editorial
- December 18, 2024As the holiday season continues, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) is coordinating a statewide driving while impaired (DWI) extra enforcement campaign through Dec. 31. More than 300 local law enforcement agencies will be providing extra DWI enforcement weekends through New Year’s Eve. Drivers are urged to make responsible decisions and drive sober to…
- December 04, 2024The events and activities of Sunday night in Luverne were another great reminder of all the wonderful opportunities at our fingertips in this community. We’re lucky to have world-class events at a small-town scale all year round, but Sunday night was another reminder of how lucky we are. The Star Herald photographed the events and visited with people standing in line to see Santa and mingling…
- November 26, 2024On four days each year, all Minnesota state parks and state recreation areas offer free admission to everyone, with no vehicle permits needed. Friday, Nov. 29, is the next free parks day, and it couldn’t come at a better time, considering Thanksgiving celebrations are typically all about food and sedentary gatherings. While there’s nothing wrong with indulging in gravy and pumpkin pie, we could…
- November 20, 2024On Monday night the Luverne Area Community Foundation hosted its annual “Friends of the Foundation Celebration of Philanthropy” at Take 16. The event recognizes and celebrates businesses, nonprofits and individuals who benefit from and support the foundation’s mission of strengthening the community. Among the groups and individuals at the packed Take 16 event center were people from diverse…
- November 06, 2024By the time our Star Herald subscribers read this, the 2024 general election will be in the books, and voters will be acclimating to results and their expected impact. As with every election, we can participate, but we can’t control outcomes. What we can control is how we respond to those outcomes. Will we trust our free and fair elections? Will we respect our local elections officials if the…
- By Kari Voss-Drost, assistant director, Southwest Crisis CenterOctober 30, 2024As we close out October and Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I would like to reflect on several terms and definitions surrounding domestic violence, intimate partner violence and coercive control. By defining something, we validate it and the reality it represents. The term coercive control encompasses a pattern of power, control, intimidation and oppression that one experiences at the hands…
- October 02, 2024Wednesday 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…
- September 25, 2024We 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…
- September 11, 2024September 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?…
- September 04, 2024When 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…
- August 28, 2024As students prepare for the start of the fall school year, the American Red Cross offers essential safety tips to help ensure a smooth, safe start to the school year. Whether walking, biking or taking the bus, consider these practical tips for safety. Teach your younger students key safety skills: Ensure they know their phone number, address, and how to reach you or another trusted adult at…
- August 21, 2024Government “by the people” depends on voters having the information needed to select leaders who will serve their interests. At the Star Herald we’re working hard to inform our readers about their election choices. We published candidate profiles ahead of last week’s primary election, and we’ll offer similar profiles ahead of the general election. Our Rock County voters will have choices in…
- August 14, 2024Minnesota students who use e-cigarettes, also called vaping, are finding them-selves increasingly trapped in nicotine dependence, according to new data from the Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey. About 7 in 10 students who vape want to quit, and nearly two-thirds have tried to quit, with some trying to quit 10 or more times. Nicotine dependence has implications for youth mental health. Youth and…
- August 07, 2024Words can send a powerful message, and this is especially true during an election season. Primary Election Day is Tuesday, Aug. 13, and it’s a good time to reiterate the message we editorialized on earlier this year: Be respectful, no matter how strongly you feel about a candidate or issue. In June we launched the “Respect Campaign,” which is a series of advertisements and messages reminding…
- By Sara Wahl, Southwest Crisis Center executive directorJuly 31, 2024For some people, growing older isn’t celebrated with much excitement and energy. At the Southwest Crisis Center, however, we are excited to say that this year, we turn 40! Our agency has been providing victim-centered services for 40 years in southwest Minnesota. As we look back over the last 40 years, we see all that has changed both within our organization and in how we as a society and…
- By Karen Tolkkinen, Star Tribune columnistJuly 24, 2024Rock County is now considered part of the Sioux Falls, S.D., Metropolitan Statistical Area. What it means is the U.S. Office of Management and Budget has determined that based on 2020 census data, Sioux Falls, population 202,000, and Rock County, population 10,000, have a high degree of economic and social integration. Columnist Karen Tolkkinen shared her thoughts in a July 19 column in the…
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