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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Touring the USG mill in Cloquet this week, Jenna Leger met every encounter with a greeting and a smile. She inquired about employees' families, vacations and lives in general. She knew them all not only by name, but details of their lives, too. "We call ourselves a family, the USG family, and we mean that," Leger said. Married 11 years and pregnant with the couple's second child due this summer, Leger is the plant manager at the ceiling tile manufacturer located on the banks of the St. Louis...
Mark Cline stopped by an osprey nest in Carlton just in time to witness a food delivery. He said the little ones aren't big enough to be seen over the edge of the nest yet. The nest is in the middle of the BNSF depot. Cline first noticed it a few years ago while biking on the Munger Trail....
Members of the Cloquet Combined Honor Guard made their longest and final Memorial Day stop - their 10th in three hours - at Veterans Park Monday. It was a celebration of Memorial Day in its purest form: honoring the more than 1 million men and women who gave their lives on the field of battle in service of this country. "Some fell during historic battles, with iconic names such as D-Day, Khe Sanh, Pearl Harbor, Fallujah, Ramadi," said master of ceremonies Troy Smith, retired Sgt. 1st Class and...
Minnesota State has named two finalists in the search for the next president of Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. The candidates are Anita Hanson and Kimberly Spoor. Anita Hanson has served the college since 1994, beginning her career as a faculty counselor and disability services coordinator from 1994 to 2008. She currently serves the college as acting president, a position she has held since November. Previously, she served the college as vice president of student services and enrollment management during the fall of 2022; dean of...
Carlton and Pine County Dairy Princesses and Ambassadors will be serving up free ice cream and cheese sticks at the Carlton County Farmers Market on Saturday, June 3 at 9 a.m. in Cloquet. In addition to dairy treats, the dairy royalty will be playing trivia and handing out giveaway items, including cow hats, coloring boots, chocolate milk-flavored lip balm and stickers. June is National Dairy Month. Dairy princesses and ambassadors represent dairy farmers at events across their counties. The Carlton representatives are Raelynn Grimm, Elizabeth...
According to a story by Minnesota Public Radio, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reported 50 wildfires over the long Memorial Day weekend, from central Minnesota northward to the Canadian border. While Carlton County was listed as a moderate fire risk on Wednesday, the DNR issued a red flag warning for several counties in northern and central Minnesota effective Sunday, May 28, including high fire danger across the Arrowhead region north of Duluth. No open burning is allowed in northeastern Minnesota. Campfires are allowed, but...
Cloquet High School principal Steve Battaglia made a pretty big announcement at Friday's commencement: for the first time in at least recent memory, every senior was graduating. "We have zero seniors that walked the halls who aren't graduating tonight. Everybody is graduating," he said, as the crowd erupted in applause. There is an asterisk to go with that statement. He meant every senior who was on campus this year. He wasn't including students who moved away, went to other schools or never...
The graduation ceremony in Wrenshall Friday afternoon was remarkable in that it wasn't your typical look back on school years or forward to whatever is next. It was grounded in living every moment, in not taking anything for granted. Salutatorian Wesley Ward told the audience in the gymnasium that memories are precious, like those of last summer when members of the Class of 2023 vowed to stay in touch, get together more often. "Tomorrow is not guaranteed," he said after mentioning fellow...
Seniors at Cromwell-Wright celebrated their departure from high school during commencement on Friday, May 26. With a graduating class of 17 students, the celebration was filled with their close comradery through gentle teasing and stories of their many adventures, good and bad, during their high school experience. Held in the gymnasium, rows of seats were filled with supportive friends and family, spilling into the bleachers behind. Led by superintendent Nathan Libbon, the seniors walked with...
Korah Crane, Eliza DeCaigny and Chloe Kanirie spoke at the Carlton High School graduation Friday as the valedictorian, salutatorian and class president. The ceremony in the school gymnasium also featured Kevin Kot, Indian education coordinator. For more photos of graduates from across the region, see Page 12. And visit PineKnotNews.com for a gallery....
THUMBS UP to the free tree and brush pickup currently being offered by the city of Cloquet. The city council agreed in May to contract with Cloquet-based 3D Construction to help clean up trees damaged by heavy winter snow. The contractor began Tuesday moving street by street to pick up brush, tree branches and tree trunks in pieces no longer than 5 feet. Throughout the city, residents prepared for their arrival by moving their tree debris to the curb. The debris was evident in all corners of most every neighborhood. It’s a relief the city recog...
I hope some of you can join us at the “town hall” meetings we’re holding around Carlton County next week. The first is Tuesday, June 6 at the Moose Lake Brewing conference room, and the other is Thursday, June 8 at the Scanlon Community Center. Both start at 7 p.m., and everyone is invited. I really do mean everyone. As these types of meetings have become popular with elected officials, they’ve become more “fixed,” with only certain viewpoints allowed. Even worse, some town halls allow the m...
While I am happy we received $10 million from the state for our new jail, what happened to the $22.5 million that we had in the state bonding bill that didn’t pass last year? This time it took a DFL legislator from the Iron Range to sponsor Carlton County for the $10 million on the House side. This leaves a $12.5 million difference between what the county requested and what we got. Taxpayers from Carlton County spoke loud and clear passing the sales tax to help pay for the new jail last fall, with the understanding there would be somewhere n...
