Lakes Area’s Biggest News Stories of 2021

DETROIT LAKES (KDLM) – 2021 has been a busy news year in the Lakes Area. From a Downtown Detroit Lakes fire, Becker County becoming a 2nd Amendment dedicated county to bears being spotted at the local Dairy Queen here are some the most read local stories in 2021 from KDLM and the Lakes Area Radio app.

VIDEO OF JOSH DUHAMEL TAKING POLAR FEST PLUNGE

In February of 2021, Josh Duhamel took the plunge on behalf of the Boys & Girls Club helping them raise more than $21,000 for the organization. See original story here.

BECKER COUNTY UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES 2ND AMENDMENT DEDICATED COUNTY RESOLUTION

After being asked in February of 2021 to consider adopting the resolution, the county moved forward in April with a unanimous vote. A number of counties in Minnesota including Wadena, Wright and Clearwater had already adopted Second Amendment resolutions which prohibits the enforcement of gun control legislation. See original story here.

BEAR SPOTTED WITHIN DETROIT LAKES CITY LIMITS

photo via McKinley Nutrition

Lakes Area residents got quite the surprise this fall when a black bear was spotted visiting Dairy Queen in Detroit Lakes. Black bear sightings were on the rise in Minnesota, as this summer’s drought made it harder for the bears to find the food they needed to prepare for hibernation. See original story here.

FIRE BREAKS OUT NEAR WASHINGTON SQUARE MALL

On September 10, a fire broke out in an apartment building next to the Washington Square Mall in Detroit Lakes. Smoke and water damage closed many of the malls stores for several weeks. See original story here.

DETROIT LAKES FIRST ALDI OPENS

ALDI grocery opened a store in Detroit Lakes in early December. The highly anticipated store had been in the works for months utilizing a portion of the Boys & Girls Club Thrift Store and More  parking lot along Highway 10 to construct the store. See original story here.

CITY OF DETROIT LAKES DENIES MCDONALDS FROM ADDING SECOND DRIVE THROUGH LANE

In May, the city of Detroit Lakes voted to not allow the McDonalds in Detroit Lakes to eliminate parking spaces, effectively denying the business from installing a second drive-through lane. The restaurant had asked for a variance to decrease their parking spaces to 45 to install a new drive-through lane to help reduce traffic backup which tends to back up onto Frazee Street. See original story here.