DNR COVID-19 response: What you need to know

In accordance with guidance from the Minnesota Department of Health, we have adjusted our services, events and operations to protect Minnesotans and prevent further spread of COVID-19. Our public lands remain open but we have closed some buildings. We have canceled or postponed many public events and meetings. You will find the latest details below. What’s open? State parks, state […]

Ernest thoughts of the Surgeon’s knot and more


We walk out today into a magical winter day, like when you step into The Wardrobe and part the soft fur coats and pass through the prickly firs into the evergreens dusted with snow. The only “sound’s the sweep / Of easy wind and downy flake” (Frost), and my bird dogs panting as they crisscross the road, quartering in and […]

Time to plan and build a new garden


This is a great time to plan and build a new garden bed. Gardening in Cook County can be challenging because of the cooling effect of Lake Superior. A friend who lives on the shore told me, “It’s like growing things inside a refrigerator.” Our boreal forest soils can be difficult too: bedrock, clay, gravel, and sandy silt. These elements […]

DNR Fish and Wildlife Almanac

A weekly list of news briefs about fish, wildlife, and habitat management. Provide feedback on deer population goals in northwestern and western Minnesota Anyone can help shape deer population goals in northwestern and western Minnesota by providing feedback via an online survey open now through March 30. People can review goal recommendations that resulted from a combination of input from […]

Incredible Exchange opportunities available for county youth


If you have a child between the ages of 11 and 14, they are eligible to apply for the Incredible Exchange program. The Incredible Exchange Program is an opportunity for these youth to volunteer between 25 and 50 hours during the months of June – August 2020, at pre-selected non-profits and or governmental agencies. They will be paired up with […]

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Due to the Coronavirus, check before you plan to go. Ruby’s Pantry Cook County Ruby’s Pantry, 2nd Tuesday of the month food distribution 5 – 6:30 p.m., $20 (cash only) Sponsored by Spirit of the Wilderness Church. You will be amazed at all the food you get at the Cook County High School. No financial or other qualifications—this is surplus […]

Conservation Officer Tales

Although the Cook County News-Herald knows that the majority of sportsmen and women are law-abiding folks, there are a few that run afoul of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Conservation Officers. Periodically, the DNR provides a report of some of the miscreants the Conservation Officers (CO) have encountered. The News-Herald shares these stories as a reminder to all […]

Cook County Law Enforcement briefs

It is the policy of the Cook County News-Herald to withhold the identities of individuals in Cook County Law Enforcement briefs. When court proceedings are complete, the Cook County News-Herald publishes a complete accounting of names and penalties in its Matters of Record. Tuesday, March 38:18 a.m. Grand Marais: West Highway 61 theft reported.Named suspect wrote bad checks adding up […]

Matters of Record

The Cook County News-Herald publishes Matters of Record to inform the public of arraignments and dispositions of criminal cases in which the potential punishment exceeds $150 and/or 10 days in jail. It is the Cook County News-Herald’s policy that this information contains a complete record. Requests for items to be withheld will not be granted. Dominique M. Davis, 36, Milwaukee, […]

Wondering Highway 61


As the only direct route, north shore travelers soon begin to memorize things on Highway 61 and we wonder. We wonder why Cant Road? Why Knife or Caribou Rivers? Who named them, and why? We see the Superior National Forest signs, but do we venture in? We see the Chippewa City Church and, unless we read Walking the Old Road, […]