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 Esko boys basketball team proved again Friday why it's a favorite in local basketball circles. The Eskomos hosted Moose Lake/Willow River - another perennial local basketball power - and handed the Rebels an 89-59 loss. "Esko is just a physical and athletic team," said Rebels coach Paul Dewey. "I thought we did a good job on some of their better players, but they have so much depth that sooner or later they are able to find a way to score points." The Eskomos bolted to a 46-20 halftime lead...
Entering the game between Cromwell-Wright and Moose Lake/Willow River, the Cardinals had 12 wins and the Rebels just a single win. One of the reasons for the Cardinals' strong season, Sascha Korpela, who celebrated a landmark moment Monday, scoring her 1,000th career point on a free throw during the game at Moose Lake. Cardinals head coach Jeff Gronner said it was fun to watch. "She means so much to this team on offense, but what people don't realize is how good she is on the defensive side of...
The Moose Lake Area and Cloquet-Esko-Carlton girls hockey teams seem like a good barometer for one another. The teams tied 1-1 on Monday at Northwoods Credit Union Arena, as staunch goaltending prevailed in a game that provided plenty of excitement. It was a rematch between Moose Lake Area and CEC from back on Nov. 22, when the Rebels snuck out a 3-2 overtime win in Moose Lake. "Both teams are blessed to have good goaltending," said MLA coach Reilly Fawcett. "We would like to have tested their...
There is a lot of snow out there this winter. How much? It depends on where you are. While Duluth is breaking - or on the cusp of - all kinds of snowfall records for December and the season, areas in Carlton County are not quite setting records. But the snowfall we've had is far above normal. In Cloquet, the average snowfall in December is about 16 inches. Last month, there was nearly 30 inches of snow recorded in the city. That is the highest of area measurements. A recording 3 miles northeast...
The man responsible for one of Carlton County’s most heinous crimes died in prison this week. Donald Blom, 73, passed away on Tuesday at a state correctional facility in Oak Park Heights, where he was serving a life sentence for the 1999 kidnapping and murder of Katie Poirier, 19, of Barnum. “It was one of those cases that will be with me forever,” Carlton County Sheriff Kelly Lake said Wednesday. “What that family has gone through is just unimaginable.” Poirier had been working alone when she encountered Blom, a serial offender, who forced Poi...
Entering this high school hockey season, expectations were high for the Moose Lake Area girls hockey team. So far, the Rebels have not disappointed, and sit with an impressive 9-3 record after dropping a tough game to Hibbing/Chisholm on Monday night. Although young and smaller in numbers, the Rebels have a lot of varsity experience and some history. "This group is not content with what they did by winning a U-12 state championship," said Rebels head coach Reilly Fawcett. "They want to win a...
Commissioner Susan Zmyslony was sworn in as the new commissioner from District 4 of Carlton County this week, representing the southeast portion of the county, including Carlton, Barnum, Wrenshall, Mahtowa and Holyoke. Judge Rebekka Stumme officiated over the ceremonies Tuesday, which also included the swearing in of re-elected District 2 Commissioner Marv Bodie, County Attorney Lauri Ketola and Carlton County Sheriff Kelly Lake. The annual county board organizational meeting saw District 1...
As 2022 came to a close, Rep. Mike Sundin left the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul one last time on Wednesday. But not before the Esko Democrat cleared out his office after 10 years as a representative for District 11A. "I'm going back to help Mary Murphy pack up, and that's going to be tough," Sundin said of his fellow DFL lawmaker and longtime friend. "I'll be helping her vacate an office she's held for 46 years. But it's a changing of the guard." It's been that kind of year throughout...
The wet snowstorm that fell on the region two weeks ago - causing many headaches with power outages - was followed by subzero temperatures and howling winds just before Christmas, making for slick roads. There were a handful of crashes around the region leading into the holiday weekend. Because of the conditions, most drivers were going slowly enough to avoid any serious injuries. Expected power outages caused by blizzard-strength winds did not materialize as winds kicked up on Dec. 22 and into...
Holiday greenery and Christmas trees bring joy throughout the season, but they can also hide dangerous hitchhikers. Diseases and invasive species can make their way into our landscapes on trees and boughs brought into Minnesota from other states. To protect the environment, the state of Minnesota is asking residents to properly dispose of greenery and trees after the holiday season. The best option is to bring trees to a designated dropoff site. After removing ornaments, lights, stands and bags, Carlton County residents can dispose of trees...
Randall "Randy" D. Luing, 71, of Cloquet passed away in his home on Dec. 25, 2022. He was born May 18, 1951, in Mahtowa, the son of Kenneth and Isabelle (Patton) Luing. Randy graduated from Moose Lake High School and worked as a registered nurse for Miller Dwan Hospital and Essentia. He was an avid Minnesota sports fan, especially the Minnesota Vikings and Twins. Randy enjoyed bowling in leagues and with his brothers, going to tournaments throughout Minnesota, and had bowled a perfect 300 game....
The early reports of first rain, then snow, seemed somewhat unusual. But those of us who have lived up north a long time know winter has the upper hand. Just live with it, because before you know it, things will change. I saw the rain come - and come - and came to the conclusion that at least we wouldn't get 4 feet of snow when it was all said and done. The Halloween storm of 1991 was like that. Two bursts of snow came in at about 12 to 14 inches. It was super heavy and clung to the trees like...
It's too soon to know just how many cumulative hours of extra work went into cleaning up and restoring power after last week's epic snowstorm, but those costs figure to be exorbitant. To that end, a unanimous emergency declaration Monday by Carlton County commissioners will attempt to recoup state money for overtime and other associated costs for county-related work, along with the efforts of electrical cooperatives. "Most of it is for the utility companies," said Marlyn Halvorson, Carlton...
