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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Word began to filter out early Monday morning that the godfather of Cloquet hockey, former boys hockey coach Bill Kennedy, had passed away Sunday at the age of 85 at his home in Mahtowa. The tough-as-nails Kennedy coached the Lumberjacks from 1967 to 1987 after taking over for Don Bourdeau. Kennedy was instrumental in putting the program on the map. He was also a favorite teacher to thousands of students who met up with him in his classroom during his four decades of teaching. Bruce Plante, who... Full story
When Alex LaPlante's third leg of the John Beargrease 120 sled dog race started, things went suddenly and dramatically wrong: Her sled tipped over right as the dogs were taking off after the countdown for the final leg of the race Monday from Finland to the Trestle Inn. "I got dragged out of view of the checkpoint, hanging on to my snow hook," LaPlante said. "At first I thought I lost the team ... I lost my grip on the handlebars, but suddenly my left arm went taut and I realized I still had the... Full story
After the yearly review by the state corrections inspector earlier this month, the Carlton County jail is looking at a forced retirement. The final report following the Jan. 9 inspection of the jail and its daily operations included plans to recommend to the commissioner of corrections that a future "sunset authorization" be made for the facility. Senior detention facility inspector Sarah Johnson noted in her findings that "it is the intent of the Department of Corrections to continue to work...
Historic Minnesota events with anniversaries this week. Feb. 1 1840 Thomas B. Walker is born in Xenia, Ohio. He arrived in St. Paul in 1862 and found a job as a timber cruiser in northern Minnesota. He would later serve as an engineer in creating the St. Paul & Duluth rail line that runs through Carlton County. He made his fortune in timber land holdings and would plan and develop the Walker Art Gallery that later became the Walker Art Center. He would also play an instrumental role in the creation of the Minneapolis Public Library. He died in...
Two years ago, some serious waves crashed in on recycling circles: China would no longer accept our reclaimed materials, especially plastics. It established what was labeled an all-out halt on incoming foreign waste, leaving many frantic. News stories echoed the point about high rates of contaminated recycled material that make it a challenge to fashion raw-grade material from it and raises financial barriers. Today, you likely are still recycling or have the option to. It hasn’t vanished, b... Full story
Wrenshall and Carlton school district officials continue to prepare for a possible consolidation vote this year. Last Friday, the two superintendents and board members met with local legislators to kick off what is hoped to be a successful lobbying effort when the Minnesota Legislature opens Feb. 11. That’s the same day the districts will release the results of a survey put out last month to ask residents and parents of students about their support for a consolidated district and the costs associated with it to shore up district campuses. R...
Have you ever wondered how to manage all the technology your kids use? Have you wanted to know what experts recommend and what rules other families are implementing? Area parents are invited to the Proctor High School auditorium Monday, Feb. 3 to watch “Screenagers,” an award-winning film that probes into the vulnerable corners of family life and depicts messy struggles over social media, video games and academics. The film offers solutions on how parents and others can help kids navigate the digital world. The screening is free and starts at...
The County Seat Theater Company's season opener is "Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs as Performed by Professor TJ Barker's Troupe of Theatricals." Thw master of ceremonies, Professor TJ Barker, and his troupe of traveling theatricals have just arrived at the theater to begin a performance of their spectacular production of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" when they realize something is amiss. Not only has the orchestra not arrived, but also five of the hilarious O'Hanlon brothers have been...
The special election for the Ward 3 Cloquet City Council seat is fast approaching. Polls will be open at the new Cloquet City Hall, 101 14th Street, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. The Ward 3 Council term will expire Dec. 31, 2022. The special election is being held to fill the seat vacated by Dakota Koski. Koski was elected to the Ward 3 seat in November 2018, took office in January 2019 and stepped down in July 2019 after purchasing and moving to a house outside of Ward 3. By... Full story
Carlton County department members and the Carlton Soil and Water Conservation District earned statewide recognition recently for efforts on culverts the past several years. The Carlton County Department of Transportation team received the County Conservation Award from the Association of Minnesota Counties at its annual meeting in December. It was for right-sized culvert replacement practices. The approach focuses on sizing pipes to site-specific stream characteristics to avoid high-energy...
A Cloquet man who allegedly shot and killed his friend after a night of drinking in November appeared in St. Louis County Sixth District Court Thursday, Jan. 16. Thomas Allen Micklewright, 44, faces charges of second-degree felony murder, without intent, in the shooting of James Arthur Couture. Judge Shaun Floerke rescheduled the Jan. 16 omnibus hearing to April 6, because the prosecution is still waiting for DNA test results and other follow up. According to the criminal complaint, officers from the Fond du Lac Police Department and St. Louis...
The new White Pines Apartment building in Cloquet is now full, according to Debra Shaff, executive director for the Cloquet/Carlton Housing & Redevelopment Authority, who said the building was full on Dec. 27. Created in response to a 2014 housing study that showed a serious shortage of housing in Cloquet/Scanlon, particularly for lower income levels, the 35-unit building focuses on affordable housing for people who have some income, but can’t afford a market rate apartment. Rates are determined according to a tenant’s income. Adjacent to the...
The U.S. Census Bureau is ramping up its national recruiting efforts to hire up to 500,000 temporary, part-time census takers for the 2020 Census in communities across the country to reach its goal of more than 2 million applicants. Census takers are critical for their communities during the 2020 Census — going door to door to collect responses from households who have not responded online, by phone or by mail. The positions offer competitive pay, flexible hours, paid training, and weekly paychecks. To determine the pay rate in a specific a...
