North Shore News Hour

Each week the Cook County Sheriff’s Office provides a brief report of calls made to the Cook County Law Enforcement Center in the past week. This week’s report provides details logged by law enforcement dispatchers from March 11 to March 18, 2019. WTIP asked for more information on a number of those calls and details follow.

On March 11, a call came from Ryden Road in Grand Portage reporting a vehicle theft. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office confirms that a vehicle was stolen and subsequently recovered. Kathryn LeGarde of Grand Portage was arrested.

The law enforcement log reported a drug incident at the U.S. Port of Entry on March 16. Mary Elizabeth Meshake of Sioux Lookout, Ontario was arrested.

There was another call at the Port of Entry on March 17. Jagdeep Singh Brar of Brampton, Ontario, was arrested for driving under the influence.

An arrest was made for domestic disturbance at a residence on West Highway 61 on March 11 and another in Grand Portage on March 13. An individual on East Highway 61 was arrested on a warrant on March 13.  
 
There were two other calls on March 17 reporting domestic disturbances, one in Grand Marais and one in Grand Portage. There were no arrests, it was determined to be people arguing.
 
On March 12, emergency responders were paged to an ATV accident on East Highway 61. Sheriff deputies, Grand Portage ambulance and Grand Portage Fire Department responded. A 14-year-old suffered an arm injury and a 12-year-old a head injury. A citation was issued to Larry Manthy, 47, of Dululth, for careless operation.
 
Sheriff deputies assisted probation officials with probation checks on March 15 and March 17, with one person in Grand Marais cited for drug paraphernalia.

On March 11, there was a report of an Arrowhead Transit bus passing a school bus on the right.

Deputies assisted Rose Holdorf who went in the ditch on Devil Track Road on March 13. A tow vehicle was contacted.
 
Cook County received another report of a vehicle in the ditch on Highway 61. That call was referred to the Minnesota State Patrol.
 
The Sheriff’s Office received two reports of threats in Grand Marais. One case was referred to the County Attorney and the other was determined to be hearsay information that a former employee was angry. A record was made of the concern.
 
There was a call regarding troubles with a juvenile in Grand Marais on March 15.
 
Sheriff deputies responded to two calls reporting threats of suicide. On March 12, an individual in Grand Marais was transported to North Shore Health. On March 18, threats were investigated and a party was arrested for driving under the influence.

There were a number of calls for public assistance, such as help for someone locked out of a car and an Operation Lifesaver check on Birch Drive in Grand Marais. Deputies also talked to someone seeking advice for a protection order; responded to a family issue in Lutsen and a civil matter regarding mail on the Gunflint Trail. They also gave a party with a snowmobile failure a ride.  Deputies also made a check welfare visit to a post-heart attack victim.
 
On March 12, a caller reported the sounds of shots at 10 p.m. Deputies responded, but were unable to locate the origin of the shots. On March 17, there was another call reporting the sounds of shots at 8 a.m. on Vapor Trail in Tofte. That call was referred to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
 
The Sheriff’s Office received a report of a payroll scam on March 15. The call was referred to the FBI.

Law Enforcement received a call on March 18 reporting damage to property. Someone poured bleach on some unattended laundry. According to the Sheriff’s Office there is no suspect.  

On March 13, Emergency dispatchers again took reports of people in the water off of South Broadway in Grand Marais. Deputies found it was swimmers in wet suits.
 
Search and Rescue was paged to South Gunflint Lake in an attempt to locate an overdue snowmobiler. The party arrived to the destination before search and rescue was mobilized.
 
Law enforcement dispatchers took a report of a phone scam on the Gunflint Trail and a power outage on Cascade Beach Road in Lutsen on March 11.

There was a false security alarm in Hovland on March 12 and on West Highway 61 on March 15. There were three automatic fire alarm calls from Cascade River State Park on March 16, all false.

