Vernon Benjamin Reverts, 78, Luverne, died Monday, Sept. 6, 2004, at Sioux Valley Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D.Services were Thursday, Sept. 9, at Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne. The Revs. Maurice E. Hagen and Dell B. Sanderson officiated. Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery, Luverne. Vernon Reverts was born to William and Tena (Buss) Reverts on April 30, 1926, in Little Rock Township, Nobles County. He attended school in Ellsworth and Little Rock, Iowa. He was drafted in the U.S. Army in May 1946, where he served in the infantry. He was honorably discharged in October 1947. He married Ida Olson on Aug. 27, 1950. After their marriage, they farmed in rural Ellsworth until they moved to a farm southeast of Luverne. In 1959, they moved to their farm northwest of Luverne. Mr. Reverts was a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne, lifetime member of the VFW, Cooties and served on the Rock County Fair Board for many years. He enjoyed farming. Survivors include his wife, Ida Reverts, Luverne; three sons, Larry Reverts, Ken (Pat) Reverts, and Dale (Cindy) Reverts, all of Luverne; one daughter, Kathy (Dave) Schoen, Prescott, Wis.; 10 grandchildren, Traci (Cory) Gyberg, Terri (Dean) Baker, Ben (Misty) Reverts, Tanya (Mike) Stroh, Cody Reverts, Amanda Reverts, Matt Reverts, Mike Reverts, Zachary and Samantha Schoen; one stepgrandchild, Jason (Renae) Johnson; six great-grandchildren, Dylan and Jordyn Gyberg, Paige, Riley and Hunter Baker, Tanner Reverts; three stepgreat-grandchildren, Taylor Stroh, Chase and Sydne Johnson; and many nieces and nephews. Mr. Reverts was preceded in death by his parents, one son, Verlyn Eugene, and one brother, Calvin. Dingmann Funeral Home, Luverne, was in charge of arrangements.

By Lori EhdeA $40,000 federal grant came at the perfect time for the Hardwick Fire Department.The 19-member department was due for new turnout gear, breathing apparatus and extra tanks, and Fire Chief Dan Kindt said he was wondering where the money was going to come from."We would have had to figure out a different way to get the money," Kindt said Monday. "A lot of the stuff we’re using isn’t OSHA-approved."For example, the air packs are more than 17 years old, and Kindt said they can’t be pressure tested and are hazardous to refill.The money comes from the Department of Homeland Security as part of direct assistance to firefighters from the 2004 Assistance to Fire Fighters Grant Program.It requires a 10-percent match by the Hardwick City Council. "We’re basically going to get $40,000 worth of stuff for $4,000," Kindt said.The program is administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of Domestic Preparedness in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration. It helps rural, urban, and suburban fire departments prepare for emergencies and acts of terrorism. "Minnesota's firefighters work hard every day to keep our communities safe and to educate our residents about fire prevention," U.S. Senator Mark Dayton said in a statement released last week."I'm happy to report that this funding will help many local communities introduce training programs and purchase vehicles and equipment that they otherwise couldn't afford."A total of $1.2 million has been awarded to 14 Minnesota fire departments.Other southern Minnesota communities receiving grants include: Dunnell Fire Department - $85,350 Northome Fire Department - $51,025Apple Valley Fire Department - $40,000 Underwood Fire Department - $46,900 Lakewood Volunteer Fire Department - $149,473 Austin Fire Department - $75,675 Round Lake Fire Department - $147,700Callaway Volunteer Fire Department - $61,362 Carsonville Fire and Rescue Department - $250,000 Hugo Fire Department - $116,727 Moorhead Fire Department - $96,000 Lakefield Fire Department - $44,519 Saint Steven Fire and Rescue Department - $143,149

By Lori EhdeIt’s report card time again for Minnesota schools, and this year, Luverne made the grade for "adequate yearly progress" under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.Elementary Principal Stacy Gillette told School Board members at their Aug. 26 meeting that she appealed last year’s AYP report that said Luverne wasn’t "adequate" in the special education subgroup.AYP is determined by test scores of third-, fifth- and seventh-graders taking Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments. It also follows results of sophomore reading and junior math MCA tests.She said schools are required to test at least 95 percent of their student population. Because Luverne’s special education population is relatively high (17 percent compared to a 12 percent state average), it affected outcomes.Luverne’s appeal of the AYP rating resulted in a B rating being replaced by an A rating, all things considered. "I’m glad we went through the process of the appeal," Gillette said. "Personnel from the Minnesota Department of Education notified the school that we were granted our appeal and will receive an A rating in all areas. There were a number of schools and districts around the state that received a B rating (below target) in the special education subgroup."AYP is important to districts, because state and federal funding may be tied to those numbers in the future.Education Minnesota released a statement last week that the complex rules of AYP can produce misleading results."A school that serves most students well can still fail to make AYP because a single subgroup of