By Tucker Henderson Reporter A new salon and spa recently opened up in New York Mills in what was once the Paws & Claws building at 16 North Main Ave. The building was purchased by Sheila Overland in May of 2023 and she set to work renovating the building to be a workable salon. Overland officially opened… Read More

By Tucker Henderson Reporter It was almost 30 years ago when Markku Mäkelä, a resident of Haapajärvi, Finland, first met his relatives from America: Tina Barkes and her daughters, Ruth and Martha, while they were on a sightseeing trip to Tina’s homeland of Finland. Ruth Koehler is a native of the New York Mills area and has… Read More

Otter Tail Power transforms Hoot Lake Plant to solar energy By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent Customers of Otter Tail Power Company, on May 22 and May 23, attended an open house at the Hoot Lake Solar facility east of Fergus Falls.  The 49-megawatt solar generation complex has nearly 130,000 solar panels that generate enough energy to… Read More

Photos by Tucker Henderson The annual Celebrating Cultures event, which was sponsored by the Cultural Center in New York Mills, was held on Wednesday, May 22 at the Sculpture Park. The event featured Buffalo River Dance Troupe (pictured above), Scottish Bagpipes by Ian Durkin, Taste of Colombia (traditional Colombian dance), Finnish music by Kip Peltoniemi, and… Read More

Contributed photos Avery Brooks found a way to beat last weekend’s warm temperatures by hosting a lemonade stand in New York Mills. Brooks served a number of customers last weekend, including members of the local police department.

By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent On June 6, 1944, future President Dwight Eisenhower served as Supreme Allied Commander during World War II. He led the D-Day operation that brought together land, air and sea forces to the beaches of Normandy, France. Eight years later, in September 1952, Eisenhower took a break from his presidential race with… Read More

By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent Resorts in Otter Tail County are popular with both locals and visitors. Such was the case Friday evening, May 31, when this writer traveled with family members from Fergus Falls to Bell’s Resort on the northwest side of Star Lake to enjoy the resort’s popular chicken dinners. The restaurant and bar,… Read More

By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service representatives appeared before the county board of commissioners in late May and requested certification of three wildlife habitat protection easements. Documentation was previously submitted regarding the requests.  A motion by Commissioner Wayne Johnson of Pelican Rapids and seconded by Commissioner Dan Bucholz of Perham was approved… Read More

Rogness to retire from OTC Board after 15 years By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent Lee Rogness, for more than 15 years, has exemplified what is good about sound decision making by the five-person Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners. Rogness, whose district includes most of Fergus Falls, is not seeking another term. “We are fortunate to… Read More

Contributed photos The Heinola Hustlers assisted New York Mills VFW Auxiliary member Dolly Tumberg with its annual tradition of placing American flags at four local cemeteries. The group completed the project on May 22.