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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Carlton County seniors are winning the war on Covid, one shot at a time. As of Tuesday, 94 percent of Carlton County residents 65 and older have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, according to Public Health and Human Services director Dave Lee. Among all residents over the age of 16 — who are all now eligible to be vaccinated — 56 percent have received at least one dose. “From a state percentage standpoint, I think we’re the seventh-highest [in vaccination rate] out out of 87 c...
Amatuer photographer John Dahlman shared a few signs of spring with the Pine Knot News this week. The photos of the swans, and the male and female mallard ducks, were taken while driving his local country roads. The pussy willows grow on Dahlman's property in the Floodwood area. Dahlman said he uses a point-and-shoot camera (Nikon P900) to take his photos, and he loves the 83x zoom because he often has to shoot from the hip when trying to capture whitetail deer and other fast-moving wildlife. It...
After going without a bishop since late 2019, Pope Francis named a Wisconsin priest to lead the Duluth Diocese. Rev. Daniel Felton, of the Diocese of Green Bay, Wis., will become the 10th bishop of the Diocese of Duluth, which serves the 10 counties of northeastern Minnesota with more than 44,000 Catholics and 71 parishes. His episcopal ordination and installation as bishop of Duluth have been set for May 20. Felton, 66, has served as vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Diocese of...
Recent changes to the Affordable Care Act made through the American Rescue Plan mean more Minnesotans will be able to access tax credits through MNsure. The changes lower premiums for most people who are currently enrolled through MNsure and expand access to tax credits to many Minnesotans who previously made too much money to qualify for financial help. Minnesotans who are not currently enrolled in a plan through MNsure, including those who are uninsured, have until July 16 to enroll in coverage. Plans selected in April will have an effective...
The Cloquet public schools will be ending the in-town winter bus route after Friday, April 16. The bus route serves children and teens who live too close to their school to qualify for busing, during the coldest months of the year at no extra charge. The school district asks families to plan accordingly if their student has been making use of the winter bus option....
Cloquet eighth-grader Alex Johnson rolls up a ramp at the Cloquet skatepark Tuesday, attempting an ollie jump. The skate park was bustling with teens Tuesday, skating or just hanging out at the Athletic Park facility on the sunny afternoon....
Cloquet City Hall and the Cloquet Police Department will reopen to the public on May 1, after limited access because of the pandemic since mid-November. City administrator Tim Peterson told council members Tuesday that he'd like to bring all of the staff back into the building effective next month. "Our goal for the last couple months here was to attempt to wait until vaccines were available to everybody," Peterson said in response to a question from Ward 3 councilor Chris Swanson. "Now that...
The week before spring break, students at Cloquet Middle School spent time learning about further education and careers. Activities included interest assessments, career exploration, dress-up days and learning about what their options are following high school. The students were excited as they created their own campus with their homerooms - featuring both real and imaginary schools - to compete for a pizza party....
A teenager from the Fond du Lac Reservation accused of fatally shooting his friend in December has a new attorney, who intends to contest both the original second degree manslaughter charge along with a third-degree murder charge added in February. Joseph James Fohrenkam, 18, is accused of unintentionally shooting his friend, 16-year-old Joseph James Peterson, during a night of drinking. According to the criminal complaint, Fohrenkam was drinking with four other young men in a pickup truck, which was parked outside a home on the 3600 block of...
The city of Cromwell is prepping for major roadwork on Minnesota Highway 210, scheduled to begin next year. Last week, Mayor Sharon Zelazny summarized a variety of projects coming up over the next couple of years. The 210 project, set to begin in the spring of 2022, will include crosswalks and sidewalks, better lighting and improved drainage. The project will be inconvenient but also a boon to the small town in western Carlton County, as the intersection of highways 210 and 73 is the beating...
People streamed in and out of the convention center at Black Bear Casino Resort last Thursday, eager to take another step toward a post-pandemic life. By the end of the day, another 455 residents of Carlton County and members of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa had received their first doses of the Covid-19 Moderna vaccine. The event came in a partnership between the band and Carlton County and was staffed by workers in the health departments from each. The Fond du Lac band...
Last week’s joint effort between Carlton County and the Fond du Lac Band shows how two communities, working together, can have a significant impact on members of both. Kudos to the Fond du Lac Band for reaching out to the county to share 500 coronavirus vaccines sent to Fond du Lac by the state. They didn’t have to do that, and could have reserved the doses solely for their own members. Instead, they recognized that we truly are one community, and what benefits county residents often affects Band members. “Having the opportunity to vacci...
I had an interesting experience the other day. In an email with a fellow attorney over settling a case, the attorney told me that her client's previous offer was no longer on the table, because "unforeseen circumstances" had made it impossible for her client to honor the agreement. So, even though we had agreed on a settlement, her client was backing out. That was annoying, but it happens. But in this case, I had a little more information than opposing counsel had. This was the third lawyer the...
