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
Carlton County's new home for its Sheriff's Office, courts and jail got its public unveiling last week. Too massive to cover behind a curtain, the new Carlton County Justice Center sat gleaming in front of the more than 100 guests who attended the outdoor grand opening. Among attendees Aug. 22 was Chief Justice Natalie Hudson of the Minnesota Supreme Court. She toured the facility, tripling up her "wows" when she walked into one of the three second-floor courtrooms. "Wow, wow, wow, this is...
Once again, Cloquet will celebrate Labor Day with a parade. It's a tradition that's continued more than 105 years here, starting in 1917. The holiday was created in the late 19th century to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America's strength, prosperity, and well-being, according to the Labor Department. "It's a staple in our community," said Labor Day celebration president Chad Tuura. "Labor unions are still strong in this area. We're part of this community." Monday's...
The Big Drum has a new home. Friday morning, members of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and guests gathered for the opening of a new ceremonial hall, Gimanidoowichigemin Gwaaba'iganing, in Sawyer. It was built specifically to house the Big Drum. The drum is named Nimishomis, which translates to "my grandfather." The hall is new, but the drum and the songs and ceremonies that surround it are very old. Band member and Sawyer resident Vern Northrup said his great-great-grandfather...
A Cloquet man is facing three felony assault charges after allegedly assaulting a woman last week that he was in a relationship with. Toby Ray Smith, 25, faces charges of first- and second-degree assault as well felony domestic assault for allegedly trying to strangle and then cutting the throat of the woman. According to the criminal complaint, Smith is known by area law enforcement, and Fond du Lac Police Department officers noticed him walking down a road with a woman on the reservation. He had an active warrant for his arrest, police said,...
Nichole Diver is running for Cloquet School Board as a write-in candidate, joining Melissa Siltanen Juntunen and LeAnn M. Butler in a race that will feature three open seats. As a write-in, Diver won't be listed on the ballot in November, while Juntunen and Butler will because they filed in advance of the election deadline. That means voters will need to remember Diver's name when they go to the polls or mail in a ballot. That shouldn't be an issue. Born and raised here, she is an enrolled Fond...
The Cromwell Harvest Festival is back next weekend, offering three days of family friendly fun at the Pavilion Friday through Sunday, Sept. 6-8. But first things first: scarecrows must be decorated this weekend because judging starts at 6 p.m. Monday, the same day the medallion hunt kicks off. Then there's time to settle back into school before the fun really kicks off Friday with a steak fry 4-7 p.m. at the pavilion and a home football game at the high school. Saturday is the big day, starting...
A 70-year-old rural Carlton County man was flown by helicopter to a Duluth area hospital Tuesday evening after an ATV crash west of Mahtowa. According to a news release from the Carlton County Sheriff's Office, the man lost control of the ATV while exiting a gravel driveway on the 2500 block of County Road 4 just before 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27. The ATV ended up on top of the driver, who sustained significant injuries. Medical personnel determined he should be flown to the hospital. Steve...
For the second time in 14 months, the board of commissioners for the Cloquet/Carlton Housing & Redevelopment Authority fired its executive director. Trisha Osborn, formerly Trisha Morgando, was terminated effective July 26. The Pine Knot News learned of Osborn’s dismissal earlier this month. In response to a public data request, attorney Donald Erickson shared the dismissal letter and another letter denying the appeal of her dismissal. Erickson is a labor and employment law specialist with Fryberger Law Firm in Duluth who was hired by the Cloqu...
The Cloquet City Council will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3 at Cloquet City Hall, 101 14th St., on the proposed adoption of the International Property Maintenance Code. The IPMC would provide up-to-date widespread property maintenance standards for residential, rental, commercial and industrial properties. The IPMC is updated on an ongoing basis by the International Code Council and would give the city additional “tools” to enforce code on existing structures, which is lacking in the Minnesota State Building Code, acc...
Cloquet Police Officer Trevor Kaldor was officially promoted to patrol sergeant during the Cloquet City Council meeting Aug. 20. Kaldor has been with the Cloquet department since May 2020. According to police chief Derek Randall, Kaldor was already considered an informal leader among his peers, “especially with our younger and less experienced officers.” He was one of several internal candidates who applied for the job. Kaldor has a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Wisconsin Superior, and later attended Fond du Lac T...
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reminds firearm and muzzleloader hunters who want to harvest antlerless deer in a deer permit area designated as antlerless permit lottery this hunting season to purchase their license by Thursday, Sept. 5. Hunters who purchase their license on or before this date are automatically entered into the lottery for the deer permit area or special hunt area they declare. Hunters who want to participate in special firearm or muzzleloader deer hunts need to apply for permits that are issued through a...
Jim and Carlie Nynas of Esko received a $25 gift certificate to Outdoor Advantage in Cloquet for being spotted for having an "I Think Knot" bumper sticker on their vehicle. The supporters of our independent, locally owned Pine Knot News were attending the grand opening of the Carlton County Justice Center last week....
With school set to start Wednesday, Sept. 4 in Cloquet, superintendent Michael Cary shared good and bad news with the board on Monday. The good news? The district is almost fully staffed, with the exception of a couple of last-minute resignations. Also, 22nd Street should be open to traffic from Washington Avenue to Doddridge Avenue by the start of school, although workers will be striping and doing other work between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on school days for a while. The bad news? The district could face a six-digit shortfall this year, following...
In an effort to protect emergency personnel on Minnesota roadways, motorists are reminded to move over for emergency and maintenance vehicles with activated flashing lights. When traveling on a road with two or more lanes, drivers must keep one full lane away from stopped emergency vehicles with flashing lights activated, whether that’s ambulance, fire, law enforcement or maintenance and construction vehicles. If drivers are unable to safely move over, reduce speed when passing emergency vehicles on the side of the road. This Minnesota law i...
