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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This is a story about elections and their consequences. About victims and justice. About hope for a safer, brighter future for the children in our midst. On Aug. 9, this newspaper covered two sentencings in Sixth District Court in Carlton, both criminal sexual conduct cases involving juvenile female victims. The cases were the latest in a series of similar cases being prosecuted locally since Carlton County Attorney Lauri Ketola took elected office in 2019. The emotional afternoon saw the...
This week’s Pine Knot News and the local election guide inside are being delivered to almost every home and business in Carlton County for free. Please don’t throw it into the recycling bin before exploring what’s inside. You will find stories and photos about local government, events, business, crime, local sports, many local candidates, even our first-ever survey. There are ads too, for local businesses that you love. As the only independent and locally owned newspaper in Carlton County, our m...
Fall has arrived and with it, Halloween fun. The Haunted Shack outside Carlton opened last weekend. The smaller but spectacular Haunted Hawthorne is alive and well, with frights every weekend behind a family home in Cloquet. There's even an option for those who prefer to be terrified while driving their cars, courtesy of the County Seat Theater. Following is a list of area amusements, some tame and some spine-tingling and downright spooky: The County Seat's drive-in Halloween Spooktacular will...
Armory Road will be smoother, safer and a little less steep at the end after a $1.8 million reconstruction project is mostly complete in 2026. For now, that project exists only on paper, but assistant city engineer John Anderson said construction is expected to start next spring during a public hearing at Tuesday's Cloquet City Council meeting. It's a well-used road, leading from Minnesota Highway 33 to the Cloquet Armory, McDonald's Restaurant and entrances to the Lumberjack Mall businesses...
Kerry Rodd is running as a write-in candidate for Scanlon City Council. Born and raised in Scanlon, the longtime radio personality and sports writer said he wants to be more involved in his community. Rodd will be retiring from a job with Daugherty’s Appliance in Duluth at the end of the month. “As a person who was born and raised in this community, I’m fully committed to doing what is best for the city of Scanlon,” Rodd said. “I will have the time now that I will be retired from full-time...
Veterans, military members and descendants take note. The Pine Knot News will again publish a special section recognizing local veterans and military personnel on Friday, Nov. 8. But we need your help to do it with a deadline of noon Friday, Oct. 25. Please send or drop off photos of your veterans and military personnel along with their name, branch of service, rank, years and dates of service if available, and conflicts they participated in. Extra details, memories or stories from their years of service are encouraged. Please mail to or drop...
A televised debate between U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber and his DFL challenger, Jen Schultz, has been rescheduled to Oct. 29. The two will face off in a live, 40-minute debate hosted and moderated by WDIO’s Baihly Warfield and Darren Danielson now set for 6:20 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29....
Cloquet School Board members voted Monday against appointing a temporary replacement for Ken Scarbrough, who moved with his wife to North Dakota with less than three months left of his school board term. Superintendent Michael Cary said there was a former board member willing to serve the remainder of the term. He also explained there is a 30-day wait period for public comment, so even if the board had appointed a temporary member on Monday, they couldn’t be seated until Nov. 13, after the board’s first meeting that month. “So you would have...
A 26-year-old Duluth man was arrested Sunday after a report of someone breaking windows of Burger's Shoes, located at 1609 Carlton Ave., Cloquet. Matthew William Johnson was arrested shortly after the incident was reported at 8:55 p.m. Sunday. Johnson was charged Tuesday with first-degree felony damage to property and remained in Carlton County Jail into the week on $15,000 bail. According to the criminal complaint filed in Sixth District Court in Carlton, a witness called Cloquet police to say...
Don’t worry, kids, Santa and Mrs. Claus will again travel to Cloquet for some pre-Christmas merriment. This year’s Santa’s Home for the Holidays activities are being planned for Dec. 5-7, with many different organizations collaborating to make things happen, with most past events returning. The grand finale, as usual, will be the evening parade with all its holiday lights down Cloquet Avenue followed by fireworks. Look for more details in an upcoming issue of the Pine Knot. Email santa...
The candidate forum organized by the Cloquet Area Chamber of Commerce got a makeover for 2024. Instead of candidates sitting side by side in the Cloquet City Council chambers in front of a live audience, individual interviews were recorded without an audience and should be posted soon to the city and Chamber website, as well as the city’s CAT-7 channel (for Mediacom customers). The Cloquet forum will feature candidates for MN House District 11A and Carlton County Commissioner District 1 only....
Gary Sather, of Cloquet, received a $25 gift certificate to CreativEdge Designs in Carlton for being spotted sporting an "I Think Knot!" bumper sticker on his vehicle. "It's got all the information in it," Sather said of the Pine Knot News. Photo by Brady Slater / Pine Knot News...
Minnesota’s Cold Weather Rule is in place from Oct. 1 to April 30 each year. Under this state statute, eligible residential energy customers are protected from service disconnection for these seven months if the disconnection would affect the customer’s primary heating source. However, customers must set up and keep a monthly payment plan to be protected. If customers have a past-due balance on their bill or are struggling to keep up, they should contact their provider to explore options and set up a payment plan to avoid disconnection. The...
