Hedstrom Lumber Company’s centennial was an event befitting a company that has endured for 100 years. The celebration lasted more than a week and included more than 700 people visiting the sawmill on the Gunflint Trail. Longtime employees, curious community members and visitors, timber industry representatives, government officials and dozens of members of the Hedstrom family gathered to learn about […]
Judge Floerke denies expert witness in Scannell trial
On Thursday, July 10, 2014, Sixth Judicial District Chief Judge Shaun Floerke handed down his opinion blocking the request by Cook County’s special prosecutor Thomas Heffelfinger to allow Dr. Amanda Powers-Sawyer, a White Bear Lake psychologist, to testify that Cook County Attorney Tim Scannell had engaged in the practice of “grooming” before having sexual contact with a 17-year-old girl. Scannell […]
County board votes against rumble strips, most lighting projects
The people spoke and the Cook County commissioners listened, voting down a rumble strip project and the installation of two intersection lights proposed by the Cook County Highway Engineer’s Office. With the commissioners’ vote there will be no streetlights placed at the intersections of County Road 7 and County Road 45 or County Road 7 and County Road 6. Adding […]
Council moves forward with library rain garden project
In an effort to curb flooding problems on the north side of the Grand Marais Public Library, city councilors moved forward with plans to design and construct a 570-square-foot rain garden in front of the building at their July 9 meeting. City Administrator Mike Roth explained that in times of extreme rainfall, the water tends to pool behind the building. […]
Q&A for Commissioner District 5 candidates
If you feel that the election season comes earlier than it used to, you are correct. The Minnesota Primary Election, held in September in years past, was changed to the second Tuesday of August in 2010, so this year’s primary is August 12. Much of Cook County votes by mail-in ballots which will be sent to voters the week of […]
The column that almost wasn’t
Regular readers know that I am constantly striving to become more organized. This week has had more than its share of challenges and I was reminded that I live in Unorganized Territory. It’s been awhile since I explained how my column came to be titled Unorganized Territory. Longtime readers know the reason and probably even people who have just met […]
Guardrails and grading should be county highway department focus
A recent letter to the editor spoke highly of the county road department on the work they have done on Pike Lake Road. This letter in particular points out the work done by installing a guard rail at the look-out on the west side of the Cascade River bridge. I wonder who designed that. Was it the county engineer? If […]
Cybersecurity act goes too far
The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2014 (CISA), released as a draft by Chairman Dianne Feinstein on June 17 and soon to be considered by the Senate Intelligence Committee, would threaten the flow of accurate news and information to the public and policymakers. The bill would allow government agencies to collect, without a warrant or other traditional legal process, journalists’ […]
