Tofte debates Birch Grove lease
With a packed house before him, Tofte Town Board Chair Paul James said he had a few things to say before he would allow any public comment on the proposed lease increase for the Birch Grove Community Center, which houses the Birch Grove Community School, among other enterprises at that location, which is owned by the township. “I’ve heard that […]
Ben Hallberg selected as chief deputy sheriff
On the recommendation of Interim Sheriff Leif Lunde, the Cook County Board approved the promotion of Benjamin Hallberg from deputy sheriff to chief deputy sheriff. Lunde, who was chosen by Sheriff Mark Falk and the county commissioners to head the office upon Falk’s June 30 retirement, cited state statute when he appeared before the board June 17: “The sheriff of […]
Council OKs “Little Free Library” project
City councilors gave their backing to a “Little Free Library” project June 6, but the questions of where the boxes will be located and what they will look like remain to be answered. Jay Arrowsmith Decoux presented the idea, which will be funded through an $800 grant received from the Great Place Race. The park board approved the concept a […]
Mark Falk reflects on life as sheriff
Mark Falk greeted me, said he was tired and then we headed to his office. “Thirteen days to go!” he said as he sat down. “How far did you run this morning?” I asked. “Seven miles, mostly on the trails. It was a beautiful morning, 55 degrees and sunny,” he said. Falk likes to run, but he’s not running for […]
Friday the 13th customer service failure
If Unorganized Territory readers are paying attention they know that I do not suffer from triskaidekaphobia—the fear of the number 13. In fact, I have always considered 13 to be my lucky number. However, last Friday the 13th was not a good day. It was one of those days when everything that could possibly go wrong did just that. Perhaps […]
Nothing amusing about small business failure
I find it very interesting that a small business owner in this community can find “amusement” in another small business owner’s problems. What sort of values does this represent? To add a little reality to Steve H’s opinion letter in last week’s paper, let’s take a look at some of the facts. The property was purchased from, not given by […]
“Free” money comes with strings attached
Here we go again! In this week’s paper there are three stories about proposed projects affecting our area. First, the now defunct zip line. Sad that a private individual will apparently lose money on this, and I suspect the city as well, and now all of us are stuck with a scar on the Gunflint Trail hill forever. Sooner or […]
No excuse not to buckle up
Chances are you have noticed extra law enforcement on our roads and “Click It or Ticket” messages on TV and radio. The effort and the messages certainly raise awareness about seatbelts and their use, but there is a deeper reason for the campaign. Quite simply, there are far too many preventable fatalities and life-altering injuries occurring on Minnesota roads. In […]