North Shore News Hour

A former Cook County resident, who moved to Wisconsin during his senior year at Cook County High School, returned to Grand Marais on January 28 for sentencing on felony charges of criminal sexual conduct against minors.

As it was during the October 28 hearing at which the young man, now 18, entered a guilty plea, the Cook County courtroom was filled with community members. Among those present were the young women involved in the case and their parents, grandparents, and friends.  

Judge Michael Cuzzo said because the court wishes to protect the identity of young people, most of the sentencing would be confidential and closed to the public.

One felony count was public due to the age at which it occurred. That matter was handled first and members of the public were able to remain in the courtroom as the judge asked the accused if he understood the charges against him and the sentencing conditions. The answer was yes.
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Judge Cuzzo asked the man’s attorney, Andrew Small, and County Attorney Molly Hicken, if they had received the pre-sentencing report from Cook County probation. The report included a psychosexual evaluation. The attorneys confirmed that information had been received.

Victims of crime are given the opportunity to speak at sentencing hearings and the young woman in this case came forward to do so. She read a prepared statement, starting by saying that before this assault she was “a blank canvas,” just 13 years old.

Quiet weeping was heard from the audience as she shared what led up to the incident and the trauma that followed. She summed up her statement by saying she hoped that others could learn from her pain. She said she wanted to make her statement to let everyone know that Cook County does not put up with predators.

Judge Cuzzo then went over the sentencing details, without mentioning the plea deal that had been made in October. At that time, three counts against the defendant were dismissed, including counts of first-degree, third-degree, and fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. Those counts were dismissed as part of what Cuzzo described as a “global agreement.”

Additional crimes, which are non-public under the rules of the court, were a combination of guilty pleas and dismissals pursuant to the settlement. As those charges involve minors, they are not public under court rules and statute, therefore no further information has been provided.

The defendant entered a guilty plea on the one public charge, which occurred when he was 16 years old.

Cuzzo reviewed sentencing details.  He said the respondent’s case falls under extended juvenile jurisdiction, which means an adult sentence will be imposed if he does not successfully complete probation which lasts until his 21st birthday.

Cuzzo said the conditions of probation are that he participate in the Alpha Human Services sex offender program and must register as a sex offender per Minnesota guidelines. He must also provide a DNA sample to be kept on file.  

His probation requirements also mean that he must have no contact with victims and must not be closer than 1,000 feet of their residence or anywhere they may be visiting. He may not have contact with any females under the age of 18; must be enrolled in school or employed; must not use any mood-altering drugs, unless prescribed; must submit to random drug testing; and must complete 200 hours of community service.

If the man complies with and completes all the terms and conditions of probation, he will not serve the adult sentence which would potentially be up to 14 years.
 
 

WTIP's North Shore Morning host, Jane Alexander talks with Cook County Public Health and Human Services Executive Administrative Assistant, Sara Hadley for this month's PHHS update.

Minnesota (for the first time since 1992) will have a presidential primary on Tuesday, March 3.

Most Cook County residents now vote by mail ballot. Citizens should see their mail ballots in mailboxes in mid-February.

If you are new to Cook County or have moved within the county in the past year, you should update your mailing address with the Cook County Auditor’s Office. The time to do that is now, according to County Auditor Braidy Powers.

However, anyone wishing to vote who does not receive a ballot should not despair. Minnesota allows same day voter registration. But it is easier—for voters and for the county staff that handles voter registration—to get registered in advance of an election day.

Early voting is also an option, with ballots available at the auditor’s office now.  

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence spoke with County Auditor Braidy Powers about voting deadlines and about changes to how ballots are being handled in this presidential primary.

Anyone with questions about voting can stop by the Auditor’s Office at the Cook County Courthouse. Information can also be found on the Minnesota Secretary of State website. 

Actor/director Brian Presley, the man behind the film: The Great Alaskan Race is here on the North Shore this week to be part of the action of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon.

The independent movie by P12 Films tells the story of a famed dog sled incident in Alaska in 1925, a great race to save the children of Nome, Alaska from a deadly epidemic.

Presley directs and stars in the movie, along with Henry Thomas, Bruce Davison and Treat Williams.

The Great Alaskan Race debuted at the San Diego International Film Festival in October 2019 and there was a special screening in Duluth shortly after.

The John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon has arranged a second Minnesota showing during the sled dog race. The movie will be shown at the Grand Portage Lodge at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28.

Rhonda Silence of WTIP caught up with Brian Presley to learn more about the making of The Great Alaska Race and about his connection to the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon.
 

There have been many changes in the pharmacy situation in Grand Marais in the last year. With the closure of Arrowhead Pharmacy in April 2019, the Grand Marais Pharmacy became the only place to purchase prescription drugs.

Grand Marais Pharmacy was overwhelmed with the increase in business and a representative spoke with WTIP in June 2019. Listen to that interview here.

The local pharmacy continues to work to improve service for patients, including working with insurance companies. That has been complicated by the fact that Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Medicare no longer include Grand Marais Pharmacy as a “preferred provider.”

