rock county
- By Mavis FodnessJanuary 14, 2026Rock County will not follow state law allowing rifles to be used during the November deer hunting season. Only shotguns will be permitted if commissioners adopt an ordinance opting out of the state law that went into effect Jan. 1. A public hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, before commissioners will make a final decision. At their Jan. 6 meeting, commissioners unanimously…
- By Mavis FodnessDecember 30, 2025Commissioners approved pay increases for county employees at their last meeting of 2025 on Dec. 16. The increases take effect Jan. 1. Most of the increases follow the 3-percent cost of living increase approved for the Rock County Highway Department union employees. The recently negotiated three-year union contract for 2026-28 provides for increases of 3 percent, 4 percent and 5 percent…
By Betty Mann, Rock County HistorianDecember 30, 2025The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group and it appeared in The Rock County Herald on Jan. 22, 1942. The fear of contracting one of the most dreaded of diseases, human cholera, was one of the many experiences in the life of Ernest Kiebach, Sr., of this city. The fear was even greater under the circumstances, than it would have been under ordinary conditions, for he,…- By Mavis FodnessDecember 23, 2025Anticipated increases in human services costs prompted Rock County Commissioners to certify the 2026 levy at a 5-percent increase over the current levy for taxes payable in 2026. The levy will increase by $373,192 to $7.835 million, which is nearly half of the county’s overall budget of $16.1 million. In September, commissioners approved a preliminary levy increase of 5 percent hoping to…
By Lori SorensonDecember 17, 2025Rock County’s Soil and Water Conservation District earned prestigious statewide recognition during the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts annual conference in Bloomington on Dec. 1-3. The Minnesota Drinking Water Protection Award is a joint recognition of the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and Minnesota Rural Water Association (MRWA). This is the first year the…
By Mavis FodnessDecember 09, 2025Paul Aukes held up a piece of quarter-inch angle iron Tuesday night, Dec. 2, at the public input meeting about rifles vs. shotguns for deer hunting. Pierced through the angle iron were two perfectly round bullet holes from a rifle. “This is what a 30-06 does,” he said of the potential damage to a person. “I’m against it.” Aukes was one of 40 people attending the listening session at the Rock…- By Mavis FodnessNovember 12, 2025Hunters in Rock County may have an additional firearm option for deer hunting beginning the fall of 2026. Unless local commissioners adopt an ordinance keeping Rock County as a “shotgun only” zone, rifles may also be used to harvest deer beginning next season. However, before making a decision on whether or not to pass an ordinance to remain a “shotgun only” zone, commissioners will conduct a…
- By Mavis FodnessNovember 12, 2025The number of retail cannabis businesses allowed under county ordinance will remain at one, after commissioners revisited plans by a Hills businessman. Dennis Hartman and his son, Tim, spoke with commissioners at their Nov. 4 meeting. Dennis Hartman said he is in the process of purchasing property in Beaver Creek Township near I-90 for a retail cannabis business (Integrity Farms Cannabis) and…
- By Lori SorensonNovember 05, 2025Rock County residents who rely on government food assistance payments are in limbo this week after the government shut down affected SNAP benefits. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is administered through the USDA, and the Trump administration has withheld half of SNAP payments from being processed as scheduled. This has some families wondering about future meals and local…
- By Mavis FodnessOctober 29, 2025Truth in taxation statements will reach Rock County property owners in late November, and Rock County commissioners encourage landowners to read the mailed documents. Landowners have two years to question the assessments and taxes on the property tax statement in order to receive monetary refund for any overpayment. A Steen resident’s statement has been incorrect for more than 20 years, and he…
By Lori SorensonOctober 29, 2025Rock County farmers are hauling in a bumper crop — potentially record-breaking — this harvest season, according to local reports. “This is the biggest harvest I’ve ever seen,” said Miles Brown who manages the Chandler Feed and Grain elevator in Hardwick. Many local producers have seen corn yields this fall of 225 to 275 bushels per acre (upwards of 290 in some fields). Brown said local fields…
By Lori SorensonOctober 22, 2025Two new weather stations in Rock County are recording real-time data for local users, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. The MDA announced last week that its Minnesota Ag Weather Network (MAWN) recently expanded with the launch of three new weather stations in southern Minnesota. One is located on Rock County Rural Water property south of Luverne, one is on private land on…
October 08, 2025More than 230 people attended the Rock County Pheasants Forever Banquet Thursday night, Oct. 2, in the Big Top Tents and Events Center in Luverne. Pheasants Forever is a nonprofit conservation group focused on improving and conserving wildlife habitat for pheasants, quail and other upland game birds and wildlife. Last week’s banquet was a fundraiser to support those efforts in Rock County. Above…
October 08, 2025Rock County's new sheriff was sworn into office Wednesday, Oct. 1, by Fifth Judicial Judge Kayla Johnson in the Rock County Courthouse in Luverne. Matthew Sorenson, retired Minnesota State Patrol lieutenant, replaces Sheriff Evan Verbrugge who retired Sept. 30 midway through his elected term. Sorenson, who lives northwest of Beaver Creek, was appointed to fill the remaining 15 months of the term…
By Mavis FodnessSeptember 17, 2025Six 4-H’ers represented Rock County at the 2025 Minnesota State 4-H Horse Show Sept. 5-9 at the Simons Arena in Cannon Falls. Gabriella Porter, Reagan Spath, Blakely Fick, Claire Boeve, Caul Bonnett and Hayden Devine represented the county in the horseless horse project, and the riding events of games and pleasure. Porter of Luverne received a third-place place ribbon in the horseless horse…
By Mavis FodnessSeptember 10, 2025Three years after their first meeting, community leaders came together again to continue economic development efforts. Representatives from Luverne, Hardwick, Steen, Hills, Kenneth and Beaver Creek met Aug. 20 at the Hardwick Community Center as part of the Revive 2030 initiative through Sioux Valley Energy. Paula Jensen with Dakota Resources from Renner, South Dakota, led the community…
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