By John RittenhouseThe Luverne defense served up a homecoming treat to its fans during a Southwest Conference football game played in Luverne Friday.The Cardinal defense limited Jackson County Central to 183 yards of total defense and created four turnovers to set the stage for a 20-0 victory over the Huskies.Luverne, which had not beaten a Jackson team since 1996 (a 22-0 decision), recorded its second shutout of the season Friday.The effort helped extend Luverne’s current winning streak to three straight games.The win came at the expense of a Huskies team that has been shut out in two consecutive games."Our defense’s ability to stop JCC’s running game was the key," said Cardinal coach Todd Oye. "JCC tries to pound the ball at you while utilizing their size on the offensive line. It didn’t work Friday."The Luverne defense, which has been the strength of the 2004 team, had a lot to do with the lack of JCC’s offensive success. The Cardinals limited the Huskies to 92 rushing yards in the contest, and came up with big stops to thwart all three of JCC’s best scoring opportunities during the game.Luverne’s defense also set up the game’s first touchdown when it came up with the first of four turnovers (two fumble recoveries and one interception).JCC just completed a pass when the Huskies’ receiver was stripped of the ball, which was recovered by Luverne linebacker Brad Herman on the Cardinal 44-yard line.Herman came up with his second straight big play on the first play of Luverne’s ensuing possession, when the Cardinals resorted to some trickery to take a 6-0 lead.Herman took a handoff from quarterback Nick Heronimus during what looked to be a running play to the JCC defense, but it was actually a reverse pass.Herman then delivered a 56-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Brandon Deragisch to open the scoring at the 1:18 mark of the first quarter. A failed extra-point attempt left the Cardinals sporting a six-point cushion.The Cardinals expanded their lead to 14-0 with a drive that yielded eight points late in the first half.Taking over on the LHS 43 late in the second quarter, the Cardinal offense put together a six-play, 57-yard drive that ended with Heronimus tossing a 47-yard touchdown pass to Jared Pick with 52 seconds remaining in the first half.A key play in the series came during a third-and-15 situation on the Luverne 38, where Heronimus threw a 22-yard completion to Herman for a first down.The Heronimus-to-Pick combination also clicked for a successful conversion pass.JCC made a bid to score in the final 50 seconds of the first half when it advanced the ball to the Luverne 15, but Pick batted down a pass in the end zone to end what was the final play of the second quarter.The Luverne defense forced JCC to punt four plays into the third quarter, which set up the offense’s most impressive drive of the game.The Cardinal offense advanced the ball 70 yards in nine plays with senior fullback Nate Siebenahler capping the march with an eight-yard touchdown run at the 6:18 mark of the third quarter.A run for the two-point conversion failed, but the Cards sported a 20-0 cushion that JCC was unable to challenge."Our offense did a nice job of keeping things balanced," Oye said. "Our rushing and passing yards have been pretty balanced this year, and that has worked for us."The Luverne defense shut the door on JCC the rest of the game.JCC had a great field position when Tyler Skow blocked a Luverne punt and teammate Nathan Kolander recovered the ball on the Cardinal seven-yard line.After three unsuccessful runs, JCC threw a pass toward the end zone that was picked off by Herman six inches in front of the goal line.JCC forced the Cards to punt six plays later, giving the visitors the ball on the Luverne 42 with 9:14 left to play. The Huskies, however, lost the ball on downs when a fourth-and-one pass fell incomplete with 7:19 left to play.The Huskies never threatened to score the rest of the night.The 4-1 Cardinals will face another stiff challenge when they play the annual Battle Ax game in Pipestone Friday.The 4-1 Arrows are a team that runs the ball well, and Oye said the Cardinals need to be aware of that."Their tailback leads the SWC in rushing, so we’ll have to stop their running game," he said. "We also need to control the ball on offense, which means we’ll need to mix things up with our passing and running games again."Team statisticsLuverne: 120 rushing yards, 158 passing yards, 278 total yards, nine first downs, nine penalties, zero turnovers.JCC: 92 rushing yards, 91 passing yards, 183 total yards, 10 first downs, five penalties, four turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Siebenahler 10-27, Jake Hendricks 9-35, Derek Elbers 4-15, Heronimus 14-22, Ben Nath 6-16, Ben Uphoff 2-5.Passing: Herman 1-1 for 56 yards, Heronimus 5-11 for 102 yards.Receiving: Pick 2-49, Deragisch 2-64, Herman 2-45.Defense: Herman one interception and one fumble recovery, Heronimus one interception, Elbers one fumble recovery, Siebenahler one sack, Jose Saravia one sack.

