Pamida’s toy department manager, Vicky VanHulzen, displays one of the Bratz dolls that have been popular gifts for pre-teens this Christmas. What she can’t show is Rapunzel Barbie and Radio Shack’s micro-mini remote control cars, which have been sold out since Thanksgiving.

By Lori Ehde
Last year at this time, shoppers were beating down the doors for Sony’s Playstation II and Microsoft’s X-Box. Other years, Ferbie and Tickle Me Elmo have taken center stage.

This year, for local shoppers anyway, Rapunzel Barbie and Radio Shack’s micro-mini remote control cars were the big sellers in the toy aisle.

According to Pamida’s Diane Stearns, shoppers purchased more than 200 mini remote control cars by 8 a.m. on the day after Thanksgiving.

"People were just crazy for them," she said. "We knew they were going to go, but we didn’t realize they would be that popular."

At the time, they were sale priced at $7.77 apiece, but she said kiosks in the Sioux Empire Mall are now offering them for more than $20.

Pamida’s been sold out Rapunzel Barbie – both the prince and the princess dolls — since long before Thanksgiving, but Stearns said all Barbie dolls and accessories continue to be popular gifts.

Also popular this year for girls are the Bratz heads and Bratz mini dolls, which come with hair and makeup kits for pre-teen color and styling fun. Pamida has these in stock and continues to sell plenty of them, Stearns said.

Among gifts for older recipients, she said all electronic toys and gadgets continue to be big sellers, particularly Gameboy Advance and Playstation II.

Karen Loosbrock at M-M Farm and Home Discount said Barbie dolls and Bratz are big sellers there too, but she said M-M caters to other gift shoppers.

"Being a farming community, we carry a big line of the Ertl equipment," she said. "It’s tractors, combines and farm equipment."

She said people looking for specific John Deere and Case IH equipment can go to the dealerships for those items, but M-M carries most models under both names.

"We also have some more expensive collector farm toys, and we have people who come to Luverne just for them, because they know we have them," she said.

Breyer horses are another line of toy collectibles that bring shoppers to M-M every Christmas.

"We have a collector in Brandon who comes every year to see what we have new," Loosbrock said.

She said M-M stocks a sampling of most popular toy brands, but the farm toys take up about half the shelves in M-M’s toy department.

"Being a farm and home store, I think people look to us for those items," Loosbrock said.

According to information from the Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce, shoppers can still get in on 0 percent loans to purchase Christmas gifts from local businesses.

For information, inquire at any Luverne bank.

Adrian junior guard Brandon Wolf drives to the basket against Luverne’s Joey Pick during Friday’s boys’ basketball game in Adrian. Wolf scored 10 points and came up with three steals to help AHS post a 53-34 victory.

By John Rittenhouse
The Adrian boys’ basketball team extended a winning streak to four games with a pair of road wins.

The Dragons thumped Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin by 19 points in Mountain Lake Thursday before nipping Edgerton by three points in Edgerton Tuesday.

Adrian, 4-3 overall, plays in Westbrook Friday.

Adrian 60,
Edgerton 57
The Dragons used a fourth-quarter rally to win their fourth consecutive game Tuesday in Edgerton.

After trailing 19-13, 27-25 and 35-34 at the first three quarter breaks, Adrian put everything together offensively while outscoring the hosts 26-22 in the fourth quarter.

With Cliff Lynn scoring eight of his 17 points to lead the way, Adrian opened a nine-point cushion at one stage of the fourth quarter. Edgerton did pull within three before putting up a half-court shot at the buzzer that bounced off the rim and caromed away from the target.

"It was a good win on the road," said Dragon coach Chris Rozell. "We hit some shots to get a lead in the fourth quarter, and we made some free throws down the stretch to keep it."

Kyle Knips led AHS with 18 points. David Brake contributed 12 points and eight rebounds, while Casey Knips added eight rebounds. Pete Hohn passed for four assists and blocked two shots for the winners.

Box score
Hohn 0 0 3-5 3, Wolf 0 0 1-2 1, Henning 0 0 1-2 1, Spieker 1 0 0-0 2, Lynn 1 5 0-1 17, K.Knips 8 0 2-2 18, Brake 6 0 0-0 12, C.Knips 2 0 2-3 6.

Team statistics
Adrian: 23 of 51 field goals (45 percent), seven of 13 free throws (54 percent), 28 rebounds, 15 turnovers.
Edgerton: 21 of 49 field goals (43 percent), 13 of 14 free throws (93 percent), 28 rebounds, 11 turnovers.

