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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Izzy Burley may be the only Cloquet High School student ever to get a college scholarship for archery, said activities director Paul Riess. The CHS senior signed a commitment letter to go to Mount Marty University in South Dakota to compete on its archery team on Friday, something her parents never saw coming when she got her first compound bow at the age of 6. Her mother, Aimee Burley, said it's been "a wild ride." "We knew they had some potential, but we had no idea how far they would go,"...
It was a quiet Friday afternoon, until it wasn’t. On Friday, March 6, 2020 — the Minnesota Department of Health announced the first case of Covid-19 had been confirmed in Minnesota. It set off a whirlwind of drastic change in the state, including in Carlton County. A lot has happened in the two years since then. Minnesota’s first year living with Covid-19 was marked by uncertainty, the loneliness of being apart and a lockdown. Near the end of 2020, there was hope, as Minnesotans began to be vaccinated. In 2021, things loosened up as an incre...
The Minnesota Chippewa Tribal Executive Committee voted 7-5 Monday to censure Kevin Dupuis Sr., chairperson of the Fond du Lac Reservation Business Committee. Other than the disapproval implied by the censure, the vote came with no consequences from the committee. There seemed to be consensus among many of those voting both ways that the issue would be better addressed by Fond du Lac band members. The tribal committee, or TEC, comprises the chairperson and secretary/treasurer of each of the six...
With five-time incumbent state representative Mike Sundin announcing that he won't run for re-election, this year's race for the Minnesota House of Representatives District 11A seat is heating up with familiar faces from both parties joining the race. Since the Sundin announcement, only one Democrat has announced intentions to seek the seat that covers all of Carlton County and part of St. Louis and Pine counties. Pete Radosevich, an attorney who lives in Cloquet and is also the publisher of...
City of Cloquet staff invites the public to share broadband stories and to hear about results from the recent Cloquet Broadband survey and completion of the Blandin Broadband Communities Program. There will be two meeting opportunities: Tuesday, March 22 at 6 p.m. at the Cloquet Library in the Northwoods Meeting Room A (320 14th Street), or Thursday, March 24 at noon at Common Ground Coffee Bar & Deli (103 Avenue C)....
Two new reports released this month by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Minnesota Department of Health find that air pollution continues to pose a threat to public health in the Twin Cities area and other regional metropolitan centers in Minnesota, with impacts falling disproportionately on communities with more residents who are low-income, uninsured, people of color, or people with disabilities. The reports, “Life and Breath: Metro” and “Life and Breath: Greater Minnesota,” examine how air pollution affected health in 2015, the mos...
Former Cloquet Area Fire District chief Matt Ashmore signed a separation agreement with the CAFD board in December that provided him with $35,407 (equal to four months salary) and a payout of unused vacation time of $7,954. Ashmore was CAFD fire chief for only a year and was hired by the CAFD board after two searches to replace retired fire chief Kevin Schroeder. Ashmore had worked as a battalion chief and emergency medical services director before he moved here from Hibbing. When he resigned...
The Esko school board is looking ahead to the 2023 school year, with Covid-19 cases slowing down for the district and the end of the current school year in sight. As of Friday, March 11, there were only two active Covid-19 cases documented by K-12 students and staff. The low number of cases not only means that masks remain optional for students, but it also allowed Esko school board members — and audience members — to hold their meeting Monday, March 14, without talking about Covid protocols, which have been the focus of many meetings throughou...
A Cloquet man is facing multiple felony charges after police found he had shared illegal pornographic videos featuring children on social media in 2020. Jaypee Selorico, 36, was arrested earlier this month and faces eight charges relating to the possession and dissemination of pornographic work, including two charges for pornographic work featuring a minor under the age of 13. Selorico appeared virtually in Sixth District Carlton County court on March 9 before judge Rebekka Stumme. Stumme set bail at $10,000 cash or $100,000 bond. According to...
There have been two staples in the annual mojakka cookoff over the past 16 years: the meal (soup) and the location (the Northeastern Saloon and Grille). The beneficiaries of the annual fundraiser have changed, from the Friends of Animals, to the American Legion and now the Carlton County Historical Society. But many in the crowd return every year - it was standing room only at times Sunday - to carefully taste and judge the various soups before they voted for their favorite. Mojakka can range...
The Barnum school board voted against proceeding with the $8.32 million in proposed projects at the regular meeting of the board on Tuesday, March 15. Board member Paul Coughlin pointed out during the meeting that the board had approved, 4-3, to proceed with the projects back in December but, for “due diligence,” had to vote once again about proceeding with the projects and with selling bonds to finance the projects. The projects consisted of replacing a cooler in the elementary school, indoor air quality improvements, and a roof rep...
It’s the petition that wouldn’t go away, or perhaps it’s just the angry district resident who won’t go away. An obviously distraught Tony Sheda repeated his demands to the Wrenshall school board Monday night that the creators of the petition that denied an appointment to the school board last August be responsible for the costs incurred by the school district to verify the petition. Despite repeated explanations and investigation of the issue that reached state offices in St. Paul, Sheda is yet to be satisfied, and apparently a majorit...
The Carlton school board met Monday, in large part to discuss again the possible cuts to meet a budgetary shortfall of about $500,000. The board is looking to cut that deficit in half for next school year with changes in curricular and extracurricular offerings, staffing levels and superintendent benefits. The committee of the whole meeting was for discussion purposes only, with ideas, questions and information exchanged freely among all six board members, superintendent and participating staff. Any decisions on budgetary cuts will still need...
