column
By Jason Berghorst, reporterJuly 31, 2018One of the things I enjoy most about this part-time summer reporter job is talking to people about what’s interesting in their lives. Usually the “real” news is taken care of by the professionals here and I get to focus on stories that are sometimes classified as “human interest.” By definition, that means I’m writing articles about people that you as human readers should find interesting. Most…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistJuly 31, 2018I just seem to be giving you more things to do each time I write this, but maybe you pick the things you like to do or want to do like a menu ... at least I’m trying to keep you up to speed. So now we are into August, and last week I mentioned thinning or dividing bearded iris. August is also the month to move or divide peonies, both standard and fern leaf peonies. When you get to replanting the…
By Rick Peterson, General ManagerJuly 17, 2018Another great Hot Dog Night has come and gone. You’re probably thinking summer has hit the midway point and you’re wondering, “Where did the summer go?” But then you realize there’s a lot more to come before we close the book on the summer of 2018. The Rock County Fair gets underway next week. There is a full slate of activities starting with 4-H exhibit judging Monday afternoon. Wednesday also…
By Mavis Fodness, ReporterOctober 09, 2017Luverne Homecoming King Mark Robinson was surrounded by three friends intent on unscrewing the decorative nut on top of the scepter he received during the coronation ceremony. The mom voice in me told me to see what shenanigans these teenagers were up to. I quickly snapped a photo of the foursome, because you never know if the moment would have story significance. A day later I began pulling at…
By Betty Mann, President, Rock County Historical SocietyOctober 09, 2017The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on October 16, 1931, and is the last in a series about Luverne's Rock River bridge. Senator Schall, after a brief statement concerning good roads, gave a political speech lasting an hour and a half. The following is the ending of his speech: Rock river bridge was built by the Widell Construction Co., of Mankato, under the personal direction of…
By Brenda Winter, columnistOctober 03, 2017It’s time for my annual CT scan to confirm that the anal cancer I was treated for a year ago is still gone. I had a simple question. “How much is this scan going to cost?” My annual deductible has kicked in again, which means the first $10,000 of this year’s post-cancer surveillance spending is on my dime. You read that right. $10K. That number is why small business owners, farmers and other…
By Betty Mann, President, Rock County Historical SocietyOctober 02, 2017The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on October 16, 1931, and is the third in a series about Luverne's Rock River bridge. Senator Schall, after a bried statement concerning good roads, gave a political speech lasting an hour and a half. The following is the second part of this speech. As originally surveyed by the highway engineers, a strip of approximately one-eighth of an acre…
By Rick Peterson, Tollefson Publishing General ManagerSeptember 26, 2017If you haven’t bought your ticket to The Rock County Pheasants Forever banquet, time is running out. The 33rd annual banquet is next Thursday night, Oct. 5, at Grand Prairie Events. Note the new location. For years the annual banquet flip-flopped back and forth between Sharkee’s and the Blue Mound Banquet Center. Both Dave Halverson and Glen Gust were longtime supporters of Pheasants Forever and…
By Lori Sorenson, editorSeptember 26, 2017Siri is slowly doing away with recipe books, how-to manuals and other tried and true handy references. Our old backyard apple tree has been busy bearing fruit, and we’ve been busy harvesting. Since our McIntosh apples are somewhat “vintage” I consulted my 1950s-era community cookbooks for old-fashioned recipes. Apple dumplings, applesauce, baked whole apples, apple cobbler and others were printed…
By Mavis Fodness, ReporterSeptember 19, 2017Since March, the empty nest stage I thought I crossed into last September has not been the experience I envisioned. As the last of the four children chose to join the Air National Guard and set off to basic training a year ago, I pictured tackling those back-burner projects to keep my mind off no longer having any children at home. I did enjoy reading again, coloring or watching TV with my feet…
By Betty Mann, President, Rock County Historical SocietySeptember 19, 2017The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on October 16, 1931, and is the first in a series about Luverne's Rock River bridge. NEW BRIDGE AND PAVING DEDICATED YESTERDAY Senator Schall and Charles Forbes, “Granddad” of Highway System, Participate in Program. ROAD IMPROVEMENTS BIG ASSET TO LUVERNE Rock River Bridge Among the Best in Minnesota; Main Street Approach is More…
By Rick Peterson, Tollefson Publishing General ManagerSeptember 12, 2017It’s been a productive summer around here. By that I mean it’s been a productive few months in the baby department here at the office as well as in my family. Abbe, our production manager here at the office, had her second son at the end of July. My daughter Jenna had daughter No. 2 on Aug. 10. Our circulation manager, Jenn, had her second child, a daughter, on Aug. 22. Abbe had her first child a…
By Brenda Winter, columnistSeptember 12, 2017My husband, youngest daughter and I arose early that morning. Our mission for the day was to drive to Beatrice, Nebraska, to view the total eclipse of the sun scheduled to happen there around noon. NASA promoted the event like this: “On Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, all of North America will be treated to an eclipse of the sun. Anyone within the path of totality can see one of nature’s most awe-…
By Lori Sorenson, editorSeptember 05, 2017My friend, Carrie, and I recently took advantage of cheap airfare and an invitation to stay in her family’s Las Vegas timeshare. I wouldn’t describe either of us as impulsive, but sometimes good deals are too good to pass up, and sometimes spur-of-the moment plans actually work. Within days of spotting the deal we chose our dates and booked our flights. A few weeks later the schoolteacher and…
By Rick Peterson, Tollefson Publishing General ManagerAugust 29, 2017“Thanks for the memories.” That is how I felt after Sunday afternoon’s Stars and Stripes USO Show at the historic Palace Theatre. They weren’t really my memories, but I could tell many of those in the audience were remembering good times of long ago. I truly enjoyed the show, but it was an added pleasure watching others enjoy the performances. No doubt a lot of memories resurfaced for those in…
By Mavis Fodness, ReporterAugust 29, 2017Naming an animal is not at all unusual. As a child I named every cat — along with a special chicken or cow. Giving an object a name is a little more unusual. In elementary school I gave my first band instrument, a clarinet, the name Clarice. Clarice the Clarinet. I grin at the thought. You might think I named the black plastic instrument after Jodie Foster’s character in the horror movie, “…
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