The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) announced Families READ, a new toolkit designed by educators to help families support their children’s reading skills at home. This collection provides families and caregivers with age-specific information and simple activities in five core reading skills—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension – and represents Minnesota’s continued commitment… Read More

New York Mills High School alum operates Perham, Tri-County Stockyards By Tucker Henderson Reporter Not every auctioneer gets the chance to compete in an industry contest, especially in a worldwide competition located out of the country. One local auctioneer did just that, however, and came back home with a fourth place finish under his belt. Mitch Barthel, local… Read More

All wildlife topics welcome in discussions with local wildlife staff Anyone interested in wildlife is invited to chat with Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wildlife managers in local DNR offices across the state from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 21, or by phone during these same hours. “We’re asking people to please stop by… Read More

A pair of performances are planned for Friday, Saturday The New York Mills Regional Cultural Center invites the public to the 16th annual Kalevala Puppet Pageant public performances on Friday, Aug. 15 and Saturday, Aug. 16. The Kalevala Puppet Pageant is a large-scale, street-theater style performance bringing to life characters and tales from the Kalevala, the Finnish national… Read More

Applications for the Soil Health Financial Assistance Program are open through August 29, 2025. This program provides up to 50% cost-share for the purchase of soil health equipment, with a maximum grant award of $45,000. Producers who are certified through the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program earn priority ranking points in the application review… 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

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

MnDOT to host Aug. 14 public open house The Minnesota Department of Transportation, in partnership with the city of Detroit Lakes, invites the public to an open house on Thursday, Aug. 14, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., to learn more about the future Highway 10 project from Detroit Lakes to Frazee.  The open house will be… Read More

5 years ago Frazee-Vergas Forum August 11, 2020 For many, leaving a dying campfire to smolder after an evening under the stars is a common affair. The Levenhagen family in rural Vergas shared how such a common decision changed their lives forever. Alex Levenhagen explained on May 30 the family with two children had a campfire on… Read More

Mitchell crowned as Princess Altona as past royalty passes on crowns By Robert Williams Editor Reactions from the Event Center crowd and organizers combined Thursday, July 31, to remind pageant fans what they were missing in Vergas since 2019. While pageants for kids had continued, Miss Vergas 2019 Kaylee Baumgart had been designated Miss Vergas Forever with… Read More