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
The weather held and the crowds turned out for the annual Cloquet Fourth of July celebration last Thursday. It was a day full of all kinds of gatherings. There was lots to see and do all day long, including the Sawdust 5K and LaVonna 1-mile race, kids' games, helicoptors and food trucks galore at Veterans Park, a car show and music at the NorthEastern and basketball at Pinehurst. "It was definitely the best turnout we've had since the pandemic," said July Fourth co-coordinator Jana Peterson,... Full story
Ida “Fern” Anderson, 98, of Carlton, passed away on Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Inter-Faith Care Center in Carlton. Fern was born Oct. 29, 1925, to Gus and Mary Zimmerman in Fort Worth, Texas. She graduated early from Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth in January of 1943, then wentnorth on a Greyhound bus to St. Paul Bible Institute. She earned a diploma in missions. While attending the institute, she met George Anderson. On June 27, 1947, they were married. Together they served in the m... Full story
There are no term limits for Reservation Business Committee members, once elected by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa band members. That does not guarantee a lifelong career for those who hold office when band members decide to make a change, as happened with two of the three seats in the June 11 election. Newly elected RBC chairman Bruce Savage and returning District I Cloquet representative Wally Dupuis were officially sworn into office Friday, July 5, while Earl Otis, the new... Full story
Donald “Jack” Carter, 91, of Cloquet, passed away peacefully with family at his side on July 7, 2024, at Inter-Faith Care Center in Carlton. A lifelong resident of Cloquet, Jack was born Oct. 17, 1932, to Art and Lois Carter. Jack is known by many as the owner of Carter’s TV and Appliance, which opened in 1957 and served Cloquet and the surrounding communities for nearly 40 years. He was also a co-owner in the family businesses: Carter Trucking Company, Carter’s Inc., and the Carter Buildin... Full story
Our beloved mom, grandmother, and sister, Carol Jean Gehrke (Turnquist), 74, passed away on Saturday, July 6, 2024, after a courageous and hard-fought battle with colon cancer. Carol was born May 19, 1950 in Superior as the first-born child to Henry and Eleanor Turnquist. Carol was raised in South Range, where she was fortunate enough to live next door to her paternal family. She had many fond memories growing up in the country. Carol graduated from Superior High School as part of the Class of... Full story
It is with heavy hearts and tremendous sadness that we announce the passing of Brandon Pederson. After many years of struggling with addictions and mental health issues, he passed away peacefully at his home in Cloquet, Minnesota, on Sunday, June 30, 2024, at the age of 50. Brandon's mind and soul are now at rest. He was born on June 24, 1974, to Greg and Jeryl (Chartier) Pederson in Cloquet, MN. Brandon is a graduate of Cloquet high school and entered into the Marine Corps, where he proudly... Full story
John Richard Vnuk, 57, of Cloquet passed away July 1, 2024. He was born in Duluth to Mary and Dick Vnuk on Nov. 18, 1966. John was a lifelong resident of Cloquet. He spent his early adult years working at Vnuk's Liquor Market. He later became a certified massage therapist and certified nursing assistant, and worked at the Cloquet hospital for many years as an operating room custodian. In addition, he worked briefly at Kwik Trip in Sunnyside. You'd be hard-pressed to run into anyone who didn't kn... Full story
Frederick William Branham Jr., age 77 of Cloquet, Minnesota passed away on Monday, July 8, 2024, at Community Memorial Hospital in Cloquet. He was born on March 7, 1947, to Frederick and Dorothy (Borgen) Branham. Fred received his education from Barnum High School and later attended the University of Minnesota – Duluth. Fred married Linda Burggraff on May 21, 1981. He loved camping, boating, playing cards, traveling, and trips to visit family and friends. Fred was also a talented stained g... Full story
Moose Lake will celebrate the state gem - the Lake Superior agate - by throwing its biggest party of the year this weekend: the 55th annual Moose Lake Agate Days. The event includes a gem and mineral show in the hockey arena (with a free kids' dig outside) and free admission to Moose Lake State Park and its Agate and Geological Center both Saturday and Sunday, July 13 and 14. One of the area's three agate pits, near the Moose Lake airport, will also be open all weekend for those who enjoy... Full story
The Cloquet Police Department will be hosting an "Active Shooter Response" law enforcement training event at Cloquet High School from approximately 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. July 11, 15, 16 and 18. CPD wants the community to know this is a planned event. Community members may hear loud sounds, sirens, emergency lights, yelling, and there may be a display of firearms in or outside of the school. Expect a large police presence in and around the school. Cloquet police chief Derek Randall stressed that...
Minnesota farmers looking to add safety equipment to their on-farm grain storage facilities can now apply for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Grain Storage Facility Safety Grant program. The program reimburses up to 75 percent of the cost to purchase and install eligible safety equipment for on-farm grain bins or silos. Applicants are eligible to receive up to $400 per bin or silo, with a limit of $2,400 per farm per year. Find out more at https://www.mda.state.mn.us/grainstoragesafetycostshare....
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has named Eric Senarighi, of Carlton, as the 2023 ATV instructor of the year. He also won the award in 2021. Senarighi is president of the Carlton County Riders ATV Club and works to expand the sport while ensuring people have the knowledge they need to ride safely and in an ecologically sound way. The club trains about 100 kids per year in ATV safety. Senarighi also founded a community group in Moose Lake to ensure a positive relationship between...
