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 26 - 50 of 3340
Sixth District Court judge Rebekka Stumme called it the most “remarkable” victim impact statement she’d ever heard, after Brandon Westby asked the judge to be lenient. Westby’s father, Justin David McNeil, died after being hit by 21-year-old driver Brent James Keranen on March 21. “As a Christian, I reflect on the many examples of forgiveness found in the Bible,” said Brandon Westby. “My father was a devoted Christian. With that in mind, I forgive the young man [sitting] here.” Stumme listened to Westby — and also spent weeks pondering her deci...
A rural Carlton County man who posted a sexual image of a minor online was sentenced to prison for more than 17 years for one count of production and attempted production of child pornography. The sentence was announced in U.S. District Court last month. Cord Cameron Schipman, 34, of Blackhoof Township in Carlton County, pleaded guilty in June and was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz on Nov. 21 to 210 months at the federal prison in Sandstone, requested by the defendant so he could be closer to family. Schipman was...
Gerald "Buck" Bloomquist recently turned 100 years old. Born Oct. 10, 1924, he was part of The Greatest Generation, graduating from Cloquet High School in 1942. He currently lives at a Veterans Home in Rifle, Colorado. He is a proud veteran of World War II. The Nov. 8 Pine Knot Veterans Day tribute spurred the Bloomquist relatives and me to revive - and retrieve - Buck's military and life stories. Buck's son, Bill, was a Cloquet school and athletic chum of mine. Buck Bloomquist was an...
Saturday, Nov. 30 Boys Basketball Cloquet 95 Chisago Lakes 88 Boys Hockey CEC 10 Princeton 0 MLA 7 Ely/Northeast Range 2 Monday, Dec. 2 Girls Basketball Esko 60 Superior 53 Carlton/Wrenshall 46 Greenway 37 Cromwell-Wright 50 Floodwood 38 Tuesday, Dec. 3 Girls Basketball South Ridge 76 Cook County 24 Duluth East 52 Cloquet 47 Littlefork-Big Falls 60 Carlton/Wrenshall 50 Barnum 82 Northwoods 52 Boys Basketball Cloquet 76 North Branch 46 Hill City 79 Fond du Lac 78 Esko 88 Rock Ridge 60 Cromwell-Wright 87 Floodwood 25 Cherry 91 Barnum 58 Boys...
Times are p.m. unless noted Friday, Dec. 6 Girls hockey MLA at Two Rivers, 7 Boys basketball Carlton/Wrenshall at North Woods, 7:15 Cloquet at Esko, 7:15 Cromwell-Wright at McGregor, 7:15 Girls basketball Barnum at Mille Lacs, 7 Cloquet vs. St. Francis, 7:15 Esko at Jordan, 7 ML/WR vs. Two Harbors, 7:15 Saturday, Dec. 7 Boys hockey CEC vs. East Grand Forks, 3 Wrestling Cloquet-Esko at Lakeville North, 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 9 Boys hockey MLA vs. Barron, 6 Girls basketball Barnum vs. McGregor, 7:15 Carlton/Wrenshall vs. Bigfork, 7:15 Cromwell-Wrig...
'Tis the season ... for making and serving massive meals, if you're a member of the Carlton County Disabled American Veterans or one of their faithful volunteers. Last week's annual DAV Thanksgiving dinner and deliveries saw close to 1,000 meals served, starting at 3:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 28 when the first turkeys went in the oven at two locations. Head "Vetsgiving" organizer Raffy Johnson estimated they served 350 sit-down meals plus another 325 takeout meals at Zion Lutheran Church on...
Every election season, candidates for county office talk about their desire to expand the tax base so that county expenses can be spread across a wider swath of property owners. Growth outpacing expenses would lower individual taxes, which have only risen in recent years. But those are campaign promises. Reality offers a more difficult picture. To learn more about how well Carlton County is positioned for growth, the Pine Knot met this week with one of the primary people responsible for it,...
