Stories from surrounding communities, closest first.
Daily Republic · Sioux Center, IA
Nearby: Sioux Center, IASIOUX CENTER, Iowa — Dakota Wesleyan University men's soccer's quest for its first Great Plains Athletic Conference championship ran short on Tuesday night, as Dordt downed the Tigers 2-1 with a golden goal in overtime. With the win, No. 2-seeded Dordt (13-5-3) — which was picked eighth in the preseason GPAC coaches poll — will go to the NAIA men's soccer tournament for the first time with the conference's sole automatic bid. DWU, which was seeded fourth in the GPAC tournament and won the quarterfinal and semifinal matches in penalty kicks, finishes the season with a record of 9-6-2.
Daily Republic · Vermillion, SD
Nearby: Vermillion, SDFREEMAN, S.D. — One more game stands between the Freeman Flyers and another state championship, but this one would carry an even greater meaning for a program looking to bring a standalone title back to its community for the first time in 27 years. The top-seeded and undefeated Flyers will take their 23-game winning streak, dating back to last year, into Thursday's Class 9A state championship against Bennett County at 1 p.m. at the DakotaDome in Vermillion. Freeman has been dominant throughout the season, building on last year's championship experience and positioning itself to capture back-to-back state titles. The Flyers are looking to accomplish something that hasn't been done by a Freeman team in nearly three decades. After competing as a Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy co-op in last year’s title run, the program has continued its winning ways despite losing key players and navigating the change.
Daily Republic · Vermillion, SD
Nearby: Vermillion, SDPLATTE, S.D. — The opportunity to finish the season with a state championship is something every high school football team works toward, but for Platte-Geddes, Thursday night presents an opportunity to do something even more special. Avenge its only loss of the season against the team standing between them and a title. The Black Panthers will take on top-seeded and undefeated Parkston in the Class 9AA state championship game at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, capping off the nine-man divisions' slate of title games. P-G enters the matchup with a chance to capture its third state title in seven seasons, but they will have to get through a familiar opponent that has proven to be one of the state's premier nine-man programs. “It's always special when you get to play in this game,” Platte-Geddes head coach Bruce Hanson said. “Our coaching staff has been fortunate enough to do it a few times, and the kids enjoy it. That's the goal going into the year.
Pine and Lakes Echo Journal · Worthington, MN
Nearby: Worthington, MNDULUTH — Margins in last week's gubernatorial election swung in favor of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party in all 87 Minnesota counties compared to the presidential election just two years ago. DFL Governor-elect Amy Klobuchar outperformed Republican President Donald Trump's 2024 margins in every county, signaling a shift in voter sentiment reflected in races across the country last week. The swing was most pronounced in Nobles County, which saw a nearly 14-percentage-point shift to Democrats. Home to Worthington, the southwestern Minnesota county backed Trump over Kamala Harris by nearly 36 percentage points in 2024, but last week it favored Republican Lisa Demuth, Klobuchar's competitor, by 22 points. In the Northland, St. Louis County saw the largest difference, reinforcing its DFL preference by nearly 10 points — moving from Harris' 14-point margin in 2024 to Klobuchar's 24-point margin last week.
Brainerd Dispatch · Worthington, MN
Nearby: Worthington, MNWe just returned from a trip to Worthington, Minnesota, filming a Fishing the Midwest TV episode. We caught nice walleyes casting small crankbaits to rocky shorelines. Last October and November, a couple fishing buddies and I had productive days targeting walleyes, trolling deep diving baits on South Dakota's Lake Oahe on a pair of trips. In fact, the biggest walleye of my fishing career came on Oahe last fall. Those experiences reminded me of how productive crankbaits can be during fall. Fall crankin' can be very effective for walleyes, but bass eat cranks in fall too. In fact, one of the most productive methods I use to catch largemouth bass during my last open water fishing days in November involves casting deep-diving crankbaits. Here are some keys to late fall crankbait fishing. High-action crankbaits are top producers during the warm waters of summer and early fall.
