By Lori EhdeA violent thunderstorm ripped through Rock County at noon Tuesday, leaving downed trees, damaged property and power outages in its wake.State Highway Department snowplows cleared initial paths through fallen debris on major roadways. Similarly, county and city crews were busy well into the evening Tuesday, clearing fallen trees and branches from the streets."The cooperation was excellent," said Sheriff Mike Winkels. "The guys from the county shop came over right away to see if the city needed anything. They basically divided up the city and said ‘You go here, we’ll go there, and we’ll meet in the middle.’ That’s basically what they did."Wind speeds reached more than 80 mph at times, and nearly two inches of rain fell in less than 30 minutes causing urban flooding in some places.Within the city limits of Luverne, barely a city block was left untouched. Residents reported trees had fallen through buildings and on vehicles, and winds ripped off rooftops and blew out garage doors.Winkels said he was glad to see the spirit of cooperation among residents as well."A lot of people are out helping other people. Neighbors helping neighbors," he said. "I saw it going on all over. It was just tremendous."Shoppers in Pamida were herded to different parts of the store while the roof caved in, and then they had to evacuate for a propane leak.Terri Bruynes, Luverne, said she had to leave her cart full of products in the aisle when the storm hit."The lights flickered, and then went out totally, so everyone came to the front of the store," she said. "Then the manager and pharmacists said we should really be by the bathrooms, so we all moved over there."Moments later, she said parts of the ceiling came down by the health and beauty department. "I could see stuff blowing in," Bruynes said.About that time, the pharmacists announced everyone had to leave the building because of a propane leak."So we all went to our cars, but the Pamida sign had wrapped around the pole, and parts of it were flying around the parking lot," she said. "But we couldn’t leave the parking lot because two storage sheds had collapsed and landed in the driveway."So shoppers and employees waited out the storm in their vehicles."It was rocking my car really good," she said. "I was stuck there in my car, wondering if I should go back in the store and breathe propane, or if I should I sit in the parking lot and wait for pieces of the sign to hit my car."When she was able to leave the parking lot, Bruynes said she couldn’t get to her house on West Warren Street because side streets were blocked. When she finally did get home, she discovered a large tree had fallen on her house."The whole tree is covering my house – one whole side of it," she said Tuesday night. "We won’t even know how much damage we have until we move the tree."Power outagesAccording to Rick Hoftiezer, supervisor with Missouri River Energy Services, most of Luverne experienced flickering power outages during the storm. These, he said were caused by "galloping" lines.Other parts of Luverne, for example, were out of power for longer periods of time, due to structural damage to lines.At the airport, a hangar that blew apart fell onto a three-phase power line there, and on West Hatting Street, tree branches were hung up in power lines. Residents served in those neighborhoods, plus the ethanol plant, saw outages lasting up to two or more hours.The trailer park south of town was still in the dark as of 5 p.m. Tuesday. "They had some major damage there," Hoftiezer said. Much of that damage, he said, was to private lines that would need repair before the supply could be turned back on.The cities of Hills, Steen and Beaver Creek, which are served by Alliant energy, were without power until 5:25 p.m. Tuesday, due to six downed poles on transmission lines.Cleanup processCity and county crews spent much of the afternoon and evening clearing streets of tree branches and debris for traffic.The rest of the week will be a systematic process of clearing boulevards as residents dig out, according to Rock County Emergency Management Coordinator Kyle Oldre."People are getting their debris — strictly vegetation — to the boulevard, and we’ll pick it up for them," Oldre said.He said crews from the city of Marshall public works department are helping Rock County and City of Luverne crews with the process.To illustrate the magnitude of cleanup, it took 30 truck loads to clear three city blocks along Blue Mound Avenue Tuesday.Oldre said that people need to pay close attention to public service announcements during the next week for instructions.For example, residents must not