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 33
At least two men were jailed this past week after a house in Cloquet was struck with five to seven bullets from a handgun on Feb 24. The house on Bagaan Street, near the Fond du Lac Supportive Housing complex, was occupied at the time. There were no injuries in what police determined was suspected retaliation after an earlier physical altercation. Four males were involved in the shooting, police later discovered, including a juvenile, who suspects have said was the shooter. Raymond Peterson,...
Carlton County voters proved none too eager to decide presidential nominees earlier this week. Voters turned out for the presidential nomination primary Tuesday at a rate 10 percent lower than four years ago. Only 4,101 ballots were cast among 22,377 registered voters, or 18 percent, compared to a 28 percent turnout in 2020 on the way to the first go-round between Democrat incumbent President Joe Biden and Republican former president Donald Trump. "It has been a lower turnout for the...
The boys of the Carlton-based Busted Bots Lego robotics team stared at the TV in anticipation. Would the group of nine- to 12-year-olds be one of the six teams from their region to join 70 other Minnesota teams at the state competition? When "The Busted Bots" name was announced, the boys screamed, leapt on the couch in a huddle, and jumped up and down with unbridled joy. The FIRST Lego League robotics program began in 1998 to encourage STEM - science, technology, engineering and math - education...
Our keeper of local history, Clarence Badger, shared this photo of the 1931 Cromwell girls basketball team. It included, from left, Blanche Line, Laura Dumas, Edythe Kibert, Alice Gearns, Norma Jalonen, Eileen Maxner, Violet Palm, Mae Beseman, Gladys Dahl and Hulda Larson. Badger is Beseman's son, and he said this talented team traveled in a tiny school bus to other schools in the area - Floodwood, McGregor and Carlton - and dominated. "They beat the pants off of everybody," Badger said. "Years... Full story
The Cloquet Police Department and investigators of the deadly Jan. 8 shooting at the Super 8 hotel in Cloquet have determined that the shooter was a stranger to his two victims, had methamphetamine in his system, and was likely having a "mental health episode" when he shot a front desk clerk inside the hotel, a guest in the parking lot, and then himself. The shooter, Nicholas Elliot Lenius, 32, contacted a work associate during the early evening incident and said he was "dealing with monsters,"...
Unprecedented. That was the keyword from Big Lake Golf Resort co-owner Bill Jaskari, regarding the opening of the golf course on Friday, March 1. It was 11 a.m., about 50 degrees, and a few curious players and their vehicles were trickling into the golf resort parking lot. "We've owned the course for four years and this is, by far, our earliest spring opening. In comparison to last year, when we experienced record snowfall, we opened for golf the second week of May," Jaskari said. There is...
It was nothing but good news coming from the Fond du Lac Resource Management Division last week, as the Band announced a stable moose population, as well as favorable results in a sampling of the local deer herd for chronic wasting disease. The CWD test results, announced on social media, showed the disease was not detected in any of 161 samples provided by the Fond du Lac band and state-licensed hunters or collected roadkill from Minnesota 1837- and 1854-ceded territories and the FDL...
The Minnesota Department of Transportation is hosting a public meeting on Thursday, March 14, to give an update on the Minnesota Highway 73 Cromwell-to-Kettle River corridor study. The meeting begins at 4:30 p.m. in the Cromwell Pavilion. There will be a presentation on the corridor study and some possible alternatives, followed by time for questions and answers. Materials will be posted online after the meeting. There will also be a public survey posted online to gather feedback on the alternatives. For a link to the survey, visit... Full story
A Carlton man accused of felony attempted murder in February will undergo a psychological screening first to see if he is suitable to take part in court proceedings. That was the result Monday of a hearing for Jacob Clarin, 37, who is accused of assaulting a fellow resident Feb. 21 at Lake Venoah Board and Lodge outside Carlton, in Twin Lakes Township. Clarin appeared in an online Sixth District Court hearing Monday before Judge Rebekka Stumme. A prosecutor with the Carlton County Attorney’s Office and a public defender both agreed and recommen...
A fire destroyed an unattached garage in Atkinson Township north of Mahtowa Friday, March 1. Fire crews and emergency responders were called to the 3100 block of Carlton County Road 144 at about 4:30 p.m. There was no one home, and the fire had taken over a garage and was threatening a nearby pole barn. The fire was contained and the barn had only minor damage. The garage and its contents were a total loss. Responders included those from the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Power, and the fire departments of Barnum, Mahtowa, W...
Hunters in Minnesota harvested 158,678 deer during the 2023 hunting season, a lower total harvest than in recent years, down 8 percent compared to the 2022 season and 14 percent less than the five-year average. The greatest decreases were in the northern part of the state, where deer harvest compared to 2022 was 21-percent lower in the northeast region. But the numbers also reveal fewer hunters. The success rate for firearms season hunters was 28 percent across the state. The average the past five years is about 31 percent. There has been a... Full story
The Biggest Hour for Earth! Since its beginnings in 2007, Earth Hour has been known as the “lights off” moment, a moment of unity that brings the world together, shines a spotlight on nature loss and the climate crisis, and inspires millions more to act and advocate for urgent change. The UMD Institute on the Environment urges you to join the Earth Hour “lights out” moment at 8:30 p.m. local time Saturday, March 23. Learn more at the Earth Hour website at www.earthhour.org/take-part/give-an-hour.... Full story
If one had stumbled upon the library at Carlton High School on Monday, you would have gotten the impression you were eavesdropping on some sort of couples therapy. There was talk about doing the right thing for the kids. Talk about trauma. About threats perceived and then called misconstrued. Talk about taking a breath and letting cooler heads prevail. There were demands made and demands denied. There was talk of impasses rebutted with carrying on, keeping the dialogue going. To someone who...
