Special education funding a challenge for all schools



Regarding last week’s edition, I’d like to send kudos to Rhonda Silence and ISD 166 Superintendent Beth Schwarz for even attempting to explain Minnesota’s Special Education (SpEd) funding. It is a complex system, with layers of federal and state regulation woven into the already confusing conglomerate of education finance. While the article didn’t misrepresent any facts, I’m writing to add […]

Medica Foundation supports community health programs



The Medica Foundation has awarded $25,000 in grants to two nonprofit organizations in Grand Marais. Sawtooth Mountain Clinic received a $5,000 grant to support health-related programming core to its mission. North Shore Health Care Foundation received a $20,000 grant for its Oral Health Task Force, which provides free oral screening and financial help for low-income children in Cook County to […]

Weekly Weather



Cook County SWCD reps meet with St. Paul lawmakers



Jerry Hiniker, Cook County SWCD District 5 supervisor and two staff, Kerrie Berg and Theresa Oberg of Cook County Soil and Water Conservation District, attended a legislative briefing and meetings at the state capitol Jan. 26-27 in St. Paul. They joined a group of other officials from the state’s Soil and Water Conservation Districts who met in St. Paul to […]

Our first TV and a hearty welcome



When my family got our first television (did we call it TV back then?), it was pretty exciting. I don’t know how old I was, maybe 11, but my brother was older. One day, our parents decided we could be home on our own for an evening. Heading out they told us, “Remember your bed time…it’s Friday night, but you […]

Lucas Coe



Lucas Coe, 15 months old, of Brainerd, passed away unexpectedly at Minneapolis Children’s Hospital on Friday, February 27, 2015. Lucas Paul Coe was born to Bryan and Erica (Felten) Coe on November 24, 2013 in Staples, Minnesota. He loved his green blanket, pacifier, blowing duck calls with Dadda, chasing KC (his pup) around the house with Dadda’s deer antler. Lucas […]

Gerald “Jerry” Hess



Gerald “Jerry” Hess died February 21, 2015 in Marshfield, Wisconsin at age 76 of complications of a lung infection. Gerald was born in Davenport, Iowa in 1939. He was in Germany with his family, mother Etta, father Otto, brothers Gunter and Jurgen from 1939 to 1947. After the war, the family moved to eastern Iowa, he graduated from Davenport High […]

Johnson Heritage Post show features creativity, imagination



To encourage artists to examine the overlap between creativity and spirituality, Spirit of the Wilderness Episcopal Church is sponsoring a show again this year. Illumination: Igniting Imagination is the theme for this year’s show, which runs from March 13-29 at the Johnson Heritage Post in Grand Marais. Just as medieval artists—who could have just copied away day after day—allowed their […]

Historical Reflections



North Shore Care Center celebrates 50 years



Kay Rosenthal The North Shore Care Center begins its Golden Anniversary activities this Sunday, March 8 with an open house from 1-4 p.m. March 8 marks 50 years to the day that the newly constructed 24-bed nursing home was first introduced in 1965 to the citizens of Cook County. Many community members may recall the excitement surrounding the opening of […]