By Sara QuamDonald Gonnerman brought concerns to the Luverne City Council Tuesday night that he and his family felt unsafe when hunters were allowed in the city limits.Gonnerman said that on Sunday, Oct. 31, pheasant hunters were near his property on East Mead Court. He said BBs hit his buildings and his wife, children and grandchildren were scared.His horses have been "spooked" he said.Gonnerman estimated the three hunters were within 400 feet of his house.He said he is most upset because the hunters had permission to be there, on agricultural land within the city limits."Do we have to wait until somebody gets killed before we’ll do something about it?" Gonnerman said to the Council. "Laws have been broken and nothing’s been done. If kids are out 10 minutes past curfew, they get hauled away, but people are allowed to hunt in town? Something’s got to be done."City Administrator Greg LaFond said that even with permission from the sheriff or other officials, hunters aren’t allowed in town by city ordinance."Mr. Gonnerman and his family are entitled to the same protection under the law as anyone else," LaFond said.Gonnerman said he went to LaFond for help because the hunters returned, after being told once to not hunt there.LaFond said, "Despite the assertions of some who claim that the city administrator has no right to be involved in these matters, I assure you that my office will respond when presented with similar circumstances wherein a member of this community requests assistance and wherein our contract law enforcement agency has failed to take appropriate action to prevent a repetition of a potentially dangerous and illegal situation. I will not ignore the plea for assistance from any city resident no matter what their community or financial … status may be."By state law, on top of city ordinance, hunting is prohibited within 500 feet of a residence or barn or within 500 feet of a corral or fenced enclosure holding animals or livestock.Sheriff Mike Winkels said he felt bad about the inconvenience to the Gonnermans. He said it’s been common in the past for people to hunt near the old dump, which is approximately a half mile east of the junction of South Freeman Avenue and Hatting Street, as long as there were no complaints from residents.It is agricultural land, although it’s in city limits.Winkels wrote in a letter to the council, "The kids were told they could hunt there, under the conditions that they followed the hunting and safety regulations, got permission from the landowner and there were no complaints from residents in the area."The hunters misunderstood where they were granted permission to hunt, and they mistakenly went too far north. The Sheriff’s Office responded to two complaints that were received from the individual that owns a pasture in that area. Let it be known that at no time did I give permission for anyone to hunt next to any dwellings or a horse pasture."Since receiving the complaints, all hunters have been contacted and have been advised that there is to be no hunting within the city limits of Luverne. I would like to apologize for any inconvenience that this has caused to the citizens in that area."The entire matter has been turned over to the Department of Natural Resources for a follow-up investigation."

By Lori EhdeResidents and would-be political analysts are still scratching their heads over the outcome of last week’s Luverne city elections.Challengers Maynard Lafrenz and Esther Frakes ousted incumbents David Hauge and Tom Martius by decided margins of victory.The outcome was surprising — some say shocking — for a number of reasons.The South Ward results were surprising in that Lafrenz has relatively little political experience.The North Ward results were surprising because it’s rare for a write-in candidate to beat an incumbent. Voters had to remember to correctly pencil in Frakes’ name on the ballot."The people have spoken," said outgoing Mayor Glen Gust. "Apparently they didn’t like what the council was doing, and they want to see some change."Gust, who decided not to seek a third term, said he was personally surprised by the election outcomes. "I was shocked, actually," Gust said. He said he thought the current aldermen were doing what they could to gather citizen feedback on public issues."Obviously we lost the PR battle," Gust said. "Everyone had good intentions, and I think they’d like to have things worked out." Bill Weber served eight years as alderman and eight years as mayor in Luverne before Gust took over in 2001.What was surprising to him, he said, was the margin of victory for the challengers."I believed there was the possibility of both challengers winning, but I think the margin is an indication of the depth of feeling on the issue of joint law enforcement," Weber said."The message the citizens of Luverne sent not only to the incumbents, but to the city as a whole, was to sit down at the table and negotiate realistically. … Quit trying to claim ‘poor city this’ and ‘poor city that’ when all our local units of government have realized budget hits in recent years. … We’re all in the same boat. The reason we had joint law in the first place was to make better use of resources available, recognizing that budget cuts were coming."Steep learning curveIn January, the leadership of Luverne will consist of a brand-new mayor, two brand-new council members and another two aldermen, with only two years under their belt. To top it off, the City Administrator Greg LaFond has been here just one year, and a new economic development director started just a month ago. Weber recalled that after his first four years he found himself the senior alderman on the council in 1988. He said the city survived then on green leaders, and it can this time, too.His advice to the current new crop is to think for themselves."I think, above all, they have to be confident with the data they’re presented, and if they’re not, they need to go out and get it on their own."Weber said a new mayor and two new aldermen are perfectly positioned to "form a coalition" for change."It would behoove the council to form a unanimous position to make change come about, without the two current members digging in their heels," he said. "They should be asking themselves, ‘What is the public saying that we’re obviously ignoring?’ If they ask a few people, there are plenty out there willing to tell them. The public has definitely made its position known."At the very least, he advised the new council to make reconciliation a priority in order to wrap up negotiations with the county on joint contracts — particularly law enforcement.He looks to incoming mayor Andy Steensma for leadership in that area."The mayor’s job is to find some middle ground," Weber said. "If there are bridges that have been burned, he needs to try to work toward the goal of reconciliation."Gust said it would help for the city to concentrate on positive things that have transpired in recent years, such as the new hospital and Total Card Inc. moving to town with the promise of hundreds of jobs."Luverne is in great shape, and I hope the new council and new mayor continue on the path we’re on," said Gust, who has offered his help to the new leaders where needed."We’re a great city, and we’re moving forward and we’re doing the best job we can to create jobs and make Luverne a better place to live."

