column
By Lori Sorenson, editorMay 10, 2023Once upon a time there was a little blond boy who grew up near Luverne between the Rock River and Blue Mounds State Park. He was made of “snips and snails and puppy dogs’ tails,” with boundless energy and an effervescent love for life. Behind his blue eyes sparks of mischief and brilliance. He’d leap out of bed at sunrise and grab his bicycle and pole to go fishing in Hallett’s Pond on…
By Lori SorensonMay 09, 2023Once upon a time there was a little blond boy who grew up near Luverne between the Rock River and Blue Mounds State Park. He was made of “snips and snails and puppy dogs’ tails,” with boundless energy and an effervescent love for life. Behind his blue eyes sparks of mischief and brilliance. He’d leap out of bed at sunrise and grab his bicycle and pole to go fishing in Hallett’s Pond on Darling’s…
By Scott Rall, outdoors columnistMay 09, 2023Which way is the wind going to blow today? There is little doubt why southwest Minnesota is covered up with wind towers. Worthington has been the site for the National Wind Surfing Regatta several times over the past 10 years with Lake Okabena, considered the second windiest place over water in the state, right in the town of Worthington. Almost everything I do in April and May is affected by the…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianMay 09, 2023Christian Boisen, Luverne, Owned Luverne’s First “Juke” Box Although there is no sworn statement on file, it is believed that Chris Boisen, Luverne, had Luverne’s first “juke” box. Before going any farther, it might be well to explain that the “nickelodeon” brought here by Mr. Boisen could hardly be compared with the gaily colored coin phonographs of today, but it cost as much,…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterMay 02, 2023Each day in May I’m walking at least 9,000 steps, and walking more than four miles a day allows for a lot of thinking. A recent New York Times article with the headline, “Lean into negative emotions. It’s the healthy thing to do,” has me thinking differently. It appears when we experience a bad feeling, we don’t have to love the feeling. We just have to try to feel neutral about it. The study…
By Rick Peterson, general managerMay 02, 2023It’s the first week of May, and until this week it felt more like March. Prom has passed, citywide cleanup is in the books, and Mother’s Day and the Minnesota fishing opener are just around the corner. Driver, beware, because this week is garage sale week. Some sales start on Wednesday, but for the most part Thursday through Saturday are the big days. Traffic through the neighborhoods will be…
By Scott Rall, outdoors columnistApril 25, 2023When you read about the conservation efforts of the current-day participants, there are many great stories to read about. I was able to meet five very unique people back in 2014. These were the finalists in the Field and Stream Heroes of Conservation contest. I was fortunate enough to be among them. They hailed from all over the United States. There were folks who were cleaning up rivers in the…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianApril 25, 2023The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group that began in the January 7, 1943, issue of the Rock County Star Herald. Members of this group consist of persons of age 75 and older. The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on September 23, 1943. Maybe you knew him as the “shoemaker in back of the Handy grocery.” Or maybe as the man who made harness for Burley and Kennicott…
By Lori Sorenson, editorApril 18, 2023We had cake in the office Tuesday to celebrate my 30 years as Star Herald editor. I love what I do, and I cherish the role of a weekly paper in a community, so it’s definitely worth celebrating. Thirty years sounds impressive, but it’s just on par with countless feature stories we’ve written about people in their jobs for 30 or more years. When I started at the Star Herald in April 1993, Charlie…- By Troy Christianson, Minnesota State PatrolApril 11, 2023Question: Are smoked tail lights illegal in Minnesota? Answer: Minnesota law states that “tail lamps shall be plainly visible from a distance of 100 feet to the rear during normal sunlight and at night.” The same goes for turn signals and headlights. Smoking, tinting, covering or placing any material over tail lights, brake lights, headlights or turn signals would be illegal and unsafe as they…
By Brenda Winter, columnistApril 04, 2023Like most of you, I have an opinion about the proposed 75-foot-tall plastic nutcracker intended to enhance tourism by drawing travelers off I-90. My opinion is, “Not in my back yard!” However, I live on the north end of Luverne and the nutcracker will be on the south end of Luverne, so it won’t be in my backyard. Therefore, I’m good with the whole plan. I’ve learned a great coping skill from my…
By Rick Peterson, general managerApril 04, 2023Don’t know about you, but I am ready for baseball, track, golf, tennis and some softball. Our high school spring sports preview section is in today’s paper. Right out of the starting blocks, many of the scheduled games and events have been rescheduled because of winter hangover. The problem with postponing spring games is that the window to reschedule them is so short. Compounding that problem…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianApril 04, 2023The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group that began in the January 7, 1943, issue of the Rock County Star Herald. Members of this group consist of persons of age 75 and older. The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on Sept. 9, 1943. (Continued from last week’s Star Herald.) Emma Hamann worked hard for her salary, though, for her job meant getting up at 5 a.m. in…
By Lori Sorenson, editorMarch 28, 2023It’s been said that for every tragedy there is a miracle to make up for it somewhere else. I don’t know who says this or if it actually happens, but I hope it’s true. Sometimes in grief after tragedy, hope is all we have. … Well, that and prayer. Lots of prayer. … By lots of good people who have been very good to us. In the days and months following the Sept. 13, 2022, death of our Carson, many…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterMarch 21, 2023As the weekly blizzards keep bearing down on Rock County this winter, the library is providing me with some needed sunshine. Thank goodness for an electronic connection to the Plum Creek Library System. I haven’t needed to worry about not having a good book available, and with road closures being a weekly occurrence, there’s no stress of returning books on time. The easy access is much…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistMarch 21, 2023I, as well as many of you, am getting weary of winter. The lengthening hours of daylight and warmth of the sun on the days we see it are encouraging. A road trip to Sioux Center yesterday (Sunday) to visit a relative showed lots of open ground, a sharp contrast to our white landscape and the snow-piled road ditches. My therapy this week is to go and cut a few branches of pussy willow, apricot and…
You must log in to continue reading. Log in or subscribe today.