luverne
By Lori SorensonJanuary 21, 2026Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan was in Luverne Saturday night sharing her vision for Minnesota seeking the DFL endorsement for U.S. Senate. (The seat is currently held by Sen. Tina Smith who is not seeking re-election this fall.) Flanagan spoke to roughly 50 people gathered in the Generations Events Center in Luverne about her Minnesota childhood with a single mom who relied on food stamps…- January 21, 2026Jana R. Wilson, age 79, of Luverne, died Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at her home. Visitation was from 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20, at the Dingmann Funeral Home in Luverne; and was also one hour prior to the service at the church on Wednesday. Funeral was at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Bethany Lutheran Church, in Luverne, officiated by Pastor Andrew Malmquist. Burial was in the Sunset Rest Cemetery in…
January 21, 2026Robert “Bob” Fick, age 88, of Luverne, Minnesota, passed away on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at the Good Samaritan Society – Mary Jane Brown Home in Luverne. Visitation was Thursday, Jan. 15, from 4-7 p.m. at Hartquist Funeral Home in Luverne. Funeral service was at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 16, with visitation at 10 a.m. at Peace Lutheran Church in Rock Rapids, Iowa. Burial followed at Maplewood Cemetery…
January 21, 2026Sally (Vercella) Hemenway, a dedicated educator and lifelong adventurer, passed away peacefully Jan. 12, 2026, leaving behind a legacy of kindness, learning and love. Born in 1938, in Luverne, Minnesota, to Alvin Olson and Thilda Knudtson, Sally’s journey began in the heart of the Midwest. After graduating from Luverne High School, she followed her passion for education to Mankato State…
January 21, 2026Janet Mary (Weis) Gibson, 88, of Luverne, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on Jan. 13, 2026, at Good Samaritan Village in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Born July 23, 1937, in Wilmont, Minnesota, Janet grew up in Adrian, Minnesota, and later made her home in Luverne, Minnesota. She graduated from Adrian High School in 1955 and earned her LPN from St. Mary’s School of Nursing in Rochester, Minnesota…
January 21, 2026Janice Carol Schei, age 86, of Luverne, Minnesota, died on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at the Luverne Hospice Cottage. Visitation was from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18, at Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne. Funeral service was at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 19, at Grace Lutheran Church. Interment followed at Maplewood Cemetery in Luverne. Arrangements were under the care of Hartquist Funeral Home -…
January 21, 2026Wanda Mae Kafka, age 85, of Luverne, died Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at the Avera-McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She was born April 18, 1940, in Mound Township, rural Rock County, to Hans and Etta (Bruining) Lafrenz. She attended country school District 11 in Mound Township and later graduated from Luverne High School. Wanda married LaVern Kafka on April 5, 1959, at the Bethany…
By Lori SorensonJanuary 14, 2026One way to measure a community’s growth over time is to track the number of building permits issued for construction. The city of Luverne issued fewer building permits in 2025 than in the prior year, but the permitted projects still represented a respectable list. Luverne building official Chad McClure compiled a building report for 2025 that shows he issued 160 permits for projects, with…
January 14, 2026Henry Dale Zwaan, age 84, of Luverne, was called home by the Lord on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. He was born on Sept. 13, 1941, by Doon, Iowa, and was the son of Nick and Bertha Zwaan. Henry grew up on a farm east of Doon, where he spent his life nurturing the land, embodying the spirit of hard work and dedication that is the hallmark of a true farmer. Henry married the love of his life, Carol Ann…- By Rev. Dr. Steven Voris, First Presbyterian Church, LuverneJanuary 14, 2026In their 2023 book, The Great Dechurching, Jim Davis and Michael Graham point out that 40 million adults used to go to church in the United States but no longer do. They list a plethora of reasons people used for quitting church, including bad experiences with church leadership, mingling of faith and politics, loss of faith, simply not looking for a new church after a move, intolerance of…
By Lori SorensonJanuary 07, 2026In an after-hours announcement Monday, Fareway corporate outreach staff dropped a press release and social media post that the Luverne store will soon close. “I want to share an important update regarding our Luverne Meat Market location,” communications vice president Elias Johnson wrote in an email with a press release attached. “After careful consideration and review, we have made the…
January 07, 2026James Poole Dahlberg, 75, of Morehead, Kentucky, died from complications of Parkinson’s Disease at the Life Care Center on Dec. 28. He was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in 1950, the second child of Donna (Poole) and Ernie Dahlberg, and grew up in Luverne, Minnesota. As a teenager he enjoyed playing in the rock band The Empty Set, touring Minnesota, Iowa and South Dakota. Jamie graduated…- January 07, 2026Henry Dale Zwaan, age 84, of Luverne, died Thursday, Jan. 1, 2025, at the Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Home in Luverne. A time of fellowship will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19, at the American Reformed Church in Luverne. A celebration of his life will be at 1:30 p.m. Monday at the American Reformed Church, in Luverne, officiated by Pastor Mike Altena. Burial will be in the…
- By Pastor Jeremy Jacob, Blue Mounds Baptist Church, LuverneJanuary 07, 2026Well, if you are reading this today, I assume that you successfully survived another Christmas. Christmas is a wonderful time of year, but it can also be a hectic one. Unfortunately, the weariness of the Christmas season often stems from the spiritual meaning of Christ's birth being drowned out by the noise of commercialism. The gift God gave us in Jesus has been replaced by the special gift you…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianDecember 30, 2025The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group and it appeared in The Rock County Herald on Jan. 22, 1942. The fear of contracting one of the most dreaded of diseases, human cholera, was one of the many experiences in the life of Ernest Kiebach, Sr., of this city. The fear was even greater under the circumstances, than it would have been under ordinary conditions, for he,…- By Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, St. John Lutheran Church, LuverneDecember 30, 2025Every January arrives with a sense of ceremony. The calendar flips, the ball drops and the confetti falls. And with this passing ritual, we sometimes tell ourselves, often with great sincerity, that this time things will be different! This new year will be a new me! Well, if that is you, you are not alone. The ancient Romans gave January its name from Janus, their god with two faces, who looked…
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