Week of November 15, 2024
Week of November 15, 2024
Wrenshall school board members voted unanimously Tuesday to write and deliver a letter to the Carlton school board posthaste, indicating Wrenshall's desire to continue with consolidation talks after news broke last month that the Carlton superintendent and board chair had initiated merger talks with Barnum. Short and to the point, the letter adopted by the board stated: Dear Carlton School Board. We are ready to meet to discuss consolidation between Wrenshall and Carlton when you are. Raptors... Full story
Carlton Schools superintendent Donita Stepan delivered a side-by-side comparison of the two consolidation options facing the district on Tuesday night, with a strong push to pivot to Barnum. It was the first time the board met since Stepan and Carlton chairwoman Julianne Emerson dropped the bombshell that they had initiated talks with Barnum about consolidation. Stepan began by stating that the merger talks with Wrenshall were stalled. "We've been trying to consolidate with Wrenshall for over...
Laura Simi and Patricia Lund shuffled to a table decked with cards that would be the final arbiter of who would spend the next four years on Kettle River's city council. City officials at Kettle River's council meeting Tuesday viewed this quirky procedure - prescribed by state statute in the event of a tied election - with some humor as candidates Simi and Lund drew their lots. Lund expressed disappointment as she picked the winning number. Lund joined the race to give voters options. That was... Full story
Tied at 143 votes each after the Nov. 5 municipal election, challenger Jeff Bloom’s name was drawn at Wrenshall City Hall Tuesday, meaning that he will likely replace incumbent Gary Butala, who requested a recount after the drawing. That will be done by Carlton County, and is within either candidate’s rights, considering the knotted vote totals. The recount will take place at 9 a.m. Dec. 2 at the county transportation building. Butala said there are some questions about 50 ballots that were not counted. All voting for the city is done by... Full story
A strong developmental season for the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton girls swimmers and divers came to a conclusion for all but one of the team's participants last weekend. The Section 7A championships in Grand Rapids featured scores of personal bests and many solid performances in race finals. But for Esko senior Rilee Durovec, a history-making season intensified starting Thursday with her participation at the girls state swimming and diving meet at the University of Minnesota. Durovec won the section... Full story
Moose Lake/Willow River entered its 19th state football tournament with the Rebels normal poise and determination but - as Friday night's State AA quarterfinal kicked off in Brainerd - the Rebels saw an anomaly on the opening kickoff: a fumble and immediate momentum for Kimball Area, on its way to a 38-0 win. Kimball, on a state tournament drought since 1991, recovered the fumble at the 13-yard line and Mason Danelke scored the first of his two touchdowns on the night. "We needed to take care... Full story
The Cloquet-Esko-Carlton girls hockey team came out fast and determined Tuesday night at Northwoods Credit Union Arena as the Lumberjacks scored three times in the first seven minutes. Although the Moose Lake Area team threatened, they couldn't overcome the CEC lead. The win moved the 'Jacks to 2-1 on the season. CEC defeated Anoka 3-0 Saturday in Anoka, but dropped the season opener last Thursday by a score of 4-1 to Grand Rapids-Greenway. On Tuesday, the Lumberjacks' first goal came just 51... Full story
The Cromwell-Wright football team entered the state 9-player quarterfinals with a good feeling after a Section 5 championship win over defending state champion Nevis a week prior. Fertile-Beltrami dashed that groove Thursday night in Moorhead, handing the Cardinals a 48-7 defeat. The Falcons cruised with star running back Isaiah Wright, who rushed 10 times for an amazing 292 yards and four touchdowns, including the first play from scrimmage from 61 yards out. Wright would score on other runs... Full story
The Minnesota Wilderness headed back to the Lower 48 after completing its second weekend of its first Alaska trip of the regular season. In the three-game series at Anchorage, the Wilderness were victorious in the Friday opener, 4-2, and fell in Saturday’s game, 6-3, before dropping the Sunday finale in overtime, 5-4. The Cloquet-based team went 3-2 over the two weekends...
