County prepares for upcoming budget process



With work on the county’s 2015 budget set to begin within the next couple months, the Cook County commissioners spent a lot of time at their June 17, 2014 meeting discussing proposed changes in the process. Auditor-Treasurer Braidy Powers presented information he compiled at the board’s request regarding the establishment of a budget committee. He explained that such a committee […]

Lodging taxes up for West End



Although the overall Cook County lodging report for April was down—probably a reflection of the nasty wild winter weather—the numbers for the Lutsen, Tofte and Schroeder (LTTA) area were up. LTTA collected $19,464.93 this April while last year they took in $17,453.62 for the same period. The Grand Marais Area Tourism Association reported $3,878.40 this year, down from last April’s […]

Forest Service replies to county’s forest road concerns



In the county board packet for the commissioner’s meeting on Tuesday, June 10 was a letter from Brenda Halter, U.S. Forest Supervisor, about a resolution they passed on April 9, 2014, asking the U.S. Forest Service to increase road maintenance funding within the Superior National Forest. Commissioners reviewed Forest Supervisor Halter’s reply, which said, in part: “The situation of inadequate […]

Tait Lake Association earns national recognition for wildfire preparedness



The Tait Lake Association community has been recognized as a Firewise Communities/USA site by the national Firewise Communities program for its efforts to reduce the vulnerability of homes and landscapes to wildfire. The award was presented during a Cook County Coalition of Lake Associations (CCCoLA) meeting at the Cook County courthouse in Grand Marais on June 13, 2014 presided over […]

Summer baseball season under way



With three evenly matched teams chock-full of players, the Cook County Little League season is off to a great start, said Youth Baseball Commissioner Rob Hackett. The first game of the season was played June 1 and the Cubs beat the Twins 15-10 in an action packed game. On June 8 the Cubs lost to the Dodgers 15-4 and on […]

The Breakfast Club



One of my favorite movies is The Breakfast Club. John Hughes, the writer and director has a way of capturing the youth of the ’80s like no other. (I am certain he was single handedly responsible for Jake becoming one of the most popular names in the ’90s because any girl who saw Sixteen Candles in the ’80s fell instantly […]

Congratulations to Move It! winner Gene Glader



During the month of May, nominations were sought for the Move It! award. The Sawtooth Mountain Clinic, the Cook County Senior Center and the Cook County News-Herald joined forces to get community members thinking about the people who inspire others to move. Organizers wanted to highlight one youth, one adult, and one senior. This week we are featuring our senior […]

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Volunteers sought to lead “Living Well with Chronic Conditions”



The Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging is seeking volunteers for the Living Well with Chronic Conditions program. Leaders will facilitate groups of people with chronic conditions. The objective is to help participants build confidence in self-health management and maintain an active lifestyle. Volunteers will receive 24 hours of training. The next four-day training session will be in Duluth July 15-16 […]

New Grand Marais Library director Steve Harsin fulfills lifetime dream



Born and raised his first half dozen years in Spencer, Iowa, the town that had the most famous library cat in the world, Dewey ReadMore, Steve Harsin, the new Grand Marais library director was probably born for this type of work. “Did you know Dewey?” I asked. “Nope. Although my parents took me to the library a lot when I […]