Great Planes Travel moving to new locationGreat Planes Travel will be relocating to Main Street on Jan 31.According to owner Sue Hoffman, the travel agency will move from its current location on S. Highway 75 to its future home at 119 E. Main next to Grapevines.Great Planes was founded by Hoffman in 1999, following her nine years of work for Roundwind Travel.Roundwind Travel recently relocated to Sioux Falls.Phone numbers and e-mail address for Great Planes Travel will remain the same.Historical Society to hold tri-annual meeting on SaturdayIf you would like to get involved with the Rock County Historical Society, you should think about attending their tri-annual meeting this Saturday, Jan. 22.The meeting will be held at 1:30 p.m. at the Hinkly House. Three members of the board will be up for reelection, and nominees will be accepted from the floor.Sister Mariella Hinkly will talk about her personal family history as well as the history of the Hinkly House.Plans for the 2005 annual banquet scheduled for September will also be discussed.Some fund-raising events scheduled include a steak fry at the Eagles, a barn dance in June and an ice cream social on the Hinkly House lawn in August.Have your beef cook-off recipe ready?If you have a really good family beef recipe, it could be worth $500.For 26 years the Minnesota Beef Council has been holding it’s annual beef cook-off If you’re wondering if your favorite recipe would qualify, here are some of the requirements:
Preparation time of 45 minutes or less, including marinating time.
Use of no more than eight ingredients, excluding salt, pepper and water.
Be an original, unpublished recipe.
Fall into one of three categories: Beef and Dairy, Appetizers, and Quick & Easy Beef.Entries must be postmarked or e-mailed no later than January 25.For more information, log on to www.beefcookoff.orgDo you have some unclaimed money?It’s easy to check.Even though Jesse Ventura was instrumental in making Minnesota residents aware of the unclaimed cash and property the state might have, this year even his name came up on the list.According to an article in the Minneapolis Tribune, the state collects and tries to find the owners of millions of dollars in unclaimed property collected from various banks and businesses.The Department of Commerce collects assets from accounts when they have become inactive and the bank or other institution is unable to track down the owner.Much of the money or property is in the name of someone who has died, in which case the money can be claimed by relatives.The state collected a record $50 million in 2003, which was owed to about 40,000 residents.In total, the state has $225 million in unclaimed funds, and there are more than one million people in the data base of unclaimed property owners.This year’s total includes the contents from 559 safety deposit boxes and 15,000 stock holdings.In 2003, $14 million was claimed.$143 million has been claimed since 1969.I went to the Department of Commerce Web site to see if I had any unclaimed cash sitting around in the government account, but I did not. There were 17 other Tollefsons listed, but none were from Luverne.I did notice several David Tofteland listings from Luverne.If you would like to see if your name is listed, go to www.commerce.state.mn.us.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

Just as I am? "Just as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me, and that thou bidd’st me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come!" This line from an old hymn celebrates God’s unconditional acceptance of sinners. It’s a line our society is singing anew today — but with a twist. In its original setting, "Just as I am" spoke of God’s call to seek His mercy even in the filth of our sins. We need not and cannot cleanse ourselves before seeking cleansing in Christ.In another sense, the Rev. Martin Luther King — whose birthday we recently observed — stirred men’s hearts with a call for mutual acceptance of our neighbor as one made in the image of God — not as a lesser being because of the color of his skin.But today, the call for acceptance has extended in new directions. Today folks demand acceptance of their homosexuality, "trans-gender identity," and adultery. They demand that we not question excessive drinking, permissive parenting, or questionable business practices. Rather than counsel or judgment, they expect tolerance, inclusion, and affirmation of their lifestyle choices. To dissent, they say, is to trample underfoot the reforms of the civil rights movement.But they’re wrong. King’s glorious message was the Biblical truth that there is no true difference between folk of African, European or Asian descent. From the dust all are formed, and each stands as a living image of his Creator. But this new movement demands denial of the Bible’s truth. When Christ calls men and women to seek rest in him, he does indeed call sinners to come "just as I am, without one plea." Yet by God’s grace, he doesn’t let us remain as we are. God sent his son because, in our sins, we are lost — naturally rebellious, alienated from him, utterly unable to arise from the sins that enslave us. And he does more than forgive. He also calls us to radical change — turning from the sins that held us fast and embracing the holiness of Jesus himself. And if God calls something evil — like greed, lust, hatred, or theft — we are to flee it. "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God?" Paul asks. Then, having listed a number of sins, he continues: "Such were some of you! But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Cor. 6:9,11). In Christ, we were delivered from our enslavement to sin!"We know that our old self was crucified with [Jesus] in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. … Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Jesus Christ" (Rom.6:6,11). What a glorious calling is ours in Christ – who accepts us "just as I am," and then calls us to become just as He is!

