Luke Sweere, a former Frazee Police Officer and Chief announced his candidacy for Becker County Sheriff last week. Sweere worked in Frazee as a police officer from 2000-03 and was the police chief from 2003-06. Since then, he has worked for Becker County as a deputy 2006-13 and as an investigator 2013-24. He was promoted to… Read More

Minnesota’s 1,776 townships will hold their annual meetings on Tuesday, March 10. Known as Township Day, these meetings are held each year on the second Tuesday in March and are a defining feature of township government. On Township Day, residents gather with their neighbors to discuss local issues and vote directly on matters such as… Read More

Otter Tail County Chief Deputy Reed Reinbold his candidacy for Otter Tail County Sheriff via social media on Friday, Feb. 20. “Otter Tail County isn’t just where I work — it’s the community I’ve dedicated my career to serving,” Reinbold said. “More than two decades ago, I set a goal to serve with the Otter Tail… Read More

An Osage woman who was pronounced dead at the scene of a structure fire Wednesday, Feb. 18 has been identified by the Becker County Sheriff’s Office as Anita Charlene Gruel, 79, of Osage. The Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at 4:24 a.m., of a structure fire in Osage, approximately 30 miles east of Detroit Lakes.  A… Read More

Ottertail Family Center is a $1.4 million project in Ottertail By Marsha Erickson West Central Initiative In the early care and education world, we often hear the phrase “It takes a village.” Nowhere is that more true than in the small lakeside community of Ottertail.  The City of Ottertail—population 721—sits on the east side of Otter Tail Lake,… Read More

By Matthew Johnson Reporter Robert W. “Luppy” Keranen, Sr., 83, of rural Menahga and a Wolf Lake area native, is planning to round out 60 years of operating a road grader this summer and likely fully retire after that. His road grading experience began nearly 60 years ago in the summer of 1966 when he was just… Read More

By Abbey Mulcahy Report for Minnesota A statewide cellphone ban for K-12 schools may be on the horizon after a state Senate committee debated it during the second week of the legislative session. A bill authored by Sen. Alice Mann, DFL–Edina, would prohibit students from using cellphones and smartwatches in school from kindergarten through 12th grade and ban… Read More

By Eleanor Steffen Report for Minnesota An indication of how big a political issue fraud has become in Minnesota came the night of Tuesday, Feb. 24, when President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union Address. “When it comes to the corruption that is plundering America, there has been no more stunning example than Minnesota,” Trump said. The… Read More

Improvements include better exterior lighting, updating sign and more By Matthew Johnson Reporter The Wolf Lake City Council discussed making some needed improvements to the aging liquor store building with Wolf Lake Liquor Store Manager Kim Conklin, 2021 Frazee High School (FHS) graduate, and others during the Tuesday, Feb. 10, regular monthly council meeting. Officials are pleased… Read More

The Otter Tail County Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force and the Otter Tail County Coalition of Lake Associations (OTC COLA), www.otccola.org, are again sponsoring the second annual Lake Stewardship Symposium on May 16, 2026. The 2026 Symposium is in response to enthusiastic requests received from attendees of the first Lake Property Owner Stewardship Symposium held on… Read More