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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Attention, potential lifeguards: Preteens will soon be begging you to apply for a job at The Beach at Pinehurst Park this summer. That's because a staff shortage is requiring a major change in beach rules as it prepares to open Monday: All children age 12 and under will be required to wear a lifejacket while in the water. Cloquet Community Ed director Erin Bates said the rule "applies to all, whether or not they have had swim lessons in the past." If staffing levels ramp up, the rules may be... Full story
After purchasing the course in the latter part of 2020, this is the first full year of operations for Rugged Spruce Golf Club owners Jim and Colleen Myhre. They’ve already put in their share of sweat equity with some major improvements to the Mahtowa-area course formerly known as 29 Pines. The weather was kind, and the course opened early this year. They’ve also poured a large concrete deck floor that extends from the clubhouse entry toward the first hole. It is a big slab perfect for out... Full story
Shooting Stars Dance students were alternately giddy, nervous or bored Saturday morning, as they waited for the spring recital to begin at Cloquet High School. There were tears from a couple of the youngest dancers, still in diapers, in the hallway behind the stage. Meanwhile, the Cloquettes were calmly practicing their tap dance moves in the band room. Recitals are old hat to these veteran dancers, some who count 26 years (Deb Zahar) and 30 years (Sandy Hemsworth) in the popular dance troupe.... Full story
Here’s the good news. After no July Fourth celebrations last year, Cloquet will hold a parade and fireworks this year, along with a 5K race first thing in the morning, a basketball tournament in the afternoon and the annual car show at the NorthEastern Saloon and Hotel. “We are thrilled that we can hold a parade again — with the hopes that people will be smart about Covid — and the fireworks, which are the most important thing,” said coordinator Alyson Leno. Not happening are any of the event... Full story
The Cloquet public works department began flushing water mains last week and will continue through the entire months of June, July and August. Flushing will be done between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Customers in the immediate flushing area may temporarily experience rusty or dirty water. It is advisable for anyone washing clothes during the week to check their water prior to washing. If dirty water persists, contact the city engineer’s office at 218-879-6758. Sewer mains are also being cleaned and will continue through O...
Get a different view of the night skies by joining a two-day livestream event early next week. Indigenous North American leaders at the forefront of Indigenous STEM and Indigenous Astronomy revitalization movements will share their work and perspectives during the Native Skywatchers Educator and Community summer workshop. “Indigenous STEM and Wellness, Our Indigenous North American Voices” runs from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, June 14-15. Designed by Annette S. Lee, the Native Skywatchers initiative seeks to remember and rev... Full story
Summer hours are on at Cloquet City Hall and run through Sept. 3. Monday through Thursday, the building is open to the public 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Friday, hours are 7:30 to 11:30 a.m.... Full story
The attorney for a Cloquet man facing both first- and second-degree murder charges will be asking the court to both dismiss the case and change the venue. In an online hearing held Wednesday, June 9, defense attorney Steve Bergeson, assistant state public defender and a member of the Public Defender Trial Team, asked Sixth District judge Jill Eichenwald for a month to submit his arguments for dismissal and a change of venue in writing. Eichenwald granted that request, and a request by prosecutor Erin Eldridge for another month in which to...
Hot on the heels of a months-long Cloquet debate, Carlton County is taking its turn to determine whether its own Project Labor Agreement (PLA) — dating back to 2013 — for county construction projects should be dropped or amended. The county’s PLA calls for public construction projects to be completed by workers that are members of a union. The Carlton County PLA only affects projects estimated to be bid for more than $175,000. Unlike Cloquet, the county PLA doesn’t apply to private construction, only publicly funded projects. All county... Full story
Rebekah King [email protected] The Thomson Township community garden is joining the Northeastern Minnesota Bee Friendly Corridor project with the addition of a pollinator garden this summer. Kathy Rahkola and other community members have been trying to revamp the garden, located behind the Thomson Town Hall. People are trying to create new opportunities at the community garden, Rahkola reported to the Thomson Township board of supervisors at its meeting on June 3. The pollinator garden will cover four garden plots and will need to be...
We found the debate and discussion over Project Labor Agreements within the City of Cloquet inadequate. First enacted in 2017, PLAs have been touted as a way to ensure quality union construction and also as an anti-competitive impediment to economic development. Both may be true. But it will be difficult to craft a PLA that satisfies both sides. The city council is right to revisit the issue. In 2017, it enacted the ordinance requiring the use of PLAs on projects within Cloquet that receive more than $175,000 in city funding of any kind. It... Full story
Tell your friends who live in Eden Prairie and Anoka and Fargo and everywhere else but here — tell them, but not the annoying ones, that you live within minutes of one of the most accessible Wonders of the World that hasn’t yet made the List of Seven. Lake Superior contains 3 quadrillion cubic gallons of fresh water. That’s a lot. If one were to take all 3 quadrillion gallons, freeze them, and stack them, one on top of the other, the stack of frozen gallons would reach from here to Pluto. And b... Full story
In the 19th century, when companies were owned by individuals, there were men who were proud to be able to provide their employees a living wage. Henry Ford, originally violently anti-union, found that by paying his employees good wages it enabled them to buy his cars, making him even richer. With the advent of corporations, that human contact was lost. Now companies are owned by faceless investors — possibly even you and me — and profits are the driving force while executives are paid obscene salaries for reducing the costs of production by...
