By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent Situated in the northeast section of Underwood is the Foss Log Cabin, named after Ole and Anne Foss who homesteaded in 1869. The cabin is located on the corner of a residential neighborhood and serves as a reminder of the pioneer spirit in this area of Otter Tail… Read More

Photo by Chad Koenen, contributed Pastor Stew Burns and several local volunteers set up 2,977 American flags at Central Park last week in remembrance of each of the victims of the 9/11 attacks. Friday was the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, and assisting in the effort to set up the flags in… Read More

By Chad Koenen Publisher At a time where small-town charm and going the extra mile for customers has been replaced by robots and self-checkout aisles, Mills Country Market continues to serve its customers in a way not commonly seen in today’s culture and on-the-go mentality. The checkers greet customers, bag boys (and in some cases… Read More

Vanessa and Jeremy Mursu, of New York Mills, Minn., are happy to announce the birth of their son, Gerard Jeremy Mursu. Gerard was delivered by Dr. Michael Norgard at Perham Health on July 29, 2026, at 1:43 p.m. He weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces and was 19-1/2 inches long.  Gerard is welcomed home by siblings… Read More

By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent As the summer winds down in Otter Tail County, residents and visitors still have the option of swimming in county lakes or making use of community aquatic centers in towns such as Pelican Rapids, Parkers Prairie and Fergus Falls. In those communities the pools are open from noon… Read More

By Ruth Koehler Special to the Dispatch Taking a trip to Egypt has long been on my bucket list. Actually doing it seemed surreal even while realizing history was alive. We learned what real heat feels like when it is steady and strong with no shade trees around in the Sahara Desert. I didn’t realize… Read More

Esne Lien from New York Mills was among high school students who gathered in Des Moines, Iowa, recently for the Donna and Darnell Pettengill Civic Leadership Academy at Drake University, a three-day summer experience hosted by The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center in association with The Ron and Jane Olson Institute for Public Democracy.   … Read More

By Chad Koenen Publisher Lund Boats will take center stage this weekend in New York Mills for the annual Lund Mania celebration. The day will get underway as the sun is rising over Otter Tail Lake and wrap up long after the sun goes down with the annual street dance featuring the band Whiskey Business… Read More

Help track Minnesota’s loon population. Now celebrating its 33rd year, the Minnesota Loon Monitoring Program is recruiting volunteers to count the number of adult and juvenile loons on pre-selected lakes one morning between Friday, July 3 and Monday, July 13. Detailed instructions, training materials, maps, and a data form will be provided. Time commitment is… Read More

Free show to be held June 24 at NYM City Hall Ballroom Schiffelly Puppets spin surprising new twists on traditional tales when they appear at the New York Mills City Hall Ballroom on Wednesday, June 24 at 1 p.m.  This upbeat family performance is free and open to the public, funded in part with monies… Read More