From parched to drenched
Harvest is in full swing for much of Rock County this week, marking the final stretch of what’s arguably been a challenging growing season.
Highway 75 project proceeds (almost) on schedule
Contractors have been given a five-day extension on completion deadlines due to September’s frequent rainy weather.
H-BC School Board Candidates share priorities
There are five candidates seeking election to four open seats on the Hills-Beaver Creek School Board.
The Loft after-school program helps kids find community
Starting at 3:20 p.m. on the dot, the quiet halls of First Presbyterian Church in Luverne start to fill with the noise of children.
Luverne preliminary levy set to rise 7.12%
Luverne City Council members are proposing a 7.12% levy increase for taxes payable in 2027.
Adrian reporter to contribute to Star Herald
The Rock County Star Herald is expanding its coverage area east toward Adrian, and Deb Kroon will be the face of those stories for the Star Herald news team.
News
September 04, 2024Tradition continued Tuesday morning when the Luverne High School Class of 2025 gathered on the football field together to celebrate the first day of their last school year together. Senior Sunrise was a success as the students were treated to clear skies for the event organized by the student council that culminated in a 6:51 a.m. appearance of the sun. Pictured are (front from left,…
September 04, 2024The Tri-State Band Festival Committee selected the design submitted by LHS sophomore Collin Knips for this year’s festival button. The son of Brian and Jessica Knips of Magnolia said his goal was to keep the design simple and that he was amazed that his button design was selected. Knips kept usage of colors to four (yellow, red, black and white) and used a simple outline of the three states of…
By Lori SorensonAugust 28, 2024It was a great day for pancakes, airplanes and automobiles Saturday morning at the Luverne Municipal Airport. City of Luverne and airport staff hosted their annual fly-in and drive-in breakfast for the public, pilots and classic car enthusiasts. “We love hosting this event,” said Ben Baum, who has managed the Luverne airport with his wife, Lori, since 2011. “It brings knowledge and joy to the…
By Mavis FodnessAugust 28, 2024Hills-Beaver Creek School Board members toured the new elementary school site in Monday night in Beaver Creek where 15 percent of the precast concrete wall panels are in place. Currently 26 of the 200 panels that will make up the exterior walls of the building have been set. Workers began placing the 44,000-pound structures into place on Aug. 19. During Monday’s tour, R.A. Morton site…- By Mavis FodnessAugust 28, 2024Both Luverne and Hills-Beaver Creek school districts have adopted cell phone and electronic device policies as the 2024-25 school year gets underway Sept. 3. The policies are intended to limit distractions for students during the school day. Luverne Middle School students will have the more restrictive cell phone policy, according to principal Jason Phelps. He updated school board members as…
- By Mavis FodnessAugust 28, 2024The Rock Home Initiative (RHI) program will continue through August 2027 but not without a significant change. The tax abatement length will only be three years instead of the program’s original five years. Commissioner Stan Williamson said at the Aug. 6 County Board meeting that he would support continuing the program only if the number of years was less. He said the tax relief program is not…
By Mavis FodnessAugust 28, 2024Luverne Education Association 2024 Teacher of the Year Becky Runnoe decided not to return to the classroom for the 2024-25 school year. She retires from a career after 40 years and never graduated out of the Luverne early childhood special education program. “I think I was always geared to be a teacher,” said Runnoe. “I started teaching a 3-year-old Sunday school class when I was 14. I still…
By Mavis FodnessAugust 28, 2024Luverne Public Schools will have 11 new teachers on staff when school opens Sept. 3. Seven of the new teachers are at the elementary school. Irma Williamson will teach Response to Intervention (RTI). She comes to Luverne Schools after her husband, Jason, retired after more than 25 years in the Navy. The couple has two boys, an eighth-grader and a sophomore, at Luverne Middle-High School, and…
By Mavis FodnessAugust 28, 2024Four new teachers join the Hills-Beaver Creek School District for the upcoming 2024-25 school year. Bryan Bosch will teach at the secondary school in Hills as the grades 6-12 physical education teacher. “I am really looking forward to living close to the community I teach in,” she said. “Having a strong and healthy community is a huge reason for lifelong success in the lives of our students.”…
By Lori SorensonAugust 28, 2024South Highway 75 in Luverne will be closed for storm sewer improvement and detoured for nearly two weeks starting next week. The closure is at Gabrielson Road near the Security Savings Bank corner between Kwik Trip and Subway. The detour will send traffic on Gabrielson Road, Commerce Road and Koehn Avenue. The City of Luverne and the Minnesota Department of Transportation are collaborating on…
By Mavis FodnessAugust 28, 2024Three LHS alumni currently teach at Luverne Public Schools alongside their teacher parents. Kira Degerness joins her mom, Seana Graber, in teaching vocal music, in the elementary and middle-high school respectively. Madi Oye joins her dad, Todd Oye, dean of students-athletic director, as she enters the classroom as a kindergarten teacher. A year ago, Skyler Wenninger joined his dad, Mike…
By Mavis FodnessAugust 28, 2024A stretch of North Kniss Avenue (Highway 75) in Luverne received a temporary fix to smooth the bumpy surface. A paving crew with the Minnesota Department of Transportation spent Wednesday, Aug. 21, wedge-paving the right-hand wheel track on both the northbound and southbound lanes from Dodge Street north to Veterans Drive. The work is the result of the annual visit of MnDOT District 7 engineer…
By Mavis FodnessAugust 21, 2024The first of two remodeling phases began last week at the Rock County Courthouse. For the next two months, the courthouse basement commissioners’ room will house the Auditor-Treasurer’s Office and the Department of Motor Vehicles while their second-floor offices are remodeled. The work is the most extensive the 1888 building has undergone since the $600,000 upgrade to the heating, air-…- By Lori SorensonAugust 21, 2024Hills resident Jim Susie is challenging longtime mayor Keith Elbers in the November election, and there’s a three-way contest for two open seats on the Hills City Council. Incumbents Alan Leenderts and Ross Metzger did not file for re-election, and newcomers David Bucholz, Dusty Seachris and Joseph Streeter are vying for those two open seats. The filing period closed Tuesday, Aug. 13, for…
- By Lori SorensonAugust 21, 2024Four candidates are seeking election to three seats on the Luverne School Board for the Nov. 5 general election. Heather Johnson is challenging incumbents Ryan DeBates, Tim Jarchow and David Wrigg, who all filed for re-election to the board. “I do believe our current board is doing a good job, but I think it’s time to have a female voice back on the board,” Johnson wrote in a social media post…
- By Mavis FodnessAugust 21, 2024Rock County commissioners are pressing the Minnesota Department of Transportation to improve more local Highway 75 miles on a shorter time frame. MnDOT District 7 engineer Greg Ous and District 7 planner Sam Parker attended the Aug. 6 County Board meeting during their annual visit to Rock County. They discussed funding, upcoming federal and state projects, and when Highway 75 will be resurfaced…
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