In our weekday newsletter in February, we featured 12 cats, 17 dogs and one elk.

“I love seeing the pets!” wrote one reader of our signature sign-off that aims to begin readers’ days with a smile.

To view more pet photos, check out our January slideshow. To sign up for the Morning Report, which is free and emailed to your inbox seven days a week, visit twincities.com/newsletters and follow the prompts.

Friday, Feb. 27

A young elk at the Grand Canyon.

“While not a pet photo, thought I’d share a pic of a young elk on a trip to the Grand Canyon, spring of 2024,” Margaret writes. “Outside a tourist information station, there were five or six elk wandering around. I found it exciting as photos of elk always intrigued me.”

Thursday, Feb. 26

Sometimes, they get along.

“Our female, mostly Asian Husky and male American Staffi/German Shepherd tussle at times, but snuggle when they’re tired!” Bruce writes.

Wednesday, Feb. 25

Hachi

“Hachi wants to congratulate Golden Gopher Brock Faber, Golden Gopher Abbey Murphy and the Wild’s Quinn Hughes and Matt Boldy on winning the gold,” Robin writes of the hockey players.

Tuesday, Feb. 24

“Steve is cheering on the USA,” Linda wrote on Sunday morning. “Hoping for Olympic gold!”

Steve’s hopes were realized!

Monday, Feb. 23

Violet’s new BFSs, Rumi and Jinu.

“My granddaughter Violet got two kitties for her fifth birthday last month,” Deb writes. “Welcome Rumi and Jinu (KPop fame). She is a very attentive and loving mother to her new fur babies!”

Friday, Feb. 20

Lafond’s puppies have all been adopted, as has Lafond. (Courtesy of Pooches United with People)

A litter of puppies previously featured in the Pioneer Press after their mom, Lafond, was rescued by Good Samaritans and Pooches United with People (PUP) amid the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota, will be at Pet Evolution St. Paul, 1074 Grand Ave., on Saturday, Feb. 21, and available for adoption in March. If you are interested in adopting Lafond or one of her puppies, inquire via pupmn.org or stop by Pet Evolution during Saturday’s meet-and-greet.

Update: Jeanne Weigum of Pooches United with People tells the Morning Report that, after the strong attendance at Saturday’s event, adoptions have been arranged for Lafond and all her puppies. 

Thursday, Feb. 19

Welcome home, Archie!

“Our just-adopted (40 days ago) rescue cat, Archie, is wherever someone in the house is trying to do something,” wrote Hubert Steve in December. “Here I am unpacking some picture frames and he shows up to check out the box. Such an active/energetic guy … but we love it!”

Wednesday, Feb. 18

Virgil, before and after.

“Virgil before and after his ‘spa’ day,’” Lisa writes. “What a difference a day makes!”

Tuesday, Feb. 17

Archie with the new puppy, Teddy 2 Paws.

“I love seeing the animal pics in the Morning Report. Thank you,” writes Madonna of Ramsey, Minn. “Here are some pictures of our Archie and new Puppy, Teddy 2 Paws. They are becoming great friends!”

Monday, Feb. 16

Bella

“Bella is our 3-year-old, half-Persian, half-Munchkin rescue kitty,” writes John of Minneapolis. “She loves our new Turkish rug in our foyer, and she can’t resist climbing into any bag that’s open.”

Friday, Feb. 13

Frenchie and Helmet.

“Sending a photo of our cats, Frenchie and Helmet,” Kelly writes. “They’re littermates we adopted in 2012 and they snuggle up together all the time. It’s rare when I can take a photo without one of them waking up, so this was neat to capture.”

Thursday, Feb. 12

Chipper would surely win a holiday sweater contest!

Our Christmas catch-up continues: “Here is Chipper, our 11-year old Morkie, rocking his new holiday sweater,” Mary and Joe told us in December. “His passion is playing fetch with his newest toy (he goes through many) every afternoon. His message is for everyone to have fun every day. Not a fan of the camera though.”

Wednesday, Feb. 11

Claudia

We discovered a couple of holiday photos in our backlog so it’s Christmas in February today and Thursday: “Here’s Claudia in front of the Christmas tree,” Sally wrote. “She was featured once before as she’s a fan of Sinclair Lewis’s writing (as am I). You may notice off to the side a cartoon of her done by a New York artist because she’s so photogenic. She wishes everyone a happy new year.”

Tuesday, Feb. 10

Murphy

“One of the joys of having a Cream Golden Retriever is the dog park during snow melt,” Kelly writes. ” Looks like using just the Paw Plunger isn’t going to cut it for the upcoming week. Murphy turned seven the first week of February, so we have lots of baths to look forward to!”

