Valoris Engebretson, 78, Luverne, died Monday, Dec. 22, 2003, at her home under hospice care. Services were Saturday, Dec. 27, at St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne. The Rev. Gary Klatt officiated. Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery, Luverne. Valoris June Reinke was born to Benard and Martha (Greenfield) Reinke on June 14, 1925, in Burchard. She was baptized on June 21, 1925, in Balaton. She attended country school in Burchard. She graduated from high school in Balaton. She continued her education in nurse’s training in Minneapolis.She married Norman W. Engebretson on June 29, 1946, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tyler. After finishing college the couple moved to Luverne. Mr. Engebretson served his apprenticeship with Smith Funeral Home in Luverne for two years. He became manager of the Rock County Burial Association on July 1, 1949. They later bought the business on June 1, 1953. In 1969, they began construction of the present day Engebretson Funeral Home which was completed in 1970. She helped her husband in all facets of the funeral business. Mrs. Engebretson was an active member of St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne. She served on many Circles and the Guild. She taught Sunday School and was a Stephen Minister. She belonged to Mrs. Jaycee’s and the American Legion Women’s Auxiliary. She was a member of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority since 1955 and a member of the Order of the Rose and Silver Circle. She enjoyed golfing, playing bridge, gardening and was an avid reader. Survivors include three sons, Dan (Nancy) Engebretson, Rosemount, David (Andrea) Engebretson, St. Louis, Mo., and Mark Engebretson, West Palm Beach, Fla.; two daughters, Jane Engebretson, Roseville, and Mary (Keith) Gunderson, Canton, S.D.; five grandchildren, Ali de Kock, Nathan Engebretson, Michael Wynia, Katie Gunderson, and Elyse Engebretson; one brother, Kenneth (Marie) Reinke, Colorado Springs, Colo.; several nieces, nephews, cousins, and other relatives and friends. Mrs. Engebretson was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Norman, on Sept. 27, 1995. A tree will be planted by Hospice of Luverne Community Hospital in memory of Valoris. Engebretson Funeral Home, Luverne, was in charge in arrangements.

Jessie Boeve, 90, Edgerton, formerly of Steen, died Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2003, at Edgebrook Care Center in Edgerton. Services were Saturday, Dec. 27, at Steen Reformed Church in Steen. Burial was in Eastside Cemetery, Steen. Jessie Vander Wolde was born to Bartus and Hendrikia (VanDe Put) Vander Wolde on April 15, 1913, in Elburg, Netherlands. When she was two and one-half years old, the family came to America. They lived on a farm near Steen where she grew up and attended country school. She married Dick Boeve in 1934 in Steen. Following their marriage, they farmed near Steen. She enjoyed working by her husband’s side on the farm. Mr. Boeve died on Sept. 8, 1966. Following his death, she continued to live on the farm. She began working as a nursing assistant and home health aide. She moved off the farm to Steen. She became a resident of Edgebrook Care Center in Edgerton in February 2003.Mrs. Boeve was a member of Steen Reformed Church where she had taught catechism and Bible School. She enjoyed gardening, sewing, crocheting, baking, playing board games and visiting shut-ins.Survivors include seven children, Eibert (Elsie) Boeve, Springfield, Mo., Hendrene (Arnold) Veldkamp, Luverne, Jeanette (Bill) Bleyenberg, Edgerton, Betty (Wilmer) Elbers, Hills, Peter (Judy) Boeve and Dorothy Petersen all of Sioux Falls, S.D., and Josephine Feucht, Pipestone; 31 grandchildren; 58 great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren.Mrs. Boeve was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Dick Boeve, one son-in-law, Richard Feucht, three grandchildren, one great-great grandchild, six brothers and two sisters. Colonial Funeral Chapel, Edgerton, was in charge of arrangements.

