Photos by Tucker Henderson Former New York Mills phy ed teacher Jeff Rimpila led a group of New York Mills Elementary School students on a bike ride through town last week. The bike ride was part of a bike safety program. More information about the program will be featured in an upcoming issue of the Dispatch. 

Concordia College and Minnesota State Community and Technical College (M State) have formalized an academic partnership that will create new opportunities for students at both institutions through articulation agreements, shared programming, and innovative collaborations. Administrators celebrated with a signing ceremony Wednesday, May 7, at Concordia during an informal meet-and-greet event for instructors from both institutions. The gathering… Read More

Aim for daring family adventure at an Archery in the Parks program. Learn how to shoot a bow on Saturday, May 17 at Glendalough State Park. For thousands of years, archery has been a popular sport and important life skill. Beginners can learn this valuable skill from trained archery instructors in a safe, supervised setting. No… Read More

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is expanding its all-terrain track chair program, bringing 10 more of the adaptive mobility devices to eight new locations. The DNR launched the program in 2022 with five track chairs. After this latest program expansion, DNR will have 23 track chairs available across the state. The electric powered chairs enable… Read More

Photos by Tucker Henderson The New York Mills fifth and sixth graders took turns at Glendalough and Finn Creek Museum last week during their field trips on Thursday afternoon. At Finn Creek, the students helped get the museum ready for the season with cleaning, raking and scraping. The students also enjoyed a lesson from Ruth Koehler… Read More

By Chad Koenen Publisher The New York Mills School Board is hoping to develop a vision for what could be needed within the school district and its building for the next generation of students. During its regularly scheduled meeting last week, the NY Mills School Board approved a proposal from ICS to conduct a facilities needs… Read More

New program to begin June 2 at the church By Tucker Henderson Reporter Trinity Lutheran Preschool in New York Mills has expanded exponentially over the past few years, adding staff members, student numbers, and classroom times to their regular offerings. With summer just around the corner, another program has been added for summer, childcare which will… Read More

By Tucker Henderson Reporter As anglers across Minnesota get ready for fishing opener on May 10, so does the New York Mills Fishing League. The League is spearheaded by William Grieger and Chad Keskitalo, both active fishermen, who want to share their love of the sport with local youth. With four fishing dates along with a final… Read More

By Tucker Henderson Reporter A fire broke out in the early hours of Friday, May 2 southeast of New York Mills. The Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Department received a 911 call at approximately 1:28 a.m. with a report of a structure fire in Newton Township at 36435 570th Street. Otter Tail County deputies as well as members… Read More

Ottertail Family Center to break ground soon near former Smokin’ Iron track By Chad Koenen Publisher An off-the-cuff comment about starting a childcare center in Ottertail, which was initially laughed off by Tyler Rupe’s wife, will soon transform the landscape of Ottertail for generations to come. “It honestly started about 2 1/2 years ago when our day… Read More