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 1 - 25 of 29
What a way to start to a new year. Lacey Mandoli and Zackary Morrison welcomed baby Kinzley Susan-Lynn Morrison into the world at 11:58 a.m. Friday, Jan. 1, making Kinzley the first baby born in 2021 at Cloquet's Community Memorial Hospital and in Carlton County. Mandoli is an experienced mother, but going through a pregnancy and having a baby during a pandemic was something new. The health care worker had to take more precautions, and suddenly became a higher-risk pregnancy. On top of it all,...
At the start, it was as if no one really knew how or whether to panic. So they cleared shelves of toilet paper and anything that could be used to kill germs on surfaces. As the state ordered places to shut down in order to quell the spread of Covid-19, it continued to only slowly seep in just how radically things might change in a pandemic world. Adam Bailey, owner of Cloquet bar The Jack, was like anyone else trying to navigate just what was happening. "Uneasy," he told the Pine Knot News in...
David Bellert has a question about his own back yard. He wants to know if anyone has information on the Evergreen Hites supper club that once sat on the southwest corner of Minnesota Highway 23 and Carlton County Road 18 east of Wrenshall. "Local lore has it that Tim and Nellie Pappelis were the proprietors and former owners of the property which we now occupy," David wrote. "A cement slab may be evidence of the former business although no plumbing or other visible clues remain. It was said to...
A drive-thru vaccine clinic organized by Carlton County last Tuesday is getting national attention for creating a vehicle - pun intended - for getting Covid-19 vaccines into arms quickly while still abiding by social distancing precautions. Time.com featured photos of the clinic and interviews with Carlton County Health and Human Services staff here in a story Dec. 30, "How Drive-Through Covid-19 Vaccine Clinics Could Help Inoculate the U.S." Although the Dec. 29 clinic was the county's first...
Law enforcement officials named the victim of last week's shooting - Joseph James Peterson, age 16 - last week after charges of second-degree manslaughter were filed against Joseph James Fohrenkam, 18. Fohrenkam, who had left the area with his mother, Littlefawn Fohrenkam, after the shooting, was located and arrested Wednesday afternoon at an apartment complex on the White Earth Reservation in Mahnomen County. "We've had a lot of people working hard on ways to locate him, so we're really...
Julianne Emerson, a former Carlton school board member who was elected again to the board in November, was nominated and regained the chairwoman position in an online organizational meeting Monday, Jan. 4. Emerson and Eryn Szymczak are new members to the board this year after chairwoman LaRae Lehto and Jennifer Chmielewski did not seek re-election in the fall. Emerson served on the board for eight years beginning in 2011, and was elected chairwoman of the board for the first time in 2012. Emerson received the most write-in votes in November...
After a tough year of Covid-19 orders restricting bars and restaurants from the usual flow of customers, the Carlton VFW is struggling to pay the bills. Members of the Carlton High School student council are hoping they can help, by launching a GoFundMe fundraiser for the local veterans club, where veterans and others can gather in more normal times for drinks, music, cards and even the occasional horseshoe tournament. To make a donation, go to gofundme.com and search for the Carlton VFW. “The post has been a staple of our community since F...
Cloquet resident Anthony "Tony" Jurek, 88, died Dec. 31, 70 years and one month after he was captured during the Korean War. The Army veteran and Kettle River native spent nearly three years as a prisoner of war. A career firefighter who also owned Jurek Siding, he was an active and engaged community member, and was involved in everything from the Cloquet Hockey Association to the Knights of Columbus and nearly every veterans organization in the area. He was only 17 when he enlisted in the Army...
It was a cold morning at the edge of the Old Holy Family Cemetery. This is where LeRoy DeFoe was put to rest on Dec. 28. It's important to note that fact, since DeFoe spent many years discovering long-forgotten gravesites and cemeteries on the Fond du Lac Reservation. DeFoe died Dec. 20, a day after his 72nd birthday and just a few months after a cancer diagnosis. "It was an honor knowing him," said Christine Carlson, who regarded him as a historical "cohort" when it came to preserving the...
The Carlton County Board of Commissioners had its annual organizational meeting Tuesday with expected leadership changes. As has been the tradition, each of the five commissioners takes a turn as board chair over a five-year period. District 3 commissioner Tom Proulx, representing Cloquet, was elected Tuesday and takes charge of running the board meetings. District 5 commissioner Gary Peterson was elected vice chairman and is taking his turn as chair of the Committee of the Whole. District 4...
Rep. Mike Sundin (DFL–Esko) was sworn in Tuesday for his fifth term in the Minnesota House. He represents District 11A, encompassing all of Carlton and portions of Pine and St. Louis counties. “I’m honored and humbled to have this opportunity to continue serving at the State Capitol. I continue to take this enormous responsibility seriously,” Sundin said. “Minnesotans are facing some difficult times and I look forward to the work ahead to ensure everyone in our state can have a strong future once we move past this crisis.” This session, Re...
The eighth annual Food for Thought fundraising event from the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College has been reimagined this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. A kick-off event, the popular Wall of Wine, will take place Jan. 15 until sold out at Cold One Liquors during business hours. Cold One is donating 100 bottles of wine and each bottle will be accompanied by a gift certificate donated by a local business and valued from $10 to $100. Because of pandemic restrictions, the tasting...
Cloquet's newest city councilor, Elizabeth "Lyz" Jaakola, was sworn in Tuesday in a most unusual format, with city administrator Tim Peterson asking councilors and anyone watching the virtual meeting "to imagine" a more conventional ceremony. In reality, Jaakola was not visible as she held her hand up and repeated the oath of office as "caller 02" on the GoToMeeting screen. Jaakola garnered the most votes for the Ward 5 council seat in November's election, beating fellow challenger Dennis...
