Busy people keep it going




As I scurried from one event to another during the North Shore Dragon Boat Festival and Fisherman’s Picnic in recent weeks, I couldn’t help but picture an anthill. I’ll bet that is what our little harbor town looked like from the sky. I’ll bet it looked a bit like a sand hill pawed open by a bear’s claw —worker ants […]

Weekly Weather



Problem seagull at post office relocated



Seagulls are a fact of life in Cook County—perching on roofs, messing up cars, and sometimes acting threatening toward people who get too near their nesting sites. Most of the time the birds are left alone, however, on Friday, August 5, an immature seagull was causing enough of a problem at the Grand Marais Post Office that Minnesota Department of […]

Reality and Hope in the Music of U2



As I mentioned last week, on July 23, I had the opportunity to hear the rock band U2 perform at the TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. It was a powerful experience. The concert was part of their U2 360° World Tour which has played to sold out stadiums from Spain to South Africa, Australia to Croatia. The concert stimulated me […]

New Beginnings



Audrey Bertels Solberg,



Audrey Bertels Solberg, February 26, 1930 – August 2, 2011 Audrey was born to Dr. and Mrs. Ernest H. Bertels in Sandstone, Minnesota where he had established a dental practice. The next year the family moved to Slayton, Minnesota where they lived for more than 30 years. Audrey and her younger sister, Sharon, attended Slayton High School where Audrey graduated […]

Margaret Louise Cook,



Margaret Louise Cook, 99, of Duluth passed away peacefully with some family present August 4, 2011 at Viewcrest Health Center. She was born in Tofte and lived in Hermantown for approximately 63 years. She was a member of the West Duluth Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses for the past 35 years. She is survived by one sister Bernice Seglem of Duluth, […]

Historical Reflections



Steve Jacobsen of Upland, California and Hovland, a member of the Cook County High School graduating class of 1967, thought it would be fun to share some photos of his class when they were in elementary school. Jacobsen said, “Our class is unique in that we have ongoing get-togethers several times a year—mostly in Grand Marais, but also in the […]

Large fundraising effort to be launched for Cook County Schools



In light of declining enrollment and state budget shortfalls, a community member’s offer to help fundraise for ISD166 is very timely. On July 19, 2011, Dick Struck, a retired professional fundraiser, talked to the school board about offering his services in order to help the school district provide the best possible education for Cook County students. How his offer would […]

County getting great rate on bond refinancing



The week of the August 9, 2011 county board meeting was not looking good for the stock market. That was actually good news for Cook County, however, as it looked at refinancing bonds taken out years ago for improvements to the courthouse and Law Enforcement Center. Accountant Bruce Kimmel of Ehlers, the county’s accounting consultant firm, told the county board […]