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 40
Carlton County's emergency management director isn't yet willing to concede the county dodged a bullet with the spring flooding this year. He's worried about what Mother Nature could bring next. "I'm always worried about the weather," Marlyn Halvorson said, chuckling. "Snow, cold weather, rain, all those things play into it." Water levels in the St. Louis River rose dramatically late last week, going from 10 feet in Scanlon at 4 p.m. Thursday to more than 13 feet only 24 hours later, thanks to... Full story
Carlton County voters likely remember passing a local-option sales tax last November to pay for construction of a new jail and courts facility in Carlton. The half-cent addition onto the sales tax was passed overwhelmingly, garnering 89 percent of the vote. With collections starting this month, the sales tax will collect $60 million over 30 years - specifically to pay for the new justice center. Part of the appeal of the sales tax was billed as spreading the cost of the justice center onto visit... Full story
Nearly 40 people turned out for the Carlton school board meeting Monday, many of them upset by allegations of a threat of violence against a Native American student. In a news release Monday, Carlton Indigenous Student Council leader Ayeden Diver alleged a white male student held a knife to the throat of a female Native American student before spring break in March and that the perpetrator received only a partial-day suspension as punishment. Diver also submitted a letter to the school board in...
Celebrate “The Wolf’s Trail: An Ojibwe Story, Told by Wolves” book with storytime and mask making at the Cloquet Public Library from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 22. The all-ages event will be led by students from the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Head Start. Refreshments will be provided. Author Thomas Peacock is a Cloquet native, growing up as part of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. This year, his 2020 book, “The Wolf’s Trail: An Ojibwe Story, Told By Wolves,” is the 22nd One Book Northland selection,... Full story
If you missed the “Land of Stories” at Common Ground last fall, don’t despair. Another performance of the shadow puppet play along with an author talk and book signing with Thomas Peacock is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 25 at the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College auditorium in Cloquet. The shadow puppet play weaves together stories by Peacock and Sharon Doolittle Shuck, both dealing with the boarding schools that large numbers of Native American children were forced to attend in the United States from 1879 into the 1960s. Land... Full story
About 75 people showed up at the Cromwell Pavilion April 12 to support the reconstruction of Minnesota Highway 73 south of Cromwell. Users of the road were invited by a survey group from the Minnesota Department of Transportation to find out what problems exist in the corridor from Kettle River to Cromwell. "It is easy to describe," local trucker and farmer Pat Messer said. "The road is not wide enough, there are no shoulders, the swamp road sections are too low and the high ground hills hamper...
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conservation officer Tony Elwell recently reported an ice fishing shelter violation that resulted in citations. Elwell said a man left his shelter on the ice past the removal deadline last month and was warned. Elwell reported that the man decided to dismantle the shack and bury the pieces in the snow on the ice. As the weather warmed and the snow began to melt, the shelter was revealed. Elwell said the sticker identifying the shack had been scraped off but he was able to match pieces found with a...
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is waiving vehicle permit fees at all 75 state parks and recreation areas on four dates in 2023: April 22, June 10, Sept. 9 and Nov. 24. With the support of the state legislature, the DNR offers free park days to encourage Minnesotans to get outdoors and enjoy the health and wellness benefits of spending time in nature.... Full story
Got a home sewer line that repeatedly backs up from roots? The City of Cloquet is offering a grant program for homeowners who need to upgrade or repair leaky or decaying lateral sewer lines running from the home to main sewer lines. The grants are part of a program to reduce the problems of clean water inflow and infiltration into the sanitary sewer system, which can overwhelm the system during heavy rain events and cause overflows of untreated sewer water. The program offers financial assistance of 80 percent of costs up to $4,000 for the... Full story
The Wrenshall school board had planned to interview three full-time candidates for its superintendent vacancy on the first day in May. But a recommendation Tuesday from the board’s budget committee spoiled the plan, recommending pursuit of a part-time superintendent to replace retiring Kim Belcastro, who is fulfilling a half-time role through the end of the school year. There’s simply not enough money in the developing 2023-24 budget to accommodate a full-time superintendent, board members first learned during a sometimes tense school boa...
