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 35
A new dawn for Carlton and Wrenshall schools appears closer than ever before, after Carlton school board members on Monday talked about moving ahead with consolidation. Carlton board members softened their position on a one-site-only plan Monday, agreeing to start with two facilities — a merged high school at Wrenshall and combined elementary at South Terrace in Carlton. The board left open a vision for construction of a combined one-site school down the line. News of Carlton’s willingness to proceed in earnest with consolidation was met pos...
Remote Carlton County land west of Cloquet will be used to hold wild elk during the establishment of a herd, beginning as soon as 2026, following a vote by the county board Tuesday. “They’re not asking for permission to bring elk here, they’re asking for us to sign a lease on a particular parcel,” commissioner Marv Bodie said, directing the board to stay on task during another meeting that featured a wide-ranging discussion on efforts by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Min...
Sandy, from Wrenshall, was spotted with a Pine Knot News bumper sticker when she was at Bearaboo in Cloquet. She received a $25 gift certificate to Carmen's. Pick up your bumper sticker today at our West End office in Cloquet. You never know when you'll be spotted....
Moose Lake residents will help decide whether to maintain the city’s police force or contract with the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office for the city’s policing needs. The city scheduled a public hearing at 6 p.m. Jan. 24, and will also solicit public opinion by sending out a mailer and polling residents on the topic. The hearing will take place at the city council chambers at 313 Elm Ave. “A city councilor requested a public hearing on the matter to gather community input,” city administrator Ellissa Owens said in a statement. “Consensu...
Speak now, Esko residents, or forever hold your peace. The Thomson Township board of supervisors wants to hear from you regarding future development of Northridge Park. Township residents have until Jan. 5 to respond to questions in an online survey that will guide the use and design decisions for the park. Residents and others can answer the 14-question survey, which asks citizens to prioritize park amenities such as picnic tables, pickleball courts, trees, a fishing dock, soccer fields, cross country skiing, open space and more. Respondents...
The Cloquet school board approved a maximum levy increase Monday after a Truth in Taxation meeting that had no input from the public. Taxpayers can expect a 4.79-percent increase in the school portion of their taxes for the year 2024. District budget manager Candace Nelis said a huge factor in the increase is the delicate dance of state aid in contrast to property values in school districts. Values on property in Carlton County increased by up to 7 percent, Nelis said, meaning that even a “zero” increase in school taxes would leave res...
It began with a group of parents in the early 1960s looking for something - places to go, things to do - for their grown children, all of them adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Pinewood, Inc. grew out of that early effort at Zion Lutheran Church. Formed in 1964, the nonprofit organization offers employment and day support services to adults (over 18) with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Some may be born with the disability, others may qualify because of a... Full story
The Cloquet Police Department responded Dec. 7 to a report of a residence struck by bullets in the 10 block of 14th Street in Cloquet. The shooting is believed to have occurred the night before. Police discovered several bullet casings and at least one bullet hole in the residence. No injuries were reported in connection with the incident. The Cloquet Police Department is actively investigating the case, with no arrests made as of early this week. “The preliminary information suggests this is an isolated incident, and there is no immediate t...
It’s free to dispose of your unwanted or no longer working holiday lights at the Carlton County Transfer Station located at 1950 Highway 210. Rope lights, extension cords, appliance cords and telephone cords are also accepted. The transfer station is open 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. Before recycling, please remove all decorations and remove lights from any type of plastic spool, cardboard packaging, or plastic bags. Place the clean string lights in the correct box at the Transfer St... Full story
The Northland lost its most famous fry cook last week, when Marilyn Lundquist died at age 94, having spent two-thirds of those years working the grill at her family's Gordy's Hi-Hat in Cloquet. "She was amazing," said Dan Lundquist, her son. "She was special." Her husband, Gordy Lundquist, passed away at the same age, 94, in July of 2021. When he died, the couple had been married 71 years. And while Gordy was the face of the popular summertime burger destination, it was Marilyn who was its... Full story
Now that the new Esko school fitness center is nearing completion, school district officials are focusing on another big question: What to do with the 3,800 square feet occupied by the current fitness center? Create a flexible learning center, offered superintendent Aaron Fischer. He likened it to a commons area, a modern open space where students could go study for College in the Schools (CITS) classes at Esko, or even post secondary education option (PSEO) classes they're taking away from the...
Carlton County earned one of six outstanding achievement awards for exhibiting excellence and innovation at the annual conference for Minnesota's 87 counties earlier this month. Carlton County was celebrated for establishing a formal agreement with the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. "In 2023, Carlton County, (the) Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Arrowhead Regional Corrections completed a 12-page agreement that guides agreed-upon best practices, protocols and...
The city of Cloquet is calling on eligible residents to serve as election judges for the 2024 Presidential Nominating Primary on March 5, Primary Election on Aug. 13, and General Election Day, Nov. 5. Cloquet election judges are paid $12-$14 per hour depending on their assigned duties. By law, election judges are granted time off from their regular work. Potential judges must be eligible to vote in Minnesota, be able to read, write and speak English, and complete an online training session. If interested, call City Hall at 218-879-3347 and ask...
Boycott the deer hunt? That was a suggestion from Carlton County commissioner Gary Peterson last week, during a widely attended meeting in Carlton about wolves and their supposed impact on the declining deer population. Peterson was quoted by a Duluth media source as telling the crowd of roughly 300 attendees, "Boycott the deer season," as a way of hitting the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in its pocketbook. When reached for further comment this week about his suggestion, Peterson...
