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Remember When Oct. 1, 2020

10 years ago (2010)
•A note found in Luverne High School’s home economics room prompted a district-wide evacuation Friday.
“School’s going to blow up at 12:30,” is what the note stated, handwritten in pencil on a partial sheet of torn white paper.
Luverne High School senior Adam Gruis found the note during his first-hour foods class. “I sit there every day, and I know it wasn’t there yesterday,” Gruis said Friday about the note found under a table.
He showed his teacher Amy Cook, who turned it over to High School Principal Ryan Johnson.
Based on a seating chart of the classes that meet in that room, administration reportedly started interviewing students about the note.
Meanwhile, the district’s emergency plan was implemented.
A district-wide phone message reached school families Friday morning that all students were being evacuated due to a bomb threat. …
Per the district’s emergency plan, elementary students went to Grace Lutheran Church, middle school students went to First Presbyterian Church, and the high school students went to St. John Lutheran Church. …
Parents were allowed to pick up their children at the churches, and those who weren’t picked up were walked back to the school parking lots for dismissal around 12:45 p.m. …
Law enforcement and emergency personnel immediately began searching for explosives.
Several teams of emergency personnel combed the buildings.
Each team included two firefighters, a deputy and a district maintenance worker who looked for anything “suspicious.”
When those searches came up empty, arrangements were made for a bomb-sniffing dog to fly in to Luverne from the Twin Cities. …
No explosives were found, and students were allowed back in the building shortly before 5 p.m. to get their personal items that were left behind during the evacuation.
 
25 years ago (1995)
•In a worst-case scenario, the preliminary levy for the Luverne School district’s portion of property taxes could increase by 14 percent, but the actual increase will be lower.
Last year the school district underlevied $205,645.51 and showed a 5.51-percent increase. This year’s initial levy shows an increase of $289,242.90 over last year, or a 14-percent increase. The percentage is directly impacted by the base created by last year’s underlevy. Also the HACA reduction last year was $63,843, and this year it’s only $21,298, Mann reported.
The rough-estimate approach is being used by other districts in the area, too, because the levy timetable isn’t practical for school districts whose fiscal years begin July 1.
 
50 years ago (1970)
•Luverne and Rock County will not be immune to the benefits of a proposed new EROS site near Garretson, S. D., Rotarians were told at their weekly luncheon Monday.
Making the statement was Bob Elmen, secretary and director of the Sioux Falls Industrial Foundation which is currently involved in the early phases of securing and planning for the new EROS site.
EROS, Earth Resources Observation Satellite, promises quite a future for the Sioux Empire, Elmen explained. Luverne’s proximity to Sioux Falls certainly encompasses her in the Sioux Empire, he added.
With EROS will come the influx of EROS oriented industries both national and international. Elmen explained that he was in Luverne to prepare the area for such developments. “Luverne stands to benefit from this project more than any other town in Minnesota,” he told the group.
 
75 years ago (1945)
•Rock county received praises from the Minnesota War Service Fund, Inc. committee this week, when it again became the first county in the state to meet its War Service Fund quota.
This is the third consecutive year that the quota in the statewide drive was met with funds from the Rock County War Chest Inc. before the state campaign even got under way.
 
100 years ago (1920)
•The installation of mail delivery service in Luverne as recommended by Postoffice Inspector Vernon C. Beattie, of Sioux Falls, a few weeks ago, has been approved and ordered into effect December 1st, according to notice received this week by Postmaster M. Swedberg.
The service will consist of two regular deliveries of mail matter each day over the entire city, with possibly only one delivery of parcel post matter in the residence section, but two deliveries of the class of matter in the business sections.
In order to handle the new service two mail carriers and a substitute will be appointed, the substitute devoting the major portion of his time to parcel post matter.
Prior to the installation of the service, sixteen collection boxes will be erected in various parts of the city, where mail matter may be deposited, and the contents of these boxes will be taken up in connection with the regular deliveries of mail.
But in order to be entitled to mail delivery service, each family must have their place of residence properly numbered and provide an approved mail receptacle before mail will be delivered to their home.
The mail carriers will be entitled to an entrance salary of $1,400, and the substitute 60 cents an hour, but this scale is subject to material increase through satisfactory and continued service.

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