Hoping to start a friendly game of cards with friendly seniors two Thursdays a month starting in September. Time and place to be determined. Interested? Call Joan at 218-348-8480....
Cloquet area residents who want to receive text messages or emails with public safety news should register with the Cloquet Police Department’s Nixle service. Nixle was created for local law enforcement, designed to notify the public of community updates, public advisories and emergency alerts. To sign up for notifications and alerts using the Nixle messaging system, text the city’s zip code (55720) to 888777 and follow the prompts, or follow the link https://local.nixle.com/register. Nixle also offers an anonymous tip line for the public to...
The Cloquet Community Band is seeking new members. If you have played an instrument, please check out the band. Practice is 7-8:30 p.m. Mondays at the Cloquet Presbyterian Church, 47 Fourth St., Cloquet. The band provides sheet music, and you bring your instrument. The band performs at a variety of community events (spring and winter concert, Cloquet Memorial Day service, parades, nursing homes and other events as requested). Questions? Contact Becky at 218-206-4441....
We’re almost to Labor Day and what is traditionally considered the heart of election season. It’s the moment, according to political lore, when most Americans start paying attention to electoral contests. This may or may not be true, but here’s one thing I think we can count on: This is when politicians seeking office are most eager to understand the mood and concerns of the electorate. There’s a widely held belief that campaigning is a one-way street: Candidates for office tell us what they th...
As I toured the new ceremonial Big Drum hall, Gimanidoowichigemin Gwaaba'iganing, last week in Sawyer, I felt the importance of the community efforts to see that this place was built, bringing Nimishomis (our grandfather, as the drum is called) home. Listening to speakers who delivered their comments in Ojibwe was an uncommon opportunity to hear the flow of the language as it must have been in community gatherings before the boarding school era, which deliberately attempted to destroy the...
Neighboring rivals Cloquet and Esko did battle for the first time at the Members Cooperative Credit Union athletic complex Tuesday in Cloquet. It was a wild 1-0 win for the Lumberjacks. "I really believe these are two of the better teams in the area," said Esko coach Sharon Lahti. "You know every year it is going to be a battle, and it was again tonight." Esko came into Tuesday night's fray with a 2-0 record, with wins over Cambridge-Isanti and Proctor. The Lumberjacks sported a 1-1 record with...
Monday, Aug. 19 Girls Tennis CEC 7 Aitkin 0 Mora 5 CEC 2 North Branch 7 CEC 0 Wednesday, Aug. 21 Girls Tennis CEC 7 Stella Maris Academy 0 Thursday, Aug. 22 Girls Soccer Cloquet/Carlton 4 St. Francis 1 Esko 2 Cambridge-Isanti 0 Friday, Aug. 23 Boys Soccer Two Rivers 2 CEC 1 Girls Soccer Two Rivers 1 Cloquet/Carlton 0 Girls Volleyball Esko 3 Hibbing 0 Saturday, Aug. 24 Girls Soccer Esko 6 Proctor 1 Boys Soccer Columbia Heights 3 CEC 2 Girls Tennis CEC 4 Forest Lake 3 Rock Ridge 7 CEC 0 St. Francis 7 CEC 0 Monday, Aug. 26 Girls Tennis CEC 4...
The Cloquet-Esko-Carlton girls tennis team has a new head coach and an early season schedule that has them jumping into the proverbial frying pan. The Lumberjacks had a 4-3 record after just the first week of the season. "We have a lot of girls out who played last year, and we have a lot of seniors," said first-year coach Emily Hallgren. "Some of those seniors are new, but many of them have some varsity playing time from the last year or two." CEC opened the season on Aug. 19 at Mora, where...
More than 50 people took part in the annual and unusual Lost Forester trail races last Saturday, Aug. 24 at Pine Valley Recreation Area in Cloquet. The 5.5K race had 29 finishers and one who did not start. The race course was the most standard with weather that was sunny, warm, and humid. In a surprise finish, a 9-year-old, Dean Ervaets, came in first at 23 minutes, 40 seconds. Others who ran with Ervaets said he sprinted the whole way. Then the race was all about the Gilbertson family....
Cross Country Carlton/Wrenshall Thursday, Sept. 5 vs Superior at Pattison Park, 4 Tuesday, Sept. 17 vs Northwestern at Norwood, 4:30 Thursday, Sept. 26 at Hibbing, 4 Thursday, Oct. 3 at Ely, 4 Thursday, Oct. 10 vs Cook County at Pincushion, 1 Tuesday, Oct. 15 at Proctor, 4 Thursday, Oct. 24, sectional tournament,TBD Saturday, Nov. 2 state tournament, TBD Cloquet Tuesday, Sept. 10 at Mora, 4:15 Tuesday, Sept. 17 at Grand Rapids, 4 Tuesday, Sept. 24 at Hermantown, 4 Thursday, Sept. 26 at Hibbing, 4 Thursday, Oct. 3 at Ely, 4 Tuesday, Oct. 8 at...
1No one knows exactly when the annual Chub Lake cross country meet started, but everyone is in agreement that it was a long time ago and it remains a fun kickoff to the season for area teams. "I know Jerry Zimney was one of the guys who originally started the meet, but what year, we have no idea," said Esko cross country coach Jerimy Hallsten. At 10 a.m. Aug. 22, the tradition continued. Hallsten is the main organizer of the event that is about as laid back as it could possibly be. "We don't...
