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Oct. 25, 2022 – Cook County MN Restorative Justice (CCMNRJ) is hosting a two-day North Shore Restorative Justice Training Conference on Friday, Nov. 11 and Saturday, Nov. 12, at the Schroeder Town Hall located at 24 Cramer Road. Thanks to a grant from the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation (DSACF) to Grow Restorative Justice in Cook County and beyond, the training conference is free to anyone in Cook and Lake Counties interested in developing restorative practice skills, volunteering as a Restorative Justice facilitator or to use these important skills in professional or personal lives. The training will be led by expert Ted Lewis, Restorative Justice Consultant and Trainer with the Center for Restorative Justice & Peacemaking University of Minnesota-Duluth. The Conference includes dialogue and a 16-hr training course, lunch and snacks on both days. Participants will be qualified to serve as volunteer Restorative Justice Facilitators although a commitment to volunteer is not required. Restorative practices and peacemaking and healthy conflict resolution skills are valuable in organizational settings, working with youth, in families and community building. The training conference is from 8-5 pm, on both Friday and Saturday, Nov 11 and 12. “Restorative justice work brings the community together to craft a way for an individual who has harmed the community to acknowledge the harm, make amends, and do better in the future. The process, done well, rebuilds our social fabric and connection,” said Shaun Floerke, President and CEO of the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation. “We are deeply honored to help support this essential community work.” CCMN Restorative Justice is a program of the North Shore Health Care Foundation. NSHCF adopted the fledgling program in January of 2020, to serve the community and ensure its sustainability until it can grow into its own independent non-profit. The Foundation has a successful track record of incubating solutions

Next week Minnesotans will have the opportunity to choose who represents them in the State General Election. As Lake County gets ready to vote; here are some helpful hints for those who are new to the voting process, haven’t voted in a while or may have moved.

A trip to the polls to cast a ballot is an autumn rite of passage for many of us. Absentee and early voting provide convenience but going to the polls is a chance to take part in Election Day and see friends and neighbors. Minnesota voters with disabilities need to be mindful of regulations that can affect how they vote and what types of assistance are available. Rev Up MN in September hosted a forum on voting, with Justin Page from the Minnesota Disability Law Center covering a wide range of elections-related topics. The center provides information on voting for disabled Minnesotans and can step in to help if someone has troubled voting . It also relies on a cadre of volunteers to check polling places statewide during elections, to make sure that locations are accessible. “Voting is a right, not a privilege,” said Page. He wants voters to be aware of what is and isn’t legal in terms of assistance. Voters should not hesitate to ask for help when voting. One tip is for voters to prepare to go to the polling place. Voters typically won’t find themselves in the long waiting lines that are characteristic of presidential years so the reminders to bring water and any needed medications aren’t germane this fall. But voters who need to register at their polling placed do need to have specific documentation in hand if they do not have a neighbor or family member in the same precinct to vouch for them.

According to a statement from Cleveland Cliffs a small fire was put out at the Northshore Mining plant in Silver Bay Tuesday morning. Residents of the area reported hearing a loud boom, and some even say they felt buildings shake. Cliff 's reported that the fire was in a very small building, and at press time there had been no disclosure of the cause of the fire. The plant has been idled since May, and will be at least until next April, so only a few staff were on site. No reports of injuries.

Findings Published in Journal of the American Medical Association Authored by St. Luke’s Infectious Disease Specialist Duluth, Minn. – St. Luke’s Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Harmony Tyner is the senior author of an article published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The Arrowhead Library System (ALS) will be providing Up North: A Celebration of Northeast Minnesota Coloring Books to member public libraries to distribute November 1-30, 2022. Coloring books will be distributed at the following public libraries and ALS outreach locations: Grand Marais Public Library