By John Rittenhouse
Pipestone-Jasper sophomores Stacey and Stef Plahn proved to be too much for Hills-Beaver Creek to contend with when the Patriots met the Arrows in a girls' basketball game in Hills Thursday.

The Plahns scored a combined 46 points to lead their team to a convincing 64-35 victory over H-BC in the first game after the Christmas break for both teams.

Stacey Plahn, a sharp-shooting guard, burned the nets for a game-high 28 points. Stef Plahn, a forward, added 18 points for the Arrows.

P-J got off to a great start by scoring the gameÕs first eight points.

H-BC trimmed the difference to five points (9-4) when LaDonna Sandstede banked in a layup at the 1:20 mark of the first quarter but the Arrows scored the final four points of the period to make it a 13-9 game.

Patriot Erin Boeve scored the first two points of the second quarter to bring H-BC within seven points (13-6) of the Arrows before P-J countered with a 17-6 run that gave it a 30-13 advantage. The Arrows settled for a 32-16 cushion at the intermission.

P-J increased its lead to 23 points at one stage of the third quarter, but H-BC responded with a late rally capped by Jamie Arp's field goal with 54 seconds remaining in the stanza to make the difference 41-29.

Arp, who scored all of her team-high 12 points in the second half, converted a three-point play 25 seconds into the fourth quarter to bring the Patriots within 11 points (43-32) of the Arrows.

P-J, however, reeled off a 14-0 run after Arp's tally to open a 57-32 lead and outscored the Patriots 7-3 the rest of the way to win by 29.

Brittney Olson and Sandstede registered four and three assists respectively for H-BC. Boeve and Jody DeNoble snared four rebounds each.

Box score
C.Tilstra 0 0 0-0 0, Olson 1 0 3-5 5, Sandstede 1 1 0-0 5, Brandt 0 0 0-0 0, Rentschler 3 0 1-2 7, S.Tilstra 0 0 0-0 0, Rozeboom 0 0 0-0 0, DeNoble 1 0 0-0 2, Boeve 2 0 0-0 4, DeHaan 0 0 0-0 0, Arp 5 0 2-5 12.

Team statistics
H-BC: 14 of 37 field goals (38 percent), six of 12 free throws (50 percent), 25 rebounds, 29 turnovers.
P-J: 22 of 49 field goals (45 percent), 19 of 30 free throws (63 percent), 26 rebounds, 13 turnovers.

By Jolene Farley
The Hills Economic Development Corporation expressed an interest buying land adjacent to the city's apartments during the Tuesday evening meeting.

Wilmer Elbers, Hills, was to attend the City Council meeting, which was scheduled before the EDA meeting, to discuss a 200-foot parcel of land near the Hills Stainless Steel building he wanted to acquire.

The council meeting was adjourned and the EDA meeting in full swing when Elbers arrived.

After some discussion about parliamentary procedure, the EDA meeting was recessed and the council meeting reopened to discuss the transfer of the land Elbers was interested in acquiring.

Elbers said he was offered the land for nothing years ago by a previous council but never pressed the issue. He has maintained the area for several years.

Mayor George Langford wants to assess the boundaries on the parcel before the council makes its final decision.

EDA President Arlen Leenderts reopened the EDA meeting.

Board members promptly turned the tables on Elbers and asked if he would be interested in selling property he owns with partners Gerald Haak and Tony Bosch near the city apartments.

The EDA intends to divide the property up into lots to be used for modular home construction.

Elbers agreed to ask his partners if they're interested in selling and what their asking price would be. Tuff Memorial Home had been offered the parcel for $28,000 recently, according to Councilman Dana Dahlquist.

The EDA then began discussing other property owned by Elbers and his partners. The city agreed last summer to cost-share advertising for recruiting people to build on Elbers' lots in Hills.

Since little advertising had been done, the council members asked if they could place the advertising and send Elbers and his partners the bill for their portion.

"We need to get people from the Sioux Falls area," said Elbers. "Housing is more expensive there. People will commute."

