Benning Printing & Publishing

Minnesota’s new Electronic Licensing System (ELS) is intended to make purchasing and carrying hunting and fishing licenses easier, but the system’s launch also came with some early bumps for users. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources launched the first phase of the new system in June, replacing a licensing system that had been in use for more than 25 years. The new system allows customers to purchase licenses online, through the MN DNR Licensing mobile app or in pe

The Wadena County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call about a house fire on Monday, September 7, at approximately 5 a.m. The location of the fire was reported in Section 28 of North Germany Township in Wadena County. Deputies and fire department personnel arrived on scene and found a mobile home completely engulfed in flames and collapsed. One adult and four family pets, three dogs and a parrot, are believed to have died in the fire. The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office

The Verndale Elementary honored the 25th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks on Friday. Students paraded around Farwell and Brown Streets. Back at the school, students led the ceremony with several speakers reading passages about the events of the horrific attacks. September 11, 2001, began like an ordinary Tuesday morning. People went to work, children went to school, families started their day, but that morning our country experienced terrorist attacks that took the lives o

Pirates Take Pine River-Backus five-sets in Nailbiter Loss The Verndale volleyball team battled through five long sets, but weren’t able to overcome the Pine River-Backus Tigers in an exciting match on Tuesday, September 8. The Pirates started the night slowly, unable to find their groove, dropping the first two sets 25-14 and 25-17. Unwilling to give up, the Pirates came into the third set with a spark, igniting a two set comeback and forcing a decisive fifth set, taking s

Matt Allen completed the varsity boys 3.1 mile race in 34 minutes, 5 seconds. by Coach Heidi Brandsma The Verndale Cross Country team participated in the Johanna Olson Invitational held at the Whitetail Run Golf course in Wadena on Tuesday September 8th. It was a challenging day for the team, with temperatures in the 80s and humidity that made running more difficult. The team rallied and finished strong. New for the team, we also had four elementary students who are pa

by Coach Mike Mahlen The Verndale Pirates played South Ridge on Friday, Sept. 4, falling 14-12 in overtime. Verndale scored first in the opening quarter on a six-yard touchdown run by Joe Elfstrum. The extra-point attempt was unsuccessful, giving the Pirates a 6-0 lead. South Ridge tied the game in the third quarter on a one-yard touchdown run by Kingsley Archambault. The extra-point attempt failed, leaving the score tied 6-6. In overtime, Verndale scored on a two-yard to

Is Terminator becoming less entertainment and more warning? The quick development of artificial intelligence is raising concerns among some of the people that are building it. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has warned that AI development may be moving faster than safety measures can keep up with, while other technology leaders have called for stronger safeguards and independent testing. Much of the concern centers on increasingly capable “AI agents” that can perform tasks indepe

by Trinity Gruenberg trinity@inhnews.com The Wadena County Commissioners held their regular meeting on Tuesday. September 1. Board Chair Ron Noon was absent. 4-H Update Extension Educator Jeanette Watland gave an update on 4-H summer activities and shared that this year’s county fair involved significant changes, as 4-H moved its main projects and activities to Building 2. Many volunteers helped with set-up and tear-down, and participation was strong on judging days. Clover

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Senator Amy Klobuchar and Senator Tina Smith spoke at the grand opening and ribbon cutting for the new Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) meat processing facility in Staples on Tuesday, August 18. Addressing the shortage of local meat processing facilities, which became particularly acute during the pandemic, MFU pursued establishing a meat processing facility in the west-central region of the state, where there was not a USDA-inspected facility in close proximity for farmer