By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent  Sheriff deputies, on Jan. 31, reported three scam attempts in Otter Tail County. Fortunately, none of the attempts resulted in loss of money for county residents. The three scam attempts included one related to a job search via “Indeed,” another when a scammer tried to obtain bank account information via access… Read More

Old-time restaurants provided more than food for a community By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent Many baby boomers in Otter Tail County remember the good old days in the 1960s when, before and after basketball games, kids could purchase a burger for 30 cents, French fries for 25 cents and a Coca-Cola for ten cents. A… Read More

Contributed photo The New York Mills VFW Post 3289 Auxiliary placed first at the State Department Conference in January with their entry for Poppy Promotion.  The display was made of 1,655 poppies and took 37.5 hours to make.  

Fifteen Minnesota counties are part of MICA By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent The Minnesota Inter-County Association (MICA), which includes Otter Tail County, is a voluntary, joint powers organization of 15 Minnesota counties. This includes most of Minnesota’s larger and faster growing counties. “We share interests with the larger counties in Minnesota, through our MICA membership,” said County… Read More

Certified midwives provide healthcare for women Allison Freese-Johnson, CNM, has joined the Tri-County Health Care team to expand its midwifery services. Freese-Johnson is a recent graduate of Bethel University and completed her undergraduate studies at Minnesota State University in Mankato.   “I want to make a positive impact in the lives of women and their families…. Read More

Photos by Tom Hintgen All that remains at the former site of Otter Tail Power Company’s Hoot Lake Plant east of Fergus Falls is a water power station and a large substation. Replacing Hoot Lake Plant is a natural gas station in northeastern South Dakota. A new solar-powered station is being built near the former Hoot… Read More

By Cody Hill Chill Fishing Report We finally got some nice weather conditions.  Fishing was amazing over the weekend! Friday evening started off with four different species with my first four fish being caught. I tried a combination of minnow on a bobber and jigging a spoon to attract the fish into the area. Minnows didn’t produce a bite,… Read More

Local newspaper takes first in General Excellence By Chad Koenen Publisher The New York Mills Dispatch received 10 awards, including first place in the prestigious category of General Excellence, at the 156th annual Minnesota Newspaper Association Convention last week. Henning Publications, which operates the Citizen’s Advocate, Frazee-Vergas Forum and NY Mills Dispatch, won 21 awards as… Read More

Education changed after COVID pandemic By Chad Koenen Publisher The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed how the lives of everyday people have operated over the past three years. That includes education and the growing need for expanded technology in the school system. During its regularly scheduled meeting last Monday night, the NY Mills School Board heard from Nick DeVillers… Read More

Trip was held in North Dakota Tucker Henderson Reporter Hunting is a mainstay of Midwestern culture and is a necessary opportunity to fill the freezers for many families. In rural areas, the outdoor activity is often taken for granted. When health problems arise and physical disabilities manifest, taking a walk out to the deer stand… Read More