Courthousewas originally built in 1922 By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent The five-person county board of commissioners, on June 22, gave approval for seeking bids for tuckpointing at the county courthouse south of downtown Fergus Falls. This project will be the responsibility of Terry Hoff, physical plant manager for Otter Tail County. Tuckpointing is the process of repairing… Read More

Photos by Chad Koenen There was plenty of red, white and blue, as well as a visit from the Wizard of Oz, at the annual West Leaf Lake Fourth of July pontoon parade on Sunday. A total of 32 entries participated in the parade, which featured a large duck in a bath, a Wizard of Oz-inspired… Read More

Cluster boxes coming to Lake Street By Barbie Porter Editor A public hearing was held regarding the State Highway 87 project scheduled for 2022.  Ulteig Engineer Kris Carlson gave a presentation to the Frazee City Council and members of the public who attended the meeting on Monday, June 21. He explained, the Minnesota Department of Transportation will be… Read More

Fraternity volunteers to help with demolition By Barbie Porter Editor The CornerStone youth center and bistro received a $50,000 grant, and volunteer labor from a fraternity. Executive Director Tracy Neusser said the grant funds came from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and will go towards purchasing new kitchen equipment for the bistro. “The grant we applied… Read More

Ottertail bar, grill is a popular destination in the heart of lakes country By Chad Koenen Publisher Since opening its doors back in 2018, the Woodshed Bar and Grill has become a must stop destination for food and entertainment in the Ottertail area.  Lisa and Eric VanWatermulen are hoping to continue that tradition of tasty eats,… Read More

Local park is a popular destination for visitors to the area By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent On Friday, June 18, Executive Director Chris Schuelke of the Otter Tail County Historical Society was interviewed on a county radio station and emphasized how widely known is Phelps Mill across the entire state of Minnesota. “And Phelps Mill is… Read More

On August 5, 2020, at approximately 1p.m., Lila age 13, Beck age 11 and Evie age 4 Thorson were swimming at their house on East Leaf Lake. They saw an adult male on a canoe about 200-250 yards from their shore. The canoe flipped over and the male fell out. The man started to yell… Read More

First black resident of Fergus Falls is honored By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent In 1872 Prince Albert Honeycutt became the first black resident in Fergus Falls. That same year the city was officially incorporated as a community in the state of Minnesota. On Saturday, June 12, Honeycutt was recognized during the unveiling of Honeycutt Memorial Drive… Read More

Lana Beck (above) stands in front of the large mural she helped to paint and design last week in Henning. The mural was painted by a number of volunteers on Friday and Saturday at the city park. The mural features four different sides that was on the previously white bathroom building.

By Chad Koenen Publisher With each stroke of the paddle, Hank Kohler came one step closer to reaching his goal of going from East Leaf Lake to the Gulf of Mexico. The canoetrip came 42 years after he made a similar trek with a group of three friends, all of whom were in attendance on Thursday… Read More