Requiring Herculean effort to regain a sense of normalcy, the first major snowstorm of the winter buried Cloquet and surrounding areas last week. The storm transformed Carlton County into a winter wonderland, but the heavy snow also wreaked havoc on roads, electrical grids and trail systems. It left young trees bowing like monks while older trees fell or dropped limbs overwhelmed by the weight of the wet snow. Evergreens turned white, with giant globs of snow pasted to every branch. The snow...
As I sit in my warm home drinking a hot cup of coffee, my mind drifts to the last 44 hours without power. No lights, heat, internet or television. As enlightening as it was to realize how much most of us depend on necessities like lights and heat, I was grateful when three men from Minnesota Power drove into our yard on a cold, snowy evening to remove branches that had fallen on a power line. Losing power was an act of nature that no one initiated. I applaud the employees of the power company as they know what they are doing and do it well....
Rayna Klejeski and Allison Marine combined for 50 points in leading the Barnum girls basketball team to a 65-36 victory over next-door neighbors and rival Moose Lake/Willow River Monday night in Moose Lake. "Allison and Rayna are two of the best post players and it is fun to see how they have started to work together," said Barnum coach Mariah Minkkinen. "They are tough to guard and tonight they played very well for us." Klejeski led all scorers with 27 points and Marine tacked on 23 points for...
Carlton County residents are encouraged to recycle their fresh-cut Christmas trees during Treecycling, a free program with drop-off locations throughout the region. Christmas trees, like yard waste, are banned from landfills in Minnesota. After removing ornaments, lights, stands and bags, residents can dispose of trees properly by bringing them to a Treecycling site: • SAPPI Fine Paper (Gatehouse Entrance) East End Ave. B, Cloquet Dec. 23 through Jan. 16 • Moose Lake compost site (across from city garage) Dec. 23 through Jan. 16 Area res...
About 20 Carlton County residents came to the Truth in Taxation hearing on Tuesday to voice fears of losing their homes under heavy increases in local property taxes. An Eagle Lake summer resident testified she had a 23 percent increase for taxes payable for fiscal year 2023 although she and her husband lived there only 47 percent of the time. Jim Jankowski lives on a small farm in rural Esko where he had milked cows in the past. The farm has been in his family for more than 100 years. The 80-year-old took the podium. “I have worked hard in m...
This past Sunday, the Moose Lake High School auditorium rang with a stunning mash-up of horns, reeds, drums, guitar and keyboard. Billed as the Andrew Walesch Big Band, it was the third of this year's five Agate Encores Community Concerts. Walesch, who has performed across the region - including at Oldenburg House events in Carlton - acknowledged his professor from St. Olaf College and announced he'd be singing a Frank Sinatra show, at times accompanying himself on the keyboard. It was amazing...
The Northland Foundation was recently awarded a federal grant of $500,000 over two years to support intergenerational programming in northeast Minnesota, leveraging the foundation’s “AGE to age” program which brings generations together in helping children’s programs. The program taps the skills and experience of older adult volunteers to support children in tutoring, out-of-school time, and enrichment activities like reading programs, homework help, art clubs, sewing projects, fitness activities, and holiday gatherings. Anyone age 55 or olde...
Neighborhood rivals Moose Lake Area and Cloquet-Esko-Carlton met up Nov. 22 in a girls hockey clash in Moose Lake. The spirited contest delivered, ending with a 3-2 MLA overtime victory. The Rebels jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the Lumberjacks mounted a third-period comeback to tie the game at 2-2. Things were not decided until the 2-minute, 32-second mark of overtime when Hallie Klavu netted the game winner to give MLA its fourth win of the season. "This is such a special group of kids,"...
Diane Mary Calhoun, 74, of Barnum died Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022, at Essentia Health in Duluth. She was born in Duluth on Oct. 9, 1948, to Edward and Melba Stevens. Diane grew up in Barnum, graduating from Barnum High School in 1966. She attended St. Cloud Teachers College, earning her teaching degree. Diane worked for the U.S. Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey's office in Washington, D.C., and was very proud to also have worked alongside astronaut Michael Collins during her time at the capitol. She taught...
The Northland Foundation was recently awarded a federal grant of $500,000 over two years to support intergenerational programming in northeast Minnesota, leveraging the foundation’s “AGE to age” program that brings generations together in tutoring and help in children’s programs. The program taps the skills and experience of 500 older adult volunteers to support children and youth in tutoring, out-of-school time, and summer enrichment activities like reading programs, homework help, art clubs, sewing projects, fitness activities and holiday...
Essentia Health announced Monday that it had reached a tentative agreement with union nurses in Moose Lake. “Both parties worked hard at the bargaining table in pursuit of a contract that benefits our nurses, our organization and — most importantly — our patients,” an Essentia Health news release said. The Minnesota Nurses Association negotiating committee agreed to recommend ratification and will hold a ratification vote on or before Dec. 9. The tentative agreement also meant that the Moose Lake location would not participate in a strike...
If strength of schedule is important to developing a hockey team during the regular season, then the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton girls hockey team is on the right track. The 'Jacks opened the season on Nov. 12 at Anoka followed by back-to-back home games against South St. Paul and Bloomington Jefferson. Despite going 0-3 in that stretch, there is reason to be optimistic. In their opening game road loss to Anoka, the Lumberjacks fell 2-1 in overtime to the Tornadoes. "We have a lot of new faces in the...
