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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If you are a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent, you know that school will be starting on Tuesday, Sept. 6. We are excited for our kids, and remember how we felt on that first day of grade school or junior high way back when. The Carlton community has a long history of having a school within the city. The citizens of the Village of Carlton petitioned for a school on Sept. 18, 1871, and became District No. 2. A small wooden structure was built and one teacher, Miss Flora Lafan, was hired....
A federal judge last week dismissed the remaining claims in a $4 million civil lawsuit filed by a former Cloquet detective, but left open the door for continued action in state court. Scott Holman, a detective and K-9 officer who had worked for the Cloquet Police Department for 22 years, was fired by the city council in June 2019. Holman’s complaint claimed that the detective’s termination was the result of a Brady policy created by the Carlton County Attorney’s Office for “sanctioning” police officers without due process. The term “Brady” r...
Cloquet city councilors and Mayor Roger Maki voted unanimously Tuesday to uphold the city’s subdivision ordinance requiring sidewalks in any new subdivisions, despite a planning commission recommendation to the contrary. City planner/zoning administrator Al Cottingham told councilors that the three members of the planning commission recommended approval of a variance from the subdivision code for developer James Kuklis for phase 2 of his Trails Edge subdivision, to be located southwest of Trail Drive and 18th Street. The proposed plat shows 13...
The filing period for Carlton County, the state of Minnesota, and the city of Cloquet was in May, but the filing period for remaining cities in Carlton County ended Tuesday, Aug. 16. Now that filing periods and August’s primary races have concluded, what follows is a list of all candidates running for public office in the Nov. 8 general election (*incumbent): School board filings Cloquet (elect 3: Ted Lammi*, Gary “Hawk” Huard*, Jamie Graham, David Battaglia*, Sarah Plante Buhs) Barnum (elect 3: Betty A. Anderson, Dawn Hultgren, Jessica Unkel...
Sidewalks won this week. So did public health and our sense of community. We congratulate the Cloquet City Council on its unanimous vote in favor of sidewalks — and for following the city’s own rules requiring sidewalks in new subdivisions. Unfortunately, the council hasn’t always voted for sidewalks, something the Cloquet Planning Commission pointed out when its members suggested the council had set a precedent by not requiring sidewalks for some recent projects. It was a reasonable suggestion, but we are thrilled the council threw that argum...
THUMBS UP to everyone who worked at or voted in Tuesday’s primary election. Voting is the cornerstone of democracy and works best when people actually vote (and of course, when voters are educated on the issues or candidates). Kudos to all of you for showing up. We look forward to seeing many more voters at the polls in November. THUMBS UP to the various groups that used to do backpack and school supplies programs separately for joining together to serve students across the county in a collaborative effort. The first Carlton County Back to S...
One of the first buildings constructed in Cloquet following the historic 1918 fire is on the verge of condemnation, following a hearing in District Court in Carlton this week. Using eminent domain statutes and referring to the building in its present state as a public hazard, the city of Cloquet moved closer to purchasing the building for $8,000. The goal for the city, stated last December, is to attract new ownership that would restore and redevelop the building. The fate of the Hotel Solem...
The 2021 audit confirmed the city of Cloquet is in a good financial position, even after more than two years of pandemic challenges. Wipfli’s Michelle Swoboda told the Cloquet city council Tuesday that the accounting firm gave an unmodified, or clean, opinion on the city’s financial statements following the audit. According to the audit report, the city of Cloquet ended 2021 with nearly a half-million dollars more than budgeted, thanks in large part to $930,000 in federal CARES Act funds from the federal government. Rising utility fees and dec...
Carlton County commissioners gave their support for a $400,000 broadband internet grant during their meeting Monday, July 25. The board instructed economic development director Mary Finnegan to write a letter of support for the Border-to-Border grant application being filed by Consolidated Telephone Co. Due by Thursday, Aug. 4, the grant would help cover $984,790 in costs for Brainerd-based Consolidated Telephone to lay fiber optic cable past 246 homes in northern Cloquet. Consolidated Telephone has also proposed a broadband extension to includ...
The filing period for local school boards, most city councils and township supervisor positions opened Tuesday and will remain open through Tuesday, Aug. 16. In most cases, one must file in the clerk’s office, whether it’s for a school district, municipality or township. Filing fees are minimal, mostly between $2 and $5. School Board positions Current seat holders’ names are provided in parentheses. Cloquet (Ted Lammi, Gary Huard, Dave Battaglia) Barnum (Paul Coughlin, Beth Schatz, Jessica Unkelhaeuser) Carlton (Ann Gustafson, Susan Karp,...
Cloquet City Council Mayor Roger Maki [email protected] 218-879-4976 Warren “Bun” Carlson Councilor Ward 1 [email protected] 218-879-3347 Sheila Lamb Councilor Ward 2 [email protected] 218-590-5308 Chris Swanson Councilor Ward 3 [email protected] 218-390-2010 Kerry Kolodge Councilor Ward 4 [email protected] 218-481-3862 Lyz Jaakola Councilor Ward 5 [email protected] 218-393-3528 Lara Wilkinson Councilor At-Large [email protected] 218-451-2188 Cloquet School Board Board chair Ted Lammi [email protected] 218...
The time is now for folks who want to make an impact in local politics. The filing period for local school boards, most city councils and many township supervisor positions will be open Tuesday, Aug. 2 through Tuesday, Aug. 16. Filing fees are minimal, mostly between $2 and $5. According to the Minnesota Secretary of State website, all candidates: • must be eligible to vote in Minnesota • must have not filed for another office at the upcoming primary or general election • must be 21 years of age or more upon assuming office. A candidate must al...
