10 YEARS AGO
NOV. 21, 2003
At the Nov. 13 Tofte Town Board meeting current board chairman John Nelson’s retirement announcement came as a surprise to his fellow supervisors Paul James and Gary Kettleson. Fire Chief Rich Nelson (John’s son) announced the retirement during his fire report. John stated he was resigning from his supervisor post and asked his fellow supervisors to appoint a replacement for the remainder of his term through March 2004. The announcement interrupted the meeting for several minutes of lively discussion among everyone in attendance. Nelson has served on the town board since it was formed in 1975.
The county board moved forward Tuesday with plans to replace its aging and overloaded communications tower on Eagle Mountain in Lutsen. According to a proposal received from Verizon, the communications company wants to build a new 190-foot-tall tower on county land to replace the existing structure. In exchange for permission to do that, Verizon would let the county place its antennas on the new tower lease-free.
20 YEARS AGO
NOV. 22, 1993
The Cook County Board of Commissioners Nov. 17 authorized TSP Architects to proceed with a schematic design of a major courthouse remodeling and expansion. The action does not constitute a decision to construct the building, but does authorize spending up to $46,000 on detailed plans and schematic drawings.
Tuesday afternoon and evening, Cook County residents will have an opportunity to participate in a hearing that will help determine whether or not Grand Marais will get a second state bank. The two meetings in Grand Marais are open to the public and will be informal, according to an administrative judge who will preside. A more comprehensive hearing will be held Nov. 29 in St. Paul at the Department of Commerce. Those hearings will include testimony by the applicant, the objector and various expert witnesses. They are expected to continue for three or four days.
50 YEARS AGO
NOV. 21, 1963
J.T. Hussey, who has served the county as clerk of the district court for the past 17 years, resigned from the office at last week’s county board meeting.
Commercial fishermen are either pulling in their nets or are forced to sell their fish to Duluth buyers on consignment following a “no buy” notice from the dealers. The latter claim the recent stigma given smoked fish sold in vacuumpacked plastic bags has ruined the market for any type of fish. This is a hard blow to the fishermen who have had to contend with one hardship after another.
Mrs. George Smith reported last week that she found wild yellow violets blooming in the village. Spirea are still blooming in front of the News-Herald, and there is still a whole border of snapdragons at the Shoreline. Malcolm Linnell still has roses blooming.
90 YEARS AGO
NOV. 22, 1923
Leonard Portano, who murdered four persons in a day’s carnival of crime following a quarrel over an innocent girl of 15, is behind bars in the county jail at Bemidji. The slayer was captured 2½ miles north of Kelliher. He was hiding in a haystack and displayed none of the courage credited to him when Sheriff Julius Johnson walked to his hiding place and ordered him to surrender. Instead of the battle which had been expected, and for which hundreds of armed men had prepared, the murderer walked from the stack with his hands up.
A jury of four women and five men yesterday agreed to disagree in an action of the state against seven woodsmen who, it was alleged, jumped their job after accepting transportation. Sheriff Lien thinks that a jury of women may be depended upon to exercise equally as good judgment as men would, and he was well satisfied with this first jury here made up so largely of women.
LOST – A pair of spectacles. Finder return to Kate Frost of Chippewa Village. She is sorely in need of them as she cannot work without them.
Do you have an old picture or a story from years gone by that you would like to share with the Cook County News-Herald readers? We’d love to hear your Historical Reflections Call (218) 387-9100; e-mail starnews@boreal.org; or stop by our office at 15 First Avenue West.
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