Edward McCardell, 72, Wild Rose, Wis., formerly of Magnolia, died Thursday, Nov. 28, 2002, in his home following a long battle with cancer.

Services were Monday, Dec. 2, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Wautoma, Wis. Burial was in St. Joseph Calvary Catholic Cemetery.

Edward McCardell was born to Martin and Theresa (Reiter) McCardell on Jan. 17, 1930, in Nobles County. He graduated from Magnolia High School in Magnolia.

He married Phyllis Frey on Nov. 21, 1953, at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, Chicago, Ill. He received both his undergraduate and Juris Doctorate degrees from Loyola University, Chicago. He was a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in the Korean Conflict. He worked and was a business owner in the printing, paperboard and packaging industries.

Mr. McCardell was a longtime member of MENSA, Wild Rose Lions Club and Knights of Columbus.

Survivors include his wife, Phyllis McCardell, Wild Rose; six sons, Mark (Sandra) McCardell, Santee, Calif., Michael (Amy) McCardell, Durango, Colo., Matthew (Pamela) McCardell, Phoenix, Ariz., Martin (Michelle) McCardell, Madison, Wis., Edward McCardell (fiancée Tammie Lippert) Manawa, Wis., and Sean (Amy) McCardell, Stevens Point, Wis.; four daughters, Mae (Thomas) Lauritzen, Wild Rose, Maureen (Gary) Nelson, Bayfield, Wis., Marianne (Donald) DeMeuse, Frisco, Texas, and Julie (Brent) Kubik, Nashotah, Wis.; 15 grandchildren, Lisa (Ty) Lamb, Kelly Lauritzen, Emily (Brian) Pittsley, Molly (Tim) Post, Laura (Igor) Ivashko, Jill (Doug) White, Jennifer, Ryan, Madison, Sean, Kegan, Katherine, Jack, Colin and Dylan McCardell; two great-grandchildren, Caleb Richards and Ethan Post; three brothers, Eugene McCardell, Joseph (Mary) McCardell, and Richard (Patricia) McCardell; six sisters, Ruth Delate, Kathryn (Joseph) Crnkovich, Teresa McCardell, Rose Anne (Clem) DeAmicis, Delores McCardell and Carolyn Lambert; three sisters-in-law, Louise (Robert) Sutton, Mildred (Donald) Cheval, and Alice (Michael) Bartello, in addition to many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Mr. McCardell was preceded in death by his parents, his in-laws, Phillip and Genevieve Frey, two brothers, Thomas McCardell and William McCardell; two sisters, Mary McCardell and Margaret Sides; two brothers-in-law, Edward Delate and Jerry Lambert, and one sister-in-law Ceal McCardell.

In lieu of flowers, gifts can be given to the American Cancer Society or St. Agnes Hospital Hospice Hope. Donations will be used for memorial masses.

Holly Funeral Home, Wild Rose, was in charge of arrangements.

Shirley Jean Maxwell, 72, Luverne, died Friday, Nov. 29, 2002, at Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center in Luverne.

Services were Monday, Dec 2, at First Presbyterian Church in Luverne. The Rev. John Pehrson and lay pastor Dan Smith officiated. Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery, Luverne.

Shirley Roemeling was born to Siebo and Frida (Heiden) Roemeling on May 29, 1930, in Springwater Township, Rock County. She attended school in Luverne.

She married Hugh Maxwell on Aug. 31, 1947. After their marriage they lived in Luverne for 10 years until moving to Madison, S.D. They moved back to Luverne in the early 90s. She moved to Centennial Apartments after Mr. Maxwell died in 1993. She moved to Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center in May 2002.

Mrs. Maxwell was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Luverne. She was also a member of the VFW Auxiliary in Madison, S.D.

Survivors include six children, Cynthia (David) Wehrli, Lansdale, Pa., Robert (Karen) Maxwell, Madison, S.D., Jane (Randy) James, Shoreham, N.Y., Wendy (Ed) Keever, The Colony, Texas, David (Beth) Maxwell, Hope, Ark., and Janet Leon, Reno, Nev.; 13 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Lois Olson, Luverne, and Sharon Wegleitner, Williston, N.D.

Mrs. Maxwell was preceded in death by her parents, her husband in 1993, and seven brothers.

A tree will be planted in memory of Shirley Maxwell by Hospice of Luverne Community Hospital.

Dingmann Funeral Home, Luverne, was in charge of arrangements.

With poinsettia sales in full bloom, Wally’s Nursery, rural Hills, continues to stock a supply of the various colored plants. Thanksgiving weekend sales were brisk, not only in poinsettias but also in Christmas trees and wreathes, according to partner Delwyn Walraven. For customers interested in giving poinsettias as a gifts, Wally’s Nursery offers bows and wrappers in different colors.

