North Shore News Hour

After nearly a decade at WTIP Community Radio, our Senior Editor Jay Andersen left the station in August due to some medical issues. WTIP staff missed his wise counsel and listeners missed hearing his voice on the Daybreak program.

Jay could also be heard occasionally on The Roadhouse and he was an integral part of all of the election forums hosted by WTIP.

WTIP is pleased to let listeners know that Jay is doing much better and is now living in Mora, Minnesota with his wife, talented artist Tamara Andersen.

But he is still missed, so WTIP reached out to him to hear his voice again. Here’s WTIP’s Rhonda Silence with Jay.

The North Shore community lost one of its finest leaders in February. Norman Wayne Deschampe, chair of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, passed away on February 9, 2019 – just 17 days before his 66th birthday.

Norman had an impact far beyond the close-knit community of Grand Portage, as far as Washington D.C. and as close as the neighboring city of Grand Marais.

In recognition of his long service on the Grand Portage Tribal Council and his dedication to the community, Grand Portage and Grand Marais have designated February 26 – Norman’s birthday – as Norman Deschampe Day.

Please listen to the proclamation by Grand Marais Mayor Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux and a response from Anna Deschampe, sharing her family’s thoughts on the proclamation of the day of honor.

Click here to see the full Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa proclamation of Norman Deschampe Day. 
 

The West End townships of Lutsen, Tofte and Schroeder hold at least monthly meetings. There are sometimes additional meetings to prepare for upcoming events, such as the March 12 township annual meetings. All of Minnesota’s counties hold annual meetings and elections on the second Tuesday of March.

WTIP checked in with representatives of each of the townships after their latest meetings.

If you are interested in attending a regular meeting of the town boards, here is their meeting information:
Tofte 
The township of Tofte meets the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Tofte Town Hall, 7240 Tofte Park Road. More information available at TofteMN.com.
 
Lutsen 
The township of Lutsen meets the third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Lutsen Town Hall located at 116 Caribou Trail. See lutsentownship.com for agenda and minutes.
 
Schroeder 
The township of Schroeder meets the second Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at Schroeder Town Hall, 124 Cramer Road, Schroeder. More information about the township is available at SchroederTownship.com.

Election and annual meetings
All of the townships are holding elections on March 12, with polls open from 5 to 8 p.m. The annual meeting follows at 8 p.m.
The Lutsen and Schroeder township elections and meetings are at their respective town halls. Tofte elections and annual meeting is at the Birch Grove Community Center at 9 Good Neighbor Hill Road.

To hear the township reports, click one of the files below! 
 

At approximately 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 24, a report of four stranded ice fishermen whose snowmobiles became stuck in deep slush on Greenwood Lake came in to the Sheriff’s Office. The anglers were using a friend’s cabin on the lake and were able to pick up a Canadian cellular signal to contact the Ontario Provincial Police 911. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office was then contacted by OPP dispatch. Cook County deputies, Search & Rescue, Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department/EMS, Cook County North Shore Health Ambulance and the USFS law enforcement responded.
 
The anglers were not able to communicate their location on the lake. While attempting to locate the victims, Sheriff’s Office snowmobiles also became stuck. About 14 inches of slush were reported on parts of the lake.
 
Deputies were able to extract one of their snowmobiles and Incident Command then used long-track snowmobiles and responders on snowshoes to initiate the search of the on the 2,043-acre lake. Visibility was very limited due to 50 mph wind gusts.
 
At approximately 5:50 p.m., responders located the anglers about two miles in from the landing off Greenwood Lake Road and Fire Box Road. The rescue squad began transporting the parties.

One fisherman, 50-year-old Randall Bush from Cotton, Minnesota, was showing signs of advanced hypothermia, frostbite, and dehydration and was taken to the local hospital for treatment.

The other three individuals involved in the incident are Tamara Grandlund, 51, Thomas Hudacek, 49 and Kevin Steichen, 54. All three are residents of Wisconsin.

Emergency responders were able to stabilize Bush while en route to the ambulance staging area. The party was then transported to hospital for further treatment.
 
Response was slowed due to many roads in the area being impassable this time of year. Roads were also drifted over due to winter storm conditions. Local plowing contractor Al Berglund arrived to clear the road for ambulance access.

Responders began to clear the scene around 8 pm.
 
“We are fortunate to have dedicated emergency response units who risk their own lives going out in conditions like this to rescue strangers, along with our 911 professionals who manage these calls and responder safety from start to finish,” said Sheriff Pat Eliasen.
 
“We are grateful we were able to get these folks out alive and that all of the responders are going home safely tonight. I highly commend everyone who took part in this operation during extremely tough conditions today.
 
Sheriff Eliasen added, “We strongly recommend people heed weather warnings and conditions, let people know where you are going and how long you expect to be gone.”
 

Another round of severe winter weather appears to be on the way tonight and Sunday. The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for Cook and Lake counties.