I'm Madison Hunter, one of two interns working at the Pine Knot news this summer. I am going into my senior year at University of Minnesota Duluth, where I'm majoring in journalism and minoring in photography and arts in media. I discovered the Pine Knot News through one of my journalism professors at UMD, John Hatcher. The history of the Pine Knot fascinates and inspires me. Working for an independent newspaper will provide me with experiences that will broaden my skill set and knowledge as a... Full story
Hello, Pine Knot News readers. My name is Lydia Stone, and I'll be a senior in the fall, part of Cloquet's class of 2022. This summer, I'll be working as an intern, writing stories and columns, conducting interviews, taking photos, and getting to know the history and current events surrounding the Cloquet community. My childhood was full of books, fairy tales, and reading with my siblings and parents before bed. I've always been a passionate reader, and my love of literature has grown stronger... Full story
Robert L. Fjerstad, 89, of Carlton passed away Feb. 27, 2021. He was born on June 21, 1931, in Fosston to Lloyd and Sadie (Carver) Fjerstad. Robert was united in marriage to Marie (Cumber) Fjerstad on June 13, 1959. He was the loving father of Clayton (Kim), Colin (Debbie), and Wayne (Angie); dear grandfather of Cassandra, Kurtis, Amy, Janice and Nicholas; dear brother of Mavis (Bill) LaVoi, Shirley (Winton) Knudson, Janis (Dick) Aos, Russell Fjerstad and Vicki (Wayne) Strom; special friend to... Full story
Imagine you have a child, whose life depends on getting a daily dose of medication that is available, but you can’t afford it. Just $1 a day could make a difference between life and a slow decline toward death. That’s a situation Dr. Emmanuel Mareus, aka “Doctor Manno,” sees too often at his medical center and mobile outreach clinics in Haiti. “Diabetes is not a disease that will kill you, like cancer,” he said. “And as a parent, you know that, but can’t afford this.” Mareus spoke in the dini... Full story
Enjoy this pictorial story of a pivotal night for the Class of 2021 at Esko, South Ridge and Barnum high schools on Friday, June 4.... Full story
Some folks come to farming through family generations, finding themselves tilling the soil on acres cleared and planted by those whose DNA inhabits the cells in their bodies. Others arrive on the land through a much more circuitous route. Adam Kemp of Uff-Da Organics is one of these people. He began his farming career 12 years ago when he was hired at Northern Harvest Farm and discovered an affinity for working the land and growing healthy food. A music composition major at the University of... Full story
Fond du Lac Lake Superior Chippewa Band member and doula Tammy Dixon has been named the recipient of the prestigious Tribal Trailblazer award at the National Breastfeeding Conference and Convening, which is taking place this week online. “When a woman is in labor, she is at her most powerful state, it can help having a doula there to reassure them that their body is doing what it needs to do,” Dixon said. “Being a part of this special time in their lives is magical and an honor.” After Dixon h...
Boy, we went from freezing temperatures one week to temps in the 90s now. I guess that’s why we live in this area, you never know what the weather will bring. Let’s hope we get some rain soon, as the gardens need moisture. There will be a blood donation drive noon to 6 p.m. June 24 inside the Cromwell Park Pavilion. Call Ray Lally at 218-644-3739 to sign up for a time to donate. Because the drive is taking place inside the pavilion, there will not be a YOT Senior Dance until July 22. God... Full story
Jana Peterson [email protected] Sometimes, to draw attention to a darker issue, it helps to bring a little honey too. That’s what Cloquet’s Starr Marshall — who works with senior citizens almost exclusively in her job with Reliable Insurance Agency — did by creating Senior Day in Cloquet. Running 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, June 15, at Veterans Park in Cloquet, Senior Day is a time to celebrate our senior citizens. This year Senior Day organizers will do that with music, prizes, free beverag... Full story
Test your local golf knowledge with these question’s from the Pine Knot’s golf guru Steve Korby. And check out this week’s Extra, which features a guide to courses in Carlton County. 1). The new owners of the Rugged Spruce Golf Club in Mahtowa (purchased in 2020) are: a) Bobby and Julie Tamarack b) Jim and Colleen Myhre c) Fred and Grace Sappi 2). The Cloquet Country Club, established in 1923, had the same president of its board of directors for its first 14 years of operation. Who was he? a) Wi... Full story
Kerry Rodd [email protected] After opening the Section 7AAA girls softball playoffs with an impressive win over Grand Rapids last Wednesday, Cloquet fell on tough times Saturday. The Lumberjacks bowed out of the tournament with back-to-back losses to North Branch and Hibbing in the double-elimination tournament at Braun Park. In the game against North Branch, the 'Jacks struggled to hit the ball and were shut out 10-0 by the Vikings, who took second in the 2018 state tournament. North Bran... Full story
When the Section 7AA tournament continued Tuesday, Moose Lake/Willow River and Greenway were the two lone unbeaten squads. Esko, Eveleth-Gilbert, Proctor and Rush City were also remaining, but those four teams had one loss apiece and were a game away from elimination. The only two teams remaining now are undefeated Greenway and once-beaten Proctor, which marched through three straight wins to gain the championship round on Thursday. Tuesday's games featured teams that all had one loss. Esko, the... Full story