Photo by Jolene Farley

By John Rittenhouse
A pair of Hills-Beaver Creek High School students are expected to be key members of the 2002-03 Luverne-H-BC-Ellsworth wrestling team this season.

Senior Dusty Seachris and freshman Kerry Fink are projected to be varsity regulars for the Cardinals this winter, according to L-H-BC-E coach Dave Duffy.

Both Seachris and Fink are veteran members of the program.

Seachris, a senior, is coming off an 11-20 season. He wrestled at 130 pounds last season, but Duffy said he will be used at 140 or 145 this winter.

Fink, a freshman, is expected to be the team’s 130-pounder in 2002-03.

Seachris and Fink are two of nine letter winners returning from a team that went 3-16-1 last season.

The Cardinals placed sixth in the Southwest Conference with a 1-5 record. L-H-BC-E lost its first match of the Section 3AA Team Tournament to Lac qui Parle Valley by a 51-24 tally.

L-H-BC-E lost a key senior to graduation last spring in Chris Tiesler.

Tiesler, a three-time qualifier for the state individual tournament, led the Cardinals with a 29-6 record last season. He went 0-1 at the state tournament, ended a 120-win career.

Senior Joel Evans returns with exposure to the state meet.

Evans placed second at the section meet at 189 pounds last season before going 1-2 at state. Evans, who compiled a 28-8 record last year, will miss the first half of the season due to a knee injury.

Other returning letter winners include senior Canaan Petersen, junior Justin Mann, sophomore Jose Saravia and freshmen Aric Uithoven and Anthony Boyenga.

L-H-BC-E opens the season with a match in Fulda Tuesday.

Marion L. Birkeland, 76, Luverne, died Friday, Nov. 22, 2002, at Luverne Hospice Cottage.

Services were Monday, Nov. 25, at Kenneth Lutheran Church in Kenneth. The Rev. Dell B. Sanderson officiated. Burial was in Blue Mound Lutheran Cemetery, rural Luverne.

Marion Scott was born to B.J. and Levia (Trowbridge) Scott on Nov. 15, 1926, in Hardwick. She graduated from Luverne High School in 1944.

She married Thomas E. Birkeland on Feb. 24, 1946, in Luverne. After their marriage, the couple lived in Minneapolis for two years, and then moved to rural Windom where they worked for Thompson Lands. In 1954, they settled northeast of Luverne and began farming. She worked in the Kenneth and Hardwick banks until 1978. She worked on the farm with her husband until his death in 1992. She continued living on the farm until entering the Hospice Cottage in November 2001.

Mrs. Birkeland was a member of Kenneth Lutheran Church. She had a great love for woodworking and had made five grandfather clocks. She also enjoyed socializing and playing cards with friends.

Survivors include four children and their spouses, Rebecca and Gary Herreid, Chaska, Connie and Dennis Lange, Pipestone, Victoria and Randy Smook and Terri and Jake Bruynes, all of Luverne; seven grandchildren, Michael and Sheree Herreid, Aaron (Renee) Lange, Rebecca (Joe) Popper, Jodie Smook and Jacob and Caleb Bruynes; two great-granddaughters, Mackenzie Popper and Brenna Henning; one sister, Ginny Bird, North Mankato; three sisters-in-law, Margaret Skorr, Jasper, Marcella Scott, Hardwick, and Lavonne Scott, Red Wing; and two brothers-in-law, Norb Agnitsch, Phoenix, Ariz., and Henry Berkeland, Willow Lake, S.D.

Mrs. Birkeland was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Thomas Birkeland in 1992, two sisters, Eva Agnitsch, and Louetta Arp, and two brothers, Earl Scott and Dale Scott.

A tree will be planted in memory of Marion Birkeland by Hospice of Luverne Community Hospital.
Dingmann Funeral Home, Luverne, was in charge of arrangements.

By John Rittenhouse
A pair of girls’ basketball teams from the Star Herald coverage area opened the 2002-03 season in Hills Friday.

Ellsworth and Hills-Beaver Creek, two former members of the dissolved Tri-County Conference, locked horns in their only scheduled meeting of the year.

The game was tight for three quarters, but a great fourth-quarter start by the home-standing Patriots set the stage for a 46-28 victory.

Actually, H-BC put together extended runs in the beginning of the third and fourth quarters. Ellsworth was able to counter one of the runs, but not both of them.

H-BC led 15-14 at the intermission before starting the third quarter with an 8-1 surge featuring three field goals by Erin Boeve and another from Brittney Rozeboom to open a 23-15 cushion in the first four minutes of the second half.