Everyone agreed to schedule a meeting with DeYager Real Estate. Arlen Leenderts and Wendell Bengtson will represent the EDA Board in the meetings.

In other City Council business Tuesday:
- Hills will bill Martin Township for half of the approximately 20,000 gallons of water used at the Mike Jess house fire.

- Doug Chapman asked the council to recommit the $2,500 originally offered to offset the cost of the sewer for Bethlehem Lutheran Church.

The original construction plans were changed, but the council still agreed to pay the amount. "We committed ourselves to the $2,500," said Langford. "I cannot see any problem with expending that amount."

By Lori Ehde
After more than six months of negotiating, the Luverne School Board has signed its final contracts.

Agreements were signed in a special School Board meeting Tuesday with paraprofessionals and with supervisory staff.

An emergency meeting was called for noon Wednesday to wrap up the administrative contracts.

All terms of the contract are retroactive dating back to the start of the school year on July 1.

According to Luverne Superintendent Vince Schaefer, no single issue prevented agreements; rather he said there were several issues of equal importance playing a role in the delayed contracts.

"All of it's tied to dollars one way or another, and it can be challenging for human relations," he said. "We negotiated long and hard for over six months."

Paraprofessionals
The paraprofessionals union, which includes teaching assistants, cooks and some secretaries, is a relatively new union. Under the leadership of Rosemary Moerke, this is the second two-year contract the group has negotiated.

The terms of the agreement affect 52 employees.

The contract calls for a 10.9-percent increase in the package of salaries and benefits over a two-year period. Employees will see a 5.9-percent increase the first year, and a 5-percent increase the second year.

There were several issues affecting negotiations, but according to Moerke, the most important wording dealt with seniority.

She said the district often ends up cutting Title 1 positions when funds are low. These people are often hired back or offered positions in other areas, but they are forced to start over as new employees each time, and they lose their seniority.

The new contract protects that seniority from one position to another.

"IÕm happy where we're at. I can live with it," Moerke said. "We can take our baby steps. We gave up a lot because in the end we knew which things we were going to stand up and fight for."

She said the School Board wasnÕt willing to negotiate on any of their requests until after the process moved into mediation. "It was a terrible battle," she said.

Supervisory staff
One-year contracts were also signed with Food Service Director Lorraine Becker, Buildings and Grounds Director Larry Roos and District Financial Officer Marlene Mann.

Becker's salary increased from $23,040 to $24,256 representing a 5.7-percent increase for the more than nine months school is in session.

Roos, who works year-round, saw a 5-percent increase in his salary and benefits, bringing it from $39,000 to $40,144. This includes one additional week of vacation.

Mann's salary rose from $34,236 to $40,580, an 18.5-percent increase. She also received full single insurance coverage.

Her position is also year-round.

According to Schaefer, Mann's salary increase was due largely to a comparable worth study that showed she was paid significantly less than other similar positions in area districts held by people with similar qualifications.

"We needed to bring it up to equality," Schaefer said.

Administrators
An agreement was nearly reached with district administrators Tuesday afternoon, but a last-minute legal question forced negotiations to continue during an emergency meeting Wednesday afternoon.

The two-year administrative contracts affect Elementary Principal Melody Tenhoff, Middle School Principal Dave Deragisch and High School Principal Gary Fisher.

They also affect Community Education Director Karen Willers, Activities Director Harvey Crable and Curriculum Coordinator and Alternative School Director Jan Olson.

Administrators will see a 10-percent increase over the next two years - 5 percent this year (retroactive to July 1) and 5 percent next year.

Tenhoff's salary increased from $59,311 last year to $62,277 this year. An amount is not agreed on for next year.

Deragisch increased from $70,700 to $74,235. That will increase to $77,947 next year.

Fisher's salary was $73,915 last year and $77,611 this year. It will be $81,492 next year.

Willers's salary increased from $33,000 to $34,650, and will be $36,383 next year.