Adrian 61, ML-B-O 42
The Dragons posted their most convincing win of the season when they upended the Wolverines by 19 points in Mountain Lake Thursday.

With Lynn scoring five of his 13 points and Dusty Spieker adding five of his six points to set the pace, Adrian opened a 10-point lead (17-7) in the first quarter and expanded the advantage at the remaining three quarter breaks.

"We controlled the game the whole way," said Dragon coach Rozell. "We started well and finished well. We actually played four good quarters of basketball."

The Dragons sported 31-20 and 46-29 leads at the end of the second and third quarters before winning by 19 in the end.

Kyle Knips recorded a double-double for the winners with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Hohn contributed seven rebounds, six assists and three steals to the cause. Brandon Wolf added five steals.

Box score
Hohn 1 0 0-0 2, Wolf 3 0 3-4 9, Klingenberg 0 0 2-2 2, Spieker 1 1 1-2 6, Block 1 0 0-0 2, Lynn 2 3 0-0 13, K.Knips 8 0 1-2 17, Brake 1 0 0-0 2, C.Knips 3 0 2-2 8.

Team statistics
Adrian: 24 of 50 field goals (48 percent), nine of 12 free throws (75 percent), 33 rebounds, 17 turnovers.
ML-B-O: 16 of 54 field goals (30 percent), seven of 14 free throws (50 percent), 19 rebounds, 27 turnovers.

By Sara Strong
Luverne utility customers could notice slightly higher charges for the first time in almost six years.

The basic charges are increasing $2 a month for residential customers and 1/10 ¢ per kilowatt hour over three years.

Commercial customers will pay an increase of 2 1/2 ¢ per kilowatt hour over three years.

The increase is based on a utility cost of service study. The city of Luverne is slightly higher than the state utility average charges.

The Luverne City Council discussed the rate study and proposed changes at its Tuesday meeting. It will vote on the rates at its next meeting, Monday, Dec. 23.

Kapperman site
The city had intended to work with Jerome Kapperman in cleaning up the burn site on Southeast Park Street, Luverne.

Part of working with him included allowing him time to move salvage material from that site to another he owns on Edgehill Street.

After Assistant City Attorney Jeffrey Haubrich considered the city’s plans, he shared the opinion that it isn’t legal to move the salvaged material from Southeast Park Street to Edgehill, because Edgehill is in a residential district and Kapperman’s use of the site doesn’t fit within the codes.

Kapperman would be expanding an already non-conforming use of the Edgehill property by storing and selling more refrigeration supplies.

The city cannot even grant a variance in this case because it isn’t allowable under restrictions a variance could impose either.

The city has the option of rezoning the Edgehill area to make the Kapperman use legal.

Hills-Beaver Creek sophomore guard Cassi Tilstra drives past Russell-Tyler-Ruthton’s Stephanie Evans during Monday’s girls’ basketball game in Hills. Tilstra scored 10 points, passed for seven assists and recorded three steals during a 58-36 win that snapped a two-game losing skid for the Patriots.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek girls’ basketball team snapped a two-game losing skid with an impressive performance in Hills Monday.

Hosting Russell-Tyler-Ruthton in a non-conference tilt, H-BC used a 32-3 scoring run in the first and second quarters to set the stage for a 58-36 victory.

The game started out close when the teams battled to a draw at six in the first four minutes of the first quarter, but that all changed by halftime.

H-BC limited the Knights to one field goal and one free throw the rest of the first half, which ended with the Patriots sporting a commanding 38-9 advantage.

After R-T-R tied the game at six in the first quarter, H-BC ended the opening period with a 12-0 run that was capped by a pair of free throws from Cassi Tilstra with 36 seconds remaining to give the hosts an 18-6 cushion.

Tilstra, who had 10 points in the game, and Erin Boeve, who led all players with 24 points, netted six counters each in the first quarter.

Things didn’t get any better in the second quarter for R-T-R, which was outscored 20-3 in the period and trailed 38-9 when Brittney Rozeboom buried a pair of free throws with one second left.

Boeve had nine points in the second period, which all but locked the game up for H-BC.

The Knights did show some spark when they started the third quarter with a 13-3 run that made the tally 41-22, but the Patriots countered with a 9-0 surge capped by a field goal from Becky Mulder with eight seconds remaining to take a 50-22 advantage into the fourth period.

R-T-R scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter to trail 50-31, but a free throw by Mulder capped a 7-0 H-BC run to give the Patriots a 26-point cushion (57-31) before settling for a 22-point win.

