Services for Frank Verhey will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday, June 4, at St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne. The Rev. Gary Klatt will officiate. Burial is in Maplewood Cemetery in Luverne. Visitation will be from 2 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 3, with the family present from 6 to 8 p.m. at Dingmann Funeral Home in Luverne. Visitation will also be one hour prior to the service at the church on Friday. Frank Verhey, 84, Luverne, formerly of Beaver Creek, died Tuesday, June 1, 2004, at Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center in Luverne. Frank Verhey was born to Klass and Lucretia (Van Dis) Verhey on Feb. 3, 1920, in Martin Township, rural Hills. He married Elleda Brekke on June 14, 1947, in Luverne. After their marriage, the couple farmed in the Rock County and Minnehaha County, S.D. areas. In 1964, the couple moved to Beaver Creek where they owned and operated The Home Plate Café. They sold the café in 1966 when he went to work at the stockyards in Sioux Falls, S.D. He retired in 1995. The couple moved to Luverne in September 2000.Mr. Verhey was a former member of Beaver Valley Lutheran Church in Valley Springs, S.D., and a current member of St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne. He enjoyed hobby farming and helping area farmers in the fields. He also enjoyed sitting in his garage and visiting with neighbors.Survivors include his wife, Elleda Verhey, Luverne; one daughter, Fran (Bob) Meester, Luverne; one granddaughter, Missy Meester, Sioux Falls; one brother, Cornie (LaVonne) Verhey, Beaver Creek; one sister, Plona Cupery, Beaver Creek; and many nieces and nephews. Mr. Verhey was preceded in death by his parents, one brother, John Verhey, and one sister, Minnie Verhey.Dingmann Funeral Home, Luverne, is in charge of arrangements.

Harold "Hal" Haugejorde, 79, died on Wednesday, May 26, 2004, at Miller-Owan Hospital, Duluth, due to complications of renal failure. He was the son-in-law of the late Helga (Slieter) Untiedt.Services were Tuesday, June 1, at First Lutheran Church in Duluth. Burial was in Park Cemetery, Duluth.Hal Haugejorde was born to Harold and Anna Haugejorde on Jan. 24, 1925, in Minneota. He graduated from Minneota High School in 1942 and enrolled at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D. Studies were interrupted when he joined the U.S. Army. He was selected to go to Officer’s Candidate School and he became an instructor at Fort Benning, Ga. In 1945, he was routed to Special Services in Japan, first as Lieutenant in command of a series of hotels in the Armed Forces. He returned to Augustana in 1947, competing in basketball and football. He graduated in 1949 receiving the "Honor Athlete" of the year. He was inducted into the Augustana Hall of Fame in 1981. He married Beverly Slieter, formerly of Hills, on Nov. 24, 1950. He taught social studies and coached football and basketball in Jasper. He earned his master’s degree in school administration at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. He served as a superintendent of public schools at Heron Lake for 13 years, at New London-Spicer or 12 years, and at Mountain Iron for five years. He retired in 1982 and moved to Duluth.Mr. Haugejorde was an enthusiastic educator and community leader. He was also an avid sports fan, golfer, reader and writer. He was a member of First Lutheran Church in Duluth.Survivors include his wife, Beverly Haugejorde, Duluth; six children, Ann Beth (Michael) Bjornberg, Cynthia Haugejorde (Cidney Rattunde) all of Minneapolis, Mark Haugejorde, Tequesta, Fla., Jayne Haugejorde, Duluth, Sonja (Bill) Hurlburt, Reno Nev., and Stephanie (Ed) Kershner, San Antonio, Texas; 12 grandchildren, Anders, Nathan and Marals Bjornberg, Katie, Ian and Odin Holmes, Graham, Joseph and Gustave Hurlburt, Gretta Clint and Halle Kershner.Mr. Haugejorde was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers and five sisters. Memorials are preferred to First Lutheran Church, 1100 East Superior Street, Duluth.Johnson-Crawford Funeral and Cremation of Duluth was in charge of arrangements.