A week after a board training session on school board rights and responsibilities, Carlton school board chair Julianne Emerson expressed regret for suggesting at an earlier meeting that some board members talk more than others. “One of those people is me,” she admitted during Tuesday’s work session. “This is by far and away the best group of people that I’ve had to work with,” she added while expressing the desire for participation from all board members. Having thus cleared the air, the Carlton Board discussed plans for a self evaluation...
When we started the Pine Knot News six years ago, people in the newspaper industry noticed. Admittedly, it was mostly shock — Who was crazy enough to start a brand-new paper? — mixed in with a flicker of hope. It all started after my previous employer, the Pine Journal, closed its office here and moved operations to Duluth. A group of us felt strongly that Cloquet and Carlton County needed a solidly local newspaper that actually cared enough to have an office here and a paper producing original...
Back on Oct. 7, the Carlton school board itself went to school. Members met for three hours with a representative of the Minnesota School Board Association to receive instruction on Minnesota law, school board rights and responsibilities, Robert's Rules of Order, and several other subjects pertaining to the proper function of a school board. Carlton schools are facing significant challenges, but all six of the people governing the schools still found time to work on making themselves better...
Like clockwork, trucks roll in and trucks roll out, making the newest facility in the Cloquet Business Park function like a model of efficiency. C&L Distributing began operations here just before Memorial Day. The first few months in its new building have gone well, company representatives said, as staff settled into a daily pattern and workflow. When presented to the city of Cloquet, the center cost was $3.4 million with more than 20 employees expected to work there. Today there are 22 full-...
STATE REPRESENTATIVE District 11A (elect 1) Jeff A. Dotseth Republican Pete Radosevich Democratic- Farmer-Labor JUDICIAL CANDIDATES 6th District (elect 1) Gunnar B. Johnson, Shawn Reed, Duluth COUNTY COMMISSIONER District 1 (elect 1) Sarah Buhs Caleb Dunlap District 5 (elect 1) Dan Reed Alex French SOIL AND WATER SUPERVISOR District 1 (elect 1) Michelle Boyechko Barbara Dahl District 4 (elect 1) Gary Peterson District 5 (elect 1) Bruce Heikes Roger Hurd CITY CANDIDATES BARNUM City Council (elect 2) Darrel Berry James Calhoun CARLTON Mayor...
Carlton County is experiencing a steady flow of early voters and absentee ballots in advance of the Nov. 5 general election. “Since early voting started Sept. 20, we’ve been getting 50 to 100 voters each day,” said county auditor/treasurer Kevin DeVriendt. “The mail-in ballots are rolling in, too — 150 to 200 by mail every day.” Early voting is taking place at the auditor/treasurer’s office on the second floor of the Carlton County Historic Courthouse (Room 205). Also called “in-person absentee voting,” early voting is available for all...
Jeff Dotseth (I) Briefly summarize your personal background and qualifications. I am a husband, father, grandfather, farmer, realtor and small business owner who, as a state representative, has delivered for the people of District 11A during my first term in the Minnesota House of Representatives. What made you decide to run for state representative? I represent a district that previously lacked a strong voice. Local residents deserve better so I ran to solve local problems and get things done. Please describe where you stand on the following...
DISTRICT 1: Sarah Buhs Briefly summarize your personal background and qualifications. As a lifelong Carlton County resident working in public safety, healthcare, and community service, I'm dedicated to community well-being. Leadership, resilience, and passion for public service drives my commitment to positively impacting Carlton County. Learn why I am determined to be a Carlton County District 1 Commissioner at sarahplantebuhs.com. What made you decide to run for Carlton County commissioner this year? I'm concerned about rising taxes and...
Name: Gunnar Johnson Age: 56 Residence: Gnesen Township Current job: Attorney for Cloquet Area Fire District, City of Hermantown, numerous townships, and Overom Law. Education I received a BS in biology at UMD in 1990. I was on the Dean’s List and received service awards including the Sieur du Luth Award. I went to law school at the American University in Washington, DC. I graduated cum laude in the top 25 percent of my class in 1994. As an attorney, I attend at least 15 hours of Continuing Legal Education each year to maintain my Minnesota and...
Ann Gustafson Briefly summarize your personal background and qualifications. I have lived in Carlton and worked in Cloquet for 20 years. I am a parent, spouse, educator, farmer, and nature enthusiast. I served first on the Thomson then Carlton City Councils for 14 years. Next, I served the Carlton School Board for one term. Then, I needed a break... What made you decide to run for mayor this year? First and foremost, to make a positive difference in my community. But also, a friend pestered me, and my husband misses the fire department steak di...
David Lucas (I) Briefly summarize your personal background and qualifications. I have spent four years in the Marine Corps, five years in the Minnesota National Guard. I've lived and worked in the community for the last 24 yrs and the past 6 yrs as Mayor of Kettle River. What made you decide to run for mayor this year? Because I care for the wellbeing of the community and so I can continue to serve and keep moving the city in a positive direction. What do you think are the top two issues facing your city and how would you go about tackling...
Marcia Sarvela Briefly summarize your personal background and qualifications. I have lived in Kettle River since 1988 and have been active in city activities for many years. I have been attending the council meetings monthly for many years so I am familiar with the current issues. What made you decide to run for mayor/city council this year? There was no one filing to run except the incumbent, and I felt we needed someone to run against her. What do you think are the top two issues facing your city and how would you go about tackling them? One...
