EDA to seek increase in levy
The November meeting of the Cook County/Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA) ended with some lively debate over what the EDA should request as its levy for 2015. EDA Board Member and County Commissioner Heidi Doo-Kirk said the current levy amount proposed for the EDA is $162,320. Doo-Kirk said Auditor Braidy Powers asked her if that was the EDA’s final […]
County tackles levy cuts over lunch
The county board spent several hours on Tuesday, November 25 going through proposed levy expenditures department-by-department, having lunch brought in—at their own expense—as they tried to reach consensus on county spending. The discussion will continue on Tuesday, December 2. Commissioners have been working on the budget since June and at the end of September were looking at a staggering initial […]
Hospital board moves forward with remodel plans
While everyone was respectful and patient, there almost wasn’t enough “straw” left for the straw polls North Shore Hospital Board Chairman Tom Spence called for at the board’s November 20 meeting. Spence was trying to get the board to winnow (or keep) the list of items that would be included in the final drawings for the $20.682 million renovation and […]
Airport project to be rebid
In August 2014 the Cook County commissioners approved a request from the County Highway Department to construct an access road from a gravel pit near the airport to the Cook County Airport to be built and used by Northland Constructors during the runway extension project. At that time, the highway department recommended approval with the condition that Northland Constructors, which […]
Unorganized Territory
A cup of caringI have an odd assortment of coffee cups in my kitchen cupboard. I have giant mugs given to me by friends with quote and quips, such a “Too much of a good thing is… Wonderful.” I have pretty souvenir mugs from Grand Marais, Grand Portage and all over Cook County. I have one of local potter Joan Farnam’s amazing rattle […]
Loves travelling backwoods forest roads
I’m an out-of-towner (hopefully not for long) and you might not care what I think but, I would like to speak on behalf of the tourists and photographers, who absolutely love driving on endless, and I mean endless miles of forest roads on the North Shore, searching for moose, bear and other wildlife. From Shoe Lake Road to the Six […]
God will hear your prayer
When I was a little girl, I heard a preacher preach a sermon on hell. It scared me so bad, for years my bedtime prayer was God don’t let me die and go to hell. I went to church all my life. I had plenty of head knowledge. During my 18th year I decided if I didn’t want to go […]
Time to reform our campaigns
To restore America’s confidence in our elections and our government, it’s imperative that we change the way we do politics. The good news is that Congress has returned to Washington with Democrats and Republicans alike in a welcome spirit of bipartisanship. Contrary to what many might think, most Democrats and Republicans get along just fine on a personal level; however, […]
Christ was a refugee
Soon we will gather at churches, around the TV, and at community programs to hear again the wonderful story of the first Christmas, when Jesus was born at Bethlehem. The story usually ends with shepherds and wisemen and barnyard animals gathering around the Holy Family in praise and thanksgiving. But if we read on further in the story we read […]