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
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 28
There couldn't be too many cooks in the kitchens at the Cloquet VFW and Zion Lutheran Church Thanksgiving morning - every single one of them was needed. Organizers figure they served at least 650 people, including deliveries and the many who came to Zion to dine in or carry out the free Thanksgiving Day meals. "We don't keep track [of each meal] that well, but we had enough food to feed them all," said Dave Johnson, whose son, Raffy, is the driving force behind the community meal, which the... Full story
For the second time in less than a month, it seems a major piece of Cloquet real estate will change hands for the price of $1. Last time it was Carlton County selling the former Shaw Library building to the Carlton County Historical Society for $1. This time it is the City of Cloquet offering the combined police and fire station to the Cloquet Area Fire District for $1. CAFD will likely take over ownership of the building early next year, after the police move into a combined City Hall/Cloquet... Full story
After screening more than a dozen applicants, the Governor’s Commission on Judicial Selection has recommended he choose one of three candidates for Carlton County Judge to replace Judge Leslie Beiers, who asked that her seat be moved to Duluth upon Judge Mark Munger’s retirement in January. The three candidates are Kevin Cornwell, Terri Port Wright, and Rebekka Stumme. Although all three are very familiar faces in the Carlton County Courthouse, only Port Wright has an office in Carlton Cou... Full story
Following is an overview of Cloquet police calls for the week ending Nov. 23, 2018, provided by the Cloquet Police Department: • Officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for rolling through a stop sign and then drifting across the lanes. Officers immediately detected the odor of alcoholic beverage coming from the vehicle and that the driver had glassy eyes and slurred speech. The officer believed the driver was intoxicated and arrested him. He was lodged at the Carlton County jail for DWI. • Officers received a report of a vehicle dri... Full story
A crash on Highway 33 near the Cloquet Walmart Thanksgiving Day resulted in only minor injuries to people, thankfully. According to the Cloquet Police Department accident report, a blue Plymouth Neon driven by Tod Michael Urban Jr., of Britt, Minn. crashed into the back of a black Dodge Charger that was stopped at the traffic light, then also hit the passenger side door of a white Chevrolet Spark sitting in the left-turn lane next to the Dodge. A witness told CPD officer Kristina Sather that... Full story
With the Democrats in control of the House of Representatives in St. Paul, we’re sure to be discussing a state-wide minimum wage increase, probably to $15 an hour, phased in over a few years. $15 an hour is not a lot of money. But it’s a mandate that should not be implemented statewide. Most arguments for such an increase center around the fact that a person working full-time at the current minimum wage, can’t afford basic housing, groceries and transportation on their own. But such an argument ignores the fact that most minimum wage earne... Full story
Opinion page should present both sides of an issue To the editor: I love the new Pine Knot, and read it from beginning to end each week. It’s fun to hear about the community activities and the history of my old “hometown” among other enjoyable articles. I do, however, have one objection/suggestion. In the past few weeks the paper has printed a “Guest Columnist” column by Justin Krych, an Esko resident and deputy chair of the Eighth District Republican Party. But I find no column from a Democrat, giving a liberal perspective on the issues. A... Full story
I was sitting in my office the other day when the phone rang. A person I had never met before wanted to hire me. When I asked this person how they happened to call me, they said, “My friend said you’re the best divorce lawyer around.” Now, I am not necessarily the best divorce lawyer around, but I do flatter myself as pretty good at what I do. I suspect other divorce lawyers in town, like Dennis Korman or Jeff Westermann or Gail Nouska get called “the best” as well, maybe even more frequentl... Full story
Come January, the school board at Carlton ISD 93 will have two new board members and the return of one current school board member as a result of November's election. I am hopeful the board will build upon the momentum created by the community engagement process over the past year. Regarding the last board meeting Nov. 19, there were many things said that were thoughtful and true. And some that were perplexing. The subject of consolidation is brought up at board meetings because there are many... Full story
Competition. We have all been in this circumstance at least once or more in our lives, but when all the points are tabulated, the chips counted or the votes tallied, there remains one story - the victor's. Take it from the guy who's lost in more things than he has won. The losing side is not glamorous, but it's worth talking about. So much sweat, aching joints and positively every single emotion that could be experienced to the point of debilitating exhaustion. All for what? To lose? Growing... Full story
My love affair with flowers is never more angst-filled than when the frosts of fall put to death the vibrant colors of summer. Blooming ends, vegetation wilts, even the grass fades and withers. The entire landscape melts into a neutral, barren wasteland of brown and tan. Drab, desolate, decaying. Multiple autumns back, this was the state of my soul as well. Empty, grieving, dead. Another baby had been on the way. A baby due in May, but a baby we would never hold. A girl, we thought. Emma. Cold,... Full story
If you're in the mood for a great holiday mystery, the answer is simply elementary: go and enjoy the County Seat Theater's production of "The Game's Afoot or Holmes for the Holidays." It is December 1936, and Broadway star William Gillette (portrayed by CST newcomer Ryan Klawitter) - admired the world over for his leading role in the play Sherlock Holmes - has invited his fellow cast members to his Connecticut castle for a weekend of revelry. But when one of the guests is stabbed to death, the... Full story