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence sat down with pharmacist Leslie Condon to talk about the impact to local customers from this change in pharmacy status—and what patients can do to try to change the situation.

There are also changes being made at our local medical facilities. North Shore Health is no longer using Grand Marais Pharmacy as its drug provider for hospital and care center patients. And Sawtooth Mountain Clinic is planning to open a pharmacy of its own at the clinic in January 2021. Learn more about that here. 

Listen to this interview to learn more.
 

In addition to the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon this weekend, there is an annual snowmobile race event. The Cook County RidgeRiders Snowmobile Club is hosting its annual Devil Track Lake Snowmobile Drag Races, starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 25. 

What happens at a snowmobile drag race? WTIP's Rhonda Silence finds out in this interview. 

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources responded to a call of lost snowmobilers just before 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19. A party of four snowmobilers from North Carolina had become stranded in a swamp on a seldom-used snowmobile trail near Ball Club Lake in Grand Marais and called 9-1-1 for help.

They were fortunate to have cell phone service in that area. And even more fortunate that there were DNR conservation officers in the area.

Lt. Dan Thomasen, Minnesota DNR conservation officer supervisor for the Arrowhead region, was on an ice fishing detail with local conservation officers Tom Wahlstrom and Kylan Hill, along with Dave Schottenbauer from Two Harbors.

The family group from La Grange, North Carolina— two sisters, one of their daughters and the daughter’s boyfriend —were on rented snowmobiles and were unfamiliar with the area. They realized they were lost, but told officers they thought they had assistance from two other snowmobilers, believed to be from St. Paul, who offered to lead them back to another main trail.

However, the ungroomed trail went through a swamp that was not entirely frozen. One of the riders leading the group fell off his snowmobile and was completely drenched. He and his companion told the North Carolinians that they needed to get him to safety and headed out.

Unfortunately, the Carolina riders were not able to follow and they became mired in the slush on the swampy trail. Two of the women in the party were showing signs of hypothermia when they made the 9-1-1 call.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office was able to determine their location, which was off the main Expressway snowmobile trail, on the old, unmaintained, Expressway trail.

Following the sheriff’s office directions, the DNR conservation officers were able to locate the lost snowmobilers and were able to bring the two women in their 70s out as quickly as possible. Cook County Ambulance was standing by on the Ball Club Road. The women were warmed up and were in good spirits, according to Conservation Officer Kylan Hill. 

The conservation officers also assisted the other members of the party in getting the heavy two-up machines they were using free from the slush and out of the woods.

WTIP's Rhonda Silence caught up with DNR Conservation Officer Kylan Hill who was involved in the rescue to learn what transpired.
 

Students in the “Otters” classroom at Great Expectations School in Grand Marais are excited to announce an ambitious educational adventure. The class of 17 seventh- and eighth-graders will be traveling to Costa Rica on March 10-17, as part of Global Education Squads.

Global Education Squads is an organization that works to improve education around the world by connecting volunteer schools like Great Expectations with host schools and communities in underdeveloped areas like Ghana, Honduras, and Costa Rica.

While in Costa Rica, students will help build needed infrastructure and will work with local students in a classroom or daycare setting. In the evenings, students will attend classes and activities to learn about the area’s culture, history, and environment.

For more information about Global Education Squads, visit their website.

To help meet the costs of this service-learning trip for the Otters, a Go Fund Me page has been set up. Information can also be found on the Facebook page for Great Expectations School.

A lively fundraiser is also planned for Sunday, January 26 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the First Congregational Church in Grand Marais. There will be a chili feed, a bake sale, live music, a silent auction and the opportunity to meet the students working to get to Costa Rica.

The community is invited to “help support kids who want to make a difference.”

WTIP's Rhonda Silence sat down with two students who are making the trip, Grace and Sol. Here's more on the event and the upcoming fundraiser. 

2020 is a major election year. The nation will be voting for president and some key legislative seats. WTIP Community Radio’s policy is to meet with and interview any of those candidates who reach out to us.

One such candidate is Paula Overby who visited Grand Marais on January 17-18. Overby has filed to run for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by former Lt. Governor Tina Smith.

This isn’t Overby’s first interview with WTIP Community Radio. She was in Grand Marais in November 2018, when she was running for senate as a Green Party candidate. Listen to that interview here.

This time, Overby is taking a different route. She is seeking the endorsement of the Democratic-Farm-Labor (DFL) Party.

Overby, from Eagan, Minnesota, has had a varied career before entering the political arena. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a degree in psychology and a second major in computer science. As a full time working mother of three, she had a successful career as a systems analyst with experience in quality assurance, data analysis and process design.

Overby is author of the Transgender Myth: Through the Gender Looking Glass.

In this interview, WTIP’s Rhonda Silence learns more about Paula, about the challenges faced by candidates not affiliated with either of the two major political parties—and about her decision to seek the DFL endorsement.