Four "surprisingly young kids" caused thousands of dollars in vandalism at Cloquet High School on July 4, superintendent Michael Cary told school board members Monday. Cary said camera footage shows the children checking doors at the school until they found one that was not securely latched. Much of the incident was recorded on school security cameras, inside and out. Police have identified the suspects, who won't be named because they are juveniles. Technology director T.J. Smith told the...
Carlton County's Farm Family of the Year is the crew at Pasek Dairy Farm, run by Jeff Pasek and his family in rural Kettle River. Each year the University of Minnesota's Farm Family Recognition Program honors farm families from each county in Minnesota for contributions to the agriculture industry and their local communities. The Pasek Dairy Farm in Split Rock Township has been in the family since Jeff's great-grandfather bought it in 1909. As the farm was passed on from one generation to the...
Law enforcement took center stage Monday at the Carlton County board’s first meeting in July. A series of public tours of the new $75 million Justice Center along County Road 61 in Carlton was announced for August. It was a surprising development, given an expected delay in the opening of a facility that will feature a courthouse, jail, and both sheriff’s and county attorney’s offices. “It’s so exciting,” board chair Susan Zmyslony said, later turning to jail administrator Paul Coughlin, who oversaw the multiyear construction project. “C... Full story
Jana Peterson [email protected] A Moose Lake woman faces nine criminal charges after rear-ending an ATV at approximately 4 p.m. Saturday, July 6, while allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol. Dannaka Lennea Miller, 30, was arraigned in Sixth District Carlton County Court on Tuesday, July 9, on multiple charges of gross misdemeanor criminal vehicular operation, bodily harm, as well as gross misdemeanor DWI charges, and misdemeanor charges of driving after revocation, not carrying insurance and having an open bottle of an alcoholic... Full story
The Wrenshall school board converged Monday on Holyoke, where board members watched a sudden downpour and a whistling train outside, and were met by Wrenshall mayor Gary Butala. Butala agreed with the board that the city and school district ought to examine how to share snowplowing duties in the winter as well as fuel costs and access, already located on school district property. “We would like to share if we could with the school,” Butala said, inviting board member Eric Ankrum, head of the school’s building and grounds committee, to the J... Full story
A 55-year-old Wrenshall man remained in Carlton County Jail this week following his arrest June 26 on multiple felony charges of criminal sexual conduct. Kevin Lee Young was charged in Sixth District Court in Carlton on June 28 with first-degree criminal sexual conduct — penetration or contact with a person under 14, and felony solicitation of a child to engage in sexual conduct. Aggravating circumstances, including being more than 36 months older than the victim, mean Young faces 30 years in prison and up to a $40,000 fine for the first o... Full story
Community Memorial Hospital is joining a healthcare network that should allow it to gain the strength of numbers while maintaining its independence. The Headwaters Network is a new coalition of 19 rural Minnesota hospitals and more than 50 clinics - including CMH and Raiter Clinic in Cloquet - that will provide care to more than 750,000 Minnesotans. "With a bunch of other rural facilities together, Headwaters has over three quarters of a million patients," CMH CEO Rick Breuer said. "Suddenly,...
I am frequently asked whether or not the University of Minnesota’s Cloquet Forestry Center is now under the operation of the Fond du Lac Band. No, it is not. There has been no land transfer, although rumors and misinformation continue to be abundant. The following is based on my knowledge, which is l imited because all of the meetings are still held with no transparency. In the recent legislative session, bills were introduced in the House and Senate to satisfy the state’s obligation to settle the bonding debt involved and transfer the lan... Full story
It is my opinion that word choices matter because they convey the writer’s opinion. Specifically, I am looking at the flier for the Ma and Pa Kettle Days Aug. 9-10 in Kettle River, Minnesota. It feels like the flier places a huge emphasis on the availability of alcohol and who is providing it, which I think implies that alcohol is more important than the scheduled events for those days, e.g., the steak fry. The flier has been approved by the committee and is available to the public, so it is too late to edit and amend the flier. Sandra S... Full story
It’s a Friday night in June, just before 10. At the corner of 12th Street and Carlton Avenue slow cars drone by, going somewhere, their dull Doppler pitch rising and falling. An occasional cop car eases — then races past, sometimes with lights and sound. The cop traffic glides west, toward Pinehurst Park and the just-set sun. A purple pickup truck with Minnesota Vikings decals and a skinny driver with a tapered beard makes its way east, toward Highway 45, apparently where the trucks live. Rob... Full story
The berries provided the red and blue, while clouds were the white on the Fourth of July at the berry fields at Farm LoLa in rural Wrenshall. Farm manager Brett Amundson works the busy stand in the middle of the honeyberry fields. Lucie Amundsen helped a curious young customer. The farm is among many in Carlton County bursting with berries this month, with blueberries next. By the afternoon on July 4, the strawberries had been picked out. Call ahead if you want to go out to area farms, because... Full story
Impressive weather and equally impressive showings made for a great morning on July Fourth as the Sawdust 5K run/walk was held again in the Pinehurst Park area of Cloquet. "It was an awesome day and the weather couldn't have been better," said Sam Jacobson, who is co-race director along with his wife, Julie. "It was a little humid, but times were fast and we had good numbers." More than 300 runners participated July 4, but the most impressive run was turned in by former Proctor and University... Full story
Golf means many friendly conversations about various topics of varying degrees of importance. One day our Rugged Spruce foursome was talking about Jerry West's passing. Randy Flynn said, to everyone's surprise, that he had seen Jerry West and the Los Angeles Lakers play in Duluth in September 1966 in the "first professional athletic contest in the new Duluth Arena." It was a preseason game. Randy was 13, grew up in Esko, and his dad took him to the game. The Lakers played the Oscar... Full story
