PR dispensary denied on 500-foot park buffer By Robert Williams Editor There are some towns in Minnesota that will struggle trying to fit retail cannabis businesses into their business districts without falling under the restrictive buffer zones of 500 and 1,000-feet designated by state statute. A New York Mills business was denied in August as its… Read More

By Chad Koenen Publisher Gambling was once again at the forefront of the Deer Creek City Council.  During its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday night, the Deer Creek City Council heard from Wet Woody’s Pub and Grub owners Rod and Cathy Woodward concerning a request to change their current gambling provider from the Deer Creek… Read More

By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent  Sheriff deputies, on Saturday, Oct. 25, reported two minor injuries in a traffic accident near Underwood in Tordenskjold Township. The accident took place at 3:14 p.m. A Cascadia semi-truck, traveling westbound on Highway 210, collided with a Ford F-150 pickup truck traveling eastbound on Highway 210.  Receiving non-life-threatening… Read More

Asleson retired from U.S. Forest Service in 2014 By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent On Oct. 8 Otter Tail County lost historian and former Vergas area resident David Asleson. He was a retired U.S. Forest Service employee in Idaho, Montana and the state of Washington who retired to rural Vergas in 2014. In his… Read More

Battle Lake man shares signs for identifying a stroke he evening of March 26, 2025, was like any other for 75-year-old Brian Kvebak, who was relaxing downstairs at his lakeside home near Battle Lake, when he heard dishes clanking. “Sally had started loading the dishwasher, and that’s my job!” Brian recalled with a chuckle. He… Read More

By Chad Koenen Publisher The American spirit will be on full display on Tuesday as Henning School students will present one of the largest Veterans Day programs in the region.  The day will feature a mixture of songs, tributes and a few special wrinkles to honor the sacrifices and contributions made by local veterans. Students… Read More

By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent On Oct. 28 the county board of commissioners accepted donations of three concrete benches for Phelps Mill Park in central Otter Tail County. The donations come from Friends of Phelps Mill, the Duane and Helen Berry Family and from Paul and Laurie Lekanng. The memorial benches will each… Read More

Contributed photos Henning three-year-old preschool recently spent a “day at the farm” by getting up close to see real farm animals at school. The class would like to thank Mrs. Burgess and her FFA students who made this all possible for the three-year-olds. The children were able to pet a horse, cows, piglet, sheep, goats,… Read More

A Horace, N.D. man has pleaded guilty and been sentenced for stealing a skid steer in late 2024 from Carr’s Tree Service in Ottertail. The sentencing was part of a plea deal with charges of theft and receiving stolen property related to a string of thefts across Otter Tail and Clay Counties in Minnesota and… Read More

Local non-profit purchases Otter Fitness Garage By Tucker Henderson Reporter The “Ottertail Community Project” has been a development in the works for the past three years and has just recently purchased the Otter Fitness Garage in Ottertail, as part of Phase I of their overarching plan. “This all started about three years ago,” said Executive… Read More