2025
Sections
• Top Stories - Front Page
• National
• State and Local
• Business and Economic
• Lifestyle and Entertainment
• Sports
• Editorials
• Comments
The Not Yet Gazette is a fictional newspaper showing one possible future. The stories in the paper reflect major demographic trends projected for Minnesota.
Three Northwest Counties to Merge
Top Stories
Roswoods, Kittmar, and Pennrel counties will merge into a single county, called Northstar, on January 1.
The agreement to merge was reached by the three county commissions Tuesday night; voters approved the merger in a referendum in the recent election. The merger will reduce the number of Minnesota counties to 42.
Thief River Falls will be the seat of Northstar County, but Pennrel County Commissioner Dave Johnson said county services will be available throughout the formerly separate counties in satellite centers and via electronic hookups.
"The merger will save a lot of money on overhead," said Johnson. "People resisted it for a long time, but other counties have done it and the results don't seem that bad." (Trend: concentration in metropolitan regions)
Related articles:
• Governor Takes Aim at Wildlife
• Rural Communities Find Original Ways to Cope with Fewer People
and Higher Costs
• Bad Roads Block Rural Growth, Expert Claims