ISD 166 school board member Ed Bolstad took issue at the November 7, 2013 school board meeting with the process the high school had just gone through to determine winter coaches. He stated that after reading statements by social studies teacher and basketball coach Mitch Dorr in the November 2 Cook County News-Herald regarding plans for the coaching of winter […]
County compares staffing levels with other counties
Commissioner Bruce Martinson has been working hard to compile data comparing the staffing levels of 12 counties considered comparable to Cook County in population and size. He presented the information to the county board on November 11, 2013. Comparing one county to the next is complicated, because counties don’t all do business the same. Positions in one department in one […]
Safety for bikers on the North Shore
Gitchi-Gami Trail Association Vice President Bill Blank and President Mark Sandbo went before the county board on November 11, 2013, requesting that the board send a letter to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) asking that they widen the shoulders to at least five feet when they resurface a portion of Highway 61 next year. The portion lies between County […]
Governor appoints Mark Sandbo to Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton recently appointed Grand Marais resident Mark Sandbo to the Minnesota Lake Superior Coastal Program’s (MLSCP) Governor’s Council. The one-year appointment was effective October 30, 2013, and will run to January 4, 2014, but, as Sandbo stated, “I have been told that I will be reappointed once my first year is up.” Sandbo joins Hovland resident Kek […]
First Lake Superior Storm Festival makes a splash
The Cook County Visitors Bureau (CCVB), which organized the first-ever Lake Superior Storm Festival, was delighted with the response from community members and visitors during the event, November 7, 2013. It appears that a festival celebrating Lake Superior is just what is needed as the weather turns dreary. CCVB Marketing Manager Shelby Gonzales shared a summary of attendance at various […]
Gunflint Mercantile wins rent-free storefront in Duluth for the holidays
Duluth residents will soon have a chance to sample the sweet treats made by Gunflint Mercantile’s Chelsea Pusc. On a whim, Pusc, owner/operator of Gunflint Mercantile in Grand Marais, entered Duluth’s Greater Downtown Council’s “pop-up” contest. Pusc said, “I was shocked when they told me I was selected.” The program offers entrepreneurs free use of downtown storefronts for two to […]
The Pumpkin Episode
The cute little pumpkin sat on the shelf. It was labeled “sugar,” which meant it would make a tasty pie. So, following the same impulse that once prompted me to buy a copy of War and Peace because it seems like a good idea to read a long and boring book, I bought it. Reaching home, I admired the bright […]
November is National Native American Heritage Month
On October 31, 2013, President Barack Obama signed a proclamation designating November 2013 as National Native American Heritage Month and November 29, 2013 as Native American Heritage Day. Similar proclamations have been declared by the president every year since 1994. “From Alaskan mountain peaks to the Argentinian pampas to the rocky shores of Newfoundland, Native Americans were the first to […]
Winterer’s Gathering 2013 features tents, tales and traditions
Snow is on its way, and along with it comes a celebration of all things winter: Winterer’s Gathering & Arctic Film Festival at North House Folk School in Grand Marais from Nov. 21-24. This year’s featured speaker, Paul Schurke, is the founder of Wintergreen Dogsledding Lodge in Ely. Schurke has guided and participated in a number of polar and high- […]
Girl Scout poinsettia fundraiser brings holiday cheer
Cook County Girl Scouts, members of the Minnesota-Wisconsin Lake and Pines Council, are always busy with various projects. Each troop, from kindergarten through high school has its own ideas and projects, and this year, Troop 4110, the 10th grade Girl Scouts, is selling Christmas poinsettias to fulfill its goals. Troop 4110 is planning a trip next October to the National […]