column
By RIck Peterson, general managerDecember 27, 2023I started writing this column before we had our office potluck Christmas party over the lunch hour in the office. There are only 10 of us, but we had enough food for twice that number. There are some very accomplished cooks among us. About the only one that may lack in the culinary experience department might be Wyatt, our sales associate. Wyatt took the bold approach and volunteered to make…- By Pastor Walt Moser, First Baptist Church, LuverneDecember 27, 2023In just a few days a new year will start, 2024. Somehow changing one digit in the year makes us feel like there is a new beginning. Now it is 2024! 2023 is gone, it is history, and we can start fresh, to change patterns in our lives. Depending on who you read or listen to, they will either tell you to make New Year’s resolutions or that New Year’s resolutions are not important, don’t even think…
By Wyatt VanSteenberg, sales representativeDecember 20, 2023I was going to write a column on my favorite five Christmas movies, but the more I thought about the Christmas movies I enjoyed, the more it made me think about family traditions. My favorite family traditions are quite unique and maybe wouldn’t fall directly into the “traditional” category. We celebrate Christmas Eve on my mother’s side with a very unorthodox family meal that’s also my…- By Pastor Jeremy Wiersema, Reformed Church of SteenDecember 20, 2023For forty years the Israelites had been moving around in the wilderness. They didn’t travel far, but they couldn’t stay in one place. What was the reason they remained in the wilderness? To say it in a single word? Fear! Forty years earlier Moses had told the people to go into the land. They were too afraid. Their spies came back and told tales of tall people with powerful armies. The people…
By Brenda Winter, columnistDecember 13, 2023Watching Dianne and Rodger Ossenfort play the role of Mr. and Mrs. Claus at the annual Winterfest “Photos with Santa” event is a wonder to behold. Both have the solid emotional core required to press on in spite of being the reason several small children have become sobbing, weeping banshees clinging to their mothers. Undaunted, each child is asked what he or she wants for Christmas.…
By RIck Peterson, general managerDecember 13, 2023Mary and I spend a fair amount of time driving around town after dark checking out the Christmas decorations. Frankly, the city park has never looked better. It’s just another example of Luverne doing it right. The gigantic inflatable Santa recently went up at the home on the corner of Highway 75 and Dodge Street, and it’s a perfect spot for him. It’s like he’s out there saying, “Merry Christmas…- By Pastor Nita Parker, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, HillsDecember 13, 2023This will seem like an unusual article for this time of the year, and my life will never be normal again, so please bear with me. I like to use Christian music to find my way these days. I usually find a piece of scripture and tie them together to try to make sense of what I am feeling. Since Dec. 21, 2021, nothing makes sense. That is the day that my son died. It was senseless to me, and yet I…
By Lori Sorenson, editorDecember 06, 2023When we decorated the Star Herald office for Christmas, our sports reporter, Greg Hoogeveen, added some holiday cheer to his own workspace with an electric leg lamp. I laughed out loud when I saw it — the warm glow from a fringed lamp shade atop a shapely plastic high-heeled leg in fishnet stockings. It's parked in the center of the newsroom, and I hope our customers are familiar with the…- By Pastor Josh Hayden, Living Rock Church, LuverneDecember 06, 2023You and I have seen the wars over the past year and their devastation. We may even have heard rumors of wars that “could happen” soon if things don’t change. If you are a follower of Jesus, you might be wondering, “Is this the end of the world?!” If you are not a follower of Jesus, the reason why Christians seem to go into a tizzy every time a war or catastrophic event happens is because of a…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterNovember 29, 2023Spending time with my grandchildren over Thanksgiving brought home the fact that they never sit still. If they needed to get somewhere, they ran. Running, to children, is second nature. Running, to an adult, means relearning what used to come naturally. I want to regain that carefree feeling of my childhood, where I could run for what seemed like miles with very little effort. For several…
By RIck Peterson, general managerNovember 29, 2023
By Brenda Winter, columnistNovember 26, 2023Peeking over my folded hands, I watched Mom and Dad pray the blessing spoken at our family’s meals for more than 60 years. “Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest and let these gifts to us be blessed. Amen.” It was November 2022, just a few days before Mom passed away. One end of the large table held our meal, the other end a pile of newspapers, magazines and papers pertaining to the diagnosis. Dad’s…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianNovember 26, 2023The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group that began in the January 7, 1943, issue of the Rock County Star Herald. Members of this group consist of persons of age 75 and older. The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on March 2, 1944. (Chris Fitzer continues his life story.) Farm machinery was gradually becoming modernized when he was a boy, but he recalls how he…- By Lori Sorenson, editorNovember 15, 2023The October calendar had barely turned to November when I noticed my first twinge of holiday angst — the realization that I haven’t recovered from July and here we are on the cusp of another holiday season. It doesn’t help that I’m getting older and time is indeed flying faster. It doesn’t help that news deadlines hurtle us perpetually toward the next big holiday. (I requested second-grade…
By RIck Peterson, general managerNovember 15, 2023I misplaced my phone the other day, and you won’t believe where I found it. I’ll give you a couple of hints. I was using the phone as a flashlight, so think dark space … or in this case, a dimly lighted space. Hint No. 2: I was working in the back garage at the office. Hint No. 3: I had completely covered up the phone so you couldn’t see it without uncovering it. Hint No. 4: After covering up…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterNovember 08, 2023Several times I’ve watched Chelsie Hermsen’s YouTube videos. I’ve learned she is funny, poignant and a realist. Never mind she uses a wheelchair and her cerebral palsy slows her speech. The spunky 38-year-old started her own channel in March, regularly producing and posting videos. Her goal: To reach 300 subscribers. She currently has 65. I don’t know Chelsie personally and only became aware…
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