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Luverne celebrates Buffalo Days weekend

June 10, 2026

Luverne’s legendary Buffalo Days weekend unfolded June 4-7, ushering in the official start of summer. Lori Sorenson photos.

Filing period closes for city, county elections

Nicole Ronchetti

June 10, 2026

Now that the filing period for county and large city elections has closed as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 2, local races have started to take shape.

Here are the candidates who are seeking election to positions in Rock County and the city of Luverne.

Rock County District 2…

Candidates file for state and federal offices
By
Nicole Ronchetti
June 10, 2026
Minnesota’s candidate filing period ended at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 2. Here are the candidates who filed for state and federal offices affecting Rock County voters.

State Senator, Dist. 21

The current senator representing District 21 in the Minnesota Senate,…

Luverne group petitions to put charter amendment on ballot
By
Lori Sorenson
June 10, 2026
A group of Luverne residents is petitioning for a city charter amendment to form a “municipal services commission” that would operate the city’s public utilities.

The proposed amendment would reallocate supervisory and rate- and fee-setting authority from the city to the commission for…

Free bison burgers return to Blue Mounds June 13
By
Lori Sorenson
June 10, 2026
Free bison burgers will be served in the Blue Mounds State Park at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, June 13, which is also Minnesota’s “free park day,” so visitors will not be charged admission.

“The Blue Mounds State Park is a hidden treasure,” said Rick Serie with the Friends of the Blue Mounds…

Sports

Patriots girls bring home state track and field hardware
By
Greg Hoogeveen, sports editor
June 09, 2026
The Hills-Beaver Creek girls’ track and field team ran away with the 2026 Minnesota State High School League Team State Championship in St. Michael June 4-5. After the dust settled and the final results were tallied, the H-BC girls’ team topped all other Class A teams with 43 total team points and…

Cardinals place six on state meet track and field podium
By
Greg Hoogeveen, sports editor
June 09, 2026
Luverne placed five athletes and one team on the podium at the 2026 Class A Track and Field State meet in St. Michael June 4-5. In the two-day event, LHS collected two third-place finishes, one seventh-, one eighth-, one 15th- and one 16th-place finish in the finals. “Just getting to the state…

Luverne Baseball Association hosts annual Buffalo Days youth tournament
By
Greg Hoogeveen, sports editor
June 09, 2026
The Luverne Baseball Association hosted roughly 300 players on 22 youth teams and eight Junior Legion teams during the 2026 Buffalo Days celebration June 5-7. Games were held at Redbird Field, Joe Roberts Field and Riverside Park. Teams played in 9U (9 years old and under) 10U, 11U, 12U and…

Redbirds welcome LHS baseball graduates to the flock
By
Greg Hoogeveen, sports editor
June 09, 2026
The Luverne Redbirds played an abbreviated game against Fox Lake Sunday, June 7, falling 6-2 to the Foxes on the road. The Redbirds welcomed four recent LHS baseball graduates to the flock for the game. They were Blake Sauer, Landyn Lais, Josh Hansen and Maddox Domagala. Their inaugural game did…

Fourth annual Buffalo Days Run 4A Cause raises funds to normalize brain health conversations in local elementary schools
By
Lori Sorenson
June 09, 2026
The Buffalo Days Run 4A Cause returned to Luverne’s Buffalo Days Celebration for its fourth year Saturday, June 4, in the Luverne City Park. “The weather was absolutely beautiful, and we had great support from our runners and participants in the park,” said Lori Sorenson, who co-founded Carson’s…

LHS and H-BC qualify several individuals and teams for the Section 3A State Track and Field Meet June 4-5
By
Greg Hoogeveen, sports editor
June 03, 2026
Luverne and Hills-Beaver Creek track and field teams performed well at the Section 3A Championships in Pipestone Thursday, May 28. Both LHS and H-BC qualified several individuals and teams for the Class A State Tournament June 5-6 in St. Michael, Minn. “We were extremely pleased with how well the…

Columns

No more biscuits
By
Brenda Winter, columnist
As I enjoyed lunch with a friend, I suggested I might have a second biscuit when she (lovingly) pinched a bit of flubber on my waistline and said, “I think you’ve had enough biscuits.”

This was shortly after another friend told me of the success her co-workers were having with weight…
June 10, 2026

The burn dance card: how planned burns can benefit prairie habitats
By
Scott Rall, outdoors columnist

The past few weeks have been pretty frustrating for this outdoor guy. It is hard to have so much work on my to-do list and each day passes and none of it is getting done. The work I am referring to is my list of prescribed grassland fires. That list has been accumulating since last…
June 10, 2026

When 'old school' meets orange signs it's time to consult Google
Sometimes I’m proud to be “old school.”

I didn’t get a cell phone until 2006.

And I still haven’t adopted the use of GPS or other personal navigation technology.

That’s right; when I travel I use my trusty “mental map” or look at Google Maps to plan ahead.

I…
June 03, 2026

Celebrating community events in Luverne
By
RIck Peterson, general manager
The column count has now entered June, leaving just five columns left, counting this one, before my retirement on July 31.

One of the joys of this job is being involved in a whole host of community events. This weekend is Luverne’s annual Buffalo Days, and because of the Highway 75…
June 03, 2026

Obituaries

LaDell Petersen
June 10, 2026
Ruth LaDell Petersen was born to David and Gertrude (Frinkman) Thomas on Nov. 16, 1929, in Centerville, S.D. She grew up in Centerville and graduated from Centerville High School. After graduation, she worked in a dental office until she met Just Dewayne Petersen. On March 11, 1950, LaDell and…

Bradley Ver Steeg
June 10, 2026
Bradley “Brad” Ver Steeg, age 54, of Luverne, Minn., died on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at his home. Visitation was from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, June 8, at Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne with a prayer service at 7 p.m. Funeral service was at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 9, at the church. Burial followed…

Ruth Lorang
June 10, 2026
Ruth Ann Lorang, age 86, of Lismore, died Thursday June 4, 2026, at Parkview Manor Nursing Home in Ellsworth. Ruth was born Dec. 10, 1939, in Adrian Minn., to Louis P and Ida M (Ruffing) Hendel. She was raised on the Hendel farm north of Adrian with her five siblings and educated in St. Adrian…

Gerrit Kroontje
June 10, 2026
Gerrit Kroontje, age 93, of Leota, died Thursday, June 4, 2026, at the Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Visitation will be from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 13, at the Leota Community Church, North Campus.

Funeral will be Saturday at 10:45 a.m. at the Leota…

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