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Articles from the April 26, 2019 edition


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  • The Nerf war begins

    Jana Peterson, Pine Knot News|Apr 26, 2019

    The parking lot at Pinehurst Park saw more action than a McDonald's drive-through Tuesday night, with numerous cars parked in clumps around the lot while other vehicles moved through slowly. Each car contained at least one teenager armed with a Nerf gun. Some of them were full of teenagers, Nerf guns and the foam darts or balls that they fire. None of them wanted to roll their windows down, but when they did, the atmosphere inside the cars was electric with the excitement of youth. The Nerf war...

  • Obituary: Albert 'Pete' W. White

    Apr 26, 2019

    Albert “Pete” W. White, age 84 of Carlton, passed away Tuesday, April 23, 2019 at Inter-Faith Care Center. He was born August 10, 1934 in Cloquet, MN to Alfred and Edna (Larson) White and graduated from Cloquet High School. Pete served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany for 18 months. He was united in marriage to Marjorie Zimmerman on April 27, 1957 in Cloquet. Pete worked for 46 years for Wood Conversion, Conwed Corporation and USG Interiors. After his retirement, Pete worked at the...

  • Obituary: Harriet F. Kruger

    Apr 26, 2019

    Harriet F. Kruger, 88, of Cloquet, Minn. passed away Wednesday, May 1, 2019 at Inter-Faith Care Center in Carlton. She was born Nov. 30, 1930 in Cloquet to Harry and Frances (Grabowski) Youngbauer and graduated from Cloquet High School in 1948. Harriet was united in marriage to Floyd W. Kruger, the love of her life, on April 7, 1956 at Salem Lutheran Church in Hermantown. Together they raised six children. Harriet enjoyed going to the cabin at Aerie Lake near Alborn, playing softball in her...

  • Cloquet police chief on leave, but cleared of all allegations

    Jana Peterson, Pine Knot News|Apr 26, 2019

    According to city administrator Aaron Reeves, Cloquet Police Chief Jeff Palmer was placed on "voluntary paid leave" effective April 16. Reeves said he could not elaborate on Palmer's absence, but said it wasn't a result of the investigation of former police chief Wade Lamirande's complaints about Palmer. Palmer has been cleared of all eight allegations contained in that complaint, according to Reeves and to a redacted copy of the investigative report shared last week by Teamsters Union 320 -...

  • An egg-cellent day for Easter fun!

    Jana Peterson, Pine Knot News|Apr 26, 2019

    Thank goodness Easter came later this year. Had it fallen a week earlier, the parking lot at Cloquet's Pine Valley would have been covered in snow. Instead, the day was bright and sunny - although there were still puddles to be jumped in - offering children and their parents the warmest Easter egg hunt since the city of Cloquet, Cloquet Chamber of Commerce and Cloquet Community Ed started the free annual event seven years ago. Brightly colored plastic eggs littered the ground at the woodland...

  • County board moves to proceed with new jail

    Dan Reed, Pine Knot News|Apr 26, 2019

    After several studies and countless meetings, the Carlton county board of commissioners voted to proceed with final plans for a new jail construction. The size of the jail, the total cost of the project, the location of the building, and the means of funding it are still to be determined. The vote of 4-1 (commissioner Tom Proulx voting “nay”) came after a presentation by sheriff Kelly Lake, BKV Group architect/consultant Bruce Schwartzman, county attorney Lauri Ketola, county deputy Paul Coughlin and county coordinator Dennis Genereau. Lak...

  • Double debut: Cloquet opens spring play and renovated theater Thursday

    Pine Knot News staff|Apr 26, 2019

    There will be murder, mystery, and plenty of laughs next week when Cloquet High School presents this year's spring play, "CLUE." Based on the cult classic comedy starring Tim Curry and Christopher Lloyd, "CLUE" features all of your favorite characters from the board game: Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, Colonel Mustard and more! The spring play also marks the grand opening of the newly renovated auditorium at CHS, giving audiences a chance to see the beautiful theater for the very first time. The...

  • Middle school to continue life skills classes

    Jana Peterson, Pine Knot News|Apr 26, 2019

    Cloquet school board members voted unanimously for life skills over computer programming during their regular meeting Monday. At issue was a proposal by Cloquet Middle School principal Tom Brenner to replace the eighth-grade Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) coursework with computer programming. Brenner explained that with longtime FCS teacher Mary Jane Lundberg retiring, he wanted to make some changes before they hired a new teacher or teachers. He proposed keeping the seventh-grade cooking...

