Remember When

10 years ago (2014) •Sanford Luverne Medical Center recently purchased an MP5 monitor for its emergency department. The purchase of this MP5 monitor was made possible by a grant from the Luverne Area Community Foundation. The MP5 patient monitor is used when caring for the most critical patients in the emergency room. It offers innovative features to assist medical staff with advanced…

10 years ago (2014) •Betty Mann pinches herself every so often to remind herself it’s real — that the new History Center will open next year on Main Street. “I just hope I live long enough to see it happen,” she said. The 84-year-old president of the Rock County Historical Society has been searching for decades to find a better location for the museum — one that’s handicap-accessible with…

10 years ago (2014) •Magnolia Café, a 40-seat restaurant on the north end of Broadway Street in Magnolia, has always been a building without a specific owner. At least that’s how Bruce Olson, treasurer of the loosely organized group of café supporters, called the Magnolia Development Corporation. “Basically, it is owned by everyone but owned by no one (person),” he said. … For decades,…

10 years ago (2014) •Jason Berghorst’s peers are honoring him this week as Teacher of the Year in the Adrian School District. “Jason is an exceptional teacher because he loves what he teaches and loves passing on that information to kids to help them become the best citizens/people they can become,” said Adrian teacher Cate Koehne, one of the people who nominated Berghorst for the award. “He…

10 years ago (2014) •Luverne’s official snowfall total over the weekend came to 6.5 inches, according to weather recorder Troy Thone. But the real story has been the record cold temperatures, which have frozen most of the Upper Midwest. “The bottom fell out of the temperatures beginning Monday, Nov. 10,” Thone said. “Average temperatures this past week have been 17 degrees below normal with…

10 years ago (2014) •Federal monies are slowly coming into Rock County coffers four months after June’s extreme weather events left $4.3 million in infrastructure damages in its wake. Rock County is one of the first counties in the state to receive payments, according to Chris Nordeng, engineering specialist with the state’s Homeland Security and Emeregency Management Agency. Nordeng oversees…

10 years ago (2014) •Rock County Board of Commissioners tabled a motion to contribute to the History Center Fund Drive until their next regular meeting Nov. 4. “We need to do something,” said Commissioner Jody Reisch at the group’s Oct. 21 meeting. While specific dollar amounts were not discussed, Rock County Administrator Kyle Oldre said funding options include a specific levy or taking from…

10 years ago (2014) •Students and community members have been enjoying the Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom, which opened this fall near the Luverne Elementary School south side parking lot. Over $70,000 was raised through donations by community members and businesses who supported the vision of a custom-designed outdoor classroom that allows children to use all their senses in a natural…

10 years ago (2014) •Apparently there are no boundaries for one Luverne marathon addict. Amy Feit, an Adrian High School graduate who now makes her home in Luverne, completed her seventh marathon on American soil in Colorado last spring. After registering a career-low time of 3:32 in Fort Collins, Feit must have been inspired. Why else would anyone travel across the Atlantic Ocean with her…

10 years ago (2014) •A sudden squeal erupted from the late 1970s-model Gleaner F2 combine as its auger spun into motion. Operator Jack Mulligan said the gray-colored gleaner’s small harvest head was specially designed to collect small grains. On Wednesday, Oct. 1, as he zigzagged around the rolling hills at the Touch the Sky Prairie, the machine easily harvested the tall grass seed. Mulligan…

10 years ago (2014) •On Sept. 11 the Minnesota Humanities Center recognized 30 Minnesota Veterans at the 2014 Veterans’ Voices Award Ceremony, honoring veterans who have made significant contributions to their communities. Among the awardees was Luverne native David Wentzel, who received the “On the Rise” award for his “work to significantly improve the lives of Minnesota’s veterans,” according…

10 years ago (2014) •Kaitlyn Van Meeteren, employed with Good Samaritan Society Luverne at Poplar Creek Estates, received a Care Providers of Minnesota Foundation scholarship. Kaitlyn, a universal worker employed at Poplar Creek Estates since January 2013, was presented with the scholarship by Jill Schewe, director of Assisted Living, Housing, and Home Care for Care Providers of Minnesota. ……

10 years ago (2014) •A Luverne teenager will represent the city Sunday in a first-ever statewide vocal competition called Minnesota Sings. Madilyn Oye, a 16-year-old junior at Luverne High School, will perform Sept. 28 in the McKnight Ballroom at the Holiday Inn St. Paul East Hotel. The Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce selected Oye and sponsored her entry into the contest. “I am a little…

10 years ago (2014) •A journalism career that started in 1985 with a Star Herald internship has come full circle for Mavis Fodness, who was hired Sept. 2 as a full-time reporter at the Star Herald. “I’m looking forward to getting to know my community again and sharing that experience with readers,” said Fodness, who graduated from Luverne High School. Managing editor Lori Ehde said Fodness is…

10 years ago (2014) •A 50-year-old piece of Luverne history is gone after crews demolished the 2-million-gallon steel water storage tank near the city power plant earlier this month. The tank was beginning to age, and it was more cost effective to replace it than to repair it. In its place, the city is constructing two 1.2-million-gallon tanks, for a total project cost of roughly $2 million…

10 years ago (2014) •Mike Jarchow recently returned home from Haiti where he helped set up a tent donated by his business to a school in a remote village. He and his wife, Wanda, own Jarchow Enterprises, which rents out tents, tables and other equipment for weddings, graduations and other events. Last summer he was at a Sioux Falls lumberyard looking for tent parts when he was approached by a…