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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It's been feast or famine for snow in the Northland this season, but things are nearly normal now after two different snow events dumped close to 15 inches of snow since Dec. 26. "From Thanksgiving to Christmas we had only a couple inches of snow, so it was very dry," said Steve Gohde, observing program leader for the National Weather Service in Duluth. "We had started departing from normal - normal is 35.1 inches, and we've got 33.5 inches now - but we were pretty flatline until that injection...
Talk of consolidation between the Carlton and Wrenshall school districts has been going on for nearly 60 years, starting with a study done in 1960. The debate on whether to join forces or not outlasted the Cold War, and “cold” would be an apt way to describe the current negotiations between the two tiny districts. In September, before the November general election that had expansion and improvement levy questions on the ballot in Wrenshall, Carlton reached out. A Sept. 18 letter from Carlton school board chairwoman Julianne Emerson asked the...
The Cloquet City Council opened its new year with a much more diverse membership than it did following the last election. Instead of an all-male council, the new council includes two female and four male councilors along with Mayor Roger Maki. At age 29, Ward 3 Councilor Dakota Koski brings a more youthful voice to the council while Ward 2 Councilor Sheila Lamb may be the first Native American city councilor, as Lamb claims both Cherokee and Ojibway heritage. But it's all about unity, not...
In this second article about the 2018 Carlton County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) conservation awards, we introduce you to Cloquet's Bob Nelson, who was given the title of 2018 Urban Forestry Conservationist. Nelson is another winner who has taken what he has learned and shared his experience and knowledge with others in educational settings. Nelson has worked with urban forestry since 1968, when his family planted red pines on a third of an acre of their Cloquet property. Years...
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is encouraging residents who purchased wreaths, swags, boughs, and other evergreen decorations at several retailers to burn items, or bag and throw away items to stop the spread of the invasive insect elongate hemlock scale (EHS). EHS is native to Asia and feeds on nutrients on the underside of conifer needles. Earlier this week the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection issued a similar warning after finding EHS in greenery at several retail chains. So far, the MDA has...
Carlton County residents are encouraged to recycle their fresh-cut Christmas trees during Treecycling, a free program with drop-off locations throughout the region. Christmas trees, like yard waste, are banned from landfills in Minnesota. Dispose of your trees properly by bringing them to a conveniently located Treecycling site. Please remove all ornaments, lights, tree stands and tree bags before bringing trees to one of the following Treecycling locations. • SAPPI Fine Paper (gatehouse entrance) East End Ave. B, Cloquet, Dec. 22-Jan. 14 ...
Don’t throw your old non-working strings of holiday lights in the trash — recycle them. The collection and recycling of holiday lights is offered at the Carlton County Transfer Station located on Highway 210. The program provides FREE holiday lights recycling and accepts them year-round. Electric cords are also accepted. The winter hours for the Carlton County Transfer Station are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. For efficient recycling, remove all decorations from string lights. Remove the...
Don’t throw your leftovers away, compost them. Those who don’t compost at home can utilize the food waste drop site at the Carlton County Transfer station. Food waste should be collected in a compostable bag (available free from the cashier). The Carlton County Transfer Station offers solid waste disposal and recycling services to Carlton County residents. Disposal services available for a fee include household garbage and construction/demolition material. Recycling services for a fee include mattresses, brush, tires, electronics, app...
Since 1998, Duluth’s Marcia Hales has climbed the tall ladders to string lights in her trees, rounded up the lucky magical penguins to place along a path under lit arches and ignited the cheery outside firepit to welcome guests to her Spirit in the Lights walk-through display of holiday happiness. This year, though, Hales says, will need to be her last. Saturday, Jan. 5, will be the last night the lights will be on in Hales’ Park Point yard at 3739 S. Lake Ave., all the way to the beautiful sandy Lake Superior beach, 5-9 p.m. Over the dec...
“I am proud of the work all county departments have done to finalize the 2019 budget,” Carlton County board chairwoman Sue Zmyslony said Dec. 26 at the final board meeting of 2018. “We started with a projected 9.83-percent levy increase at the beginning of work on the budget but have now set the levy increase at 2.98 percent.” A total of $27,429,683 will be levied in Carlton County property taxes for 2019. The 2.98 percent increase is the lowest in the last six years, when increases ranged from 3.48 percent in 2016 to a high of 4.95 percent in...
The Cloquet Public Library got good news as 2018 drew to a close: The library was selected for a $784,000 Library Construction grant from the Minnesota Department of Education. Library director Beth Sorenson said she was pleased that the MDE “considered our project beneficial to the citizens of Cloquet.” Although the grant is not for the entire $1 million requested by the library, it is still a huge step toward an expanded library. Funding is contingent upon various clarifications and neg...
Cheers: to the search-and-rescue volunteers who accept the job as a necessity and with a willingness to serve our community. After a recent tragedy, dozens of rescuers, most of whom have a background in law enforcement, spent their entire Christmas day searching for lost snowmobilers, rather than with their families. In talking with some of these volunteers, most impressive was their universal response to the sympathy extended to them and their families for missing the Christmas holiday. All expressed an honor for the work they do: this is...
Harry “Grandpa” Newby Sr. took a liking to me early in my career at his son’s law office. I’m not sure why, but we got along very well and had many happy arguments over the years, up to just two days before he passed away in 2002. One of his last wishes was for us to continue the cable access TV show, “Harry’s Gang,” which he started in about 1983. He suggested that we rename the show “Pete’s Gang” but such heresy would not be tolerated. It’s still called “Harry’s Gang” and always will be....