In Minnesota, we value strong schools, strong families, strong communities, and strong local economies. The last year has been full of hardship and sacrifices, including tragedy for too many families. Despite the trials and tribulations, it’s clear Minnesotans are resilient, and we’re on the verge of putting the Covid-19 crisis in the rearview mirror. Now, it’s time for us to do our part at the Capitol to prioritize those who have experienced the greatest hardships over the last year. Much of our work this session has been in House commi...
The Our View in the April 2 issue of the Pine Knot News took the words right out of my mouth. Please open Cloquet City Hall for customer service. When I’ve been there to pay my water bill, I’m almost always the only customer there. Are the employees worried about crowds? I bet most of them visit stores like Walmart or Super One, where they are exposed to many more people not barricaded by a glass window. I think continuing to shut out the public is flirting with overkill. The same could be said for that new county services building in the mid...
Patricia Ann Dickison, 86, passed away April 4, 2021, at Sunnyside Health Care Center in Cloquet. Pat was born on Oct. 8, 1934, to Peter and Josephine (Jesse) Shotley in Cloquet. She graduated in 1952 from Cloquet High School and received an associate's degree from St. Cloud Teachers College in 1955. She continued her studies in elementary education at the University of Minnesota Duluth, earning her master's degree in 1969 while working full-time. Pat taught elementary school in Barnum,...
Mary Ann Hart, 88, of Carlton passed away peacefully with her family by her side April 2, 2021. She was born March 10, 1933, the daughter of Albin and Emily Markkanen. Mary Ann was united in marriage to Bernard Hart in 1953. Mary Ann was an amazing mother, mummu, wife and homemaker. She cherished her time with her grandchildren, and their loving bond with her will last forever. Mary Ann was generous with her time, love, and caregiving. She gave selflessly, always putting her family first. She...
The Northland lost one of its oldest residents last month, when Martha Adeline Westlund passed away at the age of 105 on March 6 of natural causes. Westlund had become quite a celebrity in her golden years, most recently for being the oldest person to receive a Covid-19 vaccination at Community Memorial Hospital in Cloquet on Feb. 5, when she made the local television news and was featured in a Pine Knot vaccination story on Feb. 12. Martha was looking forward to the resumption of the annual...
With about a third of the schedule remaining in the regular season, the Minnesota Wilderness find themselves smack in the middle of the Central Division standings in the North American Hockey League. The Wilderness are in fourth place - 10 points out of third place in the division. A big thorn in the Wilderness' side has been the Aberdeen Wings, but that could be said about every other team in the NAHL because Aberdeen is sporting a gaudy 39-3-1 record - the likes of which are seldom seen in the...
After a couple of coaching gigs and a trip back to school, former Minnesota Wilderness coach and Cloquet hockey star Cory Millen is back in the North American Hockey League as head coach of the St. Cloud Norsemen. "The owner of the Norsemen reached out and asked if I had any interest in coaching again," said Millen. "We had met a few times just being in the same league in years past." Millen accepted the invitation and is in the process of trying to build the Norsemen into a contender in the...
Midway through the first half of their state quarterfinal game, the Moose Lake/Willow River Rebels trailed by four points. That changed as Minneapolis North went on an offensive run that gave the Polars an 11-point halftime lead and eventually a 71-40 victory in the Class AA game in Osseo. "Minneapolis North is an incredibly talented team," Rebels coach Wes Cummins said of the top-seeded team. "We knew that a number of things had to happen for us to be competitive. One of those things was...
While waiting for the warmth and blooming of summer to arrive, a great way to fill the in-between season is spring camping. There may be mud and cool temps to deal with, but there are lots of perks. A major benefit to vernal camping is the lack of crowds. While you may encounter a few other hardy souls, most people are not yet in the frame of mind to sleep outdoors. My camping buddy Keith and I are tenters. Tenting is a great way to immerse yourself in your surroundings. It can be vigorous and...
I don’t know if it was the warmest Easter on record, but it sure felt special to be outside without winter gear last weekend. We celebrated with family outside around the pizza oven and feasted on ham and pineapple toppings, with plenty of chocolate eggs for dessert. We hiked back to our irrigation pond and heard a deafening number of chorus and wood frogs and saw two trumpeter swans swimming in the now open water. Janaki brought a pole along and we checked all the fields for frost. It might b...
There will be a special memorial remembrance for Siiri Peterson at Bethany in Cromwell April 11, at the 10:30 worship service. Coffee and cake will be served in the Fellowship Hall, and all are invited to pay tribute to Siiri. It won’t be long before the hummingbirds return to our area. If you do put out feeders, remember to not use red dye in the juice you make for them. According to Birds & Blooms magazine, the red dye is very harmful to hummingbirds. The Cromwell-Wright School office is c...
On Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at 5:20 p.m., Kathie Kemi, resident of Esko and Cloquet since age 8, was told she had a mass on her pancreas. As the stranger/doctor looked into her eyes and spoke the words, in the small consultation room where she sat, the walls of the room didn't crumble. The earth didn't shake. No lightning bolt flashed and her life didn't flicker by like a clicking highlight reel. "I just felt normal." Kathie insists. "Well, maybe not normal, but numb. I mean, I wasn't thrilled...
