By JESSICA LUTGENS

Editorial Assistant

There are many reasons why there is a high opposition to the upcoming amendment to our state’s Constitution, which, if passed, will require all voters in the state of Minnesota to provide a government-issued photo identification when casting their ballots.

Senator Scott Newman, author of the proposed amendment, calls it an “additional measure of integrity,” and says it will “add photo identification to manage age, residency and citizenship voting requirements already in the state Constitution.”

Some supporters of the amendment argue it will help curtail voter fraud and restore confidence in the election system. And while that may be true, there are many more arguments outlining the negative effects of the bill and urging citizens to vote “no” when it appears on the November 6, 2012 ballot.

BUSY HANDS ARE HAPPY HANDS — Phyllis Hanson keeps busy knitting baby caps, which she donates. (Star Eagle photo by Kathy Paulsen)

By KATHY PAULSEN

Staff Writer

There are those who say they are retired, but that doesn't always coincide with their personality. 

Phyllis Hanson, formerly of Clarks Grove, now lives at Bancroft Creek Estates in rural Albert Lea. She has always been active in whatever she does, and she is willing to try anything. 

Phyllis was a volunteer with the Naeve Hospital Candy Stripers and hospital auxiliary for many years. When it came time to scale back a bit, she wanted to find something to fill her time and still feel useful.

As a rule, the hats provided for hospital infants, if purchased, are made of tight polyester, complete with seams and tags. Phyllis decided however that a more loving and nurturing way to meet this need was to put her knitting skills to good use for the wee ones who would be making their grand entrances into the world.

Band fund-raiser currently underway

The NRHEG Band Boosters are holding their annual fall food sale, with items like pie, soup, pizza, cookie dough, cheese cake, and more. 

You can order from any 8-12 grade band member until October 22. Delivery will be November 5.

Girl Scouts Centennial Day set for Oct. 13

On October 13, Girl Scouts in New Richland will celebrate their final Girl Scout Centennial event by working together to improve the local watershed. Taking place in all 49 counties of the Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys Council, the Centennial Day of Service: 2012 Take Action Project is designed to remove 20,000 pounds of phosphorus, prevent 10 million pounds of algae growth and save $6 million in clean-up costs through a one-day effort.

Claycomb carries 51 times for 271 yards as Panthers defeat St. Charles

GRINDING IT OUT — NRHEG running back Brad Claycomb (27) stiff-arms a St. Charles defender during the Panthers’ 34-21 Homecoming victory last Friday. Claycomb ran the ball 51 times for 271 yards as the Panthers won for the first time this season. (Star Eagle photo by Chris Schlaak)

By DALE KUGATH

Sportswriter

NEW RICHLAND – Assistant coach John Schultz must have had a say in the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva’s football game plan at homecoming. 

The Panthers reverted to Schultz’s style of smash mouth football to record their first victory of the season. 

The Panthers made their homecoming crowd happy, scoring 14 final-quarter points to capture a 34-21 triumph over the St. Charles Fighting Saints in New Richland Friday. 

“Our goal was to play hard for a full 48 minutes and we did just that,” said NRHEG coach Dan Stork. “I am very proud of our effort.”

By DALE KUGATH

Sportswriter

JANESVILLE – Despite the absence of a starter and numerous unforced errors, the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva volleyball team swept Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton 3-0 at Janesville Oct. 2. The Panthers outscored JWP 76-65 in the three-game sweep. 

It was only the third three-game sweep of the season for NRHEG.

The Panthers climbed into a third-place tie in the Gopher Conference at 3-2, and raised their overall mark to 10-11-2. NRHEG improved its road record to 6-9-3.

JWP remained winless in the conference (0-7) while dropping to 1-19-1 for the season. The Bulldogs were 2-42-1 the last two years. 

By DALE KUGATH

Sportswriter

WASECA – The New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva cross country teams faced some stiff competition at Lakeside Country Club in Waseca last Thursday. 

Coach Mike Weber’s Panther boys topped a pair of conference foes to finish seventh among nine teams. 

Boys

The Waseca Bluejays had an easy time capturing their own championship. The Bluejays had four of the first nine runners across the finish line for 33 points, 23 fewer than runner-up Faribault. 