According to the Weather Service, surface low pressure will strengthen rapidly as it moves from Oklahoma to northeast Ontario by noon Sunday. Heavy snow and a brief period of freezing rain will accompany the storm system and will affect much of northwest Wisconsin and the Minnesota Arrowhead.

Strong winds are expected and may create visibilities of less than one-quarter mile at times while snow is falling. There is the possibility of gusts as high as 35 - 45 miles per hour, with occasional gusts of up to 50 miles per hour on Sunday.

Snow accumulation of 6 to 12 inches is possible in the warned area, though less is expected in Grand Marais and Cook County. Snow tapers off from southwest to northeast Sunday afternoon. The strongest winds are expected from mid-morning Sunday into Sunday evening with blowing snow likely.

Conditions should improve Sunday night as the storm system lifts away from the Northland and winds diminish.

A Blizzard Warning means severe winter weather conditions are expected or occurring. Falling and blowing snow with strong winds and poor visibilities are likely. This will lead to whiteout conditions, making travel extremely dangerous. Do not travel. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle. The latest road conditions for Minnesota can be found at 511mn.org, and for Wisconsin at 511wi.gov, or by calling 511 in either state.
 

The census of 2020 may seem far away, but the U.S. Census Bureau is working to get the word out about the importance of taking part in its count of citizens now. North Shore residents will have the opportunity to take part in the census, by completing the documents to be counted, but also by taking part in the counting process.

Grand Marais Mayor Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux is involved in the pre-census planning and WTIP's Rhonda Silence checked in with him to learn more.
 

 The Cook County Community Center was crowded with kids in hockey gear on Tuesday, Feb. 19 during “Try Hockey Day” in Grand Marais.
 
There were lots of smiles at the high-energy event which was a joint effort of the Silver Bay Blue Line Club and the Cook County Amateur Hockey Association. WTIP spoke with Shane Hoff of the Silver Bay Club and Jim Walner of the Cook County club.
 
Hoff expressed appreciation to Walner and other members of the Cook County group for all their hard work shoveling and flooding prior to Tuesday. Hoff said, “In small communities like ours, this passion and dedication are a requirement to keeping these opportunities alive for our kids.”
 
Hoff explained the reasons why the Blue Line Club wanted to have a Try Hockey Day in Grand Marais. He said there were three goals: to show support of the current Cook County hockey families; to generate interest in the sport of hockey and to evaluate interest at various age levels.
 
For example, said Hoff, there were several Mite 1 and Mite 2 age kids who showed up, which indicates enough interest to create a team at those levels based in Grand Marais. Hoff said it would be ideal if there are enough kids and coaches to form teams based in Grand Marais.
 
However, he said joining the young players in Silver Bay is an option if that doesn’t work out. Hoff said, “We also want to let folks in Cook County know that there are several families carpooling to Silver Bay for practices.  The Silver Bay Blue Line Club helps families with carpooling expenses by giving a $25 gas card for each practice at a given level.”
 
Hoff said, “The Silver Bay Blue Line Club is willing to help the Cook County Hockey Association in whatever capacity we can to give these kids the opportunity to play hockey starting next season.”
 
For more information about hockey on the North Shore, contact Jim Walner at 218-370-1097 or Shane Hoff at 218-226-3122.
 
 
Looking at the turnout for Try Hockey Day in Grand Marais, it seems there is a lot of interest in hockey in Cook County.  WTIP’s Rhonda Silence talks to some of the participants in this interview.

Click photos for slideshow - Photos courtesy of Renee Buryanek
 
 

The Grand Marais Fire Department and Cook County Ambulance were paged to respond to a structure fire at 111 West Third Street in Grand Marais at 2:30 this afternoon, Feb. 20.

A sheriff deputy was first on the scene and confirmed that a small shed on the alley was fully engulfed and said it could endanger nearby homes. According to the Cook County Sheriff's Office, homeowner Carol Bosman was evacuated from the adjacent house. Her pets were also temporarily removed as a precaution.

The Grand Marais Fire Department responded and by 3 p.m., the fire had been extinguished but the fire department remained on the scene to ensure the blaze was completely out. The fire department and other responders were clear of the scene by 3:45 p.m.

The shed and its contents were destroyed by the fire. There were no injuries.

The cause of the fire is not known at this time.
 

 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 February 13 to February 19.

On Feb. 15, a female snowmobiler was injured when she was thrown off her machine, suffering a possible broken collar bone.

Members of Cook County Search and Rescue and sheriff deputies participated in the rescue effort on the Meridian Road snowmobile trail in Grand Marais. Morgan Eberhardy of Menomonie, Wisconsin was transported off the trail by emergency services and then transported to North Shore Health by ambulance.

Another snowmobiler walked into the Cook County Law Enforcement Center on Feb. 15 to report an accident the day before. Michael Hatecke of Culver, Minnesota reported that his hand was injured when another driver crashed into him.

