North Shore News Hour

It is Homecoming Week at Cook County Schools. A Pep Fest and Homecoming Coronation was held in the Pam Taylor gymnasium at Cook County High School on Thursday, October 10.  Crowned Homecoming King and Queen were Alyssa Spry and Keenan Hingos.
 
The Homecoming Dance is Saturday, 8 -11 in the School District 166 cafeteria. The theme, according to the school, is a “secret.” Apparently, the creative junior class wants dance attendees to be surprised when they arrive for the Homecoming celebration. 

It can be a challenge to operate a business in rural Cook County, but Jim Miller does just that from one of the most remote parts of the county, in Hovland. Jim operates Northern Lights Lighting Design from his Hovland home base, but travels to any locale on the North Shore.

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence spoke with Jim about how he became a certified lighting designer and the services he offers.

If you know of North Shore business owners who should be featured, give us a call at 218-387-1070 or email: [email protected]. WTIP would love to tell their story!
 

The reconstruction of Highway 61 through the City of Grand Marais has been an ongoing topic on the city council agenda. At the last meeting, on September 25, the city council reviewed a comprehensive breakdown of the project costs. Councilors expressed dismay at some of the expenses and frustration over the Minnesota Department of Transportation bid letting process. 

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence followed up with MnDOT after that meeting. She spoke with Grand Marais Project Manager Michael Kalnbach about the city’s response to the latest information from MnDOT and those questions about the bidding process. Here’s their conversation.

Rhonda also spoke with Grand Marais City Administrator Mike Roth about the project and the increased cost to the city. Here’s that conversation. 

The MnDOT Highway 61 project is on the agenda for the city’s next council meeting, on Wednesday, October 9. That discussion is not about project costs, but about the 11 elm trees in the section of Highway 61 between Voyageur Brewing Company and the Buck’s Hardware intersection. 

The removal of the elms is scheduled for November. Listen to the related story, Grand Marais elm trees to be removed in November, says project engineer. 

Listeners may also be interested in this WTIP story on the condition of the elm trees, Health of Grand Marais elm trees still being debated. 

As Councilor Kelly Swearingen was not at the September 11 meeting, the council agreed to table this discussion on what the city can do, if anything, regarding the removal of the trees. They will resume this discussion at the Wednesday, Oct. 9 council meeting. The tree discussion is on the agenda at 7:30 p.m., but as always, the council meeting starts with a time for public comment at 6:30 p.m.

School District 166 had its first school board meeting of the school year on September 19. On the agenda was approval of the district’s preliminary levy, acceptance of contracts for some employees and the hiring of some new staffers.

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence spoke with Superintendent Dr. Bill Crandall about the school board discussion and actions.
 

Community members who enjoy breakfast and lunch at the South of the Border Café in downtown Grand Marais may know Terri Muhich as the friendly woman from Hovland who refills their coffee cup. However, most do not know about her “alter ego.” Terri is a prolific author, writing under the name of Tara Mills. 

Tara Mills has published nine novels, several novellas and a series of books called Pelican Cay. The artwork for some of her books leads a potential reader to think the books are Harlequin-style romantic tales, but Terri promises there is more to her books than that.

She explains that love is important, but developing characters is even more critical to her stories. To do so, she takes her time, working on one novel a winter at her Hovland home.

She also networks with other authors, online and this summer, at a writer’s conference at the Mall of America in August. She joined over 50 other authors at the “Royal Readers” event, where she met other writers as well as fans of her work.

Her books can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other locations and also online at Kindle, Nook and Google Play.

Information about Terri/Tara and information on purchasing books can also be found on her website. 

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence sat down with Terri Muhich to learn more about her secretive, but successful second career. Here is their conversation.
 

Two Harbors High School was closed on Thursday, September 19, after school staff heard about a possible threat.

Dr. Bill Crandall, superintendent of School District 381, as well as Cook County’s School District 166, said that Two Harbors High School Principal Jay Belcastro, heard a rumor about a threat early that morning. Principal Belcastro informed Crandall, and based on what they knew, they decided to close the school for the day.

The district, along with the Lake County Sheriff's office, conducted an investigation. There was no credible threat, according to Crandall. There was never any gun on school property or in possession of a student. No arrests were made, which was part of the rumor, Crandall added.

Families found out through the school district all-call system. The building reopened at the end of the day for after school activities.

