ThirteenTowns Fosston

22/08/2025

FREE PHOTOGRAPHIC PAPER

We have several boxes of unused photographic paper (Ilford and Kodak brands) to give away. Stop by The Thirteen Towns office (across the street from Nord's Pharmacy) in Fosston to pick it up.

21/08/2025

12/08/2025

Knitting class with Steph Anderson at Aurora Center August 19

Stephenie Anderson is a creative and detail-oriented fiber/textile artist with a strong background in knitting, quilting, and hand sewing of Viking Age textiles. You may have seen her recently on PBS Prairie Mosaic. Steph is a teacher as well as the artist in residence at The Vesterheim in Decorah, Iowa, and is teaching online knitting classes for a company in Norway.
Steph will be hosting a class teaching you to embroider your own hat at the Aurora Center for the Arts in Fosston on Tuesday, August 19 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. The cost is $50. Go online to bit.ly/AuroraArtClass or email [email protected] to sign up.

22/07/2025

Musical R***e at East Polk Heritage Center this Thursday

There will be a local musical r***e at the East Polk Heritage Center (in Fosston on Highway 2 near the Veterans Memorial Park) starting at 7:00 p.m. this Thursday, July 24. The event will feature an evening of music featuring talent from various shows throughout the years, including numbers from 'Alice in Wonderland', 'Space Pirates', 'Annie', 'Frozen', and more.

18/07/2025

Body found on Highway 59 near Mahnomen

A man's body was found in a ditch along Highway 59 just south of Mahnomen this morning at just after 6:00 a.m., according to the Mahnomen County Sheriff’s Office. The victim appeared to have been struck by a vehicle, and was pronounced dead at the scene. A vehicle was located unoccupied with reported damage to the windshield. The driver of the car has been identified and is in custody.
The Mahnomen County Sheriff’s Office is assisting the White Earth Police Department and the MN State Patrol with the investigation.

11/07/2025

Air Quality Alert impacts burning permits in northern Minnesota

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an air quality alert for northwest and north-central Minnesota on Friday, July 11, 2025.
To reduce additional air pollutants, burning permits will not be issued or activated. Campfires are discouraged.
For up-to-date information on fire danger and burning restrictions, visit www.mndnr.gov/burnrestrictions.
Two bands of smoke from Canadian wildfires will move into northern Minnesota behind a cold front. The second round of smoke will be more widespread and may impact the northern half of the state on Saturday. The alert may need to be extended to cover the second round of smoke.
Some areas will reach the purple air quality index (AQI) category considered very unhealthy for everyone while others will reach the red quality index (AQI) category, considered unhealthy for everyone.

03/07/2025

Watch out for zoning department scam

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office was advised by Polk County Environmental Services of a planning and zoning scam. A Polk County resident received an invoice that appears to be real from the planning and zoning department. The invoice asks the recipient to reply to an email requesting secure wire transfer instruction. The Polk County Environmental Services Planning and Zoning Department only collects checks from the applicants in their office.

If you receive something similar to this, contact your local Law Enforcement Agency or the local Environmental Services Office. In Polk County, call the Polk County Sheriff's Office at 218-281-0431.

30/06/2025

North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS is sponsoring the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks’ First Responders & Families Appreciation Night. The event will take place Wednesday, July 16 at 7:02 p.m. at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo, N.D., and aims to honor and celebrate the courage, commitment, and service of local first responders.
To show appreciation, NDSCS is providing 500 complimentary tickets to first responders and their families/close friends. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis, with seating available in reserved Sections A and B.

24/06/2025

Polk County residents: submit storm damage forms by June 30

Polk County Emergency Management is accepting Initial Damage Assessments for any disaster related costs and damages from the storm event that occurred on June 20th and 21st of 2025.
Any public entity within Polk County representing cities, townships, county departments or any publicly owned organizations should complete and submit their Initial Damage Assessment forms to the Polk County Emergency Management Department.
The information from the submitted forms will be used to determine if the damage related costs could qualify for any State and/or Federal assistance. The submitted data also serves as a tool to determine the severity and magnitude of the damages incurred during the storm event that occurred on June 20th and 21st of 2025. All of the Initial Damage Assessments must be submitted to Polk County Emergency Management by Monday June 30, 2025.
For more information on obtaining and submitting your organization’s Initial Damage Assessment forms, please go to:

After a disaster, initial damage assessment forms are used to serve as a tool to be utilized by local officials and others in conducting local damage assessments of publicly owned property.

19/06/2025

Here is the 2025 Community Wide Garage Sales List and map. Happy hunting! Note, we have one that will open tomorrow! A few hard copy maps will be available at Cenex and Minnesota Rust.

13/06/2025

Police looking for n**e burglar

On Friday, June 13, at approximately 5:00 a.m., the Polk County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence located in Section 28, Sullivan Township for a report of an active burglary. The suspect was located n**e in the basement of the residence by the homeowner and proceeded to flee the residence prior to law enforcement arrival. A perimeter was established shortly after law enforcement arrived and with the assistance of the East Grand Forks Police Department and the Minnesota State Patrol, an extensive search of the area was conducted for the suspect. A vehicle believed to have been involved was located unoccupied in a ditch in proximity of the victim’s residence.
At this time, the suspect has not been located. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has no reason to believe there is a threat to public safety.
The public is encouraged to contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 218-281-0431 if they have any information regarding this incident or see anything suspicious in the area of the burglary.

03/06/2025

Don't forget to pick up your copy of this week's Thirteen Towns, featuring a full-page map with more than THIRTY rummage sale locations around Fosston!