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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For a spring and summer season marked by rain, maybe a bit too much at times, it seems it didn't affect the area weekend celebrations much. Monday was no exception as the annual 11 a.m. Labor Day parade began on a sun-drenched Cloquet Avenue in Cloquet. There were throngs of people along the main drag and throngs of people in the parade as politicians, unions and businesses made their final pitches for the season in 70-degree weather. For kids, with school looming this week, it was a chance for...
A 44-year-old bus driver was arrested Wednesday after a concerned citizen reported just after midnight the same day that a St. Louis County School District driver consuming alcohol while off duty. “There were concerns he was highly intoxicated and would not be sober by morning when he would likely begin his route,” a St. Louis County news release said. The driver, Anthony Israelson, was processed for DWI after patrol deputies intercepted the bus on its route outside Grand Lake, about 14 miles north of Cloquet. Deputies first made contact wit...
Districtwide, Cloquet saw a 3 percent increase in Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments scores in the 2023-24 school year. Superintendent Michael Cary was happy to see the numbers mostly improving, four and a half years after the pandemic shut down Minnesota schools, but only three since students were faced with at least partial online classes. "As we move further past the pandemic, we appear to be seeing the impacts slowly diminish," Cary said. "The turnaround has been slower in our upper grade...
New to the Cromwell Harvest Festival this weekend is a bouncy house and a car show joining the long list of things to do, all in or near the pavilion at the heart of the small town. Kevin and Sue Koivisto are grand marshals, and will ride in the hay wagon for this year's candy toss at 11 a.m. Saturday. "Hopefully next year we'll be able to have a parade again," said Deb Switzer, who is excited to have a great team of volunteers helping out with this year's event. She had high praise for the...
Rural schools in Carlton County showed marginal progress in the results of the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments released by the state Education Department last week. Students mostly eclipsed statewide averages at the Barnum and Cromwell-Wright districts, but, overall, the drop in scores since Covid-19 in 2020 was still evidenced with some lackluster performances in reading and math — the two subjects that are the primary focus of the tests. To better understand the proficiencies of rural-most students and the recovery arc since the p...
The University of Minnesota Extension Department is reminding folks that September is Healthy Aging Month. Billed as “a time to celebrate the positive aspects of aging and explore ways to enhance the wellbeing of older individuals,” the month features several free webinars. Extension has invited anyone who is aging and those who support older adults to visit z.umn.edu/HealthyAgingMonth to access resources and register for free webinars covering topics such as: • Health care directives. • Transferring non-titled property. • Preventing financial...
Wrenshall School opened Tuesday with 344 students - much to the delight of district officials, who projected enrollment at 315 earlier in the year. It was the latest piece of good news for a district that just two years ago was in financial turmoil. Momentum for the district appears to be building in other ways, too. In August, the district's teachers saw more than $6,300 in requests fulfilled during an online fundraising campaign. "I have goosebumps just thinking about how emotional I felt...
The Commission on Judicial Selection announced this week that it is recommending three candidates to Gov. Tim Walz for consideration to fill a vacancy in Minnesota’s Sixth Judicial District. The vacancy will occur upon the retirement of the Honorable David M. Johnson. The seat will be chambered in Duluth in St. Louis County. Jeffrey Boucher, Jessica Fralich and Aaron Welch were recommended, said a governor’s office news release. Jeffrey Boucher is the chief deputy attorney of the Carlton County Attorney’s Office, where he manages adult crimina...
WKLK/WMOZ will debut "Voices of Carlton County" on Sept. 13. The new show will run 9:30-11 a.m. every Friday on WKLK AM & FM along with WMOZ. Jeffrey Vollman ("Jiffy Jeff") and Dwight Cadwell will cohost the new program, which will feature community and business leaders, along with others to discuss what is happening in Carlton County. There will be other special features and open phone lines for listeners to call in and talk about issues, things going on, special events and more. Jeff Vollman,...
A public hearing on a proposal to adopt the International Property Maintenance Code brought frustrated residents out of the woodwork Tuesday, with nearly 20 people turning out for the Cloquet City Council meeting. Complaints ranged from trashy properties to trash-talking neighbors, from people who never mow their lawn to junk cars sitting unmoved for years. Many of the complaints were not relevant to the International Property Maintenance Code. But they were in keeping with the idea of city...
The city of Cloquet is looking at a property tax levy increase of at least 11.23 percent for 2025, or nearly $398,000 more than last year, city administrator Tim Peterson told councilors Tuesday. Peterson said the 11-percent rise is a decrease from the original budget estimate, which would have required a 20-percent levy increase. "The No. 1 difference is wages," he said. Wages make up just over $6 million of the entire general fund budget of $9.5 million, Peterson said. The total wage...
Pine Knot News accountant Janis Fairbanks is also the chairwoman of the Fond du Lac Reservation Language Advisory Board. So who better to ask about community feedback on the showing in Cloquet and Duluth of "Star Wars: A New Hope" in Ojibwe the past week? Janis says it's part of her life's mission to "support the survival of the Ojibwe language." She had been to the Premiere Theaters showings three times by mid-week and was planning to go again before the run ended Thursday. "I can't get...
Jen Schultz has the capability of being a great representative. U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber comes from a good family, has a good family and he is probably a decent man, but he is a poor representative. We need a representative that will actually try to make the families in the district have a better life in some way, a representative that will think about us. Pete Stauber has voted against everything that would do better for the people of this district. He voted against getting the Blatnik Bridge repaired, he voted against the Inflation Reduction Ac...
