Thoughts from a Pastor’s Heart
Among the best known passages in the Bible is 1st Corinthians 13. The great chapter on love.
April 2022
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Squared Away
VA Health - Beneficiary Travel A topic which I receive many questions, comments and more often complaints… Beneficiary Travel. The VA program, better known as travel pay reimbursement, pays eligible Veterans for mileage and other travel expenses to and from approved health care appointments.
A Look at the Past
Excerpts from the front pages of the Lake County News Chronicle from 1922, 1947, and 1972. Submitted by the Lake County Historical Society.
Legal Learning
What Happened to Sarah Palin? Sarah Palin, former Governor of Alaska, wasn’t in the news very much after she was picked by Sen. John McCain as his Vice-Presidential running mate in 2008.
Scandinavian Dance Revitalized in Two Harbors
Norwegian music and dance is growing in Two Harbors. Julie Widen, who is “half Swede, half Norwegian,” began exploring dance possibilities years ago and taught herself largely through youtube. She is now the founder, costume maker, dance teacher, and musician recruiter for Viken Dancers. They practice out of her garage and have performed for the Sons of Norway, the Julebyen, and Immanuel Lutheran church.
Local Author tells North Shore History
In the self-published book Grandpa’s Workshop, two children learn north shore history via storytelling. Author David Popilek says he “wanted to write a children’s book that would help people relate to their own families, and would also bring alive the rich fur trade history of the north shore of Lake Superior.” He adds, “My dad was an incredible story teller. I hope it pops out to the reader how powerful our imaginations are, how stories can transport us to other times and other cultures.”
Health & Wellness
Feeling itchy? Sometimes just the mention of wood ticks causes people to feel an itch just below their sock lines or at the back of their necks. According to Cassie Shortsleeve in Prevention magazine, “There’s a deeprooted evolutionary advantage to the itch: It’s your body’s way of letting you know that something is irritating your skin, the natural protective barrier between you and the outside world.” Unfortunately, some ticks carry diseases that can be transferred to humans.
Random Strangers
I hope you are doing well and enjoying some of this nice weather. Today (St. Patrick’s Day), I met Micheal Seeber (on the left) who has lived in Two Harbors his whole life and Todd Bata who has lived here since 2003. They are enjoying the good weather. As you can see by their smiling faces. It has been a long cold winter.
Building Fire Adapted Communities: 10th Anniversary of Pagami Creek Fire
The term “Fire Adapted Community” is new, though the concept is not. People have always been afraid of and prepared for fire. But with wildfire damage exponentially growing since the turn of the century, more communities and agencies are getting proactive. The Arrowhead Region (which, according to the USDA Fire Danger map, scores high for both risk and consequence of fire) has created the Arrowhead Fire Adapted Communities website as a resource for individuals, agencies, and communities. According to the website, the AFAC “receives leadership from Dovetail Partners, whose mission is to provide authoritative information about the impacts and trade-offs of environmental decisions, including consumption choices, land use, and policy alternatives. Dovetail believes fire is a necessary tool in the fire-adapted forests of northern Minnesota and supports work in the region to make communities more resilient to wildfire. Other partners that support this effort include the Superior National Forest, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, various county and local government agencies, and other environmental nonprofits.”
Lake Superior School District Board Approves Silver Bay Tax Abatement
At a regular meeting of the Lake Superior School District #381 the school board held discussion of a tax abatement issue in the city of Silver Bay. A special meeting was held for a deeper look into the matter a couple of weeks ago. LSSD Superintendent Jay Belcastro recommended the tax abatement process be approved.