Fred Rogers, from the beloved children’s show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, once recalled how his mother comforted him during frightening times. “Look for the helpers,” she would say, reminding him of the people who, even in the worst situations, step up to help those in need. Many of those helpers recently returned home after restoring power in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, where entire towns were torn apart, homes were flooded, and millions faced the grueling uncertainty of days, even weeks, without power. For millions... Full story
The 7-year-old was obviously confused Wednesday morning. Her school voted for Harris, why didn't the country? "I want a woman president." She pondered her school chum who had voted for the other guy. "But we are still friends." She asked rhetorically if the votes at her school had counted in the wider world. "I know, you have to be 18." I wondered if what she was spouting post-election was precocious or just how yet another person in the world can get so inundated with politics in the current... Full story
Once again, Santa and Mrs. Claus will make a special trip to Cloquet for a little pre-Christmas party, aka the annual Santa's Home for the Holidays community celebration. It's three days of fun - Dec. 5-7 - courtesy of a wide range of local businesses, organizations and the city of Cloquet. "This little celebration just keeps growing," said co-coordinator Jana Peterson. "It's really special because so many people collaborate to get our community together for some winter fun." Make a plan while...
Loriene Roy loved books and reading from a young age while growing up in Carlton County. Whenever she had enough allowance, she bought a book and started her own home library for a shelf her mother had set up. Her younger sister Della can attest that Loriene was already practicing to be a librarian when she was in grade school. If Della wanted to read one of Loriene's books, she had to sign a card to check it out. Della lost her borrowing privileges when she tore a page corner instead of using...
Virginia Wright-Peterson reads from her book, "A Women's War, Too" at the Cloquet Public Library on Veterans Day. Wright-Peterson shared stories of the many women from Minnesota who played a role in World War II, from Mayo Clinic biophysicist Julia Herrick who was loaned to the war department for radar research, to Cloquet native Gertrude Esteros, a nurse in New Guinea during the war and in charge of creating recreation programs there. Others were spies, entertainers, pilots, factory workers...
Since its founding during Women’s History Month in March 2024, a group of about a dozen Carlton County women have put together five projects as part of the Carlton County Historical Society’s Local Women’s History Affinity Group. The members aim to enhance understanding of women’s place in local history and celebrate connections between those lives and ours today. The group is looking for more members: they meet the first Wednesday of the month at the NP Junction Bookstore in Carlton. Every meeting starts with a presentation by a...
The Carlton Soil and Water Conservation District was recently awarded a $400,000 grant to be used for pollinator habitat enhancement. The Habitat Enhancement Landscape Program (HELP) awarded funds this fall to convert 8.2 acres of county-owned and -managed turf grass into a network of diverse pollinator plantings. The restoration of native plants will provide critical pollinator habitat, increase the community's access to natural spaces, and improve the landscape's resilience. HELP grants,... Full story
FRIDAY, NOV. 15 Community chess club 3:30-5 p.m. at the Cloquet Public Library, also Nov. 22 SATURDAY, NOV. 16 Ojibwe Storytime with Michelle Goose, 10:30-11 a.m., Cloquet Library. Women of the Moose fall bazaar 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Moose Lodge 1274, 702 Cloquet Ave. Crafts, baked goods, white elephant, gently used items. Soup and sandwich lunch available. SUNDAY, NOV. 17 Adult /Teen Challenge choir presentation 9 a.m., Bethel Lutheran Church, 1012 29th St., Scanlon. All welcome to this program offering hope and healing. Coffee and lunch to... Full story
Arrowhead Senior Nutrition menu Friday, Nov. 15 Meatloaf, baked potato, green beans, fresh orange slices Sat.-Sun., Nov. 16-17 Frozen meals available Monday, Nov. 18 California burger, french fries, gingersnap cookie Tuesday, Nov. 19 BBQ pork riblet, butter & parsley potatoes, dill carrots, scotcharoo bar Wednesday, Nov. 20 Fish dinner, baked beans, fresh apple, gelatin & whipped cream Thursday, Nov. 21 Thanksgiving turkey dinner, mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans, pumpkin bar Friday, Nov. 22 Special of the Day Call the Senior Center,... Full story