There were multiple calls reporting water and snow over roads in the county—County Road 7, and West Highway 61 on March 14 - 16; on the Sawbill Trail on March 15 and on the Arrowhead Trail on March 16. Calls were referred to the county highway department and MnDOT.
 
There were several animal disturbance calls, reporting two injured deer and one dead deer on the highway. There were two calls of loose dogs in Grand Marais and a deceased dog in the ditch in Grand Portage.

There was a report of a dangerous animal in Grand Marais, a bobcat was spotted in the residential area. The call was referred to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. See the related story here.
 
The Sheriff’s Office had just two lost and found incidents, a credit card was turned in and a party reported a lost drivers’ license.
 
Deputies conducted eight business or residence checks and had 13 traffic stops, all reprimands. There were 13 medical calls. Dispatchers handled four crank or misdialed 911 calls.
 
Sheriff deputies also participated in Operation Stonegarden Patrol, a joint patrol effort with U.S. Border Patrol on March 15.

 If you need help from the Cook County Sberiff's Office, dial 9-1-1.

Cook County residents are accustomed to wildlife traveling on our rural roads and in the woods. It is only occasionally that we see wild creatures in the more densely populated city of Grand Marais. However, in recent weeks, a bobcat has been spotted in the city blocks below the Cook County Community Center.

And unfortunately, it appears the bobcat killed a family pet, a cat named Chewbacca.

The pet owner contacted the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and told WTIP Community Radio that a live trap had been set in an attempt to capture and relocate the animal.

WTIP reached out to DNR Conservation Officer Darin Fagerman, who confirmed that the DNR was working to catch and relocate the bobcat. WTIP’s Rhonda Silence learned more in this interview with CO Fagerman.  
 

Governor Tim Walz has proclaimed March 20 “Small Business Development Centers Day” in Minnesota, recognizing the important role Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) play in supporting the more than 500,000 small businesses in the state.
Minnesota joins SBDCs throughout the nation in celebrating #SBDCDay today.

“Now more than ever, we need to support small businesses and entrepreneurs in Minnesota,” said Gov. Tim Walz. “My Budget for One Minnesota builds on the work done at SBDCs by investing in both new and proven programs that help innovators and entrepreneurs start and grow.”

“There is no simple way to start a business, but Minnesota’s SBDC network provides the resources necessary to make it as easy as possible” said Commissioner Steve Grove of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). “With access to thousands of hours of free consultation and assistance to businesses, the SBDC’s should be the first stop for any entrepreneur or business looking to grow in Minnesota.”

Minnesota SBDC clients created 228 new small businesses, accessed $135 million in new capital investments, created or saved more than 5,800 jobs and grew revenues by more than $80 million in 2018.

DEED manages Minnesota’s SBDC network, which includes nine regional centers and 19 satellite offices around the state. Small Business Development Centers offer free one-on-one consultation in such areas as access to capital, accounting, business planning, start-up assistance, marketing, social media and buying or selling a business.

Cook County is fortunate to have one of those SBDC centers in Grand Marais. WTIP’s Rhonda Silence caught up with the Cook County SBDC representative as she was attending a SBDC event in Duluth. Here’s their conversation.

More information is available on the DEED website.   
 

After each meeting of the Grand Marais City Council, WTIP speaks with Grand Marais Mayor Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux about actions taken by the council.

In this interview, WTIP learns about plans for calendar parking in the city of Grand Marais, about the city’s plan to update governmental agreements with Cook County, and about the need for an evaluation of the city administrator.  

One agenda item that the community had been particularly curious about was if the city was ready to hire a superintendent for Gunflint Hills Golf Course. The mayor confirmed that yes, a hiring had been made. Paul Jones, who worked on the golf course greens under contract at the end of the last season was offered – and accepted the position.

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence learns more in this interview.
 

Local high school student Sylvia Berka recently traveled to Murfreesboro, Tennessee to take part in the Southeastern Young Adult Book Festival held at Middle Tennessee State University.

