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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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...
Lori F. Skog-Gourley, 62, of Cloquet, passed away unexpectedly Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, at her home, peacefully in her sleep. She was born April 12, 1959, in Minneapolis, the daughter of Alf "Ole" and Patricia (Mercer) Skog. Lori was a kind soul full of love for all around her. She cherished her time with her family, especially her grandchildren whom she adored. Lori loved gardening, camping, sewing, berry picking and making her own jam, traveling and spending time with friends. She was a member of...
For the first time, the Superior National Forest has a full-time tribal liaison. Juan Martinez coordinates communication between the national forest and the three Ojibwe bands in northeastern Minnesota - the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The bands occupied the nearly 4 million acres that now make up the Superior National Forest long before the federal government acquired it, and they maintain...
A booming drum ceremony filled the meeting room at Cloquet city hall Tuesday as the city council and mayor acknowledged National Native American Heritage Month. Council member Lyz Jaakola, who represents Ward 5, which overlaps part of the Fond du Lac reservation, said it's constructive to have a month to encourage reflection on indigenous people, although the community thinks about its culture and issues every day of the year. She said she's encouraged by "hopeful discussions" across the...
State transportation officials are posting 12 highway signs in northeastern Minnesota to mark the boundaries of a treaty signed in 1854 by the U.S. government and three Ojibwe bands: the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Bois Forte Band of Chippewa and Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The Minnesota Department of Transportation installed the first sign on Nov. 1 on southbound Highway 61, just south of the Canadian border and near the entrance to Grand Portage State Park.... 
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The University of Minnesota plans to extend "substantial financial support" including, in many cases, completely free tuition, to its campuses across the state to enrolled members of the state's 11 federally recognized tribal nations. University of Minnesota president Joan Gabel announced the creation of the Native American Promise Tuition Program in a memo this month to the state's tribal leaders, calling it a "significant expansion of Native American student tuition support." Starting in the...
Nearly half a million firearms deer hunters are preparing for the firearms deer season, which opens Nov. 6. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wildlife managers report favorable weather so far this year, and good opportunities to harvest deer in most areas. Of note this year is the DNR warning that hunters know the boundaries of the deer permit areas and any chronic wasting disease regulations that apply where they hunt. Information can be found on the DNR website. Here is the expectation for hunters in the northeast part of the stat...
Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa clinic coordinator Chris Davis has earned national recognition- the Outstanding Service Award, presented by the National Indian Health Board at a ceremony last week. NIHB is a Washinglon, D.C.-based organization established to represent tribal governments through collective advocacy, program development, as well as policy formation and analysis. The service award was created by NIHB to recognize individuals or organizations whose work has made an...
Rollin "Giiwedin" Francis Smith, 77, of Cloquet passed away Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021 in St. Luke's hospital in Duluth. He was born Feb. 28, 1944 in Cloquet to Jay and Lizzie (Bear) Smith. Rollin married Peggy Saylor on Nov. 20, 1982 in Denver. Rollin was a proud band member and worked for the Fond du Lac Reservation. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Rupert, Ronald, Roger and Raymond Smith; sisters, Bernice Jarski, Theresa LaPrairie, Audrey Smith and Valerie Ross; and one...
The latest data for Carlton County show the number of Covid cases is still going up, but at a lower rate, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases in Carlton County increased by 84 from Sept. 15 to 22, but the CDC showed a decline in the rise of case numbers of nearly 7.6 percent on Wednesday, Sept. 22. The CDC also reported Carlton County’s rate of tests coming back positive at 4.4 percent (compared to an average of 6 percent statewide), one new hospital admission and zero deaths from Covid over the past seve...
Students from Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College and others got an in-depth look at wild rice and how to harvest it Saturday at the annual Manoomin demonstration camp at Leeman Lake. The lessons learned included "how to sustainably harvest, or knock, the rice without breaking the stems to drying, parching, and winnowing the rice to get the final product that ends up at our dining room table," said Courtney Kowalczak, director of the Environmental Institute at the college. "Each step is a...
Things are growing at Fond du Lac's farm Gitigaaning, or place of the gardens, and it's not just vegetables. Health. Knowledge. Buildings. Resources. Confidence. Food security. Friendships. Community. Of course, there are plenty of vegetables growing there, nurtured by individual growers on their own small lots: corn, beans, melon, sunflowers, pumpkins, zucchini, sweetgrass, borage, peppers, tobacco, ground cherries, squash, kale, broccoli, cauliflower; the list goes on. It's all part of the...
The Black Bear Casino Resort revved up the first-ever Tesla Supercharger installed within a tribal casino property last week. The Supercharger will augment existing electrical vehicle charging stations at the facility. Superchargers allow Tesla electric vehicle drivers to charge vehicles in less than an hour and, in some cases, top up in just a few minutes. A single charge lets drivers of some Tesla models go from Duluth to Minneapolis and back without a recharge. The FDL Supercharger stall was designed and built with Tesla’s Cybertruck in m...
