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
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Esko school district officials are living the adage that “change is the only constant in life” as they have consistently been adapting protocols this year to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Their newest plan revision, decided on at Monday night’s regular board meeting, will help if the number of Covid-19 cases in the area climbs beyond the next benchmark. The district has spent the entire year so far at Level Two of the state’s “Safe Learning Plan.” This means that K-6 students have been learning in person daily while middle- and high school...
High school sports may not look exactly like normal this year, but at least athletes are back on the fields and courts. With family members and friends allowed a limited number of tickets to attend events, where does this leave loyal fans? The Esko school board has a solution — use a streaming service to bring athletics and the arts into the homes of their numerous fans and community members. This plan to stream events is just one of the many things that the Esko school district has done this year to handle the issues presented by the C...
The Esko school board continued its focus on addressing issues created by the coronavirus at its meeting Thursday, Sept. 24. The recent decision by the Minnesota State High School League to bring football and volleyball back to fall with an abbreviated season prompted the board to re-evaluate some of the school events they had not yet started or had placed on hold. Programming for grades 7-12 will be returning. Activities director Chad Stoskopf provided a breakdown on what changes would be...
Finding ways to create better internet connectivity was front and center during the Thomson Township Board of Supervisors meeting last week, along with determining how to spend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act money received from the federal government. Problems with virtual attendance at township meetings — which often cut out during transmission — brought internet issues to the forefront as a way to spend the $20,000 in funds. “Most of it has been on the internet improvements we are making here [in the town...
First there was one. Now there are seven cases of Covid-19 at the Esko schools, and nearly three dozen students were quarantined as of last week. The Esko school board held a special online meeting Wednesday, Sept. 16 to approve new hires and discuss Covid-19 information. During that meeting, superintendent Aaron Fischer told board members the school had five cases of Covid-19, and 35 students in quarantine. As of Tuesday, Sept. 22 the number of positive cases had grown to seven, with two at...
Artist Stuart Nelson of Cloquet has received another honor from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. His work will be featured on the 2021 walleye stamp issued by the DNR after it was chosen in a contest. It is the fifth time Nelson's work has been featured on a fishing stamp. Nelson chuckles from his home on Big Lake and says he has been painting "forever, probably. I've got a degree in art. I went for four years to an art school, so I've been painting pretty much all of my life."...
Following months of spotty internet connectivity during board meetings during the Covid-19 pandemic, Thomson Township is investing in better broadband. Since the state initially shut down community gatherings due to the pandemic, the board of supervisors has asked community members to attend virtually, either by calling in or using an online stream. The change has drawn attention to the Esko area's poor internet quality. Township clerk and treasurer Rhonda Peleski said meetings have been marked...
A petition duel continued this week on the website Change.org considering the use of the nickname "Eskomos" for the Esko school district. Both begun by students at Esko High School, one petition says a name change should be considered while the other says to leave the name alone. It joins a chorus of debate in a time of great social upheaval and awareness. This month, the Canadian Football League team in Edmonton announced it would stop using its Eskimos nickname. Earlier this year, the company...
A new store is doing its best to fill the gap left by the departure of the popular Goodwill and Salvation Army thrift stores in Cloquet. The Highway 45 Thrift Store opened in June. The for-profit store, owned by Gregg Wait and Jill Rousseau, has been in the works for a while. "We've been trying to open for two years," Rousseau said. Wait and Rousseau had been known for running auctions that past decade. "We have a place on Carlton Avenue and that's originally where [Jill] wanted to start the sto...