The local firearm deer season has come and gone with an increased harvest, but a still downbeat mood. Statewide, hunters shot 152,430 deer — up from 126,531 in 2023. In Carlton County, zones 156 and 183 also saw improved numbers. Zone 156 on the western half of the county saw 1,540 deer taken, including 1,292 adult males, or bucks. That was improved from 1,299 overall and 1,066 bucks in 2023. In zone 183, on the eastern side of the county, surrounding Wrenshall, there were 1,264 deer taken, including 1,076 adult males. Comparatively, totals w...
School Board members voted Monday to appoint a new board member rather than holding a special election when Sarah Plante-Buhs steps down on Jan. 3. The replacement board member would be appointed on Jan. 6, but wouldn't take their seat until the first board meeting in February. Plante-Buhs submitted her letter of resignation halfway through her term, after she was elected to serve as District 1 Carlton County Commissioner in November. Whoever replaces her will serve through Jan. 1, 2027. Board...
While the Cloquet Area Fire District board didn’t discuss whether to move forward on design development for a new building Nov. 20, it did approve an eight-month contract with a marketing firm to promote the district’s legislative priorities, including its desire to build a new station on 22nd Street in Cloquet. The district will pay Cloquet-based marketing firm Promoting Me up to $65,000 to develop a communication strategy, coordinate public meetings such as open houses, and conduct community surveys, among other tasks. “I’m seeing more an...
New grant money will help Volunteer Services of Carlton County continue and hopefully grow many of the services it already provides. The local non-profit will receive $494,000 over two years from the state's Live Well at Home grants, plus a $250,000 dementia grant from the Minnesota Board on Aging ... but more volunteers are also needed. Volunteer Services of Carlton County, Inc. (VSCCI) provides and coordinates an array of services, using volunteers and resources to meet the needs of local...
Brad Matlack, Carlton Soil and Water Conservation District's manager of 24 years, has retired, and the office welcomed a new manager this fall. Matlack's career at the Soil and Water District was highly successful. When he started, there were only two employees, including himself. SWCD staff positions are mainly funded through grant programs with limited funding, creating barriers to hiring new staff. Despite this, Brad grew the workforce three times in size, hiring top-notch conservation...
Arrowhead EMS Association was awarded $5 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All Program as part of an initiative to improve and expedite post-crash care in rural communities and tribal areas. The program will equip 20 ambulances with telemedicine technology so EMTs and paramedics can get support from doctors, nurses and paramedics in the field or during transport, speeding access to post-crash care. The Arrowhead EMS Association is a nonprofit organization acting as the lead regional EMS planning o...
They’ve been doing it all along, and now they want to take an extra step and bring some vibrancy to Carlton and its environs. Emily and Glenn Swanson from the city’s historic Oldenburg House have hosted numerous arts events at the bed and breakfast — concerts featuring national and international artists, poets, and delightful events with a host of local artists like the Honey Bee Festival a few years ago. They’ve also worked on the West End Flourish, taking art to Cloquet’s historic district in an effort to bring some revitalization. Oldenburg...
Carlton County commissioner-elect Dan Reed is not losing time in his efforts to fulfill electoral promises. On Saturday, Nov. 23, Reed buttonholed Minnesota’s U.S. Senator Tina Smith at a conference in Minneapolis and secured a future meeting to discuss federal funding for long-delayed improvements in a stretch of Minnesota Highway 73 at mile markers 18, 19, and 24 in Kalevala and Eagle townships south of Cromwell. Reed was attending the annual convention of the Minnesota Farmers Union where Sen. Smith had just given brief remarks on the r...
Arvid Brekke is a humble, Carlton County octogenarian and now a foreign sports medal winner. Brekke, who lives between Carlton and Esko on West Palkie Road, returned from Germany this fall after participating in a successful 2024 World Rowing Masters Regatta in Brandenburg. He was joined on his September journey by several of his teammates from the Duluth Rowing Club. Unlike the fairly recent George Clooney movie based on the Daniel Brown book, "The Boys in the Boat," this was not an Olympic...