Monday, Feb. 9

Molly is ready for a winter walk.

Friday, Feb. 6

Jax and his “ice cream cone.”

“I saw your note that you’re running low on pet photos,” Bob wrote last month. “This isn’t the cutest pic ever, but it shows one of our rescued brothers, 11-year-old Jax, napping — imagine that — with his favorite toy, a mock ice cream cone that makes a fine crackling sound if grabbed just right. Of course, he has to be awake to grab it …”

Thursday, Feb. 5

Beatrix, during and after the celebration.

“My daughter’s Corgi, Beatrix, celebrated a festive New Year in her party hat!” Mary writes. “All the excitement wore her out and she snuggled in for a nap!”

Wednesday, Feb. 4

G.K. (Garage Kitty)

“This is a photo of one of my three cats, G.K. (stands for Garage Kitty as she appeared in our garage five years ago and we have never found her owner),” writes Carol of Coon Rapids. “She is relaxing in the top of a cat/tunnel toy that my cousin passed on to me — her cat refused to even try to play in it. But G.K. loves lying in the top depression.”

Tuesday, Feb. 3

This Groundhog Day, Riley is not holding out for an early spring.

“This is 15-year-old Riley not worrying about whether there will be an early spring,” Duke writes.

Monday, Feb. 2

Steve looks out his condo window.

“Steve isn’t quite sure what to make of snow, but he can spend a lot of time watching it,” Linda writes.

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Today is Friday, Feb. 27, the 58th day of 2026. There are 307 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Feb. 27, 1973, members of the American Indian Movement occupied the hamlet of Wounded Knee in South Dakota, the site of the 1890 massacre of Sioux men, women and children; the occupation would last for over two months.

Also on this date:

In 1933, Germany’s parliament building, the Reichstag, was gutted by fire; Chancellor Adolf Hitler, blaming communists, used the fire to justify suspending civil liberties.

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In 1942, the Battle of the Java Sea began during World War II; Imperial Japanese naval forces scored a decisive victory over the Allies.

In 1951, the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, limiting a president to two terms in office, was ratified.

In 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai issued the Shanghai Communique, a historic joint statement that called for normalizing relations between their countries, at the conclusion of Nixon’s historic visit to China.

In 1991, Operation Desert Storm came to a conclusion as President George H.W. Bush declared in a White House address that “Kuwait is liberated, Iraq’s army is defeated,” and announced that the allies would suspend combat operations at midnight, Eastern time.

In 1997, Ireland became one of the last countries in the world to legalize divorce. Divorce remains illegal in just two countries: the Philippines and Vatican City.

In 2010, in Chile, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami killed 525 people and caused up to $30 billion in damage and a major power blackout.

In 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin dramatically escalated East-West tensions by ordering nuclear forces put on high alert while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to talks with Moscow as Russia’s troops and tanks drove deeper into the country.

Today’s birthdays:

Actor Joanne Woodward is 96.
Football Hall of Famer Raymond Barry is 93.
Consumer advocate Ralph Nader is 92.
Broadcast journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault is 84.
Rock musician Neal Schon (Journey) is 72.
Actor Timothy Spall is 69.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire is 68.
Basketball Hall of Famer James Worthy is 65.
Actor Noah Emmerich is 61.
Jockey Kent Desormeaux is 56.
Singer Chilli (TLC) is 55.
Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez is 50.
Author Chelsea Clinton is 46.
Singer Josh Groban is 45.
Actor Kate Mara is 43.
Pop singer Ten is 30.

Simley’s six-year state title run came to a screeching halt last year, when the Spartans finished fourth in Class 2A.

They nearly lost their quarterfinal bout in that tournament. The field had caught the dynastic Spartans, and passed them by.

The question for Simley last offseason: How do you catch up to a moving object? The best programs weren’t going to slow down, so making up ground would require something special. Something … different.

“We knew we had to increase our work level,” Spartans co-coach Will Short said.

Increase? Life in the Simley wrestling room has never been described as “easy,” even if Short did joke the older version of himself may be getting “softer.” That wouldn’t be the case this season.

Simley wrestlers all said this year was different.

“We were dialed every day. Every day was a day with no breaks,” senior Vicente Elustondo said. “Most teams probably play a couple games a week here or there. We’re here every day in the wrestling room, grinding, getting ready for this.”

For the grand stage. For the section final against Kasson-Mantorville. For Thursday’s state championship bout with New Ulm. For every massive moment the Spartans knew was to come.

They met each of them, the Spartans again reign supreme after returning to the peak of Class 2A with a seventh state title in eight seasons.

The re-ascent was not easy.

“We did a lot more work,” Short said.

