Broken Eagles enter second year of competition By Chad Koenen Publisher At the end of a long and dark hallway, members of the New York Mills robotics team work in an otherwise quiet school building. Ten students, an advisor and a variety of guest helpers, have created a robot from a dream to a lean, mean dodgeball… Read More

By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent  Sheriff deputies reported that a house near Vergas was destroyed by fire late Monday afternoon, March 29. Firefighters were called to the scene of the fire near East Lake Seven Road. Authorities said the fire was linked to a nearby maple syrup boiler/cooker. Assisting Vergas firefighters at the scene of the fire… Read More

Otter Tail County remains in a burning restriction due to dry conditions By Chad Koenen Publisher Approximately 700 acres of land burned in a Friday afternoon fire just east of Deer Creek. Extremely dry conditions and strong winds made the fire spread quickly across the farm land and trees in the area. The fire was east of… Read More

Photos by Bradley Hastings Strong wind and warm temperatures force some large ice heaves by the Pelican Bay access on Otter Tail Lake on Tuesday. The ice heaves formed just off of shore. Some people even took a chance to walk out onto the ice (above), before it melted for good later last week.

Ottertail Bakery distributes free donuts in town By Chad Koenen Publisher With a box full of donuts in her arms, Julie Johnson made work a little “sweeter” at several Ottertail businesses last week. The longtime Ottertail Bakery owner delivered free donuts to just about every Ottertail business last week as she got ready to officially reopen her local… Read More

Area children left with a bit of a sugar rush following a pair of Easter egg hunts on Saturday morning. The annual Bluffton egg hunt, as well as the New York Mills egg hunt featured thousands of colorful eggs hidden throughout the area. Children used buckets, and even a shopping cart, to collect eggs filled… Read More

Salo wins true section match at super section By Chad Koenen Publisher When Bren Salo watched the clock hit zero on March 20, the New York Mills junior pointed to the sky. It’s been a whirlwind year for the NY Mills 170 lbs. wrestler, and Salo knew there was someone watching from above to give him an… Read More

Students could get out before Memorial Day By Chad Koenen Publisher New York Mills School District students could get out of school before Memorial Day next year—provided the district doesn’t use up all of its snow days. During its regularly scheduled meeting last Monday night, the NY Mills School Board approved its 2021-22 school calendar. The calendar shows… Read More

NYM, Bluffton, Ottertail to host egg hunts on Saturday By Chad Koenen Publisher On Saturday the New York Mills Civic and Commerce group will sponsor its annual Easter egg hunt at Smith Park.  The Easter egg hunt will begin at 10 a.m. and feature three age groups to allow children of all ages to search for colorful plastic… Read More

By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent At one time, Otter Tail County’s 289 rural schools were the most of any county in Minnesota. Many kids who grew up on farms formed their basis for life while attending one-room schools. They learned the basics with reading, writing and arithmetic (the three Rs). Penmanship, particularly the Palmer method with… Read More