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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The defending Section 7AA boys basketball champion Esko is back in the championship game this year after a pair of wins over Pierz and Virginia this week. On Monday the Eskomos downed Pierz by 23 points. On Tuesday the team trounced Virginia to gain entry into the championship game scheduled for Thursday at the University of Minnesota Duluth, against Pequot Lakes, which downed Greenway 71-56 in the other semifinal game Tuesday. The winner will enter the state tournament next week. In Monday’s 8...
BRAINERD -The Cromwell-Wright boys basketball team survived a couple of comeback attempts by their Section 5A quarterfinal opponent Tuesday night but held off Browerville- Eagle Valley 47-42. The Cardinal win set up a rematch against Nevis in the north subsection championship (essentially the section semifinals) in Brainerd Wednesday night, a game that was not finished when The Pine Knot News went to press. On Tuesday, Cromwell-Wright saw a nine-point lead disappear early in the second half,...
Twice during the regular season, Cromwell-Wright and Mountain Iron-Buhl met on the basketball court with the Rangers winning the first game by eight points and the Cards taking the second game by 20 points. Thus, the stage was set for last Thursday's Section 7A girls basketball title game at the University of Minnesota Duluth. When the smoke cleared, the Rangers had avenged their late-season loss and retained the section title for the ninth year in a row with a 50-31 win. A huge key to the win w...
When the Cloquet boys basketball team met Princeton Friday night at Duluth East High School, the players knew they would have their hands full. The Tigers came into the Section 7AAA semifinal game sporting a gaudy 24-3 record, plus they had beaten the 'Jacks by 30 points in mid-December. While Cloquet played a much stronger game this time, they still didn't have enough to get past the talented Tigers and fell by a score of 88-70 - sending Princeton on to the section title match and ending...
ast Wednesday night, March 6, was a tough night for local Section 7A boys basketball teams. Wrenshall, Fond du Lac, Carlton and South Ridge all lost and were eliminated from the tournament. Lakeview Christian Academy-82 Carlton-63 The Lions roared to a five-point lead and then continued the roll into the second half, staking themselves to a spot in the quarterfinals. Matt and Jacob Santkuyl led the Bulldogs with 23 and 20 points respectively, but the Bulldogs could not overcome the depth of...
Three weeks ago the Minnesota Wilderness were poised to make a run in the standings, with the team tied for third in the NAHL’s Central Division and fresh off a sweep of the Bismarck Bobcats. Since then, the Wilderness have found wins hard to come by. The Cloquet-based team is 2-7-1 for the last 10 games and have fallen into fifth place — 10 points out of the last playoff spot. Central Division leader Aberdeen swept the Wilderness last weekend, outscoring them 8-1 in the two meetings. The Wil...
The CEC U12B hockey team is headed to state in Proctor this weekend. Made up of girls from Cloquet, Esko and Carlton, the team finished its regular season with 31 wins, eight losses and three ties. The team took second place in its regular season District 11 league and second place in league playoffs, which allowed them to advance to regions. There, the team beat Alexandria and Northern Lakes in the first two games, then lost to Moose Lake (the region champion), before beating Hibbing to take second in regions and advance to state, set for this...
Last week I detailed the “nuts and bolts” of power-corking. Power-corking shines when fish are concentrated on a specific structure. When fish are randomly spread out across the expanse, it’s time to break out the lead-core trolling rods. The lead-core technique starts with the line itself. Lead-core is a Dacron or braid coated line with lead at its “core” or center. Instead of relying on snap-weights, sinkers, or the natural dive curve of a crankbait, the lead-core itself controls lure depth. E...
The timing couldn't have been better. The conditions were perfect this year for the annual Cloquet City Ski Meet, an event featuring both ski jumping and Nordic ski races at Pine Valley. The sun was out, the temperatures were cold enough to keep the snow frozen, but not cold enough to freeze tiny fingers and toes. It hadn't rained yet. And the congenial atmosphere at the meet was just as sunny as the weather. In addition to the many members of the now thriving Cloquet Ski Club - which meets...
The Cloquet Public Library will be offering a free meditation workshop, "An Introduction to Meditation," at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, part of a continued commitment to offer free workshops and classes that promote lifelong learning. The class is free and open to all. Bring a yoga mat or towel, and a blanket. The workshop will be taught by Carolyn Ripp. I asked her about meditation and how she makes it relevant to her busy life as a small-business owner, mother of three active young adults, and a wife....
Carrying signs denouncing Wells Fargo bank's investments in oil and pipelines - particularly the Enbridge Energy Line 3 replacement pipeline slated to go through Carlton County - a group of about 15, mostly Native American, protestors gathered outside the Cloquet bank branch Friday afternoon. Before the protesters gathered on the frontage road near the bank exit, bank employees locked the doors to anyone not doing business there. Many of them watched the protesters through the windows or the...
A Bayfield County man accused of shooting and killing his uncle in rural Carlton County last April was indicted on first-degree premeditated murder charges by a grand jury Thursday, March 7. The grand jury also indicted him on charges of intentional second-degree murder and attempted premeditated first-degree murder. James Francis Montano, 33, was arrested in April 2018, for shooting his uncle, 57-year-old Andrew James Gokee, and injuring Gokee's son, 38-year-old Hudson Gauthier, who is...
