Stormy weather, stormy politics mark 2004

By Lori EhdeThe year 2004 will be remembered in Rock County for stormy weather, stormy politics, construction projects and several accidents and crime stories.These highlights round out the Star Herald’s Top 10 news stories of 2004.Stormy weatherSpring of 2004 started out with a bang — or rather a loud crack of thunder.
The May 13 edition of the Star Herald featured spectacular photos submitted by area residents of twisters that touched down northeast of Luverne.Some farms, like Brad Scott’s, had structural damage, but no one was injured.
The June 3 Star Herald reported on a storm that produced 90-mph winds that flattened building and downed power lines.Pea-sized hail fell briefly in Luverne, but there were no reports of damage to crops. That came in the next storm …
The July 15 Star Herald reported on a thunderstorm that delivered heavy rain, hail and 60-mph winds that stripped and flattened local cornfields.Some crops bounced back, but farmers later cursed that July storm during their 2004 harvest. They had to slowly drive equipment across the rows to properly feed the "goose- necked" corn stalks into the combine heads.
Mother nature delivered her heaviest blow on Aug. 3 with a violent thunderstorm that left a permanent mark on the city of Luverne.The national weather service reported 90-mph winds, but when the dust settled, it looked like a tornado had struck, and the trees were the hardest hit.Previously shady neighborhoods were left blinking in bright sunlight as damaged old trees were cleared out and hauled away.Stormy politics
Just when the weather quieted down, local politics started heating up, and in November, City of Luverne voters rejected incumbents at the polls. Write-in candidate Esther Frakes started a late campaign, but she got enough votes to overcome Tom Martius. The end tally was 782 to 545 for the North Ward seat. Maynard Lafrenz challenged David Hauge for the South Ward alderman spot and won. There the votes were 568 and 447. Luverne will also have a new mayor, with current Mayor Glen Gust not filing for office again. Both Andy Steensma and Alex Frick were new to run for the office. Steensma earned 1,832 votes, compared to Frick’s 621.
At the core of the political discussion in Luverne this year was the ongoing debate over joint law enforcement in Luverne and Rock County.City officials have questioned the fairness of the current contract to city taxpayers, and alternative payment scenarios have been exchanged between city and county. But not renewing the contract would mean a return to a separate city police department and sheriff department, and the shared dispatch services would be uncertain.Big tent celebrationFortunately, there were plenty of bright spots to counter the dark political undertones in Rock County.
In April, a festive party under a big circus tent on Main Street celebrated Luverne’s good fortune in being Minnesota’s first JOB Zone to attract an out-of-state business. Gov. Tim Pawlenty was on hand to welcome Total Card Inc.’s South Dakota business expansion to Minnesota. In addition to the tax benefits of Minnesota’s new JOBZ legislation, Luverne’s large, finished former Tri-State Insurance building, along with solid telecommunications infrastructure, sealed the deal with Total Card. The credit card company now employs 58 people in Luverne, and it’s still growing.Hospital, water tower change north horizon
A story that was big news when it started in 2003 is even bigger news in 2004 as it materializes.Footings were poured last fall for Sioux Valley’s new hospital and clinic campus in Luverne, but today the walls are up, windows are in and the impressive structure has forever changed the northern landscape of the city.Doors are scheduled to open in summer of 2005.
Speaking of permanent changes, the 175-foot water tower on the Sioux Valley campus went up in December, putting an exclamation point on Luverne’s steadily changing northern horizon. It will hold 300,000 gallons of water when it’s filled next summer and improve water pressure throughout northern neighborhoods.Wind towers change prairie landscapes
Other structures changing Rock County horizons are the wind turbines near Hills and Beaver Creek.Seven new wind turbines began turning in November near Beaver Creek, bringing the total number of wind turbines in Rock County to 11.The Beaver Creek wind towers are a sister operation to the four turbines northeast of Hills, which began producing energy in October 2002.Even more than the physical impact the looming structures make on the landscape is the local economic impact of producing renewable energy in Rock County.Both campuses are owned/managed by Minwind Energy, a limited liability corporation made up of 250 member investors — mostly farmers — in southwest Minnesota.With all 21 blades turning (three blades per each of the seven new towers), the turbines in the new project alone will produce enough electricity to meet 90 percent of the city of Luverne’s needs.Overhauling OakleyOn a much smaller scale, but a much greater direct human impact, the Oakley Street reconstruction project dragged on for a good portion of 2004.The $1.6 million project wrapped up in September, much to the joy of residents who for months put up with the inconvenience of having their driveways and sidewalks torn up.Luverne man arrested for grand theftThe top crime story in Rock County for 2004 is unquestionably the arrest of Luverne’s Terry Hoffman for his involvement in roughly $250,000 worth of stolen property in three states.Hoffman was arrested Dec. 8 for possession of stolen property, and now he’s in the Minnehaha Jail in Sioux Falls where he faces charges of grand theft.So far there have been no other arrests, and investigators are still gathering evidence.Ongoing battle against methamphetaminesAn ongoing crime story, but always a major news item is the rural battle between local law enforcement and the abuse and sale of meth.In 2004, the Star Herald reported on several meth busts and related crimes, but a story on May 6 outlined the long-term human costs of the drug.The bad news is that the drug is more widely used and abused than ever, but the good news is that the public is more educated and people are helping law enforcement arrest users and sellers.AccidentsStories about motor vehicle accidents appear regularly in all local newspapers, but in the Star Herald, two stand out as particularly notable.In September, a motorist crashed a car into the Edward Jones building on the corner of Main Street and Freeman Avenue. No one was seriously injured, but it created quite a scene and caused severe damage to the office.In what may well be the saddest motor vehicle accident of 2004, a little girl was killed in a tractor-train collision near Hills in November. Seven-year-old Josie Dilly was killed instantly when the tractor she was riding in was struck by a train. Her uncle, Jonathan Pap, survived with minor injuries.