North Shore News Hour

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office received a 9-1-1 call at about 8:30 p.m. on Friday, January 4, reporting a possible structure fire at 12 Nelson Trail in Grand Marais. The caller said there was no fire, but a great deal of smoke was coming from the small cabin.

The Grand Marais Fire Department, Maple Hill Fire Department, and Cook County Ambulance were paged to respond. The fire departments staged along Highway 61 and in the nearby Aspen Inn parking lot.

Firefighters entered the structure to locate the seat of the fire, while others protected the adjacent structures. They located the seat of the fire and were able to knock it down within about 10 minutes. Firefighters remained on scene to ensure the fire was completely out.

Emergency responders were clear of the scene by 10:30 p.m.

The individuals renting the cabin were not home at the time of the fire and there were no injuries.

The cabin suffered significant damage and is likely not salvageable.

The State Fire Marshall inspected the structure on January 5 and said the fire was not an arson incident. The suspected cause of the fire is an electrical issue.

WTIP contacted Grand Marais Fire Chief Ben Silence to see if he had any comment about the fire. He said, “I’m very proud of our fire departments. We’ve had two good ‘saves’ in the last three weeks. I’m proud of their hard work.”
 

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 Monday, December 24 to Wednesday, December 30.  

WTIP Community Radio asked for more details on a number of calls, such as a “drug incident” on East Highway 61 on December 25. WTIP learned that Stephan Petron, 71, of New Ulm, Minn. was cited for possession of a small amount of marijuana in a motor vehicle and for possession of drug paraphernalia.

At 5:23 p.m. on December 26, there was a report of a vehicle on fire at Lutsen Mountains, in the parking lot near the maintenance building. Lutsen Fire Department, First Responders and Cook County Sheriff’s deputies responded and the first emergency responder on scene at 5:30 p.m. reported that the car, a 2004 white Pontiac Grand Prix, was fully on fire.
The fire was extinguished by 5:40 p.m. and emergency crews were clear of the scene just after 6 p.m.
The cause of the fire was not released.

A call regarding a theft on Store Road in Grand Portage was logged on December 26 and according to the Sheriff’s Office, that incident is under investigation.

There were three “public assist” calls, which cover all sorts of incidents in which the Cook County Sheriff’s Office helps in some way. One call was from a party concerned that snow-covered culverts stored in the ditch on the 600 Road in Tofte could be a traffic hazard. That call was referred to the U.S. Forest Service, which is responsible for the 600 Road maintenance.

Another public assist call was from a woman bringing her husband in to the emergency room after he fell and hit his head on the ice.
And on December 25, a request came in to check on a man who was last heard from while outside working on his car. That party called back—the man returned had returned phone calls and all was well.

Lutsen Mountains reported a theft after an individual was found skiing without paying for a pass. The call was cancelled after ski hill staff obtained credit card information from a family member.

There was a single car crash on West Highway 61 on December 25. No medical response was needed.

There were numerous car/deer accidents with two on Christmas Day, December 25; one on December 27 near Chicago Bay in Hovland; and two more on December 29.

A caller reported damage to property on Mineral Center Road in Grand Portage December 26. The party said a building whose front door was boarded up had been kicked in.

There were several “check hazard” calls from ice- and snow-covered trees blocking the driving lane. Those calls were referred to the Cook County Highway Department and MnDOT.

A “miscellaneous fire call” logged on December 30 at Caribou Highlands in Lutsen was for the Lutsen Fire Department. Caribou Highlands had questions regarding hotel fire suppression equipment.

And “Odin” the dog ran off in the morning of December 29. Fortunately, he returned on his own about an hour later.

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

It's a new year and a new opportunity to make changes. WTIP Reporter Rhonda Silence took to the streets of Grand Marais to find out if people are making New Year's Resolutions.

Here's what she learned from Sam, Gary, Robin, Jean, Alton, the McLaron family, Cat and Mary. Thanks everyone for talking to WTIP. 

Happy New Year, everyone! 