The Lumberjacks boys soccer team's 5-1 home win against Marshall was a heated affair that had it all - a lot of goals, a comeback, and a red card. A slow start for Cloquet-Esko-Carlton saw the home team trailing 1-0 in just the seventh minute of Tuesday's matchup. The Hilltoppers goal was scored by senior midfielder Foster Schultz. The lead lasted until the 28th minute, when 'Jacks senior forward Collin Young put away the first of many goals for the Lumberjacks. Five minutes later, senior...
Thursday, Aug. 29 Football Duluth East 24 Esko 14 Barnum 9 ML/WR 6 Verndale 62 Carlton/Wrenshall 0 Mesabi East 52 South Ridge 6 Volleyball Cromwell-Wright 3 Cook County 0 Girls Soccer Cloquet/Carlton 4 Alexandria Area 0 Boys Soccer Benilde-St. Margaret’s 3 CEC 2 Friday, Aug. 31 Football Two Harbors 37 Cloquet 14 Cromwell-Wright 48 McGregor 8 Volleyball Barnum 3 ML/WR 2 Tuesday, Sept. 3 Volleyball Princeton 3 Cloquet 0 Esko 3 Rock Ridge 2 Mora 3 Barnum 0 Two Harbors 3 ML/WR 0 Carlton/Wrenshall 3 Nashwauk-Keewatin 0 Boys Soccer CEC 5 Duluth M...
The Cloquet football team opened the season at home on a beautiful night last Friday against a strong Two Harbors squad. The Agates dominated the first half. The young hometown team mounted a comeback in the second half but ultimately lost 37-14 to their opponents. "Two Harbors did some things that we weren't expecting out of them from what they've traditionally done in the past," said Cloquet head coach Jeff Ojanen. Two Harbors features one of the top athletes in the area in all-purpose player...
An early season volleyball matchup between neighboring towns is always exciting. It was no different Aug. 30 when Barnum and Moose Lake/Willow River did battle in Moose Lake. In the end, the Bombers overcame a slow start in the first game to notch a 3-1 road win. "Moose Lake/Willow River came out flying in that first game," said Barnum coach Amanda Nordstrom. "It's always a big rivalry game when we meet them, and they were ready." The Rebels took Game 1 by a 25-16 score. "We came out and our...
Duluth East gained an early advantage in Thursday's game against Esko and held on for a 24-14 season opener for both teams in Esko. It was the first regular season loss for Esko since 2020, and a dramatic reversal from past matchups with East. Esko dominated the Greyhounds the past three seasons, scoring an average of 57 points each game in outscoring them 172-6. It was a whirlwind night for the Esko program, but its coach is hopeful for a return to the norm. "For the most part, as...
Charlotte L. "Grandma" Polo, 103, passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family, on Aug. 31, 2024, at the home of granddaughter Krissy, with whom she lived. Char was born to Richard and Hilda (Niemela) Larson on Aug. 10, 1921, in Crosby, Minnesota. Char, then an infant, and her parents moved to Cloquet, where her father and grandfather opened a butcher shop. She attended Cloquet High School. After graduation, Char attended the Michael Reese Hospital School of Nursing in Chicago. After...
John William Samuelson passed into the arms of his heavenly Father on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024, in Moose Lake. He was born Oct. 9, 1942, in Cook, Minnesota to Walter Iver and Martha Irene (Mattson) Samuelson. The family lived in Cook before moving to Duluth, closer to Walter's work on the Great Lakes ships. After his father died when he was 9, John and his younger brother, Walter Charles "Chuck," were raised by their mother, a short but feisty Finn. John attended Jefferson Elementary and...
Harriette Emilie Niemi, 86, of Chandler, Arizona passed away peacefully on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, at Glecy Infinity Care Assisted Living. Harriette was born on Jan. 28, 1938, in Virginia, Minnesota to Leroy Comeau and Doris Peckels. She met the love of her life, Eino Theodore "ET" Niemi, in Cloquet, and on Aug. 1, 1959, they were married at the Presbyterian Church in Cloquet. Harriette and Ted spent 39 years together until Ted's passing in 1999. Harriette is survived by her son, Steven; daughter...
Mark Prachar, 67, of Sturgeon Lake and formerly of Esko, died peacefully on Aug. 20, 2024, in Essentia St. Mary's in Duluth. He was born on March 6, 1957, in Duluth to Marvin and May Prachar. Mark grew up in Esko, graduating from Esko High School in 1975. He attended Hibbing Vo-Tech and attained a diesel mechanic degree in 1976. Mark lived in Esko and worked for Upper Lakes Foods and later Halvor Lines, where he loved his job as an over-the-road truck driver for over 20 years until retiring for...
Robert Lauri Myllymaa passed away on June 15, 2024, at the Delray Medical Center in Florida after a short battle with cancer. He was born Feb. 6, 1949, to Lauri and Agnes (Swanson) Myllymaa in Cloquet, and was raised in Scanlon. As a child, Bob had numerous projects going, including building soap box cars and shacks, and he played on the Scanlon Yankees baseball team. He was a 1967 graduate of Cloquet High School, and proudly served in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1970. Bob was united in marriage...
Marlys Mae Simons Fuller died at home on Aug. 7, 2024, surrounded by family. She was born May 28, 1930, to Edwin "Wes" Wesley and Pauline Standal Simons in Butte, Montana. Her family moved from Montana back to Minnesota when she was very young. They lived at a ranger station outside of Cotton until she finished the seventh grade. She was confirmed in St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Canyon. Her family then moved to Cloquet. Marlys graduated from Cloquet High School and the University of Minnesota...
The 1963 Minnesota state high school boys basketball tournament runner-up trophy has a new permanent display at the Carlton County Historical Society in Cloquet. There is also now a film history of that magical season at the museum. The trophy came after what many basketball pundits still call the greatest state championship game ever, when Cloquet High School lost to Marshall by one point, 75-74, in front of more than 18,000 screaming fans at Williams Arena on the campus of the University of...