A three-point shot by freshman Stacy Bush gave the Patriots their biggest lead of the game at 28-16 as the period progressed, but the Panthers closed the quarter with a 10-1 run featuring five points from Laurel Drenth to trail 29-25 heading into the final eight minutes of play.

Ellsworth was in a position to catch the Patriots at that point. H-BC, however, didn’t let it happen.

An 11-0 run in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter put the Patriots in front 40-25. Ellsworth never got any closer than 12 points to H-BC the rest of the way before falling by 18 points in the end.

H-BC, which outscored EHS 17-3 in the final period, received seven points in the decisive 11-0 run to start the fourth quarter. Boeve scored 13 of her team-high 16 points in the second half.

The game’s first half was very tight.

A three-point shot by Ellsworth’s Jenna Groen opened the scoring, and the Panthers led 5-4 before Rozeboom converted a field goal and one free throw in the final 36 seconds of the first quarter to give H-BC a 7-5 edge.

The second quarter featured ties at seven, nine and 12 before Rozeboom hit a field goal and Amanda Olson added a free throw to give the Patriots a 15-12 edge that was sliced to one point (15-14) by period’s end with a field goal by Groen.

Boeve led the Patriots with 12 rebounds and four blocked shots in the game. Sarah Rozeboom had seven rebounds, Cassi Tilstra six steals and Brittney Rozeboom four assists for the winners.

Groen, who netted 12 points in the first half, finished with a game-high 17 counters. Janice Leuthold and Laurel Drenth collected 10 and eight rebounds respectively for EHS. Missy Leuthold charted four assists.

H-BC plays in Edgerton Friday before taking on Central Lyon in Rock Rapids, Iowa, Monday. Ellsworth plays in Edgerton Monday.

Box score
Ellsworth
Deutsch 0 0 0-0 0, Boltjes 0 0 2-5 2, M.Leuthold 0 0 0-0 0, Ly.Drenth 0 0 0-0 0, Lr.Drenth 3 0 1-1 7, J.Leuthold 0 0 2-2 2, M.Groen 0 0 0-0 0, J.Groen 3 3 2-3 17, Kramer 0 0 0-0 0, Timmer 0 0 0-0 0.
H-BC
B.Rozeboom 6 0 2-6 14, Bush 0 1 0-0 3, Feucht 0 0 0-0 0, Tilstra 2 0 0-2 4, S.Rozeboom 1 0 1-2 3, Hoyme 0 0 0-0 0, Boeve 5 1 3-7 16, Wassenaar 0 0 0-0 0, Olson 0 0 2-4 2, Mulder 2 0 0-0 4.

Team statistics
Ellsworth: nine of 48 field goals (19 percent), seven of 14 free throws (50 percent), 35 rebounds, 32 turnovers.
H-BC: 18 of 56 field goals (32 percent), eight of 21 free throws (38 percent), 40 rebounds, 10 turnovers.

Certain conflicts don’t belong in council chambers

It’s not unusual that roles overlap, especially in a town like Luverne. A parent might teach a child in the classroom, or a business owner might compete for customers with her best friend. … And an elected person might personally benefit from work done in office.

In covering Luverne City Council issues, I’ve become concerned about what looks like some conflicts of interest playing out, with little notice.

This week, I got copies of the disclosure of conflict of interest forms filed at City Hall. Surprisingly, council members had little to disclose.

To pick on the popular and newly re-elected Mayor Glen Gust, he doesn’t often enough disclose his personal interests in topics being discussed at council meetings.

In the written forms, Gust was the only city representative who said he might have a conflict, as the owner of Glen’s Food Center, when doing city business.

That can’t be Gust’s only conflict.

To throw out some possibilities, Gust is a firefighter eligible for retirement and talks openly about the firefighters needing a raise in retirement benefits.

Just Tuesday, the council discussed holding landlords liable for utility bills their renters don’t pay, because, by code, they are the utility customer. Gust suggested that the city "write-off" the losses, which would essentially mean taxpayers would be subsidizing landlords. Gust owns rental property, by the way.

In his defense, he is a long-time private businessman who is used to dealing with issues in private. Starting his second term as mayor, though, he should be aware of how his actions affect the entire population of the city he leads, and leave personal issues at the council chamber door.

As they meet three times a month, our elected representatives should at least disclose conflicts, and not try to influence decisions.

Filling out those disclosure forms isn’t enough. Council members should hold each other accountable.

The city attorney and administrator should point out times when a conflict could come into play and advise the member accordingly. And elected people should watch themselves more closely, too.

