The Cook County Commissioners met Tuesday, April 11 with a wide variety of subjects to tackle. Cook County Commissioners approved a revolving loan for $175,000 to the Cook County Real Estate Fund for the renovation of the former 6,500 square foot Birchbark Books and Gifts building. The loan is for 20 years with interest at market rates. The loan is... READ MORE >
Fresh off a mile interval and somewhat winded and rosy-cheeked, the kids running mid to long distance for the Vikings track team took a short break last Thursday, April 13. The kids were training in the Grand Marais Rec Park. And while It’s often cold and windy at the Rec Park, it’s also relatively traffic free and flat, which makes... READ MORE >
The Cook County boys’ baseball team traveled to Aurora on Friday, April 14 to play Mesabi East Giants and lost 6-2 in a game that was much closer than the final score would indicate. Mesabi took a one to nothing lead after the first inning. Neither team scored again until the fourth when the Vikings pushed two runs across the... READ MORE >
Drew Holmen continues to improve at long distance running, so much so that he will represent the U.S. at the World Mountain & Trail Running Championships on June 9 in Innsbruck, Austria. The former Cook County High school cross country runner won the Lake Sonoma 50.8 -mile race in Healdsburg, California on April 8 with a time of 6:44:20 to... READ MORE >
Firefighters were called to a fire at a popular summer eatery in Grand Marais on Monday, April 10. Sydney’s Frozen Custard & Wood Fired Pizza suffered heavy damage from an angry blaze that threw thick grey smoke into the air for over an hour. Bruce Block, a building contractor and owner of Sydney’s, said the building was a total loss.... READ MORE >
Seth Jeffs is on the move again. Seth Jeffs, a leader of the FLDS, an offshoot group of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints who believe in child brides and that polygamy brings exaltation in heaven, purchased 80 acres of secluded property in rural Menomonie, Wisconsin and has been building on the property. In December 2018, Seth, as... READ MORE >
If you are venturing into Canada, expect delays at the Pigeon River border crossing. The Minnesota Department of Transportation began construction on the Highway 61 Pigeon River bridge at the US-Canadian border on April 10, 2023. Traffic across the bridge will be reduced to a single lane controlled by temporary traffic signals and will remain that way until October 2023.... READ MORE >
On Tuesday, March 28, Cook County Highway Engineer Robbie Hass spent the better part of an hour explaining to Cook County Commissioners why the Cook County Highway Department was recommending the commissioners vote to dissolve the Kelly’s Hill Subordinate Governmental Service District (SGSD) Private Roadway Maintenance Policy. To summarize the situation, Hass said, “It’s been threeand one-half years of policy... READ MORE >
The cost of buying a house has soared in Cook County. For those of us who live here, that’s not news. But what might be news is just how many people are struggling. So, how affordable is housing for Cook County residents? Not very, according to a 2021 housing report issued by Minnesota Housing Partnership (MHP). The study was an... READ MORE >
With an April 4, 2023, snowstorm brewing just outside the windows of the city council room, Grand Marais Parks and Rec Director Dave Tersteeg addressed the Grand Marais Park Board and said the Rec Park and bathhouses were slated to open May 1, depending on the weather. Tersteeg announced that the city council hired Global Specialties to build the Overlook... READ MORE >
