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
Murder suspect to have mental evaluation
Accused murder suspect Melvin Frazier made his initial appearance in Rock County District Court Monday in a remote hearing before District Court Judge Kayla Johnson.
Main Street intersection to close Aug. 24
The second phase of construction on Highway 75 is set to begin on Aug. 24, with the closure of the Main Street intersection.
Beaver Creek celebrates Beaver Days
Beaver Creek community members and visitors celebrated tthe weekend with a full lineup of events and activities for all ages.
Candidate Johnson: 'How we spend our money is an expression of our values'
Over 60 people gathered at the Rock County Library in Luverne Thursday night for a public town hall meeting with Dist. 1 Congressional candidate Jake Johnson, Stewartville.
News
July 22, 2026The Luverne Area Chamber announced the June winners for the Red, White and Blue decorating contest meant to honor America’s 250th anniversary. The business winner was the Rock County Star Herald, which features a red, white and blue birthday cake, hand crafted from lumber that was painted and embellished to look like a three-tiered cake. The Star Herald was recognized as the business winner of…
July 22, 2026Concrete pouring has continued in recent weeks on the Highway 75 reconstruction project in Luverne. The roadway has been closed since this spring from Main Street to James Street for work that includes underground infrastructure replacement for the city of Luverne. Workers are focused this summer on getting the road complete in front of the school campus before classes resume this fall. The…
July 22, 2026The community of Jasper hosted its annual Quartziter Days over the weekend with a parade, class reunions, family activities and a live band for a street dance.
By Ted J. Rulseh for Treatment Plant Operator Magazine, reprinted with permissionJuly 22, 2026Ryker Johnson became one of Minnesota’s youngest wastewater operators when he earned his Class D license at age 18. Working two summers at the clean-water plant in his hometown of Luverne inspired him to pursue the career. After high school, he headed off to college, but he came back when a full-time job opened up back home. “I already knew exactly what I wanted to do,” he says. “Those…
By By Lori SorensonJuly 15, 2026Dozens of wiener dogs and their proud human companions gathered in Luverne Thursday night for the 23rd annual Wiener Dog Races and 18th annual Wiener Dog Beauty Contest. The event has become a staple highlight of Luverne’s legendary Hot Dog Night, last week marking the 64th year of the signature “customer appreciation” hosted by local merchants. To mark America’s 250th birthday, many of the…
By By Lori SorensonJuly 15, 2026Luverne’s 64th annual Hot Dog Night unfolded in parking lots and side streets Thursday, July 9, due to the Highway 75 road construction detour on Main Street. Organizers said most of the 15,000 all-beef hotdogs were served up from the alternate locations, which included the city-owned lot south of Minnwest Bank. “Our business partners with storefronts on Main Street graciously agreed to group…
By By Lori SorensonJuly 15, 2026Saturday will be a big day for Luverne residents, volunteers and local leaders who have long held a vision for nutcracker tourism in the community. The World’s Largest Nutcracker will be dedicated at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 18, with a ribbon-cutting celebration at the nutcracker’s base on South Highway 75 in Luverne. The 65-foot-tall, Uncle Sam-themed structure stands on an 8-foot-tall concrete…
By By Nicole RonchettiJuly 15, 2026Social services and public health programs in Rock County, may be looking at a $2.1 million dollar funding shortfall, due to federal and state cost shifts. The Rock County Board of Commissioners learned how these shifts will affect local budgets during their July 7 meeting with Southwest Health and Human Services. Agency director Stacey Timm outlined the numbers and requested additional funding…
By Lori SorensonJuly 15, 2026The city of Beaver Creek is buying the former elementary school from the Hills-Beaver Creek School District for $1. And, according to the purchase agreement, the district is paying Beaver Creek $175,000 to offset demolition costs. Closing is set for July 29 and Aug. 3, at which point the city will disconnect water and electric utilities and barricade the doors ahead of demolition planned for…
By Lori SorensonJuly 15, 2026On Saturday, the Hills-Beaver Creek School District will auction off the interior assets of its former elementary school in Beaver Creek. The property is being sold to the city of Beaver Creek which will demolish it likely later this year. (See the related story.) But before the building changes hand, the district will sell interior items that aren’t considered part of or attached to the…
By Lori SorensonJuly 15, 2026The Luverne Economic Development Authority on Monday reviewed plans for housing redevelopment on city-owned lots along Maple Street. In early February, Don Jahnke and Impressa Modular presented a proposal for modular housing on the half city block to the east of Sunshine Foods and south of the History Center. According to Jahnke’s plan, a duplex facing east would be next to the existing yellow…
By Lori SorensonJuly 15, 2026The Luverne Economic Development Authority is applying for a Business Development Public Infrastructure (BDPI) grant through the state of Minnesota for infrastructure improvements in the city’s industrial park. The improvements will support Luv Modular LLC’s 176,760-square-foot manufacturing facility that builds modular housing. According to plans presented in March, the facility will be built…
By Lori SorensonJuly 15, 2026A group of Community Education students in third through fifth grades have spent part of their summer in a “Bucket Drumming” class led by Luverne Music Teacher Kira Degerness. The students performed with their drumsticks and buckets in front of crowds gathered ahead of Thursday night’s Wiener Dog Races and beauty contest. “The kids had six rehearsals ahead of our performance where we worked on…
By Lori SorensonJuly 08, 2026When Stacy Gillette started her career in education 37 years ago, her goal was to become a high school counselor. “That’s what I always wanted to be,” she said. “I wanted to be a counselor, because I just wanted to help kids … It’s still a lot of fun talking to kids about what college they’re going to.” She achieved that goal after several years of teaching — first in North Carolina where her…
By Lori SorensonJuly 08, 2026Local residents and visitors flocked to The Lake in Luverne Saturday to celebrate the Fourth of July and the nation’s 250th birthday. The day was marked by heat, humidity, water sports (including the popular log rolling contest, food vendors, live music and a spectacular fireworks show. Events started with the Davis Lake triathlon, which included running, biking and kayaking, and continued with…- By Lori SorensonJuly 08, 2026Minnesota statewide early voting began last week for the Aug. 11 primary, and mail ballots will be sent out this week to those who vote by mail. In Rock County, the Aug. 11 election will determine the next Dist. 3 county commissioner and will narrow the field in the South Ward Luverne City Council election. County Board candidates are Rick Peterson and Deon Carriere. The one with the most…
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