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Former Cloquet mayor Bruce Ahlgren died Friday, Oct. 27, in the hometown he loved and affected in so many ways. Ahlgren's wife, Marla, said he had been waiting to have heart surgery for five weeks, but collapsed and died at home. Their daughter, Angie, honored her "sweet, loving, gregarious father" on Facebook later that day. Whether it was leading the city as its longest serving mayor, running the court system or the myriad other ways he got involved in public service, Ahlgren was charming, and...
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has a host of tips for those heading out into the wilds this weekend for the deer hunting opener. Here’s a sample of things to think about this season. Register your deer Hunters are required to register every deer they harvest before processing, before antlers are removed and within 48 hours after taking the animal. Hunters can register deer online, via phone or in person. Information from deer registration is essential for the DNR to track and manage deer populations. It’s in the wind Deer hav...
Seven years after it was purchased in 2016, a prominent property in Esko is nearly ready for its big reveal. "We're basically starting over," said Mike Blanchet, who, with his spouse and fellow pastor, Sally Blanchet, will open the doors to Living Word Church later this month. Located at 3 W. Highway 61 across from the post office, the nondenominational church expects to open around Thanksgiving, with 10:30 a.m. Sunday services and additional days of prayer on Wednesday and Saturday nights. The...
There are a number of Veterans Day events scheduled in Carlton County. The Carlton VFW Veterans Day Dinner is Saturday, Nov. 11. There is a program at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 5:30 p.m. The dinner is free for all veterans, $14 for others. The Cloquet VFW will offer free meals to veterans via takeout only 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11. Meals for non-veterans are $15 each. Call 218-210-7793 to reserve meals. Cromwell-Wright School will host its annual Veterans Day program beginning at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10 at the gym. Veterans can come at...
A Culver man was found dead Sunday, Oct. 29 after his vehicle apparently flipped into a water-filled ditch off St. Louis County Highway 7 south of Highway 133 in Meadowlands Township. A 911 call came in just before 9 a.m. Sunday. Area first responders were dispatched and found a male, the only occupant of the vehicle, inside the vehicle. He was later identified as 25-year-old Zachary Nicholas Johnson from Culver. This incident remains under investigation by the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office and St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office. Ass...
The MedExpress health care clinic in Cloquet’s Lumberjack mall by Super One sent an email notice to patients that it would close Thursday, Nov. 2. Patients can still access care via virtual visits at medexpress.com. Anyone who needs medical records should call 304-985-3636 or visit the website and search “medical records....
Sandy Dugan For the Pine Knot News Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture Thom Peterson spent a couple of hours Monday, Oct. 30, listening to two dozen area farmers at the Route 61 Lounge and Bowling restaurant in Moose Lake. The main topic was this summer's continuing drought, with side issues on the lack of processing capacity, overconsolidation of operations, and problems with data management. The gathering, hosted by Gary Wertish, president of the Minnesota Farmers Union, included farmers...
Esko students will premiere the fall musical, "Alice in Wonderland," at the Esko High School theater on Wednesday, Nov. 8. The show runs two weekends: Nov- 8-10 and Nov. 15-17, and 19. Tickets are $12 for adults, PreK-12 students $5. Call 218-879-4673, ext 320, or visit esko.ludus.com for tickets and times. "This is a new musical version of the timeless classic," said director Joyce Bergstedt. "Come join us for an evening of fun, high-energy entertainment."...
Nature photographer Will Stenberg captured this Wilson's snipe with his camera lens on the shore of Hay Lake in the Chub Lake area Wednesday afternoon. Send your favorite nature photos to [email protected]....
Cloquet City councilors will likely vote on a business owner’s request to change zoning and land use at Tuesday’s meeting. Ken Maki would like to construct an office/shop for his business, on land near his home south of North Road and Sunnyside Lane. In order to do that, he’s asking the city to change the Comprehensive Plan for that property from moderate- to high-density residential, and then rezone the property from single family residential to regional commercial. The land in question is surrounded by mixed properties, with some singl...
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This really happened ... On a bright, azure-sky Christmas day, 2003, my wife and I corralled the kids and the dog and strode out into the snowy landscape to find a good place to take a Christmas card photo. We'd fallen into the tradition of featuring just the kids in our annual photos because either Blythe or I would have to take the photo. And having just one parent in the photo would give the wrong impression. Eventually, we ended up at Spafford Park after unsuccessful attempts at Pinehurst,...
As the top seed in the Section 7AAA volleyball tournament, the Cloquet Lumberjacks received a first-round bye. On Monday night, the 'Jacks stepped on their home court to play a semifinal match against fourth-seeded North Branch. Cloquet managed to come out with a hard-fought 3-1 victory by scores of 22-25, 25-20, 25-17 and 25-22. "We hadn't played since Oct. 17, and I think that had a lot to do with the way we started the match," said Heidi Anderson, Cloquet's head coach. At one point in the...
Football Saturday, Oct. 28 Nine-man semifinals Ogilvie 44, Cromwell-Wright 14 7AA semifinals Barnum 41, Aitkin 0 Moose Lake/WR 28, Mesabi East 14 7AAA semifinals Esko 56, Pierz 8 Pequot Lakes 21, Two Harbors 15 Thursday 7AAA championship game Esko vs. Pequot Lakes, UMD’s Malosky Stadium, 7 p.m. 7AA championship game Barnum vs. ML/WR at Esko, 6 p.m. Volleyball Wednesday 7AA tournament Esko 3 Mesabi East 1 Thursday 7AAA championship game Cloquet vs. Grand Rapids at Hermantown, 6 p.m. SATURDAY 7AA championship game Esko vs. Rush City at H...
