Next week is the beginning of Holy Week, a very Holy Week in the Christian year. A common liturgy on Holy Thursday is the practice of washing of the feet on (Holy) Maundy Thursday. It is an ancient custom. The root of this practice appears to be found in the hospitality customs of ancient civilizations, especially where sandals were the […]
Grand Marais electric customers can now send electricity to the grid
Residents of Grand Marais who are generating their own power from renewable resources such as sun and wind will now be able to sell extra power back to the Grand Marais Public Utilities Commission (PUC). On February 20, the PUC board approved guidelines and a contract for customers generating 40 kW or less of power. According to the document outlining […]
Down Memory Lane
10 Years AgoMarch 21, 2003 When construction resumes on Highway 61 in a few weeks county officials will try to limit the number of truckers using County Road 7 as a detour around the work zone just west of Grand Marais. Commissioner Gene Erickson raised the matter of increased traffic on County Road 7 caused by motorists – particularly drivers […]
County board agrees to partner in blacksmith shop purchase
After a great deal of discussion over the past two weeks regarding potential liability issues, the county board agreed on March 12, 2013 to enter into a partnership with the Cook County Historical Society for the purchase of the Bill Bally Blacksmith Shop. The historical society needed a fiscal partner in order to apply for a grant from the Minnesota […]
School board considers adding second principal
With a three-year employment contract secured, ISD 166 Superintendent Beth Schwarz moved forward on March 11, 2013 with recommendations to the school board for administrative restructuring. She called for “systemic change” and “doing things differently,” a process she believed would take about six years. Enrollment has not dropped as quickly as expected, Schwarz said. In a document describing her vision […]
Biomass project moving to next step
Representatives of the Cook County Local Energy Project and the Grand Marais District Heat Task Force presented a report to the county board on March 12 of the results of a study on the feasibility of a biomass-fueled district heating plant in Grand Marais. The study indicates that the project is technically viable, and while the system would be “capital […]
Not a Dog of the North
It is our last trip of the winter to Lac des Mille Lac, and Mr. Magoo, the pug, is happy. Rather, he would be happy if he knew. In fact, he’d be ecstatic. He is not a dog of the northern winter. The copious amounts of pristine white snow that have fallen since we last visited the cabin do not […]
Free natural resources technical advice available
The Natural Resources Conservation Service, (an agency with the USDA) is looking to work with individuals on private or tribal lands in Cook County to help implement their mission of “Helping People Help the Land.” This means that for no charge or obligation a conservationist from the Duluth Field Office along with the landowner or land manager will walk the […]