Opinion

Wednesday night’s candidate forum, livestreamed from our Star Media studio, was a milestone for our Star Herald We knew it could be done, but we didn’t know if we could do it. We wanted to do it. So we practiced doing it, and we practiced again and again. We wrote a script, read it out loud, rewrote it, read it again, and rewrote it again. We solicited candidate questions from the community…

So, I tried out for the Green Earth play and I got a part. As I learn my lines, I'm also learning that my 61-year-old brain is not as able to memorize as was my 18-year-old brain. That's how long it's been since I was in a Green Earth play. It was 1981. I played Mrs. Smith in “The Bald Soprano.” “She always styles her hair the same way." Mr. Smith was played by the late great Rod Iveland. The…

Hudson: Still no answers To the Editor: First thing I want to say is thank you to both Cox and Lehman for their response to my letter, even though they did not agree with me they stood up and made their voices heard as more people need to do this and exercise their first amendment right, this is how Government is controlled. I also looked at the League of MN cities and what I saw is Luverne is…

We at the Star Herald understand elections can be confusing, and we know there are many competing voices trying to influence votes. That’s why we publish candidate questionnaires in the paper and online for voters to read, and that’s why we host candidate forums for voters to learn from conversations live and recorded in podcasts. Luverne Mayor Pat Baustian is being challenged by Isaac DeBoer…

On Sept. 13 we marked Carson’s two-year heaven-versary, and at the Sept. 14 suicide prevention walk in Luverne, I remembered him as I walked alongside many others walking for loved ones gone too soon. Those of us “in the same boat,” talked about “how we’re getting along.” My short answer is, “I miss him, but I’m blessed to be surrounded by really good people.” But there’s a longer explanation…

Hoff writes: 'Life is hard sometimes ...' To the Editor: In the 1980s interest rates were crushing the agricultural community. Farmers could not keep their heads above water. The assumption that you would be farming until your hair turned white was crushed. The devil schemed and crept into their minds. Suicide was the best option. The life insurance policy would fix everything.  Last week the…

It’s not just a flagpole. It’s a sign of strength and stability and patriotism We put up a new flagpole in front of the Peterson household a week or so ago. It got me to thinking about iconic flagpoles. For me one of the two most iconic flagpoles is first and foremost the pole that held the flag that the six United States Marines raised up atop Mount Suribachi on the small island of Iwo Jima…

During National Suicide Prevention Month in September, it’s important to recognize the connection between substance use and suicide. Drug and alcohol addiction significantly increases the risk of suicidal ideation, attempts and death, and they are generally the most implicated substances in suicide risk. The risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior is elevated with acute alcohol intoxication and…

This proofreader, at age 81, is still being humored and tolerated at the Star Herald office. It’s been 20 years … 20 delightful years of working with an outstanding staff! I get to see firsthand the effort that goes into each edition and the careful attention to detail and accuracy. Stories are checked with sources before going to print. My job has become somewhat easier with Google. When I…

Honoring Gus Letter to the Editor: I practiced psychology for more than 40 years and encountered many people who were viewed as having limitations. What impressed me most was not their limitations, but their strength and the love they extended to family and friends. On the third night of the Democratic National Convention, our governor and candidate for vice-president spoke. In the front row…

September is Suicide Prevention Month — a time to raise awareness of an urgently important crisis. The goal this month is to shift public perception, spread hope and share vital information with people affected by suicide. Ultimately, we want to ensure that individuals, friends and families have access to resources they need to discuss suicide prevention and to seek help. How can you help?…

Thanks for supporting veterans Letter to the Editor: As president of the American Legion Auxiliary in Luverne, our busy season starts with Memorial Day when seeking donations with poppy posters and then poppy sales the last Friday in May. Our many thanks to all the businesses and our community who so generously supported our fundraiser. One hundred percent of the monies we receive gets used…

Ten years. It was September 2014 when I started working as a full-time reporter at the Star Herald. A decade’s worth of time capturing the local news and happenings of Rock County. It seems like time has just sped by, and yet it doesn’t. I’ve attended hundreds of meetings and events … talked to hundreds of sources and completed hundreds of stories. I’ve been there for times of joy and…

We get two magazines at the Peterson household on a regular basis, one being AARP and the other is the Pheasants Forever magazine. The AARP gets a quick thumb-through until I spot an article of interest. The Pheasants Forever is read cover to cover by me … Mary not so much. The most recent issue of the Pheasants Forever magazine is something they call the Upland Bird Hunting Super Issue 2024.…

When Luverne voters cast ballots in the general election this fall, they will have choices in local leadership. Luverne Mayor Pat Baustian is being challenged by Isaac DeBoer for the privilege and responsibility of guiding city government. Two open seats on the Luverne City Council will be contested on the general election ballot. Josh Gangestad is challenging longtime council member Dan Nath…

The wedding of our youngest daughter, Katherine, to her man of many years, Dylan, last Saturday was a mountaintop experience. Literally. They got married on a mountaintop. It was dark when we headed west out of Denver toward Boulder. I rode in the back seat through several miles of hairpin turns as we ascended the wedding mountain. I was flanked by two granddaughters, one of whom spilled a…