By Chad Koenen Publisher The annual Henning HOPE First Baby of the Year contest is now underway. Each year the organization recognizes the first baby born in the Henning Public School District with a $50 prize. To qualify, a family must reside in the Henning School District and be the first person to notify the Citizen’s Advocate… Read More

Latin masses ended in the 1960s in OTC By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent Many older Catholics throughout Otter Tail County recall the days of Latin Masses. This changed for Catholic churches from 1962 to 1964, coinciding with the Second Vatican Council when there was a switch from Latin to English in the United States.  This newspaper… Read More

Henning School students returned to the classroom on Monday morning after a long winter break, which was extended even further for some students due to COVID-19. Since before the Thanksgiving break students in grade 4-12 went to a distance learning format, while students in grades prek-3 were in-person. On Monday, students in grades prek-9 returned… Read More

By Chad Koenen Publisher For as long as she can remember, Hannah Augustus has wanted to own a daycare. While some young children were playing with Legos, Play doh and video games, Augustus was busy playing daycare and longing for a day to be a part of molding the next generation of children.   “I have always… Read More

By Chad Koenen Publisher With all of the uncertainties due to COVID-19 and nine open rooms, Willow Creek is on track to have one of its better financial years since at least 2007. That was the message received by the Willow Creek Commission on Tuesday night.  According to figures presented by the Willow Creek Commission, the facility… Read More

Erlandsons named as 2020  Outstanding Foster Care award winners By Chad Koenen Publisher For nearly 20 years, Ken and Toni Erlandson have been providing a warm home and meals to children during their time of need—sometimes with not more than a few moments notice. As foster parents, the family has opened their home to children from… Read More

By Chad Koenen Publisher Rising from an otherwise vacant lot in-between Deer Creek and Wadena, the new Joyful Spirit Church is beginning to take shape.  The possibilities are endless and the plans are still being finalized about what the new church could look like for another generation.  Perhaps it’s a bit symbolic that just the foundation of the… Read More

By Chad Koenen Publisher Stephen and Brittany Springer will never forget Christmas Eve 2020—for all of the wrong reasons. A fire destroyed a barn with over 1,000 goats, 2-3 tractors and hay nearby in the early morning hours of Christmas Eve. The family operates Cornerstone Farm, which includes a goat milking operation, pasture raised chickens and pork,… Read More

By Chad Koenen Publisher While COVID-19 created uncertainties like never before, the Henning School District was able to grow its general and reserve funds a bit last year.  During its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday night, the Henning School Board heard its annual audit report from Luke Evanson of Eide-Bailly. According to the audit, the school district received… Read More

By Chad Koenen Publisher Over the past decade Jerry Moen has seen just about it all at his body shop in rural Deer Creek. There were deer playing chicken with cars, pheasants who flew up in front of the wrong kind of a grill, vehicles colliding with one another, rocks and even a few baseballs that… Read More