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 34
One of the first buildings constructed in Cloquet following the historic 1918 fire is on the verge of condemnation, following a hearing in District Court in Carlton this week. Using eminent domain statutes and referring to the building in its present state as a public hazard, the city of Cloquet moved closer to purchasing the building for $8,000. The goal for the city, stated last December, is to attract new ownership that would restore and redevelop the building. The fate of the Hotel Solem...
The problem this weekend isn’t finding something to do, it’s choosing among the myriad options right here in Carlton County. There are Fun Days in Esko, Brickyard Days in Wrenshall and a Honey Bee Festival in Carlton, not to mention a music festival in Askov for those who fancy a road trip. Like parades? You’ll have to choose between Esko and Wrenshall on Saturday morning. Bingo? Head to Wrenshall’s Deer Park early Saturday afternoon. Music more your thing? The Honey Bee Festival at the Oldenbu... Full story
Classmates from the Cloquet High School Class of 1961 held a 61st reunion July 16 at the Cloquet Country Club. Pictured in the front row, from left: Brooke Nordquist Haubner, Janet Reed Johnson, Gerald Pollard, Patti Demers Boriin, Bonnie Palm Welman, Joan Valley Johnson, Susan Maki Weets, Karen Johnson Carlson, Carol Singpiel Perttula, Jane Hanson Polley, Brooke Rautio Towey, Janet Nelson Busenius. Back row, from left: James Jaakola, Gaynell Berg Lewis, Karen Hallback Main, Anne Evenson... Full story
A 43-year-old Fond du Lac Reservation man who threatened to kill family members was arrested Sunday, July 31, following a three-hour standoff with law enforcement. James Warren Bosto was subsequently charged in District Court in Duluth on Monday, Aug. 1. He faces a felony charge of threats of violence, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Authorities responded to the home, on Mallard Drive in rural Cloquet, at around 6:30 p.m. Sunday, after residents reported Bosto being impaired and threatening to kill them. The three f...
With the start of school only a month away, local groups hope to give away free backpacks - filled with school supplies - to any child in Carlton County who needs one. And they plan to make a party of it. Thus, the first Carlton County Back to School BBQ and Backpacks event is planned for Saturday, Aug. 20, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Cloquet's Veterans Park. Children have to be pre-registered by Aug. 18; call the Salvation Army at 218-879-5447 or 218-879-1693 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday thr... Full story
The 2021 audit confirmed the city of Cloquet is in a good financial position, even after more than two years of pandemic challenges. Wipfli’s Michelle Swoboda told the Cloquet city council Tuesday that the accounting firm gave an unmodified, or clean, opinion on the city’s financial statements following the audit. According to the audit report, the city of Cloquet ended 2021 with nearly a half-million dollars more than budgeted, thanks in large part to $930,000 in federal CARES Act funds from the federal government. Rising utility fees and dec...
Cloquet will, once again, be the place to go to celebrate Labor Day. After a pandemic hiatus, the Oldtimers Banquet will return on Sunday, Sept. 4 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Four Seasons Event Center in Carlton. The parade will return, marching down Cloquet Avenue at 11 a.m., followed by children’s activities and food trucks at Veterans Park until 4 p.m. The Northeastern Hotel, Saloon and Grille will host its annual Labor Day car show — with high hopes for better weather and a better tur... Full story
The annual Ma & Pa Kettle Days in Kettle River will be celebrated Saturday, Aug. 13, with the fun spilling over before and after. Saturday activities include a pie social at the senior center 12-2 p.m., bingo 1-4 p.m. at the Veterans building, and information tables, exhibits and items for sale along the street. There is music 7 p.m. to midnight at the Tower Tap. Enjoy karaoke Thursday at the Tower Tap and music under the Big Top Friday. The Tower Tap will host the Battle of the Bars on Sunday....
Firefighters responded to an early morning fire in Holyoke Township, but were unable to save the home on McCuskey Drive, which was fully engulfed by fire when they arrived. Wrenshall, Blackhoof, Kerrick and Esko fire departments, Essentia Health ambulance service, and Carlton County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the 911 call, which came in at 1:17 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 3. The resident of the home was able to safely exit the structure and did not appear to sustain any injuries. The house was a total loss. The cause of the fire is b...
The fifth annual Honey Bee Festival is all about its namesake, but also music and mermaids, food and fun and whatever else comes to mind. "We're just doing what we do: being crazy and loving the bees," said Glenn Swanson, who produces the annual event with his partner and wife, Emily. It is a unique festival. Held on the grounds of the Oldenburg House at 604 Chestnut Ave. in Carlton - their bed and breakfast and entertainment venue - the event combines music and the arts with sophistication and... Full story
Live jazz is a beautiful experience. Last Sunday afternoon, husband Rod and I drove to Dovetail Cafe & Marketplace on West Superior Street in Duluth. My cousin, Beth Wilson – a former choral director at Cloquet High School – and her friend Pete had saved a table for us. It's an intimate space, a long, high-ceilinged room with a beautiful multicolored brick wall running its length. Nursing mugs of hot coffee, we sat within yards of musicians Paul Lerino (keyboard), Rich Mowers (saxophones), Joh...
Early last month, Wrenshall's Jolene Johnson went to talk to a coach about getting the cheerleaders into the Brickyard Days parade, only to be told that the annual event had been canceled. She was flabbergasted, and almost immediately decided she would take it on. Within days, her mom, Phyllis Rousseau, promised to help and the pair jumped on board, with a month to make it happen. During an interview Tuesday, they were frazzled, but excited. The small town of Wrenshall will be hopping this... Full story
Carlton County commissioners gave their support for a $400,000 broadband internet grant during their meeting Monday, July 25. The board instructed economic development director Mary Finnegan to write a letter of support for the Border-to-Border grant application being filed by Consolidated Telephone Co. Due by Thursday, Aug. 4, the grant would help cover $984,790 in costs for Brainerd-based Consolidated Telephone to lay fiber optic cable past 246 homes in northern Cloquet. Consolidated Telephone has also proposed a broadband extension to includ...
