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 35
Retiring this week after 16 years as Carlton County land commissioner, Greg Bernu noted a pair of unfortunate trends on county lands: more people are illegally dumping items which ought to go to transfer stations, and recreational four-wheeling is ripping up forest roads too frequently. “It’s all recreational use causing this problem,” Bernu said. It leads to more maintenance work for county workers. “Between that and the garbage, you might be seeing more gates going up on our forest roads in Carlton County. It’s coming,” Bernu said. Bernu...
It was the kind of three-day blow that reminded area residents of what winter is usually like around here. Starting late Sunday, the snow piled up all this week, with heavy snow ending overnight into Wednesday but flurries expected into this weekend. Snowfall totals went above 20 inches in a swipe across northern Carlton County and up the shore of Lake Superior. Other areas had at least a foot of snow.... Full story
A photo featuring the 1931 Cromwell girls basketball team in the March 8 issue brought accolades on Facebook, a visit from Clarence Badger with an old Cromwellian magazine, and a phone call from June (Kingsley) Collman, whose mother, Blanche Line, was the top scorer in 1931. Collman said her mom had been playing defense until someone got sick and she was moved to center. That meant she could finally shoot and was a lucky change for Cromwell. According to the March 1931 Cromwellian, Line played... Full story
The woodpiles weren't a problem until they moved behind her house last fall, said Deb Kamunen. The Cloquet resident has lived next to the former Diamond match mill for 37 years. When the mill was still operating at 1800 Cloquet Avenue - under various owners - the lot behind her home was used for parking. Now it's a woodyard, piled high with logs stored there for the Potlatch mill in Brainerd. That is an allowed use, according to Cloquet city code. Woodyard manager Jesse Fitzsimmons leases...
Find the Easter Bunny from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Northwoods Credit Union Arena in Cloquet. Kids of all ages are invited to skate with the Easter Bunny and each other. Also on the roster are kids activities, face painting, prizes and the Cloquet Pep Squad, courtesy of Community Ed and the city of Cloquet. Helmets are encouraged but optional. Grab a $6 breakfast before the skate 8-11 a.m. at Carmen's Restaurant and raise money for the Cloquet track team....
Although the weather halted searches this week, Peter Michael Martin remains a missing person. The 31-year-old Fond du Lac Band member was last seen and heard from March 8. He is described as approximately 5-foot-10, 185 pounds with dark brown eyes. He has a small scar on his forehead and a number of tattoos across his left and right arms, shoulders and chest. Anyone with tips or information on Martin’s whereabouts is asked to call 911, the Fond du Lac Police Department at 218-878-8040, or the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office at 218...
The County Seat Theater will host the Carlton High School production “The 10 Best Worst Things About High School” at 2 and 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 13. Ah, high school. The best worst four years of your life! Join a group of real life high school students as they uncover the wonders perils of gym class, the marvels horrors of field trips, the joy humiliation of prom, and many more of the fond traumatizing aspects of life as a high school student. To reserve tickets call the box office at 218-878-0071 or reserve online at www...
The Cloquet Community Band is seeking new members. If you have played an instrument, please check out the band. Practice is 7-8:30 p.m. Mondays at the Cloquet Presbyterian Church, 47 Fourth St., Cloquet. The band provides sheet music, bring your own instrument. The group performs at a variety of community events. Questions? Contact Becky at 218-206-4441....
Brent James Keranen had been drinking late into the night with friends Wednesday, March 20, after working a “lot of hours” in the Twin Cities area that week. The 21-year-old was tired the next morning, and allegedly still buzzed when he made his way north to his hometown, Pengilly, near Hibbing. He was so out of it that he fell asleep and grazed a Minnesota state trooper’s vehicle while driving north that morning. He was pulled over and received a citation. The trooper checked his blood alcohol level and it was at 0.066, under the legal limit... Full story
For 80 years, local residents have been asking for a Minnesota Highway 73 upgrade, specifically for the eight miles of the two-lane highway south of Cromwell. "That road in the present condition is dangerous," said former firefighter/EMT Bob Hattenberger, speaking at a recent Highway 73 Action Committee meeting. "A response by EMTs and ambulances has no place to park and those there trying to do their job are chancing injury while on the scene." Others voiced frustrations at a Minnesota...
A potential busing overhaul in Barnum ended last week, with board members choosing to keep its buses and bus drivers. The board had explored selling its fleet of buses and contracting with a private company for transportation services, after a shortage of school bus drivers caused a rash of parent complaints as children had to spend hours on longer routes and parents had to find other transportation because there were no substitute drivers. In exploring its options, the Barnum school board had posted two bids, one for bids on its buses,...
Measures which promise to result in thousands of dollars in cost savings were approved at the March Cloquet Area Fire District board meeting, but speculation about the fate of bonding before the state legislature hung over conversations about the potential for a new building in Cloquet. "I think we're literally chasing good money after bad things anymore, and the safety and health and comfort of staff needs to come first," said Cloquet board representative Sheila Lamb, regarding Station 1... Full story
The first snowfall to hit like a heavyweight this winter found the county board meeting late in the afternoon Monday. Commissioners congratulated each other and staff for making it through in spite of the storm. Inside chambers in the Transportation Building, business flew by as fast as the flurries. Zoning and environmental services coordinator Chris Berg urged commissioners to consider the future of waste disposal in Carlton County. The landfill in Superior, Wisconsin is sunsetting as soon as 2026, Berg said, meaning Carlton County and other...
