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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After seeing Covid-19 cases climb precipitously this month, Wrenshall school district officials sent students an early Christmas present — letting kids out of school five days early — in hopes of getting people well. Superintendent Kim Belcastro said the early vacation was in response to rising Covid numbers, but even more about difficulties finding substitute teachers for sick teachers, including several who were fully vaccinated. Finding a balance between keeping students safe and giving the...
Thomson Township residents and its board of supervisors are still unhappy with the proposed tax increase levied by the Cloquet Area Fire District. After attending the truth-in-taxation public hearing and the monthly CAFD board meeting earlier this month, township board members shared their feelings of frustration with the public and searched for solutions at their meeting. Supervisors Anthony Compo and Jason Paulson told the board about their experience at the CAFD board meeting on Dec. 15, where they brought up the township’s concerns, not o...
An alert reader sent us his discovery after seeing this photo printed in the Dec. 3 issue of the Pine Knot News. Sean Sundquist said he recognized it as a shot of what was known as the Outlaw Bridge over the Pigeon River in far northeastern Minnesota, a forerunner to the U.S.-Canada connection on Highway 61 near Grand Portage. A wooden bridge was erected by Rotary members from the area in 1917 in a rather remote area northwest and inland from the current highway along Lake Superior. A hotel...
Marge Stillwell has been giving the gift of music at the Presbyterian Church in Cloquet for more than six decades, and last week a group of musicians decided to return the favor. They held a birthday concert for the longtime organist in honor of her 90th birthday. James Sheetz, the music director at the church and proprietor/general manager of the Scott House, was the brains behind the concert, who produced and coordinated the concert. He also talked about Marge, and their working relationship....
It was difficult to hear the pleas from students, parents and other district residents begging the school board to keep Carlton High School open. They were talking through masks and the speakers hanging from the ancient walls weren't optimal in the dimly lit and cavernous "small gym" that also serves as a cafeteria. Custodial machines could be heard in adjacent hallways. There was a varsity boys basketball game going on in the nearby main gym and buzzers and fans could be heard intermittently. A...
The victim spoke first in Thursday’s sentencing hearing for the former Barnum girls basketball coach. She talked about how she fell in love with basketball at age 12, and how the sport is forever tainted by her experience. She shared how her 33-year-old coach first started messaging her on the phone over Snapchat, asking if she would play on a slow pitch softball team that weekend, and how he didn’t want to take “no” for an answer. It got worse. He would ask her uncomfortable questions about her personal life, did she have a boyfriend, things...
Unanimously, the Carlton County board of commissioners approved the sale of $10,000,000 worth of bonds to pay for early planning and early construction costs of the new jail/justice center to be built just south of Olsonville at Carlton Junction. In action at the regular session on Dec. 14, the board sold the bonds, which are scheduled to be paid off in 2043 at an average interest rate of almost 1.758 percent. Auditor/Treasurer Kevin DeVriendt commented, “The funding package came in as expected, the true interest cost is a good rate, and this w...
Cloquet Class of 2019 grad Aidan Ripp is competing in the U.S. Olympic Team trials in Lake Placid today, hoping to represent the United States in the Winter Olympics in China in February. Ripp, a sophomore at Paul Smith's College in New York's Adirondack State Park, qualified at the Continental Cup event in Beijing, China, Dec. 4-5. It gave him enough points to compete in the trials in Nordic combined, which combines ski jumping with Nordic skiing. Ripp learned to jump at Cloquet's Pine Valley....
After repeated attempts to contact the owners of the building that formerly housed first Mexico Lindo, then Pedro's Mexican restaurant, Cloquet City councilors voted Tuesday to declare the historic downtown Cloquet building "a vacant and hazardous substandard building." Community development director Holly Hansen said the hope is to acquire (via condemnation) the building at 915 Cloquet Avenue and then try to find a developer who would revitalize the building. A public hearing is set for Feb....
After a month of hearing from irate taxpayers in mostly Thomson Township, the Cloquet Area Fire District is right back where it started 12 months ago. Following the CAFD Board vote Wednesday at the Scanlon Community Center, the property tax levy for 2022 will be exactly what it was a year ago: $3,143,425. Likewise, the ambulance district levy will be set at 0.019 percent of estimated market value (EMV), exactly what it was a year ago. The fire and rescue levy will be close to what it was a year...
At a special meeting Dec. 7, the Barnum school board approved, by a 4-3 vote, specific facility maintenance projects totaling more than $8 million. However, board members tabled anything to do with funding those projects this week. Some of the items would be funded by bonding for health and safety, which does not require a vote by school district residents for approval. Other projects, such as roof replacements, are not covered under health and safety, just long-term facilities maintenance, explained Barnum superintendent Mike McNulty in a...
We can’t say it any better, so, for Christmas, we again share with you the prose poem, “Desiderata,” written by Max Ehrmann in 1927. The title itself means things that are desired or wanted, in this case, desired qualities of the soul and of the heart. Desiderata Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story...
Greetings from the Pine Knot News family in Carlton County. It’s been quite a year for the family, so we’re excited to share this with our friends and extended family during this holiday season. We had some great news in January. We won the coveted Mills trophy for being the best weekly newspaper in Minnesota from the Minnesota Newspaper Association. And we we competed against some pretty big weeklies with much higher circulation. That’s a career-defining honor, Jana said, and is quite an achie...