City engineers wanted to talk about flooding Tuesday, but not the kind of flooding that's been plaguing northern Minnesota since the snow started melting last week. "This isn't related to the river itself ... this is more storm sewer and drainage throughout the city," said assistant city engineer John Anderson, describing ongoing steps toward developing a Cloquet stormwater resiliency plan. It's been 40 years since the city last completed a stormwater plan, and with climate change a factor that... Full story
In honor of National Donate Life month, there will be an informational gathering to spread awareness of organ transplant starting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 26 at the Carlton Wellness Center, 199 Chestnut Ave. in Carlton. Several organ transplant recipients, including Dwight Cadwell and Sarah Houareau, along with donor families and one organ donor will be available to talk about their experiences. The event is free; refreshments will be provided. Call 715-293-3711 with questions or to RSVP.... Full story
The Cloquet All Night Grad Party tradition continues, keeping graduates entertained together in a chemical-free, safe environment. Committee members are looking for financial and in-kind donations to help defray costs. Donate via venmo @chsangp or send a checks written to “CHS Grad Party” to: Cloquet High School, Att: Activities Office, 1000 18th St., Cloquet, MN 55720.... Full story
The Carlton County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration will host DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day at locations across the country from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 22. The DEA and its partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs, a news release said. Locations include: • Carlton County Sheriff’s Office Jail Lobby. • Thomson TWP Town Hall. • City of Cromwell, Fire Hall. • Moose Lake Police Department Lobby. • Cloquet Police Department lobby. Collecti... Full story
Minnesota Housing announced over $70.3 million is available to provide affordable mortgages to first-time homebuyers through a collaboration with Minnesota cities and counties, including $226,882 for the city of Cloquet. Homebuyers can take advantage of the resources through the Minnesota Housing Start Up loan program, which offers fixed interest rates and downpayment and closing cost loans up to $18,000 for eligible first-time homebuyers. Buyers can purchase homes in Cloquet that cost up to $349,500. Income limits vary by location and... Full story
The fire station in Scanlon will be eliminated as part of a new long-term plan for the Cloquet Area Fire District. Fire District chief Jesse Buhs is aiming for a financially leaner fire district in the coming years. He and other staff spent the past year coming up with a plan to make the district more financially sustainable, build reserves and ultimately save taxpayer dollars, Buhs said. Board members approved the changes unanimously Wednesday at their monthly meeting, with CAFD chairwoman...
We found a soggy letter washed up on the shore of the St. Louis River in Scanlon this week and thought we'd share it with readers who likely can relate: Dear Old Man Winter, Let's just start off with this old saw: It's not you, precisely. It's me. We need to break up. Well, maybe it is a bit more you. Yes, you've been rather warm the past six months, and you are just being you when it comes to, well, wintry stuff. But lately you've been messy, and I've asked you time and again to clean up your a...
You don’t really own your land, right? The government just lets you use it as long as you pay your taxes, and, of course, you have to comply with zoning laws and all sorts of rules and regulations. Maybe you have a mortgage, so the bank owns some of your property, too. When I ask clients if they own a home, there’s a common answer: Well, I’m making payments to the bank. I hope to own it someday. I can tell you that “ownership” of real estate means that you have the right to occupy and control t...
Ahh, springtime. The time of year when the snow melts, the mud puddles get deep and the winter snowbanks recede to allow the piles of doggy doo to rear their ugly faces. But not all is bad, because we know the rains of April will wash away the dinginess of late winter. Springtime in the sports world means stretching muscles that have atrophied over the winter months and using the warmth of the sun to help get you limber enough, depending on your age, to go for a walk, a run, or to dodge the...
The Knot Gallery is taking a different tack for its next display, hosting a fabric art exhibit for May and June. Join fabric artists and Pine Knot News staff for a reception from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, April 28, in the office at 122 Avenue C in Cloquet's West End. The works of seven artists are up for viewing and most of them will be attending the opening, including Moose Lake's Tah'tini Ho'okan, who will be demonstrating techniques on her loom. This week and next we share insights from...
With 13 seniors on the roster, the Cloquet baseball team is aiming to take another step up the ladder this season. The Lumberjacks play in a difficult section and they hope their overall depth will come into play as the spring season kicks off. "This is my third season as coach and we are looking forward to it," said head coach Tyler Olin. "This is a group we are familiar with and just knowing them better will help as the season progresses." On Friday, April 14, the Lumberjacks opened the season... Full story
For two weeks prior to their home opener against Milaca, the Cloquet girls softball team did double duty to prepare for the game. The Lumberjacks not only spent time in the gym practicing, but they also headed to Braun Park with shovels and spent many hours removing heavy wet snow from the playing field. "It was a pretty remarkable and unthinkable task to get the fields ready," said Cloquet head coach Tyler Korby. "On Tuesday afternoon I would have given us a 5 percent chance to be playing our... Full story
Jessie Waldorf opened CreativEdge in 2017 with the help of her husband, Joe. She left full-time employment to begin her own business. Without Joe's support, CreativEdge would still be a daydream, Jessie said. Jessie's 18 years of print and design experience has given her the knowledge to serve both individuals and businesses with professional design and fast, quality service. She began simply: A computer and a 250-square-foot space in Carlton, offering only graphic design services along with... Full story
On April 13, the Cloquet High School boys golf team had an outdoor, "on real grass" golf meet. No April Fools joke. Granted, they had to travel to Red Wing, but once they got there, the players were greeted at the Mississippi National Golf Links by temperatures near 90 degrees and a course that had opened just a few days before. "We had 20 boys try out for the 12 available positions on the varsity and junior varsity teams," said CHS head coach Aaron Young, "which is great, but we had to have... Full story
Kevin Marx Norén scored two third-period goals Saturday, April 15 to send the Minnesota Wilderness soaring into the Robertson Cup playoffs following a sweep in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Norén scored three times over the weekend, leading Minnesota to 2-1 and 6-3 wins over the Chippewa Steel. For his scoring exploits, Norén was named the Midwest Division’s Bauer Star of the Week earlier this week by the North American Hockey League. He also became the team’s all-time leading single-season goal scorer, with 33 goals. The 20-year-old forwar... Full story
