North Shore News Hour

 Marja Erickson, assistant vice-president of Grand Marais State Bank, recently earned recognition as one of the top women in finance in Minnesota in 2021.

Each year Finance & Commerce shares a list of the Top Women in Finance in Minnesota.  Marja, along with 28 other women were selected for this year’s class. 

The program strives to recognize women who are making an impact not only in their professions but also in their communities in Minnesota. 

Marja is being honored for the work she has done for both Grand Marais State Bank and the North Shore community overall.

Marja received the award at a gala event on Nov. 18 in Minneapolis and she is profiled in the Top Women in Finance magazine. 

Her co-workers were delighted to announce the award, adding, “If you see Marja around, congratulate her on a job well done!”

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence caught up with Marja when she returned to Grand Marais after the awards banquet. Here’s their conversation about the honor and about Marja’s work in the community, including her work with the Cook County Historical Society.
 

 If anyone questions whether elves are real, they need only to look to Cook County Girl Scouts. The local scouts are becoming elves as they host “Santa’s Workshop” on Saturday, December 4 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Colvill Town Hall.

Santa’s Workshop is a fun family event, which gives children the chance to shop at the Girl Scout “store,” which is off-limits to parents. Girl Scouts help children with their shopping list and wrap the presents, so parents get a surprise gift under the Christmas tree.

As children shop, parents can enjoy some time around the campfire at the town hall with coffee and hot chocolate.

There will not be a visit from Santa this year, but there will be a holiday photo opportunity.

For more information on scouting or Santa’s Workshop, contact Scout Leader Arvis Thompson at 218-387-2487.

WTIP's Rhonda Silence sat down with some of Santa's helpers to learn more about the event. 

Lee and Scott Bergstrom have been the owners of Thomsonite Beach Inn and Suites for more than two decades. Their time at the historic lakeside Inn ended almost exactly 22 years after they purchased it on November 9, 1999.

The couple purchased the Inn from Matt and Vicki Geretschlaeger. The Geretschlaegers owned the resort for a short time before Bergstroms bought it. When they bought the Inn, they worked to keep the history of the resort alive, fulfilling the legacy of the family that built Thomsonite Beach in 1962, Maurice and Tania Feigal. The Feigals had a long history of returning guests.

And, they operated a jewelry-making business there. The desire of visitors to purchase jewelry made from the beautiful Thomsonites found on the Lake Superior beach at the Inn was something a bit unexpected, Lee Bergstrom told WTIP. But she found local jewelers who could carry on that tradition. And she learned a great deal about the unique stones herself.

There is a lot of tradition on the lakeshore and at the Inn. Lee and Scott’s children, Anna Britt and David grew up at Thomsonite Beach. They were five and nine when the family purchased the Inn. Lee fondly recalls that also moving in with the family was Raven, the black lab. She said black labs have been part of the resort throughout their time there.

When Bergstroms purchased the Inn, there was another special connection. Lee’s grandfather, Isak Hansen, her father, Irving Hansen and her uncle Harvey, were the men who built the Inn’s foundation.

Asked who is taking on the Inn now, Lee said Joe Swanson, co-owner of Bluefin Bay Resorts is the new owner. Asked if she feels they are leaving the Inn with a solid foundation. She said Swanson is a Silver Bay native and she believes he cares deeply about the North Shore.

The Bergstroms are not leaving the community – they have just moved up the shore a bit, to a family condominium at Terrace Point. Lee will continue working at North Shore Health as a physical therapist part-time and Scott is considering his options. He is a chef by trade, having worked at Naniboujou and up the Gunflint Trail at Bearskin Lodge.

For now, Lee said she appreciates Scott’s cooking skills at home and they are taking some time to decide what to do next. However, she stresses they will not be leaving the North Shore—other than to visit far-flung family.

We talked to Lee Bergstrom about the sale of Thomsonite Beach, asking her if she wanted to say anything to the public. She took the opportunity to thank everyone for their support, especially the frequent returnees to the Inn who became family.

Here’s WTIP’s Rhonda Silence speaking with former Thomsonite Beach co-owner Lee Bergstrom.
 

There has been debate through the years over the appropriate time and place for pumpkin spice flavored foods. Traditionalists say the pumpkin pie or bread is the only suitable use of the spices associated with those foods. More adventurous folks like to sample pumpkin spice in everything from coffee to beer. Who is right?

WTIP’s Roving Reporter Rhonda Silence took to the streets to ask the burning question: Pumpkin Spice—love it or hate it?

Thanks to Linda, Patty, Grahame, Chuck, Cindy, Johanna, Sven, Becky, Mary and Rae for sharing their thoughts on the question that arises every fall. Happy Thanksgiving to you all, and to all of our WTIP listeners. 

Here’s Rhonda’s report. 
 

 The North Shore Health ambulance service is in the midst of what the ambulance director describes as a “staffing crisis.” WTIP visited the ambulance garage recently to learn more about the situation.

