Locals travel to path of totality to view 2024 eclipse
The highly anticipated 2024 total eclipse of the sun occurred Monday, April 8, across North America, and several groups of Rock County residents traveled to experience the once-in-a-lifetime ev
Student perform 'Legally Blonde The Musical'
When the LHS production of “Legally Blonde, the Musical” opens next week for six evening performances, audiences will be surprised at what they see.
Roeman retires from 38-plus years with county FSA
Stacey Roemen celebrated her retirement from 38 years with the Rock County Farm Service Agency Saturday night at Take 16, which was crowded with family, friends and well-wishers.
Thone wins spelling bee C-H-A-M-P-I-O-N-S-H-I-P
Twenty-three of the best spellers in southwest Minnesota participated Saturday morning in the 2024 SW MN Spelling Bee hosted at the Luverne Middle School.
History Center to host April 18 celebration
The Rock County History Center’s construction project is complete, and staff and volunteers are hosting a celebration from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 18.
Palisade Lutheran Church celebrates 150 years of worship
Palisade Lutheran Church will celebrate its 150th anniversary Sunday, April 14, at the corner of Minnesota Highway 23 and 121st Street (County Road 5).
News
- By Mavis FodnessJanuary 17, 2024Luverne High School ag instructor Matt Fodness is offering a basic welding class through Luverne Community Education for ages 14 and older. The four-session class is offered on Tuesdays beginning Feb. 6. Fodness said he’s returning the favor for skills he learned over the years. “I am ever grateful for the people that have been willing to share these things with me,” said Fodness, now in his…
January 17, 2024Art Ehde, Luverne, and his son, the late Scott Ehde, were honored as Outstanding Conservationists of the Year at the annual meeting of the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts last month in Bloomington. They were selected by the Rock Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) for the award, which recognizes individuals and organizations for outstanding accomplishments…- January 17, 2024Minnesota has had a net gain of roughly 43,000 acres of wetland from 2006 to 2020, according to the Minnesota DNR in its Wetland Status and Trends Monitoring Report. The report, released Monday, also shows that most of the wetland gain was realized in the last six years of that 15-year monitoring period. Most of the gains are in emergent wetlands in agricultural areas that tend to occur after…
By Lori SorensonJanuary 10, 2024A two-day winter storm dumped nearly a foot of snow on parts of Rock County and the tri-state area Monday and Tuesday. The weather event prompted schools to close in-person classes and pivot to e-learning days. Meanwhile events and activities came to a grinding halt as rural roads became impassable. According to the Minnesota State Patrol, officers responded to more than 200 weather-related…
By Mavis FodnessJanuary 10, 2024An open house for an innovative facility for child care in Hills will be Friday, Jan. 19, hosted by the Hills City Council. The event begins at 10 a.m. with a presentation at the Hills American Legion followed by public tours of the Hills Child Care Project located at the corner of West Third Street and South Main Avenue. A lunch provided by Sioux Valley Energy will follow the presentation.…
By Mavis FodnessJanuary 10, 2024Music instructor Amy Comp enters her classroom at Hills-Beaver Creek Secondary School always determined to find an “aha” moment for each of her students. This dedication caught the attention of her peers at the Minnesota Music Educators Association who selected her as the new Middle School Music Educator of the Year. “You have influenced the lives of so many students and families through your…
By Mavis FodnessJanuary 10, 2024Dennis and Marcia Hartman opened the Green Rail Food and Spirits in Hills Monday after purchasing the former Hills Cafe and Hideaway Tavern last summer. “It’s exciting and scary,” Dennis told Hills City Council in August. “I’m definitely ambitious. I want to see something develop.” The Hartmans will continue operating their rural Hills Cabinetworks business, from their 41st Street acreage, and…- By Mavis FodnessJanuary 10, 2024Rock County collected nearly $200,000 in gravel taxes in 2023, making it the highest amount collected since the tax was implemented in 2003. In total, $195,419 was paid in 2023 from seven businesses who are required to self-report the yards of material removed from aggregate pits located in Rock County. The businesses are taxed 15 cents per ton of material removed. The collected taxes are…
- By Mavis FodnessJanuary 10, 2024Rock County Commissioners approved pay increases for elected employees at the last meeting of 2023 on Dec. 26. The increases took effect Jan. 1. Salaries for elected commissioners Sherri Thompson, Gary Overgaard, Jody Reisch, Greg Burger and Stan Williamson increase 5 percent from the current $21,733 to $22,820. Commissioners also approved three-year employment contracts for county…
- By Lori SorensonJanuary 10, 2024City of Luverne union employees are in their second year of a three-year contract, which calls for a 3.5-percent increase in 2024 and a 3.5-percent increase in 2025. At their year-end meeting in December, council members acted on finance resolutions that included other wage adjustments for 2024. The city’s non-union, administrative and department heads will also receive 3.5-percent salary…
- January 10, 2024Minnesota state parks will host candlelight events across the state this winter, including one at Blue Mounds State Park on Saturday, Jan. 27. Drop by any time between 5:30 and 8 p.m. for hiking among candles in the snow as stars twinkle overhead. “Candlelight events are a magical way to experience parks and trails,” said Ann Pierce, director of Minnesota state parks and trails. “On a cold…
- January 10, 2024The Minnesota Veterans Home in Luverne joins the Fergus Falls veterans home to be honored as “Best Nursing Homes” for 2024, according to U.S. News and World Report magazine. U.S. News evaluated over 15,000 nursing homes nationwide for the research, and only 19 percent of U.S. skilled nursing facilities earned the “Best Nursing Home” designation this year. U.S. News long-term care ratings…
January 10, 2024Little Arabella Brown arrived on Jan. 3 as Sanford Luverne’s New Year Baby 2024. She was delivered by Dr. Nicole Woodley to parents Zoey Logan and Cody Brown, Slayton, weighing in at 8 pounds, 2 ounces, and measuring 19.5 inches long.- January 10, 2024A friendly competition of the Luverne EMS, the Luverne Fire Department and the Rock County Sheriff’s Office will bolster the blood supply at Sanford Luverne. Donors are encouraged to designate their blood donation in honor of the department of their choice. The department with the most donations will receive the traveling trophy and bragging rights for the year. The blood drive event hours will…
- January 10, 2024The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is waiving vehicle permit fees at all 75 state parks and recreation areas on Monday, Jan. 15. With this year’s unusual weather, it’s good to know there are many winter park activities that don't require snow or ice, such as birding, winter hiking, nature photography, and having a campfire with hot chocolate and s’mores. And, if sufficient snow…
January 10, 2024The Luverne High School mock trial team put in a little practice Thursday night, Jan. 4, in the school’s media center. Team members’ family and friends were invited to view the prosecution and defense teams take on one another in a practice prior to this week’s opening of the mock trial season. Coach Zoe DeBates explained busy schedules prevented a full team practice and she organized family…
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