A benefit held at Lutsen Mountains’ Papa Charlie’s Restaurant and Tavern on Saturday, November 19 raised a little over $7,000 (before expenses) for Birch Grove Community School, said Sarena Nelson, the lead organizer of the event. “We had about 85 people attend the dinner and the silent auction,” said Nelson. “More than 75 vendors donated items for the silent auction, […]
Cook County Community Fund announces $12,000 Matching Grant opportunity
Current and former Cook County Community Fund Advisory Board members have come together to create a matching grant pool of $12,000 to match new gifts and increase existing pledges to the Cook County Community Fund. Your gift today, of any size, including corporate matching funds, will be matched dollar for dollar. Help us meet this year’s fundraising goal of $25,000 […]
Janicek receives EMDR training
EMDR is a powerful approach to psychotherapy that has helped an estimated two million people of all ages to find relief and recovery from post-traumatic stress. Local therapist Suzabelle Janicek is in the final month of completing training at Midwest EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) that now qualifies her to begin scheduling and preparing clients for treatment. EMDR was […]
North Country National Scenic Trail Bill set for hearing
On Wednesday, November 30 the House National Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands got a first hearing about the proposed North Country National Scenic Trails bill. At 5,000 miles in length, the network connects many existing trails and stretches from North Dakota, through Minnesota’s Arrowhead all of the way to Vermont, then as far north as Maine, and as far south […]
Commissioners discuss budget
Cook County Administrator Jeff Cadwell presented a review of some of the discretionary funding requests and a 2017 budget status update at the county board’s November 29 meeting. When compared to 2016 spending ($19,527,755), the 2017 proposed budget is $19,294,876. The change from 2016 to 2017 is negative 0.1 percent. However, the county collected $7,070,780 in property taxes in 2016 […]
State auditor releases Minnesota Town Finances Report
On November 15, Minnesota State Auditor Rebecca Otto released the Minnesota Town Finances Report, a comprehensive account of revenues, expenditures and debt for Minnesota’s towns. The report analyzes town financial operations for the calendar year ended December 31, 2015. In 2015, there were 1,781 towns compared to 853 cities and 87 counties. The 2015 population estimates from the state demographer […]
Voluntary Attorney Program helps Cook County residents
Dori Streit, executive director of the 10-county Volunteer Attorney Program (VAP), came to Grand Marais last week to make a presentation before the county board about the program she runs. Unfortunately, there was a mix-up in the schedule and commissioners had adjourned for the day, so Streit talked to the newspaper and Commissioner Frank Moe, and later met with Commissioners […]
V is for Venison
I have mixed feelings this time of year. My Facebook feed is full of amazing “hunting” poses that make me both sad and proud at the same time. I felt this way as a child too. My parents hosted several hunters during deer season. There would be hunters sleeping on our floor most weekends and it was not unusual to […]
Borealis Chorale & Orchestra Christmas Concerts Dec. 4-5
The North Shore Music Association is pleased to present the annual Borealis Chorale and Orchestra Christmas concerts on December 4 and 5 at 7 p.m. at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 417 1st Ave. West, Grand Marais. The concert is free to the public. Donations to the Borealis Chorale & Orchestra are gratefully accepted. With more than 75 Cook County residents in […]