North Shore News Hour

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The North Shore News Hour includes up-to-the minute weather, North Shore happenings in local news, sports and entertainment, as well as a variety of features from WTIP staff and volunteers. If you miss the North Shore News Hour at noon, tune in for a replay Monday through Thursday beginning at 5:00 p.m.

What's On:

The flag of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa - WTIP file photo

Health officials announce first COVID-19 positive in Grand Portage

On Friday afternoon, August 7, the Grand Portage clinic director was informed that there has been a lab confirmed positive test for COVID-19 for a resident of Grand Portage.

The Cook County public health supervisor told the clinic that the patient is a male in his mid-30s who lives within the Grand Portage Reservation.

The patient remains in quarantine, has complied with mandatory contact tracing protocols and has been interviewed by health officials.

This announcement follows the news of a third case in Cook County on Thursday, August 6. That patient is a female in her 20s. See related story here.

In an announcement on the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Facebook page, the Tribal Council wrote, “Currently, our concern is for the health of this patient and the continued safety and health of the community.

“Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Grand Portage Health and Human Services and the Grand Portage Tribal Emergency Response Team have made a unified effort in preparing for the inevitable arrival of the virus in our community.

“Community members are urged to follow existing guidance to keep everyone safe, now more than ever,” said the Tribal Council announcement.

The Tribal Council reminds everyone to practice the following protocols daily and as needed to keep safe:
• Wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use a hand sanitizer
• Practice social distancing (6 feet apart from others)
• Stay at home if you are not feeling well
• Avoid large gatherings
• Wear a face covering in public to protect yourself and others
• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue and wash hands
• Avoid touching your face and mouth
• Take care of your physical health and mental well-being

If Grand Portage community members—or anyone in Cook County—have any questions about the COVID-19 virus, including symptoms or testing, they are asked to please call the triage nurse at Sawtooth Mountain Clinic at 218-387-2330.

The Tribal Council summed up their announcement with this statement, “With respect, patience, and perseverance we will get through this. Stay safe.”

Program:

North Shore News Hour

The county COVID-19 emergency operations center reported a new coronavirus case on Aug. 6 - Image courtesy of Cook County EOC

Cook County records third resident COVID-19 case

Rhonda Silence-

Cook County has received confirmation of a new resident case of COVID-19, a female in her 20s. The case is expected to appear in the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)’s daily update tomorrow, August 7.

Although this is the third positive COVID-19 result for a Cook County resident, it is the fourth positive test for North Shore Health. As WTIP previously reported July 3, a male in his 50s who is not a resident of Cook County sought care locally and was found to have the coronavirus.

Previous cases of COVID-19 infections in someone residing in Cook County were reported on June 10 and July 21. Those cases were a male in his 30s and a female in her 20s.

Cases are increasing throughout the region and state, with significant increases in Lake and St. Louis counties this week.

Cook County continues to experience an influx of people who reside elsewhere and either work in, or choose to visit, Cook County. The Emergency Operations Center asks individuals to continue utilizing best health practices to help minimize the risk of COVID-19 among our businesses, families and North Shore communities: distance six feet or more, utilize masks, practice good hand hygiene, and stay home when not feeling well.

Anyone with clinical questions about the COVID-19 virus, including symptoms or testing, should call the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic at 218-387-2330.

Program:

North Shore News Hour

Portions of county experiencing phone, 911 outage

Rhonda Silence-

**UPDATE - 9:30 p.m., August 6 **
As of approximately 8:30 p.m., CenturyLink notified the Sheriff’s Office that the fiber line damage that caused the outage has been repaired and 911 service is restored.

**UPDATE - 2:00 p.m., August 6**

CenturyLink has notified the Cook County Sheriff's Office that only the 388 and 475 exchange are affected with the disruption to 911 service due to a fiber line being severed.
= = = = =

Cook County is once again experiencing problems with telephone service.

