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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The Cloquet Area Fire District board, with eyes on breaking ground on a new building this fall, unanimously declared its intent to bond for a Station 1 replacement at its 22nd Street property at the board meeting Jan. 15. A desire to avoid rising building costs coupled with the fact that the fire and ambulance service has outgrown its current aging space prompted the vote, after years of planning. The resolution doesn't set the decision in stone, nor does it take referendums off the table. It...
Warren Richard "Bun" Carlson was born Aug. 9, 1956, to Sylvia (Heikkila) and Lawrence Carlson in Cloquet. He passed away Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, at Aspirus St. Luke's Hospital due to complications from a genetic heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. He attended Cloquet schools, graduating from CHS in 1974. He was class president, and a three-sport letter winner in football, hockey and tennis. Bun attended the College of St. Scholastica, majoring in business. He graduated in 1978....
Cloquet city councilor and local funny guy Warren "Bun" Carlson passed away Sunday, Jan. 12, from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic heart disease. In his second term on the council, Carlson was first elected to the Ward 1 seat in November 2018. Well known for his involvement in local hockey programs - as player, coach and radio personality - Carlson easily won reelection in 2022. Carlson grew up playing hockey in Cloquet, graduating from Cloquet Senior High in 1974. He served as senior clas...
Three experienced Cloquet city councilors were sworn into office Tuesday. Kerry Kolodge, Lyz Jaakola and Iris Keller all ran unopposed in the November election, and rejoined a council of veteran elected officials. The group had plenty of suggestions for State Representative Jeff Dotseth, R-Kettle River, when he shared his priorities and asked for input from the council for the upcoming legislative session. Ward 2 councilor Sheila Lamb responded with several concerns. "I'll throw some at you," sh...
Thomson Township welcomed two brand-new board members Thursday, Jan. 2, swearing in Nathan Barta and Logan Saline. Elections were held for town board offices, with Tony Compo elected board chair and Ruth Janke as vice chair. The first meeting of the new year was largely dedicated to organizational tasks, once the new board members were seated. The two new supervisors quickly settled in, volunteering for a number of committee and liaison positions. The youngest member of the board at age 21,...
A 43-year-old Esko man was killed early Sunday morning when his car spun out and rolled on Interstate 35. According to the Minnesota State Patrol report, Nathan Ray O’Leary was driving a Cadillac STS southbound on I-35 just north of the Esko exit at 2:38 a.m. Dec. 29 when the car spun out and went into the right ditch, striking a guardrail. The car overturned several times and struck an overpass bridge pier before coming to a rest. O’Leary was wearing a seatbelt, but died at the scene. Road conditions were icy and snowy. The Minnesota Sta...
A $6,755,244 budget and $4,334,394 levy were both approved unanimously by the Cloquet Area Fire District board on Dec. 18. The district projects a $200,000 home will be levied $290 and $89 for the fire and ambulance areas, respectively. Board members Gary Harms and Dave Sunnarborg reversed their positions on the levy from September when they voted against the numbers. Linda Way, who also voted against the levy proposal, was not present at the December meeting. To pay off an ambulance bond early, the board voted to put $118,000 of emergency...
"My first thought is: We don't deserve an incredible community like this. But then I take a deep breath and realize we are so so grateful to have such an incredible unit of friends, family, and community behind us who see us and love us. And we are eternally grateful." Those were the words to the community from Emily Boulanger this past week. Her temporary home, a bus converted into a camper, was gutted Thursday night by a fire on property in rural Cloquet that she and fiancee Liam May own. An...
Greg White describes himself as a father, husband, firefighter, outdoorsman and mental health advocate. Now the Cloquet Area Fire District firefighter can add the title of "champ" to the list, after being crowned winner of the 'Stache Salt moustache competition and title of "2024 Saltiest 'Stache of the Year" last week. Sponsored by 'Stache Salt, the monthlong online competition included a number of judges challenges to get to the Top 10. From that point, it was a popularity contest, with the to...
Nearly 50 Thomson Township residents crowded into the town hall Thursday, Dec. 5, worried the board of supervisors was going to address the long-delayed private roads and shared driveway resolutions. In the end, board chairwoman Ruth Janke addressed the issue only once — at the start of the meeting — and that was to tell residents they were misled by a social media post. The controversial resolutions were not on the agenda and wouldn’t be discussed. An update to the township’s road policy and engineering guidelines that was on the agenda under...
A man was rescued and later charged with driving while intoxicated Monday after his vehicle was submerged in the St. Louis River in Scanlon. A 35-year-old man from Ironwood, Michigan was arrested by the Cloquet Police after being medically cleared from the local hospital. At 10:30 p.m. Monday, first responders were dispatched to a vehicle that went into the river off River Gate Avenue, past the River Inn and Minnesota Whitewater Rafting businesses, CAFD battalion chief Jason Maki said in a...
The Cloquet Area Fire District’s 2025 budget has climbed and its proposed levy, which garnered three “no” votes from board members in September, remains unchanged. The district board presented this information at its annual truth-in-taxation meeting at which two residents participated Dec. 5. The state-mandated meeting allows for public comment ahead of levy approval. The total that could be levied on the combined fire and ambulance service areas at the board’s upcoming Dec. 18 meeting is $4,334,394. The amount individual residents pay may dif...