The Carlton County Disabled American Veterans and Auxiliary are again organizing a free Thanksgiving meal for all Carlton County residents and their guests on Thanksgiving Day. This is the ninth year since the DAV took over the community meal. A sit-down meal will be served 12-3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 28 at Zion Lutheran Church, 1000 Washington Ave., in Cloquet. All are invited to enjoy a nice turkey meal with all the fixings and good company. Delivery is also available from 10 a.m. to noon on...
The region's correctional services for five counties, including Carlton, has found a replacement for its outgoing leadership. The Arrowhead Regional Corrections executive board announced Monday that it had appointed Becky Pogatchnik as executive director. She's replacing Wally Kostich, who is retiring after serving the organization in various capacities for 37 years. In the role, Pogatchnik will lead a staff of more than 250 people, and be responsible for ensuring probation services in Carlton,...
Shop locally. It’s not a new concept, but with online shopping a mouse click away, it’s a message that bears repeating for old and new generations. Sure, it’s easy to find what you want online. And sometimes, that’s the only place a person living in northeastern Minnesota can find that special something. But there may be something equally or even more special lurking in a shop or business right here in Carlton County. Have you visited Sass Boutique yet? Abundant Baby? Or Shop on the Corner, home to multiple makers, artists and vintage collect...
Tuesday’s wet and windy weather blew many things around, including a piece of paper with handwriting on it. It went splat, flat onto the front window of the Pine Knot. Or perhaps we should say “hoofwriting.” Apparently, the notorious loose sheep, known by many as Brad, was making his way back to Carlton County after quite the odyssey. After so much adventure, it seems he felt obligated to get it all down for the record. He was first spotted up the North Shore in the Two Harbors area a few weeks...
Over the past few years, the Minnesota State High School League has aired public service advertisements on television and radio stations across the state asking people to "get in the game" and become officials. The reason those ads air is simple: in many sports across Minnesota, there is a vast need for more officials. The lack of football officials hit home in Carlton County this year when Esko had to move its homecoming football game time forward to 4 p.m. Oct. 4 while Barnum moved its game...
Once again, Santa and Mrs. Claus will make a special trip to Cloquet for a little pre-Christmas party, aka the annual Santa's Home for the Holidays community celebration. It's three days of fun - Dec. 5-7 - courtesy of a wide range of local businesses, organizations and the city of Cloquet. "This little celebration just keeps growing," said co-coordinator Jana Peterson. "It's really special because so many people collaborate to get our community together for some winter fun." Make a plan while...
A woman suffered life-threatening injuries early Tuesday morning in a car crash. According to the Minnesota State Patrol incident report, 29-year-old Soleil Rintoul of New Richmond, Wisconsin, was driving a 2017 Ford F150 on Highway 210 in Carlton when she failed to navigate the curve near Vermillion Street just before 4 a.m. Tuesday. The truck left the roadway and came to rest in the trees. Road conditions were dry and the airbag deployed; the driver was wearing her seatbelt. Alcohol was not involved according to the report. Carlton Fire and...
A driver and his passenger both suffered non-life-threatening injuries Saturday, when their vehicle spun out on Interstate 35 near Barnum. Driver Daniel Wilczek, 68, and his passenger, Elizabeth Wilczek, 67, of Bayfield, Wisconsin, were traveling northbound on I-35 at Milepost 219 (Barnum Township) when the 2022 Honda CRV struck a bridge wall and spun out and hit the median, coming to a stop in the left hand lane. Conditions were wet. The Carlton County Sheriff’s Office, Barnum Fire and Essentia Ambulance out of Moose Lake responded. Both p...
Tied at 143 votes each after the Nov. 5 municipal election, challenger Jeff Bloom’s name was drawn at Wrenshall City Hall Tuesday, meaning that he will likely replace incumbent Gary Butala, who requested a recount after the drawing. That will be done by Carlton County, and is within either candidate’s rights, considering the knotted vote totals. The recount will take place at 9 a.m. Dec. 2 at the county transportation building. Butala said there are some questions about 50 ballots that were not counted. All voting for the city is done by mai...
