Focus put on protecting wetlands By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent Heavy rainfall has necessitated a change within the Maplewood segment of the Heart of the Lakes Regional Trail from Pelican Rapids to Perham. Silt fencing changes became necessary and a change order was approved Aug. 13 by the Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners. A silt… Read More

Heeter saved the life of a person choking on a piece of food By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent On June 17 Otter Tail County solid waste employee Nick Heeter, while on lunch break at a restaurant, was with a restaurant guest who began to choke on food and could not breathe. Heeter performed abdominal thrusts… Read More

Photos by Tucker Henderson The annual New York Mills Civic and Commerce corn feed was held on Friday evening at the NY Mills VFW. The event once again featured free cobs of corn served by members of the NY Mills C&C, as well as a food from a number of vendors. The night also included the… Read More

By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent Three people received non-life-threatening injuries in a two-vehicle accident Aug. 12 just west of Ottertail city. Sheriff deputies said a Toyota Highlander was driving southbound on Highway 78 and a Toyota Camry was taking a left turn to go north on Highway 78 when the vehicles collided at 1:07 p.m. Injured… Read More

Hetland seeks to fill NYM mayor position By Chad Koenen Publisher Voters will have a bevy of choices for local elections when they head to the polls in November.  The final day to register to be on the ballot for local elections was on Tuesday. Aug. 13. Many of the local elections have more people running than… Read More

Photos by Chad Koenen The 15th annual Kalevala Puppet Pageant, which was sponsored by the New York Mills Cultural Center, hosted a pair of performances last weekend at both the corn feed and Finn Creek Festival. The large scale street-theater style performance of a homage to the Kalevala, Finland’s national epic and included everything from larger-than-life… Read More

The Astera Health Foundation in collaboration with Wadena State Bank, announced the Harry Harrison Matching Grant. The $25,000 matching grant will be used to support the operations of the Astera Health/CentraCare Coborn Cancer Center, opening in July of 2025. Harry Harrison owned and operated Mason Brothers until September 1999. He was known for his philanthropic and… Read More

Legislator honored for assisting with housing affordability Housing First Minnesota recently named Senator Jordan Rasmusson (R-Fergus Falls) a recipient of the 2024 Housing Leadership Award. Sen. Rasmusson received this honor for his dedication during the preceding legislative session to advance housing affordability and homeownership. “The housing leadership award honors legislators who went above and beyond to promote housing… Read More

The New York Mills Regional Cultural Center has announced a new workshop series to help individuals unlock their storytelling potential. The Cultural Center will host “Storytelling: From Beginning to End” Wednesday workshop series and competition event beginning Aug. 21 and culminating on Oct. 2. Are you passionate about storytelling? Whether you’re intrigued by real-life narratives or… Read More

Local campaign to coincide with state crackdown on drunk driving From August 14 through September 2, including the Labor Day holiday weekend, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will collaborate with the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office for the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over high-visibility enforcement campaign. The campaign’s goal is… Read More