The one thing Esko head coach Sharon Lahti didn't want was a state soccer game decided by penalty kicks. But that's what she got at the Class A quarterfinal game against St. Paul Academy on Oct. 26. The game ended in heartbreak with Esko losing, 2-1, at Irondale High School in New Brighton. "They're the hardest way to have a game end, and it happened to both the CEC boys and us," she said. "The kids gave it their all, but it wasn't in the cards for any of the northern teams." Like the Cloquet-Es...
From the opening kickoff Saturday, Oct. 28, the Esko football team sought to dominate. Senior Ethan Kilichowski blew up a blocker on Esko's opening kick, then proceeded to make the tackle, triggering an avalanche of physical play that buried Pierz in a 56-8 romp on Esko's turf. The coldest day of the season so far had some watching the game from vehicles along Canosia Road. But many of the Esko players eschewed long sleeves for the Section 7AAA matchup, shrugging off the chill and dispensing...
After dispatching Bertha-Hewitt in the first round of the Section 5 nine-man football playoffs, the Cromwell-Wright Cardinals ran into a buzzsaw in the Ogilvie Lions. Ogilvie, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, downed the Cards 44-14, ending their season. “Overall, I was very pleased with the season,” said Cards coach Jeff Gronner. “It was our best season in five years as far as wins and losses go.” The first quarter of the game was played mostly in the red zone in the Cromwell end of the fie...
The Minnesota Wilderness completed a second consecutive weekend sweep of a home-and-home series, extending their winning streak to 10 games in the process last weekend. In the first North American Hockey League game played on Minnesota’s Iron Range, Nick Erickson, of Apple Valley, Minnesota, made 33 saves and posted his second shutout in as many starts this season for a 2-0 win over the Chippewa Steel on Saturday at Iron Trails Motor Event Center. The winning streak tied a franchise record, set in 2013-14, and set a new mark with 11 straight c...
When they met for the season opener, Barnum's first victory over Moose Lake/Willow River came only after two overtimes. This week, the neighboring football teams will play again, with the Section 7AA title and a trip to State on the line. The Bombers remain undefeated after overwhelming the Aitkin Gobblers, 41-0, in one section semifinal at Barnum Saturday, while the Rebels topped Mesabi East, 28-14, in Willow River Saturday to advance to the section championship contest Thursday night in Esko....
Section 7AA volleyball action tipped off Oct. 25 with three Carlton County teams in action. All three of our local teams played in the south side of the bracket with only one of those teams - Esko - advancing after the first two rounds. Esko, the No. 2 seed in the south, opened the first round with an easy 3-0 win over Hinckley-Finlayson. "That match went about how we thought it would," said Esko coach Pete Stasiuk. Esko added another win to its resume Friday, Oct. 27 by knocking off Pine City,...
South Ridge and Cromwell-Wright girls volleyball met for the third time this season on Friday, and the Panthers emerged victorious for the third time, knocking the Cardinals out of the playoffs. Seeded No. 2 in the south 7AA subsection, the Panthers won 3-1 and earned a spot in the semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 1 against Ely, with the game to be played in Virginia at Rock Ridge High School. Ely is the No. 1 seed in the north part of the section. The loss by Cromwell-Wright (ranked No. 3 in the...
Jack Riley had the moment he'd been waiting for last week, winning the Section 7A cross country meet Thursday, Oct. 26, and setting a personal record in the process. "It felt pretty good," the Wrenshall senior said in a phone interview Monday. "I've kind of been looking forward to that kind of thing since pretty early in my career, hoping to get there. It was pretty special." It was also redemption after a rough season last year. He made it to State then - this year makes three in a row - but...
How do you get 150 elementary children to hear and watch an opera? You treat them to a production by Little Opera of the North. It helps to have a scary tale with a happy ending, like "Hansel and Gretel." That was the fare on Oct. 9 at Wrenshall School. Music teacher Debbie Fenlason clapped her hands, the room became quiet, and baritone Rob Reardon stepped forward to greet the crowd and start the story: Two children get lost in the forest and encounter a witch who wants to turn them into...
Alas, there was snow on the ground before Halloween this year. We sure have had a great fall and the color has been spectacular. Now, the bright gold on the tamaracks and the white of the snow are making our landscapes and drives even more beautiful. The Hunters Supper is 4-7 p.m. today, Friday, Nov. 3, at the Cromwell Park Pavilion. The Red Bird Bazaar is 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the school in Cromwell. The Beehive Community Club will have an all-you-can-eat mojakka dinner 11 a.m. to 7 p.m....
There were two events the past couple of months in the Carlton Community. One was the Gigantic Garage Sale, sponsored by the Carlton VFW Auxiliary/Post 2962. Thirty-nine volunteers and groups from the Challenge Incarceration Program set up tables and for-sale items for the two-day sale at the Four Seasons Complex in Carlton. There were 102 deliveries of donated items by surrounding community members. The $12,480 raised is used by the auxiliary and post for their programs and improvements to the VFW. The other big event was the trick-or-treat...