County board to decide levy on Dec.12
Cook County commissioners set December 12 as the date to set the levy for 2018. The decision came at the board’s November 28 meeting. Commissioners have been eyeing a levy of 19.9 percent, but could lower it at the December 12 meeting. Counties have until December 29 to get their 2018 levies in to the state. Cook County Sheriff Pat […]
Hakes to manage Leah Phifer’s run for Congress
This past week candidate for Congress Leah Phifer announced she had hired Sue Hakes, a powerhouse leader from northern Minnesota, to take the reins of managing her campaign to win the DFL endorsement to represent the 8th Congressional District. Hakes is a former Cook County commissioner and mayor of Grand Marais. She was first elected to office in 2008, serving […]
Grand Marais Library honored
Grand Marais Public Library once again achieved a five star ranking in the annual Library Journal Star Libraries standings. Joining Grand Marais this year are Ely with four stars and Baudette with three stars, giving the Arrowhead Library System three of only five libraries in the state to achieve this benchmark.Grand Marais has been ranked a five star library for […]
I.S.D. 166 school board accepts PK-12 principal Adam Nelson’s resignation
It’s official: I.S.D. 166 PK-12 principal Adam Nelson will be leaving the school district to become the superintendent of Wrenshall public schools. Nelson presented his letter of resignation to the school district on Dec. 1. His last day will be Jan. 1, 2018. The I.S.D. 166 school board held a special meeting on Dec. 14 to accept the resignation and […]
County board has a difficult job
I would like to make a correction. One of last week’s letter writers included me in a group that is opposed to the Cook County Board of Commissioners. During the public comment section of the Truth in Taxation meeting, I did speak about the hardship of paying large tax increases while living on a fixed income. But I also spoke […]
Writer asks for civility in budget process
There is a disease—a cancer if you will—that has infected America. Unfortunately it appears that it has spread to our community as well. This disease has many names but it has shown up as incivility, disrespect, and meanness. This disease has especially raised its ugly head during the recent uproar over the county budget and increased property taxes. At the […]
Commissioners not sharing agenda with public
In the evening of 27 November, about 100 county taxpayers were treated to a “truth in taxation” (sic) meeting, hosted by the county commission. The administrator delivered his standard lecture assuring us that we were under-taxed and over-served with all the charm he could muster, given his obvious contempt of the people by whom he is employed. The commission chairman […]
Who’s zoomin whom?
The current levy and tacked-on additions facing the people of Cook County are no small laughing matter. It’s insanity at its best. How many can afford that amount? Twenty-six percent total? (As printed in the paper three issues ago.) The commissioners need to come clean on how they can “justify” all this. Do you really think they spent a great […]