North Shore News Hour

The Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is holding its general election Tuesday, June 12. Council members are elected by enrolled members of the Grand Portage Band. 

The polls are open on Election Day, June 12, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Old Log Community Building.


Elected council members take office on July 9.

On the ballot for the June 12 election are:
For Committee Person I
Rob Hull, incumbent
William “Bill” Meyers

For Committee Person II
Mike Keyport
John Morrin, incumbent

Click here for the interviews with John Morrin
Click here for the interview with Mike Keyport

For secretary/treasurer
Robert “Bobby” Deschampe
April McCormick
 
WTIP Community Radio reached out to all of the candidates. Rob Hull and Bill Meyers declined an interview, as did secretary/treasurer candidate Bobby Deschampe.

WTIP was able to talk to Secretary/Treasurer April McCormick. Here's that conversation. 
 

The Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is holding its general election on Tuesday, June 12.

The Grand Portage Tribal Council is the governing body of the reservation, which is a member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. The election is being held in accordance with the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe constitution.

The Tribal Council consists of a chairman, vice chairman, secretary/treasurer, and two committee members. All positions are four-year terms.

On the ballot for the June 12 election are:
For secretary/treasurer 
Robert “Bobby” Deschampe
April McCormick
 
For Committee Person I
Rob Hull, incumbent
William “Bill” Meyers
 
For Committee Person II 
Mike Keyport
John Morrin, incumbent

Polling places are at the Grand Portage Tribal Council Office, 83, Stevens Road, Grand Portage (prior to Election Day) and at the Old Log Community Building from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 12.

Elected council members take office on July 9.

WTIP's Rhonda Silence asked candidates if they would speak with WTIP. Two candidates, for a committee person seat, agreed to an interview--incumbent John Morrin and challenger Mike Keyport. 

Here's Rhonda with John Morrin. 
 

The Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is holding its general election on Tuesday, June 12.

The Grand Portage Tribal Council is the governing body of the reservation, which is a member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. The election is being held in accordance with the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe constitution.

The Tribal Council consists of a chairman, vice chairman, secretary/treasurer, and two committee members. All positions are four-year terms.

On the ballot for the June 12 election are:
For secretary/treasurer
Robert “Bobby” Deschampe
April McCormick
 
For Committee Person I
Rob Hull, incumbent
William “Bill” Meyers
 
For Committee Person II
Mike Keyport
John Morrin, incumbent

Polling places are at the Grand Portage Tribal Council Office, 83, Stevens Road, Grand Portage (prior to Election Day) and at the Old Log Community Building from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 12.

Elected council members take office on July 9.

WTIP's Rhonda Silence asked candidates if they would speak with WTIP. Two candidates, for a committee person seat, agreed to an interview--incumbent John Morrin and challenger Mike Keyport. 

Here's Rhonda with Mike Keyport. 
 

The Grand Marais City Council meets on the second and last Wednesday of each month to handle matters happening in the city. After each meeting, WTIP checks in with Mayor Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux for more information on what was discussed. 

WTIP's Rhonda Silence checked in with the mayor on street permits, activities at the Grand Marais Rec Park, Highway 61 planning and more. 

Audrey Summers, a Cook County High School graduate and former intern at WTIP Community Radio, has graduated from Beloit College in Wisconsin with degrees in creative writing and journalism. She also applied for--and has received--a Fulbright fellowship. 

Audrey is now gearing up for that fellowship in South Korea, where she will be teaching English to children. Back home for a brief visit before setting out for Korea, she stopped by the WTIP studio for an interview. 

Commencement exercises for the Cook County High School Class of 2018 will be in the high school gymnasium on Saturday, June 2. Graduation begins at 3 p.m.

Speaking at the ceremony will be Valedictorian Maya McHugh and Salutatorian Linnea Henrikson, both very busy young women. WTIP is delighted that they found time in their busy schedules to visit with us. 

Here's Rhonda Silence with Maya and Linnea. 

Congratulations to them and to all of the members of the Class of 2018. Best wishes to you all! 

Ida Rukavina, an aide to Senator Amy Klobuchar contacted the Cook County/Grand Marais Economic Development Authority and the Cook County Chamber this week to let the county know that the number of H-2B worker visas is being increased for 2018.

On May 25, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen announced that an additional 15,000 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas will be made available. Secretary Nielsen said she had determined there are not sufficient, qualified, U.S. workers available to perform temporary non-agriculture labor to satisfy the needs of American businesses in FY18.

This allocation is in addition to the 66,000 visas already issued this year.

The H-2B temporary worker program was designed to serve U.S. businesses unable to find a sufficient number of qualified U.S. workers to perform nonagricultural work of a temporary nature. Congress set the annual H-2B visa cap at 66,000. On February 27, 2018, US Customs and Immigration determined that it had received sufficient H-2B petitions to meet the full 2018 cap of 66,000.

Details on eligibility and filing requirements will be available on uscis.gov when the final temporary rule is posted for public inspection.

WTIP's Rhonda Silence spoke with Cook County Chamber Director Jim Boyd about the situation in Cook County--and about the Chamber's efforts to build the workforce on the North Shore.

Cook County High School junior Leif Anderson got an inside look at how things work in the Minnesota Legislature when he served as a page at the Capitol in April. 

Rhonda Silence talked to Leif about his political adventure in this interview. 

Changes to the international worker programs have caused problems for some businesses on the North Shore. Thomsonite Beach Inn in Grand Marais relies on international workers to help with the summer rush. 

WTIP spoke with Thomsonite Beach owner Lee Bergstrom to ask if she was able to arrange for summer workers. The answer? Yes--and no. 

Here's Rhonda Silence with more. 

Some of the Cook County Track team members are heading to section finals at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. WTIP checked in with Coach Chris Hegg to find out who is going and what events they will be taking part in. 

Here's Rhonda Silence with that report.