Briefly

Talk about it

Food shelf receives grant

The LP Foundation, the charitable arm of Louisiana-Pacific Corp., has awarded a $2,000 grant to Elijah’s Pantry in Two Harbors to help the agency buy an additional refrigeration unit to expand its ability to handle perishable food for the needy.

The grant is part of the LP Foundation’s 2012 Community Relief program, which is designed to help relief-oriented nonprofits and public schools in LP communities cope with increased demand for services.

Elijah’s Pantry supplies food to needy families in Two Harbors. The demand for its services has grown tremendously in the past few years. The new refrigeration unit will allow it to hold more perishable food items for families to pick up.

The grant was coordinated through employees at LP’s siding mill in Two Harbors.

“Elijah’s Pantry provides a great service for our community and we feel honored to be able to help them expand their services,” plant manager Steve Twinning said.

Voter preregistration deadline approaches

The deadline to preregister to vote for the state primary is July 24.

“Election Day voter registration is an option in Minnesota, but preregistering is a very good idea, because it saves you time when you go vote on Aug. 14,” Secretary of State Mark Ritchie said.

State law requires Minnesotans to be registered at their current address before they are allowed to vote. Registrations remain current until voters move or change their names. Voters must also re-register if they have not voted in the last four years.

Minnesotans may preregister to vote by completing a voter registration application and submitting it to their county auditor's office or the Office of the Secretary of State. Applications are available online at www.mnvotes.org or at county government offices and public libraries.

Those who register before the deadline will appear in the roster at their polling place and will not have to provide additional information at the polling place on Election Day. Minnesota allows eligible voters to register on Election Day as long as they provide proper proof of residence. For more information about voting eligibility requirements, visit www.mnvotes.org.

Voters can use the office’s online Voter Registration Lookup at www.mnvotes.org to quickly learn whether they are registered at their current address. This online tool will let voters know whether their polling place has changed due to redistricting and provide additional information such as how to register, the dates of the next election and a list of candidates.

Friends of the Band Shell Park raise flood-relief funds

At the Two Harbors City Band Concerts in Thomas Owens Park on July 4-5, a collection was taken up for flood relief for Lake County. The group collected $1441.22 over the two nights. FOBSP board members “passed the hat” to gather money at both shows.

“After the recent flash floods, much damage was done in the area and many families sustained damage to their homes,” board member Diane Dinndorf Friebe said. “(The money raised) was a testament to the generosity of the music-loving residents of Two Harbors and our visitors.”

Friends of the Band Shell Park Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit group with an 11-person board made up of members of the Two Harbors business community, City Band and other area citizens.

For questions regarding the Band Shell Park project, please contact Friends of the Band Shell Park president Al Anderson at (218) 834-9526 or halcyonuke@lakenet.com.

Local 49ers endorses Congressman Cravaack

Last week, members of International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49 gathered in Duluth to discuss their endorsement for this fall’s 8th Congressional District election. The labor union, which typically endorses DFL candidates, took a vote and the strong majority endorsed Republican Congressman Chip Cravaack.

“Ultimately, the membership decided we needed to take our partisan hats off, keep political party affiliation out of it, and make an evidence-based decision,” a statement from the Local 49 said. “When we took a look at Congressman Cravaack’s term in office ... he’s really focusing on bread-and-butter issues that are important to construction workers in his district.”

The 8th Congressional District encompasses most of Northeastern Minnesota and includes Lake County. Cravaack will run against either Rick Nolan, Tarryl Clark or Jeff Anderson in November’s election. The DFL has endorsed Nolan and the official primary will be held Aug. 14.

In 2010, Cravaack took the seat from Jim Oberstar, who had held the office for more than 30 years. Cravaack is the first Republican congressman to represent the district since 1947.

Local 49 is a division of the Operating Engineers union made up of more than 13,000 men and women in Minnesota, North and South Dakota with contracts for highway/heavy and building contractors, well drillers, equipment repair shops, welding shops, sand and gravel suppliers, counties, municipalities, hospitals, school districts and cemeteries.

Silver Bay elections

Anyone wishing to run for Silver mayor or City Council must file their application between July 31 and Aug. 14. The mayor seat and two council seats will be available in the November elections. Stop by Silver Bay City Hall or call (218) 226-4408 for more information on how and where to file.

Local nonprofits win Northland Foundation grants

The Northland Foundation’s board of trustees approved 65 grants totaling over $300,000 this spring. Many Lake County organizations benefited from the grants.

Friends of the Finland Community received $3,000 in support for summer programming for youth in the Finland area.

Lake Superior School District #381 received three grants. Two Harbors obtained $5,000 for a district-wide training to raise awareness of and prevent bullying. Silver Bay got $1,000 to support pre-kindergarten through grade 3 planning and William Kelley Elementary got almost $1,000 to build a shed for the school greenhouse and garden equipment.

Northshore Area Partners in Silver Bay received a $10,000 grant from the foundation and Essentia Health in support of programming to help older adults live independently.

The Northland Foundation is a nonprofit organization involved in grant making, business lending, and a variety of other initiatives to assist the children, families, older adults, businesses, and communities of Northeastern Minnesota.

Read for free

Beginning July 20 and continuing through July 24, the Kindle edition of Latent Lives by Larry Parr can be ordered at no charge by visiting Blue Oak Books at www.blueoakbooks.com.

The book is the first in a series that takes place largely in Duluth and makes mention of Two Harbors. The third book in the series, The Tesla Paradox, was released recently.

Tags: briefs, news