NYM named second place in category of General Excellence By Chad Koenen Publisher The New York Mills Dispatch and Citizen’s Advocate received a combined eight awards during the 2019-20 Minnesota Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest. The annual awards ceremony was held virtually on Thursday, Jan. 28 due to COVID-19.  There were more than 3,100 entries from… Read More

Photos by Chad Koenen New York Mills Elementary fourth graders hosted the first in a series of virtual concerts last week. Students performed three songs in front of a camera that later broadcast the concert to the public via the school’s social media page. This is the first in a series of virtual concerts that will… Read More

Chad Koenen Publisher As the old saying goes—if life gives you a challenge, turn your shed into a meat processing shop and chomp down on a juicy porterhouse steak. Well that might be a bit of a stretch for most people, but for Brandon and Katelyn Nelson of rural New York Mills, that’s just what… Read More

By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent Well trained voting judges, use of updated voting equipment and secure vote tabulations from 92 precincts made for fair and safe elections in Otter Tail County in 2020. That was the analysis provided by County Auditor Wayne Stein who spoke during a county museum “Coffee Klatch” zoom presentation at 11… Read More

By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent Residents of Otter Tail County can find out more about their individual township by logging onto the county website. After accessing the home page for Otter Tail County, take your computer cursor to the far right to “County and Government” and scroll down and click on “Cities and Townships.” As an example,… Read More

By Chad Koenen Publisher A group of New York Mills residents are not letting the small town moniker from thinking big. The NYM 2025 committee has been thinking big ever since meeting for the first time as the group tries to help the community grow and prosper.  Its latest project includes purchasing four new signs to… Read More

NYM group adapts to virtual world, life with COVID-19 By Chad Koenen Publisher While the start of the winter sports season was delayed this year due to COVID-19, not every extracurricular activity had to wait until the start of the New Year to get their season underway. The New York Mills FFA program started their season… Read More

Camera to be installed next week By Chad Koenen Publisher In just a few short days the New York Mills High School Sports Center will be coming to a living room near you.  A new camera system will be installed at the NY Mills High School that will broadcast activities in the sports center on the NFHS… Read More

By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent Drones have been is use by county officials since 2016. Since that time drones have been used by the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office for search and rescue and drug enforcement. Drone usage has also proved to be successful for ditch inspections conducted by the county. Grants for continuation of the drone… Read More

By Chad Koenen Publisher Less than one year after COVID-19 made its first known appearance on the shores of the United States, a mass vaccination for Americans across the country.  According to the Minnesota Department of Health, as of Jan. 18 nearly 185,000 people have already received one vaccine dose for COVID-19 in the state of Minnesota…. Read More