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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Three years ago, a stranger from New Jersey wanted to buy B&B Market, but Kim Lind turned him down. "Whatever I wanted he would have paid, but I couldn't do it," she said. "Because I still have to live here. You have to be involved in the community." Just over a month ago, however, Kim and John Lind signed the sale papers for their beloved store at 506 Big Lake Road. They had a buyer they believed in. And maybe because - after 33 years of running around like crazy, a pandemic and three young... Full story
It’s official. After more than two years of studies and debate, the Carlton County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Monday to build a new justice center north of the current transportation building. The justice center will house both the jail and courtrooms with space for support staff — including administration, the county attorney’s office and sheriff’s office — at a possible cost of more than $70 million. On Monday, the board approved a working plan for the Justice Center site south of the Carlton Junction on Old Hwy 61, permissio...
Minnesota’s current Covid-19 surge won’t relent. The newest data show the disease still firmly entrenched in the state. While a jump in testing can explain much of the latest increase in case counts, the numbers also show the current wave stubbornly refusing to crest. “These are numbers we had hoped we would not see again,” Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm told reporters Sept. 24 after the state reported nearly 3,000 more cases. Within the next few days, the state expects to top 700,000 total known cases in the pandemic, she added. After i... Full story
A crowd of about 75 people traveled from western Carlton County to a public hearing at the county board meeting Monday on whether to close or keep open the county’s satellite garage in Kettle River. County engineer Jin-Yeene Neumann gave a short presentation at the beginning of the hearing at the Transportation Building in Carlton, explaining that it not only costs an extra $15,000 to run but also is a safety issue because it is a one-man shop. Neumann said the transportation department wants to move the grader and a pickup to the new county g...
The Cloquet school board on Monday voted to approve a preliminary levy for next year at the maximum level as budget numbers are still being worked out. The district will set a final 2022 tax rate at a meeting following a “truth in taxation” meeting allowing for public input. As required by law, the meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Dec. 13. In Minnesota, taxing districts must adopt proposed property tax levies for the next year and certify that amount to the county auditor on or before Sep. 30....
As many as six people have expressed interest in a once-again open seat on the Wrenshall school board. After a verified petition was submitted to the district to rescind a board appointment made in August, the board needed to make a plan for another appointment. Its original appointee, Bill Dian, is not eligible. More than 200 people were verified on the petition that asked for a more public appointment process after Michelle Blanchard left the board to serve as the school principal. The sudden appointment of Dian, with no previous public...
A well-known polka music show from the past is returning to television. Starting Saturday, reruns of the Chmielewski Polka Show are coming to Antenna TV. Starting back in the 1970s, the family produced more than 1,800 television episodes through the years. Now polka lovers can enjoy some of those classic televised music shows once again. The show will be airing Saturday mornings at 11 a.m. and Sunday mornings at 8....
Enbridge announced this week that it has completed its Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement project across Minnesota. It expected to begin running tar sands oil from Edmonton to Superior today. The 1,097-mile-long pipeline has a thicker-walled pipe and Enbridge said the "completion ensures a safe, reliable supply of North American crude oil to U.S. refineries." "Line 3 was developed and executed with the most state-of-the-art approach to design, construction and environmental management," said...
Esko school board members rescinded their approval of a snowmobile trail route that would have crossed school property during their regular meeting Monday. The decision came because the route had changed and wasn’t what the board originally approved. Three board members attended the Thomson Township Board of Supervisors meeting Sept. 16, when Wood City Riders president Chris Rokke gave a presentation to the more than 60 people in attendance about the volunteer snowmobile club and the approved trail. Although the township board had already g...
The Cloquet Area Chamber of Commerce held its 68th Annual Meeting and Banquet Tuesday night, an event delayed more than once by the pandemic. But it looked like they got a full house for the evening for dinner, quiz night activities focused on local knowledge emceed by Ted Schick and speaker Doug Loon, president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. The highlight of the evening were the annual awards. B&B Market won the small business award, the third time John and Kim Lind have won and an...
Looking for a good belly laugh? Look no further than the County Seat Theater Company’s current show, the comedy “Beer for Breakfast,” which will finish up its live run this weekend, with shows at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. On-demand performances are also available for viewing Oct. 1-3. Tickets for live or virtual performances can be reserved by calling the box office at 218-878-0071 or purchased online at www.countyseattheater.com.... Full story
The Moose Lake Historical Society will focus on the recovery and rebuilding after the 1918 Fires starting at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 9 at the Soo Line Event Center in Moose Lake. Tuesday, Oct. 12 is the 103rd anniversary of the fires, which devastated the area with loss of life and unprecedented property damage in the history of Minnesota. Memory candles will be for sale at the door; masks are required. Cal 218-485-4234 for more information.... Full story
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Cloquet area staff have moved from their former location on Highway 33 South to the Cloquet Business Park at 305 Business Park Drive. All telephone numbers for general inquiries and individual staff contacts will remain the same. Most DNR offices are providing in-person services, but may have limited hours depending on staff availability. Please contact the Cloquet office at 218-878-5640 for Forestry, or 218-878-5661 for Wildlife, before visiting to confirm the office is open. The former DNR Cloquet...