Known as the SE-YA Book Fest, the annual event is designed to give teen writers and authors of young adult literature the chance to interact. The 2019 author lineup brought about 40 writers together. On that list was Becky Albertalli, the author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, the book on which the film Love, Simon is based.

WTIP caught up with Sylvia to talk about the festival, as well as her inaugural work, a book titled The Last Warrior, a young adult fantasy novel, written under her pen name Sylvia Johns. The book can be ordered online.

Here’s WTIP’s Rhonda Silence speaking with this young author about her literary adventures.
 

For a decade now, for one evening in March, the School District 166 halls have been transformed into a culinary extravaganza called EATS, an acronym standing for “Enriching Academics Through Sustenance.” The school takeover by the School District 166 Education Foundation was on Thursday, March 14 and by all accounts, it was another success.
 
There was music provided by the Cook County High School Band and Choir and food from an amazing variety of restaurants and the r Cook County High School Culinary Arts Students under the direction of Jason Gesch.
 
As community members enjoyed the savory offerings, they also had fun in friendly competition for amazing items on the silent auction tables, ranging from a special autographed baseball, artwork, ceramics, jewelry and more, including a wide array of gift certificates to be redeemed later.

EATS is hosted by the Cook County Schools/ISD 166 Education Foundation, which meets on the fourth Thursday of the month (September-May) at 4:00 p.m. in the Jane Mianowski Conference Center in the Arrowhead Center for the Arts. The meetings are open to the public.
 
EATS is much more than a fun, food-filled event, it is also a major fundraiser for the education foundation, which funds activities and programs outside the usual school curriculum.
 
WTIP’s Rhonda Silence attended the 2019 EATS event. Click below to hear her report!
 
 
Activities and items purchased thanks to grants from the education foundation include:
Outdoor Timber frame Classroom
Ice Storm Robotics
Tower Gardens for 1st grade
Math League Meets/Competition
Middle School Writer's Club
Literature Empowerment for 1st grade
Culinary Arts supplies
Wall Mosaic materials for the 4th grade
Knowledge Bowl
Two computerized babies for the High School health class
Student Response System for K-12 classroom use to engage all learners
Complete set of Bill Nye Science DVDs
Senior Books & Senior Show expenses
10 Graphing Calculators for grades 8-12
Middle School Exploratory Days expenses
Concordia Language Villages for High School Spanish Class
North House Timber Frame Project with High School Industrial Tech Students
Terrence Smith Folk Dancing for K-5
Michael Monroe workshop for elementary and middle school
Kindergarten Dramatic Play Centers
World Traveler Day supplies in elementary
Youth Frontiers Retreats
North House Inuit Soapstone Carving class
​Young Authors Conference registration fees
Math Mission for Grades 4 & 5
Junior Achievement Exchange City
CCHS Guthrie Theater Tour
Foster Grandparent program fee for Sawtooth
 

The Cook County/Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA) meets the second Tuesday of each month and normally has a full agenda, covering housing projects, happenings at the Cedar Grove Business Park and Superior National at Lutsen, and more.

WTIP checks in with the EDA after each meeting to learn the latest. Here’s WTIP’s Rhonda Silence with EDA Board President Howard Hedstrom.
 
 

Each week the Cook County Sheriff’s Office provides a brief report of calls made to the Cook County Law Enforcement Center in the past week. This week’s report provides details logged by law enforcement dispatchers from March 4 to March 10, 2019. WTIP asked for more information on a number of those calls. 

On March 6, the Hovland and Colvill Fire Departments and First Responders were paged to respond to a crash between a logging truck and a pickup on Jackson Lake Road in Hovland. There were no injuries and no citations.

There was a drug incident at the U.S. Port of Entry. A Clinton, Minnesota man was arrested. The Sheriff’s Office was also called when a party found suspected meth in an empty apartment in Grand Marais.

On March 4, the sheriff’s office activated a search warrant regarding a theft from a business. Investigation in the matter continues.

