Columns
By Brenda WinterJuly 30, 2025Jim and I were enjoying a blistering hot summer evening on the Take 16 patio when our out-of-town guests asked casually, “So what’s with all the nutcrackers?” An eerie silence fell over our table, and the free-flowing conversation was stalled by the question no one can answer. We took small, nervous sips of our ice-cold beers, eyes darting from side to side. The air was thick enough to cut…
By Betty MannJuly 30, 2025The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on March 14, 1963. Teachers will get pay raises here next fall The Luverne school board Monday night approved a raise in salaries averaging $357 for grade school teachers and $381 for high school teachers. The lowest increase was $200 and the maximum increase amounted to $527 for teachers. The starting salary for a teacher with a bachelor’s…
By Lori Sorenson, editorJuly 23, 2025The longer I live, the more I believe everybody hurts … often beneath the surface of polished social media profiles. And those who have been hurt by life-and-death loss tend to emerge as different people, permanently affected by grief. While tragedy can be cruel, I also believe it offers opportunity for growth — in a meaningful sense not experienced by everyone. For example: We learn what…
By Rick Peterson, General managerJuly 23, 2025It is fair week – well, actually four days – but it has a week’s worth of fun and entertainment packed into those four days. If memory serves me right, the Minnesota State Fair’s slogan is the Great Minnesota Get-Together. I think that can be said about the Rock County Fair but on a smaller scale. My guess is that a very high percentage of the Rock County fairgoers are repeat visitors. I…
By Jason Berghorst, Star Herald Summer ReporterJuly 16, 2025Have you ever had one of those Mondays? One of those Monday Mondays that are about three Mondays rolled into one Monday? I had one of those Mondays this Monday. To be fair, as a teacher, my schedule is generally more relaxed in July. I work a couple of days a week here at the paper, but my days are much less structured than the rest of the year. And then came this Monday. Upon returning…
By Scott Rall, Outdoors ColumnistJuly 16, 2025I just might be addicted to my pastime. Conservation of habitat and the wildlife that lives there consumes at least some part of every day. I cannot remember the last time I was able to completely unplug my thoughts from what might be the next and greatest potential habitat project. This process for me started over 40 years ago and has culminated in a big event that happened on Friday, July 11.…
By Brenda Winter, columnistJuly 09, 2025Rain does not dampen community spirit. Rain was in the forecast, but it was July Fourth and this is ’merica. As the sun began to set, the mood at Luverne’s annual Fourth of July celebration at The Lake was jovial. An elderly gentleman sitting in front of us succumbed to the music when the band started playing “Fishin’ in the Dark.” Pushing his seed corn cap back on his head, he grabbed his…
By Rick Peterson, general managerJuly 09, 2025Is it just me, or are there a lot more distractions while driving on the city streets these days? I am not referring to texting while driving or fiddling with all the knobs, dials, buttons and switches that cars and trucks come with these days. What I am getting at is all the other modes of transportation vying for space on the streets. Cars, trucks, motorcycles, mopeds and UTVs all have to be…
By Sgt. Troy Christianson, Minnesota State PatrolJuly 09, 2025Question: I heard some talk about a new law of July 1 that allows motorcycles to drive through traffic. Can you explain this as a lot of my friends are talking but I can’t get the same answer from any of them. Answer: Motorcycle lane splitting and filtering are legal on Minnesota roads as of July 1. The new law, passed by the Legislature in 2024, allows motorcycles to share lanes with cars for…
By Scott Rall, Outdoor ColumnistJuly 09, 2025Since I was about 14 years old – that was 50 years ago, I have always been attached to the outdoors. I started on a bike as my transportation to and from the local lake in my town to go fishing. A kid with a rod and reel and an old-fashioned stringer hanging from the center bar with a few crappies on it if I was lucky that day. I believe that every human being has a magnetic attachment to wild…
By Lori Sorenson, editorJuly 02, 2025I rescued some clearance-priced begonias at Bomgaars a few weeks ago, despite completing spring planting in mid-May. The perky pink blossoms are the perfect spot of color in the wicker planter near our patio door. Especially after the ones intended for that spot are long dead. I have a poor track record for keeping flowers alive in that location at our home. Year after year I peruse the “…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianJuly 02, 2025The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on Feb. 7, 1963. N.F.O. Family Night will be held February 9 NFO national Directors from South Dakota and Minnesota will speak at a special Family Night gathering of the Rock County NFO, to be held in the Luverne high school cafeteria, Saturday night, February 9. Headlining the program will be Ken Stoffern, Humboldt, S.D., national director…
By Scott Rall, outdoors columnistJuly 02, 2025It was that time of year again when I needed to take the herd of dogs I own to the vet for some routine shots. Not that this is a new thing by any means. I normally have had at least four dogs at my house since 1995. The most dogs I have ever had at one time was six, and at the low point in my hunting past I was for a short time down to zero. I had sold a starter dog in May of that year, and…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterJune 25, 2025An email landed in my inbox last fall simply titled “Wind Turbine Visit.” The author was a Maple Grove dad whose daughter is enamored with wind turbines. Yes, that’s right. Those 300-plus-foot tall white metal towers affixed with three Fiberglas blades that spin to generate electricity. A turbine is a rather unusual item for a 5-year-old to like, but Deviana is not your typical kindergartner…
By RIck Peterson, general managerJune 25, 2025At the time I am writing this column, the topic idea is just that – an idea. With Hotdog Night just around the corner, some of the staff in our office had the brainy idea of putting together a short video centered around tossing a hot dog and catching it with a bun. Two-person teams representing each department at The Star Herald have been established, and they are as follow: Our front…
By Scott Rall, Outdoor ColumnistJune 25, 2025In the June 12 edition of the Star Herald we talked about what a handling dog is and why you might want to train your dog to this higher level. A handling dog is one that can be directed to a bird or other item to be retrieved by using a whistle and hand signals. If you missed last week’s column, you might want to catch up on that one to get a better understanding of the information being…
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