By Lori EhdeThe Adrian infant beaten nearly to death last week died of those injuries in Sioux Valley Hospital, Sioux Falls, Friday.Authorities are still releasing very little information about the case in hopes of arresting a suspect.According to information from the Nobles County Attorney’s Office, three-month-old Ashanta Rosa Chavarria was airlifted from Worthington Regional Hospital to Sioux Valley Hospital, in the early morning hours Friday.Doctors found the child to have life-threatening injuries from what appeared to be the result of child abuse and/or an assault, according to Nobles County Attorney Gordon Moore."It’s a very sad situation," Moore said last week. "There’s no way I can minimize that."Since that time the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and Adrian Police Department have been collecting evidence for the case. The Sioux Falls Police Department, Nobles County Sheriff’s Department and Worthington Police Department are assisting.An all-points bulletin was put out for suspects.According to her obituary, the baby was the daughter of Jose Chavarria, Chicago, Ill., and Lisa Shane, Adrian.Anyone with information regarding the case is encouraged to call the Adrian Police Department at 372-2136.

By Sara QuamLuverne is working with a company that could bring up to 500 jobs town. The business is a call center where employees would earn $34,000 to $39,000. Other than that, the city doesn’t have much information on the venture, because it was approached by the state to put together a proposal for the business. The state Department of Employment and Economic Development said that, so far, Luverne is the top choice for Minnesota locations, but nine other states are also in the running. DEED hasn’t released the name of the company to Luverne officials yet. The company is drawn by Job Opportunity Building Zone tax breaks and a financial package from Luverne. The business would need a 40,000- to 60,000- square-foot facility, which the city of Luverne would build, and then sell to the company. The city would also finance a $750,000 loan at 6.5 percent, with interest-only payments for the first few years. The city and state would also offer training grants, and infrastructure and technology grants. The city itself is offering employees discounted lots for new construction and discounted memberships at the Pool and Fitness Center. Culver’s Restaurant Culver’s has formally declined the city’s offer to open in Luverne. One of the owners, Chad Huebner, Sioux Falls, said, "Luverne is a great community. We wouldn’t have considered it if we didn’t like it." He said he’s concentrating on existing restaurants before expanding, but that Luverne could be an option in the future. There was some sentiment among existing restaurant owners that the city shouldn’t try to draw another one to town. But, Huebner said that wasn’t a factor in deciding against a Luverne Culver’s. In other economic development news:
Luverne Economic Development Authority Director Jill Wolf is starting a Downtown Council, which will bring Main Street business owners together to discuss issues, or to gather input on things such as uniform lighting, signs or planters.
The LEDA will have to pay $35,000 it guaranteed for CorTech. That business has closed.
The LEDA is pursuing options to collect $7,200 owed from Falcon Pallets, which rented the former Exsito building on West Hatting Street.