The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on January 6, 1928:LUVERNE BANKS TO INSTITUTE SERVICE CHARGE ON JAN. 15Will Make Charge of 50 Cents on Checking Accounts Where Daily Balance Does Not Equal $50.00Luverne’s banks — The First and Farmers National and the Rock County — this week announced that beginning with January 15th a service charge of 50 cents per month will be made by both institutions for all checking accounts which do not carry an average daily balance of $50.00.This charge is held to be necessary to enable the banks to handle the vast amount of work on many checking accounts where the balance kept on deposit is so small that the benefits which accrue from such funds do not anywhere near cover the cost of handling the checks issued against it, in many instances, it is claimed, a marvelous number of small checks, ranging from a few cents to a trifle over one dollar, will be issued by a checking account patron whose monthly balance usually amounts to only a comparatively few dollars. New service charge will apply only in cases where checks are issued. If no checks are issued on open accounts averaging less than the $50 daily balance, no charges will be made.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.

Like so many others, I’m a little down with a cold this week. It came on slowly so I was in denial for a while, but it’s now clear that my naturally sultry voice sounds like I gained an extra Y chromosome and my fair skin is just a shade lighter than pasty. Luverne schools missed 100 students Tuesday due to illnesses, and workplaces all around us are without employees. Unfortunately, it’s usually those closest to us and our own behavior that are to blame for getting sick.Being around smokers increases non-smokers’ risk of getting a cold, and their symptoms will probably be worse and last longer.Being close to people we care about when they’re sick also makes us vulnerable.In my case, my immune system could be worn out from fending off germs from my own workspace. A University of Arizona study concluded that the average office desk harbors 20,961 germs per square inch, which is 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat.Telephones have 25,127 germs in an average square inch on the receiver, and desktops have 20,961 germs. Keyboards were found to support 3,295 germs per square inch with another 1,676 on the mouse. Toilet seats have just 49 germs. For those of you who have a cold, or feel one coming on, it’s not too late. I am fortunate to work with Lori Ehde, who hears a sneeze and quickly offers a sample from her baggie of Echinacea capsules, like a pusher on a street corner. The herb is reported to boost immune systems.Other remedies that could work include:obananas, which soothe upset stomachsobell peppers, loaded with vitamin Coblueberries, which curb diarrhea and have a natural aspirin that lowers fevers and helps with aches and painsocarrots, which are full of beta-caroteneochili peppers, which can open sinusesomustard and horseradish, which both break up mucus in air passagesoonion, which may help clear bronchitis and other infectionsotea, black or green, which contains a natural antibioticGood luck with these and any other free advice you get on your cold or flu symptoms.I’m going to hope for the best as I continue my work from the Tollefson Publishing girls’ room, since it has fewer germs than my desk and infectious friends.

