Habitat for Humanity house recently built in Fergus Falls area By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent This past year 25 churches in Otter Tail County helped build a Habitat for Humanity house in Fergus Falls. Church involvement included teams of eight, 792 volunteer hours and more than $50,000 raised by the churches toward materials for the house. On… Read More

County staff aims to prevent adverse land use near waterways By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent The state of Minnesota, in coordination with Otter Tail County and the other 86 counties in the state, recognizes that the uncontrolled use of land could adversely affect the health, safety and general well-being of the public. Therefore, state legislators and county… Read More

Drug-sniffing dog also searched for missing people, fugitives By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent Mojo, the county sheriff K9 drug-sniffing dog, has for several years answered the call to assist the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office and in neighboring counties. This 10-year-old dog also searched for missing people, pursued fugitives and assisted deputies in evidence detection. Now… Read More

By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent  Otter Tail County’s success with housing initiatives is drawing attention from other counties throughout the state of Minnesota. “The Big Build” program, approved five years ago by county commissioners, is designed to spur new investment in single and two-family homes.  “Each month the county board considers approval of tax abatements on… Read More

Contributed photo The Henning School fifth graders held their sixth annual Valentine’s Box competition on Wednesday, Feb. 14. Award winners include: first place: Jade Pearson; second place: Annabelle Jacobs and Owen Honebrink; third place: Jaxon Pedersen and Blake Helmbrecht; Most Creative: Jaxon Pedersen and Xavier Hoelscher; Judge’s Choice: Kami Dittberner; Class Choice: Emersyn Spires, Jade… Read More

Photos by Chad Koenen Henning School celebrated the end of I Love to Read Month, as well as Dr. Seuss’ birthday on Thursday morning with its annual green eggs and ham breakfast. In addition to serving the Dr. Seuss classic breakfast, Henning Principal Thomas Williams presented a number of children with Dr. Seuss prizes throughout the… Read More

With over 32 years in law enforcement and 25 years of service to Otter Tail County, Lt. Jim Stewart will be retiring Feb 29, 2024.  In his time with the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office, Lt. Stewart has held positions of Patrol Deputy, Drug Task Force Agent, Patrol Sergeant, Detective Sergeant, Jail Administrator, and currently holds… Read More

West Central Initiative welcomed four experienced professionals to its growing team, including Philip Hintz as Loan Officer, Amanda Quam as Grants Officer, and April Rog and Cedar Walters as Climate Officers.  “We’re committed to local action that improves the lives of people in our region, all 237,000 of them,” said West Central Initiative President Anna Wasescha…. Read More

Thefts of wire reported near Fergus Falls By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent  Sheriff deputies, on Feb. 27, reported that one person was injured in a traffic accident east of New York Mills. The mishap took place close to 1 p.m. at the intersection of Industrial Park Road and 550th Avenue in eastern Otter Tail County. The… Read More

5 years ago Citizen’s Advocate Tuesday, March 5, 2019   It was nearly 70 years ago in the same school that his expansive music collection now calls home that David Holmgren’s life changed. As a student at Henning School, Holmgren took an introduction to music class from Victor Hardt, a music teacher that was only in Henning… Read More