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 51 - 75 of 75
While other area schools and cities are heightening Covid-19 protocols, the Esko school board voted Monday to pass a set of guidelines that would allow the removal of mandatory masks on Feb. 7. With a 3-2 vote at the regular meeting Jan. 24, the board passed guidelines that state the mask mandate for elementary school students would be suspended if the number of active Covid-19 cases for the district is under 25. If the number of cases is not below 25, masks could be mandatory for all students. “The board has not set a specific strategy, but i...
Talk of the Cloquet Area Fire District continued at the Thomson Township Board of Supervisors meeting Thursday, Jan. 20. In past discussions about CAFD board representation, it was unclear whether the township’s representative had to be an elected official, a township employee, or if it could be anyone. According to township attorney Dave Pritchett, the representative cannot be a paid and/or current employee of the township, but must be an elected official to vote on the CAFD. Board supervisor Jason Paulson questioned whether the township w...
The new year brought a leadership change for the Thomson Township Board of Supervisors, and a heated discussion of the way allegations against supervisor Jason Paulson were handled by township attorney David Pritchett. Reorganization was the first topic of discussion at the township board meeting Thursday, Jan. 6, with chair Terry Hill stepping down and Ruth Janke being elected the new chair. Bill Gerard was voted the new vice chair. Supervisor Jason Paulson made a motion to seek out new legal counsel for the township during reorganization,...
Like many school district officials across the region and state, Esko school board members adopted a policy this week requiring all district employees to either be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or wear masks and test weekly. Board members did not have much of a decision on whether or not to adopt the policy on Monday, as it is proposed to be mandated through the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, meaning the district could be fined for not being in compliance. “To everyone listening, I wish I had something else to say b...
Thomson Township residents and its board of supervisors are still unhappy with the proposed tax increase levied by the Cloquet Area Fire District. After attending the truth-in-taxation public hearing and the monthly CAFD board meeting earlier this month, township board members shared their feelings of frustration with the public and searched for solutions at their meeting. Supervisors Anthony Compo and Jason Paulson told the board about their experience at the CAFD board meeting on Dec. 15, where they brought up the township’s concerns, not o...
A substantial hike to 2022 Cloquet Area Fire District taxes for ambulance-district-only properties only has Thomson Township residents in an uproar. Township chair Terry Hill is frustrated with the CAFD’s tax increase, feeling that the township has been “backed into a corner.” Residents feel that the nearly fourfold increase in the CAFD portion of their 2022 property taxes, without prior notification from CAFD, is too much for the services they are provided and unfair. Thus, the town board...
The Esko volunteer fire department has sent seven sets of turnout gear to a specialized cleaning company after a messy call on Thursday, Nov. 18. This mutual aid call involved 50-100 gallons of spilled petroleum that coated 25 sets of gear in total, chief Kyle Gustafson reported to the Thomson Township board of supervisors at its meeting Nov. 18. Carlton fire department chief Derek Wolf said five other departments were called for mutual aid for manpower and backup water supply. The fire was extinguished in just over two hours. The property...
Wood City Riders Snowmobile Club president Chris Rokke updated the Thomson Township Board of Supervisors on the progress of a new local snowmobile trail at the board meeting Nov. 4. According to Rokke, all 127 landowners that are potentially affected by the trail have been contacted and encouraged to reach out with any questions. Only six parties responded and the club has been working diligently to make sure that all concerns are addressed. Some residents brought safety concerns to the board at their previous meeting. Resident Athena...
The Thomson Township Board of Supervisors and community members continued discussion about the Wood City Riders Snowmobile trail at their meeting Thursday, Oct. 21. The board received a large response from the community after approving the trail in September, due to concerns of safety and confusion of where the trail would run. The Wood City Riders — the nonprofit snowmobile club that proposed and is creating the trail through the Esko area — has been working with concerned community members directly in order to decrease the uncertainty on the...
Thomson Township board supervisors are taking a look at some township roads before winter begins. At its Oct. 7 meeting the board voted to pay for preparation work on Hillside Road so that it can be repaved by the end of 2021. Residents along the road petitioned for an assessment and came together to pay for the new road themselves, which is allowed under Minnesota statute 429. The board decided to take on the cost of the preparation work since the project will ultimately benefit the township, not just the residents who live there. The final...
Following the approval of a revised snowmobile trail through the township at its last meeting - and subsequent complaints - the Thomson Township board invited people to discuss the action at the regular board meeting Sept. 16. Although the board already granted permission for a preliminary trail, residents were invited to give their input so that the board and the snowmobile club could answer questions and address concerns. Wood City Riders president Chris Rokke gave a presentation to the more t...
The Thomson Township board of supervisors has approved a snowmobile trail alongside township roads, to be run by the Wood City Riders Snowmobile Club. Wood City Riders, located in Cloquet, helps maintain wooded trails throughout northern Carlton County and southern St. Louis County. The board and the club have been discussing the possibility of running a trail through the township since 2019, but ran into obstacles that made it difficult to complete the initial proposal. The township gave Wood City Riders permission to use various rights of...
