New year, new roles for Cook County commissioners
Because previous Board Chair Jan Hall did not run for reelection, the Cook County Board of Commissioners convened its first board meeting of 2015 without a board chair. A toss of a coin determined which of the sitting commissioners— Heidi Doo-Kirk or Garry Gamble—would serve as board chair until the three newly elected commissioners were sworn in. Commissioner Heidi Doo-Kirk […]
City’s 2015 tax levy to remain unchanged
Meeting on the last day of the year, Grand Marais city councilors voted to adopt a 2015 tax levy of $824,152.44 – a zero percent increase for the second year in a row. The levy was last increased in 2013, when it rose from $815,057 to its current level. Councilors had considered implementing a slight levy increase – a modest […]
One percent sales tax committee dissolved
The first meeting of the Cook County Board of Commissioners each year is an organizational meeting and commissioners go though a comprehensive list of the various boards and committees on which they serve. On Tuesday, January 6, commissioners reviewed an 11-page document listing all of those entities and discussed who should represent the county at what meeting— and whether or […]
Putting Christmas away
Once again I’m struggling with putting Christmas away. It seems as if every year something gets left behind when the Christmas decoration boxes get put away. One year it was an Advent calendar; another year my Santa and reindeer salt shaker. It’s always something. I was aware of this as I put away decorations this year. I was proud of […]
Life in Cook County is bountiful
I picked up my copy of the December 20, 2014 News-Herald as stopped in Tofte for gas and headed down the shore. I knew I would be out of the county for a couple weeks but wanted to read the paper as usual. Wow! The photo front and center of the front page was wonderful. Congratulations to David R. Johnson […]
Skill and professionalism of emergency responders appreciated
I would like to express my sincere thanks to the members of the Cook County Sheriff ’s Department, Cook County Search and Rescue, Cook County Ambulance, Tofte Rescue Squad, Tofte, Schroeder and Lutsen Volunteer Fire Departments, Sawtooth Mountain Clinic and the Duluth and Thunder Bay Coast Guard Squadrons for the assistance they provided during the sad events of December 23, […]
DNR needs better plan for wolf management
Yes…I like wolves. l enjoy knowing that we live in an area that is still wild enough to support them. I am happy to see that wolves will again, at least temporarily, be protected. That said, I fully realize that the wolf population needs to be managed. In 2014 the Minnesota DNR accepted 35,000 lottery applications for the 3,800 permits […]
Building new facility is not holding school costs down
The December 27, 2014 edition of the paper contained two side-by-side articles relating to the administration of ISD 166: Budget and levy discussed at School Truth in Taxation meeting, and School board considers alternative learning facility, bus route. The former contained lists of expenditures that were either over budget, or were unbudgeted. While these categories totaled nearly $868,000, Superintendent Schwarz […]