Nevada tops the list as the state with the most severe teacher shortage, with a staggering 25.4 students per teacher, well above the national average of roughly 14.9. Vermont performs best, boasting the lowest student-to-teacher ratio at just 10.6, signaling a more favorable classroom environment. Western states dominate the top 5, including Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and California,… Read More

By Robert Williams Editor After completing the annual Back Roads Art Crawl last weekend, Vergas streets will be bustling again with shoppers this Saturday, Sept. 27, while the trails will be busy with ATVs and UTVs during the all-terrain ride that has grown each year of the Hairyman Festival, now in its fourth iteration. Side-by-side and off-road… Read More

The Lake Agassiz Regional Library has received 300 new books for children thanks to a donation from the Brownstone Book Fund, a private foundation in New York City, which is invested in fostering early reading, a love of books, and encouraging parents and children to read together. The donations were made to the library system’s… Read More

The Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners held an Open House on September 15 in Dent, focusing on key infrastructure improvements, recycling initiatives, and enhanced resident services. Commissioner Bucholz, District 1, expressed appreciation for community engagement at the event.  “Thank you to everyone who came out to our meeting in Dent,” Bucholz said. “We appreciate you taking… Read More

Across Minnesota, early childhood educators are finding new ways to help children build emotional resilience, develop empathy, and thrive. Thanks to a gift from the Sauer Family Foundation to West Central Initiative, more educators and families now have access to transformational Conscious Discipline training—an evidence-based, trauma-informed approach that equips adults to manage their own emotions while… Read More

5 years ago Frazee-Vergas Forum September 22, 2020 With the first day of school fresh on everyone’s minds, the Frazee-Vergas School Board held its regularly scheduled meeting last Monday night. The meeting was held on the ninth day of school, after school was pushed back one week to allow for the district to finish some last minute… Read More

By Robert Williams Editor In 2019, United Savings Credit Union opened its fourth branch in the North Shore Plaza in Detroit Lakes.  The Fargo based credit union was realizing movement to the lakes area for more of their retiring demographic and the new location provides the same exceptional service to  those members and others living in… Read More

Family Resource Center latest facility expansion By Robert Williams Editor During Wednesday’s Frazee City Council meeting, CornerStone Executive Director Mackenzie Hamm gave an emotional review of CornerStone’s annual report concentrating on the latest change to the facility—becoming a Family Resource Center (FRC) in December of 2024.  A Family Resource Center is a community or school-based welcoming hub… Read More

Hwy 87 parking lot added to paving project By Robert Williams Editor Both principals reported on strong starts to the school year at the latest meeting of the Frazee-Vergas School Board on Monday, Sept. 8. One question that was raised was the adherence and response to the new cell phone and personal electronic devices policy.  ¶ … Read More

Helping people a big motivator as an agent and firefighter By Robert Williams Editor Bert Doll is the new face of United Community Insurance (UCI) in Frazee after taking over for Rita Stelzer at the end of June as the lead agent. Stelzer retired after 30 years at UCI as an insurance agent. Doll is a native… Read More