By Sara StrongRock County and the city of Luverne are trying to build bridges, mend fences, or as one council member said, "see the light at the end of the tunnel."They met Monday to set up a plan to address joint government ventures.County commissioners named Ron Boyenga and Jane Wildung to represent them in a smaller committee to work with the city.The City Council said it wasn’t prepared to name committee representatives or future agenda items, mostly because of Administrator LaFond’s absence.LaFond became seriously ill with E. coli last week, and is hospitalized in Sioux Falls. He is still in communication with city staff, however.In a different meeting Tuesday night, the City Council appointed Mayor Glen Gust and Councilman David Hauge to the committee, since they served there in the past.Both boards agreed to tentative agenda items at the Monday meeting. Administrator Kyle Oldre said, "We have six joint contracts together. … It seems that the assessing would be a high priority. We’re both hanging in limbo and we’re not too far from having to start next year’s assessing."Other priority agenda items are law enforcement, dispatching and the pool contracts.County Attorney Don Klosterbuer said, "Assessing is the most time sensitive, because it’s a practical matter of getting work done."Mayor Glen Gust suggested the county notify the city of specific agenda items and the city can come prepared to the next joint meeting, which will be called City County Liaison.County Commissioner Jane Wildung said she hoped the future conversations would be about the contracts and services, not about managing each other’s budgets.City Councilman Bob Kaczrowski said, "What’s in the contract affects the budget, but the budget isn’t a part of the contracts."Councilman David Hauge said, "Just know that when we’re talking about contracts, that we’re thinking about budgets, and we empathize with the county in the back of our minds."Monday’s meeting served to set a tentative date for a liaison meeting June 7. Commissioner Ken Hoime said, "It looks like the same layout as before to me," meaning the elected bodies used to meet regularly in the smaller committee sessions.Klosterbuer said, "Historically, the concept of the liaison has worked."

By Lori EhdeTwo women are in custody at the Prairie Justice Center, Worthington after State Patrol officials seized more than 28 pounds of marijuana from their vehicle near Beaver Creek.Elvira Rangel Gonzalez, 37, Pipestone, and Rosa Loya Prado, 45, Evans, Colo., are awaiting their next court appearance on third-degree controlled substance charges.According to the complaint filed in Rock County District Court, Minnesota State Trooper Gary Nordseth stopped a green Dodge pickup for speeding on May 6 on Highway 23.The traffic stop actually occurred south of Beaver Creek on County Road 17.Acting on suspicious behavior by the driver and passenger, Nordseth requested permission to search the vehicle, which Prado, the driver, granted.Noticing the plastic tray insert on the right rear armrest appeared to be ajar, he removed the insert and found rectangular-shaped bundles wrapped in brown cellophane.Those bundles, 27 bricks of marijuana with a street value of roughly $30,000, were forwarded to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension as evidence.The women were arrested, and when questioned, admitted they planned to sell the truck and the marijuana.If found guilty of the charges, the women face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.

By Sara StrongA subcommittee of the Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce met Tuesday to endorse a plan for a new image for the city."We just think this is a good place to start," Chamber Director Dave Smith said.The new image is lifted with permission from a Jim Brandenburg photo of prairie grasses.More than the image itself, is the theme, "Minnesota’s Prairie Playground" and accompanying signs and banners that provide a cohesive look to the city.Two signs are tentatively planned for the vacant lot on the corner of Highway 75 and Main Street, formerly known as the Britz property.The two signs will direct people from Highway 75 to Luverne’s downtown. If the plan goes through, the signs will be surrounded by native rocks and grasses and be a true bridge between Highway 75 and Main Street.Visitors typically drive past Main without knowing where the downtown business district is, and this will be a clear signal for them. Along with the signs, new banners with similar images will be placed along Highway 75 to tie in with the theme.The estimated cost of the signs and banners is about $8,000. The committee has met a few times recently to discuss a theme.Smith said, "Prairie just seemed like a natural one."Jamie Tofteland said the bison theme has served Luverne, but the city could do more to stand out. She said, "The only thing that we talked about with the buffalo, is that it’s not just Luverne that has them — the theme is all over South Dakota and a lot of places."Alex Frick said the new theme should expand on the bison mystique that the area has already established. "I do think the buffalo is still a valid concept. There’s been a lot of romance built up around them."Smith said the signs and theme are a good first step, but that all of Luverne should try to match the natural history that is already here. "As people redo their storefronts, it’d be nice to not put in ultra-modern signs and surfaces. We want to create community image," Smith said.

