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 37
Republican Jason Rarick is the new Minnesota State Senator for District 11, after defeating DFL candidate Stu Lourey in Tuesday's special election. Rarick pulled in 8,127 (52 percent) votes to Lourey's 7171 (46 percent) with Legal Marijuana Now candidate John "Sparky" Birrenbach garnering 298 votes, or almost 2 percent in unofficial results posted on the Secretary of State's website. Voter turnout in Carlton County was 34.4 percent with 7,178 total voters, versus 80 percent in November's...
James A. “Congo” Jurek, 62, of Cloquet, Minn. passed away Friday, Feb. 8, 2019 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Duluth. He was born March 6, 1956 to Anthony and Marjorie (Jezierski) Jurek and graduated from Cloquet High School in 1974. Jim attended DAVTI Carpentry and later the Minnesota School of Barbering. Jim was very active with the Cloquet Hockey Association. He loved theater and was involved with the County Seat Theater Company, where he was recognized for his continual love and support for the p... Full story
Raymond W. Rikkola, age 63 of Cloquet, passed away Saturday, February 9, 2019. He was born on December 17, 1955 in Ashland, WI. Ray spent his early years in Marengo, Wis. with his 12 brothers and sisters. In true Finnish fashion, they enjoyed nightly saunas and competitions over who could take the most heat. He moved to Cloquet in 1985 and worked as a construction foreman for Johnson Wilson Constructors. In 1992, with the help of his father-in-law, he built the house he raised his three... Full story
Ellen Eleanor (Makila) Mikkola, 101, of Cromwell, Minn. passed away Jan. 30, 2019 in Villa Vista Care Center. She was born June 29, 1917 in Hibbing, Minn. to John and Aino (Huhtala) Makila. She grew up in Suomi and graduated from Grand Rapids High School in 1935. Ellen worked as a bookkeeper for Farmers Co-op in Cromwell and CAP Oil in Kettle River. She married Emil Mikkola on June 1, 1945. Ellen was preceded in death by her husband; two brothers, Armas and Eino Makila; and sister, Taimi Korpi.... Full story
James Marvin "Marv" "SP" Wuollet, 82, of Cloquet, Minn. passed away Feb. 3, 2019 in his home. He was born June 10, 1936 in Brainerd to Charles and Mellita (Mattala) Wuollet. The family moved to Cloquet when Jim was a young boy. He graduated from Cloquet High School in 1954. Jim worked at Potlatch for 42 years, retiring in 1996. He was a member of the Potlatch Quarter Century Club, a charter member of the Big Lake Golf Club, and golfed in the North Lakes League. In addition to golfing, Jim... Full story
Earlier this year the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton boys hockey team fell in overtime to the Duluth East Greyhounds, so Thursday's matchup between the two teams in Cloquet had all the makings of another spine-tingling event. The game lacked the drama of the first game, as the Greyhounds scored once in the second period and another in the third period to pull off a 2-0 win. The Lumberjacks carried the play against East to start and came out of the first period even at 0-0 with a 10-9 shot advantage on...
It's officially winter, now that long weeks of frigid temps have finally set up the ice for safe travel on inland lakes. And, as truck travel begins, we enter one of the most predictable bites of the year: the basin crappie bite. The basin is loosely defined as the deepest part of any given lake. In our area that may vary between 10 feet of water and 50-plus feet of water. Most basins I concentrate on bottom out in the 20-to-30-foot range. Most local lakes set up well for this bite. Even...
A road trip to the western part of the state was just what the doctor ordered for the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton girls hockey team this past weekend. The ’Jacks notched a 4-1 win over Bemidji Friday and then traveled to Thief River Falls Saturday and beat the No. 6-ranked Prowlers by the same 4-1 score. The two wins pushed the Lumberjack record to 17-7 as they wrapped up their regular season schedule and prepped for the playoffs. CEC head coach Courtney Olin said the girls played in Bemidji at 4 p...
