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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Before head coach Jeff Ojanen became a 21-year fixture in the coaching ranks of the Cloquet High School football program, he was a Lumberjack football player. Even then, the program was buoyed by the sale of discount cards. "We've been doing it for as long as I can remember," he said. "The cool thing is how supportive the community is." Every year, the team's players sell between 1,500 and 1,600 cards for $20 apiece, Ojanen said. Doing the math, that comes to $30,000 to $32,000 each year, minus...
Roughly six years after it overcame neighborhood protest to gain approval to shred old tires, a company operating on land north of Cloquet is under state investigation for its possible failure to meet permitted standards. Tire Aggregate, Inc., located along Minnesota Highway 33 just across the Carlton County line, was permitted by both St. Louis County and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in 2017 to shred used tires to make a construction product called tire-derived aggregate. New complaints...
Cloquet is still the place to celebrate Labor Day in Carlton County, but the longstanding celebration is on life support. In his third year of organizing the Carlton County Labor Day celebration, Chad Tuura said a dearth of volunteers and donations mean the parade is the sole event this year — there is no banquet on Sunday and nothing at Veterans Park. On the other hand, there are car shows. Tuura, who got involved as the IronWorkers Local 512 representative on the Cloquet Central Labor Body, s...
More than 100 visitors, staff, and university students gathered at the University of Minnesota's Cloquet Forestry Center during the CFC's annual Open House on Wednesday, Aug. 23. The highlight of the event were wagon tours through the forest roads, stopping at significant locations to explain research projects and history of the CFC's forests. The educational tours were led by Kyle Gill, seen in the middle of the photo at right, Cloquet Forestry Center forest manager and research coordinator,...
The annual celebration of everything Wrenshall is set for next weekend, Sept. 8-9, starting with a 3 p.m. tailgate food fundraiser before the 4 p.m. Raptors varsity football game kickoff on Friday. Brickyard Days will really hit its stride on Saturday, with a pancake breakfast at the school 7-11 a.m., a 5K race at 9 a.m. (registration starts at 8 a.m.) and a noon start for the parade. Following the parade there is an open house and ice cream at the Wrenshall Fire Hall and fun at the Deer Park,...
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is waiving vehicle permit fees at all 75 state parks and recreation areas on Saturday, Sept. 9. With the support of the state legislature, the DNR offers Free Park Days to encourage Minnesotans to get outdoors and enjoy the health and wellness benefits of spending time in nature....
The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office has taken numerous reports of scam calls in the area. The caller claims to be a member of law enforcement and says the person missed a court date and demands a monetary payment over the phone. These calls are not legitimate. The SLC Sheriff’s Office wants to advise the public that law enforcement does not call members of our community to ask for payment over the phone. Any questions regarding payment of fines should be directed to court administration. Call 911 if you want to make a police rep...
As summer begins to wind down, gardens are abundant with the fall harvest. Food preservation is a major component in being able to enjoy the spoils of the garden for months to come. Join Extension Educators Mercedes Moffett and Troy Salzer along with Master Gardener Kathy Rahkola as they discuss the basics of food preservation 1-3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21 at Thomson Town Hall. Cost $5 at the door. Please call 218-384-8684 or email [email protected] to pre-register as class size is limited. Learn the importance of what should be preserved in what...
After months of negotiations with the local youth lacrosse association, Cloquet school board members voted Monday to add both boys and girls lacrosse as a spring sport this school year. The boys team will be a combined Cloquet-Esko-Carlton Lumberjacks team, similar to boys hockey and soccer. The girls team will be part of the already existing Hermantown/Proctor Stealth team, because numbers aren't yet strong enough for a CEC program. Girls practices and most games will be held at Proctor or...
Walking through the halls of Cloquet High School last week, principal Steve Battaglia noted the pending return to school days. "The timing always seems right," he said. As summer waned and the $4.7 million reconstruction of the school's outdoor athletic complex neared its October completion, one project inside the building unfolded in relative quiet. Without tearing down a wall or building an addition, the high school has a new interior fitness center thanks to ingenuity, elbow grease and...
The Arrowhead Library System will be providing Finnish Paper Star Take & Create Art Kits to Cloquet, Carlton and Moose Lake public libraries to distribute Sept. 15-29. This art experience created by the Duluth Folk School explores Finnish paper star making and paper weaving techniques. Kits will include supplies to create two to three unique stars, including cardstock paper strips, glue stick, scissors, string, and an instructional printout for different star styles. A follow-along instructional video will be shared online for...
Apple Fest is coming Oct. 1 to Zion Lutheran Church in Cloquet, 3-7 p.m., and it’s free. Pick your own apples, enjoy apple tasting, a caramel apple bar and apple juice pressing. Mae Prachar Band will provide music 4-5:30 p.m. Apple Fest is a fundraiser for a Haiti medical mission. Donations gratefully accepted. Questions? Call Vicki at 218-451-0278....
The annual North Country Electric Vehicle Show & Tell Event will be pulling into a new venue Saturday, Sept. 9, as part of the 29th annual Lake Superior Harvest Festival at Duluth’s Bayfront Park. The festival features products from many farms in Carlton County. Festival-goers will be able to view more than a dozen electric vehicles and hear from a well-rounded group of panelists who will share their perspectives on the EV industry. The EV panel discussion starts at 11:30 a.m. on the Energy Fair stage followed by “Solar 101,” a prese...
