Buzz, Buzz, Buzz. That was the sound Jennifer Serpico heard last year when she called the Grand Marais Recreation Park office on the third of January, the first day the park was open to taking reservations for the upcoming summer. Serpico, like most callers, was trying to get reservations for the four-day Fisherman’s Picnic festival. All told Jennifer called 775 […]
Minnesota moose mystery starting to unravel
Researchers are closing in on the various reasons for the 15-year decline in Minnesota’s moose herd. Following four years of monitoring adult moose via GPS radio collars, retrieving downed moose within 24 hours of their death, wildlife biologists have been able to unravel most of the mystery as to what has caused so many of Minnesota’s largest herbivore to die […]
County board plans New Year; Bursheim sworn in as commissioner
On the third day of January 2017, the Cook County Board of Commissioners was busy planning its assignments for the upcoming year. With the recent resignation of District One Commissioner Frank Moe who resigned due to health concerns, board members graciously agreed to take on numerous extra tasks until a replacement is elected to fill his term. Jan Sivertson was […]
Snowmobile accident claims the life of local man, snow conditions cited as main cause
It was supposed to be a fun outing. Two friends out enjoying the new snow on snowmobiles, but it ended horribly when they were both ejected from their machines and the fall killed one of them. The accident happened on Saturday, December 31. Police and rescue were called at 5:30 p.m. According to the initial police report, “Wayne Gunnar Anderson, […]
The Internet goes down, 911 service affected
Server not found. That’s what most people in the county read when they went to use their Internet on Friday, December 30. The loss of connection was felt at local businesses who couldn’t accept credit cards, as well as those who were awaiting documents or wanting to send documents through their computer because their phone lines were down. Or mostly […]
Our system comes with no guarantees
There are a lot of dire predictions about our representative democracy out there. We’re just past a presidential election campaign in which candidates complained about a rigged political system. Now, commentators worry about the imminent failure of the American experiment. I don’t agree with these predictions of calamity. Our representative democracy is not on the verge of collapse. But I […]
Here’s hoping the 2017 Minnesota Legislature has a successful session
If it seemed like the earth shook a little bit the other day, it was in reaction to Senate DFL Caucus Leader Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook) who released a statement in support of Gov. Mark Dayton’s Jobs Bill. The two haven’t exactly been fast friends the last couple of years. Kumbaya moments have been few and far between for these two […]
Senator Al Franken: In New Year, I’ll put Minnesota first
In the wake of last year’s dramatic and surprising presidential election, there’s a lot of uncertainty about what the new year will bring. Given the political earthquake we experienced in 2016, I’ll refrain from making any predictions about what this year’s political environment might be like. Instead, I’ll make this promise: No matter what the new administration brings, and no […]
Cook County monitors water near Lake Superior shore
Throughout Cook County, surface water monitoring has been taking place by volunteers. These volunteers are assisting with developing a larger picture of what land use practices are protecting or impacting the water quality in this region. Over the past three summers, Lake Superior has been added to the list of surface water monitoring. Cook Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) […]
