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Lake County Environmental Services & County Records Updates

The Lake County Board of Commission­ers met on October 22nd and received an­nual updates from both the County Records office and from Envi­ronmental Services.

County Recorder and Registrar of Vital Sta­tistics, Lori Ekstrom, outlined some of the technical updates that will help bring added efficiency to the Lake County Records office. A technology fund of around $398,000 will help modernize infor­mation technology (IT) equipment and stream­line the management of county land records including the imaging of historical records, easement reviews and recording of real estate transactions. There are plans to expand the County Surveyor ser­vices and hopefully expand funding for ae­rial photographic work which will help county officials manage coun­ty property, plan for land use and help with damage assessment in the wake of wildfires, floods and other natu­ral disasters.

Environmental Ser­vices Director, Chris­tine McCarthy pre­sented the Board with an updated report on efforts to streamline and improve services at the Recycling Cen­ter. Operations and material collection has increased and forklifts now have improved access to the center which makes process­ing recyclables more efficient. Center em­ployees have seen an increase in the col­lection of appliances, e-waste and other ma­terials over the amount of similar materials collected in 2023. There are two compac­tors in use at the Center that typically get filled every 14 to 16 days. The Recycling Center is open from 9:00 to 3:00, Monday through Friday and there is useful information to help folks with their recycling, online at the Lake County / Recy­cling Center website.

Early voting has start­ed in Lake County and County Auditor, Linda Libal indicated that 1100 ballots had been cast, so far. On Octo­ber 30th, election ma­chine accuracy testing will take place at 1:00 in the Law Enforce­ment Center.

The next Lake Coun­ty Board meeting is scheduled for Novem­ber 5th at 2:00 PM.

Rick Evans
Rick Evans
My wife, Marsha Kinzer (a proud DEHS Greyhound, class of ‘77) introduced me to the North Shore on vacation in 2012. It became our regular escape when the stress of our careers in education became overwhelming, and it didn’t take me long to fall in love with the breathtaking scenery, the nice people, and “salad” containing Jell-o and marshmallows. So you can either blame or thank my loving wife for my being here, because when we needed to choose a retirement hometown, Marsha advocated hard for her beloved Duluth, and here we are, six months later. Yes, this will be my first northern Minnesota winter. Yes, I welcome thoughts and prayers. Government, public policy, and social justice weighed heavily in the curriculums I taught at the high school level over a thirty-eight year career. In addition, we were a laboratory school focused on critical thinking in conjunction with technical and scientific writing. So when I found myself adrift on the great ocean of retirement and spied a raft, I jumped at the chance to take up what I’d left behind…minus the bad teachers’ lounge coffee. My position at the NSJ allows me to combine my passions for government and writing, and it’s helping me to feel less out of touch in new surroundings. When I’m not being “Cubby” (Marsha’s favorite new nickname for this green reporter) I enjoy pointing at eagles and saying, “Look, honey. There’s an eagle.” I’ve had an active side hustle as a professional musician for almost as many years as Charlie Parr. As a guitarist/singer/songwriter, I graced the stages of clubs and festivals around southern Wisconsin, including an appearance on A Prairie Home Companion. Should I even mention A Prairie Home Companion, or am I the only one here old enough to remember what that is? Look! An eagle!
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