editorial
- By Sarah Stultz, Managing Editor, Albert Lea TribuneApril 24, 2024A significant discussion is taking place at the state Legislature in reaction to the recent announcement that eight community newspapers will close at the end of the month. Under a proposal in the Senate Education Policy Omnibus bill (SF 3567), school districts would no longer be required to publish their proceedings in newspapers and could instead move them to their own websites. We believe…
- April 17, 2024Just in time for next week’s Earth Day celebration, the Minnesota DNR has opened registration for summer 2024 “I Can!” programs in state parks and recreation areas. Getting outdoors and enjoying nature is the perfect way to observe Earth Day, which is Monday, April 22, and residents are encouraged to make the most of DNR programs. “At the DNR, we are passionate about empowering people to…
- April 03, 2024Law enforcement agencies and traffic safety partners are dedicating extra time in April to educate motorists and enforce the hands-free cell phone law while stopping other distracting behaviors. Distracted driving contributed to nearly 30,000 crashes in Minnesota from 2019-2023 (preliminary figures). The distracted driving extra enforcement and awareness campaign runs April 1-30 and focuses on…
- March 27, 2024Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is warning consumers of ongoing imposters targeting people across the Midwest. The warning follows a recent cyberattack against the UnitedHealth Group subsidiary, Change Healthcare, the largest health care payment system in the United States. The attack destabilized the health care industry across the country, and opportunistic criminals are taking…
- March 20, 2024Tuesday, March 19, was National Agriculture Day with the theme, “Agriculture: Growing a Climate for Tomorrow.” The celebration includes virtual and in-person events nationwide, and in Luverne, “Ag Day” became “Ag Week” at the Rock County Library. Library staff teamed up with Rock County Farm Bureau members and local ag businesses to celebrate agriculture. Monday was “Farm Show and Tell” as…
March 13, 2024This week, March 10-16, is National Sunshine Week, which celebrates and brings awareness to free and open access to public information and an accountable government. And it sheds light on the importance of community journalists in keeping the public informed. Laws requiring open meetings and public data exist for everyone, but journalists are trained to navigate the sometimes complicated avenues…- March 06, 2024The American Red Cross Minnesota and Dakotas Region is kicking off its annual Red Cross Month celebration to honor local community heroes who help ensure their neighbors never face crises alone. “We’re proud to honor the people in our community who step up to support one another when help can’t wait during emergencies,” said Leah Pockrandt, executive director of the Red Cross serving southwest…
- February 28, 2024World Teen Mental Wellness Day is observed across the globe on March 2 every year to raise awareness about challenges facing teens and how to improve their brain health. And in the Hills-Beaver Creek School District, students took charge of observing the day and carrying the message. (See this week’s news section for their story). During the month of February, they raised awareness, raised…
- February 07, 2024The unofficial motto of U.S. Postal Service is, "Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." Unfortunately, this motto is no longer observed at the U.S. Postal Service, as quality of mail delivery has steadily declined while postal rates are steadily increasing. The Star Herald last week published a Letter to…
- January 31, 2024We in Luverne have been proud of our local artist, Andrew Prekker, who submitted the winning proposal for Minnesota’s new state flag. Of more than 2,000 proposals, his was used as the base for the final flag design. It was a process that started more than four months ago with the goal of having the new flag and emblem in the State Capitol buildings by May 11, which is Statehood Day. Why did we…
- January 24, 2024January is Poverty Awareness Month, and it’s a good time to take stock of personal beliefs and biases. We in Rock County have a proud heritage of hard-working ancestors who withstood the hardships of wars and wilderness to build the communities and livelihoods we know today. And we’ve heard time and time again that anyone can succeed if they work hard enough. The subconscious message then is…
- January 17, 2024People in the communities of Rock County are known for their generosity — of time, talents, money and more. Another way to be generous is to give blood. It’s the one way to have the most impact in the sense it saves lives, literally. According to the American Red Cross, blood supplies have fallen to critically low levels, and many areas now face emergency blood shortages. In recent weeks, the…
- December 20, 2023Christians believe “God so loved the world that he gave his only son” to take away the sins of the world (John 3:16), and as such, Christmas is a celebration of the arrival of Jesus as told in the Bible’s second chapter of Luke: In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. … And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to…
- December 13, 2023It’s a wonderful time of year for giving and receiving gifts, and here in Rock County we have generosity down to a science — or at least a stroke of the keypad. The 2023 Christmas gift drive for our students in Luverne schools is wrapping up, and 44 families in the district will receive extra presents under their trees. Through the School Giving Tree, each child will receive two gifts and each…
- December 06, 2023Construction has started on Luverne’s giant nutcracker, and our social media announcement stirred a long string of comments, both positive and negative. As is the case with many community developments, some will support new initiatives, some will voice sincere reservations, and others are never happy. We welcome all kinds of feedback, but we can’t abide personal attacks, expletives and…
- November 15, 2023Shop online safely this holiday season The holiday season often brings a surge in cyber-attacks, and local banks are alerting customers of threats to watch for and tips to navigate the online world safely during the holidays. Phishing attacks: Phishing attacks involve cybercriminals posing as legitimate entities, often via emails or messages. They aim to trick recipients into revealing…
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