A grand opening for the Cook County Community YMCA is slated for Saturday, January 4, 2014. Branch Executive Director Emily Marshall updated the county board on progress on the facility at its November 26, 2013 meeting. Marshall said she has been making presentations throughout the community. “We think the community perception is changing,” she said. The community has been divided […]
Hospital labors to set 2014 budget
The Cook County North Shore Hospital & Care Center board is carefully considering where to set its 2014 levy. With year-todate revenue being considerably less than expected and a remodeling plan in the works, the effect of hospital finances on the community was part of the equation as the board discussed the budget at its November 21, 2013 meeting. Hospital […]
School board member sought upon resignation of Mary Sanders
Cook County Schools will soon be in need of a new District 3 school board member to represent the west Grand Marais area. At the November 21, 2013 school board meeting, Mary Sanders submitted a letter of resignation, effective December 6, after 11 years on the board. She is building a new house and moving out of her district. The […]
County board attempts to whittle down the 2014 budget
As the county board prepares to finalize its 2014 budget, commissioners continue to try to whittle expenses down. On November 26, 2013, Cook County Sheriff Mark Falk defended his request for another dispatcher/jailer position in 2014. When he applied for a job as a City of Grand Marais police officer in 1989, the job entailed 20 hours of law enforcement […]
Internet shopping power
Regular readers of Unorganized Territory have likely heard me complain about technology and the unnatural ability of all electronic devices to fail at the worst possible time. You’ve heard me whine about Windows 8 and rant about my recent laptop hard drive crash. And you’ve listened to me try to change the grammatical rule that now says Internet must be […]
Wake up to Trans Pacific Partnership and Dodd-Frank Law
Welcome back: for all of you who have been sleeping, time to wake…. For all of you, the Obamacare nightmare has been breathtaking! Never in American history has a president failed so badly and violated the law so often. What a guy. Now on to something new. It’s called the Trans Pacific Partnership. It’s the new in the works trade […]
Hunter opposed to wolf hunt
I used to be a member of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association (MDHA), the largest deer hunting advocacy group in the state. I started deer hunting as an adult as a way to harvest meat for my families’ consumption. Not long after joining MDHA they started sending emails promoting wolf killing. I also noticed that on their website there was […]
Hospital District should have levy cap
You should look closely at your proposed 2014 property taxes. The county and “other levies” of School District 166 show very modest proposed increases. Lutsen township and voterapproved school district levies even show a modest decrease. Each of these entities also list meeting information for people to discuss their proposed taxes. Congratulations to these groups for responsible budgeting and public […]