North Shore News Hour

It couldn’t have gone much worse.

That is the sentiment being expressed by both user groups and federal officials after permits for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness went on sale Jan. 30 to the public through the national recreation reservation system.  Soon after the permit reservation process opened, many users were not able to access the reservation system. 

The Recreation.gov team, both agency and contractor staff, soon discovered a problem with how the national system servers were distributing the traffic to the website, which resulted in the inability of many visitors to make reservations. Several people were successful in making reservations for permits while others could not access the system at all, according to a news release sent to WTIP shortly after the crash.

Once the Forest Service became aware of the situation Wednesday, the decision was made to interrupt the sale of BWCA permits. Superior National Forest staff worked closely with the contractor over the past year, including time during the recent government furlough, with the intent of having the system ready for Jan. 30. Within a short period of time it became evident the system was not ready, a concern expressed by many BWCA user groups leading up to the change.

There is currently no timeframe for when the site will start working.

WTIP reached out to Ely resident Nancy McReady of the nonprofit Conservationists with Common Sense, about her frustrations with the new permit system. Here's Rhonda Silence with more. 
 

Due to the extreme cold, if anyone needs emergency shelter overnight, please contact the Cook County Sheriff’s Office at 218-387-3030 and assistance will be arranged.

Cook County has Emergency Shelter Plans that can be exercised if needed. The Cook County YMCA is the county’s primary shelter site and the Emergency Sheltering Trailer and staff are on standby, if needed.

“So far, we have not been advised of any utility outages or needs for emergency shelter, but that can change as it gets colder, and we want to make sure that nobody is left out in this extreme cold,” said Valerie Marasco, director of Emergency Management.

“Our agencies are ready to assist with providing emergency overnight shelter if needed. During previous outages, emergency shelters have been opened and nobody has checked in, so it is important to communicate the need. We are fortunate to have a very generous community that looks after each other, but in the event anyone needs it and does not have the means to secure a warm place to stay, please let us know.”

The following local hotels have offered discounted rates for individuals needing a warm place to stay. Individuals need to make arrangements directly with the hotel.

Aspen Inn- $60 +tax – (800) 247-6020
Aspen Lodge - $69 +tax – (800) 247-6020
Shoreline - $50 +tax - (218) 387-2633

Temporary warming locations for remainder of Tuesday and for Wednesday: 

• The Cook County YMCA, located at 105 W 5th St, Grand Marais, is opening its doors free to the public today and Wednesday, as a place people can come and warm up. They YMCA’s regular hours are 6 am – 8 pm.
• The Cook County Senior Center located at 10 Broadway, Grand Marais, MN – Open 8 am – 4 pm
• The Grand Marais Public Library will now be CLOSED on Wednesday, Jan. 30, due to the extreme cold.

Report any utility outages to the utility, or if after business hours, contact Cook County Sheriff’s Office at 218-387-3030. In an emergency call 911.
 
Updates will be issued if the emergency shelter at the YMCA is opened – watch for more information.
 

Cook County School District 166 had some new students in attendance in recent weeks. Their family moved to the North Shore from Puerto Rico.

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence checked in with Assistant Principal Mitch Dorr to learn more about the school district's English as a Second Language offerings. 

The National Weather Service has announced “a period of historic cold temperatures and life-threatening wind chills” through late morning on Thursday, January 31.  For that reason, Cook County Schools/ISD 166 and Great Expectations School in Grand Marais; Birch Grove Community School in Tofte and Oshki Ogimaag in Grand Portage are cancelling school for the third consecutive day. There is no school for students at ISD 166 and staff is being asked to report at 10 a.m. Afternoon activities will be held as scheduled.
 

Other weather-related cancellations have been announced.

Grand Marais Public Library is closed on Wednesday. 

Yoga classes at Cobblestone Cabins in Tofte have been cancelled for the week. Instructor Kathy Horak says classes will resume next Tuesday. For more information, email [email protected]. 

All Wednesday activities at Cornerstone Community Church in Grand Marais have been cancelled.

Lutsen Mountains will be closed for ski operations Wednesday.

Grand Marais Art Colony will be closed on Wednesday.

The community listening sessions with poet Julia Klatt Singer and composer Craig Carnahan scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday have been postponed and will be rescheduled for a later date.

All activities on Wednesday at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, including youth activities, meal, worship, and choir have been cancelled. 

The Cook County Public Health and Human Services public meeting on its Community Health Needs Assessment on Wednesday, January 30 has been CANCELLED due to the weather and will be rescheduled.  More information at 218-387-3620. 

If you have a cold weather closure to announce, give us a call at WTIP at 218-387-1070 or email [email protected] or [email protected]. 

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 Tuesday, January 22 to Sunday, January 27.

WTIP Community Radio asked for more details on a number of calls, such as a hit and run reported on January 25 by Sharon Hart on County Road 56. The incident was unwitnessed and the Sheriff’s Office has no damage estimate.