There is currently an intermittent disruption of 911 service in the parts of the Hovland and Gunflint Trail areas. According to the Cook County Sheriff's Office, the outage is affecting approximately 102 customers.

During this outage, the Hovland and Gunflint Trail fire halls will be staffed with emergency personnel with ARMER radio capabilities who can connect to 911 dispatch.

If you are without a 911 connection and experience a situation requiring emergency response, go to your nearest fire hall.

The sheriff's office says it is unknown at this time how long the disruption will last, but updates will be shared when they are available.

Program:

North Shore News Hour

School District 166 seeks family input for return-to-school planning

Rhonda Silence-

School District 166 is also conducting a survey to help it finalize plans for returning to school under Minnesota’s Safe Learning plan and CDC guidelines.

The School District wants to hear the voices of students and families.
As a school district, there are options for how to start and work through the 2020-2021 school year: in-person, a hybrid of in-person and distance learning or distance learning provided by teachers.
Distance learning is an option for families if that is wat is best for a family’s needs. That option will be available at anytime during the 2020-2021 school year.

Nothing is finalized yet and the school district asks school families to please share their personal needs and preferences to assist with planning for the school year.

Click here to open the survey.

Program:

North Shore News Hour

City hall in downtown Grand Marais. WTIP file photo

City pauses planning for city hall and liquor store renovations

Rhonda Silence-

The renovation of Grand Marais City Hall and the municipal liquor store building has been on the city council's agenda for many years. A great deal of research has been done regarding what could be done to the aging structure which once housed the Grand Marais fire department and the city jail. It seemed that the city was close to signing a contract with its architects for design work for a new facility at the Wednesday, July 29 council meeting, however, questions over the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on city's finance has put a halt--at least temporarily--to renovation planning.

The city of Grand Marais has been exploring options for the renovation or removal of the city hall building for several years now. The city first sought developers who may be interested in taking on a reconstruction of city hall and the municipal liquor store, adding retail space and perhaps even lodging, with no success.

The city met with a consultant in liquor store construction for advice and had its engineering firm, LHB, come up with concepts for a renovation. Many different drafts were shared and considered.

At this latest meeting, Councilor Tim Kennedy asked City Administrator Mike Roth if the city still had money in its budget to complete the project with a price tag that has inched toward $6 million.

Administrator Roth reminded the council that the plans had been to finance the work through revenue from the city's enterprise, the municipal liquor store. Proceeds from the liquor store had been earmarked for future renovation.

However, Roth acknowledged that with the uncertainty of revenues due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he could not guarantee those funds would be there.

Councilor Kelly Swearingen raised concerns about beginning such a project at this time. Swearingen said she felt there were just too many unknowns to proceed.

Councilor Anton Moody, running the meeting as acting mayor, was also reluctant with moving ahead. He noted that the city was just beginning its budget work and planned to meet with department heads. He said the council may have a better picture of finances and how to proceed after those meetings.

Swearingen went on to suggest not just pausing the project as proposed in the latest draft from the engineering firm, but perhaps to scale back on the project entirely. She said perhaps the city should once again look at building a separate, small, city hall on the city's property on Highway 61 near its maintenance facility.

There was some discussion of a possible move or changes to the reconstruction of city hall at the downtown site. Councilor Tim Kennedy agreed that the council should wait to review finances before proceeding, but reiterated the value of the planning that has been done. His colleagues agreed that the planning that had been done was worthwhile, but as Councilor Anton Moody suggested, it was time to "pump the brakes" on the project.

Councilors agreed to hold off on committing to any sort of contract until more information is available.

WTIP's Rhonda shares this report on the city hall discussion.

Listen:

Program:

North Shore News Hour

Students are invited to tie-dye their own masks. Photo by Mila Horak

All students invited to tie-dye mask-making event Aug. 8, 9 & 10

Rhonda Silence-

A special mask tie-dying opportunity for all Cook County students is coming up on August 8, 9, and 10 in the outdoor classroom at School District 166, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The purpose of the three-day event is to ensure that all Cook County students will have masks to return to school in the fall, so everyone can feel safe and supported in their learning environment.