A party on Trout Lake Road reported that a credit card had been taken and used in Michigan on March 6. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office notified that jurisdiction about the fraud.

On March 6, a domestic disturbance led to an arrest in Grand Portage. Another domestic disturbance call on March 8 in Grand Portage also resulted in an arrest.

There was a report of an assault in Grand Marais, involving a juvenile.

 On March 8 an investigation was launched regarding a vulnerable adult money theft.

 There was a report of criminal sexual conduct on March 8.

An overdue snowmobiler was reported by a caller on the Clearwater Road. Gunflint Search and Rescue responded and the person was located. There were no injuries.

Sheriff deputies assisted with an extradition transport on March 10.

There was a possible home break-in at a residence in Grand Marais on March 10. No suspects, the homeowner just wanted to have the incident on record.  

There was a hit and run resulting in property damage on East Highway 61 on March 5. A bumper was torn off of a vehicle. There were no witnesses and there are no suspects.

Deputies responded to a car in the ditch on High Forest Trail, a side road off the Caribou Trail. There were no injuries and no citations.

An “unknown trouble” call on the Gunflint Trail was a vehicle search for drugs. Nothing was found.

Law Enforcement received a report of a suicide threat up the Gunflint Trail on March 7. It was determined there was no intention of suicide.

There was a call reporting suspicious activity for an unknown parked vehicle that was gone when deputies arrived.

The sheriff’s office received a report of a lost ring. A party reported a lost key ring and another person called the sheriff’s office because they lost their keys and could not move their vehicle.

Found and turned into law enforcement was a check book, a debit card and a license plate. Owners were notified.

A caller suggested a welfare check for a hitchhiker on West Highway 61 on March 5. Another check welfare call came in on March 7 for a person walking down Townsite Road being loud and creating a disturbance. The person was located and brought home.

Deputies responded to a call of an intoxicated person causing a disturbance at the Grand Portage Casino. Parties were brought to their residence.

A garbage bag in the road on Highway 61 was reported as a hazard on March 4. Another caller contacted Cook County dispatch to inform them of a pot hole on Highway 61.

There were a number of public assist calls during which deputies checked a residence with an owner and escorted two different individuals while retrieving personal items from a residence. Deputies helped with a flat tire on East Highway 61, and helped a party locked out of their house. 

Dispatch recorded a vehicle broken down, no assistance needed on March 5

There were a number of parking problem calls—one on East First Street. The owner was contacted and the vehicle was moved. Another call came in reporting a problem with cars parking on a bridge on East Highway 61. And another call came in regarding a car too close to the intersection on West Wisconsin Street. The owner was notified.

There was a check welfare call that was a mistaken call from Wabasha County and another call for assistance that was actually for Cook, Minnesota.

The Sheriff’s Office received a call from a party on the Croftville Road expressing concern about people in the water of Lake Superior just before 6 p.m. on March 8. It was determined to be people in wetsuits swimming. On March 9 there was a call at about 10 a.m. from East 2nd Street with concerns about people ice skating on the east bay and then a call of people walking on the ice by Grace Drive in Grand Marais around noon.

The sheriff’s office fielded a call of a loose dog on West Highway 61 on March 5;  another on Pike Lake Road on March 6; and a call about loose dogs on 8th Avenue on March 8.

There was a report of a dead deer on West Highway 61 on March 6; an injured deer on Hammer Road on March 7 and an injured deer on the Cramer Road on March 9.

Law Enforcement dispatch received an alert from a security alarm in Grand Portage. It turned out to be a false alarm. Another alert came from an automatic fire alarm in Grand Marais. It was set off by someone cooking.

The Sheriff’s Office assisted the Department of Transportation with traffic control.

In addition, the law enforcement log reports 17 traffic stops, with 15 warnings and two citations.

Law Enforcement Center dispatchers handled nine crank or misdialed 9-1-1 calls.

Deputies also conducted 15 business or residence checks and on March 10, deputies noticed an open trailer door at the Grand Marais Recreation Park. Campground management was notified.