Carlton County will petition the Minnesota Department of Transportation for a speed limit of 45 mph on Big Lake Road from Pinewood Drive to just past Brevator Road and the tribal center. The tribal council for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa had requested the speed be set at 35 mph on the newly repaved section of road. County highway engineer JinYeene Neumann told the board of commissioners at its regular meeting Aug. 10 that a MnDOT speed study done earlier in the year supported a 55-mph speed limit. Neumann said she is using...
The Superior City Council voted July 20 to support the transfer of burial lands on Wisconsin Point to the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. According to a story by Wisconsin Public Radio, the strip of land was once home to a vibrant Ojibwe community and represents the end of the Ojibwe migration story. At least seven generations were laid to rest at a cemetery on Wisconsin point. In 1918 nearly 200 graves were removed (and reburied at St. Francis Cemetery), followed by living tribal members several years later forced off by U.S....
A state court on Monday sent a key air emissions permit for the planned PolyMet copper-nickel mine back to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for further consideration and additional findings. The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled that the MPCA did not adequately explain its reasons for granting the permit, after environmental groups and the Fond Du Lac tribe alleged that PolyMet was engaging in so-called “sham permitting” by planning a much larger mine than what it applied for. It’s a setback for what would be the state’s first copper-... Website
A tiny Carlton County department gained national recognition recently for work they did to limit person-to-person contact during vaccination clinics held during the pandemic. Geographic Information System coordinator Jared Hovi and GIS specialist Siona Roberts were awarded the prestigious Special Achievement in GIS award for their work creating a digital tracking system for residents wishing to be vaccinated during the Covid-19 pandemic. Their goal was to eliminate paper forms and limit human...
Darwin "Teets" Laverne Bishop, resident of the Duluth area, passed away peacefully Saturday, July 3, 2021, just shy of his 86th birthday. He was born to Sylvester and Charlotte Northrup in Carlton County. He was a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe. In his younger years, Darwin and Lynn "Dolly" lived in California with their family. He held several painting jobs, including working for Disneyland, Lockheed Martin, Carroll Shelby and Hiller Helicopters. He was a truant officer at Washington...
Elk could soon be roaming Carlton County again, as a result of a longtime effort by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Last week, the Band submitted a proposal to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to expand the state's elk numbers and range by moving 100-150 elk from existing herds in northwest Minnesota to the area of the Fond du Lac Reservation and Fond du Lac State Forest in Carlton and southern St. Louis counties. Elk are native to Minnesota, with historic numbers...
Charles R. Wick, 85, passed away peacefully July 4, 2021, surrounded by his family. He was born to Raymond and Elenore (Aiken) Wick on March 3, 1936. He married Sonja Swanson on Oct. 1, 1960. He was a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe. Charles was a Korean War veteran who served his country with honor. He was a lifetime member of VFW Post 3979 and American Legion Post 262 and participated in the Honor Guard for more than 50 years. Charles worked as supervisor at Diamond Match for 34...
The Fond du Lac Band is leveraging funding from the Volkswagen emissions settlement to build electric vehicle charging stations and replace diesel vehicles with cleaner technologies. A $2.8 billion Mitigation Trust Agreement was created from the $14.7 billion series of settlements Volkswagen entered into after the Environmental Protection Agency's allegations of Clean Air Act violations six years ago. The trust was set up to offset excess emissions caused by Volkswagen's vehicles, some of which...
The $7.5 million waterline that will run along Minnesota Highway 210 from Carlton to Twin Lakes Township is a wonderful example of government done right. For 20 years, township officials have been working to resolve issues of water quality and quantity in part of the township, especially the areas around Highway 210 and Interstate 35, like Olsonville, Schmitz Road and the hotels and businesses along 210. There isn’t enough water there, and what water there is, isn’t very nice. It can smell like rotten eggs, some wells contain arsenic, and the...
After two decades of effort, Twin Lakes Township will get its waterline, with clean healthy water and plenty of it. Local officials, waterline constructors and political dignitaries gathered June 10 outside the Four Seasons events center in Carlton for speeches and an official groundbreaking. "Wow, it's really happening," said Twin Lakes Township chair Diane Felde-Finke, admitting that she got a little choked up when she was practicing her speech at home before the ceremony. The state...
Kenneth L. DeFoe Jr., "Niizhoo Gwaanabe," 57, passed away with his family by his side June 14, 2021, at Miller Dwan Medical Center in Duluth. He was born Nov. 17, 1963, in Cloquet to Kenneth L. DeFoe Sr. and Geraldine L. DeFoe. Ken was employed by the Fond du Lac Reservation since 1981, working up the ranks from laborer to head of FDL Housing and the head of FDL Construction company. He helped plan, develop and build homes, community buildings and roads, to name a few things, throughout the...