Welcome to Carlton Happenings. This will be the first of many articles about the Carlton community and the special activities that all Carlton area people can enjoy, or about the people who enrich our lives and community. On Feb. 1, a pep fest was held at the Carlton High School to introduce the homecoming court to the student body. The parents of each candidate had been asked to write a letter about their child, which was read by staff to introduce each candidate. It was a special way to...
The pickup truck was stuck, nose-deep in the snowy ditch. In Brainerd for the weekend, I was exploring a bit as 4-year-old Eleanor napped in the back seat. Rushing her brothers to and from the swim meet and accommodating my wife, Tara, as she volunteered at the event, meant that Ellie didn’t get her nap. She fell asleep as I dropped off her brother Tommy and I knew if I woke her up, she’d stay awake and be very cranky by dinner time. So I drove. I headed up Minnesota Highway 371 towards Nis...
The abrupt death of my husband’s brother, Milt Walli, left both of us and our extended families wet-eyed for much of the week. Milt’s son Michael found him on Wednesday morning, dead on the basement floor, most likely from a misstep and bad fall. Fielding Michael’s call, Rod went immediately to the South Finn Road family farm where Milt lived alone. He helped Michael through the visit of the coroner, placing Milt in a body bag for an autopsy, and calling his brother, sisters and the rest of hi...
The café in Wright had survived several rounds of ownership, most recently as Minetties Diner. It remained for years the only restaurant in Wright, a gathering place for weekly coffee groups, thousands of games of cribbage, snowmobilers, summer visitors, and folks who'd prefer to not cook dinner. Last week, it burned to the ground. Delivering our latest issue of Pine Knot News to Minetties on Thursday, Jan. 31, driver Joe Waldorf was astonished and sent a phone photo to the editor. It happened...
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, in partnership with the Northeast Minnesota Beekeepers Association, is hosting a daylong workshop, Beekeeping and More! on Saturday, Feb. 16, for anyone interested in learning about beekeeping as a hobby or as a commercial enterprise. The symposium will open at 8:30 a.m. and classes run from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., starting in the college commons. Preregistration is encouraged. The first Beekeeping and More workshop held in 2016 drew in more than 150...
Milton Theodore "MT" Walli, 73, of Tamarack, Minn. passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019 in his home. He was born June 19, 1945 in Duluth, Minn. to John and Henna (Johnson) Walli. The family moved to the farm in Tamarack in 1946. MT graduated from Cromwell High School in 1963. After high school he worked for the railroad for four years before starting his lifelong career in logging. MT was one of the last true lumberjacks. He was a member of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association. He enjoyed... Full story
Three pets are too many To the editor: When I lived in the country I always had pets, and trained them to obey and to have manners, and they were socialized. When I moved into town a few years ago, I was terrorized for 18 months by dogs belonging to the renters next door. They came from 100 feet away to my back door where I was sitting (and also when I was in my driveway), running and growling at me from a foot away. Good thing I knew better than to get up and turn my back on them. They barked day and night. I called the police and animal...
A sex offender at the Minnesota Sex Offender Program in Moose Lake is accused of trying to murder an employee at the facility. George Mack Jr., 42, was charged with premeditated first-degree attempted murder as well as fourth-degree assault in Carlton County Sixth District Court Thursday, Jan. 31. Bail was set at $500,000. Mack was moved to the Carlton County Jail from MSOP, which offers services and treatment for people who are committed by the court as a sexual psychopathic personality or a...
Wow, that was a cold few days last week, hope your water pipes and septic mounds survived. I was lucky - the only thing I lost was the ability to open my gas cap from inside the car because my cable snapped. It is often more difficult to enjoy the outdoors when wind chills are so wicked; one place I can count on being fairly comfortable during these times is in the middle of a spruce bog on a pair of snowshoes. I love bogs in all seasons, except when the mosquitoes are in charge. Northern...
