By John Rittenhouse
The Luverne volleyball team experienced some ups and downs while playing a pair of road matches since last Thursday.
The Cardinals beat Worthington in a four-game match to record their first Southwest Conference win of the campaign Thursday, but they came up on the short end of a 3-0 score in Jeffers against Red Rock Central Tuesday.
Luverne, 8-7-1, is bracing for its busiest stretch of the season that includes competition in four of the next six days.
The Cards host Pipestone-Jasper and Martin County West today and Monday respectively. The Hull (Iowa) Western Christian Tournament is set for Saturday, and Luverne plays Russell-Tyler-Ruthton in Tyler Tuesday.

RRC 3, Luverne 0
A solid Falcon squad ended what was a two-match winning streak for LHS when the teams met in Jeffers Tuesday.
RRC, a talented team led by four strong seniors, outscored the Cards 45-28 during a three-game sweep.
"We played hard, but our weaknesses really showed up against a lot quicker team," said Cardinal coach Mary Jo Graphenteen. "We dug up a lot of balls, we served tough and we received serves fairly well. We just couldn’t score."
The match started in a promising way when the Cards took a 13-9 lead in Game 1, but the Falcons scored the next six points to pull out a 15-13 win.
RRC went on to post 15-5 and 15-10 wins in Games 2 and 2.
Susan Remme led LHS with eight kills. Tracey Scheidt, who was 13 of 14 serving, added six kills.

Luverne 3, Worthington 1
The Cardinal girls produced their first conference victory of the season when they bested the Trojans in a four-game match in Worthington Thursday.
Luverne came up on the short end of the first game of the clash, but the Cards raced to early leads in the next three games and won each contest to give them a 1-3 SWC record for the campaign.
"With the exception of the first game when we made a lot of mistakes, this was a really good match for us," said Cardinal coach Mary Jo Graphenteen. "We came back after that first game and did some really good things. I really felt we took another step forward in this match."
Worthington had its way in Game 1 by securing a 15-8 win, but the rest of the match belonged to LHS.
The Cards scored the first seven points in Games 2 and 3 while rolling to 15-5 and 15-10 wins.
Luverne scored the first five points of the fourth game and led 5-4 before outscoring the Trojans 10-5 the rest of the way to win 15-9.
"Our floor play is getting better," Graphenteen added. "We’re digging up a lot of balls and making them playable. Our serving was in the 90-percentile range, too. We’ve really improved a lot since the beginning of the season."
Susan Remme and Tracey Scheidt led the Cards at the net with 19 and seven kills respectively.
Scheidt was 20 of 22 serving with 14 points, and Brooke Lundgren was 20 of 21 with 13 counters.
Graphenteen said Emmy Bush filled in for the injured Emily Kuhlman as a middle hitter and did a nice job.

By John Rittenhouse
What had been a comfortable situation for the Luverne High School football team had turned into a desperate one at the conclusion of Friday’s homecoming game against Marshall.
After posting three straight wins to open the campaign, including two victories against the 1999 Southwest Conference co-champions (Windom and Worthington), Luverne’s season has soured.

The following essay by Amanda Saum, Luverne, was published in the September issue of The High School Writer, a national publication. Her essay was labeled an "Award Winner," which according to teacher Elizabeth Petersen, has happened just once before to a Luverne student. Saum is now an 8th-grader but wrote the essay last year.

Lake Miltona
By Amanda Saum
I love to go to my grandma and grandpa's lake cabin on Lake Miltona. Lake Miltona is about a half an hour away from Alexandria. In August we always have our family reunion there. It is my favorite place to be. It's a long drive, but it's definitely worth it!

The lake cabin is, to me, the most relaxing place. My cousins and I walk around barefoot almost all the time. When you first step into the lake, you can feel the warm water splashing at your heels. The soft, muddy sand on the bottom oozes between your toes. As you wade out farther, you start to feel waving green seaweed twist around your legs. The light breeze lifts up your hair. You jump up onto the scorching inner tube. With a little push, you glide gently through the water. Once you are out quite far there is no more rocky sand or seaweed. You dive down, and the warm water surrounds you. The sun shines brightly with an orange glare as you sit back in the inner tube and drift about. Swimming is one of my favorite things to do at the cabin.

