10 years ago (1995)
Rauk’s Texaco Store, on Interstate 90 in Beaver Creek was burglarized.
Congressman David Minge met with area farmers to discuss the 1995 Farm Bill.
Lowell and Diane Jauert, and their children, Peter, Jake, Katie and Alexa were recognized as the Rock County Farm Family of the Year.
Johnna Bowron was the lone Cardinal named to the 1995 All-Southwest Conference Girls Basketball Team.25 years ago (1980)
Rock County may be the only county in the 15-county district that will not have a judge or judicial officer in the county. Rock County submitted objections to the plan, which was to take effect in 1984.
It was decided that Luverne fifth-grade students would attend class in the high school building.
Jim Fick is the Star Farmer for the Luverne FFA Chapter.50 years ago (1955)
Hans Lafrentz, who lives south of Mounds, found an old newspaper dated 1860 in the walls of his house while doing some remodeling work. The newspaper, called the United States Journal, was in excellent condition and could be read quite easily.
Tommy Nergaard is just two years old but already he’s consumed the staggering total of 5,150 bananas. He is a celiac and does not digest other food normally. Doctors have him eating bananas and a milk-like product called Probana, as almost all other foods make him seriously ill.75 years ago (1930)
Creeger & Co. will present their annual style revue Friday evening, March 28, in connection with the regular motion picture program at the Palace Theatre.
Geo. W. Fried was re-appointed as postmaster of Luverne.
The Luverne boys basketball team defeated Adrian, winning the district tournament and moving on to regionals.100 years ago (1905)
Contractor P.N. Gillham has a force of men at work this week building the safety deposit vaults which Nelson Brothers are having placed in their store building.
O.I. Thompson, of Vienna Township, was in Sioux City last week and purchased two carloads of young steers.
Herman Lamp and Mary Marxen were united in marriage Wednesday at the home of her father.

By Sara QuamLuverne Council members were knee-deep in sanitary sewer information as a part of their regular Tuesday meeting. They took a detour from City Hall to learn about the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was changed to an A Grade, so it has to meet stricter standards than before.The purpose of the facility is to treat sanitary sewer water (essentially toilet flushes) so that it’s safe enough to discharge the material to the Rock River.Senior operator Verlyn Van Batavia said, "Everything we do is under permit and we follow national guidelines, so we have to meet those limits every day."The process involves low-tech solutions, such as stirring the water to catch solids, as well as high-tech lab work that ensures a safe chemical balance.Van Batavia said he enjoys the work. "I am interested every day," he said, "from what we have coming in, to how we treat it, to what we have going out."There are the typical mis-flushes such as keys, small toys, coins and even a set of dentures one time. But the plant also has to filter feminine hygiene products, paper towels, condoms and other things that are regularly flushed even though they shouldn’t be.Van Batavia said, "One time we were cleaning, and there was a $20 bill stuck to a pipe. That hadn’t happened before."Operations A typical day has the plant treating about 800,000 to 1 million gallons of wastewater.That can reach to as much as 3 million gallons, but March 14, for example, brought in 719,000 gallons.The flow increases with precipitation, because older sewer pipes allow water from the ground into the system.Supervisor Al Lais said, "Some pipes on the outskirts of town can take a few hours to reach us."The city’s plant was built in 1956 with an addition in 1987, and it still has some of the original pumps. The average number of gallons treated is 312 million per year through the last 32 years.The peak monthly average for 2004 was 1.3 million gallons per day in July.Lais points out that 99 percent of what comes to the plant is water. But it’s dirty enough to have to go through a complicated filtering process.First, there is a grid chamber that takes out inorganic matter. Then, everything left over is pumped to a wet well, a trickling filter and an oxidation ditch. The oxidation helps naturally break down organic matter.A clarifier then slows down the process and solids settle. Then, the wastewater travels over layers of rocks inside a tank. The rocks are covered with bacteria, which helps naturally break down the organics.There is another clarifying step, and then chlorine is added to kill pathogenic bacteria. After a couple more steps of filtering, the chlorine has to be neutralized with another chemical before it is discharged into the river.The leftover "sludge" that can’t be discharged is heated to 95 degrees and kept in a tank so bacteria continue to break it down. A local farmer used 600,000 gallons of it for fertilizer last year.Methane gas produced through the sludge process, is burned as fuel for the boiler system that heats the building and the tanks.The wastewater plant occupies 3 acres and is working at all times. Staff members take turns being on call in case of problems, but they complete the required lab work and testing during regular hours.

