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 42
Cars Towing owner Wes Vork said he considers his tow truck drivers first responders, and that was never more true than a call that Vork responded to 18 months ago. Vork was honored Friday with a national award - second place in Ford's Real Heroes of the Road giveaway - for the work he did that day. The call came the morning of Sept. 16, 2020, from a rural area outside of Tamarack. Passersby had stopped and called AAA dispatch on behalf of an elderly male driver, who said he had been with the...
Contributing photographer John Dahlman of Floodwood is seeing a host of activity in his backyard as spring gradually comes to the region. He spotted this bobcat on two days in mid-March. And the birds are coming and going as well. A blast of ice and snow in the middle of this week put a damper on the human notion that spring has sprung. If you have wildlife or nature shots you'd like to share, please send them to us at: [email protected]...
Jane (Bimberg) Oswold was good enough to spend some time with this picture we presented in February of the sixth-grade class at the old Scanlon school in 1962. After all, she's in the picture. Here is what Jane came up with, using the names of the children at that time. Front row: Tom Branham, Rick Wilkinson, Larry Hawkinson, Jane Bimberg, Joyce Juntunen, and Mary Hawkinson. Middle row: Bev Bruno, Milt Zezulka, John Everson, Sue Bruno, and Sue Mell. Back row: Bill Kelly, Carol Morken, Adele...
She lived. She lived gloriously, daringly, and free, she lived lovingly, enthusiastically, and full. She lived. Our beloved mother, Karen Faye Litfin Wunderlich, passed away quietly on March 20, 2022, at 4:05 a.m. the time of the Spring Equinox, a time of rebirth and new beginnings. It can be said that she never wanted to leave our side, but over time her capacity to carry on lessened and became too much. Karen was born in Cloquet, Minnesota on February 21, 1944. She and her brother Laddie grew...
James Edmund Flynn, 89, longtime resident of Esko, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on March 23, a week shy of his 90th birthday. He was born March 31, 1932, to Thomas Herbert Flynn and Margaret Etienne. He was united in marriage to Verna M. Pantsar on May 31, 1952, under an apple tree on the Pantsar homestead. Jim was preceded in death by his parents; nine siblings, George, Charles (Ole), Gertrude (Gert), Phillip (Mickey), Jack, Marguerite, Tom, Pat and Russ; son-in-law Cliff...
Aino Marie Kantonen, 91, passed away Thursday, March 24, 2022, with family by her side at Inter-Faith Care Center in Carlton. She was born Sept. 12, 1930, in Veteli, Finland, the daughter of Robert and Rosa Vahakainu. She immigrated to Cloquet with her family. Aino was married to Ahti Kantonen in 1948. She was a loving, kind and devoted mother, grandmother, wife and homemaker. Together for more than 60 years, they shared a full life. Aino will be remembered for her joyful spirit, strong faith...
Judith Kay Holden passed away March 27, 2022, peacefully in Arizona. She was born Feb. 15, 1945, in Albert Lea, Minnesota, to Maynard and Mildred Klenk. Judy grew up in Easton on the family farm. She graduated from Wells High School, Class of ’63, and was a member of the National Honor Society. She continued her education, receiving a bachelor of science degree in social work as well as master’s degrees in social work and business. She worked in many settings including hospitals, private car...
The State Climatology Office is looking for volunteer rainfall monitors for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network. The network includes more than 20,000 volunteers nationwide who measure precipitation in their backyards using standard 4-inch diameter rain gauges and submit reports online. Climatologist Pete Boulay said the data from backyard rain gauges are helpful and important in many ways. “These volunteers help to verify high rain totals after big events, monitor drought and flooding, make our precipitation maps more a...
Carlton's Abrianna Schmidt sings the national anthem Saturday night with the Cloquet Combined Honor Guard in attendance for the Minnesota Wilderness game and its Military Appreciation Weekend ceremonies....
On Jan. 6, 1936, Andrew and Fannie Perttula were blessed with a baby boy. Marlen lived in Esko during most of his life. He graduated from Thomson Township High School in 1954, and was employed by Liupakka Oil Company and Dominion Management. Marlen’s talent was carpentry. He built two homes and renovated several, and enjoyed spending time making furniture in his woodworking shop. He was a member of the Apostolic Lutheran Church. Marlen Andrew Perttula passed away Tuesday, March 29, 2022. He was preceded in death by his parents; his sister D...
The FBI confirmed this week that the March 17 bomb threats to Esko High School - and numerous other schools across the country as reported in the Pine Knot last week - came from overseas. Last week the Pine Knot reported that a Wisconsin sheriff's office had speculated that the calls were from another country. Lt. Dan Danielson said the Carlton County Sheriff's Office reached out to the FBI for help tracking the Esko call. Danielson said the FBI determined the call appeared to originate from Afr...
After 32 years, Byron and Caroline Johnson are ready to retire from the restaurant business. The Brickyard Restaurant in Wrenshall has been up for sale for about a month. “It’s been 32 years, I’m ready to retire,” Byron Johnson said. He said he hopes the business will go to another couple and the family-friendly, community meeting spot the couple maintained remains. The building and business, which is listed for $390,000, was built in 1990 by the community through fundraising and shared labor. Area residents wanted a place to get a cup of coffe...
The Pine Knot News will hold an opening reception for our new portrait exhibit, featuring five artists, each working in distinctive genres: Ken Hanson, Cynthia Johnson, Ivy Vainio, Sue Brown Chapin and Kris Nelson. The reception is free and open to all, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, April 8, at the Pine Knot News at 122 Avenue C. Look for a story on the exhibit in next week’s Pine Knot....
