By DALE KUGATH

Sportswriter

ST. PETER – The New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva girls’ basketball team breezed to the championship at the St. Peter Holiday Tournament Friday and Saturday. 

The Panthers destroyed Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop in the opening round and romped past host St. Peter in the championship tilt. 

A year ago, NRHEG defeated Hutchinson and Bemidji to win the same championship. 

The top-ranked Panthers are 7-0 this season, including four road wins. 

GFW

The Panthers hit their top point total of the season as they raced past GFW 97-39 in Friday afternoon’s opening round. The Thunderbirds slipped to 2-4 with the loss

NRHEG rebounds after season’s first loss, improving to 8-1 overall

By DALE KUGATH

Sportswriter

MANKATO – The New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva boys’ basketball team saw its unbeaten string snapped in the opening round of the Mankato Bethany Holiday Tournament.

However, Coach Pat Churchill’s Panthers rebounded with a pair of convincing victories to capture fifth place in the three-day tournament. 

NRHEG improved on last year’s seventh-place finish when it lost two of three games. 

The Panthers wrapped up their pre-holiday schedule with an 8-1 record.

St. Croix Lutheran

An explosive St., Croix Lutheran squad ended the undefeated season of the Panthers with a convincing 88-65 setback in last Thursday’s opening round of the tournament. 

It’s the end of another year. What started so bright and shiny and new, now no longer is. It’s worn and soiled and no longer sparkling in anticipation. The old year is tired and it’s time for the new year to start with a clean slate. 

The old year had its moments - good things and bad, sadness and celebration. 

Funny, I sort of feel like that year. I am tired too, but I am looking forward to a bright new year and all it may bring.

I thank my editor at the paper for extraordinary experiences. I've been blessed with many people and events to cover for our paper. I’m thankful we seem to have more good news than bad, more smiles than frowns.

Stories don't always come easy. They aren't just words and facts and research. Sometimes it’s a real struggle to say the things you need to say, and you can only hope to get them right. Sometimes I cry, and I feel for the person or event I’m covering. It's a problem. I think of the pain, the strength, the endurance — something that doesn’t happen overnight. It becomes a part of me.

If it is an event, I think of how many people are involved, how much time and money and emotion went into perfecting the project, the people involved putting so much time and effort and thought into doing the right thing. That too doesn't happen overnight. The thought and planning can be year-round. They deserve more than a thank-you. But God says that is enough, and they accept that.

I admit to sharing the pride and happiness of things accomplished and well done. When I see names pop out in the paper or in the news there is a feeling that they are a part of me. 

Great things don’t happen overnight. The dedication and work that go into being an outstanding student, the expertise that wins, or doesn't win, a game, a trophy, or a voice, a performance, a song, doesn't just happen. It all involves hours of knowhow and time behind the scenes. 

The people who are successful seem to be those who are busiest, glad to work those extra hours and confident enough to give ideas and make decisions.

Some people can always find time to volunteer, lend a helping hand, do whatever they can do to make life better for others.

I've found stories in places least expected, and they always involve people. That is one of the pluses of working for our paper. I've met people I never would have known or been able to appreciate.

My wish for you in 2014 is that all the news will be good news, and if not, that there will be strength and kindness and love enough to make the news bearable.

I wish for peace in your heart, in your thoughts and in your world. I wish you happiness, joy and extra special moments. Let there be a song in your heart, beautiful warm memories, friends and family to greet you and the feel of sunshine even on a cloudy day.

I want to relay the thanks I have gotten from so many people we have helped in some way. Many have shared their gratitude for that boost that got them through a hard time by making it a little easier.

Life is never perfect. We all need a little help now and then, and it is nice to know help is appreciated. The readers and the subjects of columns say “thank you” over and over again and I hope you know how it made them feel.

Perhaps, years from now, we will look back on this year, and like an old car, it may go from being a "clunker" to a "classic" when viewed in the rearview mirror of passing time.

Happy New Year! May 2014 be a special year for you. Thank you!

Some of our Star Eagle readers have commented they like to read about events such as family and school reunions, birthdays and anniversaries, and birth and wedding announcements. In order to read about these important things we need our faithful readers to pass along the information to us. 

