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The Carlton school district postponed a planned meeting Wednesday of the Carlton/Wrenshall consolidation committee. Carlton schools announced the decision Tuesday on social media, citing a letter from the Wrenshall school board resetting consolidation to July 1, 2026 — one year later than originally planned. “Our school board will discuss this new possible date at its next work session,” said the Carlton postponement notice. The next work session for the Carlton board is scheduled for 7 p.m. May 13, with its next regular board meeting 7 p.m....
A couple stopped while traveling through Carlton County earlier this month remained in the local jail this week facing multiple felony charges. Kenneth Sky Quade, 30, of Duluth, and Bethenia Elaine Rankins, 33, of Woodbury, Minnesota, both face first- and fifth-degree drug possession charges, with first degree charges for possession of 25 grams or more of heroin or fentanyl carrying up to $1 million in fines with maximum sentences of more than 30 years in prison. A Carlton County Sheriff’s Office deputy stopped the couple for speeding at 4:30 a...
With a 1-0 overtime win April 5 in the finale of a two-game set with Springfield, the Minnesota Wilderness surged into a prospective playoff spot with two regular-season games to go. The Wilderness got a goal from Nate Murray two minutes into overtime to secure the win at Northwoods Credit Union Arena in Cloquet. Goalie Adam Prokop, of Wausau, Wisconsin has been carrying the team of late, and completed his fourth shutout of the season. The Wilderness (29-24-5) face the Springfield Jr. Blues...
Pine Valley Recreation Area received an unexpected boost this week - and it wasn't from the late-season snowstorm. During the Cloquet city council meeting Tuesday, longtime city parks commissioner Tom Urbanski shared news of a $1 million commitment for construction of a new multipurpose chalet at the popular Cloquet park. The donation comes from a family with deep ties to Cloquet and neighboring communities. "I am happy to inform you of my intent to donate funds for the planning and...
The Pine Knot and our weekly dose of news is likely complicit in any information overload you may be feeling these days. On average, Americans spend at least eight hours in front of a screen each day. And there’s that fascinating fact that one day of information today is as much as our ancient ancestors learned in a lifetime. Ugh. So let’s take a break Monday. It’s a perfect opportunity with the solar eclipse occurring in the early afternoon. It’s a good time to reset, relax and perhaps repent. The effect of this cosmic event on our brains...
The Wood City Quilters Guild of Cloquet celebrated National Quilting Day in Cloquet onMarch 15. Seventy quilts made by guild members were displayed at the Cloquet Public Library and the Carlton County Historical Society museum, right. Guild members were on hand to answer questions, provide information on the art of quilting and to promote Wood City Quilters Guild. The guild, formed in 2019, currently has 40 members at all skill levels. Its mission is to connect area quilters, learn from...
A 3-point weekend against the top team in the division allowed the Minnesota Wilderness to keep pace in the playoff hunt last weekend, with four games to go. Minnesota got a shutout from goalie Adam Prokop, 3-0, on March 29 to beat the Wisconsin Windigo, while the Wilderness sent the next night's game into a tie and shootout, won 2-1, by the Windigo. With 61 points, Minnesota (28-23-5) remained in fifth place in the division with four games left to play, all against the Springfield Jr. Blues,...
A 21-year-old man from Pengilly, Minnesota was arrested for criminal vehicular homicide Thursday, March 21 after a pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle in Moose Lake. The Carlton County Sheriff’s Office said Brent Keranen was transported to the Carlton County jail. Responders believed that alcohol impairment was a contributing factor in the incident that occurred just after 2 p.m. The sheriff’s office said reports from staff at the Minnesota Corrections Facility came in about a pedestrian, Justin McNeil, 61, of Moose Lake, laying in...
A search was underway Wednesday morning on the Fond du Lac Reservation for a 31-year-old Native American man last seen and heard from on Friday. Peter Michael Martin is considered a missing person, according to a Fond du Lac Band news release. A search and rescue effort began at 9 a.m. Wednesday morning, March 13, using police and volunteers combing the Mahnomen neighborhood. The search-and-rescue effort was being coordinated out of the Brookston Community Center at 8200 Belich Road in Cloquet....
Carlton County voters proved none too eager to decide presidential nominees earlier this week. Voters turned out for the presidential nomination primary Tuesday at a rate 10 percent lower than four years ago. Only 4,101 ballots were cast among 22,377 registered voters, or 18 percent, compared to a 28 percent turnout in 2020 on the way to the first go-round between Democrat incumbent President Joe Biden and Republican former president Donald Trump. "It has been a lower turnout for the...
The Cloquet Police Department and investigators of the deadly Jan. 8 shooting at the Super 8 hotel in Cloquet have determined that the shooter was a stranger to his two victims, had methamphetamine in his system, and was likely having a "mental health episode" when he shot a front desk clerk inside the hotel, a guest in the parking lot, and then himself. The shooter, Nicholas Elliot Lenius, 32, contacted a work associate during the early evening incident and said he was "dealing with monsters,"...
Three University of Minnesota Duluth journalism students are getting a taste of the small-town newspaper world with the Pine Knot News this spring through a first-ever micro-internship experience. Chloe Farnsworth, Max Thibault and Maddie Gagnon all seniors, will participate in the program. Farnsworth and Thibault will work on the editorial side of the paper, while Gagnon - who is business manager at UMD's student-run news magazine The Bark and its website - will be working mostly with Pine...
The Minnesota Wilderness dropped into fourth place in the eight-team Midwest Division last weekend, after losing a pair of home games to the Janesville Jets, 3-1 on Feb. 23 and 7-5 on Sunday. Five players scored for the Wilderness in the second game, including Alessandro Lurati, Nate Murray, Aiden Shrey, Peyton Nelson and Nash Jacobsma. Minnesota erased two Janesville leads during the high-scoring contest, but Janesville kept tacking on go-ahead goals, leading 6-4 after two periods. Not even a goalie change could alter Minnesota’s outcome as s...