Asked why this is happening, Ambulance Director Tom Fleming acknowledged that there is often a fluctuation in the number of people on the ambulance crew. He said many of the people who become emergency medical responders (EMRs) are young and still exploring their career options. They join the ambulance service to try out emergency services but find that it isn’t something they want to continue. In the current situation, there have been a number of young ambulance members who left the community to be nearer to family or to pursue other career options.

Hence, the current staffing crisis. Fleming encourages anyone who has considered working or volunteering in medical services to contact him. North Shore Health would help with training. North Shore Health needs EMRs, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), and paramedics.

An EMR is an “extra set of hands” for the EMTs and paramedics, according to Fleming—helping move patients, taking blood pressure or temperatures, driving the ambulance, and just being there to reassure the patient.

Fleming said training to become an EMR takes about 50 hours, and much of it is online. The current hospital and ambulance crew provide the necessary hands-on training.

EMRs are volunteers, but Fleming adds that is a bit misleading. There is a stipend for EMR volunteers, including $7 per hour for being on call.

Fleming added that a third of the work done by the ambulance service is transfers to other medical facilities, to Duluth hospitals and beyond. Fleming said it helps immensely when EMRs become ambulance drivers, leaving the EMTs and paramedics in the county for critical emergency response.

Training to become an EMT is also offered through North Shore Health. That training is about 150 hours. After passing the national registry exam, EMTs could possibly join the ambulance crew as paid staffers. After working for North Shore Health for a year, the hospital reimburses the cost of the training.  

Fleming said the ambulance service needs a couple more EMRs and EMTs and at least one more paramedic.
North Shore Health has created a way to make things easier for people who want to take shifts on the ambulance staff but who do not live within the required five-minute response time. The building on the hospital grounds that was the Masonic Hall has been converted to living quarters for people on call for the ambulance (or lab and x-ray services). Fleming said the newly remodeled building gives people a safe and comfortable place to stay while on call.

Asked if people should think twice about calling the ambulance for an illness or injury, Fleming said, “No, not at all. We don’t want anybody to feel they don’t have this service.”

But he added, “We need people for the future of the service.”

Anyone who would like to apply for any of these positions can do so online at North Shore Health. To learn more, call Fleming at 218-387-3262. Fleming added, “Leave a message if I’m not in.” If he is not in, it is likely because he is on an ambulance call.

Here’s WTIP’s Rhonda Silence’s report from the ambulance garage. 
 

The Cedar Grove Business Park continues to be a top topic on the Cook County/Grand Marais Economic Development Authority agenda. In November, two more inquiries for lot purchases came in to the EDA and there was a discussion of four lot sales that have sales pending.

EDA Director Beth Drost updated the board on the two new inquiries—one for a possible storage facility and one for a possible gym. If those and the other pending sales take place, the Cedar Grove Business Park will have less than a dozen lots available.

The EDA board also heard year-end reports for Superior National at Lutsen, which the EDA manages. The board heard first from John Kohlhase and Sarah Taylor with an update on marketing efforts through the year and suggestions on marketing for next year. Taylor said they are looking forward to marketing to Canadian guests next season.

EDA Treasurer Scott Harrison and Superior National Golf Pro Heath Ekstrom then gave reports on the financial status of the golf course, with both saying things went well at the golf course. Ekstrom said the golf course grounds were in excellent condition. Harrison said the golf course finished the year with enough funds to make it through the winter and to make a payment on its $150,000 loan from the EDA. The golf course borrowed from the EDA for operations several years ago.  The EDA board moved to make a $50,000 payment from the golf course to the EDA on that loan. That enabled the EDA to make a payment on its loan from Cook County, of $185,000, bringing the amount that EDA owes Cook County to $135,000.  

Ekstrom said a challenge will be to keep the golfers who took up golfing as a way to be social and active during the COVID-19 pandemic coming back. Harrison and Ekstrom said they were confident business at Superior National at Lutsen will continue to improve.

Lack of housing continues to be an issue that the EDA is working to address. There was a discussion of the newly-formed Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) and how the EDA would work with that board. Director Drost asked the EDA if it wanted to renew its memorandum of understanding with the Minnesota Housing Partnership (MHP). Assistance from MHP was very helpful during the formation of the HRA. The board agreed to renew that MOU.

Drost also asked the board for authorization to put out a request for proposals for a housing study. She said many of the housing grants that the county, through the EDA or HRA, seek for housing development require a recent study of housing needs. Drost said the most recent study done for the EDA was by North Span about five years ago. The EDA board asked Drost to put together an RFP. EDA Board Member Anton Moody noted that the city did its own housing study when it was working on its zoning ordinance revision. He said that should be shared with whoever moves ahead with a study.

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence spoke with EDA Director Beth Drost after the last EDA meeting about all this and more. 
 