The state will allow bars and restaurants to offer indoor dining again next week — with limits — and also allow for movie theaters, museums and other entertainment venues to reopen after being closed since mid-November. The new order, announced Wednesday by Gov. Tim Walz, is set to take effect Monday. It will allow bars and restaurants to operate at 50-percent capacity, with no more than six people to a table or parties of two at the bar. Reservations are required and dine-in service must end by 10 p.m. “Business owners are pretty innov...
January is National Blood Donor Month, a time to resolve to be a regular blood donor and help save lives. This year a donation also comes with an added bonus: the Red Cross is testing blood donations for Covid-19 antibodies. As part of the effort, plasma from standard blood donations that test positive for Covid-19 antibodies may now be used to help current coronavirus patients in need of convalescent plasma transfusions. Upcoming local blood drives include the following: • St. Francis Catholic Church, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. today, Jan. 8, a...
On Jan. 1, the Minnesota Sex Offender program reported the third death of a client from Covid-19 at its Moose Lake facility. The prior deaths occurred on Dec. 2 and Dec. 9, 2020. “We mourn his passing and extend our deepest sympathy to those who loved him and called him friend,” said Human Services Commissioner Jodi Harpstead. “The toll the pandemic continues to take in human lives is tragic.” Nearly 740 civilly committed clients receive treatment at MSOP facilities in Moose Lake and St. Peter. Currently, there are no active cases of Covid-1...
• Ruby’s Pantry serves about 200 people on the fourth Wednesday of each month in Cloquet, providing an abundant amount of food for a $20 donation. Ruby’s Pantry will distribute food shares 10-11:30 a.m. Jan. 27 at St. Paul’s Evangelical Church at 1705 Wilson Avenue in Cloquet, rather than its usual location at the Cloquet Armory. • The Second Harvest Mobile Food Pantry comes to the Our Savior’s Lutheran Church parking lot in Cloquet to distribute food 10:30-11:30 a.m. on the third Thursday of each month. Simply drive up, and volunteers...
Cloquet has an excellent system of recreational trails that are, for the most part, maintained by a handful of dedicated volunteers and one very dedicated and highly qualified part-time groomer hired by the city. That’s why it’s sad to see thoughtless abuse of the trails by other, equally enthusiastic sports lovers, who often don’t even realize the damage they are causing. The city’s Pine Valley park is the area of greatest concern and potential conflict, as it is an increasingly popular destination for all kinds of people who want to enjoy t...
Soon, the restrictions on evictions will end, and I expect to see an onslaught of evictions crowding the courts. I have several landlord clients for whom I handle their evictions, and I also volunteer to represent tenants in eviction cases from time to time. The moratorium is part of some national sympathy toward renters during the whole Covid crisis. The National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), issued an order temporarily halting evictions to help slow the spread of the...
Sgt. Frank Peter Carle, 78, of Esko, died peacefully with his loving family by his side at St. Luke's Hospital on Dec. 31, 2020, from congestive heart failure. Frank was born in Duluth on Oct. 18, 1942, to George and Frances Carle. He was a man of many talents. After high school he went to carpentry school. From there he graduated from a trade school where he was a master welder. On Jan. 24, 1963, at the age of 21, Frank enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. He proudly fought for his country...
Anthony "Tony" Jurek, 88, of Cloquet passed away with family by his side on Dec. 31, 2020. He was born Feb. 25, 1932, in Split Rock Township, the son of Stephen and Anna (Womniecki) Jurek. At the tender age of 17, Tony enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1949 and was deployed to Korea. He was soon captured and spent 33 months in a prisoner of war camp. After his release and honorable discharge as a sergeant, Tony married the love of his life, Marjorie Jezierski, on Sept. 10, 1955. He was a member of...
Roland “Bud” Olson, 91, of Wright passed away peacefully Jan. 4, 2021, in his home with his loving family by his side. Visitation: 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 9 at Bethany Lutheran Church in Cromwell. A private family funeral service will follow. Masks and social distancing are required. Burial will be in the spring in Wright Public Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to Atkins Northland Funeral Home, Cloquet....
Have you ever had a conversation with someone so intelligent that 10 minutes into the exchange, you start to feel inferior? That maybe you should have accomplished more in your lifetime? That is how my interview went with Luke Heine. After our two-hour talk, I needed two Tylenol to soothe my aching brain. I looked up his name online just to see if I had missed anything. I found multiple stories of Luke's accomplishments. Did I mention he is only 26? Just out of curiosity I searched for my name....
A year ago, the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton girls hockey team completed a season for the ages by going 27-4 and finishing as runner-up at the Minnesota High School Class A Girls Hockey Tournament. The 'Jacks graduated seven seniors off a team that set a school record for most wins in a season. Gone from this year's team is last year's powerhouse line of Taylor Nelson, Kiana Bender and Dea DeLeon. Nelson is playing hockey at Division 1 Bemidji State and Bender and DeLeon are teammates on the University...
The Cloquet-Esko-Carlton boys Nordic ski team is starting the season with a ranking that may remind some oldtimers around here of the glory days when Mike Marciniak, Joe Nowak and John Loumala coached a combination ski team that won multiple state skiing championships. "This team looks to be a team full of everything a coach dreams of," said head coach Arne Maijala, now in his third year leading the team. He's not exaggerating. At the section meet last year, the boys team had four skiers place...
