Veterans living in rural parts of America, not close to a major VA hospital, travel great distances to receive their health care. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, as of 2021, approximately 4.6 million Veterans out of 19 million reside in rural communities across the United States, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. For… Read More

Photos by Chad Koenen Homecoming week came to a festive close on Friday with the annual homecoming pep fest (right), as well as a large homecoming parade heading through downtown. Above: The senior class float had a special guest vehicle as Henning Principal Thomas Williams’ vehicle was loaded on top of the float. Right: Cambrie Johnson… Read More

Ottertail to hold assessment hearing on Oct. 17 for Wallenberg Drive By Chad Koenen Publisher A new plan could help to determine future improvements and upgrades to Cozy Oak Drive in Ottertail. During its regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, Sept. 19, the Ottertail City Council approved a resolution to hire Apex Engineering to prepare a report on improvement for… Read More

By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent On Sept. 24 the five-person Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners approved a preliminary net property tax levy of $53.1 million for 2025. This represents a proposed 3.72 percent net tax levy increase compared to the 2024 net tax levy.  County board members noted that the proposed net tax levy is… Read More

By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent County commissioners, on Sept. 24, heard some good news about needed renovations at the Phelps Mill Store near the historic Phelps Mill in central Otter Tail County. Both structures are owned by the residents of Otter Tail County. The Phelps Mill Store, used in previous years by visitors who purchased ice… Read More

Grading of trail expected to be done by November 1 By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent Dry weather, following more-than-normal rainfall earlier this year, has allowed for progress regarding construction of the Maplewood State Park segment of the Heart of the Lakes Regional Trail from Pelican Rapids to Perham.  “Grading of the trail is now being completed,… Read More

By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent Working to help make Otter Tail County an even safer county is the goal of the Otter Tail County Safe Communities Coalition. Objectives were outlined to county commissioners on Sept. 24 by County Public Health Educator Emily Frustol. “We continue to provide outreach in our communities throughout the county regarding traffic… Read More

Two residents of Otter Tail County were convicted of felony drug charges at the County Courthouse in Fergus Falls. They will not need to serve sentences at correctional facilities if they remain law abiding for five years, and follow directives of their respective probation agents. • Brad Eric Sibert, 48, of Richville, was sentenced in county… Read More

Sailboat races began in the 1930s on Otter Tail Lake By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent Victor George Lundeen, founder of Victor Lundeen Company in Fergus Falls and lifetime Fergus Falls resident, spent time on Fish Lake and then Otter Tail Lake during the 1920s. He purchased a cabin on 300 feet of shoreline at Otter… Read More

Man dies in Otter Tail County UTV accident on September 29 By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent  Two people were injured in a traffic accident near the town of Ottertail early in the afternoon on Sept. 22. The accident took place near the intersection of Highway 108 and 480th Avenue, east of Otter Tail and northwest of Henning. This… Read More