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 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…
- By Jason BerghorstAugust 21, 2024Local voters narrowed down the candidates on the November general election ballot during the primary election Tuesday, Aug. 13. Luverne voters selected the final two candidates for mayor and North Ward city council races. In the mayor’s race, incumbent Pat Baustian and challenger Isaac DeBoer were the top two vote getters to advance to the general election. Baustian received 475 votes,…
By Lori SorensonAugust 21, 2024A former Luverne Public Schools teacher is leading an effort to start an income-based Christian school by September 2025. Brooke Van Essen left her 10-year Luverne Elementary School teaching job in June to pursue what she describes as a calling. “God has been speaking since 2019 to start a Christian school in Luverne that looks a bit different than the options we have in our area,” Van Essen…
By Lori SorensonAugust 21, 2024Kids Rock! Inc. nonprofit board has hired Dina Brown as executive director to oversee licensure and facility startup. Brown has nearly 30 years of experience in the child care industry and expertise in child care center administration. Her background is in early childhood education. She started as a preschool teacher and soon became a center director. Kids Rock! Board President Emily…
By Mavis FodnessAugust 21, 2024A childhood experience with her younger brother led to a 33-year career in education for Luverne’s Lynette Stensland. Stensland retired from Luverne Public Schools at the close of the 2023-24 school year after spending 21 years in the Luverne School District. Her interest in education was sparked by a favor to her mother. “One summer my mom asked me to tutor my younger brother, which I really…- By Mavis FodnessAugust 21, 2024Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster survivor assistance teams are currently canvassing damaged individual properties in Rock County. The canvassing of damage began Aug. 16 and is expected to take 10 to 12 days to complete. Damage would have occurred from weather events occurring June 16 to July 4, 2024. Local homeowners and renters could be eligible for damage reimbursement…
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