Otter Tail County Sheriff Barry Fitzgibbons announced he will not be seeking reelection, according to an announcement released on social media on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Fitzgibbons is the third sheriff in the region to do so in the past month, joining Becker County Sheriff Todd Glander, who is not seeking a fourth term and announced he… Read More

Photo by Tucker Henderson Minnesota Secretary of State of State Steve Simon visted the NY Mills School last week and talked about his role at the state level, elections, and answered questions from the student body.

Perham Education Association recently announced that Perham High School teacher Cory Solberg has been named the PEA Teacher of the Year. In the announcement, PEA President Paul Belka said the distinguished honor reflects Solberg’s dedication to students, commitment to professional excellence, and the meaningful impact he makes each day in the classroom and beyond. Solberg is in… Read More

Photos by Tucker Henderson The New York Mills fourth grade class recently presented their annual Wax Museum, where they research and dress up as a historical figure and present their new knowledge to the public. Among the historical figures were Emily Dittmann as Laura Ingalls Wilder (above), Kinley Saewert as J. K. Rowling (bottom right) and… Read More

By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent A resident of eastern Otter Tail County lost $5,000 as the victim of a scam, reported by county sheriff deputies on Feb. 15. The county resident was contacted by a male using internet communications referred to as VOIP which, according to sheriff deputies, is a security risk. The county resident was… Read More

First white men to enter Otter Tail County were French and British fur traders, trading posts set up near Leaf Lakes area By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent Native Americans lived in this area of Minnesota long before Otter Tail County was established.  As noted on the county website, some of the oldest remains of Native Americans were… Read More

By Robert Williams Editor Farmers Union Processing + Meats, a state-of-the-art, USDA-compliant meat processing facility for primarily beef and pork is nearing opening in the Staples industrial park. Groundbreaking occurred last June with expectations to be fully operational coming in the early months of 2026. The 8,000-square-foot facility will process approximately 15 beef cattle or 30 hogs… Read More

Three rural NYM residents spend time in Ecuador By Tucker Henderson Reporter Over three decades ago, siblings Henry, Luis, and Beatriz Vasconez, had a dream of giving back to their homeland through their own skill set. The three siblings were born in Ecuador and had all found success in their respective medical fields in the United… Read More

By Chad Koenen Publisher   Affordable senior housing could soon come to the South Point housing project. During its regularly scheduled meeting last week, the NY Mills City Council heard from Amy Baldwin of Otter Tail County CDA and HRA about a $600,000 appropriations funding approved by the federal government to help construct a pair of tri-plexes… Read More

By Tucker Henderson Reporter Each spring, Sourcewell recognizes both educators and school staff who have demonstrated leadership and positively impacted students and colleagues throughout the year. This year’s award goes to New York Mills High School class of 2006 alumnus Josh Hendrickx who was recently named the 2025-26 Educator of Excellence at Freshwater Education District. Hendrickx’s dream… Read More