FirstNet, along with AT&T, recently announced an expansion of wireless communications for emergency responders. FirstNet says two new “purpose-built cell sites” have been located in Cook County. WTIP reached out to Cook County MIS Director Rowan Watkins to find out if these sites are new or if they are additions to existing towers—and to learn how this affects our local emergency responders.

FirstNet announced that one of these two “new” cell sites is along the Gunflint Trail near Gunflint and Magnetic lakes. The second site is described as being near Lichen Lake in the Lutsen area.

Watkins told WTIP that the Gunflint Lake site has been in the news before, as have all of the FirstNet sites. It is the second tower at the Gunflint Lake tower site.

He said the tower that FirstNet describes as the Lichen Lake site, is what the county and the Minnesota Department of Transportation call the Sawbill site, located where the Sawbill Trail and The Grade meet. Watkins says it is not a new tower, it is a “co-location” on an existing ARMER tower. But, it was activated in the last 30 days, added Watkins.

Asked if the ability to use FirstNet will mean local responders will be using cell phones instead of radios, Watkins said no, at least not in the immediate future. He said the Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Responders (ARMER) system has a level of “reliability and resiliency” that is not yet available from the FirstNet system.

However, the computers in police squad cars and onboard ambulances and fire trucks to send and receive data will be enhanced by the FirstNet system.

Another advantage of the FirstNet system, explains Watkins is the feature that gives emergency responders "priority and preemption" on the FirstNet/AT&T system. An example of when that would be important, Watkins said, is in a disaster situation, something like the explosion at the Husky Refinery in Superior, Wisconsin in April 2018. At times like that, the general public tries calling or messaging family and friends to check in which can overload the system. That is when callers get messages stating “all circuits are busy.” The priority and preemption would prevent that from happening to public safety officials to ensure critical information can be shared.

There is another FirstNet site in the Hovland area on another existing ARMER site that went live in February.

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence spoke with Cook County MIS Director Rowan Watkins to get more details on the part FirstNet plays in local emergency communications. 
 

Christmas is a special time of year for children and that makes the holiday season a challenge for some parents. Not every family has the ability to put presents under a Christmas tree. That is why Operation Family Christmas was created.  And the effort to make everyone’s holiday merrier is underway now.

The program gathers names of families that may need some assistance in making the holiday special from various social agencies, churches, and the community. A different aspect of Operation Family Christmas this year is that organizers are asking families to call in their needs.

Organizer Jes Rodne explained to WTIP that it should make matching needs to gifts purchased easier and more efficient. She said talking to family members about sizes, colors and other preferences will ensure that the gifts under the tree will be especially meaningful. The deadline for applications is November 24.

Operation Family Christmas is still anonymous. To apply for this extra holiday help and to share the “wish lists,” call the following organizers:
Jes Rodne 218-370-2019
Lena Santos 218-475-0113
Silvi Duclos 218-663-9255

Once the information is gathered, tags are then made with general information about children hoping for a gift. People who want to "adopt a child" may take a tag bearing the child's age, gender, and gift suggestions.

The tags are hung on decorated trees at the Grand Marais State Bank and Security State Bank in Grand Marais and at the Lutsen branch of the North Shore Federal Credit Union.

Operation Family Christmas asks that gifts be returned by December 14. Gifts should be brought to the Cook County Community Center. Gifts should not be wrapped--organizers want the parents to see what their child is receiving and to have the opportunity to wrap the gift themselves. Organizer Jes Rodne adds that gift wrap or gift bags are welcome as donations as well.

Other items, such as grocery gift cards and miscellaneous items that could brighten a family’s holiday are also accepted. Rodne is also hoping to expand Operation Family Christmas to include local senior citizens and local Care Center residents. For ideas on extra items, contact Jes Rodne at 218-370-2019 or email [email protected].

WTIP's Rhonda Silence spoke with Jes Rodne as she begins her seventh year as "Santa's Helper" to learn why she continues to be involved with Operation Family Christmas and how you can help make a child's Christmas sweeter. 

National Ski Patrol members, the people who specialize in emergency response at ski hills, gathered in Lutsen in mid-October for important refresher training. Lutsen Mountains was filled with red-jacketed responders practicing their skills.

The refresher training is important, but it is also a time for emergency responders who have worked and trained together for decades to reconnect. At this year’s event, two members of the ski patrol were honored. Patrol member Warren Wagness received recognition for 50 years of volunteering for the National Ski Patrol. (Click the slideshow to see Wagness with his award).

Also recognized was Jim Ruzicka, a former Lutsen Mountains Ski Patrol Representative.

Along with the photo of this year’s training attendees, Patrol Representative Mel Rajkowski shared photos of chairlift rescue training in 2017. Rajkowski explains that along with basic emergency training, such as CPR renewals, a different aspect of rescue is practiced each year.

Rajkowski spoke with WTIP’s Rhonda Silence about the ski patrol and the required training in this interview.