Families from all local schools are encouraged to take part, from School District 166, Oshki Ogimaag, Great Expectations, and Birch Grove. The mask-making project is for students from kindergarten to 12th grade.

School District 166 Art teacher Mila Horak is taking the lead on this project, a collaboration with the Grand Marais Art Colony. Horak says the Art Colony received generous donations from the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic and the North Shore Hospital of white cotton masks and has purchased art supplies through Joy & Co. for every student in the county to tie-dye one mask, and make a beaded fastener to go with it.

The event will be held with COVID-19 precautions--all participants must wear a mask and stay six feet apart. To make that possible, families are asked to sign up for a specific time slot on one of the days. Families are encouraged to come together, but a separate time is required for each child. Find the signup page here.

During the event, there will be stations. First, a stop for a plain white mask pickup--each mask will have a student name, written in permanent marker. Students will then visit stations where the dye will be applied. They will also have the opportunity to make a beaded connector for their mask. It's not a make-and-take event, masks need to be finished and washed. Volunteers will do that and will have the masks at the schools by August 12.

Horak said in addition to the Art Colony, hospital and clinic, the school is working with the North Shore Fiber Guild, Sew Good Goods, Material Girl and Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota. Additional masks are being made for students by local sewers and BCBS employees. She said the goal is to have five masks per student.

Use the signup page to participate. For more information or to volunteer with this project, email Mila Horak at [email protected] or call 218-370-0106 and leave a message.

WTIP's Rhonda Silence spoke with Art Teacher Mila Horak to learn how this will work.

Listen:

Program:

North Shore News Hour

City Councilor Tim Kennedy will not run for reelection

Rhonda Silence-

There has been a great deal of election news on WTIP Community Radio lately, with the primary election coming up on August 11. The senate and local county commissioner races are not the only things voters in the city of Grand Marais should consider. however. The filing period to run for a seat on the Grand Marais city council is open now.

The filing period is open now until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, August 11. There is no primary for these positions. All candidates who file will be on the city's November general election ballot.

For the city council, two four-year councilor positions and the two-year mayoral seat will be on the ballot. Incumbents are Councilors Tim Kennedy and Craig Schulte and Mayor Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux. There is a filing fee of $2 to run for city office. For information about filing for city offices from the Minnesota Secretary of State, click here.

WTIP Community Radio has heard from one city official—Tim Kennedy, a Grand Marais city councilor, who has announced that he will not be running for re-election.

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence spoke with Kennedy about his time on the council and his advice to someone thinking of stepping up to be part of local government.

In related news, the filing period is the same for the School District 166 school board and the North Shore Health hospital district board, July 28 to August 11.

Listen:

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North Shore News Hour

With governor's announcement, local schools can continue planning for fall

Rhonda Silence-

Governor Tim Walz and other Minnesota state officials unveiled a plan this afternoon to reopen schools this fall during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The plan gives districts some flexibility to combine in-person and online learning, but reserves the right for the state to step in if the coronavirus gets out of control.

Governor Walz acknowledged the importance of schools and the value of in-person learning, but said the state’s top priority is safety.

The news is about what was anticipated by School District 166 board members and Superintendent Bill Crandall. At their meeting on July 28, ISD 166 staff said they hoped, districts could receive guidance from the state Health and Education departments to determine whether to use in-person instruction, online learning or a hybrid model.

And, as expected, schools will also have the ability to become more or less restrictive depending on the virus.

The plan requires both public schools and charter schools to allow students and teachers to choose remote learning, no matter what model the district chooses. This gives families with concerns about health conditions the option to avoid potential spread of COVID-19.

The guidance comes as coronavirus cases have been moving upward in some parts of the state. Minnesota reported 745 new cases on July 30—slightly higher than the seven-day average—and five new deaths. State officials have warned of rising hospitalizations, but that number dipped slightly in Thursday’s data.