By Lori EhdeLuverne banking officials are seeing a sharp rise in local victims of identity fraud, and they’re warning area residents to be cautious.First Farmers and Merchants Bank is seeing an average of one new victim per week in the past month."We just had three to four new victims, all with different scenarios, all with different types of identity fraud," said LaDonna Van Aartsen, cashier and operations officer."It makes their lives a living nightmare for well over a year to get it cleaned up."Nationally, the number of reported e-mail fraud cases, referred to as "phishing," jumped 180 percent in the past month."This happens right here in Rock County and Luverne," Van Aartsen said. "We’re not out to scare people, but we want them to be smart consumers."Carla Ennenga, senior operations officer at Minnwest Bank, said she’s also seeing local fraud victims. "It’s just something I think we’ll see filter down to smaller communities," she said. "It’s scary. Customers should never give their information out."Both banks are taking steps to educate their clients, through brochures and on-line notices. Minnwest two years ago even sponsored an identity theft workshop in Luverne.But they admit it’s hard to stay ahead of the problem. "The smarter we get, the smarter the crooks get," Van Aartsen said. For example, she said one of First Farmer’s customers told of an e-mail she received asking for information to confirm an E-Bay purchase."The e-mail looked very legitimate, and it so happened this customer was a regular E-Bay shopper," Van Aartsen said."The e-mail said, ‘we want to make sure we have your correct information … name, address, social security, bank account numbers … and within two hours a card had been produced on their account and was being used in Romania."With just a few key pieces of information in the wrong hands, people can lose all their financial assets. "Never give that information out when they’re asking for it that way," Van Aartsen said. "You need to be the one to initiate that kind of information."Further, financial institutions are liable for the losses, so it’s important that fraud victims act quickly to stop the drain."We had a customer call us and say they’d given out her name, address and Social Security number, and afterward said they had a sick feeling about it," Van Aartsen said. "Our customer service rep said, ‘Yes. You should have a sick feeling.’ Once they have your name, address and social security number, they’re good to go."While online fraud is increasing most rapidly, people — especially the elderly — still need to be careful on the phone.She said people also need to be careful how they use their credit cards in public. "Never let that card out of your sight," she said. "In restaurants, when they take your card away to process the bill, you don’t know where they’re going with it. You can request to come along while they swipe it."Van Aartsen said anyone can purchase a $35 card swipe machine and record information from a card. That’s why financial institutions advise hotel guests to take their plastic room cards with them, or destroy them when they check out, because key data is stored on that stripe as well.Finally, she said, more cashiers should be asking for identification when swiping cards for purchases, and customers should accommodate this inconvenience."When a business asks you for identification when you use your credit, don’t be annoyed," Van Aartsen said. "Be glad that they bothered to check. Thank them for checking."What is Phishing?Phishing attacks use 'spoofed' e-mails and fraudulent Web sites designed to fool recipients into divulging personal financial data such as credit card numbers, account usernames and passwords, social security numbers, etc.By hijacking the trusted brands of well-known banks, online retailers and credit card companies, phishers are able to convince up to 5 percent of recipients to respond to them.See the following Web sites for valuable information on fraud and how to proect yourself: http://www.bankersonline.com/technology/tech_phishing052404.htmlwww.ftc…

