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Bonnie Pearson Layton
Bonnie Pearson Layton was boron February 13, 1945, to Harold and Dorothy Pearson. As a young child, Bonnie moved with her parents to Ortonville, MN, where they had charge of The Ortonville Greenhouse. The family grew by two when Al and Dori were adopted, giving Bonnie a brother and a sister.
2 days ago
County Board approves clinical services with Woodland Centers
The Big Stone County Board met for their regular meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at the Big Stone County Courthouse in Ortonville with all County Commissioners present for the meeting. Board members approved the meeting agenda and the minutes from their regular meeting on Oct. 6. They also authorized payment of bills. During committee reports, board members discussed information from recent meetings. Following committee reports, the Big Stone County Board received updates and
Oct 27
Ortonville council approves 2027 contract with UMVRDC
The Ortonville City Council met for their second meeting of the month on Monday, Oct. 19 at the Library Media Center will all members present. The meeting was brief as council member approved an Amendment of Lease of the Ortonville Community Center between the City of Ortonville and State of Minnesota, Department of Public Safety, acting for the benefit of the Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services. The lease covers approximately 1,500 square feet of offic
Oct 27
Marlton “Bud” DeNeui
Marlton "Bud" DeNeui, 101, of Ortonville, MN, and formerly of Clinton, MN, passed away on Friday, October 23, 2026, at Fairway View in Ortonville. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at Trinity-Mount Olive Lutheran Church 2.5 miles north of Johnson, MN. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service on Saturday. Reverend Donald Main will officiate the service. We will depart from the church at 1:00 p.m. for burial at Clinton City Ce
Oct 27
Free to Read
Still Serving
By Jake Lillehaug The smell of smoked fish and meats greeted us as we descended the stone steps into Northern Waters Smokehaus in Duluth. Tucked into the lower level of a building in Canal Park, the restaurant has an intimate, almost cave-like atmosphere, with stonework, brick walls and small windows near the ceiling. It was also packed. My wife and I were in Duluth for emergency medicine and fire chiefs’ conferences, and we had slipped away for lunch at a restaurant we’d
Jake Lillehaug
Oct 22
Still Serving
By Jake Lillehaug 10-15-26 There is something special about driving a country road in western Minnesota just after sunset in October. The sky glows with brilliant oranges and reds while the last sunlight catches the changing leaves. Across the countryside, clouds of dust rise from freshly harvested fields, illuminated by the headlights of combines working well into the evening. Grain trucks wait along field approaches. Service trucks travel from farm to farm, keeping equip
Jake Lillehaug
Oct 14
Still Serving
By Jake Lillehaug, September 20, 2026 Sunday morning started quietly on Big Mantrap Lake. The sun was beginning to rise above the trees as we climbed into the boat for one last trip around the lake. The first signs of fall were already showing along the shoreline, with patches of bright red and orange leaves catching the morning light. Somewhere across the water, a loon called. Then another answered. There are few sounds quite like the haunting call of a loon echoing acro
Jake Lillehaug
Sep 25
OHS Homecoming kicks off with Coronation Sept. 27
2026 OHS HOMECOMING ROYALTY are shown above. Queen candidates in front, left to right, are Sara Kirkeby, Alyssa Arndt, Brianna Nelson, Payten Haukos and Madilyn Sletten. King candidates in back are Sibrain Panama, Peyton Bauer, Jackson Hughes, Jonas Henrich and Bryson Karels. Homecoming Coronation is Sunday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. in the High School Auditorium. Admission is $2. Homecoming 2026 is next week and students and staff at OHS are preparing for a fun filled week of act
The Ortonville Independent
Sep 25
Still Serving
By Jake Lillehaug 8-27-26 The jersey was probably a little too big, but that didn’t seem to bother him. My son stood there looking at his name across the back of his first football jersey with a smile that made it obvious, this was a pretty big deal. At six years old, this will be his first experience playing football. For him, it was a jersey. For me, it was another reminder that summer is slowly giving way to fall. School is starting. Football fields are filling up. Dan
Jake Lillehaug
Aug 26
Blake's Take
By Clarissa Blake 8-18-26 Bravo the dog just turned three on Aug. 17. This is my dog who comes to work with me at the newspapers, puts in long hours at the office, and comes with me on most deliveries so our customers can receive their news and printing products in a timely manner. When I first moved back to Big Stone County to help my dad with the Northern Star and Ortonville Independent, I found a small house to live in and was living alone. My dad said, “You either need a
Clarissa
Aug 21
Verheul sets National Archery record, NFFA Championships
Local young archer earns place in national record books after years of practice, discipline and competition. Martin Verheul of Ortonville, son of Todd and Sara Verheul, has earned a place in the national record books after an outstanding performance at the 2026 National Field Archery Association National Outdoor Field Championships in Yankton, SD. Verheul recorded a score of 525 points in the Hunter Round, establishing a new NFAA national record in the Young Adult Male Bowh
The Ortonville Independent
Aug 21
Fun for all this weekend during 87th Annual Cornfest
BRAXEN BLAKE, son of Riley and Tayler Blake enjoyed his ear of corn during last year's Cornfest corn feed. Blake and his family will be present again this year for another corn feed. He welcomes everyone to join him at Cornfest this weekend Aug. 21-23, 2026. The Big Stone Lake Area Chamber of Commerce presents the 87th Annual Cornfest this weekend, Aug. 21-23, with a full slate of events for the whole family. All events will be held at Lakeside Park unless otherwise noted. Fr
The Ortonville Independent
Aug 21
Still Serving
By Jake Lilleghaug The automatic doors slid open as my kids and I walked hand in hand into Fairway View. We were only planning to make a quick stop. School is out for the summer, so they had tagged along with me as I dropped off a pin recognizing one of our American Legion members for 70 years of continuous membership. We had already honored him publicly during our Memorial Day program, but his commemorative pin had finally arrived in the mail. I figured putting on my Legion
Jake Lillehaug
Aug 13
Blake's Take
By Clarissa Blake I have always been a coffee drinker, and in recent years have added White Monster to the list. It started with egg coffee at the Cottage Inn with my grandparents in Big Stone City when I was about 10 years old. It came with a freshly baked caramel roll and what felt like half a container of sugar. If you don’t know what egg coffee is, it’s a whole raw egg mixed with the coffee grounds before brewing. It is a Swedish style of coffee that creates a smoother, l
Clarissa
Aug 13
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