WTIP North Shore Community Radio

08/08/2026

Three new fires have been detected in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, including one southeast of the Little Knife Fire in Cook County.

The Mueller Lake Fire is 0.1 acre and located along the shoreline on the southeast side of Mueller Lake. According to a social media post from the U.S. Forest Service, firefighters are responding to the fire and conducting full suppression efforts.

The other two fires, the Hanson Lake Fire and North Lake Fire, are located in St. Louis County. The Forest Service reported that both were started by lightning and were initially estimated at 0.25 acre.

Three new fires have been detected in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, including one southeast of the Little Knife Fire in Cook County. The Mueller Lake Fire is 0.1 acre and located along the shoreline on the southeast side of Mueller Lake. According to a social media post from the U.S. Fo...

08/07/2026

A day of fishing on Lake Superior turned into a life-saving rescue when several fishing charter captains and friends rescued a kayaker near Grand Marais.

The rescue occurred on the evening of Sunday, Aug. 2, near Rosebush Creek and Fall River, less than five miles west of the Grand Marais harbor.

At approximately 5:08 p.m., the Cook County Sheriff’s Office received a call of an individual recreating on Lake Superior who was in the water and in need of help. Moments later, local fishing charter captain Gary Radloff of Grand Marais Charters received a call from a friend alerting him to the situation and asking whether he was nearby and able to help.

As it turned out, Radloff was already on the water aboard fellow charter fishing captain Forrest Parson’s boat with A Superior Charters, joined by several other licensed charter captains and friends.

A day of fishing on Lake Superior turned into a life-saving rescue when several fishing charter captains and friends rescued a kayaker near Grand Marais. The rescue occurred on the evening of Sunday, Aug. 2, near Rosebush Creek and Fall River, less than five miles west of the Grand Marais harbor. At...

08/07/2026

Thank you to our wonderful local photographers for submitting photos for our newsletter! Here are a few of the amazing photos we've received in the last month. Subscribe to the WTIP newsletter so you can see new photos each week: https://wtip.org/newsletter/

1. Thank you signs for the Little Knife Fire fire personnel along the Gunflint Trail. Photo by Kalli Hawkins
2. Harris Checkerspot. Photo by Jean Brislance
3. Fireworks. Photo by Dennis Chick
4. Flowers at the lake. Photo by Linnea Ziller
5. Hjørdis. Photo by TJ Wilm
6. The 270 Degree Overlook, the northern terminus of the Superior Hiking Trail. Photo by Barclay Kruse

Want to submit a photo? Send us a Facebook message with your photo!

08/07/2026

A letter signed by 82 businesses and nonprofits was delivered to Gov. Tim Walz and the Minnesota Legislature on Thursday morning, calling on state leaders to provide economic relief in the wake of the July wildfires and the closure of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

The letter represents businesses across all four Minnesota counties bordering the BWCAW: Cook, Lake, St. Louis and Koochiching.

Walz indicated earlier this week that a special legislative session to address the economic hardship facing businesses was unlikely.

Ingrid Lyons of Save the Boundary Waters said some businesses and their employees may need more immediate relief.

“I’ve spoken to outfitters who have income loss of 65% or higher, ” Lyons told WTIP. “That’s really a cash flow problem, and that means having to lay people off, and the season is on its tail end, and so there is a real need for immediate funding.”

Lucas Wakefield, executive director of the Cook County/Grand Marais Joint Economic Development Authority, agreed.

“They have bills and debt payments due now and have enormous portions of the revenues they were relying on to pay them,” Wakefield said. “Asking some of these businesses to hold out until January may be the same as asking a person who has fallen out of an airplane to wait an hour for a parachute to be delivered.”

A letter signed by 82 businesses and nonprofits was delivered to Gov. Tim Walz and the Minnesota Legislature on Thursday morning, calling on state leaders to provide economic relief in the wake of the July wildfires and the closure of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The letter represents....

08/07/2026

The Duhaime family of Grand Portage has been named Cook County’s 2026 Farm Family of the Year by the University of Minnesota.

WTIP spoke with Drew Duhaime about farming, running a business and raising a family. Audio of the interview can be found in the article.

The Duhaime family of Grand Portage has been named Cook County’s 2026 Farm Family of the Year by the University of Minnesota. Drew Duhaime began farming as a child in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and never stopped, even as he traveled throughout the United States. However, when he became the agricultur...

08/06/2026

Little Knife Fire reaches 90% containment | Gov. Walz says wildfire relief package likely to wait until '27 season | On this Day Ken Hoffman's Journal - https://mailchi.mp/wtip.org/wtip-enewsletter-6august2026'

Photo by Barclay Kruse

08/06/2026

Chastity Brown performs “Wake Up” last evening at Dockside Sessions as the crowd sings along.

08/06/2026

Our community was gifted with a perfect evening for the premiere of Dockside Sessions featuring a soul-stirring performance by Chastity Brown and her talented band. They performed in a newly-built timber frame stage as the sun set and boats drifted by in the harbor. Presented by WTIP, North House Folk School and North Shore Music Association . Photos by Chuck Olsen

08/05/2026

Stay up late tonight (Aug 5) with WTIP’s Will Moore and Max Simonowicz for a new edition of Wax Wednesday at 10 PM.

Tune in on the radio or stream on wtip.org

Did you miss it? Listen back on the new app or our website for fourteen days after air date.

08/05/2026

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Wednesday he does not expect lawmakers to return for a special legislative session to consider wildfire relief for northern Minnesota businesses, saying any state assistance package will more likely be considered during the regular legislative session beginning in January.

Speaking during a press briefing on the state’s wildfire response, Walz said he recognizes the financial strain many businesses have faced after wildfire-related closures disrupted the peak summer tourism season.

“I would encourage the legislature to right now start working on a package of relief for the area,” Walz said. “We certainly can get that ready, and as we assess the damage over time.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Wednesday he does not expect lawmakers to return for a special legislative session to consider wildfire relief for northern Minnesota businesses, saying any state assistance package will more likely be considered during the regular legislative session beginning in Januar...