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 Minnesota Wilderness headed back to the Lower 48 after completing its second weekend of its first Alaska trip of the regular season. In the three-game series at Anchorage, the Wilderness were victorious in the Friday opener, 4-2, and fell in Saturday’s game, 6-3, before dropping the Sunday finale in overtime, 5-4. The Cloquet-based team went 3-2 over the two weekends away....
The first leg of an Alaska trip was a sweep for the Minnesota Wilderness last weekend in 6-3 and 5-2 wins over Kenai River. Ferry Netusil posted his second hat trick of the season in leading the Wilderness to victory Friday. Five players scored Saturday night to lead the Wilderness to a 5-2 victory and the sweep over Kenai River in Alaska. Netusil was named the NAHL Midwest Division Star of the Week. The native of Prague becomes the first forward in the NAHL to earn multiple weekly honors this season. Minnesota stays in Alaska for two games...
The Minnesota Wilderness got a Nate Murray goal in the final round of a shootout Saturday to capture a 2-1 win over the Chippewa Steel, Minnesota’s lone win in a three-game series. The Wilderness lost 4-3 in overtime Thursday night and 3-1 Friday night. Thursday’s game was in Wisconsin and the weekend games were in Cloquet. Earlier in October, the Wilderness saw head coach Colten St. Clair leave for another coaching opportunity. The team hired Minnesota native Zach Stepan as the franchise’s seventh head coach since it entered the league in 20... Full story
Our society is far removed from the Great Depression of the 1930s. Nevertheless, some government programs instituted to aid in the economic recovery left their marks on the northern communities of Minnesota. One of the most familiar is the Works Progress Administration, established in 1935 to employ millions of people to build public projects such as town halls, bridges, schools and park structures. These buildings and bridges are widely known, and the WPA letters are seen stamped somewhere on... Full story
The Minnesota Wilderness dropped two games at home last weekend by 4-3 scores against the Springfield Jr. Blues. The Wilderness held leads of 2-0 and 3-1 Friday before the Jr. Blues scored three unanswered goals. The first goal, coming just 18 seconds in, was scored on a redirection by Brady Zugec off a shot taken by Zach Howard. That was followed by Zach Homer firing in a rebound at 3:54 to make it 2-0. After a Springfield goal made it 2-1 midway through the first period, the Wilderness restored its two-goal advantage thanks to a Frantisek... Full story
The Minnesota Wilderness remain at .500 after a slate of games in the North American Hockey League’s Showcase Tournament in Blaine last week. The Cloquet-based team is now 3-3-1 on the season. The tourney began Wednesday, Sept. 25 against Northeast. The Wilderness held leads of 2-0 and 3-2 but could not hold on in a 4-3 loss. Just 34 seconds after Lucas Jendek posted a second-period goal to give Minnesota a 2-0 advantage, the Generals got on the board to make it 2-1. Northeast then scored early in the third to tie the contest at 2. Minnesota b... Full story
Wisconsin teams swept the Minnesota Wilderness last weekend, with one game at home Friday night and then the team’s first road game Saturday. The losses put the Wilderness at 2-2 on the season. The Wisconsin Windigo edged the Wilderness at home in Cloquet Friday, 5-4. The loss spoiled Frantisek Netusil’s first two-goal game in his junior career, both in the third period. His 6-on-3 power play goal came with 39 seconds left. Also scoring goals were Avery Anderson and Cloquet native Karson Young, who recorded his first in his third game at the ju... Full story
Cloquet city councilors set the 2025 preliminary tax levy at just over $3.9 million Tuesday, an 11.23 percent increase over the 2024 levy. Once a preliminary levy is approved, the figure can go down before it gets final approval in December, but it cannot be increased. City administrator Tim Peterson said the reason behind the jump is easy to pinpoint: wages. Salaries and benefits make up just over $6 million of the entire general fund budget of $9.5 million, he said. The total wage increases...
