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 36
Another tumultuous week within the Wrenshall School District saw a school board member formally apologizing to one group of people, while offending another, and teachers and administrators confronting the board about the impact of its behavior. "As a member of the LGBTQ+ community and co-advisor of our (gender-sexualities alliance) club, I can no longer remain quiet as our leadership ignores human and students' rights," said the school's media specialist Chloe Swanson during the board meeting... Full story
With Ma & Pa Kettle Days on Saturday and the Carlton County Fair starting next week, the summer celebrations are far from over. But it is beginning to wane a bit after a mad flurry of festivals, so seize the moment. Head to Kettle River tomorrow for a taste of small town togetherness, on display as local organizations and businesses set up down main drag in a sort of “standstill parade meets farmers market” event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Expect everything from shopping to politicians to resources. The pie social starts at noon, bingo st... Full story
This week's History Mystery isn't exactly a mystery, but we would love to get more information about this giant piece of history, all 5,000 pounds of it. Cloquet resident Bill Stolberg stopped by the office in July, shortly after inviting the city of Cloquet to move the massive millstone that had been sitting in his yard for about 45 years. Stolberg believes the millstone was likely used by Northwest Paper Company to grind the pulp to get the fiber out in the early 1900s. Stolberg fished the mas...
The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa unveiled its new $8 million addiction recovery center in Cloquet earlier this month to a throng of well-wishers, adding a new era of residential treatment to the reservation. Tagwii Recovery Center celebrated its grand opening Friday, Aug. 5, with a ceremony highlighted by a drum circle, speakers, tours and a luncheon. "This building has been a huge dream for many years," said Jenn DuPuis, associate director of Fond du Lac Human Services. "Hopes...
A 17-year-old Kettle River boy was killed last weekend after the Jeep he was driving crossed the centerline and collided with another vehicle. Sebastien Jakob Blondo was traveling east on Minnesota Highway 210 outside Aitkin when the crash occurred shortly after 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, a Minnesota State Patrol news release said. The driver of the other vehicle, Curtis Dean Watson, 75, of Aitkin was taken by helicopter to St. Cloud Hospital with life-threatening injuries. The hospital declined to provide a condition report on Watson, citing...
The Wood City Worship Festival kicks off at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 13 at Veterans Memorial Park in Cloquet. It’s BYOC (bring your own chair) for a full day of music and prayer. The annual Christian music and worship festival is free to attend, and features a wide range of bands, kids’ activities, food, and prayer. The day begins at 10 a.m. with a worship service in the park. Music begins at 12:15 p.m. with Old Man Down, followed by Derek Charles Johnson at 1:30 p.m., DGT Worship at 2:45 p.m... Full story
According to last week’s Minnesota DNR report, conservation officer Jacob Willis (Brookston) recently worked ATV and angling activity and boating safety enforcement. A still-frequent violation found is the lack of personal floatation devices on board standup paddle boards. Willis also responded to a small-airplane incident in northern Pine County and provided regulatory assistance for the pilot being arrested for operating the aircraft while intoxicated....
Cloquet Labor Day organizers Chad Tuura and Joe Kneisel are in need of volunteers and donations to help with the events. “We would love to have people join in to make this year’s event even better,” Tuura said. Interested? Call Tuura at 218-590-0238.... Full story
Gordy's annual Curbside Classic car show drew a full parking lot and long lines of customers and classic car enthusiasts on Thursday night, Aug. 4, with more than 150 cars cruising to the popular Cloquet restaurant. Gordy's owner Dan Lundquist said they present five "best of show" trophies each year, which go to the most popular as determined by customer and car show participant votes. The Shirley's Choice award honors the wife of Mike Tillman, the founder of many Northland car shows. The final...
Matthew Mangan has always been interested in pollinators. In elementary school, his second-grade teacher, Cathy Rikkola, now retired, had Washington students raise caterpillars into butterflies using milkweed. Years later, Mangan, 13, attended a seminar about building pollinator habitats at the public library conducted by the Carlton Soil and Water Conservation District. So when it came time to create a final project that would catapult Mangan into an Eagle Scout, the choice was simple. "That... Full story
The Thomson Township Board of Supervisors is looking for a township resident to fill a vacancy on the board following the resignation of one of its most active members. Jason Paulson announced his resignation from the Board of Supervisors and the Cloquet Area Fire District Board at the Township board meeting Thursday, Aug. 4. Paulson has been an outspoken member during his six years on the board. As the county's representative on the Cloquet Area Fire District Board, he pushed for change in the...
Low voter turnout and new voting machines led to a speedy turnaround for Carlton County election results in Tuesday's primary election. County elections staff were finished tallying the votes by 10:40 p.m., something Carlton County auditor/treasurer Kevin DeVriendt said was a pleasant surprise. "Things went very smoothly - well, as smooth as can be with all new equipment and many people doing a role for the first time," he said. The county had new DS200 ballot scanning machines at the polling pl... Full story
The final wording for a ballot resolution related to funding a new $66.8 million justice center was approved by the Carlton County Board of Commissioners last week. Auditor/treasurer Kevin DeVriendt encouraged the action to make sure there was plenty of time to include it in the Nov. 8 ballot soon to be printed. It reads: “How will the new Justice Center be paid for? “The new Carlton County Justice Center is being built. Shall Carlton County be authorized to pay for construction costs through a county wide one-half percent (0.5%) local opt...