By John RittenhouseHills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth fullback Tom LeBoutiller played a homecoming game to remember Friday in Hills.LeBoutillier, a senior, scored on touchdown runs of three, 64 and 46 yards and hauled in a 40-yard touchdown pass to lift H-BC-E to a 34-14 victory over Lincoln HI-Lake Benton.Along with his four-touchdown effort, LeBoutillier compiled a total of 194 offensive yards to help the Patriots snap a two-game losing streak.LeBoutillier also recorded nine tackles, three sacks and recovered one fumble to lead a solid defensive performance for H-BC-E."Our defense kept us in the game," said Patriot coach Dan Ellingson. "We had some really good individual performances on defense, and that made us stand out. We needed a game like this from our seniors. They really came through."LeBoutillier made his presence known early and often during the game.LH-LB was running its fifth offensive play of the game when LeBoutiller forced a fumble in the process of sacking the quarterback.Patriot Chris Nuffer recovered the fumble on the LH-LB 34-yard line, setting up a seven-play drive capped by LeBoutillier’s three-yard run at the 7:10 mark of the opening quarter. Adam Finke added the extra point to make it 7-0.After H-BC-E’s defense stopped LH-LB on downs as the first quarter progressed, LeBoutillier hauled in a screen pass from quarterback Cody Schilling on the first play of the second quarter and raced 40 yards to a touchdown.When Finke booted the extra point, the Patriots sported a 14-0 lead that would stand up until the third quarter.The Patriots drew first blood in the second half.H-BC-E received the ball to start the third quarter and came up with a big play during a third-and-13 situation early in the possession.Making his first varsity start at quarterback, Schilling hooked up with Cody Rozeboom for a 32-yard pass and a clutch first down. Moments later, Kerry Fink scored on a 47-yard run to give the hosts a 20-0 advantage.LH-LB made a bid to get back into the game when Rebel quarterback Josh Prosch tossed a 29-yard touchdown pass to Cody Plueger to trim H-BC-E’s lead to 14 points (20-6), but LeBoutillier crushed the visitor’s hopes of a comeback in the fourth quarter.LeBoutillier, who carried the ball eight times for 154 yards in the game, scored on runs of 64 and 46 yards in the final 12 minutes of play. Fink carried in a two-point conversion after LeBoutillier’s first score of the fourth quarter, helping the Patriots open a 34-6 lead.LH-LB capped the scoring when Prosch scored on a two-yard run late in the game.Ellingson was proud of the way Schilling handled himself as a quarterback during his initial varsity start. Schilling completed seven of 10 passes for 124 yards."For his first start, Cody did fine. It was kind of nice that we only had to throw 10 passes in the game. We were able to choose when and what passes we would throw, and it really worked out well for us," he said.The Patriots will play Lakeview, a team that H-BC-E beat 32-12 in Cottonwood during the first week of the season, in Ellsworth Friday. The contest against the 1-4 Lakers will serve as Ellsworth’s Homecoming game."We beat them earlier in the season, but things are different now," Ellingson said. "They have all of their players back now, and we do not."Team statisticsH-BC-E: 259 rushing yards, 124 passing yards, 383 total yards, nine first downs, three penalties for 25 yards, zero turnovers.LH-LB: 175 rushing yards, 95 passing yards, 270 total yards, nine first downs, zero penalties, three turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: LeBoutillier 8-154, Fink 16-91, Schilling 2-3, Rozeboom 3-6, Jon Klaassen 1-6, Finke 2-minus 1.Passing: Schilling 7-10 for 124 yards.Receiving: Rozeboom 3-41, Klaassen 1-6, LeBoutillier 1-40, Fink 1-13, Nuffer 1-24.Defense: LeBoutillier nine tackles, three sacks and one fumble recovery, Cody Scholten 10 tackles, Nuffer five tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery and one blocked punt, Brian Gacke 10 tackles, Fink one interception.