put demolition debris on the boulevard with their downed branches for public pickup."If they do have demolition that must go to the landfill," Oldre said. "It all has to be separated from the vegetation."The landfill will accept insulation, particle board, roofing, shingles, Sheetrock, Vinyl siding, wood, metal siding and metal roofing at the current rate of $14 per ton. It must be separated from solid waste materials.Landfill hours are 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday for the duration of storm cleanup in Luverne.Rock County Highway Engineer Mark Sehr can answer questions at 283-5010.City and county crews have a permit from the state to temporarily haul trees and branches to the Henning gravel pit northeast of Luverne, but that location is not open to the public. "That way our guys can get in and out of there with their big trucks without worrying about residents bringing their loads of sticks."He also warned residents to use caution during cleanup. "As people transport their own debris, don’t create a new hazard by hauling it," he said. "Already we’re seeing people stuffing branches into pickups and driving away while people are ducking and dodging branches that are sticking out. … People need to secure their loads."Many storms, many communitiesOldre said he sent figures to the Minnesota Division of Emergency Management with rough estimates of storm damage in Rock County — particularly Beaver Creek and Luverne.For the two cities, there was no damage considered "severe." Twenty percent of the two communities had "moderate" damage, such as trees fallen through roofs or into buildings. Forty percent of the towns received "minimum" damage, such as damage to shingles and siding."These are all rough estimates," he emphasized.Oldre said the state gathers information about storm damage caused by a series of summer storms in many communities in a region.If total damages add up, state and federal resources may be allocated.Tuesday’s storm alone affected Beaver Creek, Luverne, Adrian and Worthington, in southwest Minnesota, in addition to several communities in South Dakota.The storm started in central South Dakota and followed an eastward path along Interstate 90, according to Bill Behrend, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, Sioux Falls.He said wind speeds of up to 100 mph were reported in some communities in its path, which spanned about 50 miles wide. As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, he said the storm was continuing its eastward journey and hadn’t lost strength.Oldre said warning sirens were sounded in Luverne, even though most residents were already indoors and didn’t hear them over the howling wind.He said the purpose of the sirens in a storm is to warn people outdoors to seek shelter, and since it was raining, most people were indoors already when the sirens went off.Cornfields flattenedTravis Van Santen of New Vision co-op, Beaver Creek, said it’s too early to assess crop damage, but he said, "I can assess it for you," he said. "It’s flat. You should see it out here."Damage to cornfields is particularly dramatic, as six-foot, tasseled stalks are now laying on the ground in many area fields.If the wind damage wasn’t enough, Van Santen said fields north of Beaver Creek took an additional beating from a freak accident in the storm.In the area of the wind tower construction north of Beaver Creek, several 30-foot-long steel culverts, about 18 feet in diameter, were on site, about to be put in the ground to be filled with concrete. Van Santen said they rolled through the fields for about a mile and a half, jumping the highway. "You can see the path they took diagonally through the cornfields," he said.Beaver Creek damageHe said the co-op property in Beaver Creek was damaged extensively in the storm. "The two elevators you used to be able to see along Old 16 … you can’t see them anymore," he said. The two structures, with a capacity of 150,000 bushels apiece, went down, in addition to a grain leg nearly 100 feet tall.One of the elevators, stopped by a 40-foot high tree, came to rest within feet of the home of Al Hoffcamp.The tree, although snapped off, was strong enough to keep the elevator from rolling over Hoffcamp’s house. "I heard a noise and looked out the window and wondered, ‘What is blocking my view,’" Hoffcamp said. The elevators toppled a propane tank, took down power lines and narrowly missed the new city building. The downed wires were still live as of late Tuesday afternoon. Also, Van Santen said overhead doors blew out of chemical shed on the property. See the storm photo gallery for other storm pictures.

