Sunny skies and warm temperatures greeted 70 to 80 people who turned out for the Thursday, July 23 groundbreaking ceremony for the $24.5 million Cook County North Shore Hospital and Care Center renovation. Bernice LeGarde of Grand Portage, a resident of the care center and the chair of the resident input group, put the first shovel in the dirt to […]
County approves ordinance amendment expanding ATV use on Gunflint Trail
Following a packed public hearing held in the Cook County commissioners’ room on July 28, commissioners voted 4-1 to allow Class 1 all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) to be driven on approximately four miles of the Gunflint Trail. Voting for the amended ATV ordinance were Commissioners Frank Moe, Heidi Doo-Kirk, Garry Gamble and Ginny Storlie with Jan Sivertson voting against the change […]
School board considers levy election options
The proposed operating referendum that is being scheduled for voter consideration in November was a main topic of conversation at the July 23, 2015 meeting of the Cook County School Board. The current operating levy for the 2016-2017 school year is set to expire in December 2015. The expiration of the levy means an approximate $400,000 drop in school revenue. […]
Grand Marais Playhouse offers delightful production
I cannot tell you what a delightful evening we had at Moon Over Buffalo at the Grand Marais Playhouse. The genre is not our favorite, but this performance sure crashed through that prejudice. The superb company, with razor-sharp timing and brilliant characterizations, drove the drama and exploited the often brilliant dialogue to the max. I don’t think we will ever […]
Raising questions is not persecution
Responding to the July 25 letter by Deb Vannet, who has always been kind to me. Deb, the accidental death of your son was tragic, and no amount of consolation is really sufficient. I have known three such disasters among family and friends, each the result of a car accident. It leaves one torn, shattered. I wish you comfort. Secondly, […]
Wolf/moose studies? Enough already!
For over 63 years, scientists from the Michigan Technological University (MTU), with permission from the National Park Service, have been studying the moose/wolf relationship at Isle Royale. Isle Royale National Park was chosen as the ideal laboratory for the study because of its unique wilderness environment insulated from the presence and influence of man. At least the men who don’t […]
Researchers should be studied
I was disappointed to see that the Grand Portage Tribal Council recently had petitioned Gov. Mark Dayton to reinstate funding for moose collaring activity in northeastern Minnesota. As the First Nation holds traditional practices in high regard, it would seem unlikely that the council would find the use of helicopters and GPS collars palatable. There is a treasure trove of […]
Funding Our Future committee formed
I am passionate about public education. I am proud that America believes that an educated population is the bulwark of our democracy and I believe the system contributed greatly to the person I am today. This week the ISD 166 Operating Levy Committee, a voluntary team, is kicking off our 2016 Referendum initiative called Funding Our Future. Our goal is […]
Generations on the Lake
I sometimes say that my grandfather would be mortified by my sense of direction. I never know if I am traveling north or south or east or west. I can get lost in Grand Marais. Apparently the navigation gene has skipped a generation. My grandfather, Roy Oberg, had an unerring sense of direction. He was a commercial fisherman on Lake […]