By Jolene FarleyClimb Theatre brought a message about respect to Hills-Beaver Creek High School Tuesday.Professional actors performed interactive dramas that taught students respectful behaviors, including respect of things, respect of others and respect of self. "Respect is a choice," the actors told students. "You don’t have to be disrespectful. You can create a community where people listen to each other."Through the skits, students learned how to recognize disrespectful behavior in their own and each other’s conduct. They were encouraged to create a classroom civility code fostering a caring, cooperative school.Climb Theatre, based in the Twin Cities, is a pioneer in "instructive theatre," a unique and accessible type of theater that empowers students to examine and change their thinking or behavior in ways that benefit themselves and society in general."Theatre is a very powerful tool for promoting change," Climb Producer Ralph Remington said. "Students learn strategies to improve their lives – all while being engaged as a participatory audience." Climb Theatre’s programming is available in a variety of formats, including plays, interactive classroom activities, and professional development workshops for students and administrators.More schools are seeking assistance in helping youth create and support a respectful community in and outside the classroom, according to Climb Theatre’s founder Peg Watli. "Our programs reached nearly 300,000 students last year," Watli said. "Now in our 30th year, I believe our programming is the best it’s ever been." During the 2003-04 school year, Climb Theatre presented programs to more than 58,000 students in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, North Dakota and South Dakota.

The theme for this year’s National Fire Prevention Week is "Test Your Smoke Alarms."According to information from the National Fire Protection Association, that simple message could reduce the amount of property loss, injury and death in communities.Although smoke alarms are in 90 percent of Minnesota homes, many don’t work due to lack of maintenance or dead batteries. The average homeowner may not be aware that smoke alarms have a ten-year life expectancy and that most alarms will lose up to 50 percent of their effectiveness after that period. Hills Fire Chief Doug Chapman encourages residents to replace smoke detectors after 10 years and change batteries twice a year, even if the batteries are still good. While fire extinguishers protect property, smoke detectors save lives. "In the middle of the night a fire extinguisher doesn’t do you any good, but a smoke alarm may," Chapman said.Batteries taken out of smoke detectors can be used somewhere else not as critical to saving lives, according to Chapman. "When you set your clocks ahead and back is a good time to change batteries," he said. Chapman uses the example of the last house fire in Hills. He said that working smoke alarms likely saved the resident’s life. Since the majority of the fires the Hills Department responds to are grass or trash fires, Chapman wants to remind everyone to use caution while burning during the dry fall months. "If you’re going to burn stuff, you need to watch it and be conscious of wind conditions," he said.Disturbing statisticsAccording to the Fire Protection Association, 65 to 75 percent of fire deaths result from fires in homes without working smoke alarms.Death by activity:Escaping 36%Sleeping 33%Unable to act 22%Rescue 3%Irrational acts 3%Fire Control 2%Fires by areas of origin:Kitchen 33%Bedroom 20%Living room 18%Laundry 10%Heating area 8%Garage 8%Pancake Feed …The Hills Fire Department is serving pancakes and sausage from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 14, at the Hills Legion Hall. There will be a free-will offering."Those in our coverage area and everybody else is welcome," Chapman said.The pancakes the firemen make are "the best," according to Chapman. They will be served with smoky sausage from the Hills Locker.The fire department is also selling raffle tickets for various prizes with the proceeds going toward purchasing either an infrared camera to locate people in burning structures or a jaws-of-life, according to Chapman.

