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Primary Election narrows choices for county voters



Nearly 50 election judges and six staffers from the Cook County Auditor’s Office diligently counted ballots late into the night on Tuesday, August 12, 2014 to determine which candidates on the primary ballot would advance to the General Election on November 4, 2014. The most closely watched races in Cook County were likely Cook County Commissioner District 1 and Commissioner […]

County board supports Tofte’s tax abatement



When the Cook County board of commissioners denied a formal request from the township of Tofte on August 12 for the county to abate all county property located within Tofte, it actually gave the township exactly what it wanted. The township of Tofte is using tax abatements to help fund the 12 units of senior housing it wants to construct […]

Property taxes top agenda at school board



The voter approved property tax levy that was accepted in the fall of 2011 is set to expire December 2015. Cathy Erickson of the Arrowhead Regional Consortium spoke at the August 7, 2014 school board meeting to explain what levy options are available to the board. The levy generates approximately $430,000 in annual revenue for the school district. Due to […]

RV destroyed by fire at Grand Marais residence



Grand Marais residents were startled to see a plume of thick black smoke on the east end of town at a little before 11 a.m. on Friday, August 8, 2014. A call reporting a trailer on fire on 5th Street came in to Cook County Law Enforcement at 10:58 a.m. Grand Marais Fire Department, Grand Marais First Responders, Cook County […]

No trickle down economy on election advertising



Spoiler alert. There will be some whining in this Unorganized Territory. I’ll try to bring myself back around to positive thoughts at the end of this week’s column, but I really need to share a pet peeve. It’s because I’ve received a glut of political campaign press releases from all over the region, the state and the country—and it’s only […]

Are you registered to vote?



Minnesota is rated highest of the 50 states for voting turnout. Cook County is part of the reason why. There is consistently high voter participation, even in primary elections. According to Cook County Auditor Braidy Powers, the voter turnout was 44 percent in the 2014 primary, just slightly lower than two years ago when voter participation was 51.4 percent. Cook […]

Correction:



In last week’s photo captions for the Shrimp Boil Dinner at the First Congregational Church in Grand Marais, we incorrectly reported that the source of the shrimp was Back Bay Mission, Mississippi. Steve Deschene of First Congregational said the cost of airfreight to get the shrimp directly from the Biloxi fisherman was too costly, so in 2001 the church turned […]

Faith in humanity restored



Last week my husband misplaced his checkbook. We looked everywhere for a week and we finally decided we should probably call and cancel all of those checks. But before we did, an envelope arrived in the post. It was my husband’s checkbook! I couldn’t believe it! I really, really, want to thank the anonymous friend that returned my husband’s checkbook. […]

Invasive plants are a pervasive problem



A recent letter to the editor questioned the use of herbicides as a safe and effective tool in managing invasive plants, and efforts by Sugarloaf: The North Shore Stewardship Association to educate the public and provide training and tools. Though by scientific measure and the law these herbicides are safe and legal there is room for public discussion about the […]