With wax in hand, Greg White is ready to take his swirling moustache to the next level, aiming to win the title of "saltiest 'stache" in a national competition. The Cloquet Area Fire District firefighter/EMT competed in his first moustache competition last year, and became a brand ambassador for 'Stache Salt - which sells moustache and beard products and sponsors the competition he is aiming to win. White shared a secret revealed only after he decided to grow a moustache during the pandemic....
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...
The School Nurse Organization of Minnesota has named Sarah Ellena, Cloquet school district nurse, as its 2024 "School Nurse of the Year." The award annually recognizes one licensed school nurse in the state for "excellence in nursing practice and leadership." Ellena's career after graduating from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth includes experience in long-term care, pediatric and pediatric intensive care, public health and volunteer services, as well as nursing services in Carlton and...
It’s been a year since the city of Cloquet denied the transfer of some state aid to the Cloquet Area Fire District for the purchase of a vehicle exhaust removal system. Now, using levied funds, the CAFD’s three stations will soon be outfitted with the equipment since the board approved a quote at its Oct. 16 meeting. Battalion chief Mike Garberg, who did the research on installation companies, said the removal systems work by attaching a flexible pipe to the exhaust of the fire engines while idling or in operation at the station. The hose aut...
When we started the Pine Knot News six years ago, people in the newspaper industry noticed. Admittedly, it was mostly shock — Who was crazy enough to start a brand-new paper? — mixed in with a flicker of hope. It all started after my previous employer, the Pine Journal, closed its office here and moved operations to Duluth. A group of us felt strongly that Cloquet and Carlton County needed a solidly local newspaper that actually cared enough to have an office here and a paper producing original...
DISTRICT 1: Sarah Buhs Briefly summarize your personal background and qualifications. As a lifelong Carlton County resident working in public safety, healthcare, and community service, I'm dedicated to community well-being. Leadership, resilience, and passion for public service drives my commitment to positively impacting Carlton County. Learn why I am determined to be a Carlton County District 1 Commissioner at sarahplantebuhs.com. What made you decide to run for Carlton County commissioner this year? I'm concerned about rising taxes and...
Name: Gunnar Johnson Age: 56 Residence: Gnesen Township Current job: Attorney for Cloquet Area Fire District, City of Hermantown, numerous townships, and Overom Law. Education I received a BS in biology at UMD in 1990. I was on the Dean’s List and received service awards including the Sieur du Luth Award. I went to law school at the American University in Washington, DC. I graduated cum laude in the top 25 percent of my class in 1994. As an attorney, I attend at least 15 hours of Continuing Legal Education each year to maintain my Minnesota and...
A $312,927 jump in the Cloquet Area Fire District's proposed budget from its preliminary one two months ago - and a corresponding levy increase of 7 percent, compared to the 2.75 percent sent to the district's member communities in July - passed in a divided vote at the Sept. 18 board meeting. Gary Harms, representing Perch Lake Township, said raising rates after the fact is a problem. "Reality is reality, I guess," he said. "I got to go back and report to my town board and say, 'oops, made a...
The Cloquet Area Fire District is conducting another Fire Explorers program for 2024-2025. The program allows youth members interested in a firefighting or emergency medical technician career to learn and experience the professions. The group will meet the first and third Tuesday of every month where explorers will be trained by firefighters and EMS professionals. The first session will be held at 6 p.m. Oct. 15 at Station 1 at 508 Cloquet Ave. in Cloquet. Contact assistant chief Corey Larson with questions at 218-499-4258, or...
A 37-year-old man was injured in a single-vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon in Mahtowa Township. According to a news release from the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office, the crash near the intersection of County Road 61 and Painted Lane was reported at 4:51 p.m. Sept. 17. A Ford Ranger had left the roadway and crashed into the ditch. The reporting party found a 37-year old male lying on the ground next to the pickup. Carlton County deputies, along with Carlton Fire and Ambulance, Mahtowa first responders and EMS from the Cloquet Area Fire D...
John William Samuelson passed into the arms of his heavenly Father on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024, in Moose Lake. He was born Oct. 9, 1942, in Cook, Minnesota to Walter Iver and Martha Irene (Mattson) Samuelson. The family lived in Cook before moving to Duluth, closer to Walter's work on the Great Lakes ships. After his father died when he was 9, John and his younger brother, Walter Charles "Chuck," were raised by their mother, a short but feisty Finn. John attended Jefferson Elementary and...
A 70-year-old rural Carlton County man was flown by helicopter to a Duluth area hospital Tuesday evening after an ATV crash west of Mahtowa. According to a news release from the Carlton County Sheriff's Office, the man lost control of the ATV while exiting a gravel driveway on the 2500 block of County Road 4 just before 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27. The ATV ended up on top of the driver, who sustained significant injuries. Medical personnel determined he should be flown to the hospital. Steve...
A Carlton County man died in a single-car accident on Minnesota Highway 210 on the morning of Thursday, Aug. 1. According to the State Patrol incident report, Rodney William Metso of Sawyer was traveling eastbound just before 9 a.m. on Highway 210 near the cross street of County Road 5 in a Ford Escape. The vehicle crossed into the westbound lane and entered the north ditch, hitting an embankment. The airbag deployed but Metso apparently died at the scene. Road conditions were wet at the time. Fond du Lac Police, Carlton County Sheriff’s O...
