the year.She also commented that the story of Luverne during the war has come to be a significant element of the film and "… will be brought to life by spectacular archival material from Rock County. From the found reels of amazing home movies that were shot in Luverne and in Kodiak, AK, to the comforting works of Al McIntosh, (which will be read by award winning actor Tom Hanks), Luverne in some ways has been the most archivally rich of our four chosen towns."Megan would like your help in searching for photographs of events from 1930-1945. The following is a complete list:
The local Lutheran Church in Luverne
Private Russell Wilder, who was killed in action in France in late 1944
Mr. and Mrs. Albert Riss from Luverne liberated from Santo Tomas in the Philippines
Springtime in Rock County – people working in their yards, farmers getting into the fields
VE Day in Luverne/Rock County
VJ Day in Luverne/Rock County
Rock County men in uniform
Funeral/Memorial services of Rock County men killed in action
Photographs of the monument which was the
Honor Roll in Luverne
People from Rock County listening to radios
Herman Smook, who was killed in action in France, circa August 1944, his family: father, mother
Concerned-looking women, mothers, families
403 North Kniss Street (Al McIntosh’s house)
503 North Estey Street (Sherman Family)
The Pix and The Palace Theatres, preferably with people outside of them
The Omaha Railroad Bridge
War bond drives in Rock County
Private Charles Mann, from Luverne, was wounded by shrapnel in North Africa, circa May 1943
Snow fall in Luverne on Main Street
Coffee shop in Luverne/Rock County – lots of people inside
Luverne train depot at night (circa April 1944)
General shot of the Luverne train depot – anytime
Photographs of the countryside in Rock County, lilacs and other flowers in full bloom
Lt. John Stavenger and Lt. Howard James- both from Luverne
Photograph of Vernon Fremstand, who worked at Gimm and Byrnes’ Restaurant – also a photograph of the restaurant if possible
Civil Defense Wardens in Rock County
Scrap drives in Rock County
Blue and Gold stars in windows of homes
Kids collecting scrap, tin cans around Rock County
Saving fat
Thanksgiving dinners in Rock County
Maude Jochims with her husband HermanRememer, these photos must have been taken from 1930-1945, so don’t run down and take a picture of the depot this afternoon.Foreign-based scam artists are at it againForeign-based scam artists are hitting U.S. residents again, this time with counterfeit postal money orders, according to Luverne postmaster Chuck Egland.According to U.S. Postal inspectors, the counterfeit money order scam begins when a victim is contacted by someone through an internet chat room or on-line auction site claiming to have financial problems or needing help to cash domestic and/or international postal money orders. They usually claim to be from a foreign county, often Nigeria.What they want from U.S. residents is to cash the money orders and return the funds via wire transfer.U.S. residents are usually lured into the scam when they are told they can keep some of the money as a payment for their help.Victims learn the postal money order is counterfeit only when they attempt to cash it or when their bank accounts take a hit for the full amount when the bank refuses payment on the bogus deposit.The first organ transplant was 50 years agoLast December marked the 50th anniversary of the first successful organ transplant.The organ in question happened to be a kidney and was transplanted in Boston in 1954.Since then, almost every vital organ in the body has been transplanted, including kidneys, hearts, livers, lungs, pancreases and intestines.The list of donor items is now expanding to non-vital body parts including hands, and soon face transplants.Since 1982 over 416,000 people in the United State have received new organs, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing.Although not all donating involves the death of the donor, such as partial liver donations, the donor is quite often not able to express his wishes at the time.Which leads me to my question: Are you a donor? And if so, have you made your wishes known to your family, who will ultimately be making that decision?Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