Last year, Crable earned $54,000 plus $3,400 for serving as equipment manager. His compensation for equipment manager will not change, but his salary this year increased to $56,700, and next year it will be $59,535.

Olson's salary did not increase by the straight 10 percent because her contract included two extra work days, and she also received eight paid holidays.

Last year she made $46,560. This year sheÕs earning $52,628, and next year she will make $56,312.

To the editor:
Hats off to the Star Herald staff for choosing to print the article about Joanne Olson's tragic death. Had you chosen not to print it, the truth about her life of fear and terrorizing death would not have become known.

Domestic violence-related deaths such as Joanne's occurred at least 31 times throughout Minnesota last year, but we also have victims of domestic violence in our community who are suffering silently each day such as JoAnne did until her death.

Maybe only Daryl knows why he chose to murder Joanne, but certainly his reasoning had nothing to do with her or the fact that she had asked for his help around the home. Daryl and other batterers do the terrible actions that they do because they believe that they have the right to.

Please let Joanne's life of terror and tragic death serve as a reminder that any of us could at any time unwittingly become a victim of domestic violence since domestic violence crosses all lines of gender, age, religion and culture. Also her death reminds us that domestic violence almost always escalates until the batterer takes responsibility for his/her actions, the victim takes action or death results.

Domestic violence-related injuries (mental, sexual or physical) and/or deaths will continue to happen until society (US!) dictates that it is not OK and will not be tolerated here or anywhere anymore. The good news is that domestic violence can be unlearned, like any other negative behavior, before tragedies like Joanne's happen.

Raevette Loonan
Southwest Crisis Center
Luverne

By Lori Ehde
Walkers and joggers can again be found on the Blue Mound Avenue bike path, and area residents have ventured outdoors to remove Christmas decorations and resume other seasonal outdoor activities.

This week's above-normal temperatures are appreciated even more than usual because of the sharp contrast to the winter conditions so far.

According to the National Weather in Sioux Falls, November was the sixth-coldest November on record, and December was the second-coldest December on record.

The average high last month was 16.4 degrees, and the average low was 1.2 degrees below zero.

By Sara Quam
Good-byes and greetings along with some basic housekeeping measures were main topics at MondayÕs Luverne City Council meeting.

Before the new aldermen and mayor formally signed on for their terms, Mayor Bill Weber bid farewell along with council members Alex Frick and Everett Brandenburg.

Weber thanked his friends and family for supporting him when his schedule put them second on his list of priorities. Weber started out as a council member and then became mayor. He said, "It's been a great 16 years."

He said that throughout his life, he's been able to travel and visit other cities. "I always come away with the feeling that no city is better taken care of than Luverne. It's been a privilege to know the city employees and citizens."

He wished the newly elected officials well and said he knew Luverne residents would keep their standards high as they have in the past. As for Weber, he said he will continue to follow local politics.

After the new council was sworn in, Mayor Glen Gust said, "I'm very, very excited about this job. We're going to keep Luverne on the map."

New council members are Tom Martius and David Hauge.

In other business Monday, the council:
- Passed a resolution in support of border city legislation efforts. The estimated cost is just under $30,000 for the year's lobbying fees. Mayor Gust and Aldermen Keith Erickson and Martius along with City Administrator Matt Hylen are meeting with Sen. Arlene Lesewski and Rep. Richard Mulder next week. The meeting will start the support network the city hopes to establish.

Last year the legislation was close to passing, but with so many new faces in Congress and on its committees, Luverne will have a harder fight this year. Gust said he was told by Mulder that citizen input is more important than the city representatives when trying to get legislative support for an issue like this.

"It may mean we have to work hard this year. And then we may have a shot at it the second year," Erickson said.

- Appointed Erickson as acting mayor in Gust's absence. Erickson is the senior-most council member.

- Designated the Rock County Star Herald as the official newspaper. The paper will carry meeting notices, hearings, etc.