students did not score high enough, or a few students did not show up on test day," said Judy Schauboch, president, Education Minnesota.School day scheduleThe new start time for middle school-high school students this year is 8:10 a.m. and dismissal is at 2:47 p.m. "At the end of the day, middle school students will go to homeroom as in the past," Middle School-High School Principal Gary Fisher said. "Those who need it will strategize for study skills, etc. during that time."He said this will also allow teachers to be in the classroom for 20 minutes at the end of the day to help students if they need it. In the past, teachers with extracurricular assignments aren’t available after the class day ends, and this makes them more accessible to students.The staff day will be from 7:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. It used to be 8 to 4. "That will give teachers additional time to prepare, and also give them time to leave for special activities for their own kids at the end of the day."In personnel action, the board hired:oMary Dupic as sign language interpreter at $20 per hour.oLaDonna Iveland as fall play co-adviser at $692.oDarren Olson as eighth-grade boys basketball coach at $1,441.oNick Nafziger and Tom Cauwels as boys hockey co-head coaches at $3,152 each.oSherri Thompson as part-time elementary secretary at $10.72 per hour.oHolly Barber as elementary cook at $9.83 per hour.oPaula Lammert as long-term substitute for Kari Lais, health teacher, for the first semester while Lais is on maternity leave.oRoger Headrick as long-term substitute for Sheleen Bauer, English teacher, from Sept. 1 through Nov. 5.In other business:oThe board officially called for a special election to ask voters for a levy referendum. The board agreed to ask for $455 per pupil unit, which would bring an estimated $603,995 to the district in operating funds for up to 10 years.The state would match 48 percent of that amount, and 52 percent would be paid by residents in the district.oTwenty-five new students registered in Luverne Elementary, and 11 have left the district for a net gain of 14 students. Gillette reported that some of those new students will need classes in English as a second language.oElementary school doors will be locked during the day for security reasons. The front doors and "link" doors between the elementary school and middle school-highschool will be open during school hours.oThe six Title 1 aides will be assigned as follows: two to third grade, two to fourth grade and two to fifth grade. Teachers will share the aides as schedules permit.Third and fifth grades have the largest class sizes, and those grades, in addition to fourth grade, are the years students take the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment Tests.oScheduled a capital outlay hearing for Oct. 28. At this meeting, the public can offer input for capital improvements for the 2005-06 budget year.

By Sara StrongThe city of Luverne is boasting a tax levy increase for 2005 that most property owners won’t notice.City taxpayers will contribute about $744,697 to the governmental budget, which is about $3.8 million. The remainder comes from state aid and payments in lieu of taxes from city enterprise funds that make money, such as utilities and the municipal liquor store. Those payments in lieu of taxes are made because private businesses of the same nature would pay property taxes. It is a sort of property tax relief.The Luverne City Council will discuss the budget and pass a preliminary levy at its next regular meeting, Sept. 7. The levy is certified in December.The levy increases from last year’s will be about 3.7 percent. Most property owners won’t notice a 3.7 percent increase in the city portion of their property taxes because the tax base has increased. The overall business and residential growth means less is needed from individuals who all share in the total levy collection.Along with the levy, the council will next week discuss and likely pass utility rate increases.Utility rate changes City Administrator Greg LaFond and city staff calculated the effects of the proposed rate changes on the average residential user.The wastewater rate will actually return to what it was from 1995 to 2000. The refuse and recycling increase will be about $1 per month more. The rates will increase 15 percent in 2005; 10 percent in 2006, and 5 percent in 2007, 2008 and 2009. This fund was the source of some discussion, because without increasing rates, the city would have to change how it did business.It would have the options of: not collecting recyclables every week; laying off staff and privatizing collection; or finding an alternative site to use for a landfill and transfer station. Luverne’s municipal solid waste is taken to the Rock County Transfer Station. Tipping fees there are $85,000 for 2004. They are expected to increase to $95,000 in 2005 because glass is no longer accepted as a recyclable.Mayor Glen Gust said the importance of a service like the transfer station can’t be overlooked. Remembering the public outcry after the city decided to close the compost dump last summer, Gust said, "If we cause problems at the transfer station, we might as well shoot ourselves in the head, not the foot."The Luverne City Council said it wanted to continue using the local transfer station because without Luverne’s business, it would likely close, or have drastically different hours.Luverne contributed 82 percent of the waste generated at the transfer site in 2002.