‘Super Nanny’ show is popular because misery loves companyMost reality TV, in my opinion, is a pure waste of airtime. When "Fear Factor" or "The Bachelor" make their way on my TV screen at home, I scramble to change the channel. Their popularity, I believe, has more to do with the scantily clad, surgically improved 20-somethings than with any real viewing value.One that I actually pause to watch, though, is "Super Nanny," which airs Monday nights on ABC. The show brings a Mary Poppinish child care expert (with a reality body shape) into real homes to tell parents what they’re doing wrong with their children.I watch very little television (because I’m far too busy being the perfect mother and housekeeper), but I justify sitting down for this show for its educational value.At the end of every segment, Super Nanny Jo Frost tells the mom and dad what she’s observed and presents a perfect parenting plan — one that will lead to more harmony and less conflict.While this is the meat of the program, I have to admit I watch it largely for the "reality" scenes leading up to that point.We can read Dr. Phil, Dr. Dobson or any number of experts for good parenting advice, but "Super Nanny" lets us see other people’s children misbehaving.Maybe it’s because misery loves company, but watching outrageous behavior (like the children who kept escaping from the car when their mother was trying to get them to school on time) allows me the smug satisfaction that "my children never do that."Mine get away with plenty of other things that could use better parenting, but the show, of course, features the worst and most dramatic. And I love it.People can watch whichever version of reality TV they choose for whichever reason that suits them, but for me and my parental self-esteem, I choose "Super Nanny."Until they air an episode with a 3-year-old torturing the family cat, I’ll keep believing that Jo Frost will never have a place in my perfect home.

Planting a seed"For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations." (Isaiah 61:11)Once again it is time for the crops to go in. Once again it is time for the business of the farmers in the fields. Once again it is the time for the slow tractors on the roads. (Sorry, I had to put that one in here!) Once again it is time for our world to slowly change from the grays to the green. It all begins with a seed. With this seed, our world is fed. But it is not an easy task. There is hard work to be done with tending this seed. You know this better than I do. I cannot imagine the days of worrying that go along with tending your crops. But in the end, your harvest may or may not be what you expected — depending on what happened throughout the year. But you know that you did your best, and your best was good enough.Looking at this scenario — it can compare to a Christian life. We are the farmers for Christ. We plant the "seed" of Christ's love in others. We tend to those that accept Christ's love by offering Bible and Sunday school classes, offering opportunities for them to get to know the Christian community more personally, and by becoming their friends in Christ. This is not easy work. First of all, we have to believe what we are telling others. Next we have to develop our own spiritual life by praying and studying the scriptures on our own and with others. Lastly, we have to strive to live our lives as Christ would want us to live. All this hard work may pay off. This work will pay off only if we deliver the "seeds" of God's love to others. So, take your time this week and invite someone to your church. Ask them if they know Jesus as their personal Savior. If they don't, you have some hard but rewarding "farming" ahead of you!

After 30 years in the business, I assumed that I had answered all the universal questions that have plagued humankind for centuries. As often happens, just when you think you know it all, something unusual occurs to sabotage your intellectual confidence. It happened to me. Last week, after a substantial rainfall, I noticed dozens of earthworms flocking on my driveway. I don’t like earthworms and I won’t touch one unless I have gloves on. If I have to pick one up, I use needle-nose pliers. I tiptoed through the herd of earthworms as I left the house for work. I didn’t give them a second thought until I came home for lunch and all the worms had dried up on the driveway. That, in itself, is a universal complexity to me. They desperately seek high ground during a rain shower to avoid drowning, but then they forget to go back in the ground when it’s over. That, however, is not my concern today. I went to the mailbox to retrieve my daily stack of bills and credit card solicitations. I have a rural-type mailbox that sits on a post and the front opens down with a hinge at the bottom. I pulled my mail out and there rested three fat wet earthworms. I screamed. They were partially squished because the new Cabela’s spring sale catalog was delivered that day (that was unfortunate.) Since they were mutilated or dead, I scraped them out of the mailbox with a Bank One credit card solicitation. Now I’m getting to that universal question that is plaguing us all. Can an earthworm climb up a four-foot wood post, crawl upside-down under a metal surface, and find its way into a mailbox? Some would say I’m naïve because I believe that is what