Weekly Weather



It’s almost Girl Scout cookie time!



Have you been wishing for those one-of-a-kind cookies that you can only purchase at a certain time of the year? Have you been thinking of Thin Mints? Craving Caramel Delights? Longing for Lemonades? Well, you are in luck because Cook County Girl Scouts will have cookies to sell starting on Valentine’s Day, February 14. Girl Scouts of Minnesota- Wisconsin Lakes […]

Mercer Gustav Everson



Mercer Gustav Everson peacefully passed away in the tender, loving, arms of his momma on January 17, 2015 at St. Cloud Hospital NICU. Mercer was born eight days earlier on January 9, 2015 at St. Cloud Hospital to Natalie Everson of Brainerd, MN and William “Bill” Philstrom of Emily, MN. In the short time we were blessed with the tiny, […]

Mary Patricia Hicken,



Mary Patricia Hicken, formerly of Macomb, Illinois, and Grand Marais, died in Iowa City, Iowa, on January 13, 2015. She was born on February 9, 1923, in New York City, to Daniel and Elizabeth (Price) O’Connell. Her parents were Irish immigrants, of County Kerry and County Armagh, respectively. At the age of 6, she lost a brother, a sister and […]

If only, what if…



“Don’t worry, be happy!” Remember that nauseating little mantra with the “happy dimpled, round, yellow face smiling from ear to ear.” Ah…so easy to say. So then why aren’t we all doing it? Okay, I need not be cynical, I suppose, since truth is that we do spend a lot of useless time thinking and worrying about something. I used […]

New Arrivals



Hsitorical Reflections



Birch Grove Community Center is a busy place



This month Senior Connect West hosted the West End Garden Club Luncheon. Thirty-four people received information about the foundation’s programs and services. We shared our vision of partnering with Northland Foundation’s Rural Aging Initiative through a grant. This year we look forward to transitioning our successful senior program to Cook County’s first rural nationally accredited senior center. This two-year project […]

Down Memory Lane



10 Years AgoJan. 21, 2005 The new year brought a new look to the Boreal Access home page. The old, cozy – some would say “kitschy” – Boreal page is gone. In its place a cool – some would say “Brrrrrr, cold” – blue page. The folks who run the Boreal Web site did get a few calls protesting the […]

MN FoodShare offered until March 31



Cook County Whole Foods Co-op will participate in the MN FoodShare 2015 campaign Jan. 19 through March 31, and encourages local residents to take part in the following ways:  Monetary donation: The co-op matches your donation, dollar for dollar, if you make a monetary contribution by check. That donation will be used toward the purchase of healthy, organic foods. Checks […]