The new Grand Marais hockey rink has dasher boards, gates and ice and will be ready for play throughout the winter. On November 27, the county board signed a contract with Becker Arena Products of Savage, Minnesota for installation of the dasher boards. The contract was for $132,341, but the board approved a change order of $30,053.61 that brought the […]
County to initiate wetland management plan
Cook County has a lot of wetland. Various estimations have been made regarding what percentage of pre-settlement wetlands are still intact, but according to Cook County Planning & Zoning Assistant Administrator David Demmer, “it is fairly safe to say that approximately 99 percent of Cook County’s pre-settlement wetlands are intact.” Some areas of the state, such as the farmlands in […]
County gets good interest rates on sale of bonds
The county sold some bonds—fairly big bonds—on November 27 and benefitted in the process from its upgrade to a Standard & Poor’s AA- credit rating as well as very low interest rates. In order to keep the 2013 tax levy down, the county board elected to sell $2,175,000 in general obligation capital equipment notes to finance the purchase of road […]
Random acts of revenge
I have to sorrowfully report that I missed my chance to win $587 million. CNN has announced that the record Powerball jackpot has been won. Darn. I can’t feel too bad though. I didn’t buy a ticket. As they say, you can’t win if you don’t play. I can resist the pull of Powerball, although I do play now and […]
Another horror in America
An end to ignorance, written by Rhonda in her Unorganized Territory column in the November 24 issue, was very uncomfortable to read and ponder. But as I did so, I could not help but later change the events that she so well described, to be inserted with words and circumstances that pertain today to the horrific deaths of the unborn, […]
Working together is what’s next
Reading Lloyd Geillinger’s letter last week prompted me to think seriously about the question he asked…“What’s next?” I was tempted to shake hands with his despair until I remembered the Community Thanksgiving dinner where well over a hundred people gathered together for no other reason than to enjoy being in community. I remembered the magnanimous support for the VetDog Program, […]
Cook County setting the example for healthy living
Kudos to Kristin DeArruda- Wharton and the Cook County Active Living team. The November 14 Active Living Summit held at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts highlighted the ideas and goals in making Cook County the most active and healthy county in Minnesota. From my perspective here in Lake County, Cook County is a shining example of what can be […]
Pieces of Co-op mural saved
Attempts to save the four-season mural attached to the Cook County Whole Foods Co-op building in downtown Grand Marais didn’t succeed, but didn’t exactly fail, either. “After a roller coaster month of off-and-on progress toward saving the mural, a team of workers was able to save pieces of it—maybe 12 to 18,” said Ann Mershon, one of many people who […]