Minnwest Bank announces plans for First National facilitiesIn a letter to customers earlier this week, Minnwest Bank president Greg Burger announced Minnwest Bank Luverne will establish detached facilities at the three acquired sites recently purchased from First National Bank.As a result, Minnwest Bank will have four locations in Rock County: their main office on Luverne’s Main Street; branches in Glen’s Food Center; 800 S. Kniss in the former First National’s main office and one on Beaver Creek’s Main Street.He also told customers that effective Feb. 6, all First National Bank accounts will automatically become accounts at Minnwest Bank.All account holders will be provided with new checking accounts, and a box of complimentary checks.Until those arrive they are to continue using their current First National checks.LCH announces new healthcare Web siteThe Luverne Community Hospital is touting their new healthcare Web site.The address is www.luvernecommunityhospital.org.According to Diane Westenberg, executive assistant for the Luverne Community Hospital, the new Web site is designed to be a source of healthcare related information regarding LCH and the services available for those needing quality healthcare close to home.Some of the improved features of the new Web site include:
Construction updates
Latest news
Cradle roll with newborns’ pictures
E-cards, e-mail greeting cards to patients
Calendar of events
Physician information
Employment opportunities
Online employment applicationConstruction photos of the new hospital are also updated regularly according to Westenberg.There is also a link to Sioux Valley’s health information pages where visitors can learn about different diseases, prescription drugs and treatment options.State troopers continue December mobilizationLast Friday, Minnesota State Troopers started their December mobilization with Maroon Day.On Dec. 19 all state troopers, regardless of rank, were in their squad cars patrolling the state’s roadways.Maroon Day was the kick-off for the December Mobilization Enforcement Program, which is sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.The mobilization, which will run through Jan. 5, will focus on a number of safety issues, including impaired drivers, speeding, as well as seat belts and child restraints.According to Kathryn Pederson, spokesperson for the Marshall district, of which Luverne is a part, troopers will be working full and partial shifts above and beyond their normal shifts while patrolling during the December mobilization.Cellular Advantage to open FridayCellular Advantage, an authorized dealer for Cell One is expected to open Friday, Dec. 26.The new business will be located at 218 E. Main, next to Main Street Financial.Owner/Manager, Bob Martin, from Madison, S.D., currently has seven other stores located in Hendricks, Pipestone and Redwood Falls, Minn., as well as Madison, De Smet and two in Sioux Falls, S.D.Martin has been in the cell phone business for eight years.Along with the cell phone business, the artwork of John Green will also be available in the store.Green is a Madison artist whose work is primarily native wildlife.Framed originals and prints will be displayed and also for sale.An open house is being planned for early next year.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

This cold and flu season,give holiday hugs andkeep hands to yourselfToday is Christmas Eve, and by now most of us have already participated in our share of holiday parties and family gatherings.It’s no wonder, that the holiday season and cold and flu season often become one in the same, what with all the handshaking and coughing into hands going on all at once.Not to be Scroogish, but all this social mingling adds up to one giant germ swap.All kinds of people who normally don’t bump into each other attend germ swaps near and far and bring those new germs to additional germ swaps.The germs travel from mucous membranes in eyes and noses to fingers and hands with an unknowing rub of the eyelid or scratch of the nostril.Those hands, in turn, transfer germs to door knobs, coffee pot handles, stairwell railings, and — yes — to other people’s hands.Hands are the culprits — even on the squeaky cleanest people. Just ask the Public Health Department.So, why then, in an industrially developed, highly-educated country such as ours, is it customary to greet people with a germ-infested handshake?Hand washing goes a long way in preventing the germ swap, but it would also help to keep our hands to ourselves — especially during the holidays.Instead, there’s a safer, more social alternative: holiday hugs.For churches that have incorporated handshaking into their worship routine, hugs might be the perfect Sunday morning greeting — especially for the new "charismatic" congregations that are establishing their niche as warm and informal groups.For the socially reserved congregations, pleasant smiles and cheery "hellos" will do.For the socially not-so-reserved, on the other hand, hugs and kisses might be the preferred handshake alternative. Acidic saliva, after all, is a known germ solvent. In the interest of tidy greetings, though, it’s probably best to stick with a simple Italian peck on the cheek.To take the hands-off theme a step farther, I also recommend pressing elevator buttons with knuckles, turning door knobs through shirtsleeves, flushing toilets with feet and not touching common public surfaces, such as stairwell railings and grocery carts (I pull my sleeves down for that, too).If none of this makes sense, at the very least we need to protect our immune systems in the daily battle against germs.This means eating right and getting enough sleep.All the hands-off measures in the world won’t help an immune system weakened by sleep deprivation and poor nutrition.I should know.After one too many late-night gift wrapping sessions munching on Christmas candy, I woke up two days ago with a miserable cold.I’ll try to keep my hands — and my germs — to myself. … Hugs, anyone?

