Australian ranchers might want to hand out riding helmets to their hired help this Christmas. It’s all because a hefty fine was recently imposed against a ranch after one of its cowboys fell off a horse and hit his head. The boss of the outfit evidently failed to warn his men that a horse can weigh half a ton and that under certain circumstances, it might bolt, roll over or rear up on its hind legs. According to the Associated Press, ranchers down under are seriously talking about requiring their cowboys to wear helmets. Presumably, the helmets will resemble those chosen by motorcyclists rather than those worn by Lance Armstrong and other bicyclists. The sleek, stream-lined look of bicycle helmets would definitely clash with the rugged image projected by leather chaps, stirrups and oversized belt buckles. We can only surmise that additional horse mishaps in Australia will lead to similar talk about saddles equipped with safety belts and side impact air bags. As is the case with a runaway horse, it might to difficult to rein in overly enthusiastic lawmakers who intend to make cowboys look like sissies. When we begin treating cowboys like car drivers and motorcyclists, and assume they can’t make safety decisions for themselves, we should expect other changes on the trail ahead. The helmet issue will only be the tip of the iceberg. For example, cowboys on their way home from a Saturday night in town might be pulled over for TUIs (trotting under the influence). Repeat offenses might lead to more serious charges of GUI (galloping under the influence), in which case the guilty party would be required to relinquish, in lieu of a horse driving license, his neck scarf, harmonica and, of course, his helmet. Speaking of driving licenses, government-issued horse riding licenses might eventually be required. However, instead of listing the driver’s weight, the horse riding license will list the driver’s weight both with and without the weight of the horse. Similarly, the height of the cowboy will be listed two ways –— standing alone and seated on horseback. Exhibition riding, much like exhibition driving, will not be treated lightly. Examples of exhibition riding would include leaping over deep ravines wider than 20 feet, rescuing damsels who aren’t in distress and would rather be left alone, or any other form of horsing around. Health and safety disclaimers, similar to those on cigarette packages, could be branded onto the flanks of Australian horses. As briefly as possible the messages could read, "Warning –— horseback riding can be hazardous to your health." While being marked with a red-hot branding iron, horses might appreciate their cowboy-owners’ attempts to be less wordy. Helmets are only the beginning. Eventually, horseback riding will be treated the same as driving a car and law enforcement officials will be on the lookout for horses with faulty equipment. "I’m sorry to pull you over, sir, but your horse’s right rear shoe appears to be loose." Repair tickets, requiring work to be done during a certain period of time, will be issued for such minor technicalities as horsetails which hang asymmetrically, and out-of-tune neighs and whinnies. The cowboys’ only acceptable response will be, "Horse feathers!"

10 years ago (1994)"Kylee Crawford, seventh-grader at Hills-Beaver Creek has taken the first step to becoming an internationally-recognized artist by winning a local competition sponsored by the Luverne 92 Lion’s Club.Heather Finke and Steve Bakken, also seventh grade students at H-BC, won second and third place honors, respectively, in the contest." 25 years ago (1979)"Two Hills men have been named to office in the Luverne Rotary Club.Frederick ‘Fritz’ Nuffer was elected president to serve during the 1980-81 year beginning July 1. He will succeed Irid Bjerk, currently serving as president.Ray Nelson was appointed secretary by the Board of Directors. He will begin his duties Jan. 2, succeeding Bill Weber who resigned the post because of business involvement out of town."50 years ago (1954)"Capt. and Mrs. M.G. Kvaas and children, Ronald, Mary and Rebecca arrived Wednesday night from Germany where Capt. Kvaas has been stationed since March 1952. They left Frankfurt, Germany, on Monday night and arrived here on Wednesday night. Their next assignment is Ft. Lewis, Wash. They have a 30-day furlough and are spending it here with Mr. and Mrs. Bennie Thompson and in Luverne with Capt. Kvaas’ mother.75 years ago (1929)"Santa Claus didn’t exactly appear in person in Hills last Monday, nevertheless a goodly portion of our citizens believe he had something to do with it, as the morning’s mail contained checks of a ten percent dividend from the late Security State Bank of Hills."100 years ago (1904)"The meeting at the State Bank Friday night with the object of securing a circulating library was well attended and the necessary steps were taken to secure from the Minnesota Public Library Commission a free circulating library. These libraries are especially designed for the use of farming communities and small villages which cannot support a local public library. "The books, which are shipped in lots of twenty-five or fifty, may be retained for six months by a village, but may also be chained oftener if desired. The necessary application has been forwarded, and W.A. Larson has been chosen as librarian."

