Skip to main content

Hills local news

Baptized at morning services Sunday at Bethlehem Lutheran was Leeanna Gaugler, daughter of Jesse and Karen Gaugler. Sponsors were Eric and Amy Gaugler. Other guests at their barbecue at the city park were grandparents, Roger and Ardell Gaugler and Sarah, Elgin, N.D.; Peter and Inge Zielmann, Germany; Paul and Stephanie Page and children; and Jeff and Missy Bass and children. Last Monday evening Betty and Jerry Ackerman, Irmo, S.C., arrived to spend some time visiting her mother, Grace Wassenaar, and other relatives here and in Sioux Falls and also in Valley Springs where they formerly resided. Luke, Deb, Dylan and Alison Mathias, Heron Lake, spent Monday night at the home of Bob and Twila Kirsch.Ron and Lexia DeWit entertained Fathers’ Day at Falls Park in Sioux Falls. Present were Cliff and Vi VanWyhe, Tom and Matthew VanWyhe, Steve, Marilyn and Justin VanWyhe, Travis and Amber Arends, and also Lindsey DeWit who was home from Rochester.Alice Kolsrud returned home Thursday night after spending some time with her sisters, Joyce and Ivert Anderson, Dotty and Norman Johnson, and Betty Spielman in the Cities area. While there they celebrated Ivert’s 80th birthday. Monday evening of last week guests of Chuck and Rheta DeBoer were Lance and Arlene Van Beek, Sanborn, Iowa, Jerry Van Beek and Rachel DeBoer.Wednesday evening, Bill and Merlyn Veenhof, Luverne, Bob and Lorraine Nerison, Renner, S.D., and Bob and Twila Kirsch met in Brandon for supper. Last Monday night Wilmer and Betty Elbers attended the DeBoer reunion at the Pizza Ranch in Hull, Iowa. Melvin and Violet Hecht attended funeral services Saturday for their sister-in-law, Florence Hecht, 85, at United Church of Christ in Larchwood, Iowa. Tom Schubbe and wife, Maggie, and son, Tommy, Afton, spent from Friday night until Sunday with Tom’s mother, Erma Schubbe.Tom and Joanne Goehle went to Tyler on Saturday for Allison Carmany’s 8th birthday. Joanne Goehle also attended Celine Herin’s bridal shower in Tyler. Celine is a former student from France who lived with the Steve and Leanne Carmany family in Tyler.

