City and county find consensus on shared community center



Before builders begin construction on the proposed Cook County Community Center project, there are myriad details to be hammered out by the project partners—Cook County, the city of Grand Marais, School District 166 and the YMCA. On Tuesday, September 18, county board members met with representatives of the city trying to nail down the particulars of the project. Consensus at […]

EDA’s 2013 levy set, but still undecided



Complying with state statutes, the Cook County commissioners set the preliminary 2013 tax levy for the Cook County – Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA) at their Sept. 18 meeting, but that figure—which was left unchanged from the current rate— is far from a done deal. The discussion was sparked when Auditor-Treasurer Braidy Powers told the board that the preliminary […]

Tofte Township discusses cell tower objections



As the Cook County Planning Commission gets closer to considering a request for a cell phone tower in Tofte, some residents are voicing concerns. On September 13, 2012, County Commissioner Bruce Martinson reported to the Tofte Township Board that Planning & Zoning Administrator Bill Lane had received five letters opposing the cell phone tower proposed for Tofte on property the […]

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Illegal campfires spotted, extinguished quickly



Two illegal campfires were reported last week. Fortunately they were spotted by people nearby, reported and extinguished before spreading and causing a wildfire. The first fire was found smoldering just off the Bally Creek Road in Grand Marais at 1:41 p m. on Monday, September 10. The caller said that the fire was in a small trailhead clearing about a […]

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Co-op mural is an important community asset



My husband and I first experienced the splendor of the North Shore three years ago and were instantly enamored. The friendly, caring community, robust arts culture and high quality shops and restaurants added to the amazing outdoor appeal. I remember experiencing the beauty of Artist’s Point, enjoying an incredible piece of bumble berry pie, and stumbling into the Cook County […]

No vote is right thing to do



I support the right for everyone to marry. It doesn’t matter to me if that marriage is between two men, two women or one of each. This might surprise some of you who know me because I am Catholic and I politically tend to be conservative. I feel in my heart that marriage should be defined as a legal union […]

Social Security must be preserved



Social Security is at the heart of America and has been since 1935. It is a social insurance system, to which 90 percent of us Americans belong. Like any insurance plan, it is to be there when we need it. As of 2008, one in seven Americans were served by some form of Social Security, due to disability, old age, […]

What would Jesus do?



We are told by many preachers, priests and politicians that we are a Christian nation and hold Jesus as our role model. But what if Jesus lived today? What kind of a role model would he be? If we compare him to the Jesus of the New Testament, he would be illegitimate, conceived out of wedlock, born to a single […]