A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 1451
During Cloquet's taxation and budget hearing on Dec. 3, frustrated resident Shannon Kesner asked city councilors to think outside the box rather than raising taxes, sharing that her property taxes have gone up over $1,200 a year since she purchased her home in 2020. "I know there's all kinds of funding sources out there," she said. "I implore you and others to take a look at all the different opportunities and see if something can help this." There's good news for Kesner and other residents:...
Nearly 50 Thomson Township residents crowded into the town hall Thursday, Dec. 5, worried the board of supervisors was going to address the long-delayed private roads and shared driveway resolutions. In the end, board chairwoman Ruth Janke addressed the issue only once — at the start of the meeting — and that was to tell residents they were misled by a social media post. The controversial resolutions were not on the agenda and wouldn’t be discussed. An update to the township’s road policy and engineering guidelines that was on the agenda under...
Mary Beth Peter plays Christmas carols and other holiday tunes Saturday on a 1910 upright grand Hamilton piano recently donated to the Carlton County Historical Society. One of the piano’s original owners, Joanne Pearson, was in the crowd Saturday. Pearson gave it to former Cloquet resident Mark Hanratty, who brought it back to Cloquet from Oklahoma on a trailer earlier this year after taking it with him on moves around the country. “It’s extremely heavy so we’re grateful to two men in a truck... Full story
Despite being sympathetic to citizens who can’t afford higher taxes, Cloquet city councilors unanimously passed an 11.23-percent property tax levy increase Tuesday, an increase of nearly $398,000 over last year’s levy. “This is the cost for the level of service that we have right now,” said city administrator Tim Peterson. “If we want to decrease the level of service, that will lower the costs that we have presented in front of you, but this is what it costs to have what we have right now.” Peterson focused much of his explanations Tuesday on...
Sixth District Court judge Rebekka Stumme called it the most “remarkable” victim impact statement she’d ever heard, after Brandon Westby asked the judge to be lenient. Westby’s father, Justin David McNeil, died after being hit by 21-year-old driver Brent James Keranen on March 21. “As a Christian, I reflect on the many examples of forgiveness found in the Bible,” said Brandon Westby. “My father was a devoted Christian. With that in mind, I forgive the young man [sitting] here.” Stumme listened to Westby — and also spent weeks pondering her deci...
A rural Carlton County man who posted a sexual image of a minor online was sentenced to prison for more than 17 years for one count of production and attempted production of child pornography. The sentence was announced in U.S. District Court last month. Cord Cameron Schipman, 34, of Blackhoof Township in Carlton County, pleaded guilty in June and was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz on Nov. 21 to 210 months at the federal prison in Sandstone, requested by the defendant so he could be closer to family. Schipman was... Full story
'Tis the season ... for making and serving massive meals, if you're a member of the Carlton County Disabled American Veterans or one of their faithful volunteers. Last week's annual DAV Thanksgiving dinner and deliveries saw close to 1,000 meals served, starting at 3:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 28 when the first turkeys went in the oven at two locations. Head "Vetsgiving" organizer Raffy Johnson estimated they served 350 sit-down meals plus another 325 takeout meals at Zion Lutheran Church on... Full story
With wax in hand, Greg White is ready to take his swirling moustache to the next level, aiming to win the title of "saltiest 'stache" in a national competition. The Cloquet Area Fire District firefighter/EMT competed in his first moustache competition last year, and became a brand ambassador for 'Stache Salt - which sells moustache and beard products and sponsors the competition he is aiming to win. White shared a secret revealed only after he decided to grow a moustache during the pandemic....
School Board members voted Monday to appoint a new board member rather than holding a special election when Sarah Plante-Buhs steps down on Jan. 3. The replacement board member would be appointed on Jan. 6, but wouldn't take their seat until the first board meeting in February. Plante-Buhs submitted her letter of resignation halfway through her term, after she was elected to serve as District 1 Carlton County Commissioner in November. Whoever replaces her will serve through Jan. 1, 2027. Board...
Updating infrastructure can be costly. That's a lesson Thomson Township officials learned earlier this month when they got bids ranging from $303,000 to over $440,000 for a Randall Avenue sewer extension project. The bids were close to double what the township expected. After delaying the decision earlier this month to explore the idea of staff doing the work instead, Thomson Township supervisors took the plunge at their meeting Nov. 21, accepting the low bid. "Three hundred thousand is a lot...
New grant money will help Volunteer Services of Carlton County continue and hopefully grow many of the services it already provides. The local non-profit will receive $494,000 over two years from the state's Live Well at Home grants, plus a $250,000 dementia grant from the Minnesota Board on Aging ... but more volunteers are also needed. Volunteer Services of Carlton County, Inc. (VSCCI) provides and coordinates an array of services, using volunteers and resources to meet the needs of local...