By Sara StrongAs expected, the Luverne City Council terminated its contract for law enforcement services with the Rock County Sheriff’s Department.The council said it doesn’t have immediate plans for how the city will provide for law enforcement when the current contract expires in December 2005. City Administrator Greg LaFond said, "We’re taking action to protect the city’s interest, but it’s our intent and hope to have discussions to resolve this issue."The county asked the city to contribute $669,366 to sheriff and dispatch budgets. The city had most recently offered $592,500. The council believes that its contract payment to the county, in addition to what citizens already pay in property taxes to the county, add up to Luverne residents paying 60 percent of law enforcement costs.Even after the termination, city leaders are saying contract negotiations can continue.Mayor Glen Gust said he won’t be around for those negotiations (because he’s not running for office) but he is optimistic the city will be able to pay less for a contract with the county.Councilman Pat Baustian said he believed services have improved since the Luverne Police Department and County Sheriff’s Department merged in 1998."But," Baustian said, "we have to watch out for the taxpayers of Luverne. There has to be a way to make this fair to the citizens."He said all expenses in the city are under scrutiny since state aid has been reduced. He said other program cuts, such as leaf pick-up or other services citizens have taken for granted, could change.Councilman David Hauge said, "Decisions made up here aren’t always easy ones. … Terminating this contract is not a decision we want to make or are happy to make."Even though the city wants to continue negotiations, the county may not be so willing. The county can’t get past the city wanting the same service for less money.County Administrator Kyle Oldre said they are so far apart economically and philosophically that talks will be difficult."I’m sure we will negotiate, but until we can come to the table with something more to talk about, it’ll be a while," Oldre said.

By Lori EhdeHarvest is still a few weeks away for area grain farmers, but local produce suppliers have been scrambling for weeks.Harvest for them is a summer-long event.Vegetables and melons ripen for sale among golden ears, and not long after their season ends, pumpkins and gourds crop up for seasonal shoppers.This time of year, chances are any sweet corn purchased in a grocery store or at a vendor’s stand originated somewhere near Adrian.Pat Dorn, for example, has direct-sale stands on South Highway 75 at the railroad tracks in Luverne and at the 10th Street and Cliff Avenue Lewis stores in Sioux Falls.He farms more than 900 acres of corn and soybeans just east of Adrian, but he and his wife, Cammie, also have more than 50 thriving acres of sweet corn and garden produce that supplies their growing direct-sale market."We enjoy doing this, getting out and dealing with the people," Dorn said Monday. "People like to buy their produce direct, and it’s definitely the way to go for us. It’s harder work, but that’s like anything — if you want to make the money, you have to put in the work."The produce business has been strong in Dorn’s neighborhood.Doug Bullerman, who supplies a vending stand on the Dairy Queen parking lot in Luverne, is Dorn’s neighbor three miles away.Also in that area near Adrian are Chad and Stacy Hokeness, who have several stands in Sioux Falls and surrounding area, and are the official sweet corn suppliers for the Minnesota State Fair, St. Paul."We’ve been just swamped trying to get corn out of the field before Labor Day," Stacy said Tuesday. Incidentally, deep-fat-fried sweet corn has been rated the most popular food at the fair this year.Also not far from Adrian are Gary and Lynette Lonneman, who have a rural Rushmore address.They have been the "locally-grown sweet corn" suppliers for grocery stores such as Glen’s Food Center in Luverne and County Market in Worthington.Cool summer, slow growingThe last days of summer are typically hectic for local produce suppliers."Once