The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa announced a new policy Monday that limits access to nearly all Band-owned lands on the reservation. Over the upcoming months, the band will post lands with signs that read “No Trespassing, Fond du Lac Band permit required” along with additional information on how to obtain a permit. Band-owned lands are defined in the tribal policy as “all lands owned in fee or held in trust on the Fond du Lac Reservation for the Band, the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, or any allotment land where the Fond du Lac Band...
With police in the region reporting a rash of school bus stop-arm violations — and a close call in Cromwell last week when a car passed a stopped bus on the right and nearly hit an exiting student — its a good time to review the Minnesota State Patrol’s safety rules of the road when it comes to student transportation. • Parents should discuss and demonstrate pedestrian safety with their children and reinforce safe crossing after exiting a bus. • When getting off of a bus, look to be sure no cars are passing on the shoulder side of the road....
Intrepid wildlife photographer Mike Farmer shared this photo of a fox peeking over a snowbank. While many other animals hunker down in cold weather, foxes keep moving day and night, looking for food like voles, mice, rabbits or even insects. On the other hand, a fox may be seeking a mate in January and February....
The Minnesota Legislature reconvenes Feb. 11 and our representatives are getting ready for the session. Our State Senator for District 11 is Jason Rarick, who lives in Brook Park and represents Pine and Carlton counties, essentially. State Rep. Mike Sundin, who lives in Esko, represents Carlton County, essentially, in the House of Representatives District 11A. This year is a bonding year, rather than a policy year, which means that the legislature will decide which investments the state should be making with our tax dollars. Bonding (a form of...
There’s been a lot of news lately about county boards voting on the “refugee issue.” Places like Cook County in extreme northeast Minnesota have voted to accept refugees, even though the odds of a refugee settling there are about nil. And Beltrami County, which has little need to vote on the issue either, was inundated with fear and innuendo and ridicule when it voted to not accept refugees. It’s a trick, a gimmick, designed, I think, to pit neighbor against neighbor over an emotional issue,...
I enjoyed Holly Henry's Pine Knot News articles on Jan. 17 on healthful living. They were well-researched and had good tips for everything from what we eat to exercise. Here are some cooking tips to complement that eternal subject: we are what we eat. Years ago, living in Berkeley, California, I learned about new, healthful initiatives at the Berkeley Co-op and Berkeley Bowl, featuring fresh fruits and vegetables. Both supermarkets offered classes on growing your own food and cooking it. A frien...
The last letter I wrote (in November 2019) addressed the fact that the Mercy Hospital District lost $306,000 in its stock market account for 2018, while taking $500,000 in tax money from five townships and three little cities that year. I questioned whether it was proper to use taxpayer money to play the stock market. What the Pine Knot News didn’t allow to be published in that letter, until I backed up my claims with documents, was that the hospital district was still taking $60,000 a month out of the general fund for the hospital and p...
Jeanne Sharon Morreim, 76, of Cloquet died Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, at Sunnyside Health Care Center in Cloquet. Jeanne died from aggressive dementia. Jeanne was born to Edgar and Irene (Neby) Wanner in Cumberland, Wisconsin Dec. 1, 1943. She was baptized and confirmed her faith in Bethany Lutheran Church near Cumberland. She attended Cory Country School during her elementary years and graduated from Cumberland High School in 1962. Jeanne then attended Augsburg College where she met her husband,... Full story
Edna "Lorraine" Swenson Elmquist, 92, entered the presence of her Lord and Savior at Cokato Manor on January 23, 2020, in Cokato, Minnesota. Lorraine was born on Sept. 11, 1927 in Clayton, Wisconsin to Anton and Ruth (Blomquist) Swenson. She moved to a farm near Kandiyohi, Minnesota when she was 9 years old, and graduated from Willmar High School in 1945. Lorraine was in the first graduating class of Rice Memorial Hospital's nursing school. She worked as a licensed practical nurse at Rice... Full story
Archie Edward Putnam, 91, of Cloquet, passed away Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at Solvay Hospice House in Duluth with his family at his side. He was born May 18, 1928, to Aaron and Katherine (Nathan) Putnam in Linton, North Dakota. Archie married Maxine Young in Cloquet on Oct. 19, 1957. They were longtime members of Queen of Peace Catholic Church. Archie worked on a ranch for two years in Linton and on the Garrison Dam in Riverdale, North Dakota prior to moving to Minnesota in 1950. Archie began... Full story
Dorothy Ruhnke, 87, of Wrenshall, died Friday, Jan. 17, 2020 in St. Luke’s Hospital. Visitation: 10 a.m. until the 11 a.m. celebration of Life on Saturday, Feb. 22 at SonLife Community Church in Wrenshall. Arrangements by Nelson Funeral Care. Marianne “Helen” Harju passed away Dec. 9, 2019 in the Walker Methodist nursing home in Minneapolis. She was born July 6, 1938. Services were scheduled for Jan. 31 in Minneapolis. Graveside services will be held in July in Eveleth. Cards may be sent to Tonia Johnson, 740 E. 17th St., Minneapolis MN 55404... Full story
Using a relatively new geographical software known as ArcGIS, science fair students in Cloquet are taking their projects to new levels and winning awards. Two teams of Cloquet High School students took first and second place in the 2019 Minnesota ArcGIS Online Mapping Competition for "story maps" they created as part of their science fair projects. First place winners Payten Schneberger and MacKenzie Brummer examined the effect things like weather, industry and wind have on ozone levels in...
