Hospital still unsure about Blue Cross Blue Shield contract
The hospital still doesn’t know what is going to happen with its contract with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross) after the company notified the hospital that it would be requiring an entirely new and very complicated billing system starting in May. The new system would pay according to sets of services bundled together. Critical access hospitals such […]
Gitchi Gami Bike Trail meandering to Grand Marais
The Gitchi Gami Bike Trail has been slowly making its way up the North Shore. On April 23, 2013, the county board approved a contract with the Arrowhead Regional Development Council (ARDC) to develop strategies for completion of the trail at a cost of $10,000. Cook County will provide 1/3 of a $5,000 match ($1,667) for a grant of $5,000 […]
Technology request sparks debate at county board
The relationship between the Cook County board and County Attorney Tim Scannell hit a rough patch on April 23, 2013 over a purchase request for three iPads. At issue was a question of whether commissioners were micromanaging and not trusting the judgment of the county attorney or being responsible in their role as commissioners by questioning the purchase. The iPads […]
County board considers hiring administrator
The impending retirement of Cook County Personnel Director and County Board Secretary Janet Simonen has propelled the county board into considering the possibility of creating an administrative position that could oversee all departments within the county. On April 15, 2013, the board and department heads met with three county administrators – Timothy Houle of Crow Wing County (pop. 62,500) and […]
Finishing serenely
As most readers know, I finish Unorganized Territory every week with a quote. Sometimes it’s a challenge to find just the right words of wisdom. I like to find something that is appropriate for the content of the column or something that is uplifting. I have a number of books of quotations and I have several websites of quotes bookmarked […]
Big drifts, big job for postal carriers
On Friday, April 19, our area had lots of snow and big winds with drifting everywhere. I imagine few, if any mailboxes, were cleared of snow with the challenging conditions. Yet, our mail was delivered that day. The weather conditions met a lot of extra work and delivery time for our Grand Marais letter carriers. Our community thanks our letter […]
Taxpayers should watch commissioners’ meetings on Internet
Dear people of Cook County: It was suggested to me that I take on the painstaking task of watching the Cook County Commissioners meetings via Internet. Of course I have thoughts and opinions on the issues discussed and how the meetings were conducted; I’m not writing to comment on that but I do strongly suggest to the taxpayers that who […]