Marlys Mae Simons Fuller died at home on Aug. 7, 2024, surrounded by family. She was born May 28, 1930, to Edwin "Wes" Wesley and Pauline Standal Simons in Butte, Montana. Her family moved from Montana back to Minnesota when she was very young. They lived at a ranger station outside of Cotton until she finished the seventh grade. She was confirmed in St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Canyon. Her family then moved to Cloquet. Marlys graduated from Cloquet High School and the University of Minnesota... Full story
It looked like Cale Prosen was going to end his 42-day kayaking trip around Lake Superior paddling in pouring rain through the Duluth Ship Canal. But the rain lifted and, just like that, part of a rainbow appeared on the horizon. "There are some gnarly currents," the 20-year-old told his dad, who was standing above him on the Aerial Lift Bridge, as the waves roiled between the concrete walls of the canal. Cale handled it easily. After all, he'd had six weeks of practicing navigating in his sea... Full story
For the fourth straight year, the Minnesota Wilderness will open its season at home. The North American Hockey League has released its schedule for the 2024-25 regular season. The Wilderness will play 59 regular-season contests, with all 28 of its home games at Northwoods Credit Union Arena in Cloquet. The opener will be Sept. 13 against Fairbanks. The Wilderness will also play three games in the NAHL Showcase tournament in Blaine, Minnesota Sept. 25-28. The first road contest is Sept. 21 at Chippewa Falls. The Wilderness will again host a...
Pull into Tamarack, 36 miles west of Cloquet on Highway 210, and it’s easy to locate the publicly traded mining company that wants to extract nickel from deep beneath the grassy swamps that surround the town. Visible from the city park, what’s notable about Talon Metals headquarters is that it’s located in a small yellow house. Across from the office on Warren Street, there’s an open garage where workers process the company’s core samples. For a mining company, it looks an awful lot like a co... Full story
Four new defensemen have been inked for the Minnesota Wilderness for next season. The Wilderness announced this week that Karson Young of Cloquet, Owen Smith of Maple Grove, Charles Antrilli of Oaklyn, New Jersey, and Talan Del Signore from the Esmark Stars program in Pennsylvania have signed tenders for the 2024-25 season. Both Young and Smith come to the Wilderness after playing last weekend with the club’s 18-and-under team at the Prospects Challenge in Blaine. The team won the championship, finishing unbeaten with a 5-0 record. Both p...
City planner and zoning administrator Al Cottingham received a round of applause during Tuesday's Cloquet City Council meeting - a meeting he hopes will be his last. Cottingham is retiring June 6, after 12 years with the city of Cloquet. "I will very very much miss seeing you here every day and keeping the rest of us on point," said city administrator Tim Peterson. Cottingham said he will miss the people, the job not so much. "It's time to retire and go do some things that I've been putting on...
The Minnesota Wilderness North American Tier 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) team has added 11 players over the last few weeks to its roster for its first season under new ownership. The Wilderness made two selections in the NA3HL draft held April 24 and followed that with nine player tenders. The first player added to the franchise was Cloquet-Esko-Carlton forward Ryan Jones. The 18-year-old Jones was the second-round, 49th overall selection. Jones played 23 games for the CEC Lumberjacks in his senior season, recording six goals and six assists. Mark...
The Minnesota Wilderness rallied Friday only to end the season the next night with a 6-2 loss to the Anchorage Wolverines at Northwoods Credit Union Arena in Cloquet. The Wilderness, which trailed the five-game playoff series 2-0 coming into the weekend, extended the season Friday by beating the Wolverines 4-1, but Anchorage bounced back Saturday to win and take the series 3-1. "After winning on Friday night I think we were maybe emotionally drained," said Wilderness coach Colten St. Clair.... Full story
The Minnesota Wilderness returns home fighting for its playoff lives this week, trailing Anchorage, 2-0, in their best-of-five opening round series. The Wilderness lost 4-0 and 2-1 in overtime last weekend in Alaska, and would need to win three straight home games this weekend to advance in the Robertson Cup playoffs. Game 3 is 7:15 p.m. Friday, with games 4 and 5, if necessary, at 7:15 p.m. Saturday and 5:15 p.m. Sunday. The Wilderness got 31 saves from Wassau, Wisconsin’s Adam Prokop last Saturday, but Tyler Hennen scored 3 minutes, 48 s...