George Vernon Nelson, 79, Aberdeen, S.D., formerly of Hills, died Saturday, Dec. 18, 2004, at Bethesda Nursing Home in Aberdeen.Services were Tuesday, Dec. 21, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Hills. The Rev. Lowell Berg officiated. Burial was in Flower Field Cemetery, Hills, with military rites by Hills American Legion Post #399. There was a prayer service Monday, Dec. 20, at Schriver’s Memorial Mortuary & Crematory in Aberdeen led by the Rev. Allan Schoonover. George Nelson was born to John and Christine (Moe) Nelson on Oct. 3, 1925, in Hills where he was raised. He attended Hills Public Schools and graduated from Hills High School. He entered the U.S. Army Dec. 13, 1946, and received his honorable discharge May 8, 1947. He married Jean Jordahl on Nov. 6, 1949, in Luverne. He had his own cream delivery service and worked for John Morrell Company for a short time. In 1960 they moved to Brandon, S.D. He purchased the Jack and Jill Grocery Store, which he operated for several years. They returned to Hills in 1969 where he owned and operated George’s Clover Farm Grocery Store for many years. They moved to Polson, Mont., in 1984. He worked for Livestock Feed and Grain Company as a livestock feed salesman until he retired in 1987. They moved to Ortonville in 1995 and to Aberdeen in 2001. Mr. Nelson enjoyed golfing and had hit a hole in one in 1973. He also enjoyed hunting, fishing and working with wood. Survivors include his wife, Jean Nelson, Aberdeen; two sons, David (Margaret) Nelson, Ipswich, S.D., and Bradley (Cheryl) Nelson, Granite Bay, Calif.; three daughters, Mary (Edward) Bultema, Grandville, Mich., Janie (Jeffrey) Helgeson, St. Paul, and Dawn (Mark) Vaux, Aberdeen; 14 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Mr. Nelson was preceded in death by his parents, one daughter, Kristie Olson, five brothers and five sisters. Roste Funeral Home, Hills, was in charge of local arrangements.

By Lori EhdeThere’s a new man at the helm of the tri-state’s New Life Celebration Church, and he says he’s up to the challenge of growing the fledgling congregation started only two years ago.He said he views his new job as a "challenge and opportunity," especially considering it’s his first foray into true contemporary worship and a small-group church."God has placed a vision in my heart for quite a long time," Olsen said. "I’ve been looking for a way of doing church differently … returning to a First Century model described in the New Testament."For example, he said Acts 2:46-48, describes a sense of community, worshipping and learning together in small groups."Jesus taught, ‘Reach out to the least among us.’ For too long we’ve turned inward and taken care of each other within the church when Jesus commands us to go out," Olsen said. "There’s got to be balance between evangelism and community-building."His personal views blend well with the vision of New Life Church: "To discover God’s call and purpose for living."Olsen said, "A question that New Life Celebration Church must constantly ask is, ‘How do we empower people to discover God’s purpose for their lives and live out that purpose every day?’"New Life’s mission statement is: "To worship joyfully, to live prayerfully, to love unconditionally, to reach out intentionally, to fellowship with others regularly, to make disciples naturally, to celebrate God’s grace openly."Olsen preached a few sermons earlier this year to the New Life congregation, which meets for Sunday services at 10 a.m. in the elementary school in Beaver Creek.His official start date was Nov. 1, and he said he’s looking forward to forming friendships and partnerships with area pastors and church leaders.Olsen was ordained in 1993 through the Presbyterian Theological Seminary at the University of Dubuque.He most recently served as pastor of the United Presbyterian Church of Christ in Le Mars, Iowa.He and his wife of 30 years, Marti, have three grown children.New Life Celebration office is located in the Brandenburg Gallery building on East Main Street in Luverne.Plant a seed, nurture itand watch it growOlsen comes to New Life Church at a time when its congregation is establishing a place of its own among organized churches in the tri-state area.New Life Celebration Church is a "daughter congregation" to Luverne’s American Reformed Church and started primarily with ARC members in July 2002.Since then it has grown to include more than 400 members, with 150 worshiping regularly.Rev. J.R. Henderson works for the Reformed Church of America as a "church plant missionary."Following the Acts 2 worship model, he said his churches look for ways to involve the otherwise "unchurched" in the community and to do that in very practical tangible ways."We want our ministry to be relevant to people in the 21st Century," he said. "People want the benefits of spirituality without the barriers of established religion."With New Life Church now thriving here, he said it’s time to move on."We’re giving birth to two more churches," Henderson said, "one in Fairmont and one in Prior Lake."He said he’ll miss the members in New Life, but he doesn’t get possessive about the churches he plants. "We prefer to view this as a passing of the baton," Henderson said. "It’s not my church. … Anything that is alive grows and changes."