NRHEG, which was last among six teams last season, placed seventh among nine teams with 194 points. The Panthers beat conference foes Blooming Prairie and Waterville-Elysian-Morristown/Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton. 

“We ran well as a team,” said Weber. “We were happy with a seventh-place finish in a highly competitive field.”

Waseca sophomore Shane Streich, ranked second in the state among Class A runners, breezed to an easy win over the 5,000-meter course. Streich’s winning time was 15:43.

T.J. Schiltz continued to pace the Panther runners, finishing second among 57 runners with a 16:10 clocking. 

Remembering the life of Lenore G. Finseth…

Funeral Services for Lenore G. Finseth, of New Richland, MN, will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, October 11, 2012 at Trinity Lutheran Church in New Richland. The Reverend Paul Andree will officiate. Interment will be in St. Olaf Cemetery, New Richland. Visitation will be from 4-7 on Wednesday at Friedrich Funeral Home, New Richland, and one hour before the service at the church.

Lenore passed away Sunday, October 7, 2012 at the New Richland Care Center. She was 94.

Eunice Maxine Jensen, 82, of Reeds Spring, Missouri formerly of Ellendale, died Monday, October 8, 2012 at Golden Living Center in Branson, Missouri. 

Eunice Olson Jensen was born December 1, 1929 at their farm home across from Beaver Lake in Steele County the daughter of Albert and Sophia (Jensen) Olson. She was the 12th child of 9 girls and 3 boys, all delivered by Dr. Ertel.  At the age of four, Eunice moved with her family to Geneva and lived there until she was united in marriage to Freebert “Bud” Jensen on November 15, 1946 at the Assembly of God Church in Ellendale. 

Anonymity might be a good thing if you’re a replacement referee in the NFL, but on most other occasions, it’s just a bother. I ran across an instance when I visited my school mailbox the other day.

I retrieved a small manila envelope from my receptacle and found an article inside a family magazine detailing the horrors of too much homework. There was no note with it so that I could thank whoever sent me this article how vital this is to my teaching. In fact, the most important parts of the article were underlined for me so I wouldn’t have to search for them.

As I mentioned in a previous article, I don’t mind some constructive criticism. I’ve listened to parents in the past and changed some things I do as a result. However, those were all parents who sent me a thought-provoking email, called me, or visited to discuss something in a logical way.

Not having the courage to back up your ideas with a name? Eh, that doesn’t fly. I know Jim occasionally gets letters at the paper without a name attached. While our country is great in that you can voice your opinion without repercussion, you also have to say who you are to get people to listen.

This is not the first anonymous note I’ve gotten over the years. Between teaching and coaching, I’ve had my share of people who don’t like the way I work. Some of them have visited with me about a problem. I realize my 5’ 10”, 175-pound frame can be physically intimidating, but those people managed without a scratch. So why not sign a name?

Here’s what I know about homework. I take every assignment I hand out very seriously. You won’t just find the same old busywork handed out in my room. Everything has meaning and relates to making my students better communicators. (I even pay attention to the state standards, though that’s an article for another time.) With input from other staff members, as well as parents, I have scaled back some on what I expect and have readjusted my due date expectations.

Many assignments I give are not due the next day. Things are spaced out so students can begin to learn organization skills. Just like in most of our jobs, we have a number of things due over a period of time, and we have to manage our time to get these items done as needed.

What amazes me is the amount of time students waste in class. With 5-10 minutes remaining in class, many are closing up shop. You can accomplish a lot in 5-10 minutes, and that’s 5-10 minutes you’d have later to do other things. Plus, the teacher is available to help with questions. Of course, then they won’t have a chance to complain about all the homework if they don’t have any.

As a kid, I used every moment in class that I had to get work done. I had sports and a job; I even wanted to watch some TV every now and then or hang out with my friends.

Do I give too much homework? Hey, I’m willing to look at the issue, but I’ll need a name if we’re going to have a quality discussion.

Word of the Week: Tali has given me a couple more words to use. These are all from the movie Love Happens, which automatically sounds like a movie I wouldn’t watch. This week’s word is quidnunc. Quidnunc means someone who is eager to know the latest news or gossip, as in, “The town quidnunc appeared at all the coffee shops to gather the latest gossip.”