Post-holiday play saw the Minnesota Wilderness on a roll, winning five of seven contests, but since their fast start to the second half of the season, the Wilderness have struggled to play consistent hockey, resulting in only one win in their last six games. “We have to be more consistent on both ends of the ice,” assistant head coach Mark Vachorek said. “We need to remember we should have won some of the games we lost to teams behind us in the standings, and they are fighting for a playoff spot...
Thomas Michael Bislow, 74, of Carlton passed away on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019 in his home. Considered by many as the beating heart of Mahtowa, Bislow and his TJ’s Country Corner store put the small city on the map with fabulous locally made potato sausages and brats — the store’s motto is “Our Wurst is Best” — and unique celebrations, such as the annual beard and moustache contest, the vintage snowmobile meet, the Rat Rod Rendezvous, twice-a-year “chicken swaps” and, of course, the bratwurst festival. There were other events happening more... Full story
Ninth grader Conner Barney tossed in 28 points to lead the Fond du Lac Ogichidaa to a 77-74 victory over the South Ridge Panthers on Monday night. The game was a back-and-forth game with both teams scratching for every point, but in the end the Ogichidaa had just enough to hold off the Panthers as Avery Misquadace joined Barney in double-digit scoring with 17 points. "It was really a seesaw type of game," said Ogichidaa coach Earl Otis. "We got up a couple of times in double figures and they...
BOYS BASKETBALL Carlton Bulldogs Friday, Feb. 8 6:00 pm vs. Floodwood Monday, Feb. 11 7:15 pm vs. Cherry Friday, Feb. 15 7:15 pm vs. Cromwell-Wright Cloquet Lumberjacks Tuesday, Feb. 12 7:15 pm at Grand Rapids Cromwell-Wright Cardinals Friday, Feb. 8 6:15 pm vs. Silver Bay Monday, Feb. 11 7:15 pm at Two Harbors Tuesday, Feb. 12 7:15 pm vs. Bigfork Friday, Feb. 15 7:15 pm at Carlton Esko Eskomos Friday, Feb. 8 4:30 pm at Perham Tuesday, Feb. 12 7:15 pm vs. Proctor Fond du Lac Ojibwe Ogichidaag Friday, Feb. 15 6:30 pm at Cook County Wrenshall... Full story
After three days off school due to cold weather, two of the top high school boys basketball programs in the area hit the hardwood in Esko as the Eskomos hosted the Barnum Bombers. The Eskomos got big nights from Payton Wefel and Trevor Spindler and rode their 3-point shooting to a 71-51 home victory. Spindler finished with a game high 29 points while Wefel was nearly as hot with 26 points for the Eskomos. The pair knocked down 13 three-pointers in the game. "They both played incredibly and got...
Carlton school board member Jennifer Chmielewski captured the recent grim discussion about the district’s budget next year. “What are you going to say?” Her plain question was directed at Superintendent Gwen Carman, who is burdened with the task of telling staff in the district that she needs to find a way to make cuts expected to reach past $100,000. “The facts,” Carman said. There was a pause in the discussion Monday night as everything set in. The district isn’t running into the red. But it is $483,000 short of where it needs to be to meet...
From the second floor of a locked-down nursing home in the dead of night, they attempt the greatest escape ever. Join this misfit band of "inmates" as they hatch a master plan to escape their dreary nursing home and find something far more important than a baseball game – their youth. Nathan Harswick's hilarious comedy "The Great Nursing Home Escape" will be the 32nd season opener for the County Seat Theater Company. This group of characters will charm you as Brian Lokken (the ringleader), K...
This week I’d like to stray from the usual news that I write about and dedicate this article to Minetties Roadside Diner in Wright, which burned down last week. About 25 firefighters from four area fire departments responded to the blaze. We are so fortunate in our area to have so many brave and capable firefighters. Owner Minette Juhl said they are rebuilding as soon as they can. In the meantime, customers who relied on breakfast at the diner will be able to visit her other business in T...
