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
Just off the alley behind his home in Cloquet's Pinehurst neighborhood, John Babineau placed another log on the already blazing inferno beneath his maple syrup boiling pan. It was a sunny afternoon in late March, and Babineau's first "boil" of the season. As he brought the contents of the 50-gallon pan to a steady, rolling froth, the wind switched directions, causing Babineau's small gathering of extended family members to hastily rearrange their chairs to escape the thick smoke. "I'm trying to...
According to city administrator Aaron Reeves, Cloquet police chief Jeff Palmer was placed on “voluntary paid leave” effective Tuesday, April 16. Reeves said he could not elaborate on Palmer’s absence, but said it was unrelated to any investigation of Palmer. “Because of the nature of this matter the City cannot provide any further comment at this time,” Reeves wrote in an email to the Pine Knot News. Palmer was appointed interim chief of police when the council placed former police chief Ste...
A remorseful Cloquet man pleaded guilty to shaking, squeezing and dropping his infant daughter, telling the court Monday that he "snapped" in a moment of mental weakness and hates himself for it. Orion Harrison Sinclair Verbist, 25, pleaded guilty in Sixth District Carlton County Court to felony assault in the first degree, causing great bodily harm, without any kind of plea deal from the prosecution. Verbist had previously pleaded not guilty to the charge in early March, and his attorneys had...
Cloquet city councilors voted unanimously Tuesday to exonerate two city employees — city administrator Aaron Reeves and human resources director James Barclay – on Tuesday, following investigations of allegations made by former Cloquet police chief Wade Lamirande. Lamirande emailed Cloquet city officials, councilors and local media a list of approximately eight complaints each about Cloquet city councilor Steve Langley and current police chief Jeff Palmer on Feb. 6; he also included one all...
"Mom, come home. A tree just fell on our house." That would be my son, Jack, calling me at work. The big old spruce tree in our front yard had finally yielded to the hours of wind last Thursday, April 11, and toppled over from the roots up, barely missing his bedroom. In precise meteorological terms, National Weather Service Duluth meteorologist Mike Stewart called Thursday's combination of heavy snow and wind "brutal." Stewart said the Cloquet area saw sustained high winds most of the day with...
Milt Hagen said the county’s half-percent sales tax — which is solely dedicated to county road upgrades — has made an enormous impact on the state of Carlton County roads. “I have been working for the county transportation department for 28 years,” said the assistant county engineer at the April 2 Carlton County Committee of the Whole meeting. “There is more than five times more construction in the last four years than I saw in all the rest of the 24 years working here.” Net revenue for dedicated road projects from the sales tax fund to date...
The Wrenshall school board on Monday night passed a resolution to not renew a contract for a probationary elementary school teacher. The move was discussed the week earlier at the committee of the whole meeting as a way to erase a $43,313 deficit in the planned budget for next year. “I don’t like it,” board member Janaki Fisher-Merritt said at the time, “but it isn’t devastating to class size.” The cut means that a class of 30 students will have one teacher instead of two this year, which elicited groans from some in the audience at the meet...
The Carlton County Democratic- Farmer-Labor Party will be hosting a retirement dinner in honor of former U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan Saturday, May 4 at the Four Seasons Sports Complex and Event Center in Carlton. Social hour starts at 4:30 p.m., and dinner will start at 5:30 p.m. with a program at 7 p.m. Dinner will include stuffed pork chops, wild rice and vegetables. Bid on a dessert auction with proceeds going to A Breath of Hope, a nonprofit that provides assistance for experimental lung cancer treatments like the one Nolan’s daughter, K...
Get ready for an evening of glam, glitz and girls running around a dance floor because “Diamonds and Rhinestones” is the theme for the 12th annual REACH father-daughter ball. Previously held in the Cloquet High School gymnasium, this year’s event will take place at the Black Bear Otter Creek Center 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 27. Tickets are $50 per couple (plus $5 for each additional daughter) and must be purchased in advance. Tickets include dinner, dessert, beverages and dancing. All fathers or male figures such as grandfather, uncle...
The Easter Bunny is coming to Cloquet’s Pine Valley Park Saturday, April 20. Thousands of eggs will be hidden, all redeemable for candy. Special golden eggs can be exchanged for prizes. The free Easter egg hunt starts at 11 a.m. and is age-based, with areas for age 1 through Pre-K, kindergarten through second grade, and third through fifth grades. This annual event is coordinated by the Cloquet Area Chamber of Commerce, Cloquet Community Education and the city of Cloquet. Kids can also get pictures taken with the Easter Bunny. Families are e...
Duluth prosecutor Rebekka Stumme has been appointed by Governor Walz as Carlton County’s newest judge, replacing Judge Leslie Beiers, who moved to Duluth after Judge Munger’s retirement in January. Stumme worked as a law clerk and a public defender in Carlton County at the beginning of her career, before joining the St. Louis County Attorney’s office. The seat has been vacant for several months, straining Carlton County courts. Her appointment means Carlton County will have a second judge chambered here again, along with Judge Robert Macau...
Although National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is Saturday, April 27, people don’t have to wait to dispose of unused medications safely. According to the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs. The study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet. National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is a day aimed at reminding people of the importance of safely disposing of unused and expired medications. I...
Acting on the recommendation of Chancellor Devinder Malhotra, the Board of Trustees of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities recognized three retired presidents with the title of President Emeritus, including Larry Anderson, who retired from his role of president of Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College last year. Anderson served as interim president or president of Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College from 2008 until his retirement in 2018. "President Anderson began an important conv...
