Final segment links communities, opens 32 miles of scenic trail Otter Tail County celebrated the completion of the Heart of the Lakes Regional Trail system with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly opened Maplewood segment, marking the final piece of a project to create a 32-mile trail connecting Pelican Rapids and Perham through Maplewood State Park. The… Read More

Family honored for work at Lida Farm, MANNA Food Co-op, Deep Roots Festival The Pesch family of Pelican Rapids has been named Otter Tail County’s “2025 Farm Family of the Year” by the University of Minnesota. Ryan and Maree Pesch did not come from farming backgrounds. Their inspiration began when Ryan found the organic food movement… Read More

Photos by Chad Koenen The annual Henning National Night Out Festivities was held last Tuesday night at the Henning Event Center. Despite rainy conditions throughout the afternoon, a good turn out of people stopped by the annual event to check out the kids quilt camp creations, emergency vehicles and equipment, vendor booths from non-profit organizations and… Read More

Photos by Chad Koenen Ottertail was abuzz over the weekend for the annual OtterFest celebration. The event featured a demo derby, car show, craft fair, fireworks, live music, inflatable rides and a large parade. Among the parade entries was AutoFix, Perham Health and the Ottertail Lions with a t-shirt cannon. Photos by Chad Koenen Candy was in high… Read More

CEO of Otter Berry Farms in New York Mills Kris Huebsch was named the 2025 Minnesota Farmfest Woman Farmer of the Year Thursday, Aug. 7, in Redwood County. Farmfest strives to bring together the best in agribusiness from Minnesota and around the country and endeavors to provide one place for farmers to network, experience and learn… Read More

With preparations for the Minnesota State Fair in full swing, the Minnesota FFA Foundation is also gearing up for another exciting tradition — the sixth annual Great Minnesota Give-Together Telethon. This signature event celebrates the powerful impact Agricultural Education and FFA continue to have on more than 40,000 students in classrooms across Minnesota. The Great Minnesota… Read More

On Friday, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), under the guidance of its own DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG), moved to terminate the Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) program. In a letter sent Friday from DHS Temporary Commissioner Shireen Gandhi to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), DHS requested the unprecedented… Read More

  St. Cloud State University has announced the names of more than 1,016 students whose academic achievement placed them on the 2025 Spring semester dean’s list.  To be eligible for the honor, students must have a grade point average of 3.75 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Among the students who were named to the dean’s… Read More

Photos by Chad Koenen The fourth annual Silver Sage Rodeo turned out a big crowd on both Friday and Saturday night in rural Clitherall. Despite rain throughout the afternoon on Friday the hill and stands were filled with guests watching the professional rodeo. Saturday’s rodeo also turned out a big crowd of people who converged on… Read More

5 years ago Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020 Citizen’s Advocate Dating back to the 19th century, the Aune/Wallevand family has had an undeniable tie to the greater Vining area. In 1899, Albert Peterson Aune bought a farm just southeast of Vining. That same farm is still in the family today, and was recently honored by the University of… Read More