The beach is also a great place to be. The soft, sugary sand slides in between your toes. Tiny white shells litter areas of the beach. An ashy bonfire pit contains only the burnt remains of last night's roasted marshmallows. There is an old wooden swing to sit on. You push back and forth, the wind blowing lightly at your face. It's a great place to sit back, drink a pop, and read a book. You now get up from the swing and walk toward the dock. You step on the wet slabs of stone. Now you feel the hot metal under your feet. The dusty fishing boat sits to the right. Almost every grandchild has had a photo taken in a bright orange life jacket at the far end of the classic fishing spot. Sitting down on the dock on a hot day to dangle your feet in the water is wonderful.

One of the most fun things to do at the lake cabin is to go for a paddleboat ride. My cousins and I strap on our life jackets, pile up into the paddleboat with cans of pop in hand, and push off. Away we go, gliding across the lake, The wind is blowing, you drift your hand through the water, and rest your tired legs. You lean back for a suntan, the waves rolling, as the boat rocks you to sleep.

Another favorite spot at the cabin is the hammock. Across the lush green grass between two trees hangs the white hammock. My cousins and I like to take turns lying in it. We rest easily there and are shaded from the hot sun. It is the perfect place to lay back and have an afternoon nap.

Our day is over. We head back to the cabin. The soft, mossy ground squishes under our bare feet. An unfinished croquet game is scattered across the huge lawn. You climb up on the old deck. You can feel the rough wooden boards under your feet. Into the cabin you go, up the steep stairs, and onto one of the 10 comfy beds. You pull the light blanket over yourself and pull the shade over the dark window. As the shade comes down, you see mosquitoes buzzing and the faded yellow lights of fireflies. As you close your eyes you hear the faint calls of loons. A car rolls down the gravel road. Tomorrow we will feed the geese old bread, go swimming, lie in the hammock, rock in the swing, go for a paddleboat ride, walk on the beach, have water balloon fights, and roast marshmallows. Just another day at the lake.

By Jolene Farley

Taxpayers in the Adrian School District will vote once again Tuesday, Dec. 19, on a bond referendum concerning construction of a gymnasium and parking changes at the high school.

After heavy debate, the Adrian School Board members voted 6-1 at their regular meeting to allow voters to decide if a new gym is needed by the Adrian School District.

The Adrian voters passed a $4.9-million bond referendum last December for improvements to the district's elementary school facilities, but they voted no on a $2-million bond referendum for the high school gym and parking changes.

The $4.9-million bond issue passed easily with a vote of 637 to 374. The second question on the ballot concerning construction of the new gym was narrowly defeated by a vote of 502 to 466.

After December's vote, area citizens immediately began the effort to bring the gym referendum to the ballot once again.

A petition was circulated around Adrian and was presented to the Adrian School Board with more than 400 signatures. The board agreed to hire the DLR Group, Minneapolis, the same architectural firm that designed the elementary school addition, to consult with the citizens' group to work on gym design.

The citizens' group and architects new plan includes more seating area, extra storage, a wrestling room and a fitness room that could possibly be used as a community fitness center.

"This is a no-frills plan. If we just put up a gym it would not solve many of our problems," said Coach Randy Strand, "and costs just keep going up."

The price tag on the new design is $2.8 million.

"The biggest negative is the dollar figure," said Darwin Veld, chairman of the Adrian School Board.

The school board planned to keep the referendum at the $2.2 million figure. The higher figure is due to increased construction costs and design changes. Construction costs have increased 10 percent over last year, according to Amcon CM, construction manager for Adrian's elementary project.

"We as a group went above the $2.2-million figure," said Strand, also a member of the community group studying the gym bond issue.

"The general feeling of the group was that the members of the community that were opposed would be opposed whether the bond issue was $2.2 million or $2.8 million," he said. "Construction costs keep going up, but the need does not go away."

