Spadgenske Dairy, Mark and Kristine, and Mike and Jean of rural Menahga received the Red River Valley Outstanding Farm Leaders Award for Becker County at the County Fair’s Agriculture Awards program on Saturday, Aug. 1.   The Spadgenske’s are one of 16 families from the 14 counties along the Red River Valley to receive this… Read More

By Robert Williams Editor A month ago, Kerry Ingberg was hired to fill the manager opening at the Vergas Liquor Store.  “This is a totally new challenge for me,” Ingberg said. Ingberg is a Vergas native via her mother Janet (Moe) Scott, having spent much of her childhood in the village, but grew up and… Read More

Organizers hosting family friendly, ‘Out for Fun’ event  By Matthew Johnson Reporter A teen dance and a “Firemen’s Obstacle Course” are new additions to the annual Wolf Lake Harvest Fest coming up this Friday and Saturday, Aug. 14-15, in Wolf Lake. Enjoy traditional fun festivities, as well, at the 43rd Annual Wolf Lake Harvest Fest “Out for… Read More

Residents of Pickerel Lake were seeking wakeboat ban By Robert Williams Editor Becker County Commissioners elected to not move forward and hold a public hearing on banning wakeboard usage on Pickerel Lake. Chair Erica Jepson, Commissioners Barry Nelson, Richard Vareberg and David Meyer all spoke against a ban on wakeboats. Residents of Pickerel Lake submitted… Read More

Finding funding for a farm or food business can be one of the biggest barriers to turning ideas into reality. To help address that challenge, the West Central Minnesota Food Council, in partnership with Mezclada, is launching Funding Forward: Practical AI for Farmers and Food Businesses, a free interactive workshop designed to help participants find… Read More

With lower-than-normal rainfall and higher-than-normal temperatures in the last few weeks, persistent drought and lower lake levels have become common across a large portion of the state. Much of north-central Minnesota is experiencing storage drought. In years of significant drought, long-term water storage is depleted in lakes, soil and groundwater to a degree that typically… Read More

CWD affects white-tailed deer, moose and elk in Minnesota A deer near Stillwater has been confirmed positive for chronic wasting disease. The female deer was reported to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources by a landowner who observed it for several days and noted it was unafraid of people and appeared emaciated. On July 16,… Read More

The Anishinaabe artist is featuring his collection ‘Mino-Bimaadiziwin; The Good Life’ at three different locations around the DL area By Greta Foss Summer Intern Kent Estey has lived on the White Earth Reservation for 66 years now. He has never lived anywhere else. He loves where he is from, and that’s why he chooses to paint… Read More

Photos by Robert Williams Above: Sisters Katie and Rachael Courneya were crowned as Miss Frazee and Miss Frazee Teen during the annual Miss Frazee pageant on Wednesday night. The sisters are the daughters of Nicky and Nick Courneya. Below: Alydia Mitchell was named as Miss Congeniality during the Miss Frazee pageant on Thursday at Frazee-Vergas… Read More

Talks continue on proposed 34-unit dwelling  By Robert Williams Editor Talks continued between the Frazee City Council and Turnkey Solutions & Development Vice President Jason Francis to discuss a proposed 34-unit apartment complex in the city-owned lot next to Dollar General on Tuesday, July 21, at the fire hall. Francis submitted a site design concept… Read More