West End News: July 17

Pastor Deborah Lunde has announced her resignation as minister of Zoar Lutheran Church in Tofte.  She has served as pastor at Zoar for six years and has guided the church to a strong position in terms of having an active program with robust membership.  She plans to take a break from ministry for a while for some personal reflection and time with her family.  She won’t be leaving until the end of the busy summer season, which gives the church leadership plenty of time to make transition plans.  I’m sure the whole West End joins me in thanking Pastor Deb for her service to our community.
 
Another branch of the extended Lundie family has been on the minds of Schroeder residents recently, surrounding the 10^th annual Lundie cabin tour sponsored by the Schroeder Area Historical Society.  The tour this year consisted exclusively of cabins and homes designed by celebrated architect Edwin Lundie.   For the first time in ten years, the tour included the incredible Slade mansion.  One hundred and ten tour participants made this the most successful tour in history. A big thanks to the private owners of Lundie cabins and homes, who graciously share their beautiful properties with 110 strangers. The tour is a major fundraiser for the Schroeder Historical Society.
 
Sugarloaf Nature Center in Schroeder continues their wonderful summer lecture series next week with a program entitled “The Evolution of North Shore Streams” by Dr. Karen Gran from UMD.
 
Dr. Gran will cover the geologic history of western Lake Superior, with a focus on how this history affects the rivers today.  The Cross River in Schroeder will be highlighted, including its history as a log-driving conduit during the horse-logging era.  She will also demonstrate a virtual tour of the river using high definition lidar topographic data.
 
The lecture is free and starts at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 26. The Sugarloaf Nature Center is located at Milepost 73, just west of Schroeder on Highway 61.
 
This is the week when we will receive our mail-in ballots for the District 5 Cook County Commissioner primary election.  I strongly urge everyone to exercise their right to vote in both the primary election and the general election in November. 
 
In my opinion, the election process on the national level in now broken. A series of disastrous Supreme Court decisions have not only disenfranchised the ordinary citizen in favor of the rich and powerful, but have led directly to the inability of Congress to take meaningful action on any of the pressing issues facing the nation.
 
This is a serious problem with no easy fix.  I’m an optimist by nature, but I fear greatly for the future of our democracy if we can’t find our way back to the system of one person, one vote. The Canadians, as usual, can teach us a few things, with their strict limits on both the duration of the election season and on campaign contributions.  In Canada, only real people are allowed to contribute to campaigns.
 
On the local level here in Cook County, elections are still a reflection of true democracy.  It’s a healthy and meaningful process that has a direct impact on all of our lives.  By casting an informed ballot, you are doing your part to make this West End an even better community than it already is.