Guilty plea entered in vehicular homicide case
Twenty-three-year-old Jayson Delfs, Hardwick, entered a guilty plea Monday morning in Rock County District Court to the charge of criminal vehicular homicide.
Murder case proceedings on hold
Legal proceedings for Luverne murder suspect Melvin Frazier are suspended following a Rule 20 motion that was granted in Rock County District Court Monday.
Administrator announces retirement
After 33 years on the job, Rock County Administrator Kyle Oldre officially submitted his notice of retirement during the Aug. 18 county board meeting.
Oldre’s final day of service will be Feb. 28, 2027.
Charter amendment measure advances
Luverne voters will be asked in the Nov. 3 general election if they support an amendment to change their city’s government charter.
Peterson wins election for county commissioner
Rick Peterson won the special election for Rock County’s District 3 and is set to join the county board of commissioners early next week.
PowerOn Midwest narrows routes
PowerOn Midwest has narrowed its preferred route for a proposed high-voltage transmission project, and one of its choices would cut through Rock County within one mile of the Blue Mounds State
News
- By Lori SorensonDecember 27, 2022Rock County’s biggest news in 2022 generally follows the 2021 theme of progress and growth, with ribbon-cuttings and grand openings after last year’s big announcements and ground-breaking ceremonies. A well-attended Luverne All-School Reunion and 150th anniversary in July highlighted recently completed construction at the school, but also celebrated many of the good things going for the community…
- By Lori SorensonDecember 27, 2022Winter weather affected Christmas plans for millions of Midwest families, including those in Rock County where roads were closed Thursday afternoon, Dec. 22, through Christmas Eve, Dec. 24. The storm arrived on the heels of heavy snowfall earlier in the week and brought with it even more snow that combined with sub-zero temperatures with winds gusting over 30 mph to create blizzard conditions.…
- By Mavis FodnessDecember 27, 2022Preliminary flood insurance rate maps may be incorrect due to several key omissions. Local municipality and county leaders reviewed the preliminary flood maps earlier this month. The public may view the maps online at https://hazards.fema.gov/femaportal/prelimdownload/. Local leaders noticed the flood plain areas through the city of Luverne were not significantly decreased, even after the…
- By Lori SorensonDecember 27, 2022There was a flurry of business news in Rock County in 2022. Merlin Cleveringa announced in December his retirement and the sale of his longtime construction business to his foremen Adam Uithoven and Derek Sandbulte. The long-awaited Fareway Meat Market opened on the corner of Main Street and Highway 75 in September. Buffalo Ridge Insurance purchased Estenson Company from Dave Gangestad, and Tim…
- By Lori SorensonDecember 27, 2022City Administrator John Call will live out his retirement in Luverne where he’ll enjoy the amenities he’s helped with during the past 17 years. “One of my goals in retirement is to wear out the Loop trail with my bicycle or my feet,” Call said. “That’s another great part of retiring here. We can take advantage of the projects we’ve worked to bring here.” From Iowa to Minnesota Call grew up in…
- By Mavis FodnessDecember 27, 2022Ryan DeBates of Luverne took the oath of office Thursday night, Dec. 22, becoming an official member of the Luverne School Board. DeBates won his board seat in a special election in November, filling the position vacated by Jeff Stratton. Stratton resigned the post in July after being hired as the district’s resource officer. DeBates will serve the final two years of Stratton’s four-year term.…
- December 27, 2022Luverne Mayor Pat Baustian administers the oath of office to Luverne’s new city administrator, Jill Wolf, at the start of the City Council meeting Tuesday night, Dec. 20, in council chambers of Luverne City Hall. Wolf, who worked from 2004 to 2009 as Luverne’s Economic Development Authority director, replaces City Administrator John Call who retired this month after 17 years in the position. Wolf…
- December 27, 2022Wade Sand of Missouri River Energy Solutions presents a check for $22,429 to Rich Dreckman representing Greensmith Holdings as part of the MRES Bright Energy Solutions Rebate Program, which incentivizes businesses to make qualified energy-efficient improvements through rebates and 0-percent loans. Greensmith built Luverne’s PrairiE Loft I and II apartment buildings on South Highway 75. The…
- By Lori SorensonDecember 27, 2022A Dec. 20 house fire near Steen destroyed a kitchen and left two people temporarily displaced, according to Luverne Fire Chief David Van Batavia. The 911 call came in shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20, of a kitchen fire above the stove. Two occupants, including Kris Van Der Brink, were out of the house and at the end of the driveway when firefighters arrived. A grease fire on the stove had…
- December 27, 2022The Rock County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) announced on Tuesday a break in a cold case homicide. A murder victim whose remains were found 41 years ago in Rock County has been identified through genetic genealogy and DNA. Louis Anthony Gattaino of Omaha, Nebraska, had been missing since October 1971. He was 25 at the time. On March 13, 1981, a highway…
- December 27, 2022The following is a list of the obituaries that appeared in the issues of the Rock County Star Herald in 2022. December 2021 Dec. 18: Jean Wallenburg, 66, Inwood, Iowa. Dec. 20: Randall Morgan, 72, San Clemente, Calif. Dec. 28: Thomas Feit, 70, Rushmore. January 2022 Jan. 4: Randy Aanenson, 69, Garretson, S.D. Jan. 6: Kenneth Husen, 76, Alexandria; Johnny Jonas, 55, Ellsworth. Jan. 7: Lee…
- By Mavis FodnessDecember 20, 2022Maureen Helgeson likes to decorate her rural Beaver Creek home for the holidays, and this year she put up 13 Christmas trees. “I think it is so much fun to decorate — especially for Christmas,” she said. “I’m really into snowmen. … I can leave them up longer.” Typically, the holiday decorations stay in place until the end of January, when everything is packed up but one tree, which is redecorated…
- By Lori SorensonDecember 20, 2022When Barb Berghorst was hired to run Luverne’s city finances in 1991, she was asked to plan long-range purchases and help with budget forecasting. “We wanted everyone to anticipate what they’ll need over the next five years, and I put that all on a big spread sheet,” she said. “It all had to fit in and be financially feasible. … I listened. I planned. I calculated. And I worked with everybody.”…
- By Lori SorensonDecember 20, 2022Luverne’s longtime water and wastewater supervisor Al Lais started his city career in 1972 after losing his AR Wood job when the company closed. He and AR Wood co-workers Jim Van Maanen and Bruce Kurtz found employment in the city’s water department which had openings at the time. “Our first job was to climb in a tank and clean out a water filter at the plant,” Lais recalled. Little did he know…
- December 20, 2022Adult and youth members of Grace Lutheran Church assembled for the congregation’s annual “Live Nativity” Sunday in the church parking lot in Luverne. The recreated Biblical nativity scene featured Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in the manger, three wisemen and shepherds with live donkeys, goats and camels, and an angel overlooking the manger. Participants warmed up in the church with craft…
- By Mavis FodnessDecember 20, 2022Rock County residents seeking mental health services through state and federal assistance programs will have a choice about where to continue counseling after Jan. 1. Southwest Health and Human Services, based in Marshall, is developing a unique program for Rock and Pipestone counties where multiple third-party counseling services would be available to income-eligible residents. Beth Wilms, SWHHS…
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