Why I love reading small-town weeklies

Here is last week's entire crime report from the Cook County (Minn.) News-Herald. It gives me continued faith in the doughtiness of small-town America as well as offering further evidence that all news is local.

Monday, Dec. 28

12:18 a.m., Grand Marais: Report of a man walking along the highway between mile markers 99 and 100, trying to get a ride. A deputy found that his car had broken down, and gave him a ride to his home on County Road 7.

12:59 a.m., Tofte: Fire department cancelled after it was discovered an alarm was set off by a fireplace that backed up, filling the room with smoke.

11:19 a.m., Tofte: Deer struck by a vehicle, causing damage and injuring the deer.

3:05 p.m., Lutsen: Ambulance requested at the ski slope for an 18-year-old man who ran into a tree and lost consciousness.

11:45 p.m., Grand Marais: Deputy requested to help a homeowner get her dog back into the house.

Tuesday, Dec. 29

8:08 a.m., Grand Marais: A deputy spoke with a truck driver whose vehicle was parked in a downtown lot, leaking some type of petroleum product. A pan was put underneath to catch the fluid.

10:45 a.m., Hovland: A tow truck was needed to pull a vehicle out of the snowbank on North Road. No injuries reported.

12:41 p.m., Lutsen: Ambulance called to the ski slope for a 20-year-old man who was unconscious.

2:46 p.m., Grand Marais: Complaint that unsupervised kids were screwing around with a mailbox again. The caller said there was mail on the snowbank and the kids were jumping up and down on the mailbox. A deputy spoke with them, but they weren’t doing anything wrong when he arrived.

7:04 p.m., Grand Marais: Caller requested a welfare check on a man he believed was living in his truck. The truck was plugged into a building.

7:43 p.m., Grand Marais: A local bar reported that a woman came in and started yelling at everyone inside, and they were now afraid to go outside.

Wednesday, Dec. 30

9:54 a.m., Grand Marais: Caller requested assistance in getting back into his house after he got locked out while taking out the garbage.

8:58 p.m., Grand Marais: Multiple power outages at Pine Mountain Trailer Court. REA notified.

Thursday, Dec. 31

3:05 p.m., Tofte: Holiday reported a $35 gas drive-off.

3:43 p.m., Grand Marais: The hospital staff reported that someone hit the dietary door with a vehicle, causing damage to the building. It was not known who or what vehicle did the damage.

Friday, Jan. 1

12:16 a.m., Lutsen: Papa Charlie’s requested a deputy in advance of a possible fight between four guys in the parking lot.

9:21 a.m., Tofte: AmericInn reported that there was someone in a room they were not supposed to be in; they could hear whispering but the people would not answer or come to the door. A deputy found no one in the room.

9:23 a.m., Grand Marais: Two callers reported problems with off-peak heat.

12:28 p.m., Grand Marais: Report of a snowmobile accident with another, a head-on collision with only minor injuries on the state trail south of Devil Track Lake.

7:26 p.m., Grand Portage: Chimney fire reported on East Highway 61. The fire company and ambulance responded. Both were called back to the scene just after midnight when the occupants woke up to clicking and popping, and saw flames from the walls.

Saturday, Jan. 2

8:05 p.m., Grand Marais: Birch Terrace requested a deputy to remove an unwanted intoxicated woman who was causing problems.

Sunday, Jan. 3

1:25 a.m., Grand Marais: Caller said it sounded like someone was stealing wood near the property. It has happened before.

12:20 p.m., Grand Marais: Lino Lakes man, 19, cited for no seat belt.

9:02 p.m., Grand Marais: The PUC was called out to investigate a power outage and arcing lines in the vicinity of the dental office and car wash.

The Record-Herald, by the way, is a deep woods weekly, and therefore devotes some of its column inches to reports from Department of Natural Resources conservation officers. Here's one:

CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) took a snowshoe trip in the BWCA. The CO followed tracks for about four and a half miles before hearing a rifle shot. The CO walked a bit further and saw a man fishing out on the ice. The man explained that he had not caught any fish for a couple of days and that he needed some meat. He proudly held up a red squirrel that he was going to eat for dinner. The CO explained that he was going to have to cut the conversation short because the CO wouldn't make it out of the BWCA before darkness set in and that it was bitterly cold. The man then told the CO that he had an extra sleeping bag and that the CO was welcome to spend the night in his tent. The CO looked at the red squirrel and decided that there wasn’t enough for the both of them and decided to take his chances with the slush and darkness.

With folks like that, the Republic will stand forever.