As I See It

State Senate shows working together is possible

Are we prepared to stop a giant wildfire in Cook County?

After watching the terrible fires in California, Cook County officials and residents should take notice that Cook County could, in the future, have forest fires again. The reason is that the Spruce budworm infestation is killing the Balsam and Spruce trees, creating a very flammable forest. In the early 90s, the county had spruce bud work killing trees, and then we had a decade of forest fires, starting with the Temperance Lake fire and ending with the Ham Lake and Pogamy fires.

On the eve of Trump’s inauguration

It was Jimmy — not James, or even Jim. He was who he was; he didn’t put on airs. Jimmy Carter was not like the politicians of today.

North House Folk School’s Build With Purpose Program Connects Nonprofits with Timber Frames

Stop by North House Folk School during the warmer months, and you might come across a group of students raising a timber frame structure on the commons. Most likely, these students are enrolled in one of North House’s Basic Timber Framing Courses. Timber framing is a core teaching theme at the folk school— this traditional construction method uses heavy timbers and wooden pegs to create beautiful, sturdy structures. Each year, North House students build 2-3 timber frame structures suitable for a variety of purposes. But what happens to these frames once class ends?

Skraba Sworn Into Office

Minnesota’s 2025 Legislative Session officially began January 14th as Rep. Roger Skraba, R-Ely, and 66 other state representatives took the oath of office during a ceremony at the State Capitol in St. Paul.