Clinton chatter

I don’t remember who said, "If you don’t like the weather in Minnesota, wait 15 minutes." No truer words describe our weather this spring. If we had spring, we did not have a nice spring. Winter refused to leave, the rain refused to fall and the temperatures refused to warm up. It has been very difficult to get the fieldwork done and almost impossible to get the gardens planted and take care of the weeds as well. I can hardly believe June will be gone at the middle of this week as it has not been a normal month as far as temperatures are concerned. So, this week we bid farewell to June and welcome July with a warm remembrance of Flag Day on June 14 and the Fourth of July.Sunday evening was scheduled for Steen Reformed Church to hold their annual concert in the park. Sunday morning we awoke to cloudy skies, cold temperatures, wind blowing and yes, even a few drops of rain! Everyone was wondering if they would have to move the concert inside. Fortunately, by late afternoon, the wind went down and the sun began to shine. So — all was well. The Praise Team opened the evening program. Other groups participating in the concert were a quartet from Worthington, the Wassenaar family and Ackerman families who substituted for another group who had a death in the family. They did a wonderful job and was enjoyed by everyone. The DeBoer family and the Grothenhuis family filled the air with music the entire evening which turned out to have the sun shining on the concert. The park was filled with those coming to enjoy the evening. In addition to the music, ice cream and bars, as well as a drink, were also available. I am sure I can say a wonderful time was had by all. Melba Boeve and her son, Brian, Sioux Falls, left on Saturday, June 19, for Coffeen, Ill., to attend the funeral of her sister, Wilda’s husband, Ray Peefsen. Funeral services for him were on Monday, June 21, at the Methodist Church in Fillmore, Ill. Others attending were Melba’s children, Carla and Joel Overlander, Circle Pines, and Julie and John Springman, Forest Lake. They all returned home on Thursday. Dries and Laura May Bosch left on Thursday for Minneapolis where the Bosch "Opener" is to be played. This is a golf tournament for their family only. Good luck to them.Mildred Paulsen joined 10 other women who had served as Southwest District Officers for the Women’s Society of the former Evangelical United Brethren Churches in the District. They met in Blue Earth on Friday for a noon lunch and spent the afternoon remembering things and people they had known while they had been working together in the Southwest District before the uniting with the Methodist Church.Bill and Bertha Bosch, Mildred Keunen and Jo Aykens went to the Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center in Luverne Tuesday afternoon where they joined others for a Psalm and Hymn sing. Those attending camp this week at Inspiration Hills are Helen Larson, Megan Saarloos, Kathie Sandbulte, Brook Tilstra, Kayla Van Der Weerd, Sierra Wilgenburg, and Whitney Wilgenburg. Next Sunday evening, July 4, Steen Reformed Church will have a special patriotic service at the church. A fellowship hour will follow the service. Following, at approximately 9 p.m., there will be fireworks. Anyone having any fireworks they would like to share would be greatly appreciated. July has always been thought of as a patriotic month. Mainly because of the 4th of July or Independence Day is also remembered. We don’t hear much about Flag Day on June 14, other than to fly your flag. Very few words or quotes have been published about Flag Day. Here are a few remarks that have been made by famous people. Charles Summer said in 1867, "There is the flag. He must be cold indeed, who looks up at the flag, the folds rippling in the breeze, without feeling pride of country."Woodrow Wilson said in 1912, "I cannot look upon the flag without imagining that it consists of alternate stripes of parchment upon which words are written for the fundamental rights of man, with the alternating of the streams of blood by which the rights of man have been vindicated and validated. The things the flag stands for were created experiences of a great people. Everything that it stands for was written by their lives. The flag is the embodiment, not of sentiment, but of history." Theodore Roosevelt said in 1917, "We can have no 50-50 allegiance in this country. Either a man is an American and nothing else, or he is not an American at all. We are a kin by blood and decent to most of the nations of Europe but we are separate from all of them … and we are bound always to give our wholehearted and undivided loyalty to our own flag."Over the years, the flag has continued to have profound meaning for most Americans. When we celebrate Flag Day, let us pay homage to the "Flag of Freedom" with fitting and reverent tributes. Let’s fly it proudly!

Letters from the farm

You can’t take it with you — at least from certain hospitals. A good example of this truism is a 53-year-old British man who "harassed and abused medical staff more than 40 times since January in his quest" for free medical items, such as surgical gowns and masks. He didn’t wish to leave any medical facility empty-handed. As a result of his fetish, according to Reuters, the man "has become the first person to be banned from every hospital in England and Wales." If he should ever require medical treatment in the future, his visits to hospitals or doctors will be strictly controlled and will require prior written consent from the government. The man’s story sounds very familiar. In fact, he could have been raised by my own mother. In her personal quest to pack "everything she paid for" whenever she checked out of a hospital, she often brought home many souvenirs. The main difference between the man in England and my mother, and why he might deserve some respect, is that he bothered to ask for the items in the first place. My mother’s consumer advice while I was growing up dealt primarily with two subjects — "Never pay full price for furniture" and, "Always take home the free stuff after a hospital stay." Specifically, she noted, "Anything they won’t use for the next patient." As a result of her hospital souvenir attitude, our bathroom shelves were filled to overflowing with open boxes of tissue, fever thermometers, toilet paper roll leftovers, lotion bottles and hospital-issued toothbrushes and toothpaste. We had substantial stacks of those little, plastic dishes, often used by the bedridden for brushing teeth, rinsing and spitting. To her credit, my mother did stop short of taking home bed linens, pillows, window coverings, floor tiles, room doors, gurneys and fluorescent light fixtures. She definitely had her limits. The following telltale signs might indicate if someone’s close friend, roommate or family member has taken hospital souvenir hunting to new heights: Upon closer examination, you realize the beautifully designed, stainless steel bowl holding brightly colored, fresh fruits on the kitchen counter is actually a hospital bedpan. When you can’t find a scissors and you really need one, someone taps you on the shoulder and hands you a scalpel. What appear to be gastric tubes, with their working ends removed, serve as bendable, plastic drinking straws on hot summer days. Blue or green surgical scrubs tend to be the uniform of the day — everyday. The blinding, bright lights over the kitchen table appear to belong to one of those fixtures often seen on the TV medical show, "ER." Many of the towels and washcloths in the house are stamped with hospitals’ names or initials. (Creative couples can actually have "His" and "Hers" towels by arranging separate medical stays at the Health Institute of Schenectady and Houston Emergency Room Services.) The final indicator would be the countless fever thermometers scattered throughout the house. Although they can’t be used for noting the higher temperatures of a beef roast or a batch of chocolate fudge, they do function perfectly as glass beverage stirrers.