As in two-a-days – all season. In the mornings, the wrestlers would either run or lift. Afternoons featured high-intensity practices with ample drilling. Recent college graduates Reid Nelson and Quayin Short – fresh off the completion of Division-I careers – returned to Inver Grove Heights to push the next wave of Spartans in the room.

“It wasn’t easy,” Simley junior Jake Kos said. “Coaches were hard on us. There were multiple days where you didn’t want to come in, but you put that work in.”

Because it had to be done. Kos noted last year’s result “lit a fire” under the team. The Spartans no longer feature a superstar-filled lineup. Development is organic and steady. It’s earned. And, if you want to be the best, it’s required.

At the season’s outset, Short wasn’t sure he had a state title team. A blowout loss to St. Michael-Albertville and subpar performances in Eau Claire, Wis. and at the Christmas tournament only reinforced those concerns.

At that point, Short didn’t think Simley would even advance to St. Paul, with the exception of a few individual qualifiers.

But it was around winter break that the extra work started to truly pay dividends. The Spartans performed well at the Rumble on the Red in North Dakota. The heavier weights – a weak point early in the season – improved noticeably.

Elustondo, Brenden Watts, Gregorio Duron Contreras and others all took leaps. Simley was no longer hemorrhaging bonus points at the ends of duals.

Elustondo pulled out a victory at 215 pounds in the team title match against New Ulm. Then Duron Contreras delivered a defensive pin to put the cherry on top of the championship – a fitting end to the affair.

“We had a lot of kids, I just can’t say enough about how much they improved,” Short said. “I’ve had years where we had wrestlers who cleaned up their technique and got in good shape and had a good tournament at the end. But this group went from, in a lot of weight classes, very mediocre to high level. And that has been huge. That’s why you’re state champions.”

The pathway to this point was simple – work, work, work. Short isn’t sure Simley would have edged the likes of Kasson-Mantorville without turning up the dial.

Perhaps that’s the blueprint to the next string of Simley titles? Short wouldn’t go that far, noting not every group will allow itself to be pushed in the way this team embraced it.

“You’ve got to have a group of kids who are willing to do this amount of work,” he said. “This is a special group. I’m so proud of them.”

The work was hard, Short noted, “but it was fun.”

“What a great journey,” he said. “We talked about the journey before the (title) match, and how we were successful already with the bonds we had made within that journey of becoming the team that we became is what made this team really special.”

Elustondo described the immediate aftermath of Thursday’s title match as “kind of like a high.” There he was, celebrating with the newfound brothers with whom he’d shared hours and hours of blood, sweat and tears in the pursuit of that very moment.

“It’s just so much happiness to be here with these people,” he said.

It’s possible Simley had taken such success for granted over the previous half decade. That wouldn’t be the case this time around. The Spartans knew they’d earned this.

“Losing last year, taking fourth place, now winning this year, it makes it feel so much better,” Simley wrestler Aidan Mincey said. “I’m more appreciative of everything we have.”

“We worked harder than any team here,” Kos said. “It’s the work that paid off.”

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Anthony Edwards scored 31 points, Donte DiVincenzo added 18 and the surging Minnesota Timberwolves beat Los Angeles Clippers 94-88 on Thursday night.

Jaden McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmu each scored 12 points and Rudy Gobert had 13 rebounds to help the Timberwolves improve to 5-1 since Feb. 9 and 3-1 since the All-Star break.

Edwards, who was returning to the site of the All-Star game, where he was selected the MVP, was 12 of 24 from the floor and sealed the victory with a step-back 3-pointer over two defenders for a 92-88 lead with 42.9 seconds left.

Minnesota improved to 2-0 on a three-game trip.

Derrick Jones Jr. scored 18 points and Bennedict Mathurin added 14 for the Clippers, who struggled from the outset with a season-low 38 points in the first half. Kris Dunn had 11 points as Los Angeles lost three consecutive games for the first time since December.

The Clippers struggled on offense without star Kawhi Leonard (ankle).

Los Angeles shot 40.5% from the floor, including 18.2% (4 of 22) in the second quarter. Minnesota shot 43.4% in the game.

The Timberwolves scored just 15 points in the second quarter and still topped the Clippers who had 11 in the period. Minnesota led 44-38 at halftime behind 12 points from DiVincenzo and 11 from Edwards.

The Clippers led by six points in the third quarter and were up 68-63 heading into the fourth. Edwards’ drive and reverse layup put the Timberwolves up for good at 76-74 with 7:40 remaining.

Next up, Minnesota heads to Denver to take on the Nuggets at 2:30 Sunday afternoon in a game to be televised on KSTP Ch. 5.

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