Three University of Minnesota Duluth journalism students are getting a taste of the small-town newspaper world with the Pine Knot News this spring through a first-ever micro-internship experience. Chloe Farnsworth, Max Thibault and Maddie Gagnon all seniors, will participate in the program. Farnsworth and Thibault will work on the editorial side of the paper, while Gagnon - who is business manager at UMD's student-run news magazine The Bark and its website - will be working mostly with Pine... Full story
The Cloquet Area Chamber of Commerce brings its Home, Business and Sports Show back to the Black Bear Event Center next weekend. The free annual event features numerous area businesses plus a large craft fair, along with numerous options for family-friendly entertainment. Home show hours are 1-8 p.m. Friday, March 15, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, March 16. The Easter Bunny will be making the rounds 4-7 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, and balloon animals will be available 3-8 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. Catch Shooting... Full story
It’s time to shine a light on an annual week of mindfulness in the journalism industry. March 10-16 is Sunshine Week, a nonpartisan collaboration among groups in the journalism, civic, education, government and private sectors that shines a light on the importance of public records and open government. At the Pine Knot, we are proud of our role in watching out for our readers. As you have read in the past, we are bullish on freedom of information issues and proper behavior by elected officials. It isn’t easy covering more public bodies tha... Full story
The Department of Vehicle Services continues to be an issue throughout the state, specifically when it comes to accessing behind-the-wheel drivers tests. Families have grown frustrated with the current backlog that seems to be growing every year. To make matters worse, when families are lucky enough to find open appointments, it oftentimes means driving across the state. DVS representatives came to the Senate Transportation Committee a few weeks ago to offer an updated solution to this problem: closing half of all testing locations. In 2021,...
Wrenshall High School English teacher Ted Conover said students in his College in the Schools composition course were eager to add to local discourse. So they revised and shortened their long-form problem-solution essays on local issues into print-length editorials, and shared those with the Pine Knot News. Topics range from addressing issues in local schools, arts, athletics, all the way up to state funding and the Legislature — and we are sharing them with you. Enjoy these writings. The first batch appeared in last week’s Pine Knot The fig... Full story
Aiden Theisen and Warren Hietala held the Lumberjack banner high as the two Lumberjacks wrestlers competed at the state wrestling tournament at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul last week. Theisen, wrestling in the 114-pound weight class, was hoping to pick up one win at the state meet after losing two matches at the state tournament last season. He got three. Theisen claimed a sixth-place finish out of the field of 16. Theisen won his opening- round match over Samuel Moore from... Full story
Thursday, Feb. 29 Boys basketball Cloquet 93 Proctor 53 Annandale 74 (OT) Esko 73 Carlton/Wrenshall 80 Fond du Lac 67 Friday, March 1 Boys basketball Two Harbors 67 Barnum 66 Fond du Lac 61 Ely 54 ML/WR 73 Pillager 58 Girls basketball Section 7AA Mesabi East 58 ML/WR 19 Esko 92 International Falls 32 Hinckley-Finlayson 61 Barnum 38 Section 7A Cromwell-Wright 82 Fond du Lac 24 Saturday, March 2 Girls basketball Section 7AAA Cloquet 74 Grand Rapids 60 Section 7AA Proctor 55 Esko 52 Section 7A Cromwell-Wright 79 Hill City/Northland 36 South Ridge... Full story
Leilani Fonoti poured in 27 points Saturday afternoon to lead all scorers as the Lumberjacks got the monkey off their back against Grand Rapids, with a 74-60 win at Cloquet Middle School. Fonoti kept Cloquet alive in the first half as the 'Jacks struggled mightily from the floor, making only four field goals in the first half with three of those four coming within 5 feet of the basket. Cloquet's only other first-half field goal was by Quinn Danielson, who nailed a three-pointer. Fonoti hit two... Full story
The 7AA girls basketball season came to an end for local teams last week as Esko, Barnum and Moose Lake / Willow River bowed out of the tournament. Trailing 53-52, Esko had a chance to advance to the semifinals but was unable to capitalize, then a late foul gave the Rails the 3-point win Saturday at Duluth Denfeld. "We had the ball trailing by one point as time was fading down," Esko head coach Sue Northey said. "We wanted the opportunity to come away with the victory, but it didn't happen."... Full story
And then there were two. The two remaining local teams in the Section 7A girls basketball tournament are Cromwell-Wright and South Ridge. Both teams won twice last week and entered Wednesday night's semifinal round at UMD after presstime. Wednesday night the Cards, who are the No. 1 south seed, were scheduled to take on the No. 2 north seed, the Ely Timberwolves, in a 5 p.m. affair. That game was scheduled to be followed by the No. 1 north seed, Mt. Iron-Buhl, taking on the No. 2 south seed,... Full story
Three Cloquet skiers took Leap Day to a whole new level, hurling themselves off a 64-meter ski jump in Anchorage, Alaska Thursday, Feb. 29 as part of the 2024 ski jumping and Nordic combined Junior Nationals championships. Joel Linden and brothers Isaiah and Simon Langer competed in Nordic combined, a discipline which combines ski jumping and Nordic skiing. All three learned the sport through the Cloquet Ski Club, which makes its home at Pine Valley Recreation Area. Having ski jumps and such an... Full story
Rae Marie Elizabeth Sylvester, 82, passed away peacefully on March 3, 2024, at Inter-Faith Care Center in Carlton, with her children at her side. Rae was born Sept. 19, 1941, in Perham to Mike and Mayme Rebuck. She graduated from Perham High School in 1959, and went on to attend Minnesota State University Moorhead, graduating with a teaching degree in 1962. In 1964, she accepted a teaching position in White Bear Lake. Shortly after, she met Dave Sylvester, and the two were married in 1966. In 19... Full story