If you have birthdays and anniversaries you would like include, or news to share please contact me via e-mail, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; by postal mail, P. O. Box 192, Geneva, MN 56035 or telephone, 507-256-4405.

This week’s birthdays and anniversaries include:

• Thursday, Jan. 2: Grace Jolie Wangen, Brian Bedney, Jay Crabtree, Mark Dobberstein, David Lageson, Brenda Wayne, Aaron Nelson, John & Lorraine Lent, Kelsey (Wayne) & Matt Duncomb

• Friday, Jan. 3: Jerret Utpadel, Andrea Avery, Stan Nelson

• Saturday, Jan. 4: Sophie Elizabeth Stork, Kelsey Christensen, Delphine Pence, Jeff Cornelius, Dennis Hill, Monty Mrotz, Jeremy Nelson, Corey Johnson, John Butler

• Sunday, Jan. 5: Olivia Pauline Christopherson, Devon Mark Born, Pat Simon King, Warren Kelly, Randy Paulson, Jay Neitzel, Amy Kasper, Nash Petranek, Melinda & Ray Talamantes

• Monday, Jan. 6: Mallory Anna Schlinger, Marianne Christensen, Kevin Jensen, Tammy Busho, Todd Nelson

• Tuesday, Jan. 7: Rodney Peterson, Gary Ayers, Stacy Jensen Pirkl, Karina Thompson

• Wednesday, Jan. 8: (Elvis Presley) Cameron Schember, Mike Marcus, Terry Pelzl, Dan Reese, David Jensen, Ryan Benning, Jennifer Rechtzigel, Brandon Borchert, John & Melissa Marlin

• Thursday, Jan. 9: Melinda Hanson Talamantes, Lisa Dunn Wayne, Mark Lee, Adam Deml, Jay Wangsness, Steve Vanden Heuvel, Becky Wayne Clark, Larry Jensen, Allen Dobberstein, Allan Swearingen, Dan & Lavonne Nelson

• Friday, Jan. 10: Sue Hunnicutt, Martha Jacobson, Gary Nelson, Eldert & Avis DeRaad, Robert & Eleanor Leiser

• Saturday, Jan. 11: Melissa Farr, Rick Hanson, Nanko DeRaad, Deb Robertson Hare, Brad Nelson, Kelly Reichl, Alvin & Ardys Nelson, Dennis & Barb Grunwald

With each passing year, grow stronger, grow wiser, grow richer in spirit. May the year ahead be filled with new discoveries!

Another Christmas Eve is past and as I pause to reflect on the latest one I am also reminded of ones that have come before; each with their own significant memory. Yes we need to enjoy the present but also cherish the fond memories of the past. As we head into the New Year we must remember that there is still plenty of "hard water" fishing to be done and small game hunting for rabbit and squirrel also continues until February 28th, while Archery season for deer ends on the 31st and pheasant season ends on January 1st. I have heard that the jumbo perch and "very small" walleye are still biting on the channel. I guess that Fountain Lake is once again producing some good panfish action by the old beach and Pickerel Lake has been giving up pike, perch and panfish. It gives me a good feeling as an outdoorsman to know that our area has plenty of good fishing waters for us to enjoy. That means that a person doesn't have to drive 50 or 300 miles to find fish because we have plenty of action right here in our own backyard. A good example of what we have available to us locally is my grandson Trevor. This past year he has been able to successfully hunt and fish both open and ice-over water without ever leaving the county. I know of many area folks that fish only our local lakes with good success. That statement would probably hold true for quite a few southern Minnesota communities but I really do believe that Freeborn County has much to offer area sportsmen. Speaking of local happenings, the DNR is seeking comments on EAW for Blazing Star State Trail, Myre-Big Island State Park to Hayward project. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is accepting public comments during a 30-day public review period from Dec. 23 to Jan. 22 on an environmental assessment worksheet (EAW) prepared for Blazing Star State Trail, Myre-Big Island State Park to Hayward project, located east of the city of Albert Lea, in Freeborn County. The DNR proposes to extend the Blazing Star State Trail 2.4 miles from Myre-Big Island State Park to Hayward. The trail will consist of a 10-foot wide bituminous surface for pedestrian, bicycle and other nonmotorized uses, and requires a new bridge crossing Albert Lea Lake. The 100-foot single span pedestrian bridge will be adjacent and parallel to the existing railroad bridge. A copy of the EAW is available online starting Dec. 23 on the DNR's public input page. (Under "Environmental Review," select "Blazing Star EAW" from the scroll-down list). Additional copies may be requested by calling 651-259-5157. A copy of the EAW is available for public review at: DNR Library, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155; DNR South Region, 261 Highway 15 South, New Ulm, MN 56073; Hennepin County - Minneapolis Central Library, Government Documents, 2nd Floor, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1992; Albert Lea Public Library, 211 E. Clark Street, Albert Lea, MN 56007; Rochester Public Library, Reference Dept., 101 Second St. SE, Rochester, MN 55904. The EAW notice was published in the Dec. 23 EQB Monitor. Written comments on the EAW must be submitted no later than 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 22 to the attention of Ronald Wieland, EAW project manager, environmental policy and review unit, DNR Ecological and Water Resources Division, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155-4025.