If you can’t be the one you want, love the one you areWhen Jonathan Foster and Andrew Dooyema approached me last week about doing a story (see the front page), they caught me a little off guard.Many of our readers will remember Jonathan and Andrew were crowned homecoming kings by their peers, despite their physical and mental disabilities.It was story-worthy and timely when it happened in 2000 for Andrew and 2003 for Jonathan, but I questioned the news value of a follow-up story.But after interviewing these two for only a few minutes, it didn’t take long to see the angle.Andrew has Down syndrome, but talks about picking up more hours in the hospital maintenance department and finding a girlfriend.Jonathan was born with cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, but he talks about going to college and getting a job.They spoke confidently about their future plans, never once making reference to things they might not be able to do.Their only fear was the prospect of carrying out these goals in the absence of each other. With Jonathan moving to the Twin Cities for rehab, it looks to be a long six months for two friends who are used to seeing each other daily.Their optimism and can-do spirit clearly became the focus of the story.At one point, I even commented to Jonathan’s mother, Carol Foster, “Their attitudes are amazing.”I have long believed that people are either born with the tendency to see the glass half empty, or they’re blessed with the ability to always see it half full.Jonathan and Andrew are clearly glass-half-full people.If anyone has reason to complain or feel sorry for themselves, these two do.But they don’t.Andrew’s mother, Pam Dooyema, told me the touching story of a conference of sorts for families with special needs children.At this conference not too long ago, Andrew, Jonathan and another young man with autism, were posed the question: “If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?”Remarkably, not one of them wanted to change the fact that they were disabled.They had so embraced the disability as part of who and what they are, that it didn’t occur to them to be anything else.We could all take a lesson from them.If we spent a little more time appreciating what’s good in our lives and a little less time trying to change what we don’t like, we could all be as happy as Andrew and Jonathan are.Good luck, King Andrew and King Jonathan, in your courageous adventures that lie ahead. A word of caution to ‘survey’ respondents …It appears the City Administrator is losing support, so rather than ask for opinions, he’s telling residents how to think by way of propaganda mailed from City Hall.If his divisive message in the Outlook wasn’t disappointing enough, his letter to the editor last week and Tuesday’s so-called “survey” clearly illustrate the need for council members to put the brakes on this $74,000-per year runaway train.A survey would imply questions are objectively phrased in a way to accurately measure residential response.This publicly-funded rant (which is costing city tax payers $1,200 in printing and mailing costs) offers disparaging information about a “retaliatory” county government ripping off city residents, then poses leading questions about whether these agreements should continue.I would encourage respondents to discard the survey and use the self-addressed city envelope to mail their own thoughts on city government.

I-90 work to start next weekThe Minnesota Department of Transportation is planning to do some work on I-90 next week.Eastbound motorists between Beaver Creek and Luverne should expect delays due to lane closings beginning Monday, Aug. 2.The joint repair work will run from the Rock County Highway 4 bridge to the west end of the bridge over the Rock River.The project is expected to take about two weeks.The next major I-90 project for this area is to resurface the eastbound lanes of I-90 in 2005.The year’s joint repair work is in preparation for the overlay.Bituminous Paving, Inc, Ortonville, is doing the joint repair work at a cost of $90,770.Community Blood Bank schedules driveThe Community Blood Bank has scheduled two blood drives for the month of August.The first will be at the Luverne Community Hospital, from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 18. The second drive will be at Continental Western Group, from 8 to 11:30 a.m. and in the afternoon, from 1 to 3:30 p.m.Although walk-ups are welcome, if you would like to make an appointment, contact the Luverne Community Hospital, at 283-2321, ext 224.Donors must be at least 17 years of age and weigh at least 110 pounds.In April, the two-day drive took in 67 units of blood.Natural gas prices could be going upCenterpoint Energy Minnegasco has filed a request with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to change its natural gas distribution rates.This is the first time the company has requested an increase in rates since 1995.If the MPUC approves the increase, the residential rates will rise an average of $38 per year, or $3.17 per month.A final decision by the MPUC is expected in May of next year.According to Centerpoint, the reason for the increase is because current rates do not recover the increased costs of providing utility distribution to their 745,000 customers.While the cost of distribution has increased, the average customer demand for their product has decreased.If approved, the rate increase will generate $21.77 million in annual revenues, an increase of 1.8 percent.The increase is only