If you need help from the Cook County Sberiff's Office, dial 9-1-1.
 

The Cook County Highway Department has an advisory for motorist of vehicles, large and small. All drivers are asked to remain vigilant as localized flooding is expected to continue as the long-range forecast predicts warming temperatures. Cook County Highway Department crews will work through the weekend to continue to thaw culverts, dig ditches, and push ice chunks off several county roads.

The Highway Department asks drivers to report water over roadways or other issues to the office at 218-387-3014. After hours and weekend emergencies may be reported to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office at 218-387-3030.

Highway Department crews will respond as soon as practicable. 

“Many roads are not built to withstand the pace of this season’s melting, which is further complicated by a mix of daytime thawing and overnight freezing temperatures,” said Cook County Highway Engineer Krysten Foster. “In some neighborhoods, crews may need to thaw the same culvert on consecutive days. All available resources including steaming units, sanding trucks, and graders are working hard to improve road conditions as soon as possible.”
 
Seasonal Road Restrictions 
And, drivers of large vehicles are advised that seasonal road restrictions go into effect at 12:01 a.m., Tuesday, March 19. Restrictions typically remain in effect for a minimum of eight weeks.

After that period, road restrictions will be lifted on a case-by-case basis as conditions warrant. All Cook County roads are limited to 5 tons per axle unless otherwise posted.

The following roads are posted as follows: 

10 Tons per Axle 
COUNTY ROAD    12       TH 61 to Hedstrom's Mill 

9 Tons per Axle 
COUNTY ROAD    2       TH 61 to end of bituminous (FR 164) 
COUNTY ROAD    4       TH 61 to end of bituminous (FR 164) 
COUNTY ROAD    5       Entire length 
COUNTY ROAD    7       Entire length 
COUNTY ROAD    8       COUNTY ROAD 12 to CR 27 
COUNTY ROAD    12      Hedstrom's Mill to Greenwood Road (FR 309) 

7 Tons per Axle 
COUNTY ROAD    12      Greenwood Road (FR 309) to Seagull Lake (FR 1355) 
COUNTY ROAD    16      TH 61 to Hovland Tower Road 
COUNTY ROAD    17      TH 61, east to Hat Point 
COUNTY ROAD    18      Entire length 
COUNTY ROAD    23      TH 61 to COUNTY ROAD 17 

5 Tons per Axle 
COUNTY ROAD    1        Entire length 
COUNTY ROAD    2       Honeymoon Trail (FR 164) to The Grade (FR 170) 
COUNTY ROAD    12      Seagull Lake (FR 1355) to end 
COUNTY ROAD    14      Entire length 
COUNTY ROAD    17      West and north of TH 61 to CR 89 
CR      45      COUNTY ROAD 7 to Pike Lake 
CR      48      Entire length 
All other County roads that are not posted. 

4 Tons per Axle 
COUNTY ROAD    8       CR 27 to CR 57 
COUNTY ROAD    16      North of Shoe Lake Road (FR 313) 
CR      57      COUNTY ROAD 8 to Bally Creek Road 
CR      89      Entire length 
CR      74      Entire length

Photo courtesy of Outdoor Adventures on Lake Superior
 

Tim Young is an artist familiar to many of us on the North Shore, either through his signature “fish in a tree” works, his campy online action adventure series Flash Meridian, or any number of projects he has taken though the years.

Tim put his paintbrush and camera aside for a bit and has taken up the pen. He has written and/or compiled works from years past in three books which he published this year.

Tim is launching a Grand Marais book tour, visiting a variety of locations and reading excerpts from all three books, which are My Hand Paints, The Adventures of Flash Meridian and The Adventures of Mr. Pumpkinhead.

Tim invites the public to a reading and book signing on Saturday, March 16 at 3 p.m. at the Cook County Community Center. He has more readings coming up. For information on the books and/or upcoming events, follow his Facebook page.