Electronic or email comments may be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with "Blazing Star EAW" in the subject line. If submitting comments electronically, include name and mailing address. Written comments may also be sent by fax to 651-296-1811. This is a great opportunity for us to give our opinion on the trail and the benefits it will provide locally.

Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers not only during this holiday season but throughout the year because they are the reason we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today. 

Echoes From the Loafers’ Club Meeting

"Could you tell me how to get to the highway?"

"I have no idea."

"Don't you live here?"

"I do, but I wouldn't be living here if I knew how to get to the highway."

Driving by the Bruces

I have two wonderful neighbors — both named Bruce — who live across the road from each other. Whenever I pass their driveways, thoughts occur to me, such as: the biggest fool doesn’t recognize his achievement.

Ask Al

• "How can I avoid cutting myself when slicing vegetables?" Have someone else hold the vegetables.

• "Which side of a duck has the most feathers?" The outside.

• "How do you pack for a trip?" I carry my packed suitcase around the outside of the house five times. Then I remove everything I don't need.

Happy New Year

You’ve made it through another year. Nice going.

I am not always able to stay awake until midnight on New Year’s Eve. I recall the thrill of being allowed to stay up as late as I wanted. Age has changed my desires.

I went on one of those small merry-go-rounds in the park and spun around a few times. Those were my New Year’s revolutions.

The fortune cookie I opened last year said that it’d be a good year. It was. I put Goodyear tires on my car.

At the outset of a new year, it is customary to wish people good things.

I wish you pie.

Lots of pie.

Memories of Mom

Canada geese flew over in a messy V-formation. The birds were either tired or illiterate. One goose was strikingly small. It might have been a cackling goose. I thought of Dr. Seuss and one of his books, "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish," that contains the lines, "We see them come. We see them go. Some are fast. And some are slow. Some are high. And some are low. Not one of them is like another. Don’t ask us why. Go ask your mother."

I like ants. I studied them from my get-go. Back when I thought antlers were young ants, my mother didn’t think I’d become an entomologist. She thought I’d become an antomologist.

Customer comments

• Alan Searle of Toledo, Ore. wrote, "My daughter’s question, 'If you buy a bag of cotton balls, are you supposed to throw the first one away?'"

• Rodney Hunt of Albert Lea said, "Eat chocolate in moderation. No more than a pound a day."

• Anne McArthur of Morpeth, Ontario wrote, "When you tell a child to act his age, you are saying 'act my age.' He’s already acting his age."

• Jo Golbuff of Albert Lea said her friend was adopted by a stray cat. He named it, "Not My Cat."

• Dennis Prescher of New Richland likes cookies that break instead of bending. He explained, "If it bends, it's cake."

• Rod and Ruth Searle of Waseca said a friend spent all day in a deer stand without seeing any deer. After shooting hours ended, he climbed down from the stand and trudged wearily back to his truck. There by his truck stood a deer.

• I received a Christmas card from Ric McArthur of Morpeth, Ontario. It featured colorful birds. The text read, "We three kings of avian are, migrant birds who travel afar. Fluff and feather, snowy weather, pooping on yonder car."

