Lake County
Arrowhead broadband project boosted by grant
A federal grant brought new life to a stalled high-speed Internet project for Lake County and portions of eastern St. Louis County. The $3.5 million Connect American Fund grant from the Federal Communications Commission announced earlier this month will help broadband provider Lake Connections, based in Two Harbors, complete its plan to lay fiber optic cable across the Arrowhead from Aurora to Little Marais, and from Ely down to Two Harbors.
The project also won needed support this month from the Lake County Board of Commissioners by a 3-2 vote.
Weather, terrain and "utility pole attachment issues" made the project more difficult than expected, according to a statement from Lake Connections. The delays and added expense led to a suspension of the project's loan funds by the federal Rural Utility Services agency. Under the new plan, construction of all three phases of the project should be completed by next summer.
matt mckinney @_mattmckinney
Fairfax
Liquor stores see losses
A new report shows that city-owned liquor stores in outstate Minnesota aren't faring as well as their metro-area counterparts.
In 2013, 33 municipal liquor operations reported net losses for the year — compared with 25 in 2012, according to a Minnesota State Auditor's report released Tuesday. All 33 cities with losses sit in outstate Minnesota.
The biggest losers were: Fairfax, with a net loss of about $44,400; Hanley Falls with $36,500; Rushford with $27,300; Wells with $26,800; and Howard Lake with $26,200.
Officials in Fairfax, pop. 1,200, attribute their No. 1 spot partly to vacation and sick time paid out to a longtime, outgoing manager. Competition with big box stores, including those in nearby New Ulm, have also contributed to declining sales, said Marcia Seibert-Volz, city treasurer and administrator.
