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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Talk of the Cloquet Area Fire District continued at the Thomson Township Board of Supervisors meeting Thursday, Jan. 20. In past discussions about CAFD board representation, it was unclear whether the township’s representative had to be an elected official, a township employee, or if it could be anyone. According to township attorney Dave Pritchett, the representative cannot be a paid and/or current employee of the township, but must be an elected official to vote on the CAFD. Board supervisor Jason Paulson questioned whether the township w...
Following the upheaval of the final weeks of 2021, the first Cloquet Area Fire District Board meeting Wednesday, Jan. 19, was positively noncontroversial. The fact that it was held online likely helped — the board will meet remotely as long as Covid numbers are high — as did the rollback of the ambulance district tax increase at the board’s final meeting in December. After stepping up to serve as chair following Bob DeCaigney’s resignation last month, Brevator Township rep Linda Way was elected chair for 2022 by unanimous vote of her fellow...
With local health care leaders asking for help and a Mayo Clinic data scientist predicting a peak in Omicron Covid cases in the next two weeks, Mayor Roger Maki declared a local emergency due to the pandemic effective Wednesday. As part of that declaration, he mandated that face coverings be worn in all indoor public gathering spaces in the city of Cloquet. "We can reduce exposure of people and I believe that to be in the public interest and safety," Maki said. Fond du Lac medical director Dr. C...
Test your short-term memory with this last installment of the 2021 year in review, covering September through December. It includes the continuing waves of Covid-19 spread and some wins in the “back to normal” department, including the return of free holiday meals in Cloquet. September The Thomson Township board of supervisors’ approval on Sept. 2 of a snowmobile trail alongside township roads, to be built and maintained by the Wood City Riders Snowmobile Club, got some attention from residents who felt blindsided by the decision. It would...
Hot on the heels of the Cloquet City Council decision to go to remote meetings due to the high number of Covid cases, the Cloquet Area Fire District Board is also going remote. Residents can still attend meetings online or via telephone. To join from a computer, tablet or smartphone, get the meeting link and passcode from the CAFD website at cloquetareafiredistrict.com. Otherwise call the district office at 218-499-4258 or 218-499-4274 to get the call-in number and passcode....
A house and garage in Thomson Township were destroyed in a fire Sunday morning. According to a Carlton County Sheriff's Office press release, fire crews were called to 21 Ridge Road north of Esko at about 2 a.m. Esko Fire Department members were first on the scene and found a garage fully engulfed in flames. Wind spread the fire to the home. Both were deemed a complete loss. Occupants and pets were out of the residence and the family is receiving aid from the American Red Cross. A relative of...
It’s been a while since John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address inspired children and adults to see the importance of civic action and public service. “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country,” he said, challenging every American to contribute in some way to the public good. That doesn’t mean a person needs to run for political office, or give up their high-paying job to join AmeriCorps: it simply means we all should do our part. Volunteer to plant flowers in the spring, chaperone school trips, help with t...
Our monthlong march through 2021 looking back at past issues of the Pine Knot News continues today with the next four months of the year, May through August. It was a summer that saw a return of many regular activities after another Covid-19 pandemic lull in the region. It wouldn't last, as we'll find out in the final installment of the year in review next week. May In mid-May, 600 finalists from around the world will gather for the Regeneron International Science and Engineer Fair to dazzle...
After a rough, Covid-19- pandemic-ridden 2020, the year 2021 was destined to be better, right? Well, the jury hasn’t reached a decision yet. There were highs and lows, as the pandemic continued to alter life as we knew it before 2020. There’s a vaccine, which has helped ease the naked fear of contracting the virus. There has been mostly in-person learning this school year and many of the events around schools are back to normal. Cities held modified annual celebrations. But Covid spikes continue, with infections breaking records even now, so...
The city of Cloquet is looking for a few good men and women to step up and serve on several local boards and commissions that help oversee various governmental departments or entities. Currently, there are openings on the Planning Commission, Parks Commission, Cloquet Public Library Board, Cloquet Area Fire District Board and the Citizens Advisory Board, which helps police department hiring, firing and disciplinary actions, among other things. Council members approved the reappointment of seven...
The goal of declaring the former Mexico Lindo restaurant building a "vacant and hazardous substandard building" is not to demolish the historic structure, community development director Holly Hansen told the Cloquet city council. Rather, it is to attract responsible ownership to repair and revitalize the building in the heart of downtown. When Cloquet city councilors voted unanimously to declare the building hazardous last week, they also set a public hearing for Feb. 1, as the next step toward...