Did you know?

• Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in the Netherlands found that “Huh” is a universal word.

• Every year since 1947 the city of Oslo has given a Norway spruce as a Christmas tree to New York, London, Edinburgh and Washington, DC in gratitude for U.S. and U.K. help during World War II.

Nature notes

"Is it a centipede or a millipede in my basement?" If you can’t catch it, it's probably a centipede. They’re as fast as the four-legged chickens that are supposed to be delicious, but nobody knows for sure because they haven’t been able to catch one. The centipede has one pair of legs per body segment, the millipede has two pairs for each segment. The centipede has a flattened look, while the millipede is more rounded. Millipedes feed on decomposing organic matter and centipedes prey upon insects and spiders.

Meeting adjourned

Norman Wesley Brooks wrote, "Christmas is forever, not for just one day, for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf. The good you do for others is good you do yourself. Peace on Earth, good will to men, kind thoughts and words of cheer, are things we should use often and not just once a year."

As I sit in my easy chair watching the Vikings wrap up the season with the final game at the Metrodome, many memories come to mind of the stadium they’re ready to deflate and deconstruct. There’s Game 7 of the 1991 World Series, Super Bowl XXVI between Buffalo and Washington, the 1985 All-Star Game, playoff games, season openers, countless Vikings and Twins games, NCAA basketball, Prep Bowls, a concert with Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and the Grateful Dead. And those are just the things I was there for. Good memories from a simpler time.

Now, there’s no way I could have afforded to buy tickets for all of the above. The vast majority were attended via press passes.

As I watch the Vikings and Lions battle and think about the Dome, there’s a reflection on the TV screen from across the street. It’s the chimney from the Finseth home, chugging a continuous cloud of white as the temperature outside hovers around 1 degree with about a 20-below wind chill. For some reason, it’s comforting, nostalgic even. It reminds me of being a kid of about 3 or 4 on 5th Ave. SE in Waseca, watching the first snowfall in October and not seeing anything but white — huge piles of white — for what seemed like an eternity.

Spring arrived, as it always does, and many, many seasons have passed, but for some reason the billowing chimney smoke takes me back to the early 1960s and the first winter I can recall, and it’s a good feeling. Looking back — especially at the big picture — almost always is comforting. The past is a safe place. We know how things turn out. The present? The future? Not always so easy.

A week ago, I sat in this same spot to write a Christmas column, complete with memories of joyous Christmases past. I couldn’t do it. I didn’t have it bad as a kid, but I also didn’t have Leave it to Beaver life. My parents divorced when I was in elementary school, remarried and were separated when Dad died in 1970, a month after my 10th birthday. I remember that Christmas. Mom wanted to make it great, I’m sure, but she worked at Herter’s, and women were not paid as much as men for the same work back then. She was broke. A few days before Christmas, she walked in the door, bags filled with new clothes for my brother and I. “Scarf up, guys,” she said. I later learned she went to the office of a high-ranking Herter’s official and cried. He wrote her a check. It was a nice Christmas.

This Christmas was a good one at our house, bringing to an end a tumultuous year, and you won’t hear any complaints here. A lady stopped in the office a couple weeks ago to renew a subscription and was lamenting a rough 2013. I said I could tell her a few things that would probably make her feel better about her year — then I realized. There are millions, billions of people out there who could talk to me and make my year seem like a cakewalk. That’s the way it is for most of us.

As this column wraps up, the Vikings have defeated the Lions, and the Metrodome will soon be a memory. I’ll miss the Dome. I still miss Met Stadium and Met Center. Like those facilities, the Dome saw much jubilation and heartbreak. But, unless your name is Wrigley or Fenway, there’s a circle of life for stadiums — just as there is for people.

As in life, all we can do is savor the good times, relish the memories, count our blessings and continue to look ahead with hope. It’s what Minnesota people do.

When you read this, the Minnesota Vikings will have played their last game ever in the Hubert H. Humphery Metrodome. The Twins and Gophers have already entered new homes, so the Vikes were the last regular tenants.

