Brian J. Mathson, 63, of Grand Marais was killed in a single vehicle accident on the expressway between Duluth and Two Harbors on Monday, February 8, 2010. Mathson was a passenger in a 2001 Ford Explorer driven by Nancy Zimmer, 65, also of Grand Marais. Zimmer was driving northbound on Highway 61 near Anderson Road in Two Harbors and lost […]
Local snowmobilers ride in “Never Surrender” tour
The Blackwoods Blizzard “Never Surrender” Tour, a ride to fight ALS, took place February 4-6, 2010 with 153 snowmobilers raising $503,000 for the fight against Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Four local snowmobilers were on the trails, riding 370 miles over three days. Tom and Kathy Bernier and Chuck Silence of Grand Marais and Ron […]
Telecommunication companies clamoring for tower space
Requests from telecommunication companies and governmental agencies for space on Cook County towers is increasing, and Sheriff Mark Falk is spending more and more of his time dealing with those requests. On Tuesday, February 9, 2010, Falk asked the county board to authorize communication specialist Duane Ege to take over the task of negotiating contracts on the county’s behalf. “In […]
County grants requests from Highway Department
With a bid price about to expire and new bids expected to be 8-10% higher, Highway Maintenance Supervisor Russell Klegstag brought an equipment purchase request to the county board Tuesday, January 26, 2010, sooner than originally planned. Buying the equipment—a Caterpillar compact track loader, also called a skid steer—with numerous attachments for $112,656 would throw the department’s 2010 budget off, […]
Tofte obtains permit to stockpile rock on runway
The county board has approved a conditional use permit (CUP) for the Town of Tofte to stockpile 30,000 cubic yards of rock on its unused airport runway. The rock, which belongs to KGM Construction, came from the area along Highway 61 between Lutsen and Tofte where the company is improving the road. Instead of paying rent for use of the […]
Judge issues orders in Thompson case
Judge Kenneth Sandvik has issued his response to a November 3, 2009 contested joint omnibus hearing and related challenges by the defense involving a Cook County husband and wife accused of committing crimes against an acquaintance last spring. The crimes allegedly took place in the defendants’ home over an 8½-hour period from the evening of May 15 to the morning […]
Spence re-appointed to Private Detective Services Board
Staff reports Department of Public Safety (DPS) Commissioner Michael Campion has reappointed Thomas W. Spence of Schroeder to the Private Detective and Protective Agent Services Board. The appointment runs through 2013. Spence represents the general public. He is an attorney in the Johnson, Larson, Peterson and Matt law firm in Buffalo, and served as district court judge in Minnesota’s 10th […]
Lawmakers unveil Minnesota Jobs Bill
Staff reports In an effort to stimulate Minnesota’s sluggish economy, state Sen. Jim Metzen, DFL-South St. Paul, and other senators have unveiled the Minnesota Jobs Bill. The legislation would jump-start the ailing vertical construction industry, establish an Angel Investor Tax Credit, give tax credits for rehabilitation of historic structures, and allow municipalities to designate a project as a qualified green […]
Birch Grove Community School joins “Race to the Top”
Staff reports Birch Grove Community School of Tofte is among 450+ Minnesota schools statewide that have applied for federal stimulus funding designated for education. Three hundred school districts, 116 charter schools and 28 union locals in Minnesota have signed on to “Race to the Top.” Birch Grove is the only school in Cook County to get on board. “We have […]