School District 166 scrutinizes special education
At a workshop held at the beginning of June, the School District 166 (ISD 166) school board took a comprehensive look at its special education programming and ultimately agreed that more needed to be done to screen children at an earlier age. Superintendent Beth Schwarz scheduled the special work session on June 1, 2015 to answer questions asked by school […]
City council hears ‘co-working’ proposal
Bob Pranis, chairman of the Cook County Broadband Commission, appeared before Grand Marais City Council June 24 to seek support for a pilot project designed to bring a “co-working” computer facility to town. Pranis explained that the commission is working on an application for a $25,000 grant through the Blandin Foundation. However, the grant needs to be accompanied by a […]
New county administrator begins his work
A trophy-sized replica of a muskie rests on its side in Jeffrey Cadwell’s office. It’s a thing of beauty and will be mounted soon, but really, there is a lot more on Cadwell’s plate than his very large, very beautiful Fiberglas fish. “I bought a house here in town and I sold a house in Mahnomen. All in the last […]
Help to keep shorelines healthy
Overall Cook County’s lake and rivers are very clean. Implementing shoreline buffers on lakes and streams where land and water meet help to keep our water that way. Clean water in Cook County means a good economy for tourism, great recreation and fishing opportunities, and safe drinking water. Implementing a shoreline buffer using a diverse mixture of native plants provides […]
Can we unteach?
When I was young, my mother loved to listen to Broadway musical recordings. She purchased and cared for her vinyl records, and we listened to them again and again. One musical South Pacific (by Rodgers and Hammerstein, 1958) was set on a South Pacific island, and one of its songs has come to mind a lot in recent weeks. You’ve […]
Workforce housing benefits community
Workforce housing programs can have a significant impact on the demographics, economy and housing affordability in a community. Breckinridge, Colorado found itself in a similar situation to ours here in Cook County. In the year 2000 only 25 percent of its housing was occupied by residents. The local workforce was being priced out of the housing market due to the […]
Bad-tempered moon
Maybe it’s because there is a bright golden globe hanging in the night sky as I write this week’s Unorganized Territory. Perhaps the moon is the reason I have encountered an exceptionally high number of bad-tempered people this week. Yes, I am one of those people who believes that the moon has a mysterious power over man and womankind. I […]
Petition to classify gray wolf as threatened denied
On July 1, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ruled against a petition to reclassify all gray wolves in the United States, except for the Mexican wolf in the Southwest, as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Service said the petition does not present substantial information indicating that reclassification may be warranted. As a result, the […]