‘We’re all doing the same thing… just doing it a little differently‘ By Robert Williams Editor Stu and Corinne Peterson are the award-winning owners of Camp Aquila Maple Syrup produced on the Star Lake peninsula in Dent and Stu will be the main presenter at this year’s Maple Syrup Festival in Vergas on Saturday, April 13.  Stu’s… Read More

County 38 access from Balmi Cemetery into the city By Robert Williams Editor The Becker County Commissioners approved a Land Use Department request seeking approval to allow Class One ATVs to travel on the extreme right-hand side of County Road 38 from the Balmi Cemetery Road into the City of Wolf Lake during a public hearing at the… Read More

OTC jail downgraded to Class I facility By Robert Williams Editor The Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) penalized Otter Tail County jail and placed the facility’s license on conditional status, effective immediately, last week. Under Minnesota Statute, the DOC downgraded the jail’s license to a Class I Facility, which brings a substantial reduction in capacity and imposes specific… Read More

Tina Marie Sweet, of Frazee, has been sentenced to 30 days in jail on a felony third-degree drug charge. According to Becker County District Court records, Sweet, 40, sold 10.78 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential reliable informant with the West Central Minnesota Drug and Violent Crime Task Force on Dec. 19, 2021. Sweet was released… Read More

Gage Davis Barnes of rural Vergas was charged in Becker County District Court with third-degree burglary, a felony. A Becker County deputy was dispatched to a residence on Mill Pond Drive on Saturday, Dec. 23 after a report of a burglary that occurred in a detached garage. A door and deadbolt to the garage was damaged and… Read More

Abramson, county create culvert cleaning tool The Otter Tail County Highway Department’s Ditch and Drainage Inspector, Colby Palmersheim, joined forces with the Fergus Falls Kennedy High School (KHS) welding class. Together, they launched Otter Tail County’s Culvert Grapple Hook innovation, a winch-powered tool to clean out culverts.  With a grant from the University of Minnesota Local… Read More

Influenza virus is the same affecting poultry industry A Stevens County goat kid (juvenile goat) residing on a farm with a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) positive poultry flock tested positive for the same virus. This is the first U.S. detection of HPAI in a domestic ruminant (cattle, sheep, goats, and their relatives).  All poultry on the property were… Read More

The U.S. Small Business Administration has named Micah Eveland of Scamp Trailers, headquartered in Backus, as Minnesota’s Small Business Person of the Year for 2024.  Eveland will compete for National Small Business Person of the Year during National Small Business Week, which will take place the first week of May in Washington D.C. “Minnesota is home to… Read More

Next event in Vergas on June 10 Otter Tail County Commissioners hosted an open house community event at New York Mills City Center on Monday, March 18. Residents engaged with commissioners and gained insight into ongoing projects within the New York Mills area. Employees from several service areas were available to share information and answer questions…. Read More

Connecting teens with disabilities to after-school resources The Becker County Community Transition Interagency Committee (CTIC) will be holding a Transition Resource fair at M-State on Tuesday, April 23, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. “Our goal is for it to be like an informative resource fair for teens and young adults with disabilities to learn about the different resources… Read More