Hills

The city of Hills is looking toward the future as council members agreed to hire a third party to develop a strategic plan for the community of 694 residents. Chris Webb with the Southwest Regional Development Commission in Slayton will lead city officials through the months-long process beginning early next year. The $12,000 contract, approved Dec. 12, is to provide public leaders a framework…

This will seem like an unusual article for this time of the year, and my life will never be normal again, so please bear with me. I like to use Christian music to find my way these days. I usually find a piece of scripture and tie them together to try to make sense of what I am feeling. Since Dec. 21, 2021, nothing makes sense. That is the day that my son died. It was senseless to me, and yet I…

Santa (portrayed by Joey Streeter) visited the Hills American Legion Monday night as part of the HBCS (Helping Building Communities Stronger) committee-sponsored Appreciation Supper. Area children waited in line for pictures and to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. Jacobson Park was officially lit Monday night for the the HBCS Appreciation Supper. Committee member Cory Metzger said the…

Citing time constraints, Hills City Council member Stacen Burgers resigned his position on the governing board. In his resignation letter, he said his resignation was effective immediately. “I no longer have the time needed to give the attention this position needs, as my full-time job has added additional duties to my position,” he wrote. “I am grateful for having the opportunity to serve in…

Bernard “Bernie” Dale Stoltenberg, 78, died peacefully on Nov. 3, 2023. He was a longtime resident of Brandon, South Dakota. A private family service will be held at a later date. Bernie will be buried next to his mother and uncles in New Woodlawn Cemetery, Pipestone, Minnesota. Bernie “Bernie” Dale Stoltenberg was born in Hendricks, Minnesota, to Anna Mae Stoltenberg on July 5, 1945. He grew…

A cadet program with the Hills Area Volunteer Fire Departments is exposing high school students to fire fighting in their community. The latest cadets are H-BC senior Logan Susie and junior Sawyer Bosch. At age 17, they can’t apply to be full-fledged volunteers until they reach age 18. Until then, they are gaining valuable experience. As cadets, they respond to 911 calls like the full-fledged…

Township residents will soon have an expanded recycling shed after commissioners approved the purchase of two additional containers. The recycling location in Beaver Creek will have an additional bay added to house a second 6-yard container, while the 9-foot-by-12-foot shed in Hills will receive needed repairs. Commissioners approved $4,400 for the two rear-load containers plus up to $5,000…

Joanne Faye Goehle, 89, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, at Tuff Memorial Home of Hills, Minnesota. Funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Hills, Minnesota. Burial will follow at the Trinity Cemetery near Steen, Minnesota. Visitation will be Friday, Oct. 13, from 5-7 p.m., with the family present, at…

Eighteen smoked-meat enthusiasts gathered in Jacobson Park in Hills Saturday for the Fourth Annual Smokefest. Doug Chapman was crowned “Smoker” with the best-tasting ribs and earned $500. Carl Heikes was awarded second place ($200) and Chris Antholz was third-best smoker ($100.) Saturday’s event, hosted at the city park, was the first time the event became communitywide. “We wanted to make…

Editor’s note: Corrected to reflect total investment and fee revenues   0928 Hills Levy 2024   Hills sets preliminary levy at half percent increase for 2024   By Mavis Fodness Increases in insurance and law enforcement prompted Hills City Council members to raise the levy for 2024 by just over a half percent at .529. The increase will add $761 to the 2024 budget, which covers a projected…

The following appeared in The Rose History in 1911.   Rock County Village of Hills continued from 7-09-20 edition of the Star Herald.   The Churches — Hills has three active church organizations, the Immanuel Norwegian Evangelical Union (Synod), the United Norwegian Lutheran and the Trinity Norwegian Lutheran Free. For many years the Presbyterian society also maintained an organization, and the…

The following appeared in The Rose History in 1911.   Rock County Village of Hills continued from 7-02-20 edition of the Star Herald.            Since Hills has become an incorporated town, its growth has been steady. Over $30,000 were expended on building improvements in 1904. The state census of 1905 gave the town a population of 320. In 1908 the building improvements footed up over $15,000 and…

The following appeared in The Rose History in 1911.   Rock County Village of Hills, continued from 6-25-20 edition of the Star Herald.   Hills became an incorporated municipality in 1904. It had a population to warrant taking the step ten years before, but the fear of many of the residents that incorporation would result in the licensing of saloons precluded taking any action at that time. In the…

The following appeared in The Rose History in 1911.   Rock County Village of continued from 6-18-20 edition of the Star Herald.   The next item we have to consider in the history of Hills was also an important one — no less than the removal of the entire business section of the town. The village was originally located three blocks west of the present location, on low ground. In 1893 F. C. Finke…

The following appeared in The Rose History in 1911.   Rock County Village of continued from 6-11-20 edition of the Star Herald.   The growth of Hills during 1892 was substantial and its permanency was assured. It distanced some of the neighboring villages and boasted a larger growth than its rivals.9 Among the new enterprises of the year were the town’s first hotel by T. O. Strandness, a bank…

The following appeared in The Rose History in 1911.   Rock County Village of Hills, continued from 6-4-20 edition of the Star Herald.            In April the store building of Jacobson & Sexe was moved across the fields from Bruce, and early in May that firm opened a general store one block north of the Thompson store. The same month A. T. Sexe moved his lumber yard from Bruce and installed P…