By Lori EhdeIt’s one thing to test students to measure classroom achievement, but it’s quite another to compile the data into useful information.Luverne Elementary Principal Stacy Gillette and a team of district teachers attended training last fall to decipher the mountains of data resulting from frequent testing."It was a unique opportunity for us," Gillette said about what was called a data retreat. "We not only were trained in how to use the data, but we actually took our data with us to the retreat."Gillette presented school data information to School Board members at their Feb. 24 meeting.The retreat, sponsored by the state, broke the data into four categories: 1. achievement data (test scores), 2. perception data (survey information), 3. program data (math and language arts) and 4. demographics (socio-economic student status).1. Achievement DataAccording to test results of the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, Luverne School District is meeting Adequate Yearly Progress."We’ve made AYP for the last two years, but we need to do more than maintain the status quo," she said.AYP is the measuring stick for the federal No Child Left Behind Act. "The benchmark for AYP keeps going up every year, so we need to keep doing better," Gillette said.2. Perception DataThe retreat last fall helped districts use information collected from surveys."We were very lucky because we had just conducted surveys in the district," Gillette said. "Surveys are hard to do."Parents of fifth-, eighth- and 11th-grade students were surveyed last year about their perceptions of the district. In addition, a high school student survey was taken last year with useful results.3. Program dataProgram data put math and language arts under the microscope, in addition to all-day every-day kindergarten and the Reading Recovery Program.Gillette said the K-5 math program was identified as a possible area of concern for Luverne."This confirmed some of our concerns when we went there," Gillette said. "Now we have data to support it."She said by the time the data was examined, Luverne Elementary teachers were already implementing changes and improvement in curriculum.Another concern for the district is intermediate (third through fifth grades) and middle school reading scores."We have good readers in the early grades, and some of our best reading and writing scores are in the high school," Gillette said. "But we have this dip in the middle grades, and we’re looking at curriculum and the amount of time dedicated to reading in those grades."She said personnel changes in the middle school English program may have also affected test scores. "We’ve got Jan Olson in that department now working to get our feet on the ground again," Gillette said.4. Demographics To measure AYP, test scores are broken down by demographic groups. "We can’t take the average of all our kids anymore," Gillette said.Test scores are looked at by gender, special education and those qualifying for free and reduced lunch."When we looked at gender, we wondered, ‘Are boys really better than girls in math and science?’ And to be honest, we didn’t find anything significant there," Gillette said.She said Luverne’s special education students are showing improvement. "The goal is to get them performing up to grade level," Gillette said. "Since 2000, the MCA data shows fewer of our special education students are below grade level, and more are above grade level."Nearly 15 percent of Luverne’s students fall into the special education category. The state average is about 11 percent.In the demographic subgroup of students qualifying for free and reduced meals, Gillette said test scores dipped."Their scores were lower than students not on free and reduced meals," Gillette said. "So the conclusion of our team was we need to monitor this group."She said the district will make a more concerted effort to connect students in this group to mentoring and tutoring resources through the district’s Child Guide program.About 30 percent of Luverne’s elementary students qualify for free and reduced meals. The category is singled out, because of possible socio-economic effects on learning. Overall, Gillette said the data information has helped teachers and staff put test data to use in Luverne."I saw this retreat as an opportunity to look at where we go from here," Gillette said.