And then there were two. Members of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa living in District 1 (Cloquet) will elect a new representative on Tuesday, choosing between Patty Petite and Wally Dupuis, the top vote getters in an October primary election that featured 12 candidates. The winner will serve two years as the District 1 committee person for the Fond du Lac Reservation Business Committee, filling the seat vacated by Vanessa Northrup after she was removed from the seat in July by... Full story
Marlene A. (Antonson) Klister Marlene A. (Antonson) Klister, 84, of Wyoming, Minn., formerly of Cloquet, Minn., left this earth for her heavenly home Nov. 14, 2018 while at Ecumen North Branch Nursing Home. She is preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her husband, Dayle C. Klister; daughters Pamela Stroh and Karen (Jon) Thorell; son Kevin Stroh; stepdaughters Cheryl Tiessen, Debra Patterson and Brenda Widell; stepson Bobbie Klister; grandchildren Tahna Hillstrom, Shane Antonson... Full story
Although the Cloquet School District ended its fiscal year 2018 with a deficit, the annual audit by WIPFLi CPAs and Consultants brought the somewhat usual “things are better than originally predicted” news. After predicting a budget shortfall for fiscal year 2018 of $507,095, the actual budget deficit for the district’s unassigned general fund balance was only $116,828, a difference of $390,267. The fiscal year runs July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018. The $116,828 will be covered by the distr... Full story
Santa is home for the holidays now The annual Santa’s Home for the Holidays is in full swing already, with a chili feed courtesy of the Cloquet and Fond du Lac police, who reported a good turnout Wednesday; the same with the Pine Knot News open house with Santa on Thursday. But there is much still to come. A gift and craft show continues today (Friday, Nov. 30) at the Armory, followed by Holidays on the Farm at the Carlton County Historical Society 1-3 p.m., and free photos with Santa, live children’s holiday music, and crafts and dinner at... Full story
Remember back in the day when we would hear radio or TV announcements that there were only 15 or 20 shopping days left till Christmas? Back then, there were all those Christmas catalogs that would come in the mail and the kids would pore over the toy sections until the pages were ripped or almost worn out. I think it was more fun dreaming of all the gifts we wanted as kids than actually getting them for Christmas. One year my parents were pretty poor and there wasn’t much money for gifts so m... Full story
DCLOQUET-The Esko Eskomos girls basketball team used a strong second half Tuesday night to pull away from the Cloquet Lumberjacks to win their sixth consecutive meeting against the Lumberjacks - a 55-38 win at Cloquet Middle School. "We have a lot more depth this year than we did a year ago," Esko head coach Scott Antonutti said. That depth helped the Eskomos as they used a second half run to distance themselves from the Lumberjacks in the season opener for both teams. The teams traded small... Full story
Local small school basketball teams hit the court two weeks ago for their first practices. A few of those teams played their first games of the season on Tuesday night and the rest of those schools will play their first games by the end of this week. The following is a preview of the small schools girls basketball team in Carlton County. CARLTON BULLDOGS: The Bulldogs had a solid 13-15 record last year and return a solid nucleus of players, including three starters from last year's team. "We... Full story
After a one-year hiatus the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College women's basketball team returns under first-year coach Robert Smith while the Thunder men look to improve on a 5-14 record under coach Brian Burtnyk. The Thunder men's team struggled last season, but the good news is that four players return from last year's team and they have added a trio of players, two from Florida and one from Texas. "We had two scrimmages against Salo's Showcase, which was a great experience for us,"... Full story
The following Cloquet players were selected for the Section 7AAAA Coaches All-Section Team: Ryan Badger, grade 12, positions FB/DE Eli Benson, grade 12, positions SE/CB Noah Niemi, grade 12, position OL Anthony Bastien, grade 12, positions OL,DL Jordan Leimer, grade 12, position DL Luke Konietzko, grade 12, positions OL/DL The following Cloquet players received Honorable Mention for the 2018 Section 7AAAA Coaches All-Section Team: Andre Peters, grade 12, positions RB/LB Alex Leuzzo, grade 12, positions RB/CB Riley Leslie, grade 12, positions... Full story
Talk about jumping into the proverbial fire, the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton boys wrestling team opened practice on Monday and will hit the mat on Saturday in the prestigious Lakeville North Tournament. Next Friday they will follow up with a two-day tournament in Brainerd. "Lakeville is an individual tourney and will feature a lot of teams in the Twin Cities area and western Wisconsin," said CEC coach Al Denman, adding that the Brainerd tourney will be an even tougher test. "We kind of get thrown into... Full story
KThe Cloquet-Esko-Carlton boys hockey team opened the season with back-to-back road losses last weekend. The Lumberjacks opened play on Friday against Lakeville North and fell in overtime 3-2 at the Bloomington Ice Garden. Saturday the 'Jacks dropped a 5-3 decision to St. Thomas Academy. Against Lakeville North, the Lumberjacks trailed 1-0 after one period of play. Spencer Schneider of the Panthers scored at the 2:47 mark to give his team the lead. "It was our first period of the season and we a... Full story
Hello, everyone in the Pine Knot community, hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. I did! I spent time with my family, my favorite mother-in-law and some of my grandkids. We always like to take a little hike in the woods and look for stuff; this time we ventured a little way out on a frozen pond and enjoyed looking through the ice and crystal clear water for plants, animals and whatever else we could discover. This got me thinking about the color of water in my own neighborhood. In Carlton... Full story
I welcomed the early morning help from my oldest brother Bob in preparing my own shore lunch pack. It was my first day as a fishing guide, and I had enough to worry about. A guide’s shore lunch pack is as individual as each guide. Some are heavy packers, prepared to cook a seven-course meal to impress guests. The rest are light packers, relying on their fishing skills to make the day memorable. I had no interest in becoming a shore lunch chef — I would be a light packer, come hell or high wat... Full story