Rip Olson, 7, and his dad, Isaac Olson, make a snowman Tuesday morning outside their home on Avenue C in Cloquet. The snow was nice and sticky for the first snow of the year. It will be around for a while, as the region had its first days this week with highs under 32 degrees to usher in the holiday season.... Full story
This year's Carlton Soil and Water Conservation District Outstanding Conservationist award was not presented to a person, rather the award went to an entire department. The public works department for the city of Cloquet was recognized by the Carlton SWCD on Nov. 12 for going "above and beyond" in implementing numerous conservation projects. Those projects included working with the SWCD to manage more than 10 acres of buckthorn and other invasive species on city property with the help of the... Full story
The flag burning Sunday was not a protest. Instead - on the day before Veterans Day - members of Cloquet's BSA Scout Troop 171 were observing the United States Flag Code when they officially retired three worn and tattered American flags at Veterans Park in Cloquet. According to the flag code, a flag, "when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning." Scoutmaster Stafano Piazi said the Boy Scouts had a...
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
The Cloquet Country Club has a goose problem - between 100 and 200 Canadian geese have developed a special fondness for the 18-hole golf course on the west side of Cloquet. During the Cloquet City Council meeting last Thursday, Nov. 7, CCC general manager Matt Carlson proposed a genuine northern Minnesota solution: holding a special goose hunt. The geese are not new, and the club has simply put up with droppings and damage for years, Carlson said. The turning point came after last year's mild...
The Cloquet School Board welcomed the return of incumbent Melissa Juntunen and two new board members - LeAnn Butler and Nichole Diver - who attended Monday's meeting. In total, Juntunen garnered 4,428 votes in the Nov. 5 election, Butler had 3,593 votes and Diver, who ran as a write-in candidate for the third open spot, received 417 votes. Included in that count were various versions of her name, including Diver, Nichole, Nichole Buckanaga and Nichole Diver. An additional 240 write-in votes... Full story
There was a line of people outside Cloquet City Hall at 7 a.m. Tuesday morning, waiting for the polls to open. "There was a line again at 10 a.m. that kind of surprised us, and now there's another one," said head judge John Cavanaugh at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. "We've been busy all day." By 4:30 p.m. they'd seen 675 voters come through, and Cavanaugh was expecting between 800-850 by the end of the day. The city hall was also busier than usual with people registering to vote, Cavanaugh said,...
Nathan Barta is just 20, but he won in a landslide Tuesday, taking more than 50 percent of the vote for Thomson Township Supervisor Seat C while his opponents – Jaryn Edblad and John Bergman – garnered 27 and 22.6 percent. While the incoming Thomson supervisor is definitely the youngest person in Carlton County – or maybe even the state – to win election Tuesday, the University of Minnesota Duluth junior knows a thing or two about local politics. Two years ago he penned a guest column in the Pin...
Be forewarned ... attending next week's Cloquet High School production of "Mamma Mia!" will have Abba songs running through your head day and night. Having Abba in your head is a happy way to start the day though, just like the CHS musical is a happy way to spend a couple hours Thursday through Sunday next week, with performances starting at 7 p.m. Nov. 14-16 and 2 p.m. Nov. 17 in the CHS auditorium. Director Corey Hunt said choir teacher (and music director) Rhonda Card pitched the musical last... Full story
On a beautiful Saturday morning, hundreds of Minnesota's top high school cross country runners raced across the University of Minnesota Les Bolstad golf course as part of the Minnesota State High School Cross Country Meet. With the temperature in the 50s, it was the perfect day for running and spectators, said Carlton/Wrenshall coach Brenda Knudsen. But the rolling hills of the course created some challenges. "There were not a lot of PRs (personal records) with all those hills. It's not a fast f... Full story
Milkweed is the only host plant of Monarch butterflies, meaning it's the only plant Monarch butterflies will lay eggs on and the only plant monarch caterpillars will eat. Milkweed also provides a food source for many other pollinators. Plant milkweed in your garden next spring. Photo by Jana Peterson / Pine Knot News... Full story
The ripple effects of Flint, Michigan — where a change of water supply caused water pipes to corrode and leach lead into the drinking water — are still expanding almost 10 years later, thanks in large part to a federal campaign to ensure clean drinking water everywhere. Cloquet is not Flint, but changing laws and standards around drinking water led to a mailing from the city of Cloquet to 2,100 residents last week about water lines and the potential for lead. Noting that the letters caused some alarm and lots of questions, public works dir...
Students at Cloquet High School voted early this week when they participated in a mock election held in the school library Wednesday. The election was set up like a local polling station, with seniors acting as poll workers to register voters, explain ballots and supervise the process. CHS government teacher Chris Swanson brought his classes to the all-day election each period. He said students had the opportunity to vote during a social studies class period on Wednesday. "This mock election is...
A Kettle River city council member pleaded guilty earlier this month to violating government data practices rules but is already appealing her guilty plea, according to court documents. It’s a case that has unfolded in court hearings and various petitions over roughly a year, with a long background of personality conflicts and previous actions by people named in the case. Many are currently involved in the governance of Kettle River: with witnesses including a city staff member and the mayor, the defendant a current councilwoman up for r...