The Esko Fire Department has had a busy week fighting the Greenwood Fire, alongside various departments from across northern Minnesota. After a request for equipment on Aug.16 from the state, the Esko Department has had two to six firefighters and various trucks assisting with fighting the dangerous and growing wildfire that was sparked by lightning and detected on Aug. 15 about 40 miles north of Two Harbors. Cloquet Area Fire District fire chief Matt Ashmore said CAFD sent a Type 1 "normal"...
After a pandemic delay of more than a year, the final public meeting for Thomson Township's 2040 comprehensive plan was held Monday night. More than 30 residents attended the public hearing, with many voicing concerns about proposed changes on the future land use map portion of the comprehensive plan, changes that could bring more business development to their area. The plan initially proposed a change to the land use south of Interstate-35, from single-family residential and agricultural, to...
New broadband options will be available to Thomson Township residents in the coming months, according to the Thomson Township board of supervisors. Residents of Thomson Township came to the board meeting July 15, suggesting that the board explore giving residents the option of underground cabling for their internet. Board members said they appreciated the suggestions, since reliable fast internet access is an issue that the township has struggled with historically. The board then used the time to inform the public of new broadband options that...
The Northridge Park stage needs to be updated, according to the Thomson Township board of supervisors and a local resident. The stage is experiencing structural problems with the footholds, and the stairs on the side of the stage are also in need of repair. Dawson Broman, a resident of the township, brought these issues to the attention of the board at their June 17 meeting and proposed some solutions. Prior to the meeting, Broman met with a contractor, who proposed repairing the stage, including the footholds and stairs. After some discussion...
Rebekah King [email protected] The Thomson Township community garden is joining the Northeastern Minnesota Bee Friendly Corridor project with the addition of a pollinator garden this summer. Kathy Rahkola and other community members have been trying to revamp the garden, located behind the Thomson Town Hall. People are trying to create new opportunities at the community garden, Rahkola reported to the Thomson Township board of supervisors at its meeting on June 3. The pollinator garden will cover four garden plots and will need to be...
With County State Aid Highway 61 in rough shape between Scanlon and Esko, Carlton County officials would like to make some dramatic changes. A proposed project would transform the highway from a divided four-lane into a two-lane road with a center turn lane and a recreational multiuse trail along one side of the highway. County engineer JinYeene Neumann told the Thomson Township board of supervisors the current pavement on 61 is in desperate need of repair and the structure under the road is failing. When the county began discussion about...
The Thomson Township Board of Supervisors welcomed Deputy Randy Roberts into his new role as the official deputy for Esko/Thomson townships at their meeting Thursday, May 6. Roberts was the temporary fill-in for the position after the retirement of deputy Rob Lucas this March, and he has now taken on the position full-time. Roberts reported there were 119 calls in April. He responded to 59 of those himself, including a string of mail thefts that have taken up a bit of his time. Roberts said that the case is on track to be handled at a federal...
The Thomson Township board of supervisors is exploring the idea of making the township’s own road sign repair, after multiple complaints from residents about missing signs. Supervisor Bill Gerard reported at the township meeting Thursday, April 17, that he had received complaints from residents about missing signs on Kangas and Helberg roads. “The county has over 2,000 of their own signs and two employees, so it’s harder and harder to get them to come out,” road and utility management supervisor Logan Saline told the board. In order to get the...
Despite receiving a petition from 27 area residents, the Thomson Township Board of Supervisors voted Thursday to push back the paving of East Riverside Road and Serenity Way to 2022 because of a planned building project that could negatively impact a new road surface. It’s not the first petition submitted to township officials. In 2014, residents submitted a petition, but it was rejected then because the township had a comprehensive plan for repaving. According to the petition, that plan stated that all roads would be paved by 2018, yet East R...
Intruders broke into the Thomson Town garage late last month, the Township board of supervisors learned at their meeting Thursday, March 4. Logan Saline, the township’s road utility and maintenance supervisor, said staff noticed Monday when they came into work that some things were not in order. “The door was unlocked, and we started to notice things missing,” he said. Saline listed off items that had been stolen by the intruders, including chainsaws, fuel, a battery charger and drill bits. The vehicles in the garage had been rummaged through,...
Although first responders in Minnesota got to jump to the front of the line for the Covid-19 vaccine, some have said "no" to getting vaccinated despite their elevated risk of contracting and spreading the coronavirus. Like other states, Minnesota is giving high-risk groups priority access to the vaccine during the first phases of vaccination. That includes all health care workers - including doctors, nurses, firefighters, paramedics, and other public health officials and emergency personnel -...
Thomson Township supervisors unveiled a new audiovisual system at their meeting Feb. 18 that is expected to improve accessibility to meetings. The board had been experiencing audio and video issues since it began online meetings last year. It was often difficult to hear everyone and to understand who was talking. The township was able to purchase new equipment through the federal CARES Act, which provides pandemic relief funding. Board members, most of whom have been meeting in person at the town hall outside of Esko, and virtually through a...
After months of consideration, the Thomson Township board of supervisors has decided to enter a three-year agreement with a new engineering firm: Advanced Engineering and Environmental Services. Joe Jurewicz, a project engineer with the firm, previously worked for MSA Professional Services, which has worked with the township for more than 15 years. Jurewicz recently accepted a position with AE2S, sparking the discussion of a change in the town’s contracted engineering to a larger firm and yearly contract, as opposed to a project-by-project b...
