Remember When July 11, 2019

10 years ago (2009)
•It’s no secret that students can’t learn on empty stomachs, yet hungry children arrive in classrooms every day ­– even in Luverne.
Public schools provide free or reduced meals for these children through the National School Lunch Pro-gram, and this keeps them fed during the school day.
But what happens when they go home on the weekends?
Educators are increasingly seeing the effects of hunger in children who don’t have adequate weekend nutrition, and concerned volunteers are working to get food to these homes.
The BackPack Program, as it’s called, sends discrete packages of food home with students on Fridays so they can return on Mondays ready to learn.
 
25 years ago (1994)
•After more than 58 years of marriage, Luverne’s Al and Barbara Bot are in a good position to give advice on love.
They had opportunity Monday when they were interviewed for a book, “50 States of Love.”
A young couple, Mike and Nicole Boschen, are on a quest to interview couples in each of the 50 states about their thoughts on love and marriage.
Specifically, they are interviewing couples married 50 years or longer, and the book will attempt to address what true love really means.
The Bots will represent Minnesota in the book.
 
50 years ago (1969)
•A new post office is scheduled for the village of Steen.
The Post Office Department yesterday advised Congressman Ancher Nelsen that it is inviting bids on larger postal quarters for Steen postal patrons. The general business area of Steen is the desired location. The net interior of the building should contain 640 square feet and there should be platform space of 80 square feet and parking space of 2200 square feet. The building is to be leased for five years, with two three-year renewal options.
 
75 years ago (1944)
•A report that two soldiers from the Sioux Falls army air base were being shot at by some unidenti-fied person or persons led Sheriff Roberts to investigate the trouble about 3 a.m. Sunday.
Sheriff Roberts received the call from Beaver Creek where the two soldiers had reported the shooting to Nightwatchman Pete Drowden. They claimed that a car had followed them into Beaver Creek, and the nightwatchman emptied his gun on the car, but it did not stop.
The soldiers said they were hitchhiking and were shot at near the service station, at the north side of Valley Springs. An Albert Lea man gave them a ride as far as Beaver Creek.
The sheriff and the two men drove to Valley Springs but found no clues which would lead to the identity of the persons involved or their reasons for shooting.
 
100 years ago (1919)
•Every coach of north-bound Rock Island passenger train No. 417 left the track Tuesday forenoon at 11:20 o’clock at a point opposite the R. B. Scott, or former Hazard farm, three miles north of this city, when the water tank of the engine jumped the rails, rolled down the embank-ment and landed upside down. The engine was the only part of the train that remained on the rails.
None of the passengers or train crew was injured, except Mail Clerk Geo. Northrup, who sustained minor lacerations upon his head.
The two passenger coaches retained an upright position on the road bed, but the baggage coach crashed over the grade, while the mail car hung perilously in the balance until in the work of clearing up the track it was uncoupled from the passenger coaches, when it went over the grade. …
The regular north-bound passenger made its trip that day and the first south-bound passenger to reach the city arrived at 3:05 p.m. This train brought the damaged baggage car to Luverne, and it was placed on a siding to await repairs.