State Rep. Jen Schultz of Duluth announced this week her candidacy to challenge U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber in the Eighth Congressional District. The Democrat announced earlier this month she wasn’t seeking a fifth term in the state House representing eastern Duluth. She said she had “very mixed feelings” leaving the legislature and hinted that her public service wasn’t over. Hermantown’s Stauber, the Republican incumbent, is seeking a third term. Theresa Lastovich, a Democrat from the Iron Range, entered the race in December but dropped out in Fe...
Arrowhead Library System now offers free access to the popular ChiltonLibrary online resource for patrons residing in Carlton, St. Louis and five other counties. ChiltonLibrary provides free 24/7 online access to repair, maintenance and service information on the most popular cars, trucks, vans and SUVs on the road today as well as many new vehicles. This continually updated resource provides step-by-step repair procedures, troubleshooting guides and diagnostic trouble codes, photos, illustrations, diagrams, and multimedia (video and...
Scott Roger Ferry, 70, of Tamarack passed away Thursday, March 24, 2022, in Essentia Health St. Mary’s in Duluth. He was born Nov. 6, 1951, in Minneapolis to Merle and Doris Ferry. He was raised in Pennsylvania and moved to Minneapolis, Cambridge and then Tamarack. He joined the U.S. Navy. On Aug. 3, 1996, he married Melinda Walli Bradford. Scott worked at Link Belt as a welder and at Floodwood Services and Training. He was a member of the McGregor Victory Church, a former Farmers Cooperative bo...
When Jessica Lee's boyfriend of 11 years died unexpectedly in 2014, she felt absolutely lost and alone. She had never experienced such a traumatic loss, and the person she loved the most could no longer help her laugh about life and get through the pain. She called it "astronomical" grief. "When Jimmy died, I thought my life died with him," Lee said. "It was so unexpected, like a light switch going off." Then she discovered the grief support group at Community Memorial Hospital in Cloquet. Lee...
John DuClos “Jock” Morrison, 87, lifelong resident of Duluth, died peacefully with family by his side March 5, 2022. Visitation: 10 a.m. until the 11 a.m. memorial service Saturday, April 2, 2022, at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 2310 E. Fourth St. in Duluth. The service will be livestreamed at www.pilgrimduluth.org. A luncheon will follow in the church social hall. Inurnment will be in the spring at St. Matthews Cemetery in Esko. Carol Kathryn Johnson, 86, of Cloquet passed away peacefully surrounded by family Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, at Eve...
Azur Coleman recently received the annual CARE award at Community Memorial Hospital for going above and beyond what is expected both at work and in community involvement. Coleman is director of cardiac rehabilitation at CMH. Recipients of the award are nominated by co-workers and nominees are selected by a committee of individuals from the organization and community....
For the fourth year in a row, the Advanced Wound Clinic at Community Memorial Hospital in Cloquet has been awarded the Center of Distinction award by Healogics, the nation's largest provider of advanced wound care services. The Advanced Wound Clinic achieved this award for outstanding clinical outcomes for 12 consecutive months. Those outcomes include having a patient satisfaction rate higher than 92 percent and a minimum wound healing rate of at least 92 percent. There were 555 Centers eligible for the Center of Distinction award and 278 achie...
Carlton County officials didn't waste any time with the latest round of financing for the new justice center. The call for a sale of $27.5 million in bonds took only 12 days from presentation to final approval at Monday's county board meeting. PFM, the company the county uses to organize bond sales, had earlier advised that borrowing money would cost more soon due to pressure from the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates to dampen higher inflation rates and uncertainty about how the U.S....
Carlton County is looking for the approval of Thomson Township organizations to move forward with planning the proposed County State Aid Highway 61 reconstruction and trail project, but the community organizations are not ready to give their stamp of approval. Carlton County engineer JinYeene Neumann requested a letter of support from the Thomson Township board at their meeting March 17, to be used as part of a grant application process for the project. Due to relatively low traffic on the roadway, approximately 2,400 vehicles a day, and...
Judge Eric Hylden told Roxanne Peterson that her words spoke to him. He said the pain and agony she described in a Duluth courtroom Tuesday is painfully familiar. He lost a teenage son in 2009. Peterson had just given a victim impact statement regarding the 2020 death of her 16-year-old grandson, Cloquet resident Joe Peterson. A table away was the teenager who shot “Little Joe,” his cousin, Joseph Fohrenkam. Judge Hylden made it official at Fohrenkam’s sentencing in St. Louis County District Court: He will serve 7 years in prison for shoot...
One of the mothers involved in a very public Cloquet child custody case was charged with three counts of malicious punishment of a child last week. Carlton County attorney Lauri Ketola announced Thursday that Nicole Ammesmaki would be charged. Her sister, Dawn Ammesmaki, won’t be charged because the accusation of child abuse against her involve reported instances from three years ago, beyond the statute of limitations. Ketola also announced that she is also charging a teacher at the Fond du Lac Head Start, Kayla Hansen, for failing to report p...
Spring brings many things: Gordy’s opening, mud, birds, more snow … and two mailings from the county assessor’s office. Property tax statements for 2022 are arriving in mailboxes — wrapped in official-looking county envelopes — and so are property valuations for 2023, bright yellow letters that are hard to miss. County assessor Kyle Holmes said it’s the property valuation, or assessed value, that may seem startling to homeowners and others because the estimated market value of almost all residential and commercial properties is going up by at l...