The Western Lake Superior Sanitary District (WLSSD) Board of Directors approved its 2022 operating and capital budgets at its regular board meeting this week. The Sanitary Board approved a 4.11-percent increase in wastewater charges as WLSSD restores operating and capital budgets back to levels similar to 2020. “We have all been significantly affected by Covid-19,” said WLSSD executive director Marianne Bohren. “Our 2022 budget reflects resuming the infrastructure reliability projects we put on hold for 2021 with so much economic uncer...
This year, Minnesota’s 87 counties are the beneficiaries of $36.3 million in aid that helps support public lands and provide critical links within the state’s public recreation system. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources highlighted the payments as part of National Public Lands Day on Sept. 25. Carlton County received about $450,000 this year, just above the average of $417,000 for each county. Each year, the state’s Department of Revenue distributes annual payments for Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT), a property tax relief progr...
The 14th annual Cloquet River Run will take place Saturday, Oct. 2. The Cloquet River Run is a fundraising activity offering a 1-mile or 5K run/walk that promotes healthy lifestyles in our children and community, organized by the Churchill parents group since 2007. Both races start and end at the Churchill elementary school playground. The “little kids race” gives children up to age 6 the opportunity to participate in a short sprint on the playground field at 10:45 a.m. This year’s schedule includes registration and packet pickup 5-7 p.m.... Full story
After a pandemic pause, the Cloquet schools Power Lunch program will be running this year, and volunteers are needed. Power Lunch matches students with community members to have lunch and read together. The commitment is one hour per week, and lunch is provided. There are different matches and lunch times available Monday through Thursday. Mondays and Tuesdays will be at Churchill, and Wednesday and Thursdays at Washington. The welcome luncheon will be held Oct. 4 for Churchill and Oct. 6 for Washington, and the program will run from Oct. 18...
• Bemidji State University recently announced several graduates from Cloquet: Trent Anderson (economics), Ryan Defoe, (master’s in business administration), Eric Lee (liberal studies), Autumn Mikula-Goodrich (psychology), Brena Mullen (wildlife biology), Erin Nygaard (nursing), and Allyson Rahkola (psychology). • Emily Johnson of Cloquet has been named to Southern New Hampshire University’s summer president’s list. Eligibility for the list requires an academic grade point average of 3.7-4.0....
Board members from Carlton and Cloquet School districts met for the first time Monday to continue discussions about a possible tuition agreement between the two schools. A tuition agreement would guarantee that Carlton students in grades 9-12 could enroll in the larger district — at a cost to the Carlton district — if and when Carlton closes its high school. Up to this point, only the two superintendents, business managers and the school board chair for each district have been talking. Both boa...
The Cloquet Area Chamber of Commerce held its 68th annual meeting, banquet and awards ceremony this week, after skipping last year due to the pandemic, and it was fun to see area business leaders get together in one room again. We appreciate the local chamber, which has an active membership and stays involved in the community it serves. It’s involved in advocating for local businesses at the local levels and is responsible for such events as the annual Home Show and the fall craft fair, as well as many other events and services throughout the y...
The private audit in Arizona of the already audited vote tally was a predictable farce. It should surprise no one that nothing was uncovered. Even the report’s dubious insinuations were immediately debunked by the Maricopa County election officials (who are of the same party that paid for the audit, by the way). When I balance my checkbook monthly, I use a calculator and years of learning from my mistakes to make sure my records reconcile with the bank records. Once a year my accountant r... Full story
It’s been a tough year for most of us. We lost many people, especially among our elderly populations. Many workers lost their jobs. Others had to show up, especially those in our health care centers, at considerable personal risk. Many businesses closed, laid off workers, and/or weathered a collapse in sales and earnings. As the ranks of laid-off workers expanded, many others chose to leave work to take care of preschoolers, school-aged kids or sick family members. Many of us have had to dip i...
Hooray, hooray to the staff of the Pine Knot News. Thanks to Ivan Hohnstadt, Jana Peterson and everyone else who helped organize the Sept. 25 West End Flourish event. They brought the sleepy west end of Cloquet alive, at least for a day. It was nice seeing people walk along the street to see what was going on and to visit the vendors along the way. So was stopping to see an old friend and give them a hug, handshake or elbow bump with a smile or a laugh. I would take a minute to look out my windows on Avenue C and Vine Street and see a crowd in... Full story
Richard Emery Storck, 87, of Cloquet passed away Sept. 28, 2021, at St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth. He was born Nov. 26, 1933, in Quincy, Illinois to William and Margaret (Helhake) Storck. Richard enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, serving nine years on full-time active duty, and continued his service with the 148th Air National Guard. He returned from the Korean War and was stationed in Finland, Minnesota. Richard met his future wife, Ruth Otterson, in Duluth on a double date, and they were... Full story
Robert "Bob" H. Carey, 75, passed away peacefully Sept. 26, 2021, at Diamond Willow Assisted Living in Cloquet, surrounded by his loving family. He was born March 22, 1946, in Duluth to Harvey and Jean (McDonell) Carey. Bob excelled at sports and played basketball for the University of Minnesota Duluth. After college, he met his love and best friend, Mary Day. They were married Aug. 14, 196,9 and spent 52 wonderful years together. After teaching and coaching basketball at McGregor and Silver... Full story