By Lori EhdeFuneral services for 7-year-old Josie Dilly were Wednesday Morning in Luverne Christian Reformed Church . "She was the most beautiful little person I’ve ever known," said Jared Pap, one of three uncles who shared memories of her during the service. "I’ll never forget her smile and her wave as she was leaving for the field that day. She was so happy."She was killed Saturday in a collision between a tractor and train at New Vision Co-op grain elevator near Hills.Dilly, daughter of daughter of Stacy and Nicole (Pap) Dilly, Luverne, was riding with her uncle Jonathan Pap, who was hauling grain for his family’s farm operation north of Beaver Creek.Pap, Luverne, was driving a John Deere 4440 pulling two loaded wagons as he approached the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad tracks.The tractor was heading west on the rural road leading to the elevator when it collided with a train traveling north at about 35 mph in a 40 mph zone."I guess I thought the train was parked," Pap said Tuesday. By the time he knew the train was approaching it was too late to stop."I knew the front wheels were just on the tracks, but I thought it would hit us and move us over. I didn’t think it would rip the front end off. … The impact knocked us both out of the cab."Dilly was thrown from the cab and was trapped under the tractor. She was pronounced dead at the scene.Pap was taken by Rock County Ambulance to Sioux Valley Hospital, Sioux Falls, where he was treated for cuts and bruises and was later released."We both fell through the door. She slipped right straight down … We landed pretty close together," Pap said.He said that his niece was doing what she loved most the day that she died."She rode in the tractor with us (her uncles) all the time. With me, or Jared or Jamie or Dad," Pap said. "That day, we were talking the whole way, about school about everything. …We were having so much fun. She was putting corn on my head and laughing."He said those final moments burned a sweet image in his memory. "I guess I’m glad I was with her, I just wish I would have stopped earlier," Pap said.The front end of the tractor was sheared off by passing rail cars. The train engineer reportedly told rescue workers he could tell that the tractor and wagons weren’t going to be able to stop, but that he couldn’t stop the train either.Nearby resident Ron Hup said he could hear the train whistle and the steel screeching to stop.The Rock County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the crash at about 11 a.m. and responded to the call along with the Hills Fire Department, Luverne Fire and Rescue, Rock County Hazardous Materials and the Minnesota State Patrol.Friends and neighbors of the Pap family have been working to help finish the harvest.

By Lexi MooreHills-Beaver Creek School Board members met Monday for a regularly scheduled meeting.Superintendent David Deragisch gave the high school report. He thanked "everyone for taking time out of their busy schedules to vote last week in the election." Students and staff were happy as the results of the referendum became public.He was also proud to announce that the H-BC cross country team ranked third out of 21 teams for the section academic championship. Todd Holthaus began the meeting with a report on the elementary school.This week elementary students will watch a short presentation on flag etiquette by veteran Kyle Oldre in honor of Veterans Day. Students will celebrate American Education Week in a variety of ways. Elementary students will host students Grandparent’s/Special Persons Day Nov. 16 and Pastry for Parents Nov. 17.The focus of the celebration will be Children’s Book/Literature Week. Adults interested in reading to the students should contact elementary librarian, Sarah Oldre, to set up a day and time. Deragisch encourages adults to take part in this activity. "It is good for children to see adults reading." Finally the board voted to extend sympathy to the Edgerton Christian Elementary School for the loss of their second-grader Josie Dilly in an accident last weekend at the New Vision Co-op grain elevator in Hills.

By Lexi MooreHills’ City Council members met Tuesday night, and problems with the water supply were on the agenda again this week.Dan Cook, from Rock County Rural Water, updated the council on the progress with local water supplies.RCRW stopped feeding a micro cleanser containing phosphate, into the water supply on Oct. 19. The chemical has been added to water supplies since April 2003. RCRW made the decision to stop adding phosphates after consulting with chemists and Department of Health officials.Discoloration in area resident’s water should continue as the phosphates are flushed from the water system. Cook warns, "The problem will probably get worse before it gets better. We are trying to return the system to its normal ph."Council members voted to approve weekly flushing of the city’s water pipes until they freeze this winter. This should decrease the chances of any discolored water reaching residents homes.RCRW agreed to reimburse the city for water used when the city flushes the system.Council members anonymously voted to renew the liquor license held by Kelly’s Roadhouse.Council members informed the public of new changes to the Hills recycling program. Beginning in January, the county will begin recycling magazines and catalogs. These materials must be separated from other paper products.

