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10 years ago (2010)
•On Wednesday, Dec. 30, postal carrier Dennis Brady completed his 10-mile drive and 10.5-mile walk for the last time.
For 32 years Brady has spent 6 1/2 hours per day en route. “The street is my office,” he said.
At that average rate, if Brady had worn a pedometer, he would have clocked 96,768 miles in his career; each year he walked the distance from the East Coast to the West Coast without ever leaving Luverne. 
Keeping with the postal service motto, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night has stayed this courier from the swift completion of his appointed rounds.”  …
In his retirement, Brady and his wife, Linda, are planning on spending time watching their five grandchildren and attending their activities. …
The Bradys plan to relocate to the southern Black Hills, where Dennis hopes to spend time brook and rainbow trout fishing.
 
25 years ago (1995)
•Tri-State Insurance Company is experiencing growing pains. In the next 10 years, the company anticipates hiring more than 70 additional employees at its Luverne location.
The company currently employs 149 people. With the anticipated growth, 30 of these 70 new hires are expected in the next year.
“We need to do something,” company president Curt Bloemen-daal said Tuesday. “We’re very tight on space.”
According to Bloemendaal, Tri-State is considering a few different option: opening a branch in an eastern state near some of its newer clients, moving all or part of the operations west to Sioux Falls (for better business climate), or expanding its existing facility on Roundwind Road in Luverne. 
 
50 years ago (1970)
•An additional 80-acre tract has been purchased by the State of Minnesota to enlarge Blue Mounds State Park, Sen. John L. Olson announced. The property, owned by Vernon Noll, extends a half mile east from U.S. 75, and is bordered on the south by CSAH No. 8. At the same time, Noll has given the state a five-year option to purchase the east 80 acres, which includes the south bluff of the Mounds. Noll lives on this property at the present time.
Under the terms of the agreement to sell the west 80, Noll will rent the land, and farm it until it is developed as park property. He will also pay taxes on it as long as he has use of the land.
 
75 years ago (1945)
•Contracts for the erection of the 300,000-gallon water tank and for a new 175-foot smoke stack at the power plant were let Tuesday night by the city council.
With a bid of $29,600 the Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel Co., of Des Moines, was the successful bidder for construction of the new water tank, which will be erected just a bit west of the present standpipe. …
Work on the “footing” for the 300,000-gallon water tank, which will be erected on a suitable tower, will start as soon as the frost is out of the ground.
 
100 years ago (1920)
•Through the initiative of the Misses Elfie Olson and Freda Dibbern in recognizing a stranger and insisting that he accompany them to the City drug store in order to explain a purchase made there with a worthless check, Rock county officials are convinced that the person responsible for the passing of at least two forged checks on drug stores of this city has been apprehended.
The person accused of these offenses is Walter E. Ross, a young man 21 years of age, who has been staying in Luverne for the last few months, working at odd jobs from time to time. He is now held at the county jail, awaiting disposal of his case. Ross landed in the toils of the law early Saturday evening, just twenty-four hours after he had cashed a check, for $38.40 drawn on the Farmers’ National bank, of this city to which had been forged the name of E. Trunell. The check was payable to Walter James and was presented at the City drug store in payment for a $6.00 manicure set, the accused man receiving the difference in cash.
The check was taken Friday evening during the supper hour, while Mr. and Mrs. Connell were at home, and the Misses Dibbern and Olson were in charge of the drug store, but it was not until Saturday noon when Mr. Connell made a deposit at a bank that it was discovered that the check was of no value.
It was then supposed that the young man who had cashed the check had undoubtedly left the city, but when Miss Dibbern returned from dinner and learned of the character of the check, she recalled that she had seen the man while on her way to the store.

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