By John RittenhouseThe Adrian girls’ basketball team split games during a holiday tournament it hosted over the weekend.Worthington, the eventual tournament champion, handed the Dragons their first loss of the season during Friday’s opening round. Adrian bounced back to beat Red Rock Central in the third-place game.The 5-1 Dragons played Fulda in a key Red Rock Conference game Tuesday in Fulda.Adrian 46, RRC 40The Dragons placed third in the tournament by upending the Falcons by six points in Adrian Saturday.RRC led 10-9 after eight minutes of play, but the Dragons outscored the Falcons 37-30 the rest of the way to prevail by six."We played pretty good defense and shot the ball well," said AHS coach Randy Strand.Adrian’s Maria Gengler, who led the Dragons with 19 points and 10 rebounds in the game, netted seven points when the hosts outscored RRC 17-12 in the second quarter to gain a 26-22 halftime lead.The difference remained at four points (36-32) when the third quarter was complete, and AHS led by as many as 12 in the fourth quarter before winning by six.Kylie Heronimus grabbed nine rebounds and recorded five assists for AHS, while Sarah Kruger added six rebounds and five assists. Andrea Lonneman added 10 rebounds to the winning cause.Box scoreHeronimus 2 0 0-1 4, Banck 1 0 0-0 2, Kruger 0 0 3-4 3, Cox 3 0 3-5 9, Lonneman 3 0 3-4 9, Gengler 8 0 3-5 19.Team statisticsAdrian: 17 of 41 field goals (41 percent), 12 of 19 free throws (63 percent), 36 rebounds, 18 turnovers.RRC: 12 of 51 field goals (24 percent), 15 of 21 free throws (71 percent), 17 rebounds, eight turnovers.Worthington 57,Adrian 43Worthington knocked Adrian out of the unbeaten ranks when the Trojans posted a 14-point victory over the Dragons in Adrian Friday.A surge late in the first half by the Trojans and a score of turnovers (31 in the game) proved to be the difference in the contest."We had 31 turnovers and that was our downfall," Strand said. "Their pressure got to us. It wasn’t that they were stealing the ball from us. We just made poor decisions with the ball."Worthington doubled Adrian’s scoring output (16-8) in the first quarter before the Dragons battled back to trail by two points (27-25) late in the first half.The Trojans closed the half with a 7-2 surge to gain a 34-27 halftime lead before outscoring AHS 21-7 in the third quarter to open a 55-34 advantage. The Dragons used a 9-2 scoring cushion in the fourth quarter to trim the difference to 14 points at game’s end.Gengler scored 13 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked seven shots for AHS. Lonneman chipped in 10 points. Kruger had six rebounds and Heronimus recorded six assists.Box scoreHenning 0 0 1-2 1, Heronimus 2 1 0-0 7, Banck 0 0 2-2 2, Kruger 1 0 6-8 8, Lonneman 4 0 2-2 10, Gengler 5 0 3-4 13, Loosbrock 1 0 0-0 2.Team statisticsAdrian: 14 of 32 field goals (44 percent), 14 of 18 free throws (78 percent), 32 rebounds, 31 turnovers.Worthington: 21 of 67 field goals (31 percent), seven of 10 free throws (70 percent), 20 rebounds, 13 turnovers.

By John RittenhouseThe Ellsworth boys’ basketball team snapped a four-game losing skid by topping Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster by 23 points in Ellsworth Monday.The streak reached four games with a 17-point home loss to Dawson-Boyd Thursday.Ellsworth, 2-4 overall, plays in the Mitchell, S.D., Tournament Friday and Saturday.Ellsworth 82,SV-RL-B 59The Panthers turned in a dominating performance while downing the Raiders by 23 points in Ellsworth Monday.Ellsworth outscored SV-RL-B in every quarter to post their first win since the season opener against Lakeview Dec. 4."We got down to business Monday," said Panther coach Ken Kvaale. "I was really pleased with the way we played as a team. We made an effort to get out and run with the ball, and it worked out well for us."With Todd Alberty scoring 20 of his team-high 23 points and Lee Farrell 13 of his 15 points in the first half, Ellsworth sported 21-11 and 42-26 leads at the first two quarter breaks.Adam Sieff netted nine of his 15 points when the Panthers expanded their lead to 20 points (60-40) in the third quarter, and EHS outscored the Raiders 22-19 in the fourth quarter to win by 23.Tom Janssen, who scored 19 points for the winners, tied Farrell for the team lead with six assists. Sieff added five assists to the cause. Alberty and Farrell pulled down nine and seven rebounds respectively.Box scoreJanssen 4 3 2-3 19, Co.Schilling 2 0 0-1 4, Sieff 6 1 0-0 15, Alberty 9 1 2-3 23, Herman 2 0 0-0 4, Tresbesch 1 0 0-0 2, Gacke 0 0 0-0 0, Klaassen 0 0 0-0 0, Farrell 6 1 0-2 15.Team statisticsEllsworth: 55 percent field goals (totals were not available), four of nine free throws (44 percent), 29 rebounds, six turnovers.D-B 67, Ellsworth 50Ellsworth’s losing streak reached four games