The emergency sewer repairs that caused a detour on Highway 61 in Thomson Township throughout July have wrapped up, but more sewer problems have been uncovered in another area of the township, leaving some residents upset and concerned. Thomson resident Joe Davidson brought his concerns to the Thomson township board of supervisors at their meeting July 21, 2022. According to Davidson, he received a letter from the township informing him that his property was in violation of the township's sewer...
Cloquet City Council Mayor Roger Maki [email protected] 218-879-4976 Warren “Bun” Carlson Councilor Ward 1 [email protected] 218-879-3347 Sheila Lamb Councilor Ward 2 [email protected] 218-590-5308 Chris Swanson Councilor Ward 3 [email protected] 218-390-2010 Kerry Kolodge Councilor Ward 4 [email protected] 218-481-3862 Lyz Jaakola Councilor Ward 5 [email protected] 218-393-3528 Lara Wilkinson Councilor At-Large [email protected] 218-451-2188 Cloquet School Board Board chair Ted Lammi [email protected] 218...
At first glance, Cloquet's Kelly Avenue looks like any other street in the city: mostly tidy homes with flowers blooming outside, tall trees, cars parked in driveways and on the street, the occasional person out for a walk. But neighbors told a different story at Tuesday's Cloquet city council meeting. Close to a dozen people showed up to complain about what they see as an inadequate police response to repeated calls about two homes that make the neighborhood anything but peaceful. Longtime...
Cloquet city councilor Chris Swanson announced Tuesday that he will step down as the Ward 3 representative effective Aug. 17. Swanson and his family are moving to a home a few blocks outside of Ward 3, so he will no longer fulfill the qualifications to represent his current constituents. "I've taken great pleasure, and it's been really fascinating and interesting. We have a lot of great folks who work for the city. I know we still have some problems, as we've heard from the residents here...
I owe my career to Patty Murto, and now that she's no longer around to thank, Jana is letting me do it through this column. Not that I haven't thanked her before. Over the years, I told Patty plenty of times that she's responsible for getting me started in my own law practice, and she always pretty much responded in the same way - "nonchalantly" is the best way to put it. Patty was one of the rare do-gooders in this world who were not in it for the glory. Nor was she in it for the power. I don't...
A former Cloquet police officer who recently settled an employment dispute with the city broke her silence last week. The Cloquet City Council voted unanimously to dismiss Laci Silgjord in February, which she appealed. The council then voted to settle with Silgjord, who agreed to resign, after a closed meeting June 7. Through her attorney, Silgjord said she has proudly dedicated her life “to the service of others” through both her military and law enforcement career. “This is a bittersweet time in my life, as I will miss the community and my wo...
During Tuesday’s meeting, Cloquet city councilors unanimously adopted the Carlton County all-hazard mitigation plan, which was already approved by the state of Minnesota and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Carlton County emergency management director Marlyn Halverson answered council questions about the plan, which has been under development for the past 18 months and will serve for the next five years once every city and township in the county has adopted it. Asked how many people worked on it, Halverson said “a boatload.” The repor...
Following a closed meeting with legal counsel Tuesday night, the Cloquet city council signed a separation agreement and full and final release of claims Tuesday with a police officer they originally voted to dismiss in February. The next morning, city administrator Tim Peterson provided the following statement in response to the Pine Knot News: “The council made and unanimously approved a motion to accept the agreement reached with Officer Silgjord on May 20th and to accept her resignation from the Police Department effective June 7, 2...
Starr Marshall decided to organize the first Senior Day in Cloquet in 2019 after she realized an elderly client visiting her office at Reliable Insurance Agency was being abused, as it turned out, by her son. Marshall said the nearly 80-year-old woman had bruises on her face. "We called the police and stuff happened, but it was really sad," she said. The now annual event is held in conjunction with World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, and it's known here as Senior Day. It's a day to celebrate...
The filing period for state and local offices — only those that could require primary elections in August — ended Tuesday, May 31. While a number of incumbent candidates will face no challengers, the Cloquet mayor’s race will feature incumbent Roger Maki and former Cloquet city councilor David Bjerkness. Another former city councilor and retired police officer, Erik Blesener, is challenging Bun Carlson for the Ward 1 seat. Sheriff Kelly Lake is also facing a challenger: Jason Syrett filed to run for sheriff. It appears only one race in Carlt...
Transparency in government is important. That’s why we’d like to applaud the Cloquet school board and superintendent Michael Cary for deciding this week to continue livestreaming school board meetings. Yes, the pandemic is over and many — but not all — school districts and other governmental bodies have stopped making their meetings available online. That’s too bad. Because livestreaming a public meeting tells your constituents that you want to be both accessible and transparent. That you have no secret agendas. That you don’t fear people bein...
As part of the process of accepting grant funding for the implementation of body-worn cameras, the Cloquet Police Department held the first of three public hearings during Tuesday’s city council meeting for public input. Police chief Derek Randall presented the draft policy for the both video and audio recordings, which was published as part of the May 17 council agenda packet at cloquetmn.gov. There was no public comment Tuesday, although Randall said the police department has received two comments, both in favor of body cameras. Anyone i...
The filing period for state and local offices — only those that could require primary elections in August — is open through May 31. Minnesota’s primary election day is Aug. 9. The city of Cloquet has four positions up for election in November, including the mayor and council seats for Wards 1, 2 and 3. Carlton County also has a number of positions up for election this year, including county commissioners for District 2 (Thomson Township area) and District 4 (including the Wrenshall, Carlton and Mahtowa area and parts of Barnum). Count...