For $50, young people aged 14-20 can sign up for a new seven-month “fire explorer” program that offers exposure and training for both firefighting and emergency medical service careers. The Cloquet Area Fire District is offering the new program, which will be one of only a few in northern Minnesota. Assistant CAFD fire chief Corey Larson said the group will meet once or twice a month during the school year. The curriculum is very similar to firefighter and medic training courses CAFD alr...
Brady Slater [email protected] A new entertainment venue above Cloquet’s popular Mexican restaurant unveiled itself Sunday with — what else? — a private event. Pedro’s Grill and Cantina Event Center buzzed with owner Erika Aranda’s family, friends and invited guests. “It’s absolutely beautiful,” said Melanie Koski, a Cloquet resident and bookkeeper for the nonprofit REACH. “It’s more than I expected,” said Doug Wolf, CEO of Northwoods Credit Union. “It’s a beautiful space and very...
Wrenshall school board members got their first look at Carlton’s response to their recent consolidation overture during Tuesday’s work session meeting. While Carlton’s response was by unanimous school board vote, it wasn’t enthusiastic. In her letter, Carlton superintendent Donita Stepan put conditions on any new discussions: that both boards agree one site is the only option for a consolidated school district and the site should be at Carlton’s South Terrace Elementary School. “If the Wrensha...
South Terrace Elementary in Carlton is one of five schools in the state named a Minnesota School of Excellence for its commitment to innovative teaching and learning. The Minnesota Elementary School Principals’ Association award promotes good work in education through a rigorous self-directed evaluation process, including parents, students, staff, administration. Carlton superintendent Donita Stepan — who was full-time principal at South Terrace last year — said she is proud of the elementary school and its staff. “This recognition is a testa...
One of the best experiences I had running for office last year was traveling throughout Carlton County, meeting people in their homes and discussing politics. It’s true that a few people were annoyed by a stranger knocking on their door, unannounced, canvassing for votes, but a surprising number of people in our community were welcoming and accepting, even when they didn’t share my political leanings. But even more enlightening was seeing how well we live, overall, in Carlton County. No dou...
As someone who works across Minnesota helping communities harness the benefits of clean energy, I am thoroughly impressed by northeast Minnesota community clean energy efforts. The region is home to various meaningful clean energy related projects. Among others, projects led by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa come to mind. The Fond du Lac Band has constructed an award-winning resource management building, a 1-megawatt solar field, a biomass district heat system, Tesla 8 vehicle charging stations, a Forest Carbon Sequestration...
I’m writing in regards to the crew that work for the city of Cloquet. Yesterday, they came to South Oak Street and cut down a huge dead pine tree. I sat and watched as the tree was cut down, and was amazed at the strength the man had as he cut limb after limb, and threw them into the truck box. And then cut piece after piece of the trunk and pushed them off into the truck. They all had a part in removing the tree. And did an excellent job cleaning up. What an improvement they made. Too often we hear of the bad that goes on. I just want to s...
September is here. This means harvest fests, cooler weather and the beginning of school. As I begin my final year at the University of Minnesota Duluth, I will be leaving my internship at the Pine Knot News. It has been an incredible experience, with so many learning opportunities. I was fortunate that I got to attend many fun events as a part of my work here. It was so much fun to be recognized as a member of the Pine Knot, and occasionally people would mention that they had read something I had written. My favorite part was reading the paper...
Hagen Construction & Remodeling, LLC is a relatively new business name in Carlton County. But owner Bart Hagen is no stranger to the area. Barnum is Bart's hometown. Bart and his family returned to the Barnum area to be closer to his aging parents in 2020. As a child, Bart helped his dad put an addition onto the family home and often assisted with household projects. He worked for his family's lumber mill business. Being a handy man comes naturally. Bart Hagen started Hagen Construction in Color...
It's nice to open a football season at home. What wasn't so nice for Cromwell-Wright last Thursday was its opponent, defending Section 5 nine-man champion Ogilvie. While the Cardinals played tough, the Lions pushed through for a 42-21 win. "They returned eight of nine starters on defense and seven starters on offense," said Cardinals coach Jeff Gronner. "They are big and physical and we knew they'd be tough." Cromwell-Wright gave the Lions everything they could handle and then some as they...
When the Cloquet/Carlton and Esko girls soccer teams met Tuesday night, the game featured the Class AA and Class A Section 7 champions from last year. It also featured quality defensive efforts by both teams, ending in a 1-1 tie. Esko evened up the score in the last 53 seconds on a goal by Kaitlyn McConnell. "We haven't had a lot of time to practice set pieces," said Esko coach Sharon Lahti, referring to things like free kicks and corner kicks. "What we tell the girls is just get a body part on...
Thursday, Aug. 24 Girls Soccer Esko 4 Cambridge/Isanti 1 Football Ogilvie 42 Cromwell-Wright 21 Friday, Aug. 25 Girls Soccer Cloquet/Carlton 0 St. Francis 0 Boys Soccer Two Rivers 3 CEC 1 Football Nevis 77 Carlton/Wrenshall 0 Saturday, Aug. 26 Girls Soccer Cloquet/Carlton 1 Two Rivers 0 Boys Soccer CEC 3 Columbia Heights 0 Tuesday, Aug. 29 Girls Soccer Cloquet/Carlton 1 Esko 1 Boys Soccer Benilde-St. Margarets 4 CEC 0 Volleyball Cloquet 3 Duluth East 0 Hermantown 3 Esko 1 Carlton/Wrenshall 3 Deer River 1 Mille Lacs 3 Cromwell-Wright 2 ML/WR 3...