Luverne helps Winsted with JOBZ application

By Sara StrongLuverne is trying to help out another city that needs an economic boost.Winsted requested some of Luverne’s Job Opportunity Building Zone acres in order to draw a business.The Rock County Board of Commissioners and the Luverne City Council approved a 10.79 JOBZ acres transfer at Tuesday meetings. The Luverne School Board will consider approval this week. Tax-collecting bodies have to give approval because JOB Zone involves tax breaks to businesses.Winsted has been working with three manufacturers to expand into the city. But without JOBZ that may not happen.LEDA Director Dan Statema said, "Personally, it seems like the right thing to do, to help out another city, especially since it doesn’t hurt us. Professionally, it looks good for us and it gets us name recognition from the state."The city heard that the state was frustrated with the lack of cooperation from other cities that had extra JOBZ acres. In correspondence to the state about the acreage transfer, the city will ask that the state consider this good-will measure in the event that Luverne needs those 10.79 acres again. The city would only need the acres if the remaining 330 acres are filled with businesses.Winsted City Administrator Brent Mareck said in a letter to Statema, "The city of Winsted appreciates your community’s own desire to foster strong economic growth in Luverne, which makes Winsted all the more grateful for your consideration of this request."Winsted, near New Ulm and Litchfield, is a town with a population of just more than 2,000.

Rock County crops could use some dry, hot growing days

By Jolene FarleyMost of Rock County has dodged the downpours and flooding that has plagued counties just across the South Dakota border.For the most part, local producers are optimistic that this year will be a good year for farmers. Hills Brothers Farms, two miles west of Hills, has tracked the rainfall so far this year, according to Gene "Pucky" Sandager. Sandagers have recorded rainfall amounts for their land since 1992.Hills Brothers Farm has received 2.7 inches of rain so far this month, while last year they received 3.5 inches of rain in June.During May this year, Sandager received 5.6 inches of rain compared with 3.9 inches in May last year."We’ve missed the ones (downpours) out of Sioux Falls," he said. "Those fronts have been coming up and staying west of us."Sandager, who just returned from a trip, saw standing water in fields south of Sioux Falls while flying overhead in a plane.Although the amount of rain hasn’t caused a problem for Sandager, the frequency of the rain has made haying difficult.All you need is a small amount of rainfall or heavy dew and you have to re-tip the hay or use a dryer, according to Sandager. There has been a stretch of only four days when conditions were ideal for drying the hay. Hills Brothers Farm has corn that is about knee high and will grow more rapidly as temperatures increase. The corn crop "looks very good" Sandager said, and he is optimistic about the bean crop, too."We’ve got a chance at some good crops," he said.Weed control has been the biggest issue this spring in Rock County, according to Southwest Minnesota Farmers Coop Agronomy Production Specialist Dustin Warns."Due to the longer spring, cool and dry conditions early on, pre-plant and pre-emerge herbicides weren’t as effective this year," he said.Post-emerge chemical applications are less effective this year because weeds aren’t actively growing.The county is also behind on heat units due to the cooler conditions the last week, according to Warns. Nitrogen leeching out of the soil in low-lying areas has been an issue in the portion of the county that received more rain. "Hardwick seems to be an area that got a little more rainfall than some of the others," Warns said.LeRoy Kellenberger, who farms three miles north of Hills, is also optimistic about his crops this year. "They’re looking good. For as long as the corn has been in the ground maybe a little behind, but she’s coming," he said."We’re getting the rains about right," he said.Kellenberger received a small amount of hail during a storm about a month ago but there wasn’t any lasting damage to his crops. Kellenberger has a weather wish list to make his crops grow this year."Bring on some sunshine and warm weather and slow the wind up so we can finish spraying," he said.

