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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Now in her second year volunteering for her alma mater Cloquet-Esko-Carlton Nordic ski program, Jazlyn Gunderson reported for practice Jan. 3 to a unique location. Roughly three dozen team members and supporters appeared in frigid temperatures on a 400-yard field at the Cloquet Forestry Center. First-year head coach Phil Rogers had groomed the field and even set a circuitous classic track around the edges, where grassy spots lurked nearby. Nobody can remember the team ever practicing in that...
Longtime Cloquet school board member Nate Sandman was appointed to fill the vacant seat on the school board Monday. The vacancy was created by the election of former school board member Sarah Plante Buhs to the Carlton County Board of Commissioners District 1, with two years left in her school board term. Sandman - who hadn't filed to run again after eight years on the board, the past two as board chairman - was one of six people who applied. Current board members Hawk Huard, Dave Battaglia and...
The tasting event of the year — Food for Thought — will return to Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College next week, 4:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16. Organized by the FDLTCC Foundation, the fun event benefits student scholarships and features delicious entrée, dessert and beverage samples plus a 50/50 board and raffle prizes. The 12th annual Food for Thought will feature samples from a large number of local businesses including Arco Coffee, Bent Paddle Brewing Co., Carmen’s Bar & Restaurant, Chef’s Marketplace Catering, Cold One Liquor,...
The St. Olaf Band, conducted by Dr. Henry L. Dorn, will perform at Cloquet High School at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1, during its 2025 winter tour. The band, from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, performs compositions and transcriptions for symphonic band. Dorn leads it and is in his second year as conductor. Local residents are invited to support this world-class music made in Minnesota. Tickets are $10 and free for students and educators. Tickets available at the door....
The 40th running of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, originally scheduled for later this month along the North Shore of Lake Superior, has been postponed until March because of unsafe trail conditions. Race officials say that assessments of the 300-mile trail, which stretches from just north of Duluth to Grand Portage, found insufficient snow and icy terrain that creates hazardous conditions for mushers and their sled dogs. “Safety is our No. 1 priority,” said Mike Keyport, president of the marathon board. The Beargrease had been sch...
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is looking for passionate and dedicated students interested in learning more about natural resource careers through paid summer internships. Internship opportunities include fisheries, forestry, park operations, watercraft inspections, communications and more. Interns work 20 to 40 hours per week and receive a wage of $19 per hour. To be considered for an internship, fulfilling an academic requirement or receiving academic credit is required. To review the internship opportunities and apply for...
Carlton schools held their organizational meeting on Monday, and chose two-year board member Laura Nilsen as the new chair. The previous chair, Julieanne Emerson - who held the post almost continuously for more than 12 years - was not reelected to the board in November. Nilsen graduated from Carlton in 2004 and also previously worked for the school district for over seven years as the student information specialist. She currently works as a career counselor at the Northeast Minnesota Office of...
Three experienced Cloquet city councilors were sworn into office Tuesday. Kerry Kolodge, Lyz Jaakola and Iris Keller all ran unopposed in the November election, and rejoined a council of veteran elected officials. The group had plenty of suggestions for State Representative Jeff Dotseth, R-Kettle River, when he shared his priorities and asked for input from the council for the upcoming legislative session. Ward 2 councilor Sheila Lamb responded with several concerns. "I'll throw some at you," sh...
With doors and windows shut tight against the cold, dangerous levels of cancer-causing radon gas can build up in homes during the winter months, posing a health risk to Minnesotans. Health officials are reminding Minnesotans that now is the time to test or retest their home for radon. Radon is a colorless, odorless gas that occurs naturally in Minnesota soil and can enter homes through cracks and other openings in the walls or foundation. When inhaled over a long period of time, radioactive radon particles can damage lungs and lead to lung...
Carlton County residents are encouraged to recycle Christmas trees during Treecycling, a free program with dropoff locations throughout the region, through Friday, Jan. 31at these locations: • Sappi Fine Paper (gatehouse entrance), Avenue B in Cloquet. • Moose Lake Compost and Recycling Site (across from city garage). • Visit WLSSD.com for other Treecycling locations....
The Wrenshall school board, half of it newly elected and installed, got straight to work on Monday, setting the table for four superintendent interviews as the district looks to replace outgoing part-time superintendent Jeff Pesta. The board members, including newcomers Jon Beck, Ashley Laveau and Erin Riley, decided unanimously to interview all four candidates who were presented to the board by Pesta, whose last day is June 30. "If we have all four, we get a better idea of where we want to...
Thomson Township welcomed two brand-new board members Thursday, Jan. 2, swearing in Nathan Barta and Logan Saline. Elections were held for town board offices, with Tony Compo elected board chair and Ruth Janke as vice chair. The first meeting of the new year was largely dedicated to organizational tasks, once the new board members were seated. The two new supervisors quickly settled in, volunteering for a number of committee and liaison positions. The youngest member of the board at age 21,...
A man arrested last fall after the windows of a Cloquet business were smashed now faces more felony charges after a Dec. 30 attack on a corrections officer while in custody at the Carlton County Justice Center. Matthew William Johnson, 27, of Duluth, remains in custody while Carlton County Sixth District Court sorts out his competency to stand trial. According to court records, Johnson was taking part in a remote hearing in a room at the jail and became upset, striking a blow at the hearing equipment and then standing at the door. A...
