“I might have tiger by the tail here,” said Sid Backlund Jr. sounding somewhat happy and somewhat terrified at the same time. Backlund was referring to his placement and sales of frozen Sven & Ole’s pizza in three locations in the county. Well, that and a lot more. “We sold over 700 pizza in two weeks. I would have thought […]
Tracy Benson appointed to fill city council vacancy
Tracy Benson is the newest member of the Grand Marais City Council. Councilors spent about 20 minutes at their Jan. 28 meeting discussing the merits and qualifications of the five candidates who expressed interest in the position, which was vacated at the beginning of the year when Jan Sivertson resigned to represent the city on the Cook County Board of […]
The inevitable vote:
No more elective births at North Shore HospitalOn Friday, January 30, following recommendations from its liability insurer, Coverys, the Cook County North Shore Hospital board voted 5-0 to end elective OB deliveries at the hospital as of July 1, 2015. It wasn’t a popular vote, but because the hospital failed to meet “standards of care” set forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College […]
Sheriff Eliasen attends new sheriff orientation
Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen joined 23 other newly elected sheriffs for a weeklong orientation and training last week in Carver County. The Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association (MSA) provides this training every four years to orient and acclimate the new sheriffs to the office of sheriff. Randy Willis, deputy director for professional development for MSA said, “In pursuit of its mission […]
Cubbyholes column brought back memories
In the January 24 Cook County News-Herald, I enjoyed reading the Over the Hill column by Joan Crosby. I also remember an old house full of cubbyholes in France where I grew up with my grandparents and greatgrandmother. She had one room in the house that was her bedroom knitting room, herb room and refuge. I remember her locking the […]
Good show, but start on time
I attended the Grand Marais Ole Opry – a very good show. It was advertised as starting at 7:30 p.m. At 7:45 there was still mass confusion. I guess this is a case of over-booking. I have attended many shows at the ACA. Never has any one started on time. 7:30 means 7:30, not 7:45. If you can’t start at […]
News-Herald weather provider appreciated
When I turn over to page A3 in the Cook County News-Herald and see the weekly weather reports, I smile. Not because of the numbers, but because I note that Dana Austin, Poplar Lake, is the provider from that territory. Dana and her husband owned and operated Rockwood Lodge at Poplar Lake for a number of years. Perhaps you know […]
Consider MLK Day when developing school calendar
Being one of the few black members of this community I feel compelled to comment on the issue of whether or not there should be school on Martin Luther King Day. There has always been school on MLK Day and I remember being told when I was in school that I personally could not attend that day and would probably […]
Telling the West End’s best kept secret
As a relatively new arrival to Cook County my wife and I chose the beauty and charm of the “North Coast” (along with the characters and common-folk who value such quality) over the glitz and multipleentertainment options of urban life. We also became aware that there is an occasional schism between the West End and Grand Marais; the joke (around […]
Community invited to find solutions with Birth Partners
North Shore Hospital Board’s decision to cease planned local deliveries brings me great sadness. It’s been my joy and privilege to attend dozens of births at our local hospital. My sons were born here. Delivering babies is integral to the full spectrum “cradle to grave” care ideal that made me choose family medicine as career and rural Minnesota as home. […]