Benning Printing & Publishing

by Trinity Gruenberg trinity@inhnews.com The Verndale School Board held their regular meeting on Monday, December 1. Truth in Taxation The meeting began with the Truth in Taxation hearing. Jordan Anderson, business manager, addressed the levy for payable 2026. He reported a 2.74% increase in the general education formula last year—about $200 per pupil unit—but noted this was still $1,420 (19%) short of what would have matched inflation since 2000. The proposed property

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by Trinity Gruenberg trinity@inhnews.com On the second morning of rifle season for deer hunting, November 9, the day began like any other, filled with excitement and hopes of filling tags. Shirley Anderson, of rural Verndale, was eager to get something, as she hadn’t seen a deer during hunting season in three years. Sitting in her stand, just as daylight peeked over the horizon around 7 a.m., a good-sized doe stepped into view, and Shirley took her shot. After taking the

by Trinity Gruenberg trinity@inhnews.com The Wadena County Commissioners held their regular meeting on Monday, December 1, followed by the Truth in Taxation meeting. Commissioner Murlyn Kreklau was absent. Comprehensive Plan Dena Malone, planning and zoning, gave an update on the Comprehensive Plan. Two proposals were received in response to the county’s Request for Proposals: one from Hometown Planners for $20,050 and another from Region Five for $16,950. After reviewing

On Saturday, November 22, a curious line of lights was spotted in the sky near Wadena. These lights were Starlink satellite trains, which are long lines of satellites that can be seen shortly after SpaceX launches a new batch into orbit. When the satellites are still close together and reflecting sunlight, they move across the sky in a bright, evenly spaced formation known as a “train.” Over time, as the satellites reach their final orbits, they spread out and become much di

What a great start to the BHVPP Raiders wrestling season! A strong group of seniors led the way as the Raiders opened their season on Tuesday, December  2, with a quad vs. UNC, OTC, and Pillager. Open weights up top allowed UNC to pull off the win 33-29. The Raiders then came back and dominated the next two duals, beating OTC 50-18 and Pillager 50-24... Subscribe to get the rest of the story...

by Coach Sam Schmitz In their first Park Region Conference game of the season on December 2, Verndale fell on the road to the New York Mills Eagles 23-73. The Eagles’ size and strength outmatched the Pirates. The Pirates were able to get shot attempts but were cold from both the field and the free-throw line as they made just 25% of their free-throw attempts and shot 21% from the field. Although the Pirates were outsized, they rebounded better in the second half and lost the

by Coach Greg Johnson Verndale 62 Ashby 60 On Tuesday, December 2, the Boys Basketball team opened its season by hosting the Ashby Arrows. The Pirates got the season started with a win by a score of 62-60. The Pirates had three players collect double-doubles on the night. Bryce Pickar had 21 points and 11 rebounds. Chase Jensen had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Braylin Deleon scored 11 points and dished out 10 assists. Stats Zain Waldah 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 6 points

A few years ago, I wrote about my friend Stacey Kananen. She and her family lived in the Clarissa area, and we were classmates for a few years—from about second grade until around fifth or sixth grade. After Stacey and her family left without saying a word (her mom, Marilyn, had worked in the office at the Central Todd County Care Center), we kept in contact for a while, but eventually we lost touch. Another friend helped me reconnect with Stacey years later when Jerene (Pe

News from Verndale's Past 40 Years Ago, December 11, 1985 • Almost the entire center section of the roof on a turkey barn at the Dave Bessler farm gave way under the weight of heavy snow last Sunday morning, shortly after Dave had completed his regular morning rounds. A short time later, one of his sons asked about the pieces of steel sticking up in the air above the roof, so Dave went to investigate to find utter chaos. There was a minimum of $60,000 of building damages and