relative to the cost of distribution, which makes up approximately 20 percent of the customers’ bill.The cost of the gas itself fluctuates based on the wholesale price of gas, which is sold with no mark-up.Although the MPUC will not make a decision until May 2005, customers could see their first increase in October of this year when a temporary rate increase will likely take effect.If the final MPUC decision is lower than the Centerpoint request, the difference will be refunded to the customers with interest.And now she’s 106One year ago, the Star Herald featured a story about the amazing experiences Lil Peterson accumulated in her 105 years of life.As of last Monday, she can add one more year to that list of memories since she turned 106 on July 26.As Lori told you in her feature story last year, Peterson spent her early years before paved roads, automobiles, electricity and running water.Her chores after school included cleaning kerosene lamp chimneys and refilling them with fuel.Her working career started when she graduated with an eighth grade education from Rock County Dist. 10 schoolhouse.Her advice for longevity included, “Don’t smoke and don’t lay in bed in the morning. Get up and enjoy the day.”Since last year she has changed her residence from the Centennial Apartments in Luverne to the Tuff Home in Hills if you would like to drop her a card.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

By Lori EhdeWith a class of 118 students registered for kindergarten this fall in Luverne, district teachers and administration are considering options for absorbing the large class.One option is to hire a sixth teacher for smaller class sizes.Another option — one that’s being heavily marketed by local parent Cheryl Thacker — is allowing parents to opt out of the all day every day kindergarten schedule in Luverne.If a large enough group of students — enough for two classrooms — opt to send their children half days or every other day, the district could save money on a sixth teacher’s salary.Superintendent Vince Schaefer said half-day kindergarten would likely not be an option, because it’s too costly to bus students twice a day for only a half day of class.Teachers who attended the Thursday, July 22, School Board meeting (Shirley Harrison and Sue Hup) expressed concerns about the district allowing the kindergarten option.For one thing, they wondered how the half-time students would keep up with the full-time students once they reached first grade.Regardless, Harrison advised the board to consider the educational costs of not funding another kindergarten teacher."You can’t have quality education if you put 24 kindergarteners in a class," she said. "Make the commitment to hire a half-time teacher (for the half-time option) or another full-time teacher."Elementary Principal Stacy Gillette said, "I want to stress that at this point we’re just exploring the possibility."Hup said, "I’m glad to hear you’re discussing this … but if parents feel their kids can keep up going only half time, I think they’re going to be missing out."With class lists being put together in August, Schaefer pointed out that the board will need to move quickly on a decision on kindergarten staffing.Gillette reported there will be 91 students in first grade this fall, 88 in second, 94 in third, 84 in fourth and 100 in fifth.New playground equipmentThe elementary school booster club, Parents Partners in Education, has approved $5,000 for upgrades to the elementary playground.The board approved a 30-by-30-foot concrete pad in the southwest corner of the playground. It will have a Funball target in the center, and two Easy Shot basketball hoops on each end.Much of the equipment and labor will be donated, and the rest will be funded by the PPIE grant, up to $5,000.Activity feesIncreased activity fees by $5 across the board for all activities, and raised the family cap from $200 to $225.Schaefer encouraged the board to consider the increase to offset increasing transportation costs for many of the activities.Grades 7-8 currently pay $20, and grades 9-12 pay $30 for activities such as forensics, Math League, Mock Trial, Plays (cast only), cheerleading, band, choir and speech.Grades 7-8 currently pay $30 for all sports, and grades 9-12 pay $50.With Thursday’s action, all those will cost $5 more starting this fall.There is no charge for student council, annual, class officers, concessions, Echo, Honor Society, intramurals, Peer Helpers, FCCLA, FFA, Spanish Club, office workers and managers/statisticians In personnel matters Thursday, the board
Accepted the retirement of bus driver Joyce Hartz, effective July 31
Accepted the resignation of Roxanne Holtrop, elementary special services secretary, effective July 8.
Approved the salary for Technology Coordinator Wade Hiller at $45,600.
Hired James Lunder, half-time industrial technology teacher at $23,144.
Approved the additional assignment with Jan Olson for curriculum work, as needed, during the school year and summer, at $8,877.
Appointed Gary Fisher as middle school/high school principal and Stacy Gillette as Elementary Principal. Former elementary principal Melody Tenhoff resigned and the district will have two principals instead of three.
Appointed Todd Oye as half-time middle school dean of students and half-time activities director. This is also a result of the principal reduction.
Approved two-year contracts with the custodian union and support staff union at a step increase plus 3 percent for each of the two years.

