Summit set for Aug. 27 at City Hall Ballroom By Greta Foss Summer Intern The City of New York Mills will be hosting a community growth summit on August 27 in hopes of informing the community on the current state of the city’s needs and it’s future goals. The event will take place at the… Read More

Events to include parade, car show, fireworks, music By Chad Koenen Publisher One of the last big small town celebrations of the summer will kick off on Friday night as the Bluffton Hometown Days gets underway with a bang. The weekend kicks off with the annual DJ’s Powerhouse Parking Lot Party on Friday beginning at… Read More

By Greta Foss Summer Intern You can experience history with the Jäger Battalion Living History Group at the 2026 Summer Folk Festival in Finn Creek August 22 and 23. The Jäger Battalion Group is dedicated to keeping the story of the Finnish military during World War II alive through historical displays, memrobilia and gear, and… Read More

By Chad Koenen Publisher While there may be a few new faces inside the walls of Gibb’s #10 Sales in New York Mills, the values and focus of providing quality vehicles, small-town values and taking care of the customers who are seeking that perfect used vehicle will continue for new owners Randy and Ashley Mumm. … Read More

Spadgenske Dairy, Mark and Kristine, and Mike and Jean of rural Menahga received the Red River Valley Outstanding Farm Leaders Award for Becker County at the County Fair’s Agriculture Awards program on Saturday, Aug. 1.   The Spadgenske’s are one of 16 families from the 14 counties along the Red River Valley to receive this… Read More

A deer near Stillwater has been confirmed positive for chronic wasting disease. The female deer was reported to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources by a landowner who observed it for several days and noted it was unafraid of people and appeared emaciated. On July 16, the deer died and was retrieved by DNR staff…. Read More

Capt. Nic ‘Laz’ Le Tourneau flew over Washington, D.C. in advance of 250th celebration By Greta Foss Summer Intern apt. Nic “Laz” Le Tourneau celebrated the 250th anniversary of America by flying over some of the country’s most famous monuments. Le Tourneau grew up in New York Mills, but found himself in the nation’s capitol this… Read More

By Chad Koenen Publisher There will likely be more than a few familiar faces come 2027 on local school boards and city councils.  Filing to appear on the November ballot for school boards and city councils closed last week across the state. Unlike in recent years when voters had more candidates than open seats to… Read More

With lower-than-normal rainfall and higher-than-normal temperatures in the last few weeks, persistent drought and lower lake levels have become common across a large portion of the state. Much of north-central Minnesota is experiencing storage drought. In years of significant drought, long-term water storage is depleted in lakes, soil and groundwater to a degree that typically… Read More

By Chad Koenen Publisher A former Underwood teacher, who also served as head softball and wrestling coach for the Otter Tail Central programs, has been sentenced to two years of probation and must surrender his teaching license in any state after recently receiving a stay of adjudication on three counts of malicious punishment of a… Read More