- Set aside $2,100 to subsidize the Senior Citizen Center meal site utilities for the year, which is the same usually designated.

- Approved Gust's citizen appointments for 2001 boards and commissions.

By Jolene Farley
Warmer temperatures the past few weeks have brought area farmers relief after the sixth coldest November and second coldest December on record.

No matter how low temperatures dipped in November and December, farmers with livestock had to brave the cold.

At Hills Bros. Farms, Hills, Mike Sandager and his brother Pucky (Gene) ventured out every day to feed approximately 900 head of cattle.

The Sandagers feed them once a day at 3:30 in the afternoon. This schedule has worked well for them, according to Mike, but because the animals must keep eating evenly during cold weather they have to be careful to feed at the same time every day.

Hills Bros. Farms uses a two-phase feeding program. Calves 450 to 700 pounds are fed a diet high in roughage to build their frames. Cattle 700 to 1,200 pounds are fed a high corn ration to add weight. The cattle are sold when they weigh 1,200 pounds.

If the Sandagers suspect a storm is coming, the feed mix is adjusted. Cattle donÕt eat as much during a blizzard so they increase the long stem hay, which produces heat.

Hills Bros. Farms has lost only one animal to cold weather this winter. The business has been lucky, according to Mike.

He said cattle actually do better if they are out of the wind but not inside a shelter. If they are inside, they all bunch together and that creates heat. Heat causes moisture, and the cattle get wet. Then they go outside and the moisture freezes on their coats.

The Sandagers, like their cattle, endure the cold, "The key thing is to keep moving," said Mike. "If you are doing work you donÕt get cold."

They cover their faces with handkerchiefs or scarves. The tractor Mike uses to feed with doesnÕt have a cab. "I did freeze my ears one time," he said.

Winter means special problems for cattle producers. Cattle waterers freezing is a cold weather hazard. Heaters run continuously in the tanks to keep water thawed. This drastically increases electric bills for farmers.

Corn for the feed mix can freeze into large chunks, which can damage equipment.

Although Hills Bros. Farms suffered only one casualty this winter the Sandagers have a much subtler worry.

Cattle show a loss of weight gain during extreme weather because all the feed they're given serves only to maintain them - not to put on weight. This affects the farmers' end return. No weight gain means feeding an animal longer until it reaches the desired weight.

For example, Mike said they went a couple of weeks with no gains on their herd when the weather was so cold. Their cattle are gaining again since the temperature has warmed up.

It has been worse, Mike said, recalling the winter of 1996 being the worst. Winter started early and there was no break that year.

Snow was piled so high they couldn't get anywhere. The Sandagers did not own a tractor snow blower so they spent a lot of time scooping trenches next to fences. Snow drifted so high cattle could walk right out of the fences.

Purchasing a snow blower "has made life a lot simpler" for them this year.

Cattle farmers have enjoyed high prices last year and this year, at 70 to 76 cents per hundred weight. "It hasn't been that high for several years," Mike said.

But as with many agricultural markets, the costs of production are catching up with profits.

For example, with markets indicating another good year for feeder cattle, Mike said producers paid a premium this year for calves.

Also, hay prices are about three times higher this year due to lower supplies and increased demand.

"Last year we made about $50 per head, but this year, we're lucky if we break even or make $5 a head," Mike said.

He added that one good year of cattle prices is hardly enough to make up for the two years prior to last year, when cattle producers lost $50 to $100 a head.

By Sara Quam
Exsito has indeed left town - and probably the grocery shelves - for good.

This, after months of rumors, was discussed by the Economic Development Authority Tuesday.

Frank and Ruthann Patterson, owners of the tomato-based food processing business, were actually current with city payments up to a few months ago.

The city didn't try to recoup the late payments until December to give Exsito a chance to come through with what it owed.

The Pattersons, who now live in Rock Rapids, Iowa, under an unlisted number, owe about $50,000 to the city from a loan and guarantee to a local lender. A Chapter 13 bankruptcy was recently filed only in Ruthann's name.

