Where are the family farms?



While driving around Cook County or any other county for that matter, I’ve noticed that something is missing. Where are the family farms? According to Farm Aid, 88 percent of our dairy farms have disappeared just since 1970. Fortunately we have the Lake View Natural Dairy nearby. It’s a small family farm that sells raw milk, yogurt, eggs, meat, etc. […]

Protecting hospital doesn’t have to mean owning it



I have watched with great interest the discussion/debate regarding the Cook County hospital and care center tax subsidization. I don’t know of another hospital of this size in the state of Minnesota that receives an annual tax subsidy in excess of $800,000. This is not the fault of hospital management but of the accounting shifts between the hospital and the […]

Girl Scouts work toward Bronze award with Pajama Party



For more than a year the girls in Girl Scout Troop 4077 have been brainstorming ideas for a community service project to fulfill Girl Scout Bronze Award requirements. For months the fifth-graders have been researching their idea and then putting it in action through a remarkably fun event—a pajama party. The girls did all of the planning and promotion for […]

Weekly Weather



Francis “Frank” Flocken,



Francis “Frank” Flocken, 84, of Riverside, CA died on February 13, 2014. He was born on June 3, 1928 in Minneapolis to Edward and Helen Flocken. He married Jacqueline Hansen of Minneapolis in 1947. While in Minnesota, Frank served in the U.S. Marine Corps and worked as a painter with his father. Frank and Jackie later moved to Riverside, CA […]

Clemence J. Gresczyk,



Clemence J. Gresczyk, 79, Grand Marais, died peacefully, with his children at his side, on February 17, 2014 at Essentia Health of Duluth. Clem was born on November 23,1934 in Moose Lake, Minnesota to Eleanor and Tony Gresczyk. He grew up on the family farm in Rutledge and graduated from Willow River High School. Clem married Carol Aakhus in 1954 […]

Jeanne Ledue Lindell,



Jeanne Ledue Lindell, 80, our social butterfly, traded her butterfly wings for angel wings on February 10, 2014 in Green Valley, Arizona. She lost a battle with a rare form of lung cancer. The story of her journey is chronicled on Caring Bridge. (www.caringbridge.com, visit site: Jeanne Lindell) Jeanne was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to M.F. “Duke” and Bernice Ledue […]

Chris James Nicolaison,



Chris James Nicolaison, 60, of Grand Marais, passed away on February 13, 2014 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 22 at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Grand Marais. Chris was born in Grand Marais to Carl and Pricilla Nicolaison on May 5, 1953. He graduated from Cook County High School and […]

Life-giving Bread!



One of my fond childhood memories is that of coming home from school to the smell of my mom’s hearty homemade bread, fresh from the oven. A slice with a little butter and honey made a great after-school snack! Not only was Mom’s bread delicious, it was healthy. It was made with nourishing ingredients like stone-ground flour, cracked wheat and […]

Planning & Zoning seeks changes in “after-the-fact” fees



Planning & Zoning Director Tim Nelson submitted a final report to the Cook County Commissioners on Tuesday, February 18, 2014 with recommendations regarding possible modifications to the “after-the-fact (ATF)” fees the county now charges people who have inadvertently or purposely, not followed the county’s rules for getting a permit to build or remodel. The ATF Fee Committee was made up […]