By Lori EhdeDespite continued state funding cuts, Luverne Community Education programs remain strong.That was the essence of a report by Community Education Director Karen Willers to School Board members during a recent meeting.She said no new legislation was enacted for funding in 2004, so cuts from the 2003 session remained. To illustrate, state funding of $5.95 per capita funding for Community Ed and Summer Rec programs is now $5.23 — a 12-percent reduction.In Early Childhood Family Education, a 20-percent funding cut was felt this year. "The effect was that we held on to seven classes per week but cut four weeks of classes per year," Willers said. "We now have two 10-week sessions instead of four six-week sessions."Creative marketing and fund-raisingTo remain viable, Community Ed staff and volunteers have stepped up efforts in fund-raising and more marketing.Last year, an Eagles Club steak fry and Fall Fair raised more than $1,500.Willers said Community Ed is a valuable resource for local families, and she's working to get that message to the public."We offer such a wide variety of classes, from arts and humanities to health and safety," Willers said. "And we serve all ages, from infants to senior citizens."The Community Ed brochure, mailed to every home in the district, is one way to market those services.For the 2004-05 issues, 13 businesses advertised in the brochure, bringing in $4,100 to offset printing costs. Also, inserting the brochure in the Luverne Announcer saved $725 per year in postage.Increased feesTo offset funding cuts, fees are increasing.On average, fees charged per Community Ed Class have increased $2 to $3 per person enrolled to cover costs."We need money to pay for instructors, custodians, lights, heat," Willers said. "State funding to support Community Education doesn't even come close to covering salaries for staff and covering the program costs."To help out, grants from the Southwest Minnesota Foundation and Sioux Valley Energy helped start the Community Ed Opportunity Fund. It's a grant program available to offset fees to qualifying families.She added that many local instructors, knowing about funding woes, donate their services so that fees can go to the Opportunity Fund."We still want to make sure Community Ed classes are available to everyone," Willers said, "not just to those who can afford it."She said Community Ed has granted $3,833 since the fund started with $4,500 in June 2000.Numbers overviewLast year, Community Education served 4,775 people with a total of 238 classes, not counting ECFE or Discovery Time Preschool.In 2003-04, ECFE served 184 different parents and 199 children from birth to 5 years old. "That was 41 percent of the 0-4 census," Willers said. "Of those, fathers accounted for 23 percent of the parents."This year, she said five of seven classes are for children 3 years old and younger.School Readiness currently has 32 children enrolled between the morning and afternoon sections, Willers said. "Plus we do regular home visits for two families and provide periodic special events for families."She reported the FamilyU School Age Care Program has reached its maximum number of children in kindergarten through fifth grade — 35 enrolled in kindergarten through fifth grade.Fees charged for summer FamilyU have not been covering costs, but the budget is balanced, Willers said, "due to start-up grants along with almost immediate success of the program, which started in February 2001."She reported a higher number of adults enrolled in ESL-GED-ABE programs, and Community Ed provides child care while adults are in class, utilizing the ECFE classrooms.

By Sara QuamThe city of Luverne will probably continue to operate the animal impound, members indicated at a Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday.Council members tentatively outlined a policy:
Licensing will be required for each dog in the city.
The annual fee, as of April 1, will be $10.oIf licensed animals are impounded, they will be returned to the owner at no expense.
In order to get unlicensed dogs out of the pound, owners will have to pay $75 for the first day and $50 for each additional day.Mayor Andy Steensma said he favored the low annual licensing fee and a higher fee for impound costs."The owner can license the animal or pay the fine," Steensma said.Now only 71 dogs are licensed, and there are an estimated 300 unlicensed.The city will probably send a letter to known dog owners who don’t have them licensed.Council member Pat Baustian said, "A lot of people just don’t realize they have to license their dogs."Residential planningThe city may look into buying more residential lots for future development. In the early 1990s, the city bought land for new development in what is now the Sybesma, Veterans and Evergreen I and II subdivisions.At the time it was a controversial move, but the city maintains it has helped growth that private developers weren’t willing to spur. With TCI hiring more workers and the city pushing Job Opportunity Building Zones, the city hopes to have more housing needs to meet.City Administrator Greg LaFond said, "Right now we have about an 18- to 24-month inventory."There are 20 lots remaining in Sybesma; 21 in Evergreen; 20 in Evergreen II, and two in Veterans.Last year, Luverne had 17 new housing units constructed, including single family or duplex.Criminal prosecutionThe city will continue to contract for criminal prosecution services through Rock County Attorney Don Klosterbuer.Klosterbuer previously had Terry Vajgrt handle most of the prosecuting work, but Vajgrt’s leaving the office.Even though Vajgrt did the actual courtroom work, Klosterbuer said all attorneys in the office were involved in criminal cases.He assured the city that work will be done as it has in the past.Vajgrt said, "I have confidence, personally, that the office will continue to provide quality services to the city."Fitness memberships The City Council was updated on a possible way to draw new members to the Rock County Pool and Fitness Center and keep current members satisfied with rates.With an investment of about $1,000 in new computer equipment and an association membership, the Fitness Center will be able to help members with Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance get reimbursed for their membership fees.As an incentive to keep their clients healthy, the insurance company is offering this reimbursement across Minnesota.The new equipment would enable the Fitness Center to track how many times members use the facility. Blue Cross requires at least eight uses a month in order to get reimbursed up to $20 per month.Curves in Luverne is also a part of this new system.