Jordan Rau KFF Health News Jon Guckenberg's rent for a single room in an assisted living cottage in Cloquet was $4,140 a month before adding in a raft of other charges. The facility, New Perspective Cloquet, charged him $500 to reserve a spot and a $2,000 "entrance fee" before he set foot inside two years ago. Each month, he also paid $1,080 for a care plan that helped him cope with bipolar disorder and kidney problems, $750 for meals, and another $750 to make sure he took his daily... Full story
One of the things people say in the receiving line at funerals is "If there is anything we can do, please let us know ...." So, we did. We let you know. And we will continue to do so. Drowning people are rarely too shy to ask for help. And everyone has been amazing. The prayers - we feel them. The food - we've eaten it. The flowers - we've smelled them and done our damnedest to keep them alive. The nervous awkward smiles at the grocery store - no one knows what to say and how could they? We... Full story
Rep. Stauber is on the wrong side of nearly every issue today, in my opinion. From wolves to MAGA to the United States Postal Service, he ignores the facts and plays to his base. An understandable political tactic, but very disingenuous and dangerous. Stauber knows better, but fails at every turn to do the right thing. When Trump speaks in Hitleresque ways, using terms such as “vermin” to describe his opponents, where is Stauber’s condemnation? Only silence. Every horrible statement made by his Republican partners has gone cowardly unack... Full story
The Pine Knot News Facebook page is the only place we allow comments on stories, which often provide insight or lead to other stories. Or just bring joy because the story is appreciated or advanced the community good. And then there are the times that people cross the line and start calling names. If we see those, we get rid of them without debate. Like this comment from Stephen Peterson: “Keep our original state flag, you thin-skinned morons.” How did that comment add anything to the conversation? Happily, rudeness didn’t rule the day. There w... Full story
The start of last week's basketball game between Esko and Cloquet was not what Esko coach Derek Anderson anticipated. "We came out and got three fouls and had five or six turnovers right away," said Anderson. "We were sloppy and we had to call a timeout. We like to play fast, but we needed to slow things down and get under control." Following the timeout, Esko came back with a vengeance and sprinted to an 18-point halftime lead. They ended the game with an impressive 75-61 road win over the... Full story
Thursday, Dec. 7 Girls Hockey CEC 2 Hibbing/Chisholm 1 Boys Hockey Denfeld 5 CEC 4 MLA 3 WSFG 2 Girls Basketball Crosby-Ironton 72 Esko 58 Cromwell-Wright 77 McGregor 26 North Woods 62 Carlton/Wrenshall 25 Boys Basketball Cherry 93 Barnum 60 Carlton/Wrenshall 56 East Central 40 Hermantown 78 Cloquet 60 Friday, Dec. 8 Boys Basketball Esko 78 Cloquet 61 Cromwell-Wright 83 McGregor 48 Girls Basketball South Ridge 83 Littlefork-Bigfalls 26 Saturday, Dec. 9 Boys Hockey CEC 3 East Grand Forks 2 Ely 7 MLA 1 Girls Basketball MIB 76 Cromwell-Wright 63... Full story
Anticipation was high in the Cromwell High School gymnasium Tuesday when Cloquet and Cromwell-Wright girls basketball teams met on the hardwood. The Lumberjacks came into the game with a 4-0 record, while the Cardinals were 5-1. Something had to give. "It is always just a great atmosphere when we go to Cromwell," said Cloquet coach Heather Young. "The fans are loud and they are right on top of you, which makes for fun basketball." Cloquet had to withstand a furious second-half comeback by the Ca... Full story
The Minnesota Wilderness maintained their first-place pace last weekend, winning twice before dropping the finale to visiting Fairbanks, 2-0, on Sunday. The Wilderness won in dominant fashion, 5-0, on Friday, and stole a 1-0 shootout win Saturday, when Gustavs Ozolins scored in the fourth round of the shootout. It marked the second time this season the Wilderness and Ice Dogs finished in a shootout. As he did the first time on Oct. 7 in Fairbanks, it was Ozolins who ended the game with a goal against Esko native Kyle Abrahamson. Ozolins said... Full story
It may have started in northern Minnesota, but Jamie Langenbrunner's hockey career has taken him across the country and around the world. But Wednesday, Dec. 6 brought him right back to northern Minnesota, even though he was standing in a hotel in Boston. That's when the former standout Lumberjacks hockey player was enshrined into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame - located in Eveleth, Minnesota - along with four others in Boston. "It was an amazing honor to be elected to the Hall of Fame,"... Full story
Ken Schloer has been a retired Cloquet coach and educator for more than 20 years, and I recently visited with him to find out what drove him to having such a successful teaching and coaching career. Schloer was born in Red Wing, grew up in the Twin Cities area, and graduated from the now closed Minneapolis Central High School. He had an older and a younger brother. They were all together in Boy Scouts growing up, but he was the only one who played organized sports. By the 10th grade, he quit... Full story
There was a little extra cleaning and TLC last August in the Cloquet Middle School pool. It was completely drained, scrubbed and some on-deck painting was completed as well. In addition to the almost daily usage of the pool by the school district for physical education classes, Community Education also utilizes it for morning/senior lap swims, swimming lessons, aquatics classes and more. Last year, over 1,200 children participated in 168 Red Cross swimming classes. More than 700 participated in...
