Pebble Mine has wide-ranging effects



The Kvichak and Nushagak rivers in the Bristol Bay area of Southwest Alaska hold the greatest amounts of sockeye salmon runs left in the world. About 40 million salmon return to Bristol Bay each year. Anglo American and Northern Dynasty Minerals have joined to propose the Pebble Mine, which could become one of the world’s largest open-pit and underground mines. […]

Civic considerations only at churches in secular sphere



Following my plea for separation of church and state, many people expressed surprise and had questions about my Catholic community hospital experience. I offer another example. When a church decides to step outside its doors to run a soup kitchen, gas station, or hospital, it has stepped into a secular sphere where nonreligious, civic considerations apply. A hospital is to […]

Coming soon to a tree canopy near you



Ground was broken this week on an exciting new addition to historic Gunflint Lodge. Coming soon to the quiet back lots of the lodge property is the Towering Pines Canopy Tour. A canopy tour consists of a system of zip lines and platforms that allow visitors to soar from tree to tree to see the forest from a bird’s eye […]

Weekly Weather



April is “Child Abuse Prevention Month”



April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month—a theme that fits well with this month’s Violence Prevention Center’s White Ribbon Campaign. This month and throughout the year, Cook County Public Health and Human Services encourages all individuals and organizations to play a role in making Cook County a better place for children and families. By ensuring that parents have the knowledge, […]

Care Partners presents End-of-Life Ethics



Care Partners, founded in 2010, offers palliative care for patients with advanced illnesses, as well as those at the end of life. It also lends support to families of those patients. And, Care Partners offers training for volunteers and medical personnel. The latest in this ongoing training is a presentation of a program of the Hospice Foundation of America (HFA). […]

The gift of different perspectives



We sometimes complain about the lack of diversity in Cook County. And it’s true— you don’t see a lot of burkas here. I’ve lived in many more diverse places. When I lived in Cape Town I could walk down the street and pass someone fresh from the bush, carrying a bundle on her head, and next a retired general from […]

Beverly Jean Bright,



Beverly Jean Bright, 58, of Two Harbors, died Saturday, April 7, 2012 in St. Luke’s Hospital surrounded by her family after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Bev was born November 29, 1953 to Raymond and Carolyn June (Bursack) Hahn in Bemidji. She grew up in Northome and Schroeder before graduating from Cook County High School in 1972. In 1975, […]

Linnea Elaine (Strait) Flodquist



Linnea Elaine (Strait) Flodquist was born January 19, 1914 to Ella Sofia (Lindman) and Mark Horace Strait in Cambridge, Isanti County, Minnesota. She passed away peacefully on April 5, 2012 in Waite Park, Minnesota at the age of 98. Linnea graduated from Cambridge High School and Beauty College in Minneapolis. She owned beauty shops in Crosby, Elysian and North Branch. […]

Marilyn Theresa (Abalan) Duffy



Marilyn Theresa (Abalan) Duffy, born October 20, 1934 in Duluth, died April 3, 2012 in St. Paul, Minnesota. After graduating from the U of MN (Duluth), Marilyn taught English and drama at Holy Angels Academy and Duluth East High School. She won acclaim for her acting at the U of MN (Twin Cities), U of MN (Duluth), the Duluth Playhouse, […]