State health and education officials last month asked school districts to prepare for three scenarios: in-person learning for all students, distance learning as in the spring, or a hybrid learning scenario with social distancing and capacity limits.

President Donald Trump has pressed schools nationwide to open for in-person learning, and as many teachers have expressed fears of doing so. Education Minnesota, the state teachers’ union, last week released a survey with just one in five teachers supporting in-person learning.

Administrators for Minneapolis Public Schools, one of the largest districts in the state, said Tuesday they plan to start the school year Sept. 8 with distance learning. Their plan would require remote learning as the primary method of instruction, though buildings would remain open for tutoring, technology and mental health support for students and families.

Back in mid-March 2020, Walz ordered Minnesota public and charter schools to close and switch to distance learning as COVID-19 cases began to appear in the state, affecting nearly 900,000 students and their families. As the number of coronavirus cases in Minnesota grew, the governor extended the closure through the school year and prohibited large-scale high school and college graduation ceremonies.

How this will impact local schools is an evolving story. Stay tuned as WTIP reaches out to local schools for more information.

Program:

North Shore News Hour

ISD 166 continues return-to-school planning with regular and special meetings

Rhonda Silence-

School District 166 has a lot on its plate with planning for the 2020-2021 school year. The school board held a special meeting Tuesday, July 28, the first in-person meeting in months because of concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting was held in the timber frame outdoor classroom adjacent to the Sawtooth Mountain Elementary School parking lot. Participants sat six feet or more apart and masks were worn throughout the meeting.

School Board Chair Dan Shirley led the meeting, which was billed as a work session, to consider several things--plans for returning to school, school policy revisions and communications, and the proposed school "Justice for All" initiative. However, the update on the return to school took up most of the meeting.

The school board acknowledged that there is still a lot that is unknown as School District 166 is looking for guidance from the Minnesota Department of Education and Governor Tim Walz. Governor Walz is expected to make an announcement with the state’s recommendations Thursday, July 30.

Despite that, there was some in-depth discussion of the three possible scenarios for when students return to school in the fall. The scenarios are continued distance learning; a combination of distance learning and in-school studies; or a full return to school.

Principal Megan Myers provided the results of surveys that had been sent out to student families and posted on the school website, seeking feedback on how comfortable parents are with sending their children back to school--and in what manner.

Principal Myers noted that the survey, which had 135 responses, didn't show a clear cut preference from families. Continued distance learning or a return to students being back in the school building were nearly the same. She said school staff continues to meet and are looking for a solution that will benefit the most children. Myers said it is very difficult as she wants to see students back in school, but she also wants everyone to be safe.

Between the July 16 regular school board meeting and the July 28 special meeting, WTIP’s Rhonda Silence spoke to Superintendent Dr. Bill Crandall about the planning that has been taking place.

WTIP Community Radio · Part 1- School Bill Crandall 07 - 22 - 20

WTIP's Rhonda Silence also spoke with Superintendent Bill Crandall on some other school district matters, such as the school’s contract with the Grand Marais Playhouse for use of space in the Arrowhead Center for the Arts.

WTIP Community Radio · Part 2- School Bill Crandall 07 - 22 - 20

Program:

North Shore News Hour

Emergency responders standing by at fire halls as Hovland/Grand Portage experience 911 outage

Rhonda Silence-

According to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, there is an intermittent disruption of 911 service in the Hovland/Grand Portage area.

The sheriff's office reports that the outage is only affecting portions of the 475 exchanges.

During this time the Hovland and Grand Portage fire halls will be staffed with emergency responders. In the event of an emergency, Hovland and Grand Portage responders can reach the 911 dispatch center through the county’s ARMER radio network.

The Hovland Fire Department is located at 5059 East Highway 61.

The Grand Portage Fire Department is at 102 Store Road.

It is unknown at this time how long the disruption will last, but the sheriff’s office will provide updates as they are available.

Program:

North Shore News Hour