Down Memory Lane
10 YEARS AGOMAY 11, 2007 A fire that started at a campsite on Ham Lake on Saturday had grown to 17,000- plus acres by Wednesday, destroying more than 40 structures and requiring the evacuation of more than 100 people from the upper Gunflint Trail. It is the fire everyone has been preparing for since the blowdown in 1999, but the […]
H-2B visas hard to come by
Especially during the summer, many Cook County businesses recruit young people who come from all parts of the globe to fill positions that can’t be filled locally due to a shortage of employees. You see them in grocery stores stocking shelves, in restaurants waiting tables, bussing dishes, cooking, doing dishes, they work behind cash registers, cleaning rooms, making beds, using […]
Steele, Spoon win Ham Lake half marathon
It was no surprise to see Shane Steele far out in front of the field at the Ham Lake Half Marathon. Steele has a lifetime best of 1:12 for the 13.1-mile distance and at age 27, he’s ready to start training to lower that time. But what was shocking to see was Emma Spoon, age 27, Steele’s girlfriend, looking strong […]
Author with local ties publishes mystery novel
Eagan, Minnesota author Ron Erickson has spent a considerable amount of the past several decades in Cook County and exploring the Gunflint Trail. He describes some of his adventures in the Arrowhead Region in his new book, “Judges, JAGS and Jokesters.” Ron first visited this area as a teenager. One of the first people he met was legendary game warden […]
Bald What!
The first thing I noticed when leaving Minnesota was that the rest of the country talks funny. I found myself saying ”huh?” a lot during my recent visit to the south. It took a while but I eventually learned to translate Texan, Louisianan, Arkansan, and even Baltimorean. The Maryland accent was especially confusing until I took a minute to geographically […]
Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra to perform at Grand Marais Library
A performance by members of the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra is scheduled at the Grand Marais Public Library at noon Thursday, May 25. The Sound of Strings Duo, comprised of Michelle Gribbon on violin and Christina Roytz Branham on cello will present a program titled “Music from the heart” and feature selections by Gribbon, Paganini, Elgar, Delibes, and more. This concert […]
A world tour in music
On Thursday, May 18, the Cook County High School and Middle School choirs and guest artists will present “Around the World in (About) 80 Minutes.” The choirs will perform folk songs and choral arrangements from America to Indonesia, with texts in 10 languages. The concert also features several guest artists from around the community, including members of the Cook County […]