The Thomson Township Board of Supervisors approved a $400,000 certificate of indebtedness at its meeting Thursday, March 21, to finance the purchase of a fire truck, backhoe and woodchipper. The loan from North Shore Bank of Commerce will be paid off in five years, with monthly payments of $7,700. In other matters, the board approved a request from Tom and Sheri Reummele to place a mobile home on a portion of their property. “We just built a new home six or seven years ago. We won’t create an eyesore,” Tom Reummele said, noting they wante...
There was much scientific banter about last week as 15 Cloquet middle school students, three high school students and their research mentors William Bauer and Dr. Cynthia Welsh attended the Minnesota State Science & Engineering Fair. It was the 87th state science fair on March 22 at the St. Paul RiverCentre. Each year, hundreds of middle and high school students from across Minnesota present original research to STEM professionals and compete for prestigious awards. Cloquet students won the... Full story
Three sixth-grade math teams from Cloquet Middle School attended the regional Math Masters competition in Duluth earlier this month. "It was a fun day," said math team coach and middle school teacher Christine Metzer, who described the March 7 competition and shared the results with the Pine Knot. The first round of competition included a 75-question "order of operations" test with a timed 5 minutes to complete it. Brisa Nelis placed fifth, Mareike Rosebrock placed eighth and Camden Ragsdale...
Well, this week was a cold, wet reminder of winter, wasn’t it? If you got stuck with your car, or felt you were holding up all the traffic because of your unpracticed driving ability, or lack of assuredness, you were not alone. It’s been that kind of non-winter in these parts. A year without much snow to deal with after records were set for depths last winter. The snow that just kept falling this week, and temperatures that dipped under the freezing mark just after, were enough to perhaps make us rethink any wish for a normal winter. But wha... Full story
It was comical, for sure, last Easter, when my then 5-year-old and her friends went egg hunting in a backyard that had 4 feet of snow in it. She donned some snowshoes and did her level best. The parents who hid the eggs did worse. We fell crotch deep through the snow, and were soaked and cold watching the tiny ones gather their treasures. Easter just isn't the same up north from my upbringing down south. Minnesota south. Where Easter was usually fairly springlike, flowers and such. Light... Full story
I enjoyed Steve Korby’s article about Angelo Pergol in last week’s paper, especially the part about him experiencing “historical nirvana” as he read through our collection of Pergol’s scrapbooks. When you walk through the door at the Carlton County Historical Society, you see the museum exhibits, which are just the tip of the iceberg of our collection. We have thousands of documents, books, letters, ledgers, reports, newspapers, and scrapbooks in storage. These items are waiting for someone passionate about a topic to explore them and find... Full story
Rep. Jeff Dotseth, R-Silver Township, authored a bill to study the reopening of the General C.C. Andrews tree nursery near Willow River recently, which received a House hearing and remains in the mix for consideration. For years, legislators, mainly Republicans, tried to close state nurseries entirely, arguing that the state shouldn’t be in the business of raising trees. After the nursery closed in 2014, it was repurposed to train wildland firefighters and produce selectively chosen tree seeds to reforest state lands. “The nursery was a sel...
Early on Monday, March 11, Cromwell-Wright High School singers boarded a big yellow bus headed for the Crosby-Ironton School to participate in the annual Minnesota State High School League choral contest. The students had been preparing for months, receiving solo, duet, and ensemble instruction from MaryRose Varo, Cromwell-Wright's energetic and accomplished vocal teacher. On the piano, Cromwell-Wright's Macie Lind and I served as accompanists, rehearsing with soloists and singers of duets and... Full story
Bill Manahan, longtime Cloquet Country Club golf professional and manager, has accepted the general manager position with the beautiful The Wilderness at Fortune Bay golf course on Lake Vermilion near Tower, Minnesota. He starts his new job on April 1. Bill was my golf confidant and a friend. You could always count on Bill. He knew a little bit about everything and he liked to chat. He'll be missed, but it's a wonderful opportunity. "It's going to be an adjustment with me missing all the people... Full story
Recovering from any addiction can be a struggle and the journey looks different for everyone. Cloquet native and now author Doug Norgren said priority and passion fueled his successful recovery. Norgren started journaling at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings about 16 years ago. From Day 1, he said, he spent time reading, note taking and diving deep into spirituality. It all led to his decision to pull it all together and in a book. Years later, the Covid-19 pandemic gave Norgren time and motivation... Full story
More than three dozen women gathered at Oldenburg House and Carlton Greenhouse Saturday to learn more about women from Carlton County who make up the fabric of the history here. It was also a time to enjoy tea and some flower arranging. After tea and treats at the Oldenburg House, the group walked to The Green House for more history and a chance to try some flower arranging while local musician Mary Hagen played the harp. It was the first gathering of what the historical society hopes will...