What was supposed to be a pretrial hearing Tuesday turned into a plea hearing immediately followed by a sentencing at the Carlton County Justice Center. Loren Roy Van Vickle, 37, of Cloquet, pleaded guilty to one charge of using minors “in sexual performance/pornographic work” in court Tuesday. In accordance with the terms of the plea agreement, Sixth District Judge Rebekka Stumme dismissed seven other counts relating to sexual performance work/porn or soliciting a child through electronic communication to engage in sexual conduct. Per the agr...
Charges were dismissed last week against Barnum caregiver Jasmine Collins. Collins, 18, had been accused of assaulting a young handicapped woman in her care last summer. The mother of the alleged victim, also 18, said she noticed her daughter would scream when Collins entered the home, and that she noticed bruising and some bleeding. The young woman alleged to a physician and investigators that Collins had abused her. An omnibus hearing scheduled for Dec. 2 was continued at the request of Carlton County Attorney Lauri Ketola, and rescheduled...
The Carlton County board met Tuesday for its annual organizational meeting. Sixth District judge Amy Lukasavitz administered the swearing in of newly elected commissioners Sarah Plante Buhs and Dan Reed, along with reelected District 3 commissioner Tom Proulx, representing most of Cloquet. Plante Buhs represents District 1, including large parts of rural Cloquet and Sawyer, while Reed is the District 5 commissioner, representing the western half of Carlton County, including Cromwell, Wright,...
The Minnesota DNR State Forest Nursery is seeking individuals to collect black spruce and jack pine cones this winter. These seeds are vital for reforesting thousands of acres each year, but the number of collectors has declined in recent seasons — creating a need for new participants. In addition to helping sustain Minnesota’s forests, cone collectors will receive payment for high-quality cones. Currently, a bushel (about nine gallons) of healthy, viable black spruce cones fetches $100 and jack pine cones are worth $30 per bushel. “With growi...
What projects can help your rural community? Now is the time to speak up. Every year, the University of Minnesota Extension invites ideas to promote sustainable development in outlying areas. Extension funds a number of proposals that enhance development in four areas: resilient communities, agriculture and food systems, clean energy, and natural resources. The deadline this year is Feb. 14. Anybody can apply, and the procedure is facilitated by people who help you shape ideas that will succeed...
Lake Country Power is seeking a student to sponsor and attend the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. for a week in June. The cooperative is seeking high school sophomores and juniors to apply for an opportunity to be a representative on this year’s Electric Cooperative Youth Tour. The application deadline is Feb. 10, and all applicants must have parents or legal guardians who currently receive electric service from Lake Country Power. Over 1,900 student delegates from all over the country go on the tour each year, including a...
Winona State University dean’s list for fall semester includes Trayton Houck of Mahtowa and Megan Mismash of Esko. Graduating from the university in the fall were Katelyn Kelley of Cloquet, arts psychology; and Mismash, nursing. • • The following students have been named to the dean’s list at the University of Wisconsin-Superior for academic achievement during the fall semester. To be included, students must have completed 12 degree-seeking semester credits and achieved at least a 3.50 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. Barnum: Joe Peterso...
Happy New Year to all my readers. I hope you have kept your New Year’s Resolutions so far. My holidays were great. Now, it’s time to get back on a schedule and get some things done or planned for the new year. Just think of 2025, we are now into the second quarter of this century. I’ve heard from so many of you thanking me for this column. I appreciate all the greetings and all of your friendship. I even run into strangers who seem to know me and when I ask them how they know me, they say they...
A few weeks ago on X, that social media platform’s owner, Elon Musk, tweeted that he has the US’s twice-yearly Daylight Savings/Standard Time change in his sights. “Looks like the people want to abolish the annoying time changes!” he wrote. Vivek Ramaswamy responded quickly: “It’s inefficient & easy to change.” This wasn’t just two billionaires musing about a source of annoyance to lots of Americans, but two billionaires who believe they’re in a position to do something about it. That’s thanks...
Friday, Jan. 10 Boys basketball Barnum at Cromwell-Wright, 7:15 Carlton/Wrenshall vs. Floodwood @Carlton, 7:15 Esko at Cherry, 7:15 ML/WR at Deer River, 7:15 Girls basketball Cloquet at Crosby-Ironton, 7 ML/WR at Chisholm, 7:15 Alpine skiing CEC at Mont du Lac, 5 Saturday, Jan. 11 Boys hockey Hockey Day Cloquet: CEC vs. Sartell @Veterans Park, 2 Girls hockey Hockey Day Cloquet: CEC vs. Northern Tier Stars, 7 MLA vs. Dodge County, 3 Boys basketball Fond du Lac vs. Red Lake, 3 Girls basketball Fond du Lac vs. Red Lake, 12 Nordic skiing CEC at...
Carol Ann Marciniak, 76, passed away on Jan. 5, 2025, at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends. She was born in Cloquet on July 7, 1948, to Lawrence and Patricia Hohensee. Carol grew up in Cloquet with her younger brother, Michael, and later her sister, Mary Kay. Carol graduated from Carlton High School in 1966. After graduation, she attended the University of Minnesota Duluth for one day and decided she didn't want to continue. Carol...
Things are starting to ramp up for the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton wrestling team. The Lumberjacks have already wrestled in three tournaments this season, including Lakeville North, Brainerd and the Jack Hammer Tournament in Pequot Lakes. "We've also wrestled in a triangular against both Crosby-Ironton and Ogilvie," said longtime CEC coach Al Denman. "We beat C-I and lost to Ogilvie by just a few points, and a year ago Ogilvie throttled us. We've come a long way, and our numbers are up." The 'Jacks...
