column
By Brenda Winter, columnistApril 03, 2024One of the last pictures of my mom is of her in the garden picking zinnias. We actually used it for the cover of her funeral folder. She’s smiling at the camera, clippers in one hand and a bunch of fresh-cut zinnias in the other. We had no idea that 12 short weeks later, cancer would take her from the garden and from us. Her beautiful silver hair glistens in the sunshine. Her blue eyes twinkle…- By Pastor Andrew Palmquist, Bethany Lutheran Church, LuverneApril 03, 2024In the news an Illinois man was released from prison after serving nearly 30 years for murder. A fresh examination of DNA evidence proved he wasn’t the killer. “I feel vindicated,” he said. To be vindicated is to be cleared of guilt or to be proven right. At Easter who needed to be vindicated? Our Lord. On Good Friday it sure looked like Jesus was wrong. He was put on trial by Jewish leaders…
By Lori Sorenson, editorMarch 27, 2024Friday started cold and gray, but inside the elementary school gymnasium in Beaver Creek, the atmosphere was bright and festive. It was Pie Day (not the math day for pi), the day Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary kids could throw pies at the H-BC High School kids. It was a long-awaited and highly anticipated event following a weekslong Penny War between student councils — the littles vs. the teens…
By RIck Peterson, general managerMarch 27, 2024Last month, February had an extra day, yet it always is the shortest month every year. March has its regular complement of 31 days as always, but for some reason it seems to have gone on forever. One thought as to why March seems to never end this year is because we’ve had a hint of four different seasons the last four weeks. Sub-freezing temps followed by mid-summer temps. Throw in a touch of…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterMarch 20, 2024Next week the Star Herald will publish its annual Home, Lawn and Garden special section. For this year’s feature in that edition, I interviewed Madison Ziegler who recently started Carzel Interior Solutions in Luverne. Among other things, her business finds solutions to the clutter we tend to collect in our homes. After talking with Madison, I’ve decided to do some decluttering by joining…
By Scott Rall, Outdoors columnistMarch 20, 2024I recently did a podcast with Ron Shara Productions host Travis Frank about volunteering. If you would like to listen to it, search “The Flush Podcast.” We spoke for about an hour about what motivates a person to volunteer for 40 years to the same organization. This is the length of time I have been working on behalf of Pheasants Forever. I recently was named as the first-ever Pheasants Forever…
By Brenda Winter, columnistMarch 13, 2024A year ago, from atop a 10-foot snow pile in the field next to our house, I took an “aerial” picture of 5 feet of snow covering our backyard. I’m not usually 10 feet above the yard, so I thought the angle was interesting. It was March 12 and the day’s high was 39 degrees. Yesterday, wearing T-shirts, we burned the grass off the asparagus bed at the farm and cleared out the flower bed. The tulips…
By RIck Peterson, general managerMarch 13, 2024From the cheap seats over the weekend I experienced the agony of defeat and the thrill of victory. Believe it or not, the agony and thrill happened in the same game. Like most of the country, I have become a fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes and Caitlin Clark. I was going to watch the Sunday Big 10 Championship game from my cheap seat in the garage. Not realizing the game was slated to start at 11 a.m…
By Lori Sorenson, editorMarch 06, 2024I’ve made it a habit to pay for gas at the pump to avoid convenience store snacks and beverages, but when Luverne’s long-awaited Kwik Trip opened last month, I went inside to check it out. Yes, the store lived up to the hype of bright lighting, clean restrooms, fresh food and happy helpers. However, as a lifelong coffee drinker with an affection for strong brews, I gravitated to the Kwik Trip…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianMarch 06, 2024The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group that began in the January 7, 1943, issue of the Rock County Star Herald. Members of this group consist of persons of age 75 and older. The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on May 4, 1944. John Gunderson explains coming to American in 1902, making his way to Wisconsin in October and working at a lumber camp. He was…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterFebruary 28, 2024In an era of political correctness, I’m happy to see a state agency is not shying away from humor, and it comes from an unlikely department: the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Eight years ago, the Department of Transportation began “Message Mondays,” where the state’s electronic message boards along state highways and interstates display safety messages to travelers. The target…
By RIck Peterson, general managerFebruary 28, 2024Every four years Feb. 29 shows up on the calendar, and for some it’s their birthday. To those folks I say, “Happy Birthday.” For me and thousands of pheasant hunting enthusiasts, it means it’s Sioux Falls’ turn to host the Annual Pheasant Fest. This year’s event kicks off on Friday for three days of all things pheasant hunting. There is literally something for everyone. Over 400 exhibitors will…
By Brenda Winter, columnistFebruary 21, 2024On May 9 the “elderly spinster sisters from Leota, Minnesota,” Marlene and Darlene, played by DJ Luethje and me, will take the stage at the Palace Theatre for the annual Generations spring fundraiser. This year’s show is called “Without George.” When George Bonnema died unexpectedly in December 2023, he left a void bigger than most. One of the many positions he vacated was being the “Life Force…
By Lori Sorenson, editorFebruary 14, 2024My mother-in-law cautioned me about her son early in our dating years. “You know, these Norwegian men aren’t very affectionate,” she told me, in case I should want to escape the relationship before I was too invested. Of course, she laughed when she said it, but she wasn’t wrong. My husband is a kind and gentle man, but affectionate, he is not. Especially in public. During our own wedding…
By Sgt. Troy Christianson, Minnesota State PatrolFebruary 14, 2024Question: Hello, I thought I read somewhere that rest areas help reduce crashes. I saw a trooper at a rest area the other day, and it got me thinking about that. Can you write about that? Answer: More than 20 million travelers stop at Minnesota rest areas annually. Rest areas serve as an essential safety feature on the highway system by giving travelers a place to stop and rest. This helps…
By RIck Peterson, general managerFebruary 14, 2024Every time something about the world’s largest nutcracker coming to Luverne is published in the paper or on Facebook the anti-nutcracker folks seem compelled to voice their concerns. Earlier this month it was Groundhog Day, and I can only imagine the local naysayers from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, when they heard about the idea of Groundhog Day. I can’t help but imagine the conversation at the…
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