It is hard to believe, but it’s been a year since I started working at the Star Herald and Mary and I started a new chapter in our lives. In just the last year a tremendous amount of change has transpired in Luverne. John Call is the new city administrator, Gary Fisher is the new superintendent, and Donna Judson is the new middle/high school principal. We have the new Sioux Valley Medical Center complex, and along with that, the Highway 75 road project heading north out of town was completed. We have a new main street overlay and new lights to go with it. We have a new fire truck and soon a new addition to the fire station big enough to house it.We have had several new or expanded businesses in the past year. A few that come to mind include Glen’s Food and Gas Center, Family Dollar, DC Storage, Primary Residential Mortgage, Luverne Welding Shop and a new car wash on Highway 75. We should have had a new Dingmann Funeral Home by now, but that should happen soon. Several new owners have taken over or bought into existing businesses like Troy Tuma at the Howling Dog, Tammy Makram at the Coffey Haus, Mike and Dawn Vanden Top at Manitou Carpets, Jen Rolfs (partner) at The Furniture House, Terry and Chantel at Connell Car Care and Scott and Peggy Adams at Cragoe Realty. In addition, we’ve also seen several ambitious business owners expand, improve and/or relocate in the past year.For Mary and me, our first year in Luverne passed very quickly. We get asked a lot by old friends and new acquaintances how we like it here. The answer is always the same: we like it here very much.