Total Card Inc. continues to add employees in Luverne

By Lori EhdeIt’s been nearly six weeks since the first handful of employees started training on the phones at Total Card Inc., Luverne. Now, with 23 on staff and 20 more to be trained in the coming two weeks, the Sioux Falls credit card company is well on its way to filling the former Tri-State building to capacity — which is about 300 employees. "Things are busy, but going well," said Jeff Strauss, who is heading up operations in Luverne. "We’re on track for 15 to 20 (employees) a month."TCI is a credit card processor and servicer that issues VISA credit cards under the name of Plains Commerce Bank in South Dakota.When the four-year-old business outgrew its Sioux Falls location, company executives chose to expand in Luverne.They saw the former Tri-State Building as the perfect fit for their needs and its close proximity to home base in Sioux Falls was also a plus.But on the Minnesota side of the border, the move was hailed as one of the first successful applications of the state’s new JOBZ legislation to encourage outstate economic growth.In fact, the TCI ribbon-cutting on April 23 turned into a large-scale community event with Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty paying a personal visit to celebrate TCI’s growth in Luverne.Strauss said the quality labor market in southwest Minnesota has been an added bonus, and more than 400 people initially applied for TCI jobs.The 30,000-square-foot building was previously empty since January 2003 when Tri-State Insurance, now known as Continental Western Group, moved into the Berkley Technology Services building across the street on Roundwind Road.

Hospital, city plan for growth

By Lori EhdeAn early-morning planning meeting on Wednesday, June 16, laid the groundwork for future development of land near and around the new hospital campus.Sioux Valley Hospitals and Health System executives requested the meeting to better prepare the hospital and city for development opportunities in the neighborhood.Architect plans for the 20-acre hospital and clinic campus already allows for future construction of health-related facilities, such as orthopedic or sinus specialists. But the hospital also owns an additional 35 acres between the boundaries of Highway 75 on the west, the gravel township road on the north, and Blue Mound Avenue on the east.This ground is currently zoned R-I for residential-institutional use and R-A for residential-agricultural use.The $17.8 million complex going up north of the Veterans Addition, will have nearly 95,000 square feet of space, more than doubling the space of the current landlocked hospital and clinic. Construction is projected to be complete by next summer.Once it starts attracting new traffic of hospital employees, patients and visitors, it’s only natural that new businesses and hospital-related ventures will turn to that area for development.The city of Luverne recently approved a new 10-year comprehensive plan, and one purpose of last-week’s meeting was to brainstorm for ways the hospital development will play into that plan.Among others, attending the meeting were Luverne Sioux Valley Hospital Administrator Gerald Carl, Sioux Valley executive Jim Striepe, Luverne City Administrator Greg LaFond, Luverne Mayor Glen Gust, Luverne Building and Zoning Administrator Dan Delgehausen, Rock County Administrator Kyle Oldre, Rock County Commissioner Ron Boyenga and Rock County Economic Development Corporation representatives Greg Burger and Marilyn Bloemendaal.Participants were hesitant to share specific ideas that surfaced at the meeting, but the Developmental Achievement Center, Luverne, is advertising for bids on a five- to six-bedroom group home.Delgehausen said it would be the hospital’s decision, but in general he said the ground east of the hospital would be suitable for a business park — planned in a way that would meld well with a residential area.He also said plans will have to include a retention pond larger than the existing Veterans Home pond to slow water run-off from the northwest. The pond would be located in the northeast corner of the property at the intersection of Blue Mound Avenue and the township road. Overall reaction by meeting participants was that the June 16 gathering was a good place to start for future planning."The county certainly appreciates Sioux Valley’s openness in discussing the use of their land with us," Oldre said.