The Rock County Sheriff’s Department is warning of a possible phone scam affecting the area. At least two individuals have contacted the Sheriff’s Department with questions.
A caller, saying he is from Sunrise, Fla., working with Credit Benefits Service, asks for Social Security number, bank account number and date of birth. He also asks for an automatic withdrawal account to set up a credit line.
The Sheriff’s Department checked, and there is no business called Credit Benefits Service in Sunrise. Never give personal information over the phone to unknown people.

By Ronnal M. McClure, Sheriff of Rock County
With the extremely dry conditions that continue throughout southwest Minnesota, it is necessary that area residents be very careful with any outdoor burning.
Minnesota Open Burning Permit holders are reminded that they must abide by the requirements that are printed on the backside of the permits.
It is strongly suggested that all unnecessary burning be delayed until conditions improve and that any other burning be conducted very carefully and if possible, during the evening hours.
The sheriffs of southwest Minnesota would prefer not to have to issue a ban on open burning at this time. Please be careful with any essential outdoor burning. If in doubt, wait until conditions improve.

By Lori Ehde
Property taxpayers in the Luverne School District may see a 6.36-percent decrease in the school levy next year, according to preliminary figures approved at the Thursday, Sept. 28, board meeting.
The preliminary levy was set at $2,811,370.39 for taxes payable in 2001. That’s almost $191,000 less than last year’s levy, before state tax credits are applied.
According to District Financial Officer Marlene Mann, the decrease was possible this year thanks to a shift in state funding. She said the district will receive more state aid this year, so it will lean less heavily on local taxpayers for support.
The preliminary levy is the amount that will appear on property tax statements this fall. After the annual Truth in Taxation meeting Nov. 30, the board will set the final levy amount in December.
By statute, the final levy may be set lower than the preliminary levy, but it cannot be set higher.

Final enrollment numbers for 2000-01
Board members reviewed the latest district enrollment figures during their Thursday meeting.
A total of 1,384 students are attending Luverne Public Schools this year. That’s 36 fewer than last year.
(See accompanying chart.)
This year, 112 students are attending Luverne as open-enrollees from other districts. That compares with 98 last year.
One hundred ten Luverne students attend school outside of the Luverne district, including 25 open enrollees, 33 home schooled, 45 in Christian schools and seven tuitioned to another district.
That compares with 108 attending class elsewhere last year.

In personnel matters Thursday, the board…
oApproved a contract for Diana Erickson as business teacher at an annual salary of $30,786. That amount includes duties as adviser for Business Professionals of America and adviser for the annual staff.
She started Oct. 2 and replaces Brenda Knutson who took another job after last school year.
oApproved a contract for Wade Hiller as technology coordinator at an annual salary of $30,490. He started Sept. 11 and replaces Bill Rolfs who left the district this spring.
oApproved additional contract time and $6,908 for Patti Nelson to teach fifth-grade music.
oApproved a part-time contract for Bruce Gluf to teach afternoon elementary physical education for $9,981.

In other business Thursday, the board…
oApproved a motion to allocate state class size reduction funding for fiscal year 2001 to the all day every day kindergarten program.
The funding amounts to $11 marginal cost per pupil unit. This comes to $17,634, which is awarded on a year-to-year basis.
oApproved a resolution supporting action by the Minnesota School Boards Association to change legislation governing school board elections.
MSBA is lobbying the Legislature to change the school district elections back to the old system of voting in the spring.