The money owed to the city does not count the building, land and updates worth $215,000 the city completed in order for the Pattersons to operate there.

On a brighter note, the West Hatting Street building has a potential new occupant, according to LEDA director Tony Chladek.

After payments to the city stopped, staff investigated some of the company's claims and found that it hadn't been fully incorporated as was indicated.

"They had a very good product, but they just didn't cooperate," Keith Erickson, LEDA member said.

The city's relationship with the Pattersons started more than a year and a half ago.

The city often hears from businesses wanting to relocate or start in towns such as Luverne. Through some of these business-recruiting conferences, Luverne made a deal with Exsito that was actually less costly than many of the other options.

Part of Exsito's original contract called for it to create five jobs within two years that pay not less than $9 per hour with health insurance benefits. That, according to Ruthann, wasn't going to be a problem.

She told the Star Herald in September 1999 that she had agreements from Sam's Club and Super Valu to distribute the product. Ruthann even had intentions to expand the tomato products to include fresh-squeezed lemonade.

The ReiTech relocation
On another business recruiting venture, Chladek said he doesn't expect ReiTech to locate in Luverne. Despite Luverne's generous offer, South Dakota still has some benefits Luverne can't match.

ReiTech Corporation is a manufacturer and marketer of a safety device called Easy Off Power Control. It is installed on heavy equipment used in educational, industrial, food and home workshop settings.

The shut-off mechanism is designed to reduce machine accidents. The product is retrofitted to equipment like table saws. The fitting puts a large stop button at knee level which allows the operator to push the button with his knee while keeping hands free for work.

Chladek said he expects ReiTech to locate in Brookings, S.D., but that hasn't been confirmed to him.

The LEDA said this development should only spur citizens to support border legislation, which would help businesses, through tax incentives, that would otherwise locate in South Dakota.

City Administrator Matt Hylen believes ReiTech would already be operating out of Luverne if border city legislation was in place.

Hills-Beaver Creek snapped a two-game losing streak in girls' basketball by rolling to a 46-31 victory in Lake Benton Tuesday.

Becky Broesder scored 13 points to lead the Patriots in scoring, and Erin Boeve had a big night that included 12 rebounds, five blocked shots and three steals.

The win upped H-BC's record to 3-2 heading into a road game against Edgerton Public tonight.

H-BC played good basketball on both ends of the court while upending the Bobcats by 15 points.

The Patriots cashed in on 47 percent of their field goals and outrebounded LB 39-28. H-BC's tough defensive effort limited the Bobcats to 20-percent shooting from the floor.

An outstanding first half for the Patriots paved the way to victory.

H-BC opened a 14-2 lead in the first quarter and increased the difference to 24 points (27-3) at one point in the second quarter before settling for a 28-9 advantage at the intermission.

"We came out and got on top of them right away," said Patriot coach Tom Goehle. "We were very assertive offensively in attacking the basket, and we played well in transition. Those things set the tempo for the rest of the game."

Shanna Tilstra and Boeve led the first-half charge by scoring seven points each.

Broesder came up with a strong second half that featured her scoring seven points. Jamie Arp added seven points in the second half.

LB trimmed H-BC's lead to 15 points (35-20) by the end of the third quarter, and both teams netted 11 points in the fourth quarter.

Box score
C.Tilstra 0 0 0-0 0, Olson 0 0 1-2 1, Sandstede 0 0 0-0 0, Brandt 0 0 0-0 0, Rentschler 2 0 1-2 5, S.Tilstra 4 0 1-2 9, Broesder 4 0 5-9 13, DeNoble 0 0 0-0 0, Boeve 4 0 1-3 9, Arp 4 0 1-4 9.

Team statistics
H-BC: 18 of 38 field goals (47 percent), 10 of 22 free throws (45 percent), 39 rebounds, 27 turnovers.
LB: 10 of 51 field goals (20 percent), nine of 23 free throws (39 percent), 28 rebounds, 24 turnovers.