LEDA protests revamping position

By Sara StrongWith the Luverne Economic Development Authority Director leaving in less than a month, the city started advertising the position.However the LEDA questions how that process started, and objected to it Tuesday.LEDA member Isaac DeBoer said to the City Council, "The EDA has been left in the blind on this."Advertising for the position comes on the heels of the LEDA trying to revamp how the position is supervised. The LEDA proposed at its last meeting that it, as a board, hire and supervise the director.Meanwhile, City Administrator Greg LaFond said the city needs to hire someone to fill the vacancy as soon as possible.The LEDA not only objected to the advertising without its supervision, but to the new job description of the position.The position was advertised as a "coordinator" rather than director, as it is currently.Coordinator is a lower ranking position.LEDA member Nate Golla said, "We’re concerned that we’re taking a step backward. Luverne is in a position to do more economic development than ever before, and this position seems like almost an administrative assistant. … It also puts more responsibility on the city administrator, who, as I understand it, already has a full-time job."Golla said that a director would be able to give his or her entire focus on economic development, rather than LaFond leading efforts with help from a coordinator.LEDA member Karis Gust said that while LaFond may have economic development and marketing skills — designing a system around an individual’s strengths doesn’t guarantee that individual will be working for the city in the future. In other words, a future administrator might not be suited to lead economic development.LaFond said, "Whether the title is coordinator or director or the job description changes, we’re getting good applicants who can fill the position."The job’s changesEven though the LEDA tried at its last meeting to get more control over the director’s position, the hiring and job profiling is still in the administrator’s hands.The new advertisement and job description includes more authority and involvement of the city administrator. The listed salary is in the range of $14.38 to $16.13 per hour.The general description includes assisting the administrator in planning and carrying out various economic development tools. The employee would also work as a liaison between the city and various community and state economic groups, as is currently the case.It was advertised as requiring a bachelor’s degree with major coursework in economic development, local and urban affairs, planning or related field and two years experience.

City submits its version of law enforcement funding

By Sara StrongThe city of Luverne formally proposed changes to Rock County regarding how it thinks law enforcement should be funded.The county’s budget for law enforcement and dispatch services includes the assumption that the city of Luverne will pay half. The city has disputed the charge, saying that Luverne residents already pay the county directly for the services through their county taxes, and that an additional charge isn’t fair.The county says Luverne residents get a premium service and use more of the Sheriff’s Department time than other parts of the county.City’s proposalThe city of Luverne just forwarded this proposal to the county for 2005 law enforcement and dispatching funding, which would save city taxpayers $360,000:
Dispatch would be funded on the basis of county taxes only, which means city residents would pay 18.95 percent of the bill.
Duties that dispatchers do now, such as working with private alarm companies, probably wouldn’t fall under their job descriptions without a separate contract with the city.
For law enforcement, the city proposes that inmate expenses be removed from the general Sheriff’s budget because that cost isn’t directly associated with Luverne. The inmate costs, including medical expenses, would be a part of a separate "law enforcement support services" under the city’s proposal.
The expenses of the investigator would be removed from the sheriff’s budget and be made a part of the separate "law enforcement support services" budget as well.
Annual expenses associated with "bailiff and matron" services would be removed from the sheriff’s budget and be made part of the "support services" budget too.
Law Enforcement Support Services operations would be funded only through county taxes.
City and county would review inmate costs on a rolling three-year average and determine if adjustments are necessary in the funding formula.
For sheriff costs, the city would pay the county an hourly rate based on the cost per hour associated with patrol activities. Such a rate would include wages, fringe benefits, supplies, capital expenditures and overhead. The city payment would equal the hourly rate multiplied by the number of patrol hours contracted for each year.
The proposal asks that the city and county establish a contingency fund to account for unanticipated expenses, of $25,000 per year until a maximum balance of $100,000 is reached. All expenditures from this account must be approved by a majority of the representatives from each party to the city-county liaison committee. This fund would be paid through regular county tax collections, with no separate fees or contributions from the city.County’s rebuttal The county and city will discuss it at a July 7 meeting, but the Rock County Commissioners looked at the city’s proposal Tuesday.Commissioner Richard Bakken said, "I don’t see any use in trying to develop something new. … It’s worked before and I think it will continue to work."Rock County proposed to the city that the contracts of all joint operations return to what they were last year, including the Pool and Fitness Center, dispatch and law enforcement.County Administrator Kyle Oldre said the board will have a difficult time accepting the city’s latest proposal.He said, "To make up the lost money, that’s a 12 percent levy increase, just for the law enforcement and dispatch. That’s not considering other budget increases we’re facing next year. … Law enforcement and dispatch are only about 10 to 15 percent of the county’s total budget."Recently, the county proposed a joint sheriff and dispatching budget since it couldn’t recoup funding losses from the city of Luverne canceling dispatch. Rolling the budgets together was seen as an underhanded move by the city and attorneys are discussing its merits.County Attorney Don Klosterbuer said it is odd that the city is expecting the same service for less money.He said, "Cities have, ‘in history and practice,’ provided a different level of service than a sheriff’s department provides to every area."Board Chairman Bob Jarchow said that although the city residents pay 18 percent of the county’s tax collection, they get more than 18 percent of the service.Jarchow said, "Are they saying they need the same service as a tract of land out in the county?"Commissioners said that if contracts can’t be agreed upon, services and personnel likely will be cut.The city of Luverne retained special legal counsel to give opinions on what services the Sheriff’s Department would have to provide to city residents if the contracts are not settled before they expire.