10 years ago (1994)"Veterans groups from the Second District American Legion and Second District American Legion Auxiliary gathered Sunday at Appreciation Day and official dedication ceremonies for the flags at the Minnesota Veterans Home, Luverne.Dignitaries, veterans and interested citizens assembled at the south entry to hear the Luverne High School band under the direction of Dale Nelson and to be recognized for their efforts on behalf of the Home.Speakers included Sen. James Vickerman, the Rev. Eugene Egan, Herb Nagorske, Betty Huber, Pam Barrows, Ben Vander Kooi, Bill Weber, Jim Main, Eddie Deutsch and Teresa Anderson.The facility is currently home to 42 veterans and will begin hiring for positions and processing admissions to fill the remaining 43 beds this week. The plan is to be at full capacity by winter or early spring 1995."25 years ago (1979)"Contract negotiations in the Hills-Beaver Creek School District are at a stalemate.The assessment of the situation is agreed to by both Gordon LeBoutillier, superintendent, and Gerald Van Roekel, spokesman for the Hills-Beaver Creek Education Association.… The areas of differences yet to be resolved include salary, fringe benefits, extracurricular pay, child care leave, qualification of substitute teachers, professional development leave, personal leave, association leave, jury duty and bereavement leave."50 years ago (1954)"Band members from the 17 schools participating in Luverne’s fourth annual Tri-State Band Festival here Saturday proved to be excellent troupers. Despite the drizzling rain and wet streets, they gave the 6,000 or more spectators who lined the parade route a spine tingling show … and a sample of what the public would have enjoyed had the weather permitted the scheduled maneuvers at the football field where the judging and massed concert were to have been held. The crowd was the largest in the festival’s four year history, officials said."75 years ago (1929)"Rock County’s first killing frost arrived Tuesday night, or to be more exact, early Wednesday morning, and there is little room to doubt its freezing proclivities, for the mercury had descended to 28 above zero, or four points below freezing, by 6:00 o’clock Wednesday morning. Thermometers registered 42 degrees above at 9 o’clock Tuesday evening, but there was a chill in the air that plainly forecasted the frost."100 years ago (1904)"The first rattle snake that has been found in that vicinity for several years was killed at the Mounds Wednesday morning by T.A. Olin, night operator at the Omaha depot. Mr. Olin was out to the Mounds to get some views and as he was about to kneel on the ground to rest his Kodak on his knee he noticed the snake just in front of him, coiled and ready to strike. As rattle snakes are as common at his old home as garter snakes are here, he readily recognized its specie and captured it and brought it to the city. The snake was a young one about a foot long and one rattle has just started to grow."

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGNOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the Luverne City Council will hold a public hearing commencing at 5:00 P.M., Central Daylight Savings Time, on Tuesday, October 19, 2004, in the City Council Chambers located on the second floor of City Hall, 203 East Main Street, Luverne, Minnesota, to discuss and hear testimony relating to the Wellhead Protection Plan for the City of Luverne prior to taking action regarding the Plan. A copy of the Wellhead Protection Plan for the City of Luverne is available at the City Clerk’s Office. All citizens are encouraged to attend the hearing, ask questions, and/or give comments. Any citizen may also submit written questions or comments prior to the hearing by addressing them to the City Administrator, PO Box 659, Luverne, Minnesota 56156. Anyone needing reasonable accommodations or an interpreter should contact the City Clerk’s Office, 203 East Main Street, Luverne, MN (507) 449-2388.Marianne PerkinsCity Clerk(9-30)

9:00 AMRock County Courthouse September 21, 2004Vice Chair Hoime called the meeting to order with Commissioners Boyenga, Wildung, Bakken present and Commissioner Jarchow absent.Motion by Boyenga, seconded by Bakken, to approve the September 21, 2004, County Board agenda, declared carried on a voice vote.Motion by Bakken, seconded by Wildung, to approve the September 07, 2004, County Board minutes, declared carried on a voice vote. Motion by Boyenga, seconded by Bakken, to approve the following consent agenda items, declared carried on a voice vote. 1. Day Care Relicensing – Peggy Fisher; Peggy Nelson; Lisa Durst; Evonne Top; Sue Stroh2. Snowmaster’s Grant agreementLisa Graphenteen, Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership Representative, presented Resolution No. 28-04, a resolution