Ag society buys land for expanded parking at fairgrounds
Rock County Commissioners approved a one-time allocation of $20,000 for the Rock County Agricultural Society to complete three projects in time for the 2024 Rock County Fair.
Local design considered for new state flag
Andrew Prekker said fate played a part in how his design remains in the running for the new Minnesota State Flag.
LACF celebrates Spirit of Philanthropy
The Luverne Area Community Foundation hosted its annual Friends of the Foundation Celebration of Philanthropy Monday night at Take 16 Brewing Company in Luverne.
Saturday retreat offers ways to 'declutter Christmas'
First Presbyterian Church in Luverne on Saturday hosted a community retreat, “Declutter Christmas,” that involved a mix of story-telling, crafts, gifts, cookie decorating and other
Luverne counselor volunteers in Maui with wildfire survivors
A Luverne counselor is back on the mainland after spending two weeks in Hawaii helping traumatized victims of the Maui wildfires.
City resumes responsibility for 2.72 miles of streets for county
After a 33-year hiatus, the city of Luverne once again qualifies as a State Aid City and will take control of certain streets back from Rock County.
News
- September 20, 2023USDA Rural Development has funding availabile for very low- and low-income individuals and families seeking to purchase or repair a home in a rural area. The Direct Home Loan program offers financing to qualified very-low and low-income applicants that are unable to qualify for traditional financing. No down payment is required, and the interest rate could be as low as one percent with a…
- September 20, 2023The Minnesota Housing Partnership 2023 County Profiles resource features data on different demographics of cost-burdened households paying at least 30 percent of their income for housing. It also highlights changes in rent and home prices, eviction filings compared to pre-pandemic rates, racial disparities in homeownership, a comparison of top in-demand wages compared to current housing costs…
- September 20, 2023Community Education will offer the following classes in the next few weeks. Call 507-283-4724 to register. DIY Floral Arranging at Harmony Gardens is Sept. 23. All materials are provided and you will get to take your arrangement home. Fee is $45. Students (grades 1-5) will follow along with the instructor for Paint & Snack class on Sept. 25. Fee is $35. Parents with children ages 0-5 will…
By Lori SorensonSeptember 20, 2023Hawkinson Park on Luverne’s west side is now connected to the Loop trail, thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Blandin Foundation. The park connection is an 8-foot-wide concrete trail that provides handicap access from Cottage Grove Avenue through Hawkinson Park and to the Luverne Loop Trail. The “Rural Leadership Boost Grant” is matched by $20,000 from the city to cover the project’s roughly $70…
By Lori SorensonSeptember 20, 2023Construction is underway on the Kwik Trip building on South Highway 75 in Luverne. The footprint will be 9,000 square feet located on 2.88 acres just south of the Econo Lodge Hotel near the intersection of Highway 75 and Gabrielson Road. The Luverne Kwik Trip will be open 24 hours per day, seven days a week, with 20 full-time employees. The newer “Gen 3” design will be similar to the Kwik Trip…- By Lori SorensonSeptember 20, 2023Keeping the Rock County Sheriff’s Office at full staff remains a struggle, according to Sheriff Evan Verbrugge. He shared his quarterly report with Luverne City Council members at their Tuesday, Sept. 12, meeting when he also reported difficulty keeping his department at full capacity. “We just hired a new individual who started yesterday, but in the meantime, we lost another deputy who went…
- By Lori SorensonSeptember 20, 2023Luverne City Council members took action at their Sept. 12 meeting to begin the process of paying for the Kids Rock! community child care center. At Tuesday’s meeting they approved a resolution that sets a public hearing on proposed property tax abatements. The city will notify the school and county that tax abatement bonds will be issued for the child care building renovation project. The…
- By Mavis FodnessSeptember 20, 2023Public use of cannabis is prohibited in Rock County beginning Nov. 1, according to an ordinance adopted by county commissioners Tuesday morning. No members of the public attended to speak or nor did they provide written public comment at Tuesday’s hearing. The ordinance prohibits cannabis or cannabis-derived product use in: •public parks, trails, streets or sidewalk. •any enclosed, indoor…
By Lori SorensonSeptember 20, 2023Nearly 400 people circled the Luverne City Park Saturday morning for the third annual Out of the Darkness Suicide Walk. “The walk was incredibly moving,” said Angela Nolz, who organized the event along with a team of volunteers and sponsors. The walk raises money for research to end and prevent suicide and to show community support for those who have lost loved ones to suicide or have struggled…
September 14, 2023The newspaper printed its first edition in 1873, more than 150 years ago, and it’s today a thriving operation — and Rock County’s oldest business. The Star Herald online presence saw a major upgrade in the past week with the rollout of a new website. The site features easier navigation, bigger photographs, more content and a better mobile-friendly version for cell phones and other devices. “…- By Lori SorensonSeptember 13, 2023It’s been several weeks since Rock County received significant rain, and a dry harvest has local fire officials on alert. Luverne Fire Chief Dave Van Batavia and Hills Fire Chief Jared Rozeboom are urging farmers to take measures to prevent field and equipment fires. “The No. 1 preventive method is to keep machinery clean,” Van Batavia said. “Crop residue and chaff can find their ways into…
By Mavis FodnessSeptember 13, 2023The soybean harvest in Rock County is starting ahead of the state average, as early-maturing varieties are becoming ready for the 2023 harvest season. Soybeans are turning color, with 67 percent of the state’s crop showing signs of maturity five days ahead of last year and two days ahead of the state average. The USDA Minnesota Field Office reported on Monday that 31 percent of the state’s…
By Mavis FodnessSeptember 13, 2023Victoria Frahm worked to create the perfect starter mix to use in sourdough breadmaking. For 18 of those 24 months, Frahm failed. “The first two times I tried to make my own starter, I killed it,” she said. “But the third time was successful.” On Thursday, Sept. 7, Frahm debuted her cottage business, “Baked from the Heart,” at the Luverne Farmers Market. Frahm specializes in organic…
September 13, 2023Lush green grass suddenly appeared on the boulevard of the parking lot on West Main Street near the library last week. The installation of sod, Sioux quartzite boulders and landscape vegetation is part of the city’s overall aesthetic improvements of downtown corners and streetscapes. The new greenspace also houses one of six artist-created 7-foot-tall nutcrackers in downtown Luverne. This one was…- By Mavis FodnessSeptember 13, 2023Rock County will not be home to the Nature Energy biogas plant that considered expanding locally earlier this year. Nor will any other place in the United States after Shell Petroleum purchased the Denmark-based Nature Energy company. Nature Energy officials visited Luverne and Rock County in January seeking a location for one of 15 renewable natural gas refineries they planned to build in…
- By Mavis FodnessSeptember 13, 2023Luverne and Hills-Beaver Creek school districts will continue to be served by a school resource officer (SRO), according to the Rock County Sheriff’s Office. In recent weeks, as Minnesota schools opened for the 2023-24 school year, several law enforcement agencies withdrew the SROs working in the local school districts. The agencies were at odds with recent legislation that changed how SROs can…
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