If early voting is any indicator, next week’s primary election may not be a barnburner in Carlton County. Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9. Kelly Lampel, chief deputy auditor/treasurer for Carlton County, said the office was prepared for a much higher turnout in advance of the primary, but relatively few people have requested absentee ballots. “It’s nothing at all compared to 2020,” she said. “But primary elections often have lower turnout, especially during a non-presidential year.” Still, it’s not too late... Full story
The filing period for local school boards, most city councils and township supervisor positions opened Tuesday and will remain open through Tuesday, Aug. 16. In most cases, one must file in the clerk’s office, whether it’s for a school district, municipality or township. Filing fees are minimal, mostly between $2 and $5. School Board positions Current seat holders’ names are provided in parentheses. Cloquet (Ted Lammi, Gary Huard, Dave Battaglia) Barnum (Paul Coughlin, Beth Schatz, Jessica Unkelhaeuser) Carlton (Ann Gustafson, Susan Karp,... Full story
As with many other area school districts, the Barnum school board approved an increase in lunch prices, at 10 cents per meal at various levels for the lunch program during its July 26 meeting. The coming school year marks the first time in two years any students will pay for lunch, after a universal free school lunch program was allowed to expire at the end of June. Parents are encouraged to fill out forms to apply for free and reduced-price meals, something they also haven’t had to do over the past two years, when every child could have f...
With new cheers, routines, and coaches, the Cloquet High School pep squad is ready to change the face and atmosphere of Cloquet spirit this coming season. Spinning off of the longstanding dance line, the new pep squad spent last year incorporating cheer into dance routines. The pep squad's main goal is to bring school spirit to the stands. Previously, the group planned basketball outings to correspond with the pep band's appearances. But with the new routines, the pep squad was able to bring... Full story
Watching the hearings held by the Jan. 6 committee as it delves into last year’s events at the U.S. Capitol and what lay behind them, I’ve been struck by what you might think of as the “meta-coverage.” It’s been fascinating to see. Most news stories, of course, have focused on the alarming revelations uncovered by the committee — in essence, the lengths to which a sitting president and his allies went in trying to short-circuit the clearly expressed will of the American people. But some covera... Full story
The best thing to do when you lose confidence in yourself is find it. Unless you’re not breathing, it’s in there, somewhere. Even in the meekest, most humble and fragile of us, the thing that makes us human — that certain self-consciousness, that self-awareness, that option we keep in the back pocket of our ego, that self-abasing, soul-roasting, self-loathing, catch-all, Ace Card: I suck, is proof positive that we’ve got the power to make decisions about how we manage our view of ourselv... Full story
Cloquet City Council Mayor Roger Maki [email protected] 218-879-4976 Warren “Bun” Carlson Councilor Ward 1 [email protected] 218-879-3347 Sheila Lamb Councilor Ward 2 [email protected] 218-590-5308 Chris Swanson Councilor Ward 3 [email protected] 218-390-2010 Kerry Kolodge Councilor Ward 4 [email protected] 218-481-3862 Lyz Jaakola Councilor Ward 5 [email protected] 218-393-3528 Lara Wilkinson Councilor At-Large [email protected] 218-451-2188 Cloquet School Board Board chair Ted Lammi [email protected] 218... Full story
Running 50 miles on trails in one day is a feat few people accomplish. Add temperatures rising into the mid-80s, sunshine and July humidity, and it's the typical conditions for the Minnesota Voyageur 50-Mile Trail Ultramarathon. The 40th annual Voyageur Ultramarathon attracted 249 runners to the starting line in Carlton Saturday, July 30. The challenging course and warm weather affected participants once again, with 175 of the starters making it to the finish line within the cutoff time. The... Full story
Carlton Daze got off to a running start last weekend, with kids' races and the annual 5K race Friday evening followed by the 50-mile Voyageur Ultramarathon Saturday. The annual event offered a little bit of everything: lots of music and food options, tournaments galore, a car show, kids' coin digs and kayak races for older, bolder folk. Kim and Sue Newman of Barnum came for the car show Saturday, staying to eat Julie's egg rolls. "We had a few of these cars, then kids came along," said Kim. But... Full story
Don't look now, but the surprise of the Northland Baseball League U15 division has been the Cromwell Cardinals. The Cards have flown to an 8-3 record including three straight playoff wins - one of which was an impressive 11-1 home win over Cloquet last week. "I am a bit surprised at how well we are doing," said Cromwell head coach Dean Levinski. "I knew we were pretty good, but I just didn't know how we'd stack up against programs that are traditional baseball powers." The three losses incurred... Full story
I wish more people would attend the city council meetings to hear about events affecting our city, the problems that are continuing, and the ripple effect on all the residents. Come to the next Kettle River city council meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9 at the council room for an update on what is happening with the water tower project and when it will be finished. This is the time to register for the November election. There are several council positions that are up for election. It is important to get members onto the city council who want...
Well, here it is — August. So far, our summer has gone well, as we haven’t had all the terrible weather disasters other parts of the country are experiencing. We are blessed to live in this area and can only hope for better times in the disaster areas. It’s also great to see so many of the hayfields all cut and baled up. Our field was done between the rains with no rain on it at all. Great timing, Dave! There will be an open house celebration for Ray and Alice Gurske, Sheldon and the late Mario...
