Food shelf benefits from school counselor’s new look



The grand finale of the Sawtooth Mountain Elementary School Talent Show on June 1 was finding out if Cook County Schools/ISD 166 Counselor Kris Hoffman would have his head shaved. Hoffman had issued a challenge to students—collect over 500 items for the Cook County Food Shelf and he would shave his head at the talent competition. The kids did it! […]

Economics students earn recognition



This year in economics class, Cook County High School seniors have been learning about the stock market and have been participating in the Minnesota Stock Market Simulation. Economics students in Mitch Dorr’s class have been participating in this state wide simulation for over 10 years now. This year, however, two of his teams finished second and third respectively in the […]

Industrial arts wraps up school year with community activities



As the school year wound down, the Cook County High School industrial arts program has been busy. In early May, the welding class students participated in a community service project on the property of North Shore Waste in Grand Marais. Students spent the morning hours cleaning up the perimeter of the North Shore Waste property for owners Dustin Hansen and […]

Name change approved for two islands on West Pope Lake



On May 5, 2016 the U.S. Board on Geographic Names in Reston, Virginia, met and approved proposals to apply new names to two islands located on West Pope Lake. From now on what has been called Little Island will be Moozoogitagaanesing Island, which in the Ojibwe language means “a small garden to protect young moose.” Big Island will forevermore be […]

Forest Service seeks public input for mining lease renewals



The U.S. Forest Service has announced a 30-day period for public input and a listening session to better understand public views related to two proposed mining lease renewals. The leases are currently held by Twin Metals Minnesota and are located within the same watershed as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) on the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota. […]

Wildlife sightings



It seems to rain about every other day on the Gunflint Trail this spring, creating high water situations on many lakes and streams. Saganaga Lake is slightly higher than normal and the rivers that feed it are running hard. The adventurous anglers who have been braving the rapids into North Lake from Little North are fighting high, fast-moving water that […]

Where are the fish biting?



Tyson at the Beaver House in Grand Marais reports that walleye are “biting good on Devil Track, Two Island, Elbow and Crescent lakes on Beaver Flicks and Spin ‘n Glow rigs.” He has also heard that smallmouth bass are “biting great” on most lakes on the surface. Also, a nice northern was caught last week on Devil Track Lake by […]

Conservation Officer Tales



Although the Cook County News-Herald knows that the majority of sportsmen and women are law-abiding folks, there are a few that run afoul of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Conservation Officers. Periodically, the DNR provides a report of some of the miscreants the Conservation Officers (CO) have encountered. The News-Herald shares these stories as a reminder to all […]

U.S. Fish & Wildlife considers putting Minnesota moose on endangered list



On June 2, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced that Minnesota’s declining moose population might warrant protection under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). The FWS response is to a petition filed last year by the Center for Biological Diversity citing the decline in Minnesota moose numbers from an estimated 8,840 in 2006 to less than 3,000 in […]

Cook County Law Enforcement briefs



It is the policy of the Cook County News-Herald to withhold the identities of individuals in Cook County Law Enforcement briefs. When court proceedings are complete, the Cook County News-Herald publishes a complete accounting of names and penalties in its Matters of Record. Sunday, June 58:58 a.m., Lutsen: Law enforcement was apprised of underwaterblasting that will be occurring about 300 […]