By Lori EhdeFuneral services for 7-year-old Josie Dilly were Wednesday Morning in Luverne Christian Reformed Church . "She was the most beautiful little person I’ve ever known," said Jared Pap, one of three uncles who shared memories of her during the service. "I’ll never forget her smile and her wave as she was leaving for the field that day. She was so happy."She was killed Saturday in a collision between a tractor and train at New Vision Co-op grain elevator near Hills.Dilly, daughter of daughter of Stacy and Nicole (Pap) Dilly, Luverne, was riding with her uncle Jonathan Pap, who was hauling grain for his family’s farm operation north of Beaver Creek.Pap, Luverne, was driving a John Deere 4440 pulling two loaded wagons as he approached the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad tracks.The tractor was heading west on the rural road leading to the elevator when it collided with a train traveling north at about 35 mph in a 40 mph zone."I guess I thought the train was parked," Pap said Tuesday. By the time he knew the train was approaching it was too late to stop."I knew the front wheels were just on the tracks, but I thought it would hit us and move us over. I didn’t think it would rip the front end off. … The impact knocked us both out of the cab."Dilly was thrown from the cab and was trapped under the tractor. She was pronounced dead at the scene.Pap was taken by Rock County Ambulance to Sioux Valley Hospital, Sioux Falls, where he was treated for cuts and bruises and was later released."We both fell through the door. She slipped right straight down … We landed pretty close together," Pap said.He said that his niece was doing what she loved most the day that she died."She rode in the tractor with us (her uncles) all the time. With me, or Jared or Jamie or Dad," Pap said. "That day, we were talking the whole way, about school about everything. …We were having so much fun. She was putting corn on my head and laughing."He said those final moments burned a sweet image in his memory. "I guess I’m glad I was with her, I just wish I would have stopped earlier," Pap said.The front end of the tractor was sheared off by passing rail cars. The train engineer reportedly told rescue workers he could tell that the tractor and wagons weren’t going to be able to stop, but that he couldn’t stop the train either.Nearby resident Ron Hup said he could hear the train whistle and the steel screeching to stop.The Rock County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the crash at about 11 a.m. and responded to the call along with the Hills Fire Department, Luverne Fire and Rescue, Rock County Hazardous Materials and the Minnesota State Patrol.Friends and neighbors of the Pap family have been working to help finish the harvest.

I seem to have picked up a new nickname after entering Rock County last week, "The new guy." Yep, that’s me. I bet a dozen people came up to me at the football game Friday night in Redwood Falls and said, "You must be the new guy."Then they introduced themselves and quickly made me feel right at home. I remarked to my wife when I got home around midnight (though judging by her snoring I doubt she remembers it) about how friendly everybody has been. Thank you.Considering John has been the sportswriter here for 18 years, it looks like I’ve got a way to go before I lose "the new guy" moniker. Having the same job for 18 years is almost unfathomable for me, given my short attention span. My last two stops were five years each, and I thought I was doing pretty well at that.But I’m not all that new to the goings-on of Luverne. I did some time at the Windom newspaper right out of college and then kept an eye on things here while writing sports at the Argus Leader. Also, my family and I have lived next door in Valley Springs for 15 years, our house about 400 yards from the Minnesota border. In fact, I’m a runner and actually run through Minnesota about every night, and on those rare long runs, I’ll even throw Iowa into the mix. It’s kind of impressive to tell people, "Yes, I went for a jog through three states today." The kids take swimming lessons in Luverne and make almost weekly trips to one of the pizza joints or Country Kitchen. I timed my ride the other day and it was 18 minutes from my front door to the office door, and that’s going the speed limit, which I almost always try to do. Actually, this is the shortest work commute I’ve ever had and could actually run home on my lunch hour to let the dogs out (Edna the basset hound and Ella the wiener dog) if need be. My most memorable event in Luverne was when we came to the Magnolia Steakhouse with my oldest daughter who was about 2 (she’s 13 now). Just as the waitress was setting down our plates, Katie came down with a case of projectile vomiting right in the middle of the dining room. Needless to say, we got our steaks to go and slunk out the door back to the Valley. Thanks for letting me back in! I don’t envision any big changes in the sports pages here, as I’m still trying to figure out how the heck John covered 16 winter sports teams in a season. Hopefully I’ll get it figured out and ask you to bear with me for a while, as I am full-blooded Norwegian and not always the quickest on the uptake. One of the things the powers-that-be here asked me to do was to write a column every week. I’m pretty excited about that, as now I have a whole new audience to share all the stupid stories I’ve accumulated over the years.I’ll try to touch on the teams, players and coaches here as I get to know you. (I’ve already run across a few familiar faces and names.) I’ll even offer my profound wisdom (you buying what I’m selling?) on my life-long loves, the Twins and Vikings. I’m also a Gophers fan but must admit I’ve had difficulty shrugging off my loyalty to the Lakers and am not yet totally on board the Timberwolves bandwagon. Fortunately, my wardrobe won’t have to change much as I already have all those jerseys, hats and sweatshirts, and the Brandon Valley red even matches up well with the Cardinals. Thanks again for making me feel like an honorary Cardinal already, and I look forward to working with you and earning my wings.