The 2025 New York Mills trap shooting team took second place in its conference behind Wayzata High School.  The Eagles wrapped up a fun and successful season with the final trap shoot held in Alexandria, Minn. Several students achieved personal best scores at this event, marking a strong finish to the year. One athlete scored high… Read More

Issues strong ruling on omnibus bill In a significant victory for the Minnesota Constitution and the rule of law, the Minnesota District Court today ruled in favor of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus in a lawsuit brought by the Upper Midwest Law Center (UMLC). The court found that the 2024 Omnibus Bill violated the Minnesota… Read More

By Tucker Henderson Reporter With summer nearing it’s end and the warmer weather starting to cool off, local businesses Kangas Construction and Blue Waves Rentals are finishing out this year’s season and will be transitioning to fall and winter services. Kangas Construction began in 1996 when Ken and Lyle Kangas decided to start the roofing company. Now… Read More

New locations in NY Mills and Pelican Rapids By Robert Williams Editor The Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners authorized the acceptance of $882,860 in Multi-Purpose Community Facility Projects Grant funding from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE).  This investment will support the renovation of spaces at locations in New York Mills City Center ($382,860) and The… Read More

Four Little Free Libraries are located in New York Mills By Tucker Henderson Reporter Literacy has always taken priority in New York Mills. Even since the early days of the first English newspaper and the plethora of Finnish ones, as well as the long and supported history of the public library, reading has played an important role… Read More

Rural NYM family operates Otter Berry Farm By Tucker Henderson Reporter “I was shocked,” said Kris Huebsch, a farmer in rural New York Mills, about being named the 2025 Farmfest Woman Farmer of the Year in Morgan, Minn. on Thursday, Aug. 7. “This spring I got an email from the Otter Tail County Extension, that the Extension County… Read More

Photos by Chad Koenen Bluffton Hometown Days turned out quite a crowd over the weekend as the town hosted a parade, fireworks, anything but a bat and glove baseball game, car show and much more. The theme of the weekend was land of the free and home of the Braves to recognize the Bluffton Braves baseball… Read More

Council debates addition of battery pack storage By Chad Koenen Publisher Better-than-expected bid prices could result in a rather large expansion of New York Mills’ solar project at city hall.  ¶  During its regularly scheduled meeting last week, the NY Mills City Council heard that favorable bidding prices for an expansive solar project led by West… Read More

By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), established by President Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression in the 1930s, was a public works program. Young men joined up all across the United States, including those who worked as part of the CCC at Itasca State Park. A display at the visitors center in… Read More

Large surface waves produced by powerboats are a mainstay for recreational watersports. A new study from the University of Minnesota shows that beneath the surface, factors such as propeller thrust and other types of waves can impact delicate lakebed ecosystems. Researchers at the University’s St. Anthony Falls Laboratory built on previous research to study the effects… Read More