CLASS A Floodwood vs Carlton/Wrenshall, 43-30 South Ridge vs Silver Bay, 87-61 - South Ridge will play Floodwood at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, March 2 at Esko Cromwell-Wright 82, Fond du Lac 24 - Cromwell-Wright plays Hill City at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 2 at Esko CLASS AA Esko 92, International Falls 32 - Esko plays Proctor at 11 a.m. Saturday Moose Lake/Willow River 19, Mesabi East 58 CLASS AAA Cloquet vs Hibbing, 58-20 Cloquet (18 - 9) - Lelani Fonoti 6, Ava Carlson 10, Quinn Danielson 13, Carly Johnson 10, Riley Goranson 6, Kiley Issendorf 2....
Once again, Cloquet sent the largest contingent of students to Saturday's regional science fair, held at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Fifteen middle school and four high school students from Cloquet competed, plus a number of students from other schools. Although overall numbers declined this year after a post-Covid jump last year, the overall projects were better, judges said. Most of the students will compete at the 2024 State Science and Engineering Fair March 22 at the St. Paul...
Finally legal Marlys Kilen of Cloquet will celebrate her 21st birthday on Feb. 29. "I'll be at an age when I can start to drink," chortled Kilen, who will be 84 years old. Growing up in Lakefield, in southern Minnesota - where she had one classmate, her future husband's cousin, born on the same day - her parents couldn't agree when to celebrate her birthday in non-leap years. Mom said Feb. 28. Dad suggested March 1, because she would be officially another year older then. "So we celebrated both...
Pranee left her home country, Thailand, to come to the United States so her son could receive the best education possible. Additionally, she hoped to improve her English speaking, reading, and writing skills. She joined Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency's (AEOA) Adult Education Classroom in Cloquet to attain these English language goals. AEOA offers a variety of adult education services to individuals who are at least 17 years old and not currently enrolled in secondary school. Adults can...
The Minnesota Wilderness got a much-needed home sweep of the Kenai River Brown Bears last weekend, ending a five-game losing streak. The Wilderness got wins of 3-0 on Feb. 9, and 3-2 on Saturday, allowing them to keep pace in a tightly packed Midwest Division. The Wilderness (24-16-4) are in third place with 52 points, trailing the first-place Wisconsin Windigo (63 points) and second-place Janesville Jets (55). Winners of nine straight, the Windigo are among the top teams in the North American Hockey League. Fourth-place Anchorage Wolverines...
The Cloquet boys hockey team was seeded No. 2 for the upcoming Section 7A playoffs. Moose Lake Area is the last seed which is No. 9. Cloquet benefited from a strong finish to the season. After winning their last two games, they moved to No. 3 in the section in the QRF rankings. Then, because CEC defeated Hibbing in a head-to-head game, the Lumberjacks moved up to the No. 2 seed. Moose Lake will have a play-in game at 1 p.m. Saturday at International Falls, the No. 8 seed. The winner will move...
The past week has been bittersweet in the Pine Knot News office as its staff said goodbye to the traveling Mills Trophy that marked the newspaper as the best weekly in Minnesota the past three years. While Millie is now 313 miles away in the office of the Worthington Globe, the Pine Knot remained the most decorated weekly paper this year, earning 28 awards in the Minnesota Newspaper Association's annual newspaper contest. "We did very well, like past years, but other papers definitely stepped...
The Cloquet Educational Foundation's 22nd Blue Jean Ball brought a large crowd to Black Bear Casino Saturday to put the fun in fundraising. Close to 350 people attended this year's event - most of them in blue jeans - to see people, enjoy a good meal, admire the remarkable table decor, play and spend money, all to pay for educational initiatives that add to the education Cloquet students already receive. The Pine Knot News sat down with Cloquet Educational Foundation executive director Jody...
Wilderness captain Gustavs Ozolins has decided to take his talents to RPI. The veteran defenseman announced this week he had committed to play NCAA Division 1 hockey at the institution based in Troy, New York. Ozolins, from Riga, Latvia, began his junior career in 2019 in his home country. He is now in his second season with the Wilderness and third playing in North America. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound 20-year-old has skated in 34 games this season, generating two goals and 15 assists for 17 points. Wilderness head coach Colten St. Clair says he c...
The Lake Country Power electricity utility selected the Lakeside Quilters of Tamarack as the winner of its annual Touchstone Energy Community Award. The co-op chose to recognize the group as its members volunteer time to make quality quilts by hand and donate to people in local communities. The quilters were awarded a plaque and $500 that will go toward materials needed for making quilts. "Receiving this award is an absolute honor because it recognizes our mission to give handmade quilts to peop...
Given the unseasonable winter weather until January rolled around, the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton alpine ski team had taken a backseat to sports with stable ice and indoor floorboards. When we last heard from the program, it had two participants in last year's rain-soaked state meet at Giants Ridge in Biwabik. Those state skiers, Emily Regas and Teagen Tessier, are back this year. The Pine Knot asked coach Ryan Zimny about the season so far: Q How goes the alpine ski season so far, in terms of...
After missing 13 games due to injury, Minnesota Wilderness forward Adam Johnson returned to the lineup in style Friday in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Johnson, of Mahtomedi, Minnesota, scored the game-winning goal 47 seconds into overtime to defeat the Chippewa Steel, 4-3. The goal marked the end of a back-and-forth battle, which saw the Steel score twice in the opening period for the contest’s first lead, only to see the Wilderness score three consecutive goals to go in front, a team news release said. Chippewa (15-12-3) then notched a tying g...