A metaphor in the hive


“Next I’ll speak about the celestial gift of honey from the air.” Virgil. Many of you know that Virgil was a poet from 70 – 19 BCE. He was thought by some to be Rome’s greatest poet. He wrote a classic about the founding of Rome, the Aeneid. I like him because he also wrote about bees and was a […]

Red Kettle donations coming in slowly


The headline of an Alabama paper read “Salvation Army in Desperate Need of Volunteers as Christmas approaches” and that would seem to be true for our area. While Cook County’s Salvation Army kettle campaign is up and running, there are fewer bell ringers this year, said Sharon Bloomquist, who is in charge of the local service unit. “People’s lives change. […]

Historical Reflections

Junior Choir members are shown performing at First Congregational Church during the December 1968 holiday concert. Pictured from left are Bernice Larsen, Holly Casner, Becky Bystrom, Sue Allard, Peggy Staples, Donald Burge and Robert Hedstrom.

Down Memory Lane

10 YEARS AGODEC. 20, 2008 After listening to a dozen staff and community members speak mostly in favor of an internal administrative reorganization plan aimed at avoiding a potentially lengthy and costly superintendent search, the Cook County School Board rejected the proposal by a 4-1 vote Monday night. Instead, the district will proceed with its original plan to seek outside […]

Lyle D. Gerard

Lyle D. Gerard, born December 16, 1924, in Duluth, died there 94 years later on December 16, 2018. Lyle was a kind and generous man who had a powerful positive impact on many lives. He was known as “Grandpa Lyle” in Lutsen, where he lived for 33 years. Lyle’s life was characterized by a love of books and reading that […]

What shoulder season?


Even though our slopes have been open for a few weekends now, this time of year our community takes a collective deep breath as the pace slows down and the seasons change, this is known to most as a shoulder season. A shoulder season is a travel season between peak and off-peak times, a season that many in travel and […]

Snacks in Packs quietly helps fight hunger


Over the holidays one of the things that many people do is eat too much. In most homes it’s easy to do. There are Christmas cookies, candy and baked goods made for the family gatherings that call out to us to be devoured. But not everyone has a bounty of food. Some families don’t have enough food, let alone treats […]

Candidates sought for city/county boards


When Anna Hamilton lost a close decision to serve on the Grand Marais City Council, it opened another venue for her to (possibly) serve on a myriad of opening on boards and councils. City administrator Mike Roth and councilor Kelly Swearingen both encouraged Hamilton to put her energy, time and talents to use on any number of openings. But as […]

Commissioner’s statement on 2017 suicide data


Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm issued the following statement today regarding the release of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that Minnesota saw a significant increase in the number of suicides in 2017: Minnesota faces a growing public health challenge related to suicide. There are resources available to help those facing a crisis, but these […]

Cook County Invite draws big field of skiers


The Cook County High School Invite was held on Dec. 15 at Lutsen Mountains on Koo- Koo. With perfect weather, a daytime high of 28F, sunny skies and awesome snow conditions, the 124 participating racers skied two runs on a challenging Slalom course. There were seven teams from Section 7 including; Hibbing, Virginia Area, East, Marshall, Hermantown, CEC, Denfeld, plus […]