By Lori EhdeCor-Tech Manufacturing officially closed its doors Friday, according to owner Jamie Stratton.The announcement comes near the second anniversary of the fatal accident his friend and co-worker Nick Mann.Mann, 26, was killed July 31, 2002, when a tire he was working on exploded in the Cor-Tech shop.Stratton said the business took a hit as a result of the accident, but he said that’s not why it’s closing. "It’s not just the accident," Stratton told the Star Herald Tuesday. "There are a lot of circumstances involved."The business, located on Gabrielson Drive, most recently employed five people, including Stratton and his brother, Corey Stratton, who owns the building and property.Following the accident, Cor-Tech announced it would no longer accept individual repair work and would focus instead on major manufacturing projects.Two employees were laid off at that time.The decision followed an investigation and subsequent fine by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Higher insurance costs made it impossible stay in the private repair work, Stratton said at the time.He said the future is uncertain for himself and his employees, and no decisions have been made yet about the building and property. "I want to thank everyone for their support and continued support," he said.Cor-Tech opened nearly 10 years ago for the purpose of repairing farm equipment and custom manufacturing parts for people and businesses.The Strattons have owned it since 1992, and until the accident employed nine people.The shop had a reputation for manufacturing unique equipment for specialized industries. For example, Cor-Tech designed and manufactured the City of Luverne’s trailers that are used to collect residential recyclables.Cor-Tech’s latest major client has been Jennie O, which had Cor-Tech manufacture its loaders and cages for hauling turkeys.

By Sara StrongRock County is in its first month of a new part of a reform in the welfare system. Many families that, in the past, would have gone on cash assistance will now participate in the Diversionary Work Program.It is a four-month, work-focused effort to help avoid long-term assistance.Pam Nelson, Financial Assistance Supervisor said, "The primary goal is to get families in unsubsidized employment quicker and address their issues faster."The new program forces most applicants to see an employment counselor before they get any cash assistance.The county will pay for their basic shelter needs directly to vendors, rather than the money going to people in the system.There is still a 60-month limit for cash assistance over a lifetime, no matter which state the cash benefits originated from. Eligibility for the four-month diversionary work program does not count toward that 60-month lifetime limit.The work program means applicants must work with an employment counselor to develop and sign an employment plan before they can receive any assistance.Activity in Rock CountyCaseloads are up in Rock County, as they are in many parts of the state and country.A big part of Rock County’s clients need health care and elderly or disabled assistance.There were 610 cases in the county during June. That’s compared to a 2003 average of 577. In 2002 the average cases per month were 469; in 2001 were 407; in 2000 were 379; in 1999 were 362.There is only one client in Rock County approaching the 60-month lifetime limit for cash assistance.

By Sara StrongNegotiations aren’t much further on the law enforcement contract between the city of Luverne and Rock County.Luverne Tuesday offered to pay $431,500 (a decrease of 28 percent) in contract fees to the county. Meanwhile, the county had budgeted the city to pay $669,000.County Commissioner Jane Wildung said, "To try, at a difficult tax time for federal, state, county and city government, to shift costs to one unit of government is a problem."She said the city has paid for law enforcement through a contract with the county, or on its own for a city police squad since 1898. Wildung said the city will lose service if it doesn’t want to fund the department as it has been.Mayor Glen Gust said, "The council’s opinion is that things change over time, and costs go up."County Attorney Don Klosterbuer said, "It isn’t really a fix to shift the costs to another unit of government. It’s unfortunate that there has been no talk about preserving services, just saving money."Along with changing the fee structure, the city would like to see the budgeting formula change. "As a partner in this, we feel it is fair to get more input on the budget," City Attorney Ben Vander Kooi said.Currently, the county’s budget for law enforcement encompasses all department costs. The city is requesting it be broken down into four different budgets that are funded differently.Patrol would be funded on a per hour basis; dispatch would be funded on the basis of population charge; support services wouldn’t get funded through a fee, and the city suggests a contingency fund. All of these take into consideration that city residents also pay county taxes that go toward funding law enforcement.Without the budgeted money from the city, the county maintains the department will change: patrol dog, the investigator, DARE program, deputies, and crossing guards are all potential cuts.The county asked City Administrator Greg LaFond and council representatives to come up with what services it thinks the city’s proposal will buy. The city said in response, that law enforcement is a statutory requirement of the county, and that it has to provide basic services outside of any contract.Sheriff Mike Winkels said different officers through various shifts spend 36 hours a day dealing with activity just in Luverne.Klosterbuer said, "The ultimate losers end up being citizens who want services."City takes surveyAll city residents this week received a survey asking their opinion on saving money and law enforcement.Councilman David Hauge supports the idea of this survey, even though it is unscientific and might hit a nerve with county people."It’s a philosophical gauge," he said of the surveys.He said he won’t hold the results as a determining factor in how the city does business, but said it will be interesting to see what response it gets."I just want to get beyond the bad blood and bitterness. I don’t want to break up the department," Hauge said.City staff wrote the survey, and got approval from council members to send it to residents. LaFond said, "A number of council members were emphatic that we should take the survey."He said informal surveys are generally good ways to get public opinion, and the city received 50 responses as of noon Wednesday."I think it’s helpful to seek citizen input," LaFond said.The survey contains statements from the city, such as, "City residents accounted for only 32 percent of the total inmate jail days in 2002 and 2003. However, City of Luverne taxpayers funded 60 percent of the total jail costs in 2003 and 2003."Then it asks the question, "Do you support the City Council’s efforts to eliminate the ‘premium tax’ of $500,000 levied against City taxpayers for funding the annual operating costs for the Law Enforcement/Sheriff’s Department Services? Yes or No."The survey went to 1,750 households at a cost of $1,210.02 for printing and mailing.

