An Osage woman was pronounced dead at the scene of a structure fire on Wednesday, Feb. 18.  The Becker County 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 male resident of the home flagged down a passing motorist on St. Hwy. 34… Read More

Otter Tail County Sheriff Barry Fitzgibbons announced he will not be seeking reelection, according to an announcement released on social media on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Fitzgibbons is the third sheriff in the region to do so in the past month, joining Becker County Sheriff Todd Glander, who is not seeking a fourth term and announced he… Read More

By Robert Williams Editor Farmers Union Processing + Meats, a state-of-the-art, USDA-compliant meat processing facility for primarily beef and pork is nearing opening in the Staples industrial park. Groundbreaking occurred last June with expectations to be fully operational coming in the early months of 2026. The 8,000-square-foot facility will process approximately 15 beef cattle or 30 hogs… Read More

By Ashley Quam West Central Initiative On two summer days in June 2025, groups of community members from around the west central region of Minnesota gathered at Farm in the Dell and New Roots Farm Incubator to spend time working alongside farmers, sharing meals made from locally grown food, and talking honestly about the challenges and opportunities… Read More

Theatre L’Homme Dieu, Minnesota’s premier summer theatre in Alexandria, announces their 66th season, and the first under new Executive and Artistic Director Zach Curtis.  For 66 years Theatre L’Homme Dieu has become indispensable to the vibrancy and allure of the Lakes Area by presenting exceptional and entertaining theatre and music. The season leads off with an… Read More

5 years ago Frazee-Vergas Forum February 23, 2021 An authenticated artifact will be up for bid this weekend. A silver coin dating back to the time of Christ will be one of the many items at the silent auction on Saturday, Feb. 27 from 3-7 p.m. at the Northwoods Harvest Barn Cowboy Church. Other silent auction items… Read More

By Robert Williams, Editor Organizer Kelsey Varty was looking for something creative to do early in the Vergas events calendar. After a big response from social media to her initial idea she created the Before the Bloom Vendor Market. “Lakes country may be quiet in winter, but Before the Bloom, everything begins to awaken,” is the event’s tagline…. Read More

EDA/HRA to begin fundraising, grant writing and planning By Robert Williams Editor Members of the Vergas Economic Development Authority (EDA) / Housing Redevelopment Authority (HRA) participated in daycare tours in Perham and Ottertail as part of the ongoing focus of bringing a daycare center to Vergas. Perham had an existing building that was restructured into a duplex… Read More

Residents benefit from lowered property insurance rates By Robert Williams Editor The Frazee Fire Department received a Public Protection Classification (PPC) rating of four during a summary report by Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO), in November of 2025. “The ISO inspection went very well,” Fire Chief Adam Walker said. “We got a PPC rating of four, which… Read More

Karger prompts board to prepare for his replacement By Robert Williams Editor Stellher Mental Health Therapist at the high school Hailey Brower gave a report to the school board Monday that included two new providers at the elementary school and a service breakdown of students receiving mental health assistance. There are 63 students currently being served with eight… Read More