For many years, Arrowhead Animal Rescue has been working to find a new home for the Grand Marais dog pound. The small building dubbed the "Found Pound" is out of place in the Grand Marais Recreation Area. 

The City of Grand Marais has been working with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for many years on a plan for improvements of the recreation area boat launch. Grand Marais received word this year that the DNR project was included in the state bonding bill, so the changes to the harbor area could start in 2019.

The plan calls for removal of old city buildings, including the little cinder block building that serves as the temporary home to lost or abandoned animals, so that makes the need for a new facility even more critical. 

What is the status of the dog pound? WTIP's Rhonda Silence asks Arrowhead Animal Rescue spokesperson Gay O'Donnell in this intervew. 

WTIP periodically checks in with our local schools. In this interview, Rhonda Silence talks to Great Expectations School Director Peter James about activities at the school, such as the school's annual "Self-Portrait Fair." 

The interview also touches on school renovation, enrollment, school funding and the differences between a charter school like Great Expectations and the "resident school," which is School District 166. 

Here's that conversation. 

Power outages caused by the weight of heavy snow on lines or by trees that have toppled under the snow have been reported in numerous locations across the county, including:

- Croftville, numerous addresses

- Grand Portage, numerous addresses - Bay Road and Upper Road
  
-Lutsen, around Happy Acres Drive, Mink Ranch Road/Boulder Point  

- Schroeder, several addresses on Cramer Road

- Outages and brown out in some areas of Hovland

- County Road 7 from County Road 6 back toward Grand Marais 

Outage reports started at about 7 p.m.. December 27. Arrowhead Electric and the Grand Marais Public Utilities Commission are aware of the issues and are working on solutions. 

Arrowhead Electric Operations Manager John Twiest says two line crews are in the field, locating and making repairs, one on the east end of the county and the other on the west end. As of 11:30, crews in the Grand Portage area had restored power to the Upper Road/Hat Point area of Grand Portage.

Crews will continue to work through the night.  Updates will be provided as more information becomes available, but Twiest said it is likely more outages will occur before the storm is over.

The Cook County/Silver Bay Alpine team took to the hills on Friday, December 21 at the Virginia Invite at Giant’s Ridge in Biwabik. The North Shore team had a great day on Innsbruck, with the girls’ team capturing first place.
 
On the girls’ team was Reilly Wahlers, who took 3^rd; Sela Backstrom, who took 12^th and Halle Lamb took 14^th.  They defeated the powerhouse Duluth East team by the narrowest of margins.
 
The boys team had some good runs and Will Surbaugh took 3^rd place. Seventh-grader Ray Dressley earned a spot in the Top 10 with a 10^th place finish. Ben Obinger came in 19^th and Elijah Blanck took 22^nd.
 
Coach Charles Lamb said Cy Oberholtzer fell on his first run. He was not injured and gave an outstanding second run, which would have put him in 18^th.
 
Also having great runs were some members of the JV Alpine team. Kalina Dimitrova finished in 18^th. Westen Hereen and Andrew Hallberg also did great, said Coach Lamb. He said, “They skied tough.”
 
Next up for the Cook County/Silver Bay Alpine team is the Hibbing Invite, back Giant’s Ridge on January 4.
 
Here’s Alpine Ski Coach Charles Lamb with more on the Virginia Invite.  

Click photo to see more. Photos courtesy of the team. 
 

The Winter Reading Program kicks off with a pajama party at the Grand Marais Public Library!

Festivities begin with an interactive story time for all ages, then a visit from Aspen the R.E.A.D. dog. The conference room will be reserved for teens and stocked with craft supplies. Kids of all ages can pick up materials to track their reading and earn prizes. The library invites you to come as you are. Bring your favorite blankets, pillows, and stuffies.

The folks at the library invite everyone to make the library the coziest place in town, from 10:30 to 1:30 on Saturday, January 5.

WTIP volunteer Jean Grover spoke with Erika Ternes from the library about this event and the Winter Reading Program.