The cat’s finally out of the bag. Perhaps we should say, the cat’s off the warm car engine. A recent Reuters story told about a six-week-old kitten that stowed away next to a car engine in Germany. By the end of the day it had traveled for 275 miles with an unsuspecting couple from Eggenfelden, Elisabeth and Dieter Gesehl. All ended well, however. After the Gesehls reached their destination, they heard a mewing noise under the car hood and discovered the unharmed kitten, which they adopted and named "Pussy." Although the story from Germany might be described as charming with its storybook ending, it is a guilt-filled reminder for many of us who have lived on farms or acreages in the country. We have had similar experiences with countless farm felines, often referred to as "mousers." Mousers live in machines, barns and other outbuildings on farms. They thrive well on friendly handouts at the kitchen door and, of course, mice. There are often too many mousers to name and they certainly don’t live inside the house. They frolic as kittens and hunt as adults. They breed and they multiply to the extent that it’s sometimes difficult to keep track of them. What matters is that they do their work and they keep country yards from resembling movie sets for rodent terror flicks such as "Ben" and "Willard." During the summer of 1977, our four young daughters attempted to name all of our cats and kittens. It was almost an endless process with some older cats wandering off, never to be seen again, and new batches of kittens appearing on a regular basis. At least four of the cats were named Rusty. Of course, the christenings all took place before that summer’s Great Distemper Plague, which cruelly reduced our farm’s feline population. The four girls officiated, prayed and sang at countless cat funerals and burials. The act of burying a cat in our grove beneath a cross made from Popsicle sticks became a daily ritual. It was a somber summer as the girls and, of course, the cats had their first experiences with mortality. Unfortunately, those weren’t the only cat casualties. Like the kitten in Germany, our cats were fond of crawling under the hoods of pickup trucks and cars parked in our farmyard. The warm engine of a recently parked vehicle must have seemed particularly inviting to the cats on cold days. The trick for the cats was to know when to jump down and run for safety. One day I loaded our daughters into the backseat of the car for what promised to be a fairly routine trip to the grocery store in town. However, as I turned the key in the ignition, a loud "thunk-a-thunk, whump-whump" sound could be heard under the car’s hood. "What was that?" asked the girls, almost in perfect unison. "Nothing, I’m sure." I eased the car out the driveway and onto the road, taking great care to avoid a backseat glimpse of the furry black-and-white lifeless clump lying near the kitchen door. I hoped the grisly evidence would be removed before our return from town, and thankfully it was. At another time, my husband unknowingly transported a full-sized tomcat to town under the hood of his pickup truck. As he parked on Main Street, the half-crazed cat, obviously suffering from pickup lag, jumped down and fled for several of its nine lives. It vanished from sight between store buildings as quickly as it had appeared. Unlike the Reuters story, there wasn’t enough time for my husband to either adopt or name the wild-eyed cat. Real life doesn’t always have charming, storybook endings.

Please consider this article as a reprint for your newspaper in any way you deem useful. I can't say it any better than this guy from Tennessee has. Thank you.I’d like to put out an urgent call to Republicans to make sure their sons and daughters volunteer for active military service. Uncle Sam needs you. National Guard and Army Reserve recruitment is falling short by some 50%, and it’s getting tougher and tougher for the Marines, the Army and the other services to get the kind of recruit they want. Wait a minute -- the Marines and the Army ought to be flooded with volunteers!I know that George Bush ran as a war president, and his main declaration was that he would stay the course in Iraq and Afghanistan, and wherever he felt military intervention was required. He held one crowded and cheering rally after another on this theme all across the United States, including Tennessee. I saw all those good people on TV waving their American flags and doing high fives. I read many letters in this very newspaper supporting the war, including some from students of fighting age.Some 59,000,000 Americans voted for George Bush and the Republicans. That includes the majority of the people in Tennessee. So why are we short of recruits to fight in Iraq? We ought to be inundated with enthusiastic volunteers. Tomorrow morning, I’d like to see 59,000,000 SUV’s pulling up in front of Marine Corps and Army enlistment offices. I see Tax Cut Hummers full of happy families, including healthy looking young people, whizzing by U.S. recruitment offices, and I wonder what the problem is: brake failure every time you get close to signing up to fight in a war you supported for a President you elected?Now if you’re a young Republican who hates taxes and supports the war in Iraq, you can’t get away any longer with a ridiculous yellow ribbon on the back of your car. You’re going to have to pay for the war, and you’re going to have to fight in it. Who did you think was going to do that, if not you? Democrats?I’ll volunteer to drive busloads of young Republican volunteers to their first military basic training session after they enlist. And there should be a huge number of volunteers; I don’t think Republicans are cowardly blowhards like most Democrats. Otherwise, I’m sorry to say, I’m going to tell my Congressman Lincoln Davis that we need a military draft in this country. The reason is simple: we need to hold people accountable for what they do, and it’s time for Republicans to go face combat and support their Commander in Chief. You voted for it. Now go get in it.(Reprinted from the Dec. 10 Intervention Magazine, written by Donald Trader)George GronholzPhoenix, Ariz.