By Sara QuamThe extension of the Rock County Pool and Fitness Center agreement didn’t happen as anticipated this week.The Rock County Board of Commissioners Tuesday morning tabled the issue, saying it would vote after hearing what the Luverne City Council decided.The City Council didn’t discuss the issue much at its Tuesday night meeting. Instead, council members said they would address it at another meeting … after a county vote.At the end of November, Rock County offered to extend the joint powers agreement until March 2005, three months longer. With that, it meant the county would pay a quarter of its annual costs.The county had previously terminated the agreement, meaning the city would have to bear all costs for the facility.With the extension offer, county commissioners said they hoped negotiations could continue.After the county’s offer, the city of Luverne came up with a resolution saying it would approve the extension with conditions: 1.) that Rock County authorize payment of capital purchases amounting to $11,825 and 2.) that Rock County pay a quarter of its half of the government contributions, $14,210.Placing those conditions wasn’t anything the county commissioners thought necessary, since they made the initial offer to extend the agreement.Commissioner Richard Bakken said, "We made this offer as a good faith measure and offered to pay, and they turned it around on us."County Attorney Don Klosterbuer said, "It’s not a pattern of cooperation."Commissioner Bob Jarchow said, "Oh my, that’s a revelation."Bakken said, "This is such a frustration to me that I can’t believe it. This thing is just about driving me nuts. Things used to work and we shared a lot of good agreements … we can’t go on like this."Bakken said a moderator or neutral party might be able to make sense of the political to and fro happening for the past year."Isn’t there an end point some place?" Bakken said.

By Sara QuamCity Administrator Greg LaFond said he’s gotten more calls on the possible animal impound closing than anything else except closing the tree dump.Because of that, the Luverne City Council tabled action on closing the animal pound.The city pays about $6,000 annually in impound costs for dogs and cats. LaFond said the city was just looking for a way to save money since it’s not required to have a pound."It’s a county-wide responsibility because it’s used on a county-wide basis," LaFond said. "We can work out a lease arrangement with the county to operate the pound."During Tuesday’s Rock County Commissioners meeting, County Attorney Don Klosterbuer said that if the city closes the pound, it wouldn’t mean the county is obligated to provide a pound.He said the city can’t expect its animal ordinances to be enforced without telling the Sheriff’s Office where the city’s pound is. If calls come in to pick up animals, deputies won’t have a place to take them, he said, and it’s not the county’s obligation to provide it.Rural areas of the county do not have animal licensing requirements like the city does.Last year, 17 cats and 17 dogs were impounded in Luverne. About half of the animals in the pound are euthanized, or put to sleep. Some of that could be avoided if the impound could notify the proper owner. Licensed pets can be traced to their owners, however, there are roughly 60 licensed dogs in the city and an estimated 400 that are not licensed.Plus, some people abandon animals in town with the intention of the pound being forced to have them euthanized.All found animals that are turned into the pound are posted, and City Hall is the contact place for that. The pound holds animals for five business days before euthanizing them.

