Hills
By Lori SorensonApril 16, 2025Fire departments from three different communities were on the scene of a grass fire north of Beaver Creek last week for over three hours last week. Multiple 911 calls came in around 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 9, reporting large flames getting close the house, buildings and grove at 575 121st Street, Beaver Creek. The acreage is home to Evan and Denae Meinerts, and initial reports were that the…- By Mavis FodnessApril 16, 2025Hills residents have an opportunity to comment on a zoning ordinance before it is formally adopted by city council members. The public hearing will be at 6 p.m. Monday, April 21, at the Hills American Legion hall. The 71-page proposed ordinance can be viewed at the Hills City Office. Council members began the development process in December 2023 with the assistance of the Southwest Regional…
- By Mavis FodnessApril 16, 2025Hills City Council members declined a resident’s request to own chickens within the city limits. Kylie Ganun met with council members April 8, outlining the reasons why she should be allowed to house up to six hens at her South Water Avenue residence. “As the interest in sustainable living, local food sourcing and self-sufficiency continues to grow, I believe allowing chickens within city…
By Lori SorensonMarch 19, 2025Hills cabinet shop owner Dennis Hartman and his son, Tim Hartman, want to operate a cannabis retail business in southwestern Rock County. They approached the Rock County Board of Commissioners last summer before the county had established its ordinance. Since then, they’ve met with Hills and Beaver Creek city officials and township boards in Martin and Beaver Creek townships. Some of the local…
By Mavis FodnessMarch 12, 2025Demolition of the 100+-year-old former Hills-Beaver Creek High School began Tuesday morning. The 32,808-square-foot, three-story brick structure was last occupied by students in the fall of 2011, when the current secondary school opened for classes. DRC Inc. of Litchfield bid $448,000 for the demolition that began on the west side of the school. The attached Hug0 Goehle gym will be saved and…
By Mavis FodnessMarch 12, 2025Twelve residents at Tuff Memorial Home in Hills prepared more than 1,000 meals in a volunteer activity that left them feeling a sense of purpose. Representatives from Then Feed Just One, a mobile food-packing organization based in LeMars, Iowa, traveled to Hills Feb. 22. They coordinated the assembly-line filling of plastic bags containing soy, dried vegetables, rice, vitamins and minerals.…
By Mavis FodnessFebruary 26, 2025Heavy equipment arrived at the former Hills-Beaver Creek High School Feb. 20 to demolish the more than 100-year-old building. H-BC School Board members heard an update on Monday night, Feb. 24, by School Board member Ethan Rozeboom who serves on the buildings-grounds committee. He said contractors are currently working to remove asbestos. “We’re hoping they would be able to do it this week, if…
By Lori SorensonFebruary 19, 2025Hills City Council members discussed possible improvements to the Hills Rez Park during their regular meeting Tuesday, Feb. 11. Council member Dusty Seachris shared information about a DNR grant that could support funding to dredge the rez and make improvements to the adjacent creek and catch pond that could improve water quality in the long term. “We just started coming up with things we…
By Mavis FodnessFebruary 19, 2025The Hills and Luverne volunteer fire departments were recalled to a hog barn in Clinton Township Friday afternoon, Feb. 14. A caller to the Rock County Sheriff’s Office at 1:50 p.m. indicated a fire had reignited at a barn at 1153 41st Street northeast of Steen and that someone was unaccounted for and possibly still inside the barn. Fortunately everyone was out of the barn and accounted for…
By Mavis FodnessFebruary 12, 2025The Hills Area Volunteer Fire Department was paged to a hog barn fire Wednesday morning, Feb. 5, in Clinton Township north of Steen. This is the second fire at a hog facility in Rock County in just over a two weeks period. The Luverne Fire Department assisted at the site at 1153 41st St., where the barn fire was reported at 7:08 a.m. According to Hills fire chief Jared Rozeboom, smoke was…
February 12, 2025Wayne Thomas Ward, age 82 of Hills, Minnesota, died unexpectedly, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, at Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Visitation was Wednesday, Feb. 5, from 5 to 7 p.m., with the family present at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Hills, Minnesota. Funeral service was at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Hills, with Pastor Lori Bonkoski officiating…- By Mavis FodnessJanuary 22, 2025Hills City Council members certified the 2025 levy at their Dec. 10 meeting for taxes payable in 2025. The levy was set at $147,191, which is a 1.82-percent increase over the 2024 levy. The additional $2,630 in the 2025 budget will offset increased fees for the city assessor and auditor as well as the insurance on city-owned properties. No public comment was received during the Dec. 10 truth…
January 08, 2025For the third straight year, the fifth-graders at Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary assisted the city of Beaver Creek in painting messages in the front of the snow-moving equipment this fall. Under the guidance of district art teacher Isabel Sylvanie, the students painted the plows in late October. One plow featured the school’s name and Patriots mascot, and the other blade depicted the school’s…
January 08, 2025Joan Fransman was born on March 21, 1930, to John and Jennie (Kuiper) Top in Clinton Township of Rock County, Minnesota. She was raised on the farm on the state line and attended country school. Her dad passed away suddenly while she was young. A couple of years later, she and her family moved into Hills, Minnesota. Joan later met Edward Fransman and on March 16, 1949, the couple was married at…
By Mavis FodnessDecember 24, 2024Instead of selling his parents’ Cadillac XT5, Randy Warner of rural Lester gave the SUV to Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Hills to be raffled. “The car was a hassle to sell,” Warner said. “I brought it to a few dealers but they won’t give much for it. I talked with my dad and asked if I could give it to the church. Dad thought it was OK.” Warner’s parents, Lowell and Dee (both unable to drive),…
By Mavis FodnessNovember 13, 2024Consumer demand for more electricity prompted construction of a new substation north of Hills. L&O Power Cooperative is completing the project for Sioux Valley Energy. It’s slated to be finished in summer 2025 and replaces an existing substation in Hills. “The upgrade is based on growth, centered around maintaining service,” said Troy Metzger, DGR engineer and L&O operation manager. “…
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