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To place an obituary, please include the information from the obituary checklist below in an email to obits@pioneerpress.com. There is no option to place them through our website at this time. Feel free to contact our obituary desk at 651-228-5263 with any questions. General Information: Your full name, Address (City, State, Zip Code), Phone number, And an alternate phone number (if any) Obituary Specification: Name of Deceased, Obituary Text, A photo in a JPEG or PDF file is preferable, TIF and other files are accepted, we will contact you if there are any issues with the photo. Ad Run dates There is a discount for running more than one day, but this must be scheduled on the first run date to apply. If a photo is used, it must be used for both days for the discount to apply, contact us for more information. Policies: Verification of Death: In order to publish obituaries a name and phone number of funeral home/cremation society is required. We must contact the funeral home/cremation society handling the arrangements during their business hours to verify the death. If the body of the deceased has been donated to the University of Minnesota Anatomy Bequest Program, or a similar program, their phone number is required for verification. Please allow enough time to contact them especially during their limited weekend hours. A death certificate is also acceptable for this purpose but only one of these two options are necessary. Guestbook and Outside Websites: We are not allowed to reference other media sources with a guestbook or an obituary placed elsewhere when placing an obituary in print and online. We may place a website for a funeral home or a family email for contact instead; contact us with any questions regarding this matter. Obituary Process: Once your submission is completed, we will fax or email a proof for review prior to publication in the newspaper. This proof includes price and days the notice is scheduled to appear. Please review the proof carefully. We must be notified of errors or changes before the notice appears in the Pioneer Press based on each day’s deadlines. After publication, we will not be responsible for errors that may occur after final proofing. Online: Changes to an online obituary can be handled through the obituary desk. Call us with further questions. Payment Procedure: Pre-payment is required for all obituary notices prior to publication by the deadline specified below in our deadline schedule. Please call 651-228-5263 with your payment information after you have received the proof and approved its contents. Credit Card: Payment accepted by phone only due to PCI (Payment Card Industry) regulations EFT: Check by phone. Please provide your routing number and account number. Rates: The minimum charge is $162 for the first 12 lines. Every line after the first 12 is $12. If the ad is under 12 lines it will be charged the minimum rate of $162. Obituaries including more than 40 lines will receive a 7.5% discount per line. On a second run date, receive a 20% discount off both the first and second placement. Place three obituaries and the third placement will be free of charge. Each photo published is $125 per day. For example: 2 photos in the paper on 2 days would be 4 photo charges at $500. Deadlines: Please follow deadline times to ensure your obituary is published on the day requested. Hours Deadline (no exceptions) Ad Photos MEMORIAM (NON-OBITUARY) REQUEST Unlike an obituary, Memoriam submissions are remembrances of a loved one who has passed. The rates for a memoriam differ from obituaries. Please call or email us for more memoriam information Please call 651-228-5280 for more information. HOURS: Monday – Friday 8:00AM – 5:00PM (CLOSED WEEKENDS and HOLIDAYS) Please submit your memoriam ad to memoriams@pioneerpress.com or call 651-228-5280. Head coach Niko Medved’s first recruiting class with the Gophers includes a four-star sharpshooter, a high-ceiling center and a tough, quick point guard. The U announced Wednesday that Wayzata forward Nolen Anderson, Irvine, Calif., center Chadrack Mpoyi and East Ridge guard Cedric Tomes have signed to be three prongs in its 2026 class. Medved told the Pioneer Press on Tuesday the U’s group of high school additions will probably remain at three going into next season. The Gophers’ incoming class is ranked 24th in the nation and sixth in the 18-team Big Ten, according to 247 Sports on Wednesday morning. Minnesota is among six schools in the conference with at least three commits apiece, which seems to boosts their standing as the early signing period opened. The 6-foot-8 Anderson is considered a four-star prospect just outside the top 100 in the nation, while the 6-11 Mpoyi and 6-1 Tomes have been awarded three stars. Here are Medved’s exclusive comments to the Poineer Press on each signee: Anderson “An elite shooter,” Medved said “… It’s been really cool to continue to watch his growth as a player. I feel like every time I see him he’s gotten taller. He’s becoming more explosive, athletic.” Anderson helped lead Wayzata to the Class 4A state championship last March. He and Iowa State signee Christian Wiggins will lead the Trojans again this winter. “(Anderson is) a winner,” Medved said. “He just plays the game the right way. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. I think he has a chance to be a tremendous player for us.” Anderson averaged 17.7 points and 7.3 rebounds, while shooting 43% from 3-point range last year. His grandfather, Marlo Miller played for the Gophers (1957-60). Mpoyi “He is just oozing with potential,” Medved said. “He’s long. He’s athletic. He’s got good hands. … He’s just so raw.” Gophers assistant coach Chad Warner “discovered” Mpoyi at an event in the spring, Medved said, and the U started recruiting him then. California-Santa Barbara was his only offer before Minnesota, with Utah, California, Utah State and Oregon State coming in later on. Mpoyi moved from Likasi, Congo to California in 2024 and has only been playing basketball for five years. After playing on the Under Armour Circuit, he will play his senior season at Crean Lutheran High School. “I think he’s going to have a great high school season and I think this guy has a chance to develop into a great player,” Medved said. Tomes “He has elite quickness,” Medved said. “… He can really shoot the ball.” Tomes broke a finger on his non-shooting hand while playing quarterback for East Ridge this fall, but returned to the Raptors for the big-school playoffs. “One of the things that I love about him is he is a multi-sport guy,” Medved said. “Cedric just loves to play. He loves to play and compete. … It would have been really easy (to) just shutdown football and get ready for basketball. But there was no way you were going to keep him off the field, to come back and have a chance to help his team. I just love that about him. He’s a competitor.” Tomes averaged 27 points per game last season, setting East Ridge scoring records for single game (42 points) and season (735). With Tomes as the floor general last year, the Raptors went 27-1.