By Sara QuamBail was set at $30,000 Monday for Terry Jon Hoffman, who was charged with 12 counts of possession of stolen property in Rock County.The 36-year-old Luverne man was arrested Wednesday, Dec. 8, for allegedly having stolen property — from snowmobiles to construction equipment to his personal pickup.Assistant County Attorney (prosecutor) Terry Vajgrt said, "It’s quite possible that more people will come forward with evidence of more theft."Bail was posted locally for Hoffman, but he remained behind bars because of an arrest warrant for three counts of theft in Minnehaha County, S.D.Bail has been set there at $100,000.Vajgrt said, "I think the difference in bail amount has to do with him living here in our court’s jurisdiction. He wasn’t determined to be a flight risk."Hoffman is accused of stealing vehicles and recreational and construction equipment and either using it or selling it.Personnel from the Rock County Sheriff’s Office, Brandon (S.D.) Police Department, Minnesota State Patrol and National Insurance Crime Bureau were involved in three search warrants Dec. 8.Rock County Sheriff Mike Winkels said he was proud of the cooperation and efficiency of the search and arrest.Hoffman is accused of stealing and reselling or reusing vehicles. He allegedly swapped titles and license plates from wrecked vehicles to cover the tracks. Also, some vehicle identification numbers were altered.Hoffman operated a legitimate business, Foxy’s Restoration, out of his shop in Luverne. He restored vehicles and worked on snowmobiles, for example. He also ran the Vintage Snowmobile Club of America and its quarterly magazine.Hoffman appeared in court again Wednesday in an extradition hearing. He declined to waive extradition to the state of South Dakota. He will now remain in custody until South Dakota formally extradites him. A bond for $100,000 is posted. The charges from South Dakota may involve stiffer penalties because his two sons (ages 7 and 11) may have been present at one of the alleged thefts.The Minnesota charges are called "possession of stolen property," which by definition can include theft, use or possession of stolen property. The investigation overturned property worth $240,000 from Sioux Falls, Brandon, S.D., Luverne, Fairmont, Worthington, Marshall, Minn., and Omaha. If convicted, Hoffman may end up serving time in three states, including Nebraska. People can actually be convicted of stealing something from one state and be convicted of possession of the same item in another state.Long on the booksThe searches uncovered stolen items starting as early as 2001, including: a 32-foot flatbed gooseneck trailer from Dressen Custom Trailers in Brandon; a 2005 Arctic Cat all terrain vehicle from Sioux International in Sioux Falls; a 1987 backhoe tractor from Barney’s Auto Salvage in Sioux Falls; a 2002 Cheverolet Silverado taken from Papik Motors in Luverne; two 2002 Arctic Cat Mountain Cat snowmobiles from Worthington Sports Center; 2002 Arctic Cat ZR120 snowmobile from Leo’s Snow Sports in Fairmont; a 5.3 liter Chevy engine from a Silverado pickup from Lithia Motors in Sioux Falls; Larson Boat from Action Sports in Marshall; a 2003 Chevy Avalanche from Lithia in Sioux Falls and a 2002 Chevy Tahoe from Lithia. Under questioning, Hoffman admitted to possessing this list of stolen items and knowing they were stolen.He was also questioned about a camper but didn’t want to comment on it.Last Wednesday’s arrest came after an Oct. 22 tip from Brandon about a suspicious vehicle. Three properties in Rock County were searched: Hoffman’s shop, 410 West Edgehill, Luverne; his parents’ home, where he was living, 1110 North Lindale; and the home of former girlfriend Lori Ehde, Vienna Township.The person giving the initial tip provided police with a vehicle identification number from the black 2002 Chevy Tahoe, which was researched and found to be stolen.The license plate on the Tahoe was actually from a white 1994 Chevrolet Camero registered to an insurance company in Woodbury, Minn.The Tahoe had been stored at the home of Hoffman’s brother Randy and his wife, Joni, in Brandon. They said Terry requested that the couple store the vehicle for the winter.A former girlfriend, Shelby Williams, of Sioux Falls, purchased a maroon Chevy Tahoe last year from Hoffman. That vehicle was destroyed in a fire Nov. 17, 2003, which was determined to be of suspicious nature by investigators from the Sioux Falls Fire Rescue and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Williams said she didn’t know the vehicle was stolen and declined purchasing another vehicle from Hoffman that he offered her.Hoffman’s own vehicle, a Chevy Avalanche, was titled as a vehicle that was considered a total loss by an insurance company in 2002.Hoffman’s father, Melvin, purchased from him a Chevrolet Silverado which had the license of a GMC Sierra and a VIN of a salvage vehicle.Hoffman also sold a 2002 Chevy Silverado with a replaced engine to his sister and brother-in-law, Paula and William Plant. The original engine was recovered from Hoffman’s shop.Assistant County Attorney Vajgrt said it’s too early to estimate possible jail time."We haven’t gotten to that point yet," he said.He encouraged people who had business dealings with Hoffman to come forward with any suspicions. Vajgrt said, "If people have concerns, I would encourage them to contact law enforcement. They will make every effort to avoid the need to seize the vehicle."He said people shouldn’t be afraid of losing vehicles to an investigation because officers can photograph and document evidence without keeping it.For now, investigators are not ruling out that more people may have been involved in the crimes, and are still reviewing evidence.

