Founded in 1858, the Hastings Police Department will soon bid farewell to its 56th chief of police.

Hastings Police Chief David D. Wilske announced his plans to retire after working nearly 30 years in law enforcement. Wilske’s retirement will be effective March 31, 2026.
(Courtesy of the City of Hastings)

Hastings Police Chief David D. Wilske has announced his plans to retire after working nearly 30 years in law enforcement. Wilske’s retirement will be effective March 31, 2026, according to a city news release.

“I’ve said this many times before — I wish I had started my law enforcement career with the Hastings Police Department,” said Wilske, who first joined the department in May 2017, in the release. “The community support, the professionalism of our officers and the partnerships we’ve built have made this an incredibly rewarding experience.”

Prior to his time in Hastings, Wilske spent 20 years with the University of Minnesota police, working his way up from patrol officer to operations lieutenant.

Wilske started in Hastings as deputy chief, overseeing department training and development, fleet management, emergency management and the supervision of investigative and evidence room operations.

In the spring of 2022, Wilske was appointed Hastings police chief, succeeding Bryan Schafer, who retired after a 39-year career in law enforcement, the last nine years of which he spent in Hastings.

Prior to Wilske’s promotion to chief, the department had experienced a decrease in certain crimes including criminal homicide, aggravated assault, rape, burglary, motor vehicle theft and human trafficking. In 2020, the department tallied 434 of these incidents, down from 624 in 2015.

During that same time period, there was an increase in certain crimes including fraud, other assaults, vandalism, drug abuse violations and stolen property. The department tallied 742 of these incidents in 2020, up from 680 in 2015.

​Under Wilske from 2022 to 2024, the department did not record any homicides and saw a decrease in robberies and burglaries. Crimes against people, including assaults and intimidation, were down 24% in 2024 compared to 2023​, according to the department’s 2024 annual report. Crimes against property, including vehicle theft and shoplifting, were down 9% in 2024 compared to 2023.

During Wilske’s tenure, the department expanded collaboration with community organizations like the Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau and 360 Communities. The department also increased the presence of school resource officers in local schools and supported local nonprofits like Hastings Family Services and Special Olympics Minnesota.

“Chief Wilske has served the city of Hastings with distinction, provided steady leadership for the department, boosted morale and engagement and helped bolster the Police Reserve Unit,” said City Administrator Dan Wietecha in the release. “I have been particularly impressed and pleased by the partnerships and collaboration he has strengthened with key community organizations.”

Under Wilske’s tutelage, the department also secured grant funding for resources, including ballistic helmets and special event barriers, expanded its records division and upgraded its facilities, including the workout room and created an on-site kitchen to support officer health and wellness.

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“I have truly enjoyed coming to work each day and am deeply grateful to police department officers and staff, City Council, city administration and the community for their unwavering support over the years,” Wilske said.

The city of Hastings will begin preparations for a leadership transition in the coming months with details to follow.

PHILADELPHIA — Royce Lewis wondered out loud if his home run last weekend might have come in his last game as a Twin at Target Field.

Joe Ryan believed he had been traded for a few minutes at the July trade deadline because of an erroneous post on social media. Now, he acknowledges that his future is “so far out of my control.”

The thought of a potential trade has crossed Pablo López’s mind, as well, particularly because one of his aunts often searches his name on social media and asks him what he think might happen.

The Twins officially concluded their season on Sunday with a 2-1 to walk-off loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Former Twin Max Kepler tied the game in the eighth inning with a home run, and outfielder Harrison Bader — dealt at the deadline — scored the game-winning run on a sacrifice fly.

They are moving on to the postseason, while their former teammates begin an offseason filled with uncertainty.

Will manager Rocco Baldelli be back for his eighth season after missing the playoffs for the fourth time in five years? Will the coaching staff remain in place? And what of the roster, one that was dismantled at the trade deadline and went on to lose 92 games? Will there be more trades?

The offseason, if anything, figures to be an interesting one for the Twins as they chart their path forward.

“I have zero clue what’s going to happen,” center fielder Byron Buxton said.

This season, Baldelli admitted, felt like two. There was the first four months, in which they started slow and pulled themselves back over .500 with a 13-game winning streak but struggled to find the consistency they were looking for. And then there was the final two months after 10 regulars were traded to contending teams, giving rookies and younger players an opportunity to show what they can do with the increased playing time.

Though the Twins adopted a new, more aggressive style of play — one they very well could take into next season — the results in the final two months were predictably underwhelming without the services of five members of the bullpen, four position players and a starting pitcher.

“I think we’re definitely entering a new era organization-wise,” López said. “I guess we might know the direction of the team. It’s probably rebuilding the younger group, younger side of things, more aggressive. Kind of find that fearless mentality.”

López, who ended the year on the injured list after hurting his arm while making a diving play, returned near the end of the season after missing more than three months on the injured list with a teres major sprain.