Carlton County workers and businesses are receiving economic development support through funds provided by the State of Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). Recently announced competitive awards fall into two categories: business expansion grants and workforce development grants. In a recent competition for $6 million in business expansion grants, Carlton’s Chemstar Products Company has been awarded $140,000 from the state’s job creation fund. Chemstar, a leadi...
Santa Claus came a few weeks early, bringing presents for Minnesota Twins fans. First was the news that Byron Buxton had signed a long-term million-dollar contract. The talented but oft injured Buxton will continue to gallantly track down fly balls for the next seven years at Target Field as the Twins center fielder. Second, and this has been on Minnesota baseball fans' holiday wish list for decades, Twins immortals Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat were chosen to be part of the July 2022 Baseball Hall...
The Carlton school board vote taken Monday, Dec. 20, on the proposed grade 9-12 tuition agreement with Cloquet did not result in a vote of support for the school and community — as it appears at face value — but rather a vote to dissolve the district. An entity cannot repeatedly operate with a deficit budget and continue to function longterm, whether that entity is a business, nonprofit, household, or, in this instance, a school district. It appears the school board has kicked the proverbial can down the road again; although this can is not...
My family and I would like to thank John Prouty, Jim Meikle, and the Pine Knot staff for their part in looking up information on our uncle Sig. It occurs to me that Sig may have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, which was not recognized at the time. He was in Italy, and I have read stories of infantrymen in Italy having to follow tanks up the mountain, where the tank treads chopped up the bodies of American and German soldiers who had died on the trail. I know Sig would have been horrified to see something like that. Ken...
Regarding the Dec. 10 Harry’s Gang column by Pete Radosevich about U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber and his vote against the infrastructure bill last month: Maybe, just maybe, Pete Stauber wanted a vote of true infrastructure (roads, bridges). What percentage of all these Build Back Better measures go to honest, hard infrastructure. I challenge Pete (as part-owner of the paper and publisher) to publish what is in the bill or at least the top 20 or 25 items. Fix our roads and bridges but leave all the junk out. Tony Sheda, Wrenshall...
With travel expected to be near pre-pandemic levels, the demand for Covid tests - as well as vaccinations - are up across the board. The fast-spreading omicron variant adds urgency. State health officials on Wednesday announced that omicron is now the dominant strain of the coronavirus in Minnesota. A spokesperson for Abbott Labs, which manufactures the BinaxNOW rapid antigen tests, said the company is seeing unprecedented demand and currently produces about 50 million tests per month, with the...
Nancy L. Mrosla, 67, of Carlton, passed away Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021, at St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth. She was born July 26, 1954, in Gilbert, the daughter of Peter and Siiri (Nevalainen) Nissinen. Nancy graduated from Gilbert High School and later worked as a dental hygienist. She was married to Duane Mrosla on March 4, 1988, in Carlton. Nancy was a very active member of Journey Christian Church in Cloquet, the quilting club, bible study groups, and volunteering. She was a pet lover and enjoyed...
Shirley Ann Saaristo, 76, of Cloquet passed away peacefully Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021 in her home with her loving family by her side. She was born July 13, 1945 in Cloquet to Carl "Hank" and Irene Glader. Shirley attended school in Cloquet. She married Edwin Saaristo Jan. 13, 1962 in Cloquet. She was a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Cloquet. She enjoyed crossword puzzles, cooking shows and game shows. She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Edwin. Shirley will be missed by her...
Richard W. Lundquist, 74, of Esko passed away Dec. 17, 2021, at St. Mary's Hospital in Duluth. He was born September 17, 1947, in Alexandria, the son of Raymond and Ruby (Schwartz) Lundquist. Richard was united in marriage to Christine Spooner Aug. 9, 1991. He worked as a truck driver for many years and was a retired member of Teamsters Local 346. Richard was preceded in death by his parents; son, Brent Lundquist; and a brother, James Lundquist. He is survived by his wife, Christine; daughter,...
Cliford John Gallup, 70, of Wrenshall passed away Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021 in The North Shore Estates in Duluth. He was born Sept. 25, 1951 in Cloquet to Eugene and Marie Gallup of Wrenshall. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Phyllis; sons, Daniel and Allen Gallup; a sister, Linda (Glen) Wood; and many nieces, nephews and friends. A private service will be held at a later date. Pine Knot News, Dec. 24, 2021...
Arthur D. Line, 90, of Cloquet passed away Dec. 21, 2021 at Inter-Faith Care Center, Carlton, after a courageous battle with cancer of the tongue. He was born March 15, 1931 in Cromwell to James and Dorcas (Gravelle) Line. Art was the oldest of eight children. He worked at Conwed for 32 years. Art was always quick to help a neighbor, friend, or his family. He loved to snowmobile, fish, ride his four-wheeler, cut grass and enjoy a beer or brandy. Art always had a beautiful garden and always...
Mary Linda Mettner, 72, of Cloquet passed into eternal life Nov. 9, 2021. Due to Covid-19, the memorial service scheduled for Jan. 15 at Zion Lutheran Church has been postponed. Nelson Funeral Care, 218-879-3225 Dorothy Arlyne Lisignoli, 91, passed away peacefully in her home in Cloquet. Due to Covid-19, Dorothy’s memorial service scheduled for Dec. 28 at Zion Lutheran Church has been postponed. Nelson Funeral Care, 218-879-3225...