Minnegasco name going away for goodWe knew it as Minnegasco for a very long time. Then in Oct. 2002 it became CenterPoint Energy Minnegasco.Starting this month, Minnegasco will be removed from the name to become just CenterPoint Energy.The purpose of their plan, according to President and Chief Operating Officer Gary Cerny, is to create a single, national identity and eventually discontinue using individual business unit names such as Minnegasco.Customers can expect a few changes, including design of the bill envelope, Web site and other company materials.Company phone numbers, payment addresses, billing services and service programs will remain the same.CenterPoint Energy is Minnesota’s largest natural gas distributor, serving more than 745,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in over 240 communities.Headquartered in Houston Texas, CenterPoint is involved in electric transmission and distribution, natural gas distribution and sales, interstate pipeline and gathering operations, and more than 14,000 megawatts of power generation.The company serves nearly five million metered customers in six states and has assets of over $19 billion.The company has been in business for 130 years and has 11,000 employees.Credit Card debt up more than 14 percent since last yearThe amount of debt Americans are carrying on their credit cards is up again.From 2003 to 2004 the average Americans credit card debt went up 14.5 percent from $2,294 in ’03 to $2,626 in ’04.According to Myvesta, a nonprofit consumer education organization, individuals are also carrying more credit cards around in their wallets.They now carry 2.9 credit cards, compared to 2.3 a year ago.Other notes from the survey include the following:Males have an average of $2,742 of credit spread out over 2.5 cards; females average $2.522 of credit card debt on 3.3 cards.Married individuals have an average of $3,288 of credit card debt; non-married individuals have an average of $1,785.Average debt by geography:South, $2,988Midwest, $2,682West, $2,538Northeast, $1,918In too many cases, according to Myvesta, Americans are turning to the equity in their homes to cover their credit card debt, a funding source that can quickly run out.WCCO radio recently reported that for the first time Americans are paying more of their debt electronically than with a personal check.‘Let’s Bring ’Em Home’ Web site We recently received an e-mail from Joshua Arndt requesting our help in spreading the word about a Web site that buys tickets for junior enlisted military members to come home for the holidays.According to Joshua, the people who run the Web site operate 100 percent on donations.People have donated as little at $5 or as much as $2,000, and 100 percent of the money goes toward buying tickets for soldiers.Joshua said because he is a junior enlisted who doesn’t "get very much money" and lives 700 miles from Luverne, flying was not an option.So he applied for the program. Not less than a week later he received word that the program had bought a ticket for him.So Joshua will be coming home this Christmas holiday to spend time with his family. Joshua is the son of Red and Lisa Arndt of Luverne.If you would like to know more about the "Let’s Bring ’Em Home" program, you can go to their Web site at www.ibeh.com.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

By Mark HaugenAdrian Area continued its roll through opposing wrestling teams last week.The Blue Dragons ran away with the team title Saturday at the Jackson County Central Invitational in Jackson. Adrian/Ellsworth tallied 259 points, with second place going to Stewartville with 190.5.The Dragons returned home with four individual championships and three runners-up. Brandon Bullerman won at 140 pounds, as did Dusty Bullerman at 145, Levi Bullerman at 189 and Will Lutmer in overtime at 215. Joey Bullerman was second at 119, Tony Sauer second at 152 and Cody Reverts at 171."It was one of the best lineups we’ve put out there all year," Coach Gregg Nelson said. "It showed in the tournament. I thought we might have a little more trouble because I didn’t know what some of the other teams had. But we kind of took care of the tournament pretty well."He said getting Reverts down to 171 makes the team stronger. "It was his first time down there this year and he looked good."Thursday night the Blue Dragons dumped Minneota 56-9 in a dual meet in Adrian. Four pins (by Tony Their at 112, Brandon Croat at 125, Brandon Bullerman at 140 and Nate Engelkes at 171) and a couple of forfeits boosted Adrian. The only upset of the night was Adrian’s Joey Bullerman getting edged in a 5-4 decision to Tanner Skillings at 119 pounds. The Dragons wrestle at Fulda-Murray County Central on Friday and at Sioux Falls Washington on Tuesday before the Christmas break.Adrian 56, Minneota 9103 – Stephen Loosbrock won 3-1112 – Tony Their WBF 2:59119 – Joey Bullerman lost 4-5125 – Brandon Croat WBF 1:11130 – Zach Reker won 11-2135 – Jordan Reker won 11-2140 – Brandon Bullerman WBF 1:36145 – Dusty Bullerman won 5-1152 – Tyler Vaske LBF 5:39160 – Tony Sauer won 5-1171 – Nate Engelkes WBF 5:03189 – Levi Bullerman by forfeit215 – Will Lutmer won 12-1HWT – Cody Lutmer by forfeit