By Chad Koenen Publisher The Citizen’s Advocate was honored as one of the top newspapers in the state as part of the annual Minnesota Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest.  The Citizen’s Advocate was recognized during the 159th annual Minnesota Newspaper Convention, which was held at the Marriot Hotel in Brooklyn Center last week. More than 4,100 entries… Read More

By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent Grants from the state of Minnesota sales tax revenue from the Legacy Amendment, approved by state voters in 2008, will be used by Otter Tail County for design work of one section of the Glacial Edge Trail. This section will run from the northwest section of Maplewood State Park southward… Read More

Former Henning resident has been a staple at local music festival By Tucker Henderson Reporter Back before David “Dave” Virnala’s family ever bought a television set, his parents would take him to the Liberty Theatre in New York Mills where they would watch movies about twice a month and he got his first taste of Elvis’… Read More

By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent In 2023 the Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners established the Hazard Mitigation Project Assistant Grant Program, utilizing funds to help communities throughout the county. The goal is to reduce the long-term risk to human life and property resulting from severe winter and summer storms.  Outdoor warning siren and generator projects… Read More

Trail connects Perham and Pelican Rapids through Maplewood State Park Otter Tail County has been named the winner of the 2025 Minnesota County Engineers Association (MCEA) Special Project of the Year award for the Heart of the Lakes Trail. The award recognizes the county’s completion of a 30-mile trail connecting Perham and Pelican Rapids through Maplewood… Read More

Photos by Chad Koenen Beckam Koep won his second straight Henning School spelling bee on Wednesday morning by edging Olivia DeYong (left) who took second place and Meghan Sparks (right) who took third place for the top crown. The spelling bee was open to students in grades 5-8.

The Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC) announces 10 Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (ACHF) awards totaling $1,350,000 million to Children’s Museums across Minnesota to support arts and cultural heritage exhibits and related educational programs. The ACHF is one of four funds established by Minnesota voters when they approved the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment on… Read More

The New York Mills Regional Cultural Center (NYMRCC) is pleased to announce its 2026 Winter/Spring Concert Series, bringing original live music to rural West-Central Minnesota with a renewed Pay What You Can model. Thanks to generous support from the Lake Region Arts Council, all concerts in the series are open to everyone with no tickets required…. Read More

2026 program for high school juniors  The Minnesota Association of Townships (MAT) is proud to announce its 2026 Scholarship Program, which will award up to five $2,000 scholarships to high school juniors. The Scholarship Program is designed to heighten awareness among young people about Minnesota’s grassroots township government. All students currently enrolled in 11th grade, reside… Read More

The Community Cantata singers will present the Lenten Cantata “On a Hill Too Far Away” on March 29 and April 1, under the direction of Adam Tervola Hultberg and accompanied by Janell Brakell. The concerts will be Sunday, March 29 (Palm Sunday)  at 3 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in New York Mills and Wednesday,… Read More