Alliant Energy encourages changing or cleaning filters to keep furnaces running efficientlyChanging or cleaning a furnace filter is a maintenance task many homeowners forget or overlook. But this simple chore is one of the easiest ways to keep a furnace running efficiently."Failing to check the filter regularly can be costly, "said Dave Rogers, a trade account manager with Alliant Energy. "Dust and dirt can work their way into the blower and coil assemblies, reducing the furnace’s operating efficiency and eventually damaging the motor."Up to half of all furnace service calls are related to problems caused by dust and dirt clogging up vital system parts. "Replacing a filter takes just a few minutes and can save your furnace from a lot of wear and tear — and costly repairs," adds Rogers. Disposable fiberglass filters are inexpensive and easy to use — just pull out the used filter, throw it away and put in a new one. If disposable fiberglass filters are used, it’s important to change them every month, because the dirtier they get, the less effective they are. Most filters of this kind are effective at blocking only 10 to 15 percent of airborne particles even when they’re new. By upgrading to a 1# pleated filter you will get 25 to 30 percent particle blockage. Many people are switching to reusable electrostatic filters. These cost a little more — between $50 and $80 each, but they can last up to five years, and they’re three to five times more effective than fiberglass disposables. Reusable electrostatic filters should be cleaned at least every other month — pull it out, spray it off in the sink, let it dry and replace it. "Another option is the high-efficiency pleated filters," said Diane Hanson, a trade account manager with Alliant Energy. "They’re disposable, but they trap up to 75 percent of air particles, and they can last anywhere from six months to a year."In addition to replacing or cleaning furnace filters, it is recommended that homeowners clear snow and ice away from the furnace’s intake and exhaust vents outdoors. If the vents become blocked, dangerous carbon monoxide fumes can back up into the house, and the furnace could shut down" An annual checkup by a qualified service technician is also a good idea — especially if you have a natural gas system," reminds Leo Udee, a trade account manager with Alliant Energy. "The technician will check the flues and temperature settings, examine the heat exchanger for cracks, and check the safety mechanisms. A $50-$100 annual tune-up can reduce your annual heating cost by five percent."If your furnace is more than 10 years old, upgrading to new high-efficiency equipment can substantially reduce energy costs. Alliant Energy — Interstate Power and Light offers its residential and small business customers in Iowa and Minnesota a minimum rebate of $200 on qualifying heating systems. To learn more, call Alliant Energy at 1-800-ALLIANT to request the free PowerHouse brochure Heating Your Home, or look for it on the Internet at www.powerhousetv.com

By: Lexi MooreThe Hills-Beaver Creek Spanish Club will host a Taco Bar from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 25, in the high school commons."We will be collecting a freewill donation — 100 percent of the donations will help to pay for the students’ trip to Europe in June," said H-BC Spanish Club advisor, Teri Richards.The Spanish Club began in 2002 and currently has 15 members. The student co-presidents are Ashley Buck and Danielle Fransman.This year the students have an opportunity to test their language skills as they travel through England, France and Spain. Richards and the students will spend 15 days in Europe. They will visit some of the world’s most historic sites including Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, Versailles, Windsor Castle and Sagrada Familia Cathedral. Richards said she feels the experience is an excellent learning tool and she is looking forward to helping her students experience what the world has to offer."They will see that there are so many possibilities out there for them," she said."They gain independence and self-reliance as well as realizing that there is a huge world out there made up of many different people, languages, customs and attitudes."Tuesday night’s taco bar will include soft and hard shell tacos, nachos, toppings and pop.

By Sara QuamThe Rock County Pool and Fitness Center got approval from the Pool Commission Tuesday to extend weeknight hours.Management made the suggestion because many members complained about the 8 p.m. closing time being too early.So, starting Jan. 31 the pool will be open until 8:30 p.m. and the fitness areas will be open until 8:45 p.m., giving staff time to do final cleaning and leave by 9 p.m.Commission member Ken Hoime said, "It’s flexible, friendly. We have to adapt to what the need is out there."There have been just a few complaints about the weekend closing times, so staying open later then probably won’t happen.The extra cost of staying open later on the weeknights is so slight that keeping members happy and having them stay with the facility, the Commission said, was worth it.