The team he left and the team he came back to couldn’t have been more different. When he was hurt, the team was in the Wild Card mix; when he returned, the Twins were well out of contention, and there was a whole new cast of characters around him.

“Did I think it was going to fall apart like that? Not at all,” López said. “I didn’t want it to, and didn’t think it was going to. It was painful to watch in a sentimental way, an emotional way. It was sad.”

Nobody could have predicted it, really. A 9-18 June and a mediocre July where the Twins couldn’t gain much traction sealed the fate of a team that had collapsed during the final six weeks of the previous season, leading to the sell off.

And now, what Baldelli described as a “winter of work,” begins. The season ended on Sunday, but in some ways, the work has just begun.

“At the end of the day, I see the big picture and the decisions they’ve made, and I think they’re good decisions and the trajectory of the organization is positive,” Ryan said. “Hopefully we’ll make a couple of other moves and see where that goes.”

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Utah prep receiver Kai Meza backed out of his commitment to the Gophers football program on Sunday.

The 6-foot, 185-pound, three-star prospect from Corner Canyon High School has drawn increased interest in recent weeks, with Utah, Colorado, Kansas State and Kansas among the colleges known to have come calling.

“After much thought and reflection, I’ve made the difficult decision to de-commit from the University of Minnesota,” Meza posted on X. “I’m incredibly grateful for the support and opportunity from the coaching staff and Gopher community. At this time, I’ve chosen to reopen my recruitment to explore all options for my future.”

As a junior, Meza posted 46 receptions for 944 yards and 13 touchdowns, and as a sophomore, he had 57 receptions for 1,131 yards and 10 touchdowns at Herriman Mountain Ridge.

The Gophers have 22 total commitments, while Meza is the second de-commitment. He joined Norman, Okla., offensive Daniel McMorris, who backed out on Sept. 1.

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As it turns out, the guy who was available to be picked up in August may not be the Vikings’ almighty answer.

Carson Wentz‘s stat line didn’t reek of disaster in Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh in Dublin. Making his second consecutive start, the journeyman threw for 350 yards and two scores.

But Wentz was a major reason the Vikings dropped back to .500 after four games. More than half those passing yards came in the final 12 minutes of play, with Minnesota already trailing by multiple scores — a very Kirk Cousins-esque performance.

Over the first three frames, Wentz was unable to maneuver around traffic in the pocket. He succumbed to pressure time and time again. And when he did have opportunities to make plays, few of his throws were placed in the proper spots to either complete the pass or set up his receiver to maximize a gain.

Wentz was solid a week ago against the Bengals, but who wouldn’t be on a day the running game and the defense were on fire? There are 50 quarterbacks at the pro level who can succeed under optimal conditions. When the chips were stacked against him Sunday, Wentz looked lost.

Given the chance to salvage the performance with a game-tying field goal drive in the final minute, he again underwhelmed. Wentz should have been intercepted on the opening play of the drive, and later took an intentional grounding penalty that effectively doomed Minnesota.

This is what everyone should have expected from Wentz, who has bounced from one stop to another during an 11-year NFL career. He’s not a guy who you will win because of. Those quarterbacks don’t grow on trees, but they’re the ones franchises anchor themselves to.

Because those are the guys who help you lift Lombardis.

Sunday’s disappointment not withstanding, Minnesota has a good enough team this year to win 10 games and reach the playoffs with a caretaker under center. But what’s the point of that? Even after a 14-win regular season campaign, fans didn’t exactly leave last year’s playoff drubbing at the hands of the Rams overly enthused about their professional football franchise.

The point of this league is to contend for a Super Bowl. To do that, you need a star under center.

It’s too early in the season to punt on the prospect of identifying a quarterback who can make something happen while staring trouble in the face in a pivotal moment once or twice a game. Yes, this offensive line is a work in progress, to put it politely, but the skill position players are awesome and the defense is very good.

There’s more than enough on this roster to win, and win big.

But it has to be led by a quarterback who can win under less-than-ideal circumstances. Wentz is not that guy. He’s proven that at countless junctures in his career. And after looking solid last week in a 48-10 victory over Cincinnati, he reminded everyone of it Sunday.

J.J. McCarthy was unimpressive in seven of his first eight quarters of play this season. But if the potential exists for the second-year signal caller to grow into that type of player, coach Kevin O’Connell and Co. likely have to roll the dice on the 22-year-old.

There is also a Door No. 3 here — Max Brosmer. That sounds silly, but his play against the Titans’ defensive starters when surrounded by third stringers in Minnesota’s preseason finale was the closest thing we’ve seen to high-level quarterbacking thus far this fall.

Just a thought.

The simple answer to Minnesota’s quandary was suited up for the Steelers on Sunday. Aaron Rodgers is no longer an elite quarterback in the latter stages of his career. But he was probably the best choice to steer the ship for a ready-to-win roster.

The Vikings neglected that route. And, nearly a quarter of the way through the season, still find themselves searching for a solution that, unfortunately, may not exist.

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