Traditionally, the Cook County Commissioners’ consent agenda isn’t where the most significant news is unveiled. However, this week was an exception, with the unexpected occurrence of three resignations and one termination within the Public Health and Human Services (PHHS).
Letters to the editor are the opinions of the writer and don’t necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper. Letters should be 300 words or less but exceptions will be made for longer letters in some cases. All letters must include the writer's legal name, phone number, and email if applicable.
For several years, I have been considering a series of columns on Cook County Churches. Because I filled the pulpit at my home church last month, I now have occasion to start that series. I begin with my home church, First Congregational UCC in Grand Marais.
With every wildfire smoke event we experience it should remind us that this massive air pollution is directly due to burning fossil-fuels turning Canadian and US forests into enormous fire risks. The smoke we all now breathe is directly caused by burning fossil-fuels; it will worsen every year, and increasingly frequent and severe pollution events are now a fact of life for Minnesotans as discussed in the Brainerd Dispatch: https://www. brainerddispatch.com/sports/northland- outdoors/ask-the-master-naturalist- smoky-summer-skies-may-become- our-new-normal We will never stop this problem unless we stop burning fossil fuels. Minnesotans paid $24 Billion in 2024 to import fossil-fuels we burn to power 73% of our state’s economy including oil for transportation fuels, natural gas and coal to power electricity generation and to heat homes and industrial processes. Burning fossil fuels in Minnesota costs 150% of what we spend annually on our K-12 education, contributing to wildfire smoke and air pollution affecting everyone, causing one-in-five Americans with heart and lung disease to die prematurely while increasing healthcare costs for us all.