By Lori EhdeIn a bad-news, good-news announcement this week, owners of the Luverne Country Store told the Star Herald the business is closing.That’s the bad news.The good news, what they’re focusing on now, is that they’ll continue operating True Value, on a smaller scale, with a new name in a new location."The good news is, and what we hope people understand is we’re not leaving," said Gary Golla owner of the Country Store, which opened September 2002 in the old Jubilee Foods building downtown. "We’re going to be moving and doing something different."The new location will be at the Luverne Farm Store on South Highway 75, where the True Value store will have a paint department, Just-Ask Rental, lawn and garden and pet center."The sad part is the store is closing," said Country Store part-owner and manager Nate Golla, Gary’s son. "But the exciting part for us is that the transition is going to mean we can improve and expand on the areas we’ve been strong in."For example, the paint department will offer new computer color matching software, a new line of paint and new color charts.The lawn and garden department will thrive next door to the Farm Store staff, which includes four licensed turf and ornamental applicators.The new True Value will also remain a catalog store where customers can still order all the products they were used to getting in the Country Store."We already place 20 to 30 catalog orders a week, and those deliveries will still be weekly," Nate said.Departments that won’t be making the move include plumbing, electrical, hardware, giftware and housewares.The timing of the move will depend on the location the Gollas decide on for the venture.One option, they said, would be to remodel the feed storage building adjacent to the east side of the Farm Store office. The other option would be to build new on property just north of the Farm Store along Highway 75.Either way, the Gollas estimate they’ll need about 3,000 square feet to operate the new True Value business.They currently own the 11,000 square-foot building downtown and have spoken with city and county officials, two local retailers and one out-of-town retailer regarding potential interest in the facility."It’s a building I don’t think will stay empty very long," Gary said. "But there’s nothing definite right now as far as the future of the building."Meanwhile, Nate said he’ll start reducing stock in the Country Store to prepare for the move, which will likely occur by the end of this summer."We would hope to make the transition as seamless and smooth as possible," he said. "When we close one location, we hope to immediately open the other."Current bridal registries will be honored through the summer, but the store will no longer accept new listings.The Gollas pointed to a slow local economy and a long learning curve in the retail business as reasons some Country Store departments didn’t thrive."There’s obviously not one particular reason," Gary said. "The local economy has changed — and Ace Hardware [which opened last fall] was certainly a part of that. But the economy in general hasn’t been that good, and people are more mobile.""When we put up the store, we did it based on the model True Value provided us," Gary said. "But as time changes, maybe the product mixes that were correct before aren’t today, especially areas like plumbing where the technology is always changing."Both Gary and Nate said they’ll feel more comfortable with the four departments the new store will offer. "We’re going to streamline the business into one we feel can be successful," Nate said. "It will allow us to focus on our strengths, and that what’s going to make it fun."Efforts of many …The Gollas said they have a long list of people to thank for their efforts in starting and supporting the Country Store."We thank all the local contractors for their continued business and support, and all the local businesses, too," Nate said. "… anyone who’s ever come through the doors to spend time with us and shop our store. We look forward to servicing them in the future as our business changes."The Gollas specifically appreciated the efforts of part-owners Greg Uithoven and Dean Fey, plus contributions by Diane Leuthold and Bill Jarchow, all current Farm Store employees.The thank-you list also includes former Country Store manager Beki Weber and the Weber family — Charlie, Shirley, Brian and Lynette Weber.Other former employees include Melissa Anderson, Jessica Beyenhof, Brandon Johnson, Kyle Kreun, Jesse Leuthold, Jen Luitjens, Don Schouwenburg, Vicki Steensma, Jan Van Eck, Merrick Van Otterloo and Bruce Wilson.Current employees are Stephanie Christensen, Christy Csobor, Carol Dohlman, Orrie Frahm, Kelley Fransman, Matt Kruger, Deb Remme, Teresa Reu and Barry Shelton."A good share of the employees will come along," Gary said. "We’re fully busy here at the Farm Store, and we’ll need to have these enterprises fully staffed."He also thanked the community for its support. "We look forward to demonstrating our value as a local business that prides itself on quality and service."

