Stories from surrounding communities, closest first.
Daily Republic · Orange City, IA
Nearby: Orange City, IASIOUX CITY, Iowa — Third-seeded Morningside edged No. 7 Dakota Wesleyan in each of the three sets on Wednesday night and clinched a spot in the Great Plains Athletic Conference tournament championship with a semifinal victory at the Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center. Set scores were 25-20, 25-22 and 25-23. DWU (19-11) will await its national tournament fate on Monday, Nov. 16, when the 48-team NAIA field will be announced. Morningside (25-6) advances play No. 1-seeded Northwestern (29-1) in the GPAC championship on Saturday, Nov. 14 in Orange City, Iowa. If selected, it will be DWU's fifth all-time national tournament appearance and the fourth in the last six seasons. Morningside finished with a 48-43 edge in kills and hit .254 for the match, while DWU was hitting .197. DWU finished with a 9-5 lead in total blocks. In the first set, Morningside used a 7-1 stretch to take control and land the first salvo in the contest.
Daily Republic · Sioux Falls, SD
Nearby: Sioux Falls, SDSIOUX FALLS — Mitchell High School volleyball was up to the challenge of facing No. 5 O’Gorman on Thursday night with a Class AA state tournament berth on the line but the Knights had answers at every turn for a 3-0 sweep in the SoDak 16 state-qualifying round. Set scores were 25-20, 28-26 and 25-23. O’Gorman (20-8) plays No. 4 Sioux Falls Washington at 12:45 p.m. in the Class AA state quarterfinals on Thursday, Nov. 19 at the Premier Center in Sioux Falls. Mitchell’s season ends at 9-15. The Knights appeared to be on their way to an easy sweep but Mitchell fought back in the second frame. Trailing 21-12, Mitchell scored nine straight points to tie the set behind the serving of Londyn Hajek. The Kernels fended off three O’Gorman set point chances before O’Gorman sealed the 2-0 lead. In the third set, Mitchell led 22-16 only to see O’Gorman charge back with a 9-1 run to close out the Kernels’ season.
Daily Republic · Sioux Falls, SD
Nearby: Sioux Falls, SDSPEARFISH, S.D. — For 25 days in May, Mai Richards carried an American flag across South Dakota, running as many as 22 miles a day from Sioux Falls to Sturgis in honor of the men and women who gave their lives in military service. The 450-mile journey, called Miles of Honor, tested Richards physically and emotionally. She ran through strong prairie winds, freezing rain, exhaustion and moments of doubt, all while carrying an 8-foot flagpole and balancing the demands of completing her master's degree in business administration. But the reason she kept going was never about how far she could run. It was about the people she was running for and a belief that has shaped much of her life: love and sacrifice go hand in hand. For Richards, that connection is personal. Born in Vietnam, she and her twin sister experienced severe poverty and abuse before their mother gave them up for adoption so they could have a safer life.
Pine and Lakes Echo Journal · Sioux Falls, SD
Nearby: Sioux Falls, SDSIOUX FALLS — New details have emerged in the October shooting that killed a Minnehaha County sheriff’s deputy as state law enforcement officials rule that the ensuing officer-involved shooting was justified. South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley on Friday, Nov. 6, released an officer-involved shooting report detailing the events of the night Deputy Katherine Frank was shot and killed in a Sioux Falls home. The report is the result of a comprehensive 28-day investigation that included witness interviews, forensic testing, review of physical evidence, toxicology testing and more by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and the Sioux Falls Police Department. “The ultimate conclusion based upon the totality of circumstances is that the officer that discharged [their] firearm four times, striking Brandon Oetken, was justified in firing and using lethal force,” Jackley announced from Pierre. Frank, 26, was the daughter of the Rev.
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.