Many people disliked the Metrodome for various reasons. I was not one of them. Listen, I love outdoor baseball and have enjoyed some nice days at Target Field. However, I’ve also been there when it was 100 degrees and when it was 45 degrees and rainy. The past idea of attending a professional sporting event, with the prices I have to pay to do so, and being able to sit in 70 degree comfort without the threat of being dumped on, was comforting.

I’ve actually had the privilege of seeing baseball in three different stadiums. My first-ever Twins game was during the final season at the Met against the White Sox. I’ve been to at least one game a year at Target Field. Still, there have been many more games and memories provided at the Dome. As you traipse through your own memories, allow me to indulge in some of mine.

Kirby Puckett has always been my favorite Twin. This might be due in large part to the first game I saw at the Dome and the inimitable way Bob Casey announced the Twins’ center fielder. My sister thought it was Kirby Pick-up, and who was I to change her mind? Besides, I was too busy exploring this new marvel of a baseball field. Over the years, I think I checked out every nook and cranny I could. Just like my first trip to Target Field, I spent as much time looking around as I did watching baseball.

One summer, my baseball coach bet us that if we won our first playoff game, he’d take us all to a Twins game. It seemed like a safe bet for him; we were the last place team in the league and had gotten swamped twice already by the team we were playing. Never underestimate boys’ desire to watch baseball! We won the game and got good seats behind the first base dugout. We even got to sit by fans from the Toronto Blue Jays, the team the Twins were playing. I still have the Canadian dollar they gave me!

The most important games I saw were Games 1 of the 1991 ALCS and World Series. Dad was able to get tickets in lower left field, and I’ll never forget those games. The atmosphere was incredible, and we only sat down between innings, especially during the World Series. A lady in front of me had a shirt her brother had made and was selling, urging fans to “Stop the Chop,” in reference to the Atlanta Braves. I literally bought that shirt off her back! (Don’t worry, she had another one on under it!)

The only other game that approached those in sound was when Mark McGwire was chasing the home run record in 1998. Michelle and I went to a game where he hit a home run, and the noise was effusive. It even got loud when he jacked some out during batting practice. I’m an old-school baseball guy and still think Roger Maris holds the single-season home run record, but at the time, McGwire was a god in cleats.

Thanks to Jeff Reese, I had some unique experiences at the Metrodome for NRHEG baseball games too. I went along the first year of the new turf when the varsity was going to play. It was pretty awesome to explore the bowels of the stadium and the locker rooms. Plus, I got to walk the field and take some fly balls while staring at the roof. To top things off though, I even got a chance to umpire! The regular game was over and there was still time remaining in the teams’ rental time. The umps had taken off, so I got to step in for a scrimmage for about an hour.

It only got better the next couple times the high school team went. Coach Reese arranged for me to announce the game from the press box. I’d always wanted to play with a real sound system, and here was my chance! I even tried my best to remind people, as Bob Casey always did before Twins games, that there was, “NO smoking in the Metrodome!”

I saw a few Gophers football games over the years, but never watched the Vikings in person. The ticket prices always seemed too extravagant to pay, and I can only imagine what they will be at the new stadium! I’m sure many of you have your own memories of this outdated stadium, and I hope you’re already beginning to build new memories at the new ones!

Word of the Week: This week’s word is falstaffian, which means fat and jolly, as in, “Win or lose, there would be many falstaffian fans at the last game at the Metrodome, imbibing in one last shot at Dome Dogs.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

After a rousing New Year’s Eve, the scurs are chomping at the bit to manufacture our upcoming week’s forecast. Will the weather continue its 2013 hangover? Starting Wednesday, cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the lower single digits and lows near 5 below. Thursday, partly sunny and continued cold. High slightly above zero and lows near 10 below. Friday we get a slight reprieve under partly sunny skies. Highs near 15 and lows around 10 above. Warmer for Saturday and cloudy with an increasing chance of snow by evening. Highs in the mid-20’s and lows around 5. Mostly cloudy Sunday and slightly cooler with a chance of snow. Highs near 15 and lows near 5 below. Mostly cloudy becoming mostly sunny on Monday with highs near 15 and lows just below zero. Mostly sunny for Tuesday with highs near 15 and lows again sliding just below zero. The normal high for January 7th is 22 and the normal low is 4. With days getting longer (back above 9 hours of daylight on the 3rd) and the sun setting later (about a minute a day), the scurs will need to find time to nap after all their holiday toils.