school starts, kids are eating in school, and people just aren’t buying at the stands as much," Dorn said.Adding to the pressure this year, however, is a cool, slow growing season."Everything is so late," he said. "You want to get the corn, melons and tomatoes on the stands as early as possible, but we couldn’t get picking as early, because they weren’t ripe."That, he said, has hurt business. "It’s just like anything else — the further out you go the less you sell," he said. "People want that first taste of fresh produce early in the season."To get a jump on the season, Dorn contracts with growers in Missouri to stock his sweet corn stands as early as mid-June.By July 4, Adrian corn is typically ready. Dorn said he plants his sweet corn in 15- to 20-acre increments, so that it’s not all ripe at once.With the growing season several weeks behind, vending stands will be stocked for awhile."We still have a lot of sweet corn left," Dorn said. "We’ll be selling until it freezes. … I’ve never had any ears freeze off, but this year it’s a guarantee. I’m going to have some freeze off."The slow growing season hasn’t affected the quality of area produce."The ears have been very nice … the quality has been as good as ever; we just don’t have the volume," Dorn said.He said he typically sets up more stands in Luverne and Sioux Falls, but it’s been too difficult to keep them stocked.Normally, local produce suppliers would soon start selling pumpkins, gourds, corn shocks and other fall, seasonal products."That’s probably going to get pushed back, because we’re still selling corn," Dorn said. "Last year at this time, we had a lot of that on the stands already."To make matters worse, the Aug. 3 wind and rain flattened vegetable plants and blew corn stalks over, making picking more difficult on the plants that survived."It’s definitely been the most challenging year I’ve seen," said Dorn, who’s been selling produce for 15 years.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne cross country teams opened the 2004 season by competing Friday in the Sioux Falls O’Gorman Invitational at Spencer Park in Sioux Falls.Luverne fielded complete boys’ and girls’ varsity squads for the meet, and ran incomplete teams for the junior varsity races.The Cardinal girls placed third in varsity team competition by scoring 69 points. LHS topped Aberdeen Central (89 points) and Brandon Valley (110) in the final standings. Yankton and O’Gorman tallied 20 and 58 points respectively to lead the field.The race was limited to 3,200 meters, since it was the first meet of the season for all teams involved.Lexi Heitkamp led LHS by placing fifth with a time of 12:48.Amanda Saum (ninth in 13:16), Kayla Raddle (11th in 13:19), Amanda Kannas (20th in 14:01) and Kelsey Dooyema (27th in 14:21) made contributions to Luverne’s team effort. Kristy Heikes placed 30th in 15:04 without influencing the scoring.The Cardinal boys finished fourth in team competition by tallying 100 points. Yankton (17), O’Gorman (74) and AC (77) led the field. BV (106) and Sioux Falls Christian (156) placed fifth and sixth respectively.Tom Ward led the Cards in the 4,000-meter varsity race by placing 16th in 13:52.Thomas Pinkal (18th in 13:59), Dusty Antoine (19th in 14:04), Steve Schneiderman (24th in 14:18) and Travis Halfmann (28th in 14:54) padded the team point total. David Nelson (43rd in 16:10) and Michael Nelson (44th in 16:42) also ran in the varsity race for LHS."There was good competition at this meet," said Cardinal coach Bruce Gluf. "Yankton is unbelieveable. They are loaded on both the boys’ and girls’ side. We ran a little tentative. It seemed like the kids had a lot left at the end of the races. But, it was our first meet, and we will go on from here."Grant Oldre (23rd in 13:43), Davonte Maine (19th in 14:22 and Eric Kraetsch (32nd in 14:26) ran in the 3,200-meter boys’ junior varsity race.Rachel Saum (25th in 12:19), Christy Van Dyke (26th in 13:31), Whitney Oehlerts (27th in 13:37) and Ashley Kraetsch (28th in 14:57) competed in the girls’ junior varsity run.The Luverne teams will run at the Adrian Invitational Tuesday.