Rozeboom, who had nine rebounds and three steals in the game, joined Boeve and Tilstra in double-figure scoring for H-BC by netting 11 points.

Boeve had 13 rebounds, while Tilstra charted seven assists and three steals.

The 5-3 Patriots cap the 2002 portion of their schedule by playing in Fulda tonight.

Box score
B.Rozeboom 3 0 5-8 11, Bush 1 0 0-0 2, Tilstra 3 0 4-4 10, S.Rozeboom 2 0 2-4 6, Hoyme 1 0 0-0 2, Boeve 8 0 8-11 24, Wassenaar 0 0 0-0 0, Olson 0 0 0-1 0, Mulder 1 0 1-4 3.

Team statistics
H-BC: 19 of 47 field goals (40 percent), 20 of 32 free throws (63 percent), 40 rebounds, 12 turnovers.
R-T-R: 15 of 52 field goals (29 percent), three of seven free throws (43 percent), 36 rebounds, 16 turnovers.

By Lori Ehde
For nearly 30 years, federal legislators have mandated that school districts provide special education programs for students who need them.

While the programs were implemented with successful results for special needs students, the federal government has not lived up to its promise to fund 40 percent of the costs.

The Education of All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 stipulated that 40 percent of funding for the new programs would come from federal sources, with the remainder coming from state and local sources.

According to the original legislation, the federal government would assume this level of funding by 1982, but up until 1996, it barely reached 10 percent, and now hovers at about 16 percent.

Plus, new unfunded mandates require districts to provide additional programs at their own costs.

Shortfall amounts to $250,000 each year for Luverne School District
Sen. Mark Dayton’s state director, Jim Gelbmann, was in Luverne Thursday, Dec. 12, to discuss how this shortfall has affected Minnesota schools and students.

He detailed upcoming efforts in Congress to improve special ed funding and heard concerns about how Luverne district specifically has been affected.

What this means in Luverne is that roughly $250,000 in special education funding comes out of the district’s general fund, when it should be coming from the federal government.

"The bills come in for special education funding whether it’s funded by the federal government or not," said Luverne Superintendent Vince Schaefer. "That general fund gets hit hard by that shortfall."

To make matters worse, Schaefer said, any increase in federal support for education is usually attached to stipulations to add new programs.

"We’d rather they didn’t have that requirement until we’re able to cash flow the programs we now have," he said.

Quality programs
don’t come cheap
Minnesota schools, and Luverne in particular, have led the nation in providing quality education to students with physical and learning disabilities.

"We do have good programs in special education, and for that reason, we have families with special needs choosing to attend here," Schaefer said.

Luverne’s special education students represent nearly 12 percent of the student body.

That’s somewhat higher than numbers in neighboring districts, largely due to Luverne’s reputation for meeting and exceeding special education needs.

"We have been doing a good job, but we now think it’s time for the federal government to fulfill its commitment," Schaefer said, adding that it’s particularly important in light of decreasing education dollars from the state.

"It would free up money for the general fund and help keep programs alive."

For years school boards and administrators have listened to the debate over providing special education at what some view as a cost to other students.

"On one hand we are required to provide a free and appropriate education to special needs kids," Schaefer said.

"On the other hand, some feel regular education kids are denied programs because some of that money is going to special education programs. … Unfortunately, there’s some truth to that."

Federal changes
on the horizon
Both Schaefer and Gelbmann emphasized that no one suggests taking away programs from special needs children. Rather, the funding mechanisms for making those programs possible are under scrutiny.

Original special education legislation calls for the law to be reviewed and reauthorized every six years. The last time it was reauthorized was 1997, so it’s due for a fresh look, Gelbmann said.

"We take a new look at the law to see if it’s serving its purpose and to look at funding," he said.

With school districts nationwide making budget cuts, he said there’s a good chance for a special education increase next year from federal sources.

"There’s more of a recognition that the federal government has not kept its commitment to funding special education," Gelbmann said.

He said George W. Bush’s President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education is currently reviewing legislation and its effects on schools.

"What they’re finding is too many children may be provided with special education services, often known as the ‘over-identification’ issue," Gelbmann said.

Districts may be allowed to provide fewer services as the term "special needs" is redefined, allowing schools to recoup some costs.

Gelbmann said Sen. Dayton is also prepared to testify that paperwork requirements for special ed teachers need to be less stringent.

"He’s heard from too many teachers that they’re spending an increasing amount of time doing paperwork, which limits the amount of time they can actually spend with students," Gelbmann said.

In January, Congress will begin the process of reviewing the bill, now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which will determine future funding and implementation of special education services.