  • New Wine presents 'Godspell'

    Apr 26, 2019

    It's spring in Carlton County, and that means it's time for the latest theatrical production by New Wine, a Christian youth musical/drama ministry of Zion Lutheran Church in Cloquet. Always musical, the choice of production changes every year. This year the group is doing "Godspell," a well-known rock opera that broke new ground when it was first produced on Broadway in 1971. Based on the Gospel according to St. Matthew, Godspell deals with the final days of Jesus Christ and includes several...

  • Local nature writer, publisher, win book award

    Apr 26, 2019

    Stone Ridge Press and author Larry Weber recently won the prestigious silver Benjamin Franklin award from the Independent Book Publishers Association for Weber's latest book, "Web Watching: A Guide to Webs and the Spiders that Make Them" in the Nature & Environment category. Now in its 31st year, the indie book award program recognizes excellence in books published during the calendar year. From close to 1,500 entries, one gold winner and 2-3 silver winners were named in each category. Weber is...

  • Pancake breakfast Saturday

    Apr 26, 2019

    The Cloquet Golden K Kiwanis club will hold its annual pancake breakfast fundraiser 7:30-11 a.m. Saturday, April 27 at the Cloquet VFW. Cost is $6 Adult, $3 ages 6-12, and free for ages 5 and under. Proceeds help support local projects, organizations and events in the Cloquet, Esko, Carlton and Wrenshall areas....

  • Murder at the Museum

    Apr 26, 2019

    The Moose Lake Area Historical Society presents “Murder at the Museum,” an interactive mystery dinner theatre with a cast of local actors. The one-time event will take place Saturday, May 4 at the Soo Line Event Center, and includes a 6 p.m. social hour with cash bar before the 7 p.m. dinner catered by the Lazy Moose. Produced by the Moose Lake Area Historical Society. Tickets are $45 per person. Advance sales only, and there are only a few tickets left. Call 218-460-8390 or 218-485-4234 for more....

  • Fond du Lac Band buys AmericInn

    Apr 26, 2019

    The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa purchased the 43-room AmericInn hotel at 1716 Highway 201 in Carlton, for $2.85 million from REETI, LLC on March 8, according to Carlton County records. According to Carlton County assessor Kyle Holmes, the Band now owns several properties along that section of Highway 210, including the Royal Pines Inn, the former Spirits gas station/restaurant and the Dons Dens property. All were purchased in separate sales over the past few years. The Fond du Lac band did not have any comment on the property...

  • Hotdish cook-off Saturday

    Apr 26, 2019

    Taste a range of locally made hotdishes and vote for your favorite at the United Way’s Hotdish Cook-off, 4-6 p.m. Saturday, April 27 at The Jack bar in Cloquet. The Holy Hootenanners will provide music during the fundraiser; proceeds go toward Imagination Library, a program that provides free books for children up to age 5. Tickets are $15/adult and $5/age 11 and under, and include generous samples of all hot dishes and dessert; available at the door or at unitedwaycarltoncounty.org. To enter a hot dish in the competition call Ali at 2...

  • DNR conservation officer dies in the line of duty

    Apr 26, 2019

    A Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conservation officer has died in the line of duty following an incident Friday, April 19 on Cross Lake in Pine City. CO Eugene Wynn, who patrolled the Pine City station, and a deputy with the Pine County sheriff’s office were responding to a report of possibly a body in the water. The two officers launched Wynn’s boat and motored away from shore. Within a minute, both were thrown from the boat into the water. Rescuers were able to rescue the deputy, who was treated and released from the hospital, but...

  • Opinion: Don't give up on West End

    Apr 26, 2019

    When the city of Cloquet was in its youth, the West End was the place to be. The area west of what is now Highway 33 — which didn’t exist then — was the heart of the city. Included in its many offerings were banks, myriad shops, a newspaper, railroad depot, City Hall and more. It was a busy place. Times change. City Hall moved east of Highway 33 sometime in the middle of the last century, moving the municipal center of the city. Other businesses followed. As well, the state built Highway 33 in the early 1960s, which meant traffic no longe...

  • Opinion: Who's looking out for the businesses?

    Pete Radosevich, Harrys Gang|Apr 26, 2019

    When someone is looking to start or expand their business in Cloquet, they usually call City Hall first. If they do, they’ll be directed to Holly Hansen, Cloquet’s community development director. Holly Hansen has been with the city for over a decade, working behind the scenes (and in the forefront, too) to make sure Cloquet stays healthy, businesswise. She joined us on Harry’s Gang this week to explain what she does, how she does it, and what is happening around town. Many people are famil...

