7+ mon, 1+ week ago (398+ words) Follow coverage of the assassination of Rep. Melissa Hortman, subsequent arrest of shooter As Jorge Mario Bergoglio prepared to assume the papacy, he chose a new name: Francis. That choice was a tribute to St. Francis of Assisi and set the stage for Pope Francis" entire pontificate, in which he showed ceaseless solidarity with the poor and voiceless, just like his namesake. The pontiff set himself apart from all of his predecessors, as he was the first to go by this new name. Francis died Monday morning at the age of 88. As the head of the church, Francis" leadership was critical in maintaining the faith"s relevance and importance. In a world where people increasingly are less likely to attend church, they still listened attentively to the pope"s message. Among his most remembered quotes is a call for compassion:…...

4+ mon, 3+ week ago (423+ words) Aging Wisely: The Aging Wisely: Finding New Confidence and Purpose program is part of a series to help support the educational, social and nutritional needs of older adults. It meets the first Thursday of the month at the Willmar Community Center with a different speaker every month. Contact the Willmar Community Center with questions at 320-262-5288. Bloodmobile: Appointments for American Red Cross blood drives can be made at 1-800-RED-CROSS or online at www.redcrossblood.org. Breast cancer: This peer support group meets from 6 to 7:30 p.m. the first Monday of the month in the lobby of the CentraCare " Willmar Cancer Center. The free group is open to anyone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer at any stage, whether currently receiving treatment or in remission. The group is not limited to CentraCare patients. For questions, contact Lisa at 320-231-4483. Dementia: A dementia care partner…...

5+ mon, 3+ week ago (423+ words) Aging Wisely: The Aging Wisely: Finding New Confidence and Purpose program is part of a series to help support the educational, social and nutritional needs of older adults. It meets the first Thursday of the month at the Willmar Community Center with a different speaker every month. Contact the Willmar Community Center with questions at 320-262-5288. Bloodmobile: Appointments for American Red Cross blood drives can be made at 1-800-RED-CROSS or online at www.redcrossblood.org. Breast cancer: A peer support group meets from 6 to 7:30 p.m. the first Monday of the month in the lobby of the CentraCare " Willmar Cancer Center. The free group is open to anyone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer at any stage, whether currently receiving treatment or in remission. The group is not limited to CentraCare patients. For questions, contact Lisa at 320-231-4483. Dementia: A dementia care partner…...

1+ mon, 4+ week ago (397+ words) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to the UN General Assembly was partly performance, but mostly profound. The performance part included a QR code on his lapel which delegates were invited to zoom in with their camera phones and see atrocities committed by Hamas that are too gruesome for TV networks to show. He also arranged for his statement that Israel has not forgotten the hostages to be blasted over loudspeakers set up in Gaza for that purpose. The profound part included repetition of what he has said before with some twists. Netanyahu reminded the delegates that Israel's battle against terrorism is not limited to the region, but that the terrorists want to return the entire world to the "Dark Ages." A few excerpts from his speech: "Iran's aggression, if not checked, will endanger every single country in the Middle…...

2+ day, 6+ hour ago (393+ words) The fate of the Trump administration " and perhaps Republicans in Congress " is tethered to how Americans feel about the economy. And right now, it's hard to find anyone who can say with confidence what the hell is going on. Thursday offered a fresh reminder of the chaos. As The Wall Street Journal noted, "Stocks surrendered gains and closed sharply lower after a whirlwind day of trading that began after Nvidia posted strong results. The Nasdaq composite led indexes lower after being up on the day more than 2%. It closed 2.2% lower. Nvidia gave up an even bigger gain and finished the day down 3.2%." Why the reversal? Because investors suspect there is, in fact, an artificial intelligence bubble. Artificial intelligence is inspiring the same mix of excitement and dread. Some companies may never produce the margins to justify today's investment frenzy. OpenAI,…...

11+ mon, 3+ week ago (252+ words) Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of "West Central Tribune staff report." Often, the "West Central Tribune staff report" byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story. The West Central Tribune newsroom can be reached via email: [email protected] or phone 320-235-1150. West Central Communications, of Willmar, Minnesota, to be DSC Communications West Central Communications will change its name to DSC Communications starting Jan. 1. The new name accompanies the inclusion of two other locations. WILLMAR " West Central Communications announces that…...

7+ mon, 1+ week ago (449+ words) Tom Elliott has been the sports editor at the West Central Tribune since September 2019. Contact him at [email protected] or leave a message at 320-235-1150. It's the time of the year when high school seniors get hammered with 'The Question.' "What are you doing next year?" For a select few, it's playing sports at a college offering athletic scholarships. For a few more, it's playing at an NAIA, NCAA- or NJCAA Division III-affiliated college athletic program, which offers the opportunity to continue competing, but without athletic scholarships. This year's class of 2025 of West Central Tribune area athletes has four Division I athletes and nine Division II athletes who have committed to continuing their athletic careers so far. All have expressed publicly their intent to go somewhere, either with signing NCAA national letters of intent, having a public signing ceremony or expressing their…...

7+ mon, 1+ hour ago (173+ words) Joe Brown is a sports reporter for the West Central Tribune. He can be reached via email at: [email protected] or his office number: 320-214-4332. WCT Sports Show: Lakers on the links The sports staff talk Olympic trials and tribulations and top-tier golfers in Minnewaska The WCT Sports Show ventures out on the golf course on this week's edition of the WCT Sports Show. Tom Elliott, Joe Brown and Michael Lyne discuss one of the top golf teams in the west central Minnesota. Plus, elementary school students in Willmar meet a former Olympic hopeful with an inspiring story. 0:35: Joe kicks off the show by discussing his feature story last week on former Olympic hopeful Steve Heidenreich. Heidenreich spoke to students at Roosevelt Elementary School about his athletic background and his recovery from a traumatic brain injury. 5:00: Michael talks about his story in…...

8+ mon, 3+ week ago (226+ words) Michael Lyne joined the West Central Tribune as a sports reporter in May 2022, following his graduation from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, where he graduated with a bachelors degree in journalism and a minor degree in Spanish studies. You may reach Michael at [email protected], or by calling (320) 214-4345. WCT Sports Spotlight: David Lammers joins the show West Central Tribune sports reporter Michael Lyne returns for another episode of the WCT Sports Spotlight Show. In episode 71, Lyne chats with Willmar boys swimming and diving senior David Lammers. Lammers previews the upcoming Class A state meet, his future at St. John's University, and more. WILLMAR " West Central Tribune sports reporter Michael Lyne chats with Willmar boys swimming and diving senior David Lammers for episode 71 of the WCT Sports Spotlight Show. The WCT Sports Spotlight aims to showcase one athlete a week from west…...

10+ mon, 3+ week ago (191+ words) Michael Lyne joined the West Central Tribune as a sports reporter in May 2022, following his graduation from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, where he graduated with a bachelors degree in journalism and a minor degree in Spanish studies. You may reach Michael at [email protected], or by calling (320) 214-4345. WCT Sports Spotlight: Avery Christensen joins the show West Central Tribune sports reporter Michael Lyne returns for another episode of the WCT Sports Spotlight Show. In episode 64, Lyne chats with Willmar boys basketball junior guard Avery Christensen. Christensen talks about the Cardinals' season, his career-high 40 point night, and more. WILLMAR " West Central Tribune sports reporter Michael Lyne chats with Willmar boys basketball junior guard Avery Christensen for episode 64 of the WCT Sports Spotlight Show. The WCT Sports Spotlight aims to showcase one athlete a week from west central Minnesota. Christensen, who was an…...