City council begins 2012 budget discussions
Grand Marais city councilors held their first discussions of the 2012 budget at their July 27 meeting, and in general the outlook is good for city taxpayers. “We’re in a very good financial position now,” said City Administrator Mike Roth. “We should be able to get by with only a minimal tax increase.” Roth explained that the city’s favorable financial […]
Canadian fires affecting air quality
Although there are no wildfires burning in Cook County, the smell of smoke and reduced air quality continue because of fires burning in Ontario, Canada and in the Kawishiwi District of Superior National Forest. The fire in the Kawishiwi District was detected on July 15 on the southeast corner of Kekebaic Lake, north of the portage into Strup Lake. The […]
School board remains neutral on siting of community center
How involved or not to get in the existence and location of a new community center was the topic of quite a bit of discussion at the July 19, 2011 ISD166 school board meeting. When the meeting began, Hal Greenwood of the ISD166 Education Foundation used the public comment period to urge the board to avoid endorsing either the existence […]
Digging begins for Arrowhead Electric fiber optic project
The underground construction for the Arrowhead Electric Cooperative Inc. (AECI) broadband project began on Tuesday, August 2, 2011. Darrin Peterson, operations manager for MasTec North America, Inc. is in charge of about a dozen workers and he said the job would take about two years to complete. His crews started digging about three miles up the Caribou Trail where the […]
Budget battles hurt us all
I didn’t write about the state government shutdown when we were in the midst of the mess. It was just too irritating. I made several trips to the east and west ends of the county during the shutdown, passing the bright orange temporary fencing and traffic cones blocking the entrance to our state parks. How much did the state spend […]
No justice in use of 1 percent funds
The county board told the community that the state will not allow 1 percent tax dollars to fund a stand alone pool. Rep. Dill informs us this is not the truth. The county board told the community that the state will not allow 1 percent tax dollars to be given to a private business. Now they have awarded $4 million […]
Grand Marais can do better than porta-potties
The small tourist towns up north have changed in many ways over the course of my 60-plus years of driving the North Shore. Some good, some not so good. One of the big changes happens to be the items available for “souvenirs.” The cheap trinkets have been replaced by one-of-a-kind keepsakes, unique crafted jewelry and lovely elegant clothing. The shopper […]
Hats off to Parent Pitch coaches
“ . . .This field, this game, is a part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good, and what could be again.” – James Earl Jones in Field of Dreams (1989) In early June I attended my first parent pitch game as a grandparent. As a parent in the 1980s, I had coached Little League […]