Area firefighters were dispatched to the Keith and Darla Schmuck property two miles north of Luverne at 12:53 p.m. Thursday, March 10. They battled an intense blaze, fanned by 50 mile-per-hour winds and fueled by many combustibles in the shop. Crews stayed on site until after 4 p.m. Here, firefighters spray a side of the home with water as a preventative measure and First Assistant Chief Tim Anderson talks to Keith and Darla.Keith said, "The fire department did what they could. They were great."Darla said, "I have such a respect for what they do. They earn every bit of pay they get." The Schmucks, who were both working at the time of the fire, said they were thankful the wind didn’t blow the flames toward their home and that neighbor Coleen Cragoe was able to call 911 right away. The exact cause is unknown, but arson isn’t suspected.Keith is a car enthusiast and lost a 1954 Ford pickup, an engine and some parts for a 1937 Chevy coupe, and of course, all the tools and equipment stocked in a typical car and woodworking shop. Most of the body of the coupe was out of the shop at the time of the fire, and Keith’s 1970 Chevelle SS was in another garage. Cory Schmuck and Seth Stegenga lost a racecar they had just finished and repainted for the upcoming season. Both also had automotive parts and tools in the shop. Darla had some antique furniture that she was going to refinish. Their grandchildren had things such as a Barbie Jeep and a bicycle in the shop. Son-in-law Brett Miller had floor jacks, a power washer, an air compressor and other tools there. Cory had childhood toys including a wagon and an old pedal tractor stored upstairs. There was a skid loader, a self-contained 42-inch snow blower, a 1960 John Deere tractor, a Kawasaki 4-wheeler with just 60 miles on it — all lost in the fire.Also lost in the fire were small collectibles that had sentimental value. For example, Keith had a wall full of old license plates that his father started collecting, and he continued that collection with registration years 1918 through 1975. Clean-up will be completed this week, and the family will rebuild the shop this spring.

Hills-Beaver Creek Dist. 671Minutes2-14-05The Hills-Beaver Creek School Board met for its semimonthly meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the library in Hills. Board members present were Larson, DeBoer, Baker, Boeve, Esselink, Leuthold, and Harnack. Superintendent Deragisch and Principal Holthaus were also in attendance. The meeting was called to order by Chairman Harnack. Motion by Esselink, second by DeBoer, and carried to approve the agenda. Visitors to the meeting were recognized by the chairman. The only visitor was Lexi Moore of The Crescent,Patriot Pride: Brittany Boeve FFA Creed Speaker Guest teacher from Japan – Naoka Kelly Mulder Triple A winnerElementary report was given by Mr. Holthaus.High School report was presented by Superintendent Deragisch.The minutes of the last meeting were approved as sent out.Motion by DeBoer, second by Boeve, and carried to approve the bills.Legislative update.Motion by Boeve, second by Leuthold, and carried to cancel the February 28 school board meeting due to the Day at the Capital.Discussion was held on school bus safety procedures and the use of the stage for all basketball games. Dates to Remember: Day at the Capital February 28 Conferences February 17 No School February 18-21Agenda items for next meeting:Meeting adjourned at 8:40 p.m. Ann Boeve, Clerk(3-17)

Committal services of the cremains of Sandra (Block) Johnson will be at 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, at Maplewood Cemetery. Fellowship with the family will follow at the Coffey Haus on Main Street.Sandra was married to Bill Johnson, formerly of Luverne. She was the daughter of Bill and Merlyn Veenhof, Luverne, and the late Donald Block.

Funeral services for Richard Olson will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 17, at Dingmann Funeral Home in Luverne. The Rev. Maurice Hagen will officiate. Burial will be in Maplewood Cemetery in Luverne. Visitation will be from noon to 2 p.m. Thursday at Dingmann Funeral Home.Richard LeRoy Olson, 69, Luverne, died Tuesday, March 15, 2005, at Luverne Community Hospital. Richard Olson was born to Bert and Violet (Cornhel) Olson on Oct. 14, 1935, in Red Wing. He graduated from Red Wing High School in 1951. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1952 and served in Korea for 18 months. After he was honorably discharged he lived in Lake City for a few years. He moved to Luverne where he worked for A.R. Wood Manufacturing for a few years. He worked for Hoganson Construction for many years, building and repairing elevators. He married Betty DenHartog on Jan. 10, 1969, in Sioux Falls, S.D. They later divorced. Survivors include seven children, David (Amy) Olson, Beaver Creek, Charles Olson, Shawn Olson, both of Luverne, Jim Olson, Robert Olson, Peggy Olson and Rick Olson; three grandchildren; two brothers, Clyde Olson and Arnold Olson, both of Rochester; and many nieces and nephews. Mr. Olson was preceded in death by his parents and a son, Chad.