Sheriff Deputies assisted someone who wanted a message delivered to someone in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Deputies also assisted the U.S. Forest Service in checking registration for a snowmobiler and assisted the Minnesota State Patrol with booking a party with a driving under the influence charge.

A call reporting harassment was due to a community member posting documents at public library.  No charges were filed.
 
A party reported a violation of an order for protection a few days earlier. The matter was referred to the county attorney’s office.

There were two calls reporting suspicious activity. A call about a suspicious vehicle in Grand Marais turned out to be a family member in a borrowed van. And a suspicious person turned out to be the cleaning person at Cook County YMCA.

A vehicle slid into the ditch on January 25. A police presence was not needed, but the party asked for help getting a tow.

There were several calls regarding animals, such as reports of two deer killed in car/deer crashes, one in the middle of the roadway.

On January 25, there was a call about an elderly dog with “territory issues.” The sheriff deputy is following up with caretakers. On January 27, law enforcement received a call of a loose dog. The owner was contacted.

A snowmobiler stuck in the slush on Tait Lake in Lutsen called for help on Jan 25. The party was given contact information for a tow company. A report of a broken down snowmobile was received on January 26.

A call reporting theft of firewood came in on January 26. There are no suspects in the matter.

At 11:22 p.m. on Jan 25, a party called, reporting flashing lights outside their house. It was determined that the lights were from a deputy on a traffic stop near the property.

There was a call of an overdue person on Saturday, January 26. A party said her husband had gone to help someone at Trestle Pine Lake in Grand Marais. The woman called just before 8 p.m. saying she was worried at the length of time the effort was taken. The party was located a short time later at the Grand Portage Casino.

There were a number of traffic calls, such as one for exhibition driving at Coast Guard point on January 23. No citation was issued.

On January 27, the Sheriff’s Office was called because trucks with snowmobile trailers were blocking access to My Sister’s Place restaurant. The truck owners were located and vehicles were moved.

As always, the Cook County Law Enforcement Center handled a number of lost and found items. A cell phone was found and the owner notified. A wallet was turned in to the LEC and the owner notified. A single key on a lanyard was found and turned in, yet to be claimed. And a party reported a phone lost somewhere in Grand Marais on January 27.

There were 12 traffic stops with seven reprimands and five tickets issued.

Law Enforcement dispatchers address three crank or misdialed 9-1-1 calls.  
 

At the last school board meeting for School District 166, Assistant Principal Mitch Dorr told the school board about a new problem at schools—not just at School District 166—but schools around the nation. The troubling new trend? E-cigarettes and vaping.
 
The School District has launched an education program to increase awareness of what is considered by many to be an epidemic facing today’s youth.
 
A post on the school’s Facebook page explains, “Vaping is the act of inhaling a vapor produced by an electronic vaporize or e-cigarette.
 
“The casing can come in any shape or size, but its most popular form is the Juul, which takes its appearance as a flash drive and can be easily concealed in a backpack, coat, purse, etc.”
 
The school site goes on to explain, “The liquids that are vaporized are marketed to our youth with different flavors such as ‘cinnamon roll, marshmallow, bubblegum, lemonade and cookies’ giving the appearance that this is a harmless smoking option with limited risks.”
 
WTIP’s Rhonda Silence spoke with Assistant Principal Dorr about the situation at Cook County Schools and about how parents and community members can help with this educational effort.
 
More information is also available from the Minnesota Department of Health, here.
The U.S. Surgeon General has also provided information, here.
 

 The Cook County/Silver Bay Alpine ski team had its last regular conference meet on Thursday, January 24 at Mont du Lac Ski Hill in Wisconsin. According to Alpine Coach Charles Lamb, it was a huge meet with 11 regional teams and 220 racers.

Despite frigid temperatures, the North Shore Alpine team had a great day at Mont du Lac in what was called the Gitchi Gumi Invite, where many of the racers began their skiing adventure.

The boys’ team finished in sixth place in that competitive field. Will Surbaugh had a blow-out on his first run, but skied great on his second. It wasn’t enough to earn a spot on the podium, but the second race was stellar, said Coach Lamb.

Ray Dressley finished 27th and Elijah Blanck, 30th. Also having great races were Westin Heeren and Andrew Hallberg. Cy Oberholtzer was having a fantastic day, but straddled a gate and was disqualified.

The girls’ team took home the third place plaque. Reilly Wahlers was in first place at the end of her first run, but the second run was not quite as fast. She finished in an impressive third place, just behind Elsa Peterson of Minneapolis SW in first and Kendra Winberg of Hermantown in second.

Sela Backstrom had two great runs, continuing her consistent skiing season by finishing once again in the top ten.

Elsa Lunde also had a great first race but had a miscue in her second.

Rounding out the girls’ team were Emma Sexauer, Kalina Dimitrova , and Allie Duclos.

Overall, Coach Lamb said it was a great day at Mont du Lac.

Next up is the Section meet at Giant’s Ridge on February 5, so the team will spend the next week training.

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence talked to Coach Lamb to learn more about how things went at Mont du Lac.

Photos courtesy of the Alpine team