In this, the second Cash Blackbear mystery, Marcie Rendon serves up her Native woman protagonist's experiences as an older student in a largely white college. In probing the sudden disappearance of a woman student, she introduces us to the seamier side of recruitment into prostitution. This story, like her first, "Murder on the Red River," unfolds from within the farm fields of northwestern Minnesota and North Dakota, where Cash earns her income by driving sugar beets to the processing plant....
The thing about dirt is that it is. Dirt. When you’re planting raspberries, you want some, and with geraniums too, and maybe lilacs. Petunias. You get the point. The other thing about dirt is that it’s dirty and everywhere. Under your fingernails. Little clumps stuck in your armpit hair — tiny meatballs of dust, lint, deodorant and sweat. Dirt just lives. In yer belly button. Netherplaces. Between yer toes. Your BarcaLounger. An early-years HSN cleaning product proudly claimed: “Cleans Everyth...
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College has published the seventh edition of its literary and arts anthology, "The Thunderbird Review." The journal features writing and art submitted by students from Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College and residents of northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin communities. The Thunderbird Review anthology provides an opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience in writing, editing, and publishing at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community...
Good Friday is a nice reminder that more things bring us together than separate us, really. The Christian holiday celebrates the crucifixion of Jesus more than 2000 years ago, an otherwise tragic event if not for what this means for Christians: the moment God’s gates were opened to human souls. While not all are believers, the solemn and joyful Easter weekend seems to bring a certain peace to our community. Unlike Christmas, there’s no last-minute shopping for presents; little holiday-inspired stress, and (usually) a lot less snow. Good Fri...
The state Legislature is considering Governor Walz’s proposal to add 20 cents per gallon to Minnesota’s gas tax over the next two years. Walz believes the tax is essential to repair Minnesota’s crumbling roads and bridges, as he calls them. The gas tax, if implemented, would eventually raise the gas tax to 48.6 cents per gallon. The governor proposes to increase the tax by a nickel every six months or so for two years. Then, he wants the gas tax tied to inflation. Fixing roads and bridges has b...
We’ve reached the Easter and Passover break in the legislative session, a time for us to collect ourselves before we head back for the final weeks of policy work. My colleagues and I in the Minnesota House are putting the finishing touches on our proposal for the state’s budget, the rest of the session will likely be filled with debating these budget bills in the House, negotiating consensus legislation with our colleagues in the Senate, and sending these bills to Governor Walz for his signature. Last month, the House DFL released the pro...
Hundreds of folks made the journey to the Curling Club at the DECC in Duluth for a gathering of family, friends, colleagues and classmates to honor the memory of Shirley Ann Parviainen Eichenwald Maki on April 13. Shirley, 74, died April 10 at home, after a long illness. She lived in several cities, but mostly made Duluth and the College of St. Scholastica her main stomping grounds. Shirley was an extraordinary mother who was always available to support her children and grandchildren. Now, they...
President Harry S. Truman called Eleanor Roosevelt the First Lady of the World because of her commitment to global human rights. She was outspoken on civil rights and was a pioneer in media communications. Her life and legacy was the center of discussions at the Historic Scott House Tuesday evening with the Cloquet Library Reading Club. Instead of reading a single biography on the historical figure, the group decided to each select a book to present to the assembled participants. Scott House...
It was April 7. Not all of the patches of snowdrifts and snowbanks had disappeared yet. The garden was too wet to step foot in, especially after the previous night's thunderstorm, but peeking through the fence I saw it. One spring green shoot, barely an inch out of the ground - my Canadian rhubarb. It appears to have survived its first brutal winter, unending cold and snow, willing now to peek at the sun. My major purchase at Carlton's Chicken Swap last April was worth the price. My husband and...
Theresa Irene Polley (nee Gleason) passed away Tuesday April 16, 2019 at the age of 92. She was born April 4, 1927 to William and Exillia (Demers) Gleason, the eldest girl in a family of 11 children in Cloquet. She married Edward "Pete" Polley in August 1949. In addition to caring for her ailing parents, an undomesticated husband and six unruly children, she also worked for the Wood Conversion Co. during World War II, then for S&L and Dr. Butler. Irene and Pete enjoyed their retirement together...
Ruth Birnstihl, 89, of Cloquet, passed away Monday, April 15, 2019. Services were held Thursday, April 18, 2019 at Nelson Funeral Care in Cloquet. Michael Joseph Line, 63 of Barnum passed away on Wednesday, April 10, 2019 in Essentia Health St. Mary’s in Duluth with his loving family by his side. Services were held April 16 at Atkins Northland Funeral Home in Cloquet....
Barrrett Ray Payne, 1/18/19 to Clarissa and Lucas Payne in Mercy Hospital, Moose Lake. Harper Grace Frank, 1/10/19 to Alexis and Thomas Frank in Community Memorial Hospital, Cloquet. Kat Beretta Lindberg, 1/1/19 to Jackie and Matthew Lindberg in Community Memorial Hospital, Cloquet. Lincoln James Welk, 1/14/19 to Amanda Welk in Community Memorial Hospital, Cloquet. Haylee Jeanmarie Bodin, 1/16/19 to Brittany and Tyler Bodin in Community Memorial Hospital, Cloquet. Hannah Marie Lerol, 1/19/19 to Clarissa and Dustin Lerol in Community Memorial...