I don’t have much in common with U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, and I don’t agree with many of his political policies and ideals, but one recent comment he made really struck a chord with me. Russia has issued an arrest warrant for Graham over his comments about the war in Ukraine. In an interview with President Zelenskyy, Graham said, “The Russians are dying. Our military assistance to Ukraine is the best money we’ve ever spent.” On Twitter, Graham said, “To know that my commitment to Ukraine has drawn the ire of Putin’s regime brings me imm...
Last Saturday a small group gathered in Hillcrest Cemetery to recognize a family of heroes: the Edward and Mabel Kennedy family of Cloquet. The Hebert-Kennedy VFW Post 3979 in Cloquet is named after the family's two sons, John "Jack" and Wallace "Bud" Kennedy. The brothers died within two months of each other in 1943, in Air Force battles over Sicily. Jack, 20, was a tailgunner and went missing after his plane was hit over the Mediterranean Sea on May 25. Wallace, 23, piloted a P-38. He died...
A solemn scene took place as Capt. Phil Anderson salutes the American flag at Hillside Cemetery in Carlton, where members of the Carlton VFW Post 2962 Honor Guard and Auxiliary were part of the Memorial Day ceremony....
The fourth-grade Math Masters teams from Cloquet's Churchill and Washington elementary schools competed at a competition in Duluth on April 21. The team from Washington finished in sixth place, with Ethan Hansen, Sebastian Hanson, Paisley Crotteau, and Marco Gentilini placing in the top 20 as individuals, said a news release. Participation in Math Masters was made possible by a grant from the Cloquet Educational Foundation....
Lumberjacks tennis player Ethan Lavan has had a strong season. Last Thursday, he capped off the regular season by laying claim to the Section 7A individual championship ... as a freshman. Lavan is the first Cloquet boy to make it to the state tournament since Peter Tomhave made it in 2018 and 2019. "Things broke right for Ethan in the tournament," said Cloquet-Esko-Carlton coach Derek Johnson. "The top seed in the section from Rock Ridge decided to play No. 1 doubles, so it opened the door for...
After notching a first-round win in the Section 7AAA softball playoffs, the Lumberjacks were knocked out of the playoffs Saturday with back-to-back losses at home. No. 5 seed Cloquet opened with an impressive 3-1 win over Hibbing, the No. 4 seed, on the road last Wednesday. On Saturday, the 'Jacks entered the double-elimination round at home and fell to the No. 1 seed Chisago Lakes 4-3 in nine innings, then dropped a 12-4 decision to Grand Rapids, the No. 6 seed. In the 'Jacks opening road win a...
The Section 7AA softball tournament opened May 23 with Esko pulling out a convincing 12-1 victory over Two Harbors. That was the first of many games for Esko over the next week as they tried to get a berth back to the state tournament. But a spirited assault through the losers bracket wasn't enough, as Esko fell to Rock Ridge after reaching the championship with a state berth on the line. Still, a 12-10 comeback win for the ages against Rush City left Esko with something to remember. "I've...
Moose Lake/Willow River returns to section final When the Section 7A softball tournament opened play Tuesday at the Grand Rapids Sports Complex, there were only two unbeaten teams remaining: the Rebels and the Raptors. One, Moose Lake/Willow River, was the defending section champion and No. 1 seed. The Carlton/Wrenshall Raptors were seeded in the No. 3 spot. The two met at center stage and the game ended with the Rebels heading back to the championship game at 4 p.m. Thursday in Cloquet, and the...
Plan to attend the Jump into June sale which runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today, June 2 at the Kettle River Veterans Building. There will be baked goods, plants and slightly used treasures. The next Ma & Pa Kettle Days meeting is 1 p.m. Sunday, June 11. Come with ideas for the celebration. The Finnish Luncheon is 12 noon on Wednesday, June 21 at the Kettle River Senior Center. Bring your friends. The Kettle River city council meeting is 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 13 at the Kettle River Senior Center. I have noticed lately that when people are posting...
Cloquet children's librarian Morgan Reardon grew up in Ashland, Wisconsin, about a 90-minute drive from Cloquet and a stone's throw away from Lake Superior. Boating, swimming, fishing and playing on the shoreline were all fun youth activities. Reardon was active in high school in drama, choir, speech and soccer. She is a Bad River tribal member and often visited with close family on the reservation, about an hour away. When she was in eighth grade, representatives from the University of...
I was diagnosed with Stage 2 aggressive triple-negative breast cancer about two months ago. I have chemotherapy treatments at St. Luke’s in Duluth, but this week is my week off, so just waiting for the tumor to shrink. The side effects so far have been nausea and hair loss. And every time I comb my hair, big wads of hair end up on my comb or in my hands. So far, I still do have some hair. I do have a huge collection of caps and hats, so I should have no trouble having enough cover-ups for my h...
Blanche Mae "Sue" Karjala, 90, of Cloquet passed away May 25, 2023, at Essentia Health Miller-Dwan, with her family by her side. She was born on March 29, 1933, in Jamestown, North Dakota to Herman and Minnie (Dietz) Clemens. Blanche loved many things, but her life centered around her love for her family, and her family centered around her. Taking the camper to the lake and fishing is a common family memory, along with rowdy games of marbles and Yahtzee around her kitchen table. You could...
