Remember when
10 years ago (2009)
•Four Luverne homes were without water Saturday night through Monday afternoon, thanks to one of four broken underground water mains discovered over the past several days.
A water main break near the intersection of East Lincoln Street and Blue Mound Avenue was to blame for interrupted water service Saturday night.
Four homes on East Lincoln Street plus the Luverne Alternative School were without water until 4 p.m. Monday, according to Luverne utilities supervisor Al Lais.
“We tried to run a garden hose to them, but apparently someone must have turned it off, and it froze up,” Lais said. “We brought them drinking water and did what we could, but they were pretty good about it.”
Leak detection professionals from Minneapolis arrived Monday at 7 a.m. and found the break 50 feet west of where the water came up in the boulevard.
“Normally we dig where the leak is, but since that was in the boulevard, we know there’s no water main there,” Lais said.
25 years ago (1994)
•A rural Luverne man was sentenced to probation Monday in Minnehaha County Circuit Court after admitting he stole an airplane last summer.
Nathan Byron Chesley, 23, was sentenced to a two-year suspended prison sentence when he pled guilty, but mentally ill, to one count of grand theft.
Chesley, a 1989 graduate of Hills-Beaver Creek High School, stole a 1966 Beechcraft on June 26, 1993. The single engine plane was owned by Neil Baier of Cold Springs.
Chesley landed at the Sioux Falls airport without notifying air traffic controllers and ignoring signals to remain on the ground. This action is in direct violation of the FAA rules.
He was arrested at the Sioux Falls Regional Airport after circling over the Luverne Municipal Airport and then returning to Sioux Falls.
50 years ago (1969)
•A city the size of Luverne without a downtown theatre?
It’s not only a possibility, but it’s highly probable unless the community takes steps to support it, say Mr. and Mrs. Walter Deutsch, who have been operating the Palace the past nine months.
Their lease on the theatre expires April 30, they told a group of men meeting at the city council rooms Saturday morning. As the situation now stands it’s not economically feasible to renew it, they said, but they don’t want to give it up until every avenue for keeping the theatre operating is exhausted. …
A county-wide ticket campaign will be conducted starting next week to raise sufficient funds to ensure that the theatre is kept open and operating until April 30. Tickets will be issued in two denominations, $5 and $10. The $5 ticket will entitle the holder to attend six regular one-dollar movies. The $10 ticket will be good for 12 regular one-dollar movies. Volunteers will make the house-to-house solicitation. Anyone interested in helping should notify Mr. Sliby.
75 years ago (1944)
•Someone who carelessly shot at an insulator on the REA line near the state line Presbyterian church southwest of here could easily have been killed Thursday, Le Roy Sabie, manager of the Southwestern Minnesota Cooperative Electric, at Pipestone reported.
As it was, the broken insulator caused a 7,000 volt wire to fall down upon the neutral wire, which burned off, and hit the ground. As a result, 30 farms were without electrical current for several hours, and a maintenance crew had to make an 80-mile round trip to repair the damage.
Because of the danger involved, and because of the inconvenience and loss that might be inflicted on REA patrons the company is offering a $50 reward for any information leading to the apprehension of anyone shooting at insulators, or otherwise damaging REA property. Anyone having such information should notify Mr. Sabie immediately.
100 years ago (1919)
•The advisability of taking the necessary steps to obtain an armory for H Co., 5th M.I.N.G.. and the selection of a suitable site for such a building occupied virtually all the time at the special meeting of the Luverne Commercial club held Friday evening. Consequently the question of paving Main street went over until the meeting to be held tonight, when this subject will be given the bulk of attention.
The matter of building an armory and the selection of a site for it were thoroughly discussed and those present voted unanimously in favor of taking such steps as are necessary to secure the armory, and the committee appointed some time ago to ascertain what sites are obtainable was instructed to continue its investigation and report at the meeting tonight,
Under existing state laws, an appropriation of $15,000 is available from the state for the erection of an armory, providing the city furnishes a site and in addition thereto contributes $1,000 towards the expense of building the armory.