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 57
After overturning a vote on $8.3 million in projects in March, the Barnum school board voted 4-3 to bond for $10.85 million on Tuesday, Oct. 25. Beth Dinger, Beth Schatz, Steph Ferrin and board chair Jessica Unkelhaeuser voted yes, while Paul Coughlin, Louie Bonneville and Jamie Fuglestad voted no. “We were trying to push for a referendum, but everyone voted against it,” Schatz said. “We’re in a bad spot. This will give us the money to start. We can pick the projects from there.” The projects for the elementary school are window replaceme...
American buffalo have roamed Don and Marlene Solwold's farm near Esko for 48 years. Marlene died of Alzheimer's 10 years ago, but Don, 89, still has a small buffalo herd and enjoys spending time with them, spraying them with nontoxic fly spray, brushing their dark furry coats and talking to them. The Solwold family was named the Carlton County Farm Family of the Year and was presented with the award at the Carlton County Fair on Aug. 19. The Farm Family recognition program, which has honored Min...
In 1918, Charles and Martha Wilhelmena Anderson bought an 80-acre farm southeast of Cromwell from a private owner, not knowing they were starting a legacy. More than 100 years later, their great-grandson still owns the farm and is the fourth generation of the family to do so. The current owners, Guy and LeeAnn Anderson of the Swede Lake Farm, were presented with a Century Farm sign at the Carlton County Fair on Friday, Aug. 19. The previous family to own the farm when Charles and Martha were...
Shirley Magnuson, 83, has been selected as the female Outstanding Senior Citizen for Carlton County this year. She will be honored during a ceremony at noon at the Carlton County fair Friday, Aug. 19 in the Hartman Pavilion. Shirley told of those cold days standing outside storefronts, faithfully ringing the bell for the Salvation Army's Red Kettle during the Christmas season. "It would sometimes get down to 20 below," she said. "But I was prepared, I wore four layers of clothes." Magnuson's...
As with many other area school districts, the Barnum school board approved an increase in lunch prices, at 10 cents per meal at various levels for the lunch program during its July 26 meeting. The coming school year marks the first time in two years any students will pay for lunch, after a universal free school lunch program was allowed to expire at the end of June. Parents are encouraged to fill out forms to apply for free and reduced-price meals, something they also haven’t had to do over the past two years, when every child could have f...
The names of two Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidates - John Peura of Moose Lake and Michelle Boyechko of Tamarack - will be on the ballot for Minnesota Senate District 11 in the Aug. 9 primary election. The candidate who receives the highest number of votes will go against Republican incumbent Jason Rarick in the November 9 General Election. Peura grew up in rural Kettle River as a fifth-generation Carlton County resident. His educational background is behavioral sciences in management,...
In addition to half-time superintendent Bill Peel, the Barnum school district will have another staff member who will also serve the Willow River school district after July 1. At the June 14 meeting, the board voted to hire Laura Carlson as a half-time business manager. Her position will be shared with the Willow River school district. The Barnum school district will purchase her services from Willow River like it is purchasing the services of Peel. The business manager for the Barnum school district, Dawn Hultgren, is taking a position with th...
The 56 members of the Class of 2022 graduated Friday evening, June 3, in a commencement ceremony at Barnum High School. Senior Jennie DeCaigny welcomed her fellow students and their families. "This ceremony is to celebrate us," she said. Senior Thomas Koski shared memories from their school years. "We used to form a conga line and dance while chanting, 'six times six is 36,'" he recalled, "and then there were the class trips to Wolf Ridge and Spirit Mountain." Audrey Langhorst spoke about those...
The Barnum school board hired Melisa Maxwell as the elementary principal at its monthly meeting Tuesday, May 17. Maxwell is currently K-6 Dean of Students in the Isle School District and will start with Barnum in July or August, after the new financial year begins. The board approved her appointment as part of its consent agenda vote, with no discussion. Representatives of the Northern Lights Special Education Cooperative spoke to the board and explained that there has been legislation to apply for $6 million in state funding for a facilities...
After approving a two-year contract with the teachers union, Barnum school board members expressed their relief that the process was over and that negotiations went well. “Things went fantastic,” board member Jamie Fuglestad said. Board chairwoman Jessica Unkelhaeuser listed the terms during the meeting Tuesday, April 19: 1 percent in steps the first year, 1.25 percent in steps the second year, a sick bank was created with language changes, and there were other language changes. The board also approved a Shared Service Agreement between the...
The Barnum school board took unprecedented action to hire Bill Peel as a half-time shared superintendent during a special meeting on Thursday, March 31. Peel is also superintendent of the Willow River school district. “The opportunity presented itself to change to a half-time superintendent,” board chair Jessica Unkelhaeuser explained. “With that opportunity, we’ll be looking at a full-time high school principal and a full-time elementary principal.” The board passed a motion to change the original proposal of hiring a full-time superinte...
Cloquet resident and Esko businessman Pete Radosevich has been officially endorsed as the DFL candidate for House District 11A seat in this year's election, running against Jeff Dotseth, the previously endorsed Republican candidate. Both Radosevich and Senate District 11 candidate John Peura of Moose Lake earned endorsements at the DFL Senate District 11 Convention at Barnum High School Saturday, March 19. Radosevich was not unopposed. Retired economist Ann Markusen of Cromwell announced at the...
