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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

by Trinity Gruenberg trinity@inhnews.com The Wadena County Commissioners held their regular meeting on Tuesday, November 25. Nimrod Road Jeff Schindeldecker—who is developing the Sleepy Hollow addition—voiced concerns about the status of a sliver of road property owned by the county. He highlighted the unresolved ownership of this parcel, which is crucial for buyers to secure mortgages on the lots he is developing. He expressed frustration that he believed the issue would a

by Trinity Gruenberg trinity@inhnews.com Julie Mulek has transformed her hobby into a thriving business with the launch of Old Soul Sourdough in Wadena in May. Her bakery offers top-notch sourdough and a variety of other delicious baked goods. Mulek’s passion for baking began during her time at Hans’ Bakery in Anoka where she started at the counter and eventually moved up to making cookies and baking bread from scratch at Costco, where she honed her bread-rolling skills. I

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by Sam Schmitz The Pirates did not start their season with a win, but the 19–80 loss to Parkers Prairie provided valuable lessons that will shape games ahead. Much of Verndale’s difficulties stemmed from defending in transition, as they gave up 31 transition points. The Pirates’ offense was disrupted when last year’s leading scorer, Aspen Orlando, was in foul trouble and played limited minutes. Despite poor shooting from the field, the Pirates shot 71% from the free-throw li