Cloquet public school board members began their meeting Monday brainstorming possible incentives to promote job growth within their district following staffing shortages and resignation letters. Signing bonuses and more benefits for part-time employees were a few of the ideas talked about during the Monday, Aug. 8 meeting. Another way the school district hopes to gain more employees is through the elementary education program now offered at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. The school district has agreed to provide students in this...
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College is welcoming Indigenous-serving educators from across the globe to showcase the college and the local Ojibwe culture from Friday, Aug. 12 through Thursday, Aug. 18. This year, FDLTCC is the hub of the annual gathering of the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium. The school plans to host its international guests and the local community to a series of free events designed to illustrate the significance of the Fond du Lac Reservation and Ojibwe, or Anishinaabe, culture, along with the w...
THUMBS UP to everyone who worked at or voted in Tuesday’s primary election. Voting is the cornerstone of democracy and works best when people actually vote (and of course, when voters are educated on the issues or candidates). Kudos to all of you for showing up. We look forward to seeing many more voters at the polls in November. THUMBS UP to the various groups that used to do backpack and school supplies programs separately for joining together to serve students across the county in a collaborative effort. The first Carlton County Back to S... Full story
Whether Munter, Schultz, Welty, or Stauber wins the 8th District Congressional race, the winner should focus on housing. The home mortgage tax exemption has been the great engine of Middle Class prosperity for the past 70 years. I suggest these initiatives for increasing the housing stock: 1. Push for HUD, the Department of Housing and Urban Development to grant no-money-down first-time-buyer mortgages like the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides in rural cities and towns for those with good credit scores. This will balance the scourge of... Full story
I am proud to serve on the Wrenshall School Board, and I would like to share a little about what is going on within the Wrenshall School. The views expressed in this letter are my own. Our district is finishing the final stage of construction on our buildings. The school is something our community, students and staff can be proud of. Classrooms have been updated, and with a new HVAC system, they are comfortable and safe. Our gymnasium and new multi-use space give more opportunities for all of our students to engage in physical activities; even... Full story
The Esko Junior Legion baseball team had a strong performance in the Minnesota State Junior Legion baseball tournament held last week in Ely. Esko went 2-1 and finished in third place in the eight-team tournament. Esko opened with an exciting and impressive victory over Sleepy Eye in a game that saw only one run scored. Esko triumphed 1-0 behind a strong pitching performance by Sam Haugen, who allowed only one hit and walked just one in the win. "Sam pitched a great game," said Esko coach Nick L... Full story
While visiting Finland to see my spouse's cousin, Outi, and her husband, Timo Paukkio, we traveled to the Paukkio summer cottage/cabin in southwestern Finland. The Paukkios hand-built the five buildings on the edge of the beautiful Baltic Sea. With traditional red siding and white window frames, most looked like they originated from the covers of traditional Scandinavian coffee table books. Both now retired, Timo was an engineer and Outi a school teacher, often teaching English to Finnish... Full story
Cool temperatures and overcast skies greeted runners on Saturday morning for the 25th running of the Kristin Burkholder 5K run/walk in Esko. "We had 178 finishers this year," said race director Randi Nyholm. "The weather conditions were perfect and everyone was excited to get together again." The overall winner in the men's race was 17-year-old Ben Meysembourg, of Esko, with a time of 17:58. He was followed by 37-year-old Jason Kunz, of Esko, with a time of 21 minutes. Cloquet's Aiden Korby,... Full story
The LAX North JV lacrosse team won the Championship of Summer tournament in Maple Grove Aug. 3-4. The LAX North team - consisting of high school players from Carlton County, Proctor, and Hermantown - went undefeated against teams from Shakopee, Irondale, and the Central Minnesota Lacrosse League to take home the championship title.... Full story
Cloquet resident Ron Tondryk has been a Minnesota Twins fan as far back as he can remember. He has framed autographed pictures of 1960s Twins stars Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew and Tony Oliva in his living room. Tondryk played baseball at Esko and was the Cloquet girls high school fastpitch softball coach for many years. He loves the Twins and the game. Last December, when MLB's Golden Days Era committee announced that former Twins right fielder Tony Oliva had been selected to the Baseball Hall... Full story
The final piece of the Minnesota Wilderness coaching staff puzzle is in place with the hiring of Brett Skinner as associate head coach. Skinner is a Brandon, Manitoba, native who has been the assistant coach of the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL for the last five seasons. Prior to his coaching career, Skinner played 12 seasons of professional hockey, including 11 games in the NHL with the New York Islanders in 2008-09. He also had a very decorated collegiate career, winning two national championships over three seasons with the University of... Full story
Kettle River will be transformed Saturday, Aug. 13 as the small town celebrates the 38th year of the Ma & Pa Kettle Days celebration. Exhibitors and vendors will line both sidewalks "fair style," running down the main street of Kettle River. People who come to celebrate will wander along, enjoying each exhibit, able to ask questions at the various stations showcasing Kettle River and the surrounding area. Lois Johnson - longtime local writer, reporter, and member of many of the local organizatio... Full story