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence spoke with Superintendent Crandall about the incident and about school policies in these cases.
 

A creative economic opportunity was considered at the August meeting of the Cook County/Grand Marais Economic Development Authority. Riki McManus of the Upper Minnesota Film Board was at that meeting, introducing Catalyst, a nonprofit formed by television executives, agents and independent producers, now based in Duluth.

Catalyst works with independent television production companies throughout the United States, helping them find locations and technical support for productions that ultimately end up on television hosts such as Hulu, Netflix and others.

Catalyst has opened its doors in Duluth and is in the process of developing a production guide to assist companies that are considering coming to the North Shore to create episodic productions. The guide will include contact information for everything from lodging and restaurants to theaters, light technicians, set construction and more.

Coming up on October 9-13 in Duluth is the Catalyst Content Festival, an annual event that highlights the work of independent creators. It is designed to help make connections between independent television creatives, agents and executives. In addition, it is an opportunity for fans and enthusiasts to learn more and to support promising new work.

A number of economic development authorities and local government entities, such as Visit Duluth, Minnesota Film TV Board, the city of Duluth, St. Louis County, and the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board, have greeted the Catalyst Content Festival warmly.

IRRRB Commissioner Mark Phillips explained his agency’s support. “Northeastern Minnesota has a rich history of investing in creative industries, which has a direct and positive impact on our local economies. The need of such investments is especially true for our Iron Range communities that face unique challenges. Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation is pleased to support Catalyst Stories as a funding partner and looks forward to the economic development it will foster on the Iron Range,” Phillips said.

After hearing an enthusiastic pitch from Riki McManus, the Cook County/Grand Marais EDA agreed to contribute $2,500 of its marketing budget toward this festival.

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence reached out to Phillip Gilpin, Jr. of Catalyst Content to learn more about Catalyst, about the festival and about its possible economic impact to our community. 

Anyone interested in learning more is encouraged to visit the Catalyst website. 

In recent years, School District 166 began offering outdoor recreation safety programming to sixth grade students. Classroom instruction incorporates the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources snowmobile, all-terrain vehicle (ATV) and hunter/firearm safety courses.

Since the school began offering this opportunity, attendance in these programs has increased. At the same time, MN DNR certified volunteer instructors are getting older and are not always able to help with the field day testing. Volunteers are needed to help keep these safety programs going.

Coming up in September is a course for people interested in becoming a Hunter Education Firearms Safety Instructor.

The course will be held at the Silver Bay Community Center on Outer Drive in Silver Bay at 5 p.m. on Thursday, September 12. Those who complete this class are then able to help conduct youth DNR firearms safety classes and field days.

Anyone interested in the course can find get  information from Regional Training Officer Mike Lee by emailing [email protected].

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence sat down with Paul Eiler, a DNR volunteer firearms instructor for over 20 years, asking him why continues to be part of this program.

This isn't the first time with spoke with Paul. We caught up with him and several students during a recent Hunter Education Firearms Safety course in Fall 2016. [email protected]. WTIP’s Rhonda Silence sat down with Paul Eiler, a DNR volunteer firearms instructor for over 20 years, asking him why continues to be part of this program." target="_blank">Learn more about the hunter safety course in this short feature. 

The deadline for comments on the draft Isle Royale National Park Cultural Resource Management Plan and Environmental Assessment is September 6. The purpose of the plan is to “develop a long-term comprehensive strategy for managing the non-wilderness cultural resources of the park.”

The plan, once completed, will provide guidance on how to handle the cultural resources on the remote Lake Superior island, namely the historical lighthouses, fishing operations and cottages on the remote Lake Superior island.

The draft document includes three potential actions, one, Alternative A is a “no-action alternative,” which means nothing would change on the island regarding the historic structures. Alternative C emphasizes research and stabilization of historic and cultural resources.

Alternative B, the National Park Service “preferred alternative,” is similar to Alternative C in that it provides for preservation of the historic structures and cultural resources. However, Alternative B would have the National Park Service develop partnerships to help preserve the historic properties to reflect the entire scope of human history on Isle Royale.

Click to see the draft Cultural Resource Management Plan and Environmental Assessment for yourself and/or to submit comments.

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence checked in with Isle Royale Chief of Interpretation and Cultural Resources Liz Valencia to learn about the plan.