The Prairie Spy Alan “Lindy” Linda The term “mad as a hatter” predates Lewis Carroll’s character in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. (Where it was used.) It refers to the 18th and 19th-century hat-making industry in England, where hatters used a mercury nitrate to treat fur, exposing the workers to toxic fumes that caused mercury poisoning. This condition… Read More

Ask A Trooper Sgt. Jesse Grabow Question: It seems like we have been seeing a fair amount of rain along with flash flood warnings. Can you talk about what motorists should do if they encounter such a thing?   Answer: Flooding can happen when streams and rivers overflow, dams or levees break, snow melts rapidly, or during heavy… Read More

The Prairie Spy Alan “Lindy” Linda This is the third–and last– of “Three things I’ve learned.” (One hopes that one has learned more than that in this entire lifetime. But the rest isn’t at all clear, as those of you who are growing older probably agree. Don’t like; maybe just agree.)   I learned this on a service… Read More

To the Editor, The Otter Tail County Relay for Life is completed for the 2025 year. All the hard work, planning and preparations are completed and discussed. We will make some changes for the next Relay, but overall it was a very successful event. There are many of you that we would like to thank for all… Read More

By Bev Johnson Master Gardener Gardens are going crazy this summer. Vines are so long they look like they are heading for the nearest interstate. Tomato plants are topping their cages and weeds are flourishing. Time for gardeners to take control before they can’t get in the garden for all the foliage. Start with the vines…. Read More

Ask A Trooper Sgt. Jesse Grabow Question: I have a new driver in the house and they asked a question that got me thinking. If someone has a crash and hits a power pole, what should they do in that situation? Answer: If your car comes into contact with a utility pole, wire or power box, you should: •… Read More

By Ruth Koehler Special to the Dispatch There she sat:  My sister at 8 years old on our rocking chair, pumping her legs up and down as she cried and screamed.  We didn’t know what set her off as our family watched her carry on. It must have been dramatic since I can still see it in my… Read More

The Prairie Spy Alan “Lindy” Linda Here is the next one, the second of three things I’ve learned, that may or may not be worth passing on. Number 2: Beware of what I call “false deadlines.”  “Deadline.” A strange term, when you look at it. It originated during the American Civil War, and literally originated in the Confederate Andersonville… Read More

Ask A Trooper Sgt. Jesse Grabow Question: I see a lot of motorists pulling campers and trailers that don’t have experience or simply don’t know what they are doing. I see some crashes that I suspect are due to this. Can you talk about pulling campers and trailers? Answer: If you pull a camper or trailer with your… Read More

Garver’s Movie Review Bob Garver I’ve never seen 1997’s “I Know What You Did Last Summer” all the way through. 11-year-old me was too young to see the R-rated slasher in theaters, which was just as well because I did see a trailer and lost many nights’ sleep over the killer’s deadly fishing hook. I eventually… Read More