Daniel Astapovich scored twice and Adam Prokop made 32 saves to lead he Minnesota Wilderness to a 4-1 victory over the Anchorage Wolverines Friday night. The win keeps the Wilderness alive in the Robertson Cup playoffs as it trims Anchorage’s lead in the Best of five Midwest Division semifinal series at 2-games-to-1. Peyton Nelson also recorded two points with a goal and assist, while Ren Morque posted one goal. Nash Jacobsma also attended the 2-point party with a pair of assists. Kade Shea scor... Full story
There were still some snow banks in the parking lot, remnants of a late March storm, but the Cloquet Country Club golf course opened for play Sunday, April 14. An opening the same day as the Masters tournament finale is still very early for the Cloquet course to open. Since longtime CCC general manager Bill Manahan accepted the GM job at the Wilderness Club in Tower, Minnesota, on April 1, CCC has made some important administrative changes. Matt Carlson, who has worked in many different jobs at... Full story
The Minnesota Wilderness clinched a fourth straight appearance in the North American Hockey League Robertson Cup playoffs on April 12 in Springfield, Illinois, getting an overtime game winner from Nick Blood to put an exclamation point on the achievement. The Wilderness entered the game needing one point to secure the bid and hold off the fifth-place Chippewa Steel, and got it with a 2-2 regulation tie. “The goal going into the year was to contend for and win a Robertson Cup to bring back to the city of Cloquet,” Wilderness head coach Col... Full story
With a 1-0 overtime win April 5 in the finale of a two-game set with Springfield, the Minnesota Wilderness surged into a prospective playoff spot with two regular-season games to go. The Wilderness got a goal from Nate Murray two minutes into overtime to secure the win at Northwoods Credit Union Arena in Cloquet. Goalie Adam Prokop, of Wausau, Wisconsin has been carrying the team of late, and completed his fourth shutout of the season. The Wilderness (29-24-5) face the Springfield Jr. Blues...
A 3-point weekend against the top team in the division allowed the Minnesota Wilderness to keep pace in the playoff hunt last weekend, with four games to go. Minnesota got a shutout from goalie Adam Prokop, 3-0, on March 29 to beat the Wisconsin Windigo, while the Wilderness sent the next night's game into a tie and shootout, won 2-1, by the Windigo. With 61 points, Minnesota (28-23-5) remained in fifth place in the division with four games left to play, all against the Springfield Jr. Blues,... Full story
Bill Manahan, longtime Cloquet Country Club golf professional and manager, has accepted the general manager position with the beautiful The Wilderness at Fortune Bay golf course on Lake Vermilion near Tower, Minnesota. He starts his new job on April 1. Bill was my golf confidant and a friend. You could always count on Bill. He knew a little bit about everything and he liked to chat. He'll be missed, but it's a wonderful opportunity. "It's going to be an adjustment with me missing all the people... Full story
Swept in Alaska last weekend, the Minnesota Wilderness fell into fifth place in the Midwest Division standings — one point out of a playoff berth with six games to play. The Kenai River Brown Bears beat Minnesota, 4-1 and 5-2 on March 22 and Saturday, respectively, with the Wilderness falling into 2-0 holes in each game. Peteris Purmalis, of Liepāja, Latvia, led the Wilderness with two points on the weekend. Goaltender Nick Erickson, of Apple Valley, Minnesota, took the loss in net in both contests. With 58 points, the Wilderness (27-23-4) si... Full story
The Minnesota Wilderness staged comebacks in both games in its series in Anchorage last weekend, finishing with two points after Saturday’s victory. In both games at Ben Boeke Ice Arena in Anchorage, the Wilderness (27-21-4) fell behind 2-0 in the first period, but rallied to a tie in the second period. On Friday, the cardiac revival was not enough as Anchorage (34-13-5) won, 4-3. On Saturday, the Wilderness completed the effort with a 5-4 shootout triumph, said a team news release. Defenseman Beau Janzig led Minnesota with four points (one g... Full story