Discussion will reach the Senate floor in April or May.

Roughly 25 people, including parents, teachers and school administrators, attended Thursday’s meeting,
"We very much appreciate the input," Gelbmann said. "It’s so much better to get first-hand information from people who deal with the issues on a daily basis. They know the programs the best."

Sen. Dayton’s toll-free office number is 1-888-224-9043.

By Sara Strong
With two offers to purchase the city apartments, and conflicting opinions on how to decide on a sale, the Luverne Economic Development Authority will start over and advertise for bids on the Mounds View and Evergreen Apartments.

The LEDA isn’t obligated to advertise for proposals, but to eliminate confusion and last-minute offers, it will set a bid opening date and put conditions on the sale.

Potential buyers Doug Eisma, Dan Vis, Paul Vis and Bill Vis made an offer to the LEDA about four months ago, and the board indicated it was in favor of selling to the group.

Then, Dec. 11, Steve Perkins made a $1.4 million offer — $110,000 more than the Eisma-Vis proposal.
Other than the price, both offers were similar. Neither wanted to change maintenance managers or raise rent to risk losing good tenants.

Eisma felt he had a deal with the city while Perkins says he would have liked the process to be more open, as it would be in the case of advertising for bids.

Perkins said, "It’s important as a public body to ask, how do you maximize returns for taxpayers? … The most important thing to the community is that it’s a fair and open process to allow the best proposal to come forward."

Eisma and Vises’ offer was made independently, and once that dollar amount was on the table, Perkins had the opportunity to top it.

"We felt that at the Nov. 18 meeting there was a commitment made to our group. The LEDA directed Dan Statema to get paperwork together. In reliance on the commitment, we did appraisals, lined up our financing, and were ready to close the deal. The higher offer was made on Dec. 11, which was simply too late," Eisma said.

The Eisma-Vis position is that the "11th hour" offer from Perkins shouldn’t have factored into a decision on the sale of the apartments.

The LEDA admitted that it probably would have accepted the Eisma-Vis offer at the earlier meeting it was discussed. However, the board delayed action in order to find the exact figure of outstanding debt on the apartments before finalizing a purchase agreement.

The new advertisement will specify selling guidelines buyers will have to follow, such as keeping the apartments rental property, maintenance standards and rent increases.

That way, all potential buyers will have similar offers and the LEDA can decide based on dollar amounts.

Board member Nate Golla said, "Our duty is to the taxpayers to get a good selling price and also to the tenants to keep them happy and the rents low."

LEDA member Karis Gust said, "I struggle with this because [Eisma and the Vises] have spent four months of going to meetings and working with tenants and doing all this leg work to have it come down to someone coming up with more money."

Eisma said, "Our position is, that Perkins wouldn’t be here if we hadn’t made the offer."

Tenants attending the public hearing said they liked the communication the Eisma-Vis group had with tenants and felt comfortable with them as landlords.

Keith Erickson said the city is in an unusual position, because it can sometimes be accused of spending too much money, but now has the chance to bring in more money.

In bringing in more money, though, the city could be breaking a gentleman’s agreement with the first offer and come under ethical question.

LEDA president Glen Gust said, "I think a gentlemen’s agreement or a handshake is worth a lot."

LEDA member Mike Engesser said, "My primary concern is that they stay apartments because there’s a need for that in the city."

The LEDA will have to meet in another public hearing before the apartments are sold to any buyer.

Holiday sounds
Beth Behal directs the Luverne High School Choir Monday as it performs the winter program. The seventh and eighth grade choir also performed Monday. Special soloists were Kirk Oldre and Becky Antoine. Musicians were Kaitlyn Deragisch, LaRae Kor, Natalie Willers, Stephanie Steensma, Katie Klosterbuer, Rachel Tofteland. An ensemble group made up of Callen Bosshart, Emily Brandel, Brent Fransen and Chris Thacker also performed. Angie Hylen and Sue Sandbulte were accompanists.

Photo by Sue Bruynes

Tuff Village employee Deb Bowman talks to resident Carolyn Crawford while passing out popcorn to the residents and guests. Crawford was celebrating more than Santa’s arrival on Saturday, it was also her birthday.

Noah Hellerud, Hills, contemplates what to ask Santa to bring him for Christmas. Santa and his little elves visited Hills on Saturday. Children gathered at the Tuff Village before Santa’s arrival to make Christmas crafts and watch a movie. See pages 10 and 11 of the Crescent for more photos of Santa’s visit and other activities of the day.

Photo by Jolene Farley