Relay for Life raises nearly $16,000

By Lori EhdeTemperatures dipped into the 30s Friday night into Saturday morning, but that didn’t stop Rock County Relay for Life teams and volunteers from walking through the night around the Luverne City Park.The local event raised a record $60,700 for the American Cancer Society, again surpassing the original $35,000 target goal and even the $45,000 stretch goal."It was an awesome turnout," said Luverne’s Glenda Schomacker, cancer survivor and this year’s Relay co-chair."We’ve got an awesome community. … We have more luminaries than the Sioux Falls Relay for Life, and it’s year after year after year."Vivian Holst serves as treasurer for Rock County’s Relay for Life. She is still tallying results as money continues to trickle in. "It just overwhelms you," she said.She said generous donations this year may have been prompted by new and creative fund-raisers.For example each of the teams this year assembled theme baskets of products that were sold on silent auction. They brought in $1,485, with the top basket bringing $80."We were very well pleased with that," Holst said. "We’re going to do that again next year."Also, the Father’s Day brunch, which will be an annual event at future Rock County Relays added to this year’s total. "I think that helped a lot, and I think people are becoming more aware of cancer and that we do need research to find a cure."Of the 22 teams in this year’s Rock County Relay for Life, Continental Western Group-Berkley Technology Services raised $5,700. American Reformed Church, Luverne raised $4,700, and Steen Reformed Girls League raised $3,200.Local businesses making corporate donations at the $1,000 level were Minnwest Bank, the hospital and clinic (each at $1,000), Glen’s Food Center and the city of Luverne.Schomacker read a letter from cancer survivor Earleen Eitriem who wrote about the importance of research to finding a cure.The letter addressed concern among donors that the money doesn’t stay in communities that have Relay for Life.Schomacker said all of the money raised in Rock County this year wouldn’t fund an average person’s cancer treatment, so it’s important to support research on a national level."It seems like so much money could be used locally, and it probably could, but we would greatly negatively affect the future hope for a cure for cancer by not supporting research," Eitriem wrote. "I think I can truly say that if it were not for research, I would not be doing as well as I am, and or possibly even already passed on."In 2001, the community raised $51,750, an unheard first-time effort for a community starting Relay for Life. In 2002, the local event raised $44,128, and last year volunteers raised $57,763 for the Cancer Society.Relay for Life is the trademark fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society. The annual event involves teams of runners and walkers competing against each other to raise the most money.Teams of individuals representing corporations, hospitals, neighborhoods and families take turns on the track through the night with at least one team member on the track at a time.The Relay for Life is now held nationwide, and thousands of people participate each year to help fight cancer.The event is most noted for its luminaries that glow in memory of individuals who have died from cancer or in honor of those who have survived cancer.While the Relay and luminaries are the focal point of the event, the field is filled with local entertainment, food booths and planned activities.

Subscribe to

You must log in to continue reading. Log in or subscribe today.