happened. I have faith in earthworms. Some would say that the neighbor kids may have deposited them in the mailbox as a harmless prank, harmless, except for my near heart attack. Another person suspected, the mailman, (possibly trying to perk up my day because I never get any personal correspondence.) I know you expect an answer. But some uncertainties are so intricate that years of personal investigation and deliberation are required. So, over the next few weeks (or months) I will observe earthworm behavior and draw my own conclusions, which I will pass on to you. Then, maybe, we’ll be able to sleep at night. New on the nonfiction shelf is "A Random Act," by Cindi Broaddus. She didn't realize that her life was about to be forever altered as she sat in the passenger seat of a car on a lonely highway, speeding toward the airport in the early morning hours of June 5, 2001. The sister-in-law of Dr. Phil McGraw, a single mother of three, and a new grandmother, Cindi Broaddus was thinking only of her upcoming vacation, when a gallon glass jar filled with sulfuric acid, tossed from an overpass by an unknown assailant, came crashing through the windshield. In a heartbeat, Cindi was showered with glass and flesh-eating liquid, leaving her blinded, screaming in agony, and burned almost beyond recognition. When she reached the hospital, the attending doctors gave her little better than a 30 percent chance of survival. But Cindi Broaddus did survive — and after excruciating years of recuperation and seemingly endless sessions of skin grafts and reconstructive surgery, she emerged from her ordeal in many ways stronger than she had ever been before. Also new on the shelf is "Superstition," by Karen Robards. Pawleys Island, S.C. is sunny, idyllic, and picture perfect, until a tabloid news program airs a segment about the community's only unsolved murder — the grisly stabbing of teenager Tara Mitchell and the disappearance of her two best friends, both thought to be dead. Since the murders, several families have moved into the mansion where the crime occurred, each claiming that the dead girls still haunt the house. Beautiful redheaded reporter Nicole Sullivan, sensing the story that could be her big break, arranges for her mother, a renowned psychic, to contact the three victims via a live séance on the show Twenty-four Hours Investigates. But something goes terribly wrong during the segment, and a young woman is murdered in the exact same manner as Tara Mitchell was 15 years earlier. Pressured by her producers to get the inside story, Nicole is ordered to continue to investigate. As an attraction grows between Nicole and police chief Joe Franconi, another identical murder occurs, along with a menacing note warning that the original killer is back to claim three more lives. The body count rises, and so does the danger to Nicole.

B>The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on May 6, 1932:CHECKER CLUB ISSUES CHALLENGE FOR GAMESSeventeen Enthusiasts of Indoor Sport Form Club Here; Hold Weekly Meetings at McKay’s Barber Shop. If one chances to pass McKay’s barber shop in Luverne on a Thursday evening, he will doubtless hear such cries as "It’s your move," or "You’ve got to jump," and looking in, will see a group of Luverne citizens seated around tables, benches and desk, deep in meditation. Luverne’s checker club is holding its regular weekly meeting. The club is only a month old but already they are looking for more competition. It is composed of seventeen members. They have no membership fee, no fines or house rules, and have elected no officers, as yet. But each week they meet in the barber shop for competition among themselves. They have no trouble keeping order, however, because checkers call for meditation and no member violates the custom of silence; he’s too busy concentrating on his own game. The club is looking for new fields to conquer and has issued a challenge to all checker players in Rock county or any other community that would like to schedule a tournament. The Luverne club would like to have a team of five men compete and a second team is also prepared to pit their skill against visitors, should there be enough interest. But while they’re waiting for answers to their challenge, the local enthusiasts are keeping in trim by matches among themselves. Each match consists of two games. Two points are awarded for each game won and one point for a draw. Dick Gainey is well out in front of the other members, having played 26 games and won 44 points. Other members of the club are G.A. Knowlton, Emery Forrest, W.H. Gerow, Martin Webber, O.M. Garrett, Jack Petraska, Ray Spease, Alva Leech, O.T. McKay, M.E. Ford, Chester Spease, D.W. Campbell, L.L. Frisbey, Dwight Cummings, Jake Conrad and Wm. Thomas. 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.