I’m flying back from New York on New Year’s Day. Two years ago, I was prepping for a trip to D.C. to join the Women’s March. How discouraged and angry many of us were that a majority vote for the first and highly qualified woman president fell to the flaws in our mostly excellent democratic system! After two years of suffering endless blows and embarrassments perpetrated by our newly elected president, I’m hopeful again. Did I say this is an opinion column? Yes, it is. I’ve always valued de...
As I sit down to type this week’s news, it’s the last day of 2018. As the years go by, they just go faster and faster — at least that is how it is for me. There may be others who dread the days, as they just seem to drag on and on, but if you keep yourself busy with meaningful activities, time will pass and it will all seem good. First off, I want to wish my good friend Lindsay Lally a very happy birthday today, Dec. 31. She has been a dear friend for so many years that it’s hard to think o...
The journey of life often leads us through difficult times. No traveler has ever traveled the highway of life without difficulties. Job said that "man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward" (Job 5:7) and that "man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble" (Job 14:1). Sometimes you can't prevent troubles from coming. The secret is learning how to meet your troubles. Difficulties along life's journey are certain; therefore, the question is not what to do if difficulties come...
Margaret "Muggs" Elizabeth Clemens, 92, a lifelong resident of Cloquet, Minn. passed away with her family by her side Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018 at Inter-Faith Care Center in Carlton, Minn. She was born July 29, 1926 to Hugh and Elizabeth (Young) Mullen in Cloquet. Muggs was a member of Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Eagles Club, Moose Club, North Country Riders Cycle Club and Daughters of Isabella. She worked at Fond du Lac Head Start in the grandparent program and as a cook at various establishm...
Audrey B. (McCuskey) Rustad, 80, of Wrenshall, Minn. passed away Friday, Dec. 28, 2018 at Community Memorial Hospital in Cloquet, Minn. She was born Jan. 28, 1938 to Ignatz and Ester (DuFrane) Pionk in Kerrick Township, Minn. Audrey married Vernon Rustad Aug.7, 1975. She was employed as a bus driver with the Wrenshall School District for 38 years and with Pine Ridge Homes. Audrey loved cooking, gardening, sewing and camping. She adored her grandchildren and loved a good game of cribbage. Audrey...
New Carlton County attorney Lauri Ketola was sworn into office five days early Wednesday morning, so her kids could be there for the momentous occasion. The crowd packed into the third-floor courtroom at the Carlton County Courthouse broke into applause as Senior judge Dale Wolf finished administering the oath of office to Ketola, who defeated incumbent Thom Pertler in the general election. Pertler had held the office since 2005, but basically stepped down days after the election citing health...
Kenneth “Ken” Holmstrand, 79, of Scanlon, Minn. passed away Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018 in Duluth, Minn. A memorial service was scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 3 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Cloquet, Minn. Ronald Ray Liimatainen, 89, of Esko, Minn. died Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018. Visitation is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. until the 11 a.m. memorial service Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019 at the Apostolic Lutheran Church in Esko. Sherry Lynn Defoe, 52, Cloquet, Minn. died Thursday, Dec. 27, 2018. Services were held Monday, Dec. 31 at Brookston Community Center in...
Mother Nature refused to let longtime Cloquet street and parks maintenance supervisor Les Peterson coast into retirement. Rather, she dumped more than 15 inches of snow on the city in less than a week. As a result, Peterson was out plowing alleyways in Cloquet Monday morning, his last day with the city after 18 years. Not a shy guy, Peterson was both behind the scenes and played a public role in creating and promoting some of the activities in the city parks. From designing a hay bale maze for...
The Cloquet Lumberjacks extended their hometown advantage to capture both boys and girls titles in the annual Wood City Classic the past week. Two performances stood out during the three-day boys tournament last week. The Lumberjacks boys team defeated a gritty and hard working Cromwell-Wright team 62-60 Thursday afternoon to set up a meeting with a unbeaten and state-ranked Pine City squad Friday night. Again, the Lumberjacks came out on top, 58-52, to capture a share of the championship. "I...
Editor's note: This is a slightly edited version of a story Arnold Collman wrote about his old neighbor, Adolf Langholf. His name was Adolf Langholf, must have had some German in his blood. He was our neighbor, a bachelor and lived alone. Adolf lived up Highway 73 on the north side of Molberg Lake. He visited our place often. Liked to sit, and "chew the fat" if he wasn't too busy. He would come for Sunday dinner. Ma baked bread and washed clothes for him. Ma never wanted much for those chores....
Every new year makes me ponder the past and how things have changed. When I first became Jack McKenna's computer graphic artist back in 1987, TV weather in our region was only one year removed from magnets on sheet metal maps. Several of my old colleagues still use Jack's weather symbol magnets on their refrigerators and a big chunk of his old sheet metal map of the U.S. became inner fenders for my rusty and untrusty '68 Barracuda years ago. That 1980s weather computer was pretty primitive with...
The second half of the North American Hockey League season has arrived and the Minnesota Wilderness team is fighting for the fourth and final playoff position in an extremely tough Central Division. The Cloquet-based Wilderness opened the second half by taking two of three games against the second-place Austin Bruins. "It was a good way to get the second half started," said Wilderness coach Dave Boitz. "We are two points out of third- and fourth place and we need to keep focused on the job...
