Cook County was hit with heavy rain the night of Tuesday, June 19 and throughout the day on Wednesday, June 20, resulting in some washed out roads and driveways. There were reports ranging from 4 to 8 inches in different areas of the county. However Cook County received nowhere near the damage that the cities of Duluth and Superior, Wisconsin […]
Red tape for red, white and blue event in Grand Marais
Grand Marais’ Fourth of July parade topped the city council’s June 13 agenda as Chamber of Commerce Director Bev Wolke appeared with the street and sidewalk permit application for the annual event. However, unlike other years when the permit was approved with little fanfare and as a matter of routine, there was some discussion regarding a new policy instituted by […]
Apologies offered at county board
The June 19 county board meeting began with some apologies and two bouquets of flowers. At the previous county board meeting, Molly Hoffman complained that commissioners did not made enough effort to publicize results of a 2009 study on the feasibility of a new community center facility in Grand Marais. Commissioner Fritz Sobanja took issue with some of her statements […]
Kayaker drowns near Grand Portage
A personal locator beacon sounded at about 9:20 a.m. on Sunday, June 17, notifying emergency responders that someone was in trouble. The call came from a kayaker on Lake Superior, in the vicinity of Pigeon Bay near Grand Portage. The kayaker, Robert Weitzel, 57, of Middleton, Wisconsin, was located by the Canadian Coast Guard at approximately 11:30 a.m. According to […]
Search for plane and pilot continues
Authorities are continuing their search for missing pilot Michael Arthur Bratlie and his white twin engine Piper PA31, a red and blue striped Navajo plane that disappeared on Friday, June 8. Bratlie, age 67, of Lakeville, Minnesota, had told his family he was flying from Fleming Field in South Saint Paul to Duluth and back again that day. When he […]
Another chapter for Duluth
As I write this week’s Unorganized Territory, I’m in shock over the photos and videos of the destructive flooding in the Twin Ports. It is hard to believe it is real, since we were only lightly battered by the weather on June 19. As our County Highway Engineer David Betts said in an interview after the storm, we were harder […]
Looking forward to Cook County Family YMCA
The opportunity to have the YMCA come into our great community is a chance of a lifetime. The 160 years of experience and over 2,600 facilities nationwide provide the YMCA with the knowledge and expertise in providing the quality programs that will help our community grow. This nonprofit organization will help our community focus on youth development, healthy living practices […]
We need a walking track
We have a number of people who live in Cook County who are in their 80s or 90s and who want to be able to get some exercise to keep fit. They would love to be able to walk or hike outdoors like they did when they were younger. A walking track would be wonderful for us. In a large […]
Who is at the wheel?
In the Good Old Days when a group of common interest folk wanted to have a place to gather, they would toss their money together and build themselves a clubhouse, collect member dues for maintenance, set fees to cover their expenses and party on at their pleasure. Nowadays seemingly the new route to private tree houses is all about snake-oil; […]