when it dropped a 17-point home decision to the Blackjacks Thursday.Dawson-Boyd opened a 12-point lead in the first quarter and never lost control of the game against a cold-shooting EHS squad, which made 38 percent of its field goals in the contest.Ellsworth sported 3-0 and 5-2 leads early in the game before D-B put together a 21-4 run that gave them a 23-9 lead with less than one minute remaining in the first quarter.Ellsworth’s Farrell drained a field goal with less than 30 seconds left in the first quarter to make it a 23-11 game at the break, and Janssen scored the first two points in the second quarter to bring the Panthers within 10 points (23-13) of D-B.The Blackjacks, however, scored the next seven points to open a 30-13 cushion before settling for a 14-point (39-25) halftime advantage.Ellsworth pulled to within 12 points (48-36) of D-B when Brian Gacke connected for a field goal with three seconds left in the third quarter, and Gacke scored again at the 7:01 mark of the fourth quarter to make it a 10-point difference (48-38).The Panthers, however, were unable to get any closer to D-B in the final seven minutes as the Blackjacks outscored them 19-12 the rest of the way to win by 17.Sieff led the Panthers with 12 points. Farrell scored 11 points, grabbed seven rebounds and passed for four assists. Gacke nabbed 11 rebounds.Box scoreJanssen 4 0 0-0 8, Co.Schilling 1 0 0-3 2, Sieff 4 0 4-6 12, Alberty 2 0 4-7 8, Bittner 0 0 0-0 0, Herman 0 0 1-2 1, Gacke 4 0 0-0 8, Klaassen 0 0 0-0 0, Farrell 3 0 5-7 11.Team statisticsEllsworth: 18 of 47 field goals (38 percent), 14 of 25 free throws (56 percent), 31 rebounds, 15 turnovers.

By Lori EhdeLuverne School Board members wrapped up their final meeting of 2003 by certifying the levy and reviewing the status of district fund balances.During their Monday night meeting, the board adopted the proposed property tax levy at $1.49 million payable in 2004. This is the maximum levy amount allowed by the state, but it represents a decrease of $63,306 from last year’s levy.While education costs are not decreasing, the state two years ago shifted the burden of school funding from local property taxes to state sales and income taxes.At the time, the state of Minnesota was on the upside of economic growth, but since the education tax shift, the economy has slowed.The result has been pressure on the state to keep up with education funding, in light of decreasing revenue from sales and income taxes.District Finance Officer Marlene Mann told School Board members Monday night how the state is handling its budget with regard to school funding."It’s that same old story," Mann said. "The state’s holding back dollars, putting more of a burden on districts to have a cash balance to float bills."She said Luverne District was due to receive $1.5 million in state aid at the start of the district’s fiscal year in July, but that money is being metered slowly.Meanwhile, state funds that are due now are being withheld.The bottom line, Mann said, is that the district needs to have money on hand to cover its monthly obligations."Until the state economy picks up and the state decides to release its education dollars," Mann said, "we have to have a fund balance on hand to cover what the state is holding."Study on merger of Southwest and South Central conferencesA joint committee of the Southwest Conference and South Central Conference initiated a feasibility study on merging the two conferences.Factors considered in the study will include: Travel distance and cost for all schools involved for any activity, size or enrollment variations and competitive levels of the programs."Some of these programs are historically pretty strong, while others aren’t, so they’re exploring the possibility of arranging schedules according to competitive level of the programs," Schaefer said."It isn’t just athletics, it’s everything."He emphasized the feasibility study won’t obligate the conference committee to a decision."It doesn’t mean that anything will come to be," Schaefer said. "They’re just studying it."Retired athletic director, Ron Stolsky, Brainerd, was hired to study the variables, and the target date for his report is March 1.In other business Monday, the boardoApproved student teaching contracts with Southwest State University, Marshall, and Augustana College. Student teachers will work with Jane Cote, Jodi Rops, Emily Matthiesen, Gordie Hansen, Kara Ahrendt, Doug Dooyema, Cloyce Smith and Chris Nowatzki.oApproved LaDonna Iveland and Colby Anderson as co-directors for the spring play.oApproved a leave of absence for Cheryl Cronberg, paraprofessional, for six months beginning Dec. 1, 2003.oHired Deborah Kneip as paraprofessional.oThe next school board meetings are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Jan. 22 and Feb. 12.

