The Grand Marais Public Library is pleased to invite families to listen to a live performance of Celtic music on Saturday, August 17, at 11 a.m. Andrea Stern (Celtic harps) and Laura MacKenzie (wooden flutes, concertina, whistles, various bagpipes, and voice) form the duo Willow Brae.
WTIP Radio invites one and all to the Radio Waves Music Festival, September 6 – 8 in the Grand Marais Rec Park. This annual music festival is a celebration of local music and community on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Organized by WTIP Community Radio, the event brings together 20 diverse musical acts, spanning many genres including a balance of new artists and local favorites.
Dear current and prospective residents of Grand Marais, I write to introduce a new townhome housing development planned for your community called Bjorkberg. I am a residential architect and the designer of Bjorkberg, and also a housing advocate focused on creating the next generation of attainable housing.
For those of you who have been following coverage of the planned housing development which has been proposed for a quiet, green and dark neighborhood in Grand Marais, with Little Birch Mountain at its heart, this may be the first time you've heard the word 'condominium' in the title of this project. I had to read to page 72 in the over 100 page plan to come across that legal description of what has been purported to address housing needs of our community. If you're concerned about a precedent that could be set through approval of this plan I urge you to learn more about it, and express your concerns. This in no way addresses our housing needs, unless we need $400,000 + per unit row houses that do not require residents to live & work here full time, and allows owners to rent their units month to month to different renters. Only 5 of the 21 units are earmarked to be 'affordable' and even there, when you read the proposal carefully you can calculate that it will take a 2 income household with wages well above the average worker to be able to afford a unit. There is little transparency in the nuts & bolts reality of this project, e.g. 1) Little Birch Mountain provides considerable challenges (steep hill, deep bedrock, considerable storm run-off, and no current city services - water, sewer, storm drainage - connected to this development) which Petters et al claim they have addressed. READ CAREFULLY! Drainage, etc is addressed only on the land they plan to 'develop': half of which they currently own; half still in negotiation. The lion's share of the bill for city services will no doubt be left to neighbors as assessments against their properties; with risk of long term damage to their houses and land. 2) Plan claims to be in compliance with the city's Comprehensive Plan - again READ CAREFULLY - use is not at all compatible with the existing neighborhood.
I just wanted to say thank you to the guy on County Road 7 that waves at every car that goes by. It reminds me of BJ Muus who was always out for a walk did the same thing for many many years. What a simple act of kindness.
As part of Minnesota's cannabis legalization movement, counties can establish ordinances to further regulate its use. In Cook County, the sheriff and county attorney requested that county commissioners form a commission, which they would co-chair, to discuss and draft such an ordinance. The result of their work is now before us in Cook County Ordinance 66. If adopted as drafted, this ordinance would allow minors to be charged with cannabis possession as a misdemeanor. Here's the alarming part: The county attorney confirmed to Commissioner Mills that if a judge orders a minor into a chemical dependence treatment program, the lack of such programs in our county could result in the minor being removed not only from their home but also from the county entirely. Consider this: If county commissioners vote for this draft, their decision could tear children from their families due to a legalization action taken in St. Paul. Removing kids from their homes because the state made something legal seems like the wrong approach for our community,violates the spirit of the state law, and is frankly bewildering. Fortunately, there's a simple solution. The commissioners could either eliminate this language and allow parents to handle discipline, or they could modify the ordinance so that minors face only a petty misdemeanor - akin to a traffic ticket - rather than a criminal misdemeanor charge like prostitution or driving under the influence. This change would protect our children from potentially being forced out of their homes and out of Cook County by a judge's order. If you believe this draft ordinance is misguided, I urge you to contact the commissioners, county attorney, and county sheriff. Tell them not to risk displacing our youth from the county over something their parents' generation has made legal. Thank you, Bryan Hansel, Grand Marais
Cook County, through a committee established in January called the Cannabis Regulation Committee, has recently been exploring whether and how to impose local controls on the use, possession, and sales of cannabis. State law made effective in August 2023 recently legalized Adult (21 and over) use of cannabis and established the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management which will begin licensing cannabis businesses in 2025. While local governments may not prohibit sales or use of cannabis that the State allows, the City of Grand Marais and Cook County may pass laws which regulate the “time, place, and manner” of cannabis use and sales within their jurisdictions. This article describes the work of the committee, summarizes the content of the proposed ordinance, and lays out the public’s opportunities to give feedback on the subject of cannabis use and sales in Cook County.
As a part of their building project at our main campus in Grand Marais, the Highway Department, through its contractor, Rice Lake Construction Group, and sub-contractor, SX Blasting, will be blasting a utility trench on their property at 609 East Fourth Avenue. The blasting dates are tentatively set to begin Thursday, August 8, 2024, and last for 2 to 3 business days.
The Happy Hikers will hike a portion of the Caribou Rock Trail. This rugged trail is in the Boundary Waters, so we are limited to 9 people in a group. If we have more than 9 people, we will split into two groups and stagger our hiking start times. The trailhead is accessed off Hungry Jack Lake Rd (up the Gunflint Trail). The trail begins gradually uphill, and after 3/4 mile, we come to a beautiful overlook of West Bearskin Lake. Another 1/4 mile, and we are at an overlook of Moss Lake. The trail continues over rugged terrain, lots of ups and downs, and a couple of rock scrambles that we may need to help each other traverse. There’s a reason this is called Caribou ROCK Trail! We will also get a view of Duncan Lake. This is an out-and-back hike, so we will continue a little over 1.5 miles before turning around. We will enjoy our lunch at the Moss Lake overlook on the way back. Well-behaved dogs on a leash are welcome.