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At Monday’s Two Harbors council meeting discussion continued about the potential of adding one or two underpasses to cross the Highway 61 corridor. Joe Rhein of Bolton & Menk, the city’s engineering consultant, gave an update on working with the Minnesota Department of Transportation as the city considers the project. It has been recognized that the city needed to put together a proposal for any potential underpasses in order for it to be coordinated with MnDOTs project plans for the Hwy 61 corridor project. MnDOT has requested a footprint impact of two tunnels, one on either end of town in order to include them in their grant pursuits and design planning. While MnDOT will not directly fund any underpasses, they will actively seek funding for them in concurrence with the Hwy 61 project, if they are approved by the city. The city has not committed to approving moving forward with the underpasses at this time. One underpass at the west end of the city would allow for snowmobiles and ATVs to cross Hwy 61, and the proposed underpass at the east end of town would be for foot traffic. Cost estimates range from $2.7 million to $6 million. Councilor Robin Glaser made a statement that she wants the public to understand that a decision about the underpasses has not yet been made, especially considering the significant expense. “I want people to understand this is a very tentative project at this point,” said Glaser.

The Minnesota WILD are well into their 2022-23 season training camp. They played the defending Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche in St. Paul this afternoon in their preseason opener and came away with a 3-2 OT victory. Ryan Hartman got the GWG with assists going to Marco Rossi and Matt Dumba. The Avs only had one player from their big club roster with them today, while the WILD suited up nine. It almost backfired on them late in the game when world-class player Kirill Kaprizov took a Freddy Gaudreau shot to the ankle. He played one more shift and the team told him to hit the showers. Marc Andre' Fleury took the net for the first half of the game and stopped 12 of 12 shots on goal in 31:10 of ice time. Rookie netminder Jesper Wallstedt played the remainder of the game and stopped 11 of 13 in 29:24 of ice time. Kaprizov and Calen Addison were the other WILD scorers. Based on some post-game comments from Head Coach Dean Evason, I feel that those in charge of the process, GM Bill Guerin, Evason, etc, already have a concrete idea of who will be where when the season starts for real. Evason mentioned that as early as this evening, and into tomorrow, they'll be taking players aside and begin filling them in as to what the club has mapped out for them. Those conversations can be nerve-racking for all involved. It's a part of the process though, and with the regular season opener coming up on October 13th versus the NY Rangers, there is a lot to get done between now and then. That's only 18 days out as of this moment. As it is with some amateur tryouts and selection processes, all of the real work goes into making those last two or three roster selections. They are always the hardest. The rest of your roster has likely already separated itself from those that will be chosen to be on the other end of the roster in 'support' roles. That is usually your last two roster spots (19th & 20th) and who your 21st to 23rd rostered players will be. The challenge is that these play

First Grouse Every year as the tail end of summer tangles with the early tentacles of fall, the Minnesota small game hunting season opens. For many, it marks the time when the fishing rod is exchanged for the shotgun, and—unless you are also a waterfowl hunter—days on the water are replaced by frosty mornings and damp, aromatic woodlands.

Recently I was asked to take on the position of Costumer for the Lake Superior Community Theatre. If you’ve seen my recent work with the Fashion Disasters or at the Lake County Fair, you might imagine me jumping up and down when I told them “yes”. It would be a dream to work with Director Paul Deaner and Stage Manager Benny Isaacman, who have produced some amazing shows, with incredible talent from the community. Plus, it sounded more like fun than work to me!! How could I say no? Soon after I accepted, Paul and departing Costumer Leann Johnson gave me a tour of the Costume Department for the theater at William Kelley School. HOLY BUCKETS! In two rooms there are racks bearing the weight of hundreds of costume pieces, boxes and boxes and boxes of shoes, bins stacked to the ceiling containing wigs, scarves, boas, ties, hats, gloves, glasses, slips, hosiery, jewelry, WHEW!! I was really blown away (and a little overwhelmed) by the size of this theatrical wardrobe. As I looked at them in amazement, Paul grins and asks me if I’m ready to see the other costuming room (There’s more?) This third room contains outerwear and formals, including hundreds of wool and fur coats, dress suit coats and some other precious pieces donated to the theater over the years. But wait! There’s more! Then Paul mentions that the costume department space will undergo some remodeling in the spring of ’23, just after LSCT’s production of Anne Frank. This will require packing up everything and storing it elsewhere for a period of time and then putting it back after the remodel is complete. I felt a tiny part of my brain explode inside my head. Oh my! What did I get myself into? Who’s going to do all that work?