By Brenda WinterThere is a gentle way about Fran Stenberg. He seems tired but not resigned. His gray handle-bar mustache and buckhorn belt buckle might be more expected at the rodeo finals, or Sturgis maybe.But here he is leading a small group of Hills Christian School kids through the Union Gospel Mission. He calmly puts his hand on the shoulders of the wiggly kid who can’t stand in line, wait his turn or listen very long. He asks the kids who they think started the Mission 104 years ago and laughs when they answer, "You?""Nope," he laughs, "It was a drunk. A drunk who got in a fight and killed a man outside of a bar and went to jail for seven years. After he got out of jail he gave his life to Christ and wanted to open a place for people to go when they get out of jail." The children stand in awe, secretly wondering if maybe Fran ever killed anybody … probably not.This man has been the director of the Mission for 27 years, longer than anyone else. He’s seen the typical stay at the Mission extend from a night or two 20 years ago, to months at a time now. He’s seen the beds grow in number from 16 – 10 for men, six for women and children – to 86 beds today and often a dozen or more people sleep on the floor.People used to need a bed and a meal as they passed through town. Now they need drug and alcohol counseling, job training, parenting training and basic homekeeping skills. But Stenberg doesn’t approach the problems with despair, or with undue optimism. He says, "All you do is something and let the Lord do the rest."Stenberg said. "We’ve gone from offering basic services to rehabilitative services. They have more problems now and more serious problems. That’s the big change. What we do is more of a discipleship nature. We’re in their face teaching them to live a Christ-like life. We want to focus on mind, body and soul."Stenberg said the Mission offers a discipleship program that lasts a minimum of six months and can take a year or more to finish. The program requires that people try. "You can stay here five days and do nothing as long as you behave. That’s Level 1. Level 2 is for people who want to stay longer. They have to help out, look for work and we ask them to read a book. Level 3 is the Shepherd’s program. If there is nothing going on in your life and you’re not trying, the Shepherd’s program requires more of you. You can’t sleep all day."Stenberg leads the group of school children from one level of the building to another.The women’s dorm is a row of beds about 200 feet long. The men’s dorm is dark and has two rows of bunk beds. A sick man sleeps as does another man who works at night. A few women browse in the thrift shop. Older model computers are lined up in the learning center. The school children peer into a room-sized refrigerator. The lobby is warm and welcoming with angels and garland decorating the window. A Christmas cactus blooms in the north window. Not a bad place — to a visitor passing through.This all takes money. About $700,000 last year. Eighty percent of the money comes from individual donations and 20 percent comes from churches. The Mission served 65,000 meals, provided 24,000 night’s lodging and employs 15 full-time and seven part-time people.Stenberg gives the statistics to the group as he has to hundreds, maybe thousands, of other groups. The Mission needs money, it always needs money. There are needy people. There will always be needy people.He tells the kids, "Maybe that’s why you’re here today. Maybe because of this tour, when you grow up you’ll be involved in a rescue mission." He laughs, "You can have my job. I’ll wait for you."

By Lori EhdeLuverne and Rock County made the cut as one of 10 applications to be approved for a Job Opportunity Building Zone, according to an announcement Thursday by Gov. Tim Pawlenty.Luverne and Rock County were part of a coalition of 13 counties in Southwest Minnesota that applied for the zones.Locally, that application included 346.52 acres, all of which were approved by the Minnesota State Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). Per JOBZ legislation passed this year, businesses locating in these zones could see tax incentives previously not available in Minnesota. Those incentives include local and state exemptions, such as corporate franchise tax, income tax for operators or investors, sales tax on business purchases, capital gains tax, and property taxes.The JOB zones also authorize employment tax credit for high-paying jobs."These zones could do amazing things for Luverne and the State of Minnesota," said Dan Statema, Luverne Economic Development Director. "Luverne is poised to take advantage of our local incentives including an excellent school system, expanding health care (a 18 million dollar hospital/clinic is currently being constructed in Luverne) and excellent work ethic."He said he’s already been dealing with businesses interested in locating in Luverne, but he said Luverne’s new status as an approved JOB zone will make those possibilities more likely.Luverne’s JOB zone is primarily to the industrial park on the southwest side of town, and a portion of land outside Luverne in that same area.But if a qualifying company is interested in the Tri-State building, Statema said Luverne would be allowed to transfer some of its approved acres for that location. "You can transfer acres for the right situations."The zones are guaranteed for 12 years for qualified businesses and will take effect Jan. 1. "Businesses have located in Luverne in the past because of the outstanding quality of our community, now they can locate here because of extensive tax benefits as well," Statema said. Luverne will start advertising its JOB zones in regional and national periodicals and DEED will also start a marketing campaign aimed at assisting Minnesota communities in getting the word out nationally.Luverne Mayor Glen Gust said JOB zones will be another tool for the City of Luverne. "I’m excited about the momentum Luverne seems to be gaining," Gust said. "You could see some very positive growth in Luverne in the near future."