An empty semi-truck that was stuck on the railroad tracks near the Sappi guardhouse was hit by a Burlington Northern train Monday. According to Cloquet Area Fire District battalion chief Jeremy Hutchison there were no injuries: the driver had gotten out of the truck before it was struck by the train. The call came in at 12:18 p.m. Monday, Dec. 27. CAFD, the Cloquet police department and the Minnesota state patrol responded. "There were no injuries, no spills or fire or hazardous chemicals,"...
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...
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...
The fact that Cloquet Area Fire District taxpayers have been paying more than their share of ambulance expenses for over a decade didn't pacify Thomson Township residents Thursday during the CAFD truth-in-taxation hearing. Close to two dozen people attended the CAFD hearing, nearly all of them township residents, most of them shocked and angry that their proposed ambulance district taxes showed a more than threefold increase from the previous year. "I look at my proposed tax statement and I see...
Only a few people attended Tuesday’s Carlton County board of commissioners Truth in Taxation hearing. The commissioners held the hearing to talk about the property tax levy they are proposing for the 2022 budget year and how the individual county departmental proposed budgets affect the overall county financial picture. Of those who came, several complained about their property tax bills, which by law are not addressed at this hearing. A handful came with a few questions. Auditor/Treasurer Kevin DeVriendt reported that he received no c...
A substantial hike to 2022 Cloquet Area Fire District taxes for ambulance-district-only properties only has Thomson Township residents in an uproar. Township chair Terry Hill is frustrated with the CAFD’s tax increase, feeling that the township has been “backed into a corner.” Residents feel that the nearly fourfold increase in the CAFD portion of their 2022 property taxes, without prior notification from CAFD, is too much for the services they are provided and unfair. Thus, the town board...
After placing Cloquet Area Fire District Chief Matt Ashmore on paid administrative leave last month, the CAFD board voted unanimously Monday to close its investigation of Ashmore "without findings" and subsequently accepted his resignation, effective the same day. The board then approved a separation agreement with Ashmore. All three votes followed a closed meeting that lasted nearly 45 minutes. The fire chief had been on leave since Nov. 11, when the board also met in closed session to discuss...
The snow came a day late but holiday spirits were high during the annual Santa's Home for the Holidays events last weekend in Cloquet. Whether enjoying stories by Mrs. Claus, eating s'mores, singing or watching the parades, people were actually eager for fun. They were shopping too. Allison Jerde, coordinator of the Holiday Expo at Churchill Elementary School, said they had a steady stream of people visiting the 126 vendor booths there. "I think it was successful for what's going on right now,"...
There is drama in the Cloquet Area Fire District. The status of the fire chief is uncertain, and recent board meetings have included debates over a large tax increase for ambulance district residents (and the resignation of one board member as a result). Matt Ashmore, who was hired to lead the district in November 2020, was placed on paid administrative leave Nov. 11, while the board investigates claims against him, at least some of them regarding failure to follow Covid protocols established by...
After less than a year on the job, Cloquet Area Fire District chief Matt Ashmore has been placed on paid administrative leave by the CAFD board and is fighting to keep his job. Ashmore defended himself in a Loudermill hearing on Nov. 21 against allegations regarding his performance as fire chief that could result in discipline, up to dismissal. Loudermill hearings provide public sector employees the right of response to contest reasons for possible firing. At the heart of the complaints is the...
It looks like Mother Nature is giving Santa time to celebrate in Cloquet before the snow falls. Santa's Home for the Holidays festivities are in full swing after kicking off Thursday night with Mrs. Claus at the library and a West End open house that saw a healthy number of citizens strolling through the city's oldest business district. Last night, Queen of Peace hosted Santa (with photos by Alan Johnson) at a spaghetti feed and craft show. Today, however, is the big day. Things started early...
After placing Cloquet Area Fire District Chief Matt Ashmore on paid administrative leave on Nov. 11, the CAFD board voted unanimously today to close its investigation of Ashmore "without findings" and accept his resignation effective today, Dec. 6. Ashmore defended himself in a Loudermill hearing on Nov. 21 against allegations regarding his performance as fire chief that could result in discipline up to dismissal. Loudermill hearings provide public sector employees the right of response to...
Don't worry, Kids, Santa is making his way to Carlton County again. The Santa's Home for the Holidays festivities are back, thanks to the United Way of Carlton County. "The United Way is proud to support community events like Santa's Home for the Holidays. We are looking forward to a fun weekend full of holiday spirit," said United Way executive director Ali Bilden Camps. Of course, like any event during the pandemic, there were a few changes but all of the most important elements are intact....
A fire Sunday damaged an Esko apartment but no one was injured. According to a press release from the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office, numerous 911 calls reported a fire at 157 West Highway 61 in Esko at 3:10 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 21. Esko firefighters responded and found light smoke showing from the building and no visible flames. Upon entry, they found fire in the front apartment, but no one home. They quickly extinguished the fire but there was significant damage to the apartment. The tenant w...