By John RittenhouseMagnolia’s Josh Klay and Adrian’s Mark DeBoer emerged as winners of feature titles during racing action over the weekend.Klay took a checkered flag during Sunday’s races at Huset’s Speedway, near Brandon, S.D. DeBoer’s win came in Friday’s races at Rapid Speedway, Rock Rapids, Iowa.Competing in the hobby stock class at Huset’s, Klay won the second heat race before taking top honors in the feature.Luverne’s Cory Schmuck (sixth in the first heat and 11th in the feature) and Kanaranzi’s Colter Deutsch (third in the second heat and eighth in the feature) also competed in the hobby stock class at Huset’s.Luverne’s Jesse Akkerman raced in the late model street stock division at Huset’s, placing third in the first heat and fourth in the feature.DeBoer had a good night as a street stock driver at Rapid Speedway. DeBoer won the second heat race and feature event at the Iowa track.Luverne’s Akkerman (sixth in the first heat and seventh in the feature), Luverne’s Scott Overgaard (third in the first heat and second in the feature), Adrian’s Brad Klaassen (fourth in the first heat and fifth in the feature) and former Rock County resident Darrin Korthals (sixth in the second heat and eighth in the feature) raced against DeBoer in Rock Rapids.Ellsworth’s Greg Roemen and former Luverne resident Anthony Mann raced in the sportsmen class at Rapid Speedway. Roemen won the first heat race before placing third in the feature. Mann placed third in the second heat and fifth in the feature.Deutsch and Klay led a field of six area drivers in hobby stock competition at Rapid Speedway. Deutsch won the first heat race and placed second in the feature. Klay finished third in the third heat and third in the feature.Magnolia’s Larry Kracht (fourth in the first heat and seventh in the feature), Luverne’s Seth Stegenga (fifth in the first heat and 11th in the feature), Luverne’s Robert Carlson (sixth in the first heat and 16th in the feature) and Magnolia’s Bobbi Kracht (fourth in the second heat and 13th in the feature) also competed in the hobby stock division in Rock Rapids.Adrian’s DeBoer also competed in the street stock class at Lake County Speedway in Madison, S.D., Saturday. He placed third in the second heat and fifth in the feature.Luverne’s Akkerman (second in the first heat and third in the feature), Adrian’s Klaassen (fourth in first heat and seventh in the feature) and Korthals (first in the second heat and ninth in the feature) raced in the street stock division at I-90 Speedway in Hartford, S.D., Saturday.Luverne’s Chad Overgaard placed seventh in the first heat race in the Wissota late model class at I-90 Speedway.

By John RittenhouseTwo teams from the Star Herald coverage area opened the 2004 volleyball season by squaring off against each other in Hills Thursday night.Ellsworth and Hills-Beaver Creek, a pair of friendly rivals, renewed rivalry in the first match of the season for both teams.It was EHS, which lost to H-BC twice last season, that gained bragging rights this time by sweeping a 3-0 match from the Patriots.The teams exchanged blows in the early stages of Game 1 before Ellsworth pulled away to secure a 25-13 victory.The Panthers took a 3-0 lead behind the serving of Lynette Drenth in the second game, but H-BC countered with an 8-3 surge capped by a service point from Brittney Rozeboom to take an 8-6 lead.H-BC led 15-13 when Kelly Mulder delivered a service point as the game progressed. Ellsworth, however, knotted the score at 18 before going on a 7-0 run capped by a service ace from Amy Tiesler to notch a 25-18 victory.The Patriots erased an early 4-2 deficit in Game 3 when Kari Roozenboom recorded a kill to give the hosts a 7-6 edge.EHS met the challenge by scoring the next eight points to gain a 14-7 cushion. The Panthers went on to outscore H-BC 11-7 the rest of the game to complete their sweep of the Patriots with a 25-14 win in the finale.Rosie Lewis led EHS at the net with four blocks, and tied teammates Brittney Kramer and Laurel Drenth in kills with six. Kramer, who added two blocks, completed 17 of 17 serves, scored 17 points and registered two ace serves. Tiesler was 12 of 12 at the line with six points and one ace.Laurel Drenth, Tiesler and Amanda Deutsch charted nine, eight and seven digs respectively. Lynette Drenth and Marla Groen notched 14 and four ace sets.Cassi Tilstra was 10 of 10 serving and charted two blocks for H-BC. Rozeboom, who recorded three kills, went seven of seven at the line.Mulder added four kills and three blocks to H-BC’s cause. Roozenboom chipped in four blocks.