in support of a housing rehabilitation project in the Rock County region; motion by Wildung, seconded by Bakken, to approve Resolution No. 28-04, declared carried on a voice vote. The County Board was reminded of a meeting regarding ethanol production in the Commons Area of the Luverne Elementary School on Wednesday, September 22nd at 7:00 PM.The County Board discussed a letter received from the City of Luverne informing Rock County of their intent not to contribute the full amount to law enforcement for 2005. The County Board directed that a letter be drafted by County Attorney Klosterbuer and County Administrator Oldre to inform the board of our intent to enforce the contractual obligations that was signed by both parties regarding payment. The County Board discussed a land acquisition and tax abatement for the Luverne Clinic; motion by Boyenga to abate fifty percent (50%) of the property taxes for ten years; the motion died for a lack of a second. Motion by Wildung, seconded by Bakken, to grant the tax abatement as presented in Exhibit B, ten year abatement at $10,000 per year or actual portion of county taxes, whichever is less, declared carried on a voice vote with Boyenga voting nay. Terrie Gulden, Heartland Express Transit Director, informed the County Board of a 30-year anniversary for Heartland Express. The County Board congratulated Mr. Gulden. The Transit Director also informed the County Board of a grant application for a new bus garage and office and requested that a letter of support be drafted and sent to Representative Gutknecht’s office. The Transit Director also stated that he would be receiving a new bus this week; motion by Wildung, seconded by Bakken, to purchase magnetic signs for each bus displaying Heartland Express’ 30 Year Anniversary and that the expense be billed to the advertising and publishing line of the County Board, declared carried on a voice vote. Mark Sehr, Engineer, presented Resolution No. 29-04, a resolution amending prioritized bridge replacement list; motion by Boyenga, seconded by Bakken, to approve Resolution No. 29-04, declared carried on a voice vote.The Engineer also requested to surplus (2) roll of containers at the Highway Department; motion by Wildung, seconded by Boyenga, to authorize the equipment as surplus, declared carried on a voice vote. Mr. Sehr stated that construction would begin on September 20th on the bridge over CSAH 17 west of Beaver Creek and that the box culvert projects would begin the week of September 27th. Motion by Bakken, seconded by Wildung, to authorize a Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee be established, declared carried on a voice vote. The County Board was informed of a tree planting memorial ceremony for Ione Bush to be held at the Rock County Human Services building at 4:00 PM on September 24th. Motion by Wildung, seconded by Bakken, to approve job descriptions of Assistant County Recorder and GIS Technician/Staff Assistant II, declared carried on a voice vote. The County Board acknowledged thank you letters from the Green Earth Players and Arts and Humanities Council in receipt of their 2004 appropriation from the County Board. Motion by Boyenga, seconded by Hoime, to authorize signature of the IES contract, declared carried on a voice vote. Commissioner Bakken informed the County Board that he had attended a meeting with US Fish and Wildlife regarding weed control at the Brandenburg Prairie project site. Commissioner Boyenga stated that he had attended the Ag Task Force meeting and update in St. Paul over the past several days. Commissioner Hoime stated that he had attended the Corrections conference.The County Board briefly discussed funding issues for Corrections and that those issues will be discussed further following the next Community Corrections meeting. The County Board directed the Administrator to set up a Law Enforcement Building Committee meeting as soon as possible. The County Board went into closed session at 12:45 PM for the purposes of discussing union contract negotiations. The County Board rose from closed session at 1:20 PM by order of the Vice Chair Hoime. Doug Host, Accountant with Larsen & Allen, presented the exit audit for year 2003. He stated that it was a pleasure working with the staff of Rock County and that he will be issuing an unqualified opinion of the finances of Rock County. Gloria Rolfs, Auditor/Treasurer, presented the claims; motion by Wildung, seconded by Boyenga, to approve the claims, declared carried on a voice vote. A complete listing of the claims is available by request at the Auditor/Treasurer’s office.General $ 17,964.33LEC .00 Road & Bridge 44,199.67Welfare 62,461.31Landfill 957.41TOTAL $125,582.72Motion by Wildung, seconded by Bakken, to approve the fund balance report, declared carried on a voice vote. Motion by Boyenga, seconded by Wildung, to renew to the Select Account contract with MII Life for an annual fee of $680.00 plus $2.40 per month per employee, declared carried on a voice vote. Motion by Wildung, seconded by Bakken, to authorize the collaborative account to received interest from the General Fund, declared carried on a voice vote. Motion by Boyenga, seconded by Bakken, to move the AS400 mainframe computer to Morris, Minnesota, as part of a contract with Computer Professionals Unlimited, declared carried on a voice vote. With no further business to come before the County Board, meeting was declared adjourned.Ken Hoime, Vice Chairman of the BoardATTEST:Kyle J. Oldre, Clerk to the Board(10-7)

