Serving the lakes area for over 6 decades By Chad Koenen Publisher For over 65 years, the experts at Esser Plumbing and Heating prided themselves on exceptional service to meet all of the area’s plumbing, heating, air conditioning and geothermal needs. The company routinely performs commercial and residential installations and services throughout the lakes area, as… Read More

The VFW Post 3289 Auxiliary meeting was held on Dec 9 with 13 members present. There was one petition for membership by transfer. A total of $200 will be given to Central Minnesota boxing. A subscription will be provided to Guideposts Military Program. The raffle drawing on Nov. 12 went well. A total of 13 soldier care packages were sent… Read More

Photos by Chad Koenen Bluffton was a popular destination on Friday night as the community hosted its annual Santa Day celebration. The night began with the lighting of the community tree in the park and included a horse drawn ride through town. All of the children who visited Santa received a new hat and there were… Read More

Photo by Chad Koenen Trinity Lutheran Church preschoolers were all smiles on Monday night as they hosted their annual Christmas concert. The concert was held at the church and featured all of the students in the 3s and 4s preschool program. For more information about the program, check out next week’s issue of the New York… Read More

Education foundation awards 10 grants in NYM By Tucker Henderson Reporter Ten educational grants were recently awarded to New York Mills teachers for requests ranging from new books to field trip funds. The New York Mills Education Foundation’s contributions, totaling $4,535, will be put towards the following causes: • Fifth grade teacher, Lisa Stroeing, was awarded a… Read More

By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent All around Otter Tail County, longtime Minnesota Twins fans say it was great to see former Twins baseball hitting star Tony Oliva elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, Dec. 5.  This was long overdue for Tony and also for his former Twins teammate, pitcher Jim Kaat, who also… Read More

By Chad Koenen Publisher A GoFundMe account has been established for long-time New York Mills Police Officer Ron Smith.  According to the GoFundMe page, Smith was admitted to Lakewood Health System as he battled complications from COVID-19. He was put on a ventilator and later transferred to St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth, Minn., where he remains today.  The… Read More

Contributed photo Santa Anonymous received a big donation from the Heinola Hustlers quilt raffle. The quilt was made by members of the Heinola Hustlers with the help of Donna Geiser. The raffle raised $954 for Santa Anonymous. Deb Weller was the winner of this year’s quilt raffle. 

New York Mills event to feature music, entertainment and more  on December 21 The New York Mills Regional Cultural Center is pleased to announce its annual Longest Night Music Festival on Tuesday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. at the Cultural Center.   The Longest Night is an annual event which brings together an eclectic group of beloved… Read More

Contributed photo A sun dog were spotted over the New York Mills Post Office on Monday morning. With temperatures hovering below zero, the sun dog brightened up the otherwise cool December morning.