Decades ago, Matt Christensen was a face paint-wearing superfan watching his older brothers compete inside Rochester’s Mayo Civic Arena during the boys basketball section tournament.

He can recall feelings of excitement, but also heartbreak, seeing the Northfield Raiders lose, falling short of advancing to the state tournament. When it was his turn to represent the Raiders, Christensen experienced the same feeling of defeat before graduating from Northfield in 2005.

His nephew, Blake, suffered that same fate.

Similar stories have been shared across generations of Northfield grads since the Raiders last played in the state tourney in 1932.

The sport’s longest state tournament drought for a non-cooperative program finally ended Thursday, March 12, when Northfield defeated Austin 60-51 in the Class 3A, Section 1 championship game. Northfield is the fourth seed in the Class 3A state tournament and will face No. 5 seed Mankato East on Wednesday, March 25, in a quarterfinal at Williams Arena.

“I think Amelia Earhart was flying around the world,” Christensen said about the team’s last state trip. “The outpouring of alumni support here has been amazing.”

Led by Kayden Oakland, who will play football at South Dakota State and also participates in track and field, and solid role players, the Raiders improved from 15 wins last season to 25 wins entering this year’s state tournament.

“The number of people who have reached [out] is off the charts,” said Christensen, who was hired as coach in 2022. “Community members, if you go downtown, are clapping for us. It’s just been an outpouring of support.”

Our son, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend, Joseph Todd Pillsbury, died on December 28, 2025.

Joe is survived by his mother, Bernice Pillsbury; brother, Bob (Samara Hamzé) Pillsbury; sister, Susan (Buzz Barton) Pillsbury-Barton; nephew, Seamus Pillsbury(Parker Blau); niece, Mina Pillsbury; many cousins and countless friends.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11am on Friday, May 29th at St. Michaels Catholic Church, 4901 E. Superior Street, Duluth with a Visitation beginning at 10am. Burial at Calvary Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorials preferred to St. Michaels or Duluth East High School https://bit.ly/joepillsbury.

Arrangements by Dougherty Funeral Home, 218-727-3555. Please visit his obituary athttps://www.doughertyfuneralduluth.com/obituaries/joseph-pillsbury 

The woman who died in a Bloomington holding cell last week has been identified amid an investigation into the circumstances of her death.

The family of 29-year-old Desiree Marie Rosell identified her as the woman found dead Friday morning inside a holding cell in the Bloomington Police Department.

Bloomington police confirmed her death on Friday, adding that the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an investigation into the matter.

Sheriff’s office investigating woman’s death in Bloomington holding cell

Rosell’s family says she was detained around 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, and told officers during her arrest that she has severe asthma and anxiety, which “can cause life-threatening panic attacks.”

The Bloomington Police Department verified that the woman who died in a holding cell was arrested and booked into their facility at about 5:40 p.m. on Thursday, held on probable cause for second-degree assault.

The family went on to say Rosell was placed in an isolated holding cell, and they got a call around 5:30 a.m. on Friday, informing them of her death.

The police department also said there were no “immediate signs indicating the cause of death.”

The GoFundMe for Rosell’s family is available HERE.