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Articles written by Madison Hunter


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  • Globetrotter finds herself down under

    Madison Hunter|Oct 22, 2021

    Kirsti Hakala Assendelft has moved quite a bit since graduating from Cloquet High School in 2005. She was born in Anchorage, Alaska, and now finds herself putting down roots in Australia. Cloquet has been her longest stop along the way. Hakala and her family moved from Alaska to Cloquet when she was 8 years old. It was a way for the family to be closer to extended family on the Iron Range and for her older brother to pursue hockey. Following in the footsteps of her brother, Hakala developed a...

  • Attorney: Drop teen's murder charge

    Madison Hunter|Aug 27, 2021

    The attorney for a Cloquet man who fatally shot his friend will ask the court to dismiss a third-degree murder charge. William Gatton, defense attorney for 18-year-old Joseph James Fohrenkam, said he plans to file a motion to dismiss the charge against Fohrenkam for lack of probable cause during a hearing Monday in St. Louis County Sixth District Court in Duluth. During Monday’s hearing, Gatton and prosecuting attorney Nathaniel Stumme agreed on a schedule for filing legal arguments on the dismissal motion. Gatton has until Oct. 8 to submit h...

  • Carlton County fair kicks off today

    Madison Hunter|Aug 20, 2021

    After being canceled last year due to Covid-19, the Carlton County fair is back, running Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 19-22. There are many different activities and sights for locals to enjoy, including the various animal shows, different types of auto racing, horseracing, live performances and so much more. The gate fee is $8, ages 6-11 get in for $3, and children age 5 and under enter for free. Saturday is military day. Any military veteran and spouse get in for free. "It's exciting to have...

  • New director, new paint at the fair

    Madison Hunter|Aug 20, 2021

    Carlton County fair manager Lindsey Larson is excited to bring back the fair after it was canceled due to the pandemic last year. They are taking some pandemic precautions, she said, including more hand washing stations. Masks are optional so far. Despite taking over in 2020, this will be Larson's first fair....

  • Why internships are important

    Madison Hunter|Aug 6, 2021

    Internships have become increasingly important and sought after in the last decade or so. At universities, most majors require them to graduate. They offer hands-on experience in their field of study. Additionally, many students are able to jumpstart a career once they graduate because of contacts or work they did as an intern. As a journalism major at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, I am required to complete either an internship or a journalism practicum class. Most students I know picked...

  • 'Mission' promotes bike trail use

    Madison Hunter|Jul 23, 2021

    This year is the inaugural year for the Munger Mission. The Munger Mission was started by Jolene Steffens, owner of Carlton Bike Rental & Repair. The idea behind the mission is to spur people to get out and bike the Willard Munger Bike Trail. The mission is pretty simple and is a "do it at your own pace" type of challenge. Riders can either use their own bikes or rent through Carlton Bike Rental & Repair. Renting a bike for the mission would cost $35. Other rental options are two hours at $14...

  • All things agate days

    Madison Hunter|Jul 23, 2021

    ROCK ON Moose Lake was rockin' last weekend for the annual Agate Days festival. Even without the signature "stampede" on Elm Avenue, crowds turned out for Art in the Park, which featured all kinds of art, music and food trucks at the city park all day Saturday. Rock hounds and more made their way to a gem and mineral show inside and outside Riverside Arena both days. Others just took advantage of the city beach to escape the heat with a swim in the cool waters of Moosehead La...

  • Scout edges to Eagle rank after playground project

    Madison Hunter|Jul 2, 2021

    A soon-to-be senior at Cloquet High School, Connor Hecht knows a lot more about the inner workings of a playground than your average 17-year-old. Hecht is a Life Scout working to advance to Eagle Scout. There are many requirements for becoming an Eagle Scout, one of which is a project to help the community. When a community member reached out to him last summer about building a new playground in Scanlon, Hecht knew this would be his project to help him reach his goal of becoming an Eagle Scout....

  • So berry close

    Madison Hunter|Jun 25, 2021

    With the heat wave in late May and early June, berry picking season is arriving early in Carlton County. Strawberry farmer Steve Schulstrom held out a perfect, bright red strawberry Monday morning, but partly green strawberries were still in the majority at Spectrum Farms. Still, he expected to open for picking later that week, a full week ahead of the early July estimate they made earlier in the month. "This year it got hot early on. Essentially, the plants woke up from sleeping and it was...

  • Thrift store serves area on many levels

    Madison Hunter|Jun 25, 2021

    There's a new thrift store in town, but there's a lot more going on than resale at this store. Located at 901 Cloquet Ave., Northern Lights Community Action provides secondhand clothes, furniture, kitchenware and many other essentials. They also provide jobs, and vocational training for people with disabilities. Northern Lights Community Action was started by Heather Wright. Wright is also the president of NorthStar Community Services, a nonprofit organization in Cloquet. The idea for the...

  • Local river rafting business ups ante with ropes course

    Madison Hunter|Jun 18, 2021

    There aren't too many requirements for the new high ropes course that opened Saturday in Scanlon: you simply have to be 8 years old or older, at least 35 pounds and not over 275 pounds. No experience is necessary. "It's like a pace-yourself kind of course, no need to race through it," said Cliff Langley, owner and operator of High Ropes Minnesota, a sister company of Swiftwater Adventures, which offers whitewater rafting on the St. Louis River. High Ropes is a five-pole course that features 12...