There was a personal injury accident on Feb. 16 on Pine Mountain Road in Grand Marais. Deputies responded to a report of a vehicle in the ditch at 5:36 a.m. and the driver was arrested for driving under the influence.

There were several calls on crashes. A vehicle slid on the ice on Hungry Jack Road and collided with a Como Oil delivery truck on Feb. 14. There was damage to the vehicle, but no injuries reported.

Another accident with damage to motor vehicles occurred on private property off of Devil Track Road on Feb. 15. No emergency response was needed.

A man from Winona, Minnesota had damage to his vehicle when he backed into gas pumps at Clearview General Store in Lutsen. The vehicle had a broken tail light and there was damage to the interior of the gas pump. 

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office also had some damage to a squad car on Feb. 13 when another patrol vehicle backed into it, causing minimal damage to the bumper. A second incident occurred when a Cook County Sheriff’s Office squad car backed into a private vehicle on Clearwater Road on Feb. 17.

Just before 10 a.m. on Feb. 18, law enforcement dispatchers received a call reporting erratic driving on Highway 61.

There was a report of a domestic disturbance in Tofte just before midnight on Feb. 18. The sheriff’s office learned that the incident had happened previously and the victim was now in the Twin Cities. However, the suspect was arrested and transported to the Cook County jail.
There were two calls regarding juveniles, one regarding an issue with social media.

A damage to property call came in because of illegal garbage dumping on West Highway 61. A receipt was found and the matter is under investigation. 

There were two calls reporting “suspicious activity” on South Broadway in Grand Marais. The activity was people skating on the east bay and walking on the harbor ice by the lighthouse.

Deputies responded to two “check hazard calls,” one near Beacon Hill Road in Schroeder where deputies picked up beer cans on the highway. The other call was from a motorist worried that a semi truck would not be able to make it up the hill on 5th Avenue West in Grand Marais.

Deputies were asked to assist the public in a number of ways, such as traffic control for a tow company; checking and replacing batteries for an individual using the Project Lifesaver system; and aiding a party removing belongings from a home. Deputies also responded to a report of a vehicle rolling down the street on 1st Avenue West.

There were a few calls related to animals. On Feb. 13 there was a call regarding a pet dispute between neighbors. There was also a call of a loose dog on Feb. 15 and deputies were called to release a dog from the pound later that day. There was a call of a dead deer in the road on East Highway 61 on Feb. 17.

There were three calls reporting car and deer crashes, on West Highway 61 and on Resort Road in Lutsen on Feb. 14 and near Bents Road in Grand Marais on Feb. 17.

Several “parking problem” calls were received. An inoperable vehicle was in the roadway at Mile Creek Road on Feb. 14. Another vehicle was stalled in the road on the Gunflint Trail on Feb. 18. And a caller reported concern about vehicles parked on the shoulder of Highway 61 at Devil Track River on Dec. 18.

There was a report of lost keys in the Gunflint Trail area.

A caller from the West End of the county reported an incident of fraud. The caller said they had ordered a phone and received a magazine instead.

Deputies and the Tofte Fire Department was paged to an automated fire alarm at Aspenwood in Tofte on Feb. 17. It turned out to be a false alarm.

On Feb. 18, a caller reported an open door at a building in Grand Marais. It was determined that the door was left open by a delivery driver who was still bringing packages in.

There were several reports from deputies on snowmobile patrol. Cook County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Valerie Marasco said the county conducts these patrols in cooperation with the State of Minnesota, which provides some funds for these activities.

Marasco said the patrols are random, unless the sheriff’s office is requested due to a certain activity or problem spot on any of the trails.
Sheriff deputies also participated in the joint U.S. - Canada border monitoring program, Operation Stone Garden on Feb. 14, Feb. 16, Feb. 17 and Feb. 19.

Through the month there were six medical calls and eight crank or misdialed 9-1-1 calls.

There were 20 traffic stops in which drivers received a reprimand and four drivers were ticketed.

If you need help from Cook County Law Enforcement, dial 9-1-1. For non-emergency calls, contact the Cook County Sheriff’s Office at 218-387-3030.
 

The Grand Marais City Council met on Wednesday, Feb. 13 and we checked in with Grand Marais Mayor Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux after the meeting.
 
The mayor gave an update on topics discussed, such as a zoning change in the Creechville area of Grand Marais and possible changes to overall zoning to increase opportunities for new housing in the city; on personnel matters.
 
The mayor expressed appreciation to Karl Hansen, who has gone off the Grand Marais Public Utilities Commission, for his time on the board. The council approved appointment of Ann Possis to the PUC.
 
In other PUC news, the council received a rough draft of a city climate action plan from Climate Change Coordinator Shane Steele. There was limited discussion on that to give councilors time to read through the draft to discuss at future meetings.  
 
A related interview, on the delay of the Highway 61 construction project through the city of Grand Marais can heard here.
 
Here’s WTIP’s Rhonda Silence with more.