Articles written by Ann Markusen
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On The Mark: Hospital navigates Covid storm
Among area enterprises propelled into the Covid hotseat, Community Memorial Hospital must be our local ground zero. Demand for its care and services skyrocketed from the start, peaking in winter...
On The Mark: Reports provide snapshot of local economy
Northeastern Minnesota failed to match the state’s population growth rate (6.3 percent) from 2010 to 2019. The Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), using estimates from the...
On The Mark: Movies return to the barn
On the evenings of Aug. 20-21, the Dugan and Fisher- Merritt clan will again host the Free Range Film Festival at their heritage barn in Wrenshall. Screening the films ahead of time, I’ve marveled a...
On The Mark: Bright power bill days ahead
After thinking about it for months, my husband, Rod, and I decided to install solar power at our home. Rod researched the options. We chose to go with a small company, Wolf Track Energy of Duluth,...
On The Mark: It's good to have grad parties back
I have thoroughly enjoyed the half-dozen grad parties I attended the last few weeks. It's always sweet to see how the featured grad beams at you and answers your "what's next?" questions. And I love...
On the Mark: Pine Valley master plan has input opportunities
What would you like to see in an upgrade of Cloquet's Pine Valley recreation area? The city of Cloquet recently hired a team of consultants to consider options and survey the public on our...
Art is back on Avenue C
Early this morning, a ruby- throated hummingbird scouted our bird feeders, then departed for sweeter options. I poured sugar into a quart jar, added water and shook, retrieved and filled the feeders... Full story
On The Mark: Cromwell-Wright held fast to in-person learning
Reflecting earlier this month, Cromwell-Wright principal and superintendent Nathan Libbon recounted how he and his teachers, staff, parents and school board members managed to host most of their K-12...
On The Mark: Counterpoint: Yes, raise the minimum wage
Even newspaper owners don’t always agree, and that’s OK. This week I’d like to examine the other side of the argument for raising the minimum wage, in response to my fellow Pine Knot board membe...
On The Mark: 'April is the cruelest month'
T. S. Eliot begins his "The Burial of the Dead," the first section of his poem, "The Waste Land," with this: April is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and... Full story
On The Mark: Staying in touch with godchildren is a joy
Do you have godchildren? It was customary when my husband and I were born, mid-twentieth century, to acquire them. Having godchildren and keeping in touch can be so much fun, a form of extended...
Changes ahead for highways, business makeup
The city of Cromwell is prepping for major roadwork on Minnesota Highway 210, scheduled to begin next year. Last week, Mayor Sharon Zelazny summarized a variety of projects coming up over the next...
On the Mark: Passion, practice rule music contests
A goodly share of Cromwell-Wright High School students participate in vocal music every year. It's an art form requiring intensive individual work and attentiveness to instruction as well as the... Full story
On The Mark: A little mindfulness can get minds off Covid
Though you can practice alone, even in a small space with minimal props, yoga is more pleasurable and probably better exercise when done with others or in classes. I’ve been doing yoga for more...
On The Mark: Remembering my role model
The death of a beloved elder causes deep mourning. Some of us lose parents way before their time. My father died in a rock climbing fall when I was 27. My grandmother, Ruth Lee Markusen, Cromwell's...
On The Mark: State and regional Covid-19 responses are above the curve
There are two complementary ways to avoid Covid-19 and reduce its incidence in our communities. Social distancing is one: the tiresome masking and regression to private spaces and the internet for...
On The Mark: It's best to just embrace deep winter head on
We're in a deep freeze. It's beautiful: a bit windy, but gloriously sunny with ample snow. Yet not snowbound. This stretch is a skier, skater and morning walker's heaven. Walking this Tuesday morning...
DNR wants input on trail systems
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is asking for online public comment through Feb. 15 on its outdoor recreation task force recommendations for enhancing the state's outdoor recreation oppo...
On The Mark: Here's a look at how pandemic relief was spread
Since March, trillions of dollars of pandemic-related aid has flowed from the federal government to the states. This aid took many forms, including direct add-ons to unemployment payments and grants... Full story
Mayor remains optimistic despite tough year
A difficult pandemic year did not spare the city of Cromwell. As mayor Sharon Zelazny said, “When it came to challenges and achievements, the challenges definitely won out.” Zelazny said the city...
There's a magic to outdoor skating
Finally, the lakes froze three or more inches deep. So deep that, with temperatures in the teens or lower, snow did not stick to the surface. It seems magical to me that water I swam and paddled in...
On The Mark: It's time to consider prison rates
Once again, husband Rod Walli and I headed out to clear the Fond du Lac Forest cross-country ski trail of annual downfalls and upstart saplings. Once again, the Willow River Challenge Incarceration...
On The Mark: Child labor offers lessons for life
A good economist colleague and friend of mine, University of Minnesota professor Deborah Levison, has spent more than 20 years studying child labor around the world. Despite many laws formally... Full story
On The Mark: Family memories bring comfort this holiday
Thanksgiving is a great time to reflect on family history. Covid affords us, regrettably, more time to do so. To pore over old photo albums, view what our parents and grandparents and great-uncles...
On the Mark: Companionship of cousins is a blessing
I feel lucky to belong to a huge extended family on both my parents' sides. I'm an "only girl" with two brothers. Our first, second and third cousins have made up for that. I just spent part of a...