So, you think you know everything? Add this to your database …The school year is just days from being over, and it brings to mind the popular lesson, "Everything I Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten." It also reminded me of a fun little e-mail message that landed in my file earlier this year. I reprinted a few of my favorites from the list, which is longer than anyone really needs. Read, enjoy, and then forget, (like I did):A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.A crocodile cannot stick out its tongue.A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours.A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.A "jiffy" is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.A snail can sleep for three years.Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer.All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill.Almonds are a member of the peach family.An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.Babies are born without kneecaps. They don't appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age.Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds. Dogs only have about 10."Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".If the population of China walked past you, in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.If you are an average American, in your whole life, you will spend an average of six months waiting at red lights.It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, purple.Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated."Stewardesses" is the longest word typed with only the left hand and "lollipop" with your right. The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.The Bible does not say there were three wise men; it only says there were three gifts.The cruise liner, QE2, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube anda chocolate bar melted in his pocket.The sentence: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter of the alphabet.The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara Falls froze completely solid.The words 'racecar,' 'kayak' and 'level' are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left (palindromes).There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.There's no Betty Rubble in the Flintstones Chewables Vitamins.Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.Women blink nearly twice as much as men.Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks; otherwise it will digest itself.Now you know everything!

Edgerton will dedicate Veterans MemorialA new Veterans Memorial, on Edgerton’s Main Street will be dedicated on Monday, May 31, as part of the community’s Memorial Day program.Gold Star veterans will be given special attention at the ceremony and will be seated in a special section.A retired captain in the U.S. Navy will be the keynote speaker for the event.The program will start at 10 a.m. Memorial Day, Monday, May 31.Do you know an outstanding senior citizen?Nominations are being solicited for 2004 Outstanding Rock County Senior Citizens.If you know either a man or a woman over the age of 70 by Aug. 1, whose community involvement can serve as an example to others, you should consider putting his or her name in the hat.The winners will be honored at a special luncheon at the Rock County Fair on July 30.The chosen ones will receive a certificate from the governor and their names will be submitted to the Minnesota Board on Aging for the state selection process for the Outstanding Senior Citizen of Minnesota.The Outstanding Senior Citizens of Minnesota will be announced at the Minnesota State Fair.The criteria for receiving the award is based on the number and variety of contributions the nominees made to their community after age 65.Nominees must be residents of the state of Minnesota and the county they represent.Previous county winners are no longer eligible as they were in previous years.If you have someone in mind for this award, contact Carol Wulf at 283-5070.Poppy sales todayToday is poppy sale day. Volunteers will be manning the doors at several Luverne businesses as well as the Luverne Post Office to give you an opportunity to buy a poppy.The poppies were first sold to remember fallen soldiers from World War I.Money raised from the sale of the poppies will go toward veterans’ welfare. Last year the sale raised $1,550.Locally, representatives from the American Legion & Auxiliary Post # 123 and Rock County VFW and Auxiliary Post #2757 jointly coordinate the sales.We are not going to be traveling as much this summerThe latest Myvesta report says we are going to be traveling less this summer, and spending 5.3 percent less because of it.This year’s average summer vacation will cost $2,252.In past years when people looked for lower cost summer vacations, they tended to stay closer to home, which could be good news for the Minnesota tourism business, including the Blue Mounds State Park.Vacations tidbits:
77.8 percent plan to use a credit card to pay for all or part of their trip.
29.3 percent plan to take three or more months to pay for their vacation charges.
If the average vacation cost of $2,252 is placed on a credit card and only the minimum payment is made, it will take almost 33 years to pay off the balance and cost an additional $5,687 in interest payments.
41 percent plan to take a trip this year, down from 48.5 percent in 2003.
Of the four regions of the country, people in the Midwest plan to spend the least on their vacation.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com