Our publisher, Pete Radosevich, is running for public office, he announced this week. And your local community newspaper, the Pine Knot News, is announcing that our publisher is being placed on sabbatical leave, effective immediately. He will no longer have any input on how we run this newspaper, and he will no longer contribute to the newspaper, including his column on these pages. There is no legal restriction preventing him from continuing to work for the paper. The First Amendment guarantees that the press is free from government restrictio...
This will be my last “Harry’s Gang” column for a while. I have decided to run for Minnesota House of Representatives in District 11A, which encompasses all of Carlton County and a small part of Pine and St. Louis counties. And I can’t do both. So, I’d like to share some of my random ideas I’ve accumulated since we started this paper a few years ago. My dad used to say that when just as many liberals complain that the local paper is too conservative as conservatives complain the paper leans...
Amanda RaeAnne Cadotte of Cloquet left this world unexpectedly, on March 3, 2022, at the age of 33. She was born on July 5, 1988, in Duluth, and lived in the area her entire life. Growing up, she was a member of the Duluth Icebreakers hockey team and was lovingly called "The Enforcer." She was a beloved mother, daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, cousin and friend, with a smile that would light up your soul. Amanda's stubborn yet funny and loving personality will be missed by all who knew an...
Jennifer Ardell Jaakola, 59, of Cloquet passed away March 10, 2022, after a short battle with cancer. She was born Nov. 25, 1962, the daughter of James and Cookie (Hubbell) Jaakola. Jennifer was a beloved grandmother, and nothing brought her more joy than spending time with her grandchildren. She could often be found playing Spider Solitaire on her computer or watching one of her many favorite reality TV shows. Jennifer is preceded in death by her maternal grandparents, Ted and Clara Hubbell; pa...
Elvina Clara Soukkala, 93, of Sawyer passed away Saturday, March 12, 2022, at Villa Vista in Cromwell. She was born in Wright on Jan. 5, 1929, to Joseph and Tillie Solomon. On Feb. 23, 1952, Elvina married Wilbert Soukkala in Carlton. Elvina worked as a waitress in several area restaurants and farmed with her husband in Sawyer Township, retiring in 1975. She was a member of the Sawyer Cemetery Association and the Cromwell United Methodist Church. She enjoyed quilting and being a mom, grandma...
Mary Carol (Suhonen) Erickson, 70, of Wright passed away Saturday, March 12, 2022, with family by her side. She was born Dec. 20, 1951, in Cloquet to Niilo and Vera (Bogenholm) Suhonen. Mary graduated from Cromwell-Wright High School and attended the Duluth Technical College. She married Sherman Erickson in 1978 in Wright. Mary worked as a licensed practical nurse at various hospitals and clinics for 50 years, and received a nurse of the year award. She enjoyed crossword puzzles and was the...
William "Bill" Jurek, 80, Sturgeon Lake, died March 11, 2022, at Essentia Health in Moose Lake. He was born May 23, 1941, in Moose Lake to Florian and Mary Jurek. He attended school in Kettle River and later in Moose Lake. Bill served in the Army National Guard for six years. On April 26, 1975, he married Margaret Zieman in Sturgeon Lake. Bill worked for Diamond Match for more than 20 years. He later worked at his sawmill on his property. Bill liked working on his tractors, doing crosswords, and...
Mark A. Blackwood, 57, of Cloquet passed away unexpectedly Saturday, March 12, 2022, at Cloquet Community Memorial Hospital. He was born Feb. 1, 1965, to Roberta (Dunphy) and Dale Blackwood. Mark graduated from Cloquet High School in 1983 and joined the U.S. Army, serving his country from 1983 until 1992. He proudly served in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He continued his dedication to his country by being a member of the Cloquet Combined Honor Guard. He was a member of the American...
The South Ridge boys basketball season came to an end Saturday at UMD in a hard-fought game against the No. 1 seeded Cherry Tigers. After falling to Cherry by 43 points in December, the Panthers battled the Tigers until the very end of the Section 7A quarterfinal game, eventually falling by 6 points with the final score at 67-61. South Ridge was the last local school left in the boys 7A sectional tournament. Austin Josephson led the Panthers with 26 points in the loss, including hitting 9 of 10...
The Cloquet girls basketball team knew they would need to play their best game of the season last Thursday in the Section 7AAA championship game against Grand Rapids. The Thunderhawks had already beaten the Lumberjacks twice during the regular season, so the challenge was set. Despite a strong first half, Cloquet fell 51-39 as Grand Rapids punched their ticket to the state tournament. "Through the first half we were pretty even with them," said Cloquet coach Heather Young. "We talked about some...
A valiant comeback attempt by the Esko girls basketball team fell just short last week as the Eskomos fell 48-42 to Pierz in a Section 7AA girls semifinal game March 9 in Hermantown. The story of the game was the quick start by the Pioneers, who bolted out to a 25-6 lead in the first half as the Eskomos struggled on offense. "We came out cold as ice and just didn't hit any shots," said Scott Antonutti, head coach of the No. 2 seeded Eskomos. "We had some open three-point shots and just couldn't...
The Cromwell-Wright girls basketball team worked all season to get a chance to play in the Section 7A championship game Friday and a shot at Mountain Iron-Buhl. Midway through the first half, the Cardinals were keeping up with the top Class A team in the state, but eventually turnovers and strong defensive play gave the Rangers a 63-26 victory. "We knew going in it was going to be a tall task," said Cards coach Jeff Gronner. "We knew we had to play well and for the first 12 minutes of the game...
