Hills-Beaver Creek grad is guest Veterans Day speaker in Hills
Hills-Beaver Creek High School alumnus Wade Blomgren addressed students, staff and members of the public Monday morning as the keynote speaker for the annual H-BC Veterans Day Program.
'Little Shop of Horrors' takes Palace stage Nov. 14-16, 20-23
Green Earth Players (GEP) cast members admit their upcoming “Little Shop of Horrors” might be rated PG-13 compared with the family-friendly productions they typically
Energy companies host 'PowerOn Midwest' open house in Luverne Nov. 5
An open house Friday night at Generations in Luverne offered information for the community about a major transmission line planned in the region.
Blue Mounds to discontinue tipis as camping option due to cultural sensitivities
Tipis will no longer be a camping option at the Blue Mounds State Park after officials opted not to improve or replace the current ones that need maintenance.
News
By Lori SorensonNovember 05, 2025On the retail counter in Terry Gray’s “High Fidelity Cannabis” shop is a tidy row of display pods for customers to select their products. Each of the small jars features a magnifying glass and a vent, allowing shoppers to view the buds and get a whiff of their aroma, The setup is known in the dispensary world as a “bud bar,” and a “budtender” helps shoppers choose among the different strains…- November 05, 2025Fareway Stores Inc. has launched a monthlong initiative throughout November to support individuals and families facing food insecurity in the communities where it does business. “As part of our ongoing commitment to giving back, Fareway is making it easier than ever for customers to help nourish their neighbors,” said Fareway CEO Reynolds Cramer. He said customers can participate in three ways…
- By Kent Thiesse, Farm Management AnalystNovember 05, 2025After months of uncertainty and angst among farmers and grain traders, the new U.S. trade deal with China announced on Oct. 30 provided some stability and certainty to the soybean market. Soybean market prices had struggled for most of 2025 due to a lack of soybean export sales commitments to China and other countries, as well as a fairly large 2025 U.S. soybean crop being projected by USDA in…
- November 05, 2025Gov. Tim Walz last week announced $4 million in new funding for Minnesota food shelves. Funding will provide relief as 440,000 Minnesotans lost grocery benefits through Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Minesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) beginning Nov. 1. Amid the federal government shutdown, the United States Department of Agriculture announced that it will not…
By Mavis FodnessNovember 05, 2025Choir has become the most popular elective class at Luverne Middle-High School. Participation has topped 49 percent as 306 students chose learning to sing over any other elective option during the 2025-26 school year. This fall marked a greater-than-normal influx of freshman students — 60 of them — for choir director Seana Graber, who has been teaching music for 36 years. In response, she…
November 05, 2025Discovery Time preschooler Chandler Hamm enjoys a craft project with Dave and Brenda Hamm last week during “Pajamas, Popcorn, & Pals” in Luverne. Discovery Time hosted the event on Oct. 30 and 31 for preschoolers and their special guests. Students wore their favorite pajamas and welcomed their guests for popcorn and a visit of learning and play. Activities included an alphabet search,…
November 05, 2025Nine “trunks” lined Summit Avenue in Hardwick Friday night for the first Hardwick Fire Department “Trunk ’n Treat” event that was successfully conducted between rain showers in temperatures that reached at best into the upper 30s. Organizers are planning to make the “Trunk ’n Treat” in Hardwick an annual event.
By Mavis FodnessOctober 29, 2025Bethlehem Lutheran Church and Tuff Memorial Home, both in Hills, teamed up to provide an afternoon of trick-or-treating fun at the two locations Sunday. For two hours more than a dozen businesses and organizations handed out candy and other treats from car trunks outside on a windy, 65-degree day. Inside, Tuff residents handed out candy from the doorways of their rooms.
October 29, 2025A two-person acting team from CLIMB Theatre was in Luverne and Hills-Beaver Creek elementary classrooms last week talking to students about brain health. “Brain health,” they said, is defined as “how the brain affects how we think, feel and act.” They illustrated through skits the difference between a healthy brain (smiling, happy body language) and a brain that’s suffering (slumped shoulders,…- By Mavis FodnessOctober 29, 2025Truth in taxation statements will reach Rock County property owners in late November, and Rock County commissioners encourage landowners to read the mailed documents. Landowners have two years to question the assessments and taxes on the property tax statement in order to receive monetary refund for any overpayment. A Steen resident’s statement has been incorrect for more than 20 years, and he…
- By Mavis FodnessOctober 29, 2025A $3.47 million construction project for a 500,000-gallon water tower in Clinton Township will continue, despite federal funds frozen by the government shutdown. Rock County commissioners approved withdrawing up to $1.2 million from the Rock County Rural Water allocation account. Those funds will be repaid once federal government reopens and the $3.09 million USDA grant for the water tower is…
By Lori Sorenson, editorOctober 29, 2025The Rock County Historical Society hosted its annual meeting Monday night, Oct. 27. The evening included refreshments, a business meeting and a presentation about the North Star Story Map. The Story Map, a project of the American Institute of Architects Minnesota, is an interactive website featuring locally sourced stories about buildings of meaning around the state. Ann Mayhew of the…
October 29, 2025Hills native Jayme (Plimpton) Wiertzema was recently recognized as South Dakota Elementary School Art Teacher of the Year. Wiertzema, a 2011 graduate of Hills-Beaver Creek High School, was nominated for Art Teacher of the Year for her work in the Harrisburg School District. “Jayme embodies everything one could hope for in an educator: she is creative, kind, calm, genuine and deeply committed to…
October 29, 2025Dean Luethje of Luverne is the newest member of the South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is a member of Surfin’ Safari, and the band was inducted into the hall of fame at a ceremony Oct. 10 Luethje is the band’s current drummer. Surfin’ Safari organized in 2004 as a ’60s rock and roll band and has since performed hits from the ’60s in the four-state area. According to South Dakota…
By Lori Sorenson, editorOctober 29, 2025Great River Energy, ITC Midwest and Xcel Energy are planning a series of electric transmission projects anchored by a 765 kV transmission line. Known as “PowerOn Midwest,” the project will connect eastern South Dakota and southern Minnesota substations to improve grid reliability and meet energy demand. Project organizers will host a series of public open house meetings across southern…
By Lori SorensonOctober 22, 2025A young singer-songwriter from Hills is creating soulful music that speaks from a higher place. On Oct. 24, 22-year-old Allison LaRock will release her first single, “Beauty,” which she said came from a vulnerable place. “This world doesn’t make sense sometimes, and we wrestle with what the Lord says and how to trust that he’s actually in control of things,” she said about the song. “It’s…
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