The Barnum school board voted against proceeding with the $8.32 million in proposed projects at the regular meeting of the board on Tuesday, March 15. Board member Paul Coughlin pointed out during the meeting that the board had approved, 4-3, to proceed with the projects back in December but, for “due diligence,” had to vote once again about proceeding with the projects and with selling bonds to finance the projects. The projects consisted of replacing a cooler in the elementary school, indoor air quality improvements, and a roof rep...
The Classy Moose on 61 has something for everyone, even some four-legged friends. A black cat named Tank and Gus (a dog) greet shoppers when they enter the thrift store and auction site in Barnum. "Tank is a rescue," said Dawn Schubert, one of the owners of the Classy Moose and the online auction, Classic 61 Sales, located in the same building. "He is the best-known cat in Carlton County. He just loves people. One little girl sat on the floor and played with him while her mother shopped." The Cl...
Due to what’s been called an “extreme increase” in property values since 2020, Carlton County property owners can expect the estimated market value of their property to increase substantially this year, according to the Carlton County assessor’s office. Calling it the “craziest real estate market” he’d ever seen, assessor Kyle Holmes told the Carlton County board of commissioners at their regular meeting Monday that they will probably be getting calls after property owners receive their 2022 Proposed Valuation and Classification notices for p...
On top of a pandemic, the Barnum school board is looking at a challenging 2022, with top administrators leaving and an $8 million decision on school maintenance coming fast. During the regular meeting Tuesday, Feb. 15, the board held a lengthy discussion about replacing administrative staff that have left or are leaving. The board approved the resignation of Judy Vitito, the former elementary principal, effective Jan. 7, at the meeting of the board Jan. 18, and Mike McNulty, superintendent,...
Carlton County will break ground on the new justice center/jail this summer, a massive undertaking. "This is the largest project Carlton County has ever undertaken since the courthouse was built," said jail administrator Paul Coughlin. "We are putting all of our efforts towards making sure that it will be the best." The new jail/justice center will be located next to the Carlton County Transportation Building on Highway 61 west of the city of Carlton, which annexed the property from Twin Lakes...
At a special meeting Dec. 7, the Barnum school board approved, by a 4-3 vote, specific facility maintenance projects totaling more than $8 million. However, board members tabled anything to do with funding those projects this week. Some of the items would be funded by bonding for health and safety, which does not require a vote by school district residents for approval. Other projects, such as roof replacements, are not covered under health and safety, just long-term facilities maintenance, explained Barnum superintendent Mike McNulty in a...
The mask requirement for students was discussed at length during the working meeting of the Cloquet School Board Monday, Dec. 13. Superintendent Michael Cary presented data from the Minnesota Department of Health and Carlton County Public Health comparing the number of people that have been vaccinated versus the number that had not been vaccinated in the different age categories. The data was not available for children 5-11 years old, but data for older children showed that 22 percent had started the vaccination process, and that 17 percent...
The Carlton County Board of Commissioners examined a model jail cell as part of a regular meeting on Nov. 22. The board met in the Carlton County Transportation building and a jail cell was mounted on a truck and brought to the garage there from the manufacturer in Huron, South Dakota. The cell featured bunks for two offenders, a small shower, a toilet and shelves for hygiene supplies and seating. Buddy Johns, a representative of the manufacturer, Coastal Detention Holdings, said the cells are...
Changes are underway for the city of Barnum. A new building houses the Barnum Municipal Liquor Store, a spacious event center and the city offices. The 100-year-old Barnum Community Center - once the Legion Hall - was demolished last week. The brick structure that once housed the city offices and the municipal liquor store is also slated for demolition. It has been a long process to bring the new building to completion. Discussions about a new structure that would fit within the city's $2 million budget began in 2019. As preparations were made...
The next steps toward annexing land from Twin Lakes Township into Carlton were approved by the Carlton County board of commissioners during its meeting Tuesday, Nov. 9. Carlton County attorney Lori Ketola discussed the two possible sites for the proposed Justice Center: one near the existing jail facility, the other northeast of the county transportation building on Old Highway 61. The board previously approved the forested "green site" in Twin Lakes Township, 2 miles from the city of Carlton....
Just under 20 community members attended a community listening and input session at the Esko school auditorium Monday, Oct. 25 to share what they like about the school and their concerns about what is lacking or needs upgrading. Educational consultants Lynn Dyer and Glenn Chiodo of ICS of Duluth have been conducting sessions with stakeholders of the school to determine needs as the school board prepares to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for the next 10 years. "Always focus on what's best...
One of Amy Louhela's favorite places is Jay Cooke State Park, and that is often the setting for her clients at Amy Louhela Photography. "I go to Jay Cooke every day," said Louhela in an interview in her studio. "I love taking photos of animals and rainbows and owls." Louhela just celebrated 13 years in business. She had a previous career as a counselor. She quit a solid government job 13 years ago to start her own photography business. "I had no schooling and no experience, but that's what I...
Shirley Goodwin of Barnum was honored as the Outstanding Senior Citizen at the Carlton County Fair in Barnum last month. "It was quite the experience," she said this week as she prepared to head to the Minnesota State Fair Thursday for honors there. Shirley and Kae Goodwin moved to Barnum 43 years ago when he was hired as a special education teacher in Moose Lake. They raised three children. Shirley worked at Northview Bank, attaining the position of manager before retiring in 2005. Shirley has...
