Bob Toftey elected to UND Hall of Fame
One of Cook County’s finest high school athletes, Bob Toftey, the son of Norman and Evelyn Toftey, was recently enshrined in the University of North Dakota Hall of Fame for his exploits on the football field. Bob was a standout football, basketball, and track athlete while he was at Cook County High School (then called Grand Marais High School). He […]
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Tofte firefighters and first responders came to Birch Grove Charter School on Wednesday, Oct. 9 and demonstrated an array of their gear—from backboards and braces used to help victims of accidents to water pumping trucks and hoses used to put out fires. Above, volunteer Tofte firefighter Craig Horak helps a little guy spray water high into the sky. Although curious […]
County board discusses appointing an interim county administrator
Cook County Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA) Director Mary Somnis came before the Cook County board of commissioners on Tuesday, October 8, with an overview of the EDA’s recent accomplishments and to present the 2020 budget request to the board. Since 2017 Somnis said, the EDA has sold seven lots in the business park. As far as the two […]
North Shore’s Tofte and Lutsen connected by new mountain bike trail
A new 17-mile stretch of purpose-built mountain bike trail will open next spring that connects a cluster of trails at Britton Peak in Tofte to Lutsen. The new connection creates 35 total miles of wilderness trails that include 24 miles in Tofte/Lutsen and 11 in Grand Marais. “The North Shore is wide-known for outdoor adventure, and we are seeing a […]
Moose Madness Family Festival returns Oct. 18-20
Murray the Moose will be on the loose in Grand Marais during Moose Madness next weekend, a weekend of family fun with events and activities for everyone. Activities range from the athletic to artistic with the weekend focused on earning and spending “moose bucks.” Kids can earn Moose Bucks by participating in scavenger hunts, races, and arts activities all around […]
The Tree
Long before people today were born into this world, there existed a very large tree, an ancient tree, as some called it. The tree had grown for centuries in a welcoming valley ringed by cascading hillsides. The first people to venture into this beautiful valley were at once drawn to the magnificent tree with its stout trunk and its broad […]
Court suspends PolyMet’s permit to mine; hearing set for Oct. 23
In a major victory for keeping copper-sulfide mining out of Minnesota, the Minnesota Court of Appeals has stayed (suspended) the PolyMet’s Permit to Mine. Significant post-permitting issues, namely the dam that failed in Brazil is similar to PolyMet’s dam design and that Glencore will be the actual mining operator and is not a permittee, led to the decision. On October […]
Cook County DFL urges Cook County commissioners to reject MRC’s request to join
The Cook County DFL strives to best represent our members and caucus. Our caucus includes nearly 500 residents of Cook County, and our voting block is over 60 percent of the county. Based on resolutions opposing sulfide mining, which passed our caucuses and unanimously passed our convention, the Cook County DFL opposes Cook County’s joining Minnesota Rural Counties (MRC). MRC’s […]
Superior National Forest seeks public input on Tofte Landscape Project
The Tofte Ranger District of the Superior National Forest is proposing a new and innovative project to manage forest vegetation across the entire district over the next 15 years. Typically, the Superior National Forest proposes to manage forest vegetation on a static set of forest stands. The Tofte Landscape Project is different in that it will utilize condition based management. […]