Carlton School Board member Tim Hagenah voted with his feet last week — by abruptly walking out of the March 7 committee of the whole meeting. Hagenah’s departure ended the meeting because school board members no longer had a quorum, as members Sue Karp and Sam Ojibway were absent. Hagenah’s departure also ended the discussion about whether a “letter” written by Superintendent Gwen Carman and published in local newspapers was appropriate or overstepping her authority. It was a discussio...
A strong smell of gas inside the Cloquet Senior High building led to a two-hour delay of classes Thursday for both the high school and the middle school Thursday, March 7. According to a district press release, the administration was notified of the smell at 7:30 a.m., and students and staff were immediately evacuated to two nearby churches — St. Paul’s Lutheran for CHS and Journey Christian Church for CMS — previously designated as emergency shelters. CHS principal Steve Battaglia said close to 150 high school students were evacuated, while th...
State Representative Mike Sundin (DFL-Esko) has authored legislation to extend the time period for special elections during the legislative session following the state senate special election earlier this year, which resulted in hundreds of mail-in ballots going uncounted. “The limited window for special elections has proven to be a challenge for too many of our citizens,” Sundin said. “We need to address these statutory limitations so that in the future we can be confident that everyone will have a chance to make their voices heard witho...
Cleanup at the site of a Feb. 16 BNSF coal train derailment on the Fond du Lac reservation continues, according to railroad spokesperson Amy McBeth, who confirmed Wednesday that the cause of the derailment remains under investigation. As of Feb. 27, approximately 85 percent of the coal spilled on land by the derailment of 40 train cars Feb. 16 had been recovered, according to a press release from the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, which is working with the railroad company on the cleanup. The final parts of the coal cleanup will...
Community theaters and fans of theater from around the state will gather in Austin, Minn. for a statewide theater festival sponsored by the Minnesota Association of Community Theatres (MACT). MACT*Fest 2019 will take place Friday through Sunday, March 15-17 at Riverland Community College. Austin’s Summerset Theatre and the Riverland College Foundation will host the festival, where audiences will enjoy a wide variety of one-act plays performed by theaters from across Minnesota, and have the opportunity to attend theater workshops. At MACT, t...
Spring rain, melting snow and culverts plugged with ice can cause water to back up onto highways. The Minnesota Department of Transportation reminds motorists to be watchful for flooded areas, as water can rise quickly. MnDOT crews have already been working to thaw frozen culverts and will continue to monitor conditions. If flooding occurs, lanes or other sections of highway may need to be closed with barricades and other traffic control devices. MnDOT also reminds all motorists that driving through standing or moving water is dangerous, and...
The annual Cloquet Area Home, Business and Sports Show runs 1-8 p.m. today at Black Bear Casino and Resort, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. Admission to the event and parking is free. Enjoy getting to know what local businesses have to offer, along with exhibits, crafts, demonstrations activities and entertainment for all ages. Included in this year’s event are magic shows featuring the Amazing Charles; performances by Shooting Stars Dance studio; balloon animals for the kids; a kids’ craft area sponsored by Community Memorial Hospital; booths fea...
The ceiling of the gymnasium at Cloquet’s Garfield school was leaking before it started raining Wednesday. Which meant the Cloquet School Board almost had to vote to replace all of the roofs at Garfield as soon as possible. And they did, despite concerns that the charge by the construction management company, Kraus Anderson, was excessive. The total cost of the project will be nearly $400,000, plus $50,329 in construction management fees. The bid came in under its original estimate, according t...
The Town of Thomson — popularly known as “Esko” — held its annual meeting Tuesday night. About 15 residents plus Thomson Township officials and employees reviewed the annual financial statement, heard from department heads, and discussed town business at the one-hour meeting at the Thomson Town Hall. The most significant vote was approving the 2020 tax levy, which increased by 3.35 percent to $1.6 million, which is a similar increase from recent years. Although the voters asked some questio...
At approximately 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 13, an employee of Northwoods Credit Union called 911 to report smoke coming from the Moose Lake Motel on Arrowhead Lane, according to the Moose Lake Star Gazette newspaper. Billowing smoke and flames could later be seen coming out of the roof of the motel, which had 14 units and a living quarters for the caretaker. Fire departments responded to the scene from Moose Lake, Mahtowa, Barnum, Sturgeon Lake, Willow River, Kettle River and Carlton. The...
Two national traditions will combine Saturday at the annual NorthEastern Mojakka Cook-Off, as area cooks show off their best Finnish soups, all washed down with the buyer’s choice of green or purple beer. The purple beer pays homage to St. Urho’s Day, March 16, the day that St. Urho dined on a hearty bowl of mojakka before heading out to rid the Finnish vineyards of a plague of grasshoppers. The green beer, of course, is in honor of St. Patrick, who chased all the snakes out of Ireland long ago...
A couple of decades ago, the Jefferson Memorial was decaying, rapidly. Maintenance workers discovered the problem: washing away the excessive bird droppings so often was affecting the monument. It turned out that the birds were attracted by the bugs which were attracted by the bright lights illuminating the memorial all night. The solution? Reduce how long the monument was lit. Soon, the Jefferson Memorial was stable yet still clean. Sometimes, though, less light is bad. Very bad. The Father of American Democracy, Thomas Jefferson, was a...
I recently had the chance to chat with Nicole Lackus, a Cloquet middle school teacher, about procedure in the event of a lockdown at Cloquet schools. Over the past six months or so, school resource officer Eric Blesener and others have trained staff at each Cloquet school (and a number of the county schools) in a protocol called “ALICE,” which helps schools develop the best strategies possible in case of an armed intruder. ALICE — which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform 911, Counter and Evacu...