The temperature roller coaster ride we’ve been on has kept everyone occupied lately it seems. We topped out somewhere around 40 at the ranch on Saturday and temperatures have fallen ever since with promises of negative teens below zero low. Frost depth moved down only slightly after the snow and warmer late week temperatures, with the promise of more to come. Ice on area lakes, while never completely safe, has been improving with the thickness well over a foot in most places. In northern MN, problems have been occurring in areas that have received ample amounts of snow, keeping the ice treacherous despite the colder temperatures. What has this done to our overwintering insects such as corn rootworms? Probably not much yet. Western corn rootworm egg mortality isn’t affected substantially until soil temperatures are in the mid-teens somewhere and while we have been cold, the soils have not reached that level.

Warmer temperatures and melting snow have meant slower bird watching at the feeders. The Harris sparrow was seen several times, hanging out with the juncos. The juncos have been exhibiting a little different behavior than what we’ve been accustomed to. Rather than spending all their time ground feeding they’ve been up on the feeders as well. Perhaps with the recent lack of goldfinches, they’re not getting as much dumped on the ground so they’re taking matters into their own hands, er, beaks. There have been some American tree sparrows as of late along with a growing group of house sparrows. A female cardinal was spotted on Sunday although she was initially harassed and discouraged from the feeder area by the blue jay troupe. She did seem to be cleaning up under the nannyberry bushes however. Apparently the starlings didn’t get all of them. Not long after seeing her, a male accompanied her. Oddly enough, some safflower had been added to the mix. Cardinals are always welcome and one of these years the cover we’ve planted will entice them to stay year around.

Seed catalogs appeared en masse this past week giving us some good evening reading in the hours after chores before bedtime. There probably won’t be a lot of seed ordered however as our garden was too wet too long last spring to allow much of it to be planted. A few things such as the winter radishes and snap peas will need to be replenished to continue the early spring and fall garden project we’ve started the past couple seasons. I have particularly liked the fall gardening as the weed control is a snap relative to the spring and summer. And the way the winter radishes have kept, there is always something homegrown and fresh to eat through the winter as a result.

Not wanting to say this too loudly, but snow removal so far this winter hasn’t been too bad. Only once have I felt compelled to move a pesky little drift out of the driveway. Even then I didn’t get out the heavy artillery, namely the tractor. The skid loader was handy and since the drift was so localized, it made relatively short work of the obstruction. Of course there is some ice underneath in places, but that’s not a bad thing especially if one is going to use a bucket to move snow. While it’s good exercise, shoveling gravel piles off the yard in the spring isn’t exactly my idea of a good time.

The dogs seem to be adapting to the winter fairly well so far, much more so than we humans. Fudgie has it figured out. If it’s cold, go outside only as long as you feel like it, then come back in. Ruby on the other hand will stay out as long as long as we do, sometimes lifting a foot if she’s getting too cold. Luckily, chores are not consuming a large block of time yet and hauling frozen buckets from the small pens into the garage to thaw saves time and effort. Yet, both dogs operate differently at potty time. Ruby, for as energetic as she is, tends to dump close to the house. One has to watch their step. Fudgie on the other hand tends to wander off the beaten path a fair distance, although I am concerned one of these days she’s going to hit my snow measuring board. Trouble is I haven’t seen a column on the data collection sheet concerning dog poo depth.

See you next week…real good them.

Norma M. Weyhrauch, age 89, of Minnesota Lake, died peacefully on Monday, December 30, 2013 at the Waseca Medical Center following a recent illness. 

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 4, 2014 at 11 a.m. at the First Congregational Church in New Richland, with Pastor Pamela Jensen, officiating.  Interment will be held at the St. Joseph’s Community Cemetery in Waldorf.

Visitation will be held at the Arnoldt-McRaith Funeral Home & Crematory of Janesville on Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. and for one hour prior to services at the church on Saturday morning.