School Board considers extending school athletic practice
curfew to alleviate scheduling woes at ice rink
By Lori Ehde
Luverne School Board members tabled action on a request for extended hockey practice hours at the Blue Mound Ice Arena.
With the addition of girls’ varsity hockey and increasing popularity of the sport in lower grades, scheduling ice time for both hockey and figure skating is getting tricky.
To share the rink fairly among all skaters using it, the school hockey program has requested the board approve practice hours beyond what district policy currently allows.
The proposal requests practice be allowed to start at 6 a.m. before school and continue as late as 9:45 p.m. after school on Mondays. On Thursdays, the request is for practice to start as early as 6:30 a.m. and go as late as 9:45 p.m.
Since the Blue Mound Ice Arena was built 10 years ago, the hockey program has grown to include more than 143 players from the 4-year-olds to high school players.
The Blue Mound Figure Skating Club now boasts 117 members from preschool to high school.
The shortage of rink time is troublesome, but it’s a good problem to have, according to Don Amos, one of the original hockey visionaries in Luverne.
"We envisioned this when we put this facility up," Amos said. "They couldn’t visualize that we’d have more than 100 kids in figure skating. They thought we were nuts. But we’ve been fortunate, and we’ve proven them wrong."
The requested high school practice extension is only 15 minutes earlier and 15 minutes later than the district handbook allows, but some board members had reservations about approving the request.
"I just worry about an avalanche of other sports wanting to do the same thing," board member Dan Kopp said during the Thursday, Sept. 28, School Board meeting.
"I really struggle with kids being up that early and staying out that late," board member Bob Kaczrowski said. "What will happen to their academics later in the day if they start that early?"
Board Chair Cary Radisewitz looked at it differently.
"Speaking as someone who did it in high school, getting to practice at 6 a.m. was tough, and by 2 you’d start to feel pretty tired," he said. "But my dad always said it taught work ethic and built character."
A point that also prompted discussion was that elementary-age club players currently end up practicing from 10 to 11 p.m. so the high school players can finish within high school curfew.
Mary Tilstra, an organizer for the Blue Mound Figure Skating Club, wasn’t at Thursday’s meeting but said she was frustrated no action had been taken.
She agreed with Radisewitz’s theory and supported the extended practices. "With our own kids, we always figured the busier we kept them the less chance they had to get in trouble, and it worked," Tilstra said Monday.
She said the four-hour figure skating sessions on Mondays have become the only night for figure skating that doesn’t conflict with hockey practice or games.
Board members tabled action on the request because they had questions about whether the request was for this year only, or if it would be necessary to keep the policy in place for future seasons.
Hockey and figure skating representatives had met with Luverne Activities Director Harvey Crable, but he was not present at Thursday’s meeting to answer questions.
Board members will take action on the practice request during their Oct. 12 meeting. They will also act on a request concerning family activities passes at hockey games.

Activity passes
During a meeting earlier this year, Luverne School Board members approved a $150 family pass good for all school activities, including hockey, which had formerly been a club sport.
Since hockey became a high school activity, it adopted current school gate receipt policies, but when family passes were approved, Superintendent Vince Schaefer said hockey organizers objected to the new policy.
"Hockey does rely on gate receipts for revenue, and with the district adjusting its rates, they’re concerned the revenue will be sharply depleted as a result of that," Schaefer said at Thursday’s meeting.
High School Principal Gary Fisher said all Luverne activity passes should be honored for all Luverne activities, hockey included.
"What they got out of the deal was an athletic director who does all the scheduling and shows up at the events," Fisher said.
He said the hockey program may sacrifice some gate receipts since becoming a varsity sport, but it gained benefits in other ways.
"I saw it as an exchange for the work," Fisher said.
The next School Board meeting is at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12.

Consistent catches for three straight days led a local team to a 14th-place finish during the United States Fishing Association National Championship Walleye Tournament in Devil's Lake, N.D., Sept. 14-16.

Hills angler Gregg Ebert and his partner, Lakefield's Lon Hohenstein, landed more than 36 pounds of fish to place 14th in a field of 138 teams during the national event.

The anglers were rewarded for their efforts with a $500 prize and individual plaques.

Ebert and Hohenstein, who qualified for the event by placing in the top 10 during the South Dakota Walleye Series during the summer, found a bay that was unfished by tournament anglers during their successful appearance in the national event.

They found the bay during their four days of pre-tournament fishing, and that's where they caught all 36-plus pounds of their walleyes.

Ebert and Hohenstein weighed in more than 13 pounds of fish the first day, which was good for 25th place.

Fishing was tough the second day, but the local team caught six of their 11 pounds of fish late in the afternoon to move into 14th place at day's end.

A 12-pound catch on the final day solidified their 14th-place performance.