  • Opinion: Open enrollment benefits Wrenshall

    Jack Eudy, Guest Columnist|Apr 26, 2019

    Open enrollment brings different opinions on its effects in a school district. If you have a conversation with someone about open enrollment, you find out how much they do not understand the benefits open enrollment brings to their school. The goal here is to let people know how it has changed the outcome for our school in Wrenshall. We have the advantage of having the Duluth school district at our back door, plus Carlton and Cloquet at the front door. That brings us students when room allows,...

  • Letter: Investigation costs cut both ways for Cloquet

    Apr 26, 2019

    To the editor: After reading that councilors Steve Langley and Dakota Koski and Sarah Marczak Palmer were concerned and questioning the cost to the city of Cloquet of investigations into allegations sent to the city by Wade Lamirande, I was left with numerous questions. These same people had no concern about the cost to the city of the Steve Stracek investigation, which showed the police department’s vote of no confidence had no merit. No concern was shown about the cost of the Beckman dismissal. Shouldn’t the cost of his salary for all the...

  • Letter: Some tips on tipping the referendum balance

    Apr 26, 2019

    To the editor: Tony’s tips for referendum failure: Form an “advisory” committee of community members (some can be from outside the district); advise having another referendum for $2 million more than the one that failed; hire a company as they have 85 percent success passing referendums and they have “tricks” to do so (we’ll call them A-K); take a busload of people (include some students) to two large and brand-new schools that A-K worked on; have students at a community meeting say to support referendum as they are ashamed of W.H.S.; have A-K...

  • Opinion: A step off in the right direction

    Uriah Wilkinson, A Political Account|Apr 26, 2019

    A dark room inhabited by 50 people, barely lit with an amalgamation of dimmed overhead lights, fluorescent signs and lit smartphones. The atmosphere is stuffy and thick, a direct result of too many occupants in a confined space. Sticky floors and a hint of stale beer serve as a reminder of where you are, yet this atmosphere provides comfort through familiarity. “I just came back from Iraq shooting people like you!” A small town of 12,000 people whose backbone is stabilized through its blu...

  • Signs of understanding

    Jana Peterson, Pine Knot News|Apr 26, 2019

    Cloquet Middle School will soon be sporting some spectacular new signs featuring Ojibwe-style art by all 220 sixth-graders, along with words in both English and Ojibwe. CMS sixth-graders recently worked with local artist Sarah Agaton Howes to understand Ojibwe floral designs, research plants and Ojibwe words, and finally to create a digital plant drawing using the Brushes App. Even the sixth-graders who aren't currently in art participated. "We stole them from their gym and music classes and wor...

  • Wright-Cromwell news

    Jennie K. Hanson|Apr 26, 2019

    Greetings to all our area folks who attended worship services and/or gathered together with their family and friends over the Easter weekend. It seems a very special time for so many, and the thought of summer to come is always a welcome idea. I did receive some sad news, though. Dennis Lowry messaged me that his sister, Kathleen Lowry, 80, was found dead in her home in Johnson City, Tenn. Kathleen was a member of the Cromwell Class of 1956. There are no details on services at this time. Last...

  • Obituary: Roger Fenton Davis

    Apr 26, 2019

    Roger Fenton Davis, 87, of Cloquet, Minn. passed away Sunday, April 14, 2019 in Barnes Care in Esko with his loving family by his side. He was born Aug. 9, 1931 in Sisseton, S.D. to Frank and Marion Davis. In 1938 the family moved to Superior, Wis. Roger graduated from Superior Central High School in 1949. After high school he went to work for Great Northern Railway until he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1952. He served in Korea until 1954. Roger married Shirley Negrete in March of 1953...

  • Obituary: Verna Adeline Sundeen

    Apr 26, 2019

    Verna Adeline Sundeen, 93, of Esko, Minn. passed away Saturday, April 20, 2019 in Inter-Faith Care Center in Carlton. She was born Feb. 26, 1926 in Cloquet to William and Sigrid Mattson. She grew up in Esko and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1944. Verna married Robert Sundeen on Oct. 4, 1946 in Esko. Verna was a member of St. Matthews Lutheran Church. In addition to her family, Verna's passions were cooking, music, and needlework. Verna and Bob enjoyed finding and refinishing antique furn...

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