Again, conflicts of interest can easily happen, especially when active, successful people run for office. It’s a matter of good ethics whether those conflicts are allowed to steer the course the council takes.

By John Rittenhouse
Ellsworth was unable to advance out of the quarterfinal round of the South Section 3A Volleyball Tournament when post-season play opened in Luverne Friday.

Playing No. 2 Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster at Luverne High School, a sub-par performance by the seventh-seeded Panthers led to a 3-0 defeat.

The Raiders advanced to Tuesday's semifinals with the victory, while Ellsworth’s 4-15-6 campaign came to a close.

Ellsworth coach Jason Langland was hoping the Panthers would break a trend when they played the Raiders, but it didn't happen.

The Panthers had lost three matches to SV-RL-B during the regular season (3-1 at home, 2-0 at the Russell-Tyler-Ruthton Tournament, and 3-0 at the Harris-Lake Park Tournament), and the EHS coach was seeking revenge.

EHS, however, never put anything together on the floor while being outscored 45-15 on a neutral floor.

"We had four days to prepare for the match, but we came out really flat," Langland said. "The energy was never there. We were letting balls drop to the floor that never should have. We were not aggressive at all, and we never got our offense going."

Langland stressed the importance of keeping serves in play prior to the match, but his players didn't respond. Ellsworth missed 10 serves in a three-game match, and nine came during a 15-4 loss in Game 1.

"Serving killed us. We missed nine serves in the first game, and that pretty much set the tone for how we would play for the rest of the match. Losing the first game took the wind out of our sails and we never recovered from it," he said.

The Panthers did a better job of keeping their serves in play the rest of the match, but it didn't help their cause.

SV-RL-B toppled EHS 15-2 and 15-9 in Games 2 and 3 to complete a 3-0 sweep.

Brittney Kramer and Jenna Groen led the Panthers with six and five kills respectively during the match. Laci DeLeeuw charted six set assists.

Ellsworth senior Janice Leuthold (left) wrestles for a rebound with a Dawson-Boyd player during Monday’s girls’ basketball game in Ellsworth. The Panthers won their Camden Conference opener against the Blackjacks.

By John Rittenhouse
Ellsworth bounced back from a season-opening girls’ basketball loss in Hills Friday by upending Dawson-Boyd 49-30 in Ellsworth Monday.

Laurel Drenth recorded a double-double for the winning Panthers by scoring a team-high 16 points and collecting 14 rebounds.

Jenna Groen netted 15 points for EHS, moving within 13 points of the 1,000-point plateau for her career.
Some late runs by H-BC set the stage for Ellsworth’s 46-28 loss in Hills Friday.

On Monday, the Panthers put together some runs to put away the Blackjacks.

"I was very proud of the turn-around we had since the game with H-BC. We hit on all cylinders in this game," said Panther coach Dean Schnaible.

With Groen scoring four points, Kayla Boltjes nailing a three-point shot and Drenth recording a field goal, EHS opened a 9-0 lead in the first 6:30 of the opening quarter against D-B.

The Panthers led 12-2 when Drenth converted a three-point play with 16.1 seconds left in the stanza, but a late basket by the Blackjacks made it a 12-4 difference before the period was complete.

D-B went on a 7-2 run in the first 2:00 of the second period to trail 14-11 before Ellsworth closed the quarter with a 16-4 surge that gave it a 30-15 advantage at the intermission.

Groen had eight points in the second-period run.

The Blackjacks scored the first six points of the third period to trim Ellsworth’s lead to nine points (30-21), but a 7-0 surge featuring five points from Drenth gave the Panthers a 16-point cushion (37-21) they maintained at period’s end.

Ellsworth never let the Blackjacks get any closer than 15 points in the fourth quarter before winning by 19 in the end.

Marla Groen, Missy Leuthold and Boltjes recorded three assists each for EHS. Drenth, Marla and Jenna Groen had two steals each.

The 1-1 Panthers play in Edgerton Monday.

Box score
Boltjes 1 2 0-1 8, M.Leuthold 0 0 0-0 0, Jenniges 1 0 0-0 2, Drenth 6 0 4-8 16, J.Leuthold 0 0 0-0 0, M.Groen 0 0 2-2 2, J.Groen 4 1 4-7 15, Kramer 2 0 0-0 4, Timmer 1 0 0-0 2.

Team statistics
Ellsworth: 18 of 41 field goals (44 percent), 10 of 18 free throws (56 percent), 31 rebounds, 26 turnovers.
D-B: 10 of 54 field goals (19 percent), nine of 18 free throws (50 percent), 28 rebounds, 20 turnovers.