By Sara StrongAll city residents this week received a survey asking their opinion on saving money and law enforcement.Councilman David Hauge supports the idea of this survey, even though it is unscientific and might hit a nerve with county people."It’s a philosophical gauge," he said of the surveys.He said he won’t hold the results as a determining factor in how the city does business, but said it will be interesting to see what response it gets."I just want to get beyond the bad blood and bitterness. I don’t want to break up the department," Hauge said.City Administrator Greg LaFond wrote the survey, and got approval from council members to send it to residents. LaFond said, "A number of council members were emphatic that we should take the survey."He said informal surveys are generally good ways to get public opinion, and the city received 50 responses as of noon Wednesday."I think it’s helpful to seek citizen input," LaFond said.Luverne resident Karen Roberts said, "I’ll participate in the survey, but I don’t agree with the survey itself."She said she hopes people doing the survey will consider the "leading questions" it asks.The survey contains statements from the city, such as, "City residents accounted for only 32 percent of the total inmate jail days in 2002 and 2003. However, City of Luverne taxpayers funded 60 percent of the total jail costs in 2002 and 2003."Then it asks the question, "Do you support the City Council’s efforts to eliminate the ‘premium tax’ of $500,000 levied against City taxpayers for funding the annual operating costs for the Law Enforcement/Sheriff’s Department Services? Yes or No."The survey went to 1,750 households at a cost of $1,210.02 for printing and mailing.

By Lori EhdeThe Rock County Free Fair officially starts today, and Fair Board Secretary Lyle Nelson said organizers are ready."We haven’t had any glitches whatsoever," Nelson said Tuesday. "That doesn’t mean we won’t run into any during the fair, but it looks like everything is going really good."He said booths in the commercial building are all spoken for, and the grounds are ready for crowds.Because of increasing popularity in horses, the swine building will accommodate seven stalls for horses that overflowed the 24-stall existing horse building.He said history will steal the show as far as new highlights to the fair this year.For example, a thrashing show from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday on the north end of the fairgrounds, will feature a corn shredder, corn sheller, stationary baler and a thrashing machine that will thrash two racks of oats.An antique tractor show from 10 to 4 on Saturday will go on next to the history barn, which Nelson said has acquired new donations this year."There are lots of new pieces of Rock County history out there," Nelson said.He said the fair promises a solid lineup of entertainment this year.For example, Thursday night’s Rock County Talent Show has 31 entries. "So that’ll be really great," Nelson said, of the third annual event.The Nobles/Rock Cattlemen’s Association will sponsor the annual Beef Feed at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.The popular Christian a cappella group, Go Fish is lined up for the grandstand Friday. "We’re expecting a big crowd for that," Nelson said.Also on Friday, Carol Zwaan and Country Grass will provide free entertainment for Senior Citizens Day at 2, 5 and 7 p.m., and the Rock County Pork Producers will start the pork feed at 5 p.m.Midwest Rides will provide the midway for the three days.