NOTICE OF HEARING ON PROPOSED ASSESSMENTNotice is hereby given that the City Council will meet at 5:00 p.m. on October 26, 2004, in Council Chambers, second floor of City Hall, 203 East Main Street, Luverne, Minnesota, to consider, and possibly adopt, the proposed assessment for unpaid utility charges. Adoption by the City Council of the proposed assessment may occur at this meeting. Such assessment is proposed to be payable in one (1) installment payable on or before the first Monday in January, 2006, and will bear interest at the rate of five (5) percent per annum from the date of the adoption of the assessment resolution. To the installment shall be added interest on the entire assessment from the date of the assessment resolution until December 31, 2005. You may, at any time prior to certification of the assessment to the Rock County Auditor-Treasurer, pay the entire assessment on such property, with interest accrued to the date of payment, to the City of Luverne. No interest shall be charged if the entire assessment is paid within 30 days from the adoption of this assessment. You may, at any time thereafter, pay to the Rock County Auditor-Treasurer the entire amount of the assessment remaining unpaid, with interest accrued to December 31 of the year in which such payment is made. Such payment must be made before November 15 or interest will be charged through December 31 of the succeeding year. If you decide not to prepay the assessment before the date given above, the rate of interest that will apply is five (5) percent per year. The proposed assessment roll is on file for public inspection at the City Clerk’s office. The total amount of the proposed assessment is $9,978.93. Written or oral objections will be considered at the meeting. No appeal may be taken as to the amount of an assessment unless a written objection signed by the affected property owner is filed with the City Clerk prior to the assessment hearing or presented to the presiding officer at the hearing. The City Council may upon such notice consider any objection to the amount of a proposed individual assessment at an adjourned meeting upon such further notice to the affected property owners as it deems advisable. If an assessment is contested or there is an adjourned hearing, the following procedure will be followed. 1. The City will present its case first by calling witnesses who may testify by narrative or by examination, and by the introduction of exhibits. After each witness has testified, the contesting party will be allowed to ask questions. This procedure will be repeated with each witness until neither side has further questions. 2. After the city has presented all its evidence, the objector may call witnesses or present such testimony as the objector desires. The same procedure for questioning of the City’s witnesses will be followed with the objector’s witnesses. 3. The objector may be represented by counsel.4. Minnesota rules of evidence will not be strictly applied; however, they may be considered and argued to the City Council as to the weight of items of evidence or testimony presented to the City Council.5. The entire proceedings will be taped-recorded.6. At the close of presentation of evidence, the objector may make a final presentation to the City Council based on the evidence and the law. No new evidence may be presented at this point. 7. The City Council may adopt the proposed 0assessment at this meeting.An owner may appeal an assessment to District Court pursuant to Minnesota Statutes 429.081 by serving notice of the appeal upon the Mayor or City Clerk of the City of Luverne within thirty (30) days after the adoption of the assessment and filing such notice with the District Court within ten (10) days after service upon the Mayor or City Clerk. /s/ Marianne PerkinsCity Clerk(10-7)

Public HearingThe Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging public hearing to review the 2005 Area Plan and budget is at 9:30 a.m. on Wed., Oct. 20 at the Wabasso Community Center, 1429 Front Street, Wabasso. Information is available by calling 507-389-8879.(10-7)