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
Sorted by date Results 1034 - 1058 of 4764
A 43-year-old Fond du Lac Reservation man who threatened to kill family members was arrested Sunday, July 31, following a three-hour standoff with law enforcement. James Warren Bosto was subsequently charged in District Court in Duluth on Monday, Aug. 1. He faces a felony charge of threats of violence, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Authorities responded to the home, on Mallard Drive in rural Cloquet, at around 6:30 p.m. Sunday, after residents reported Bosto being impaired and threatening to kill them. The three f...
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 Daze got off to a running start last weekend, with kids' races and the annual 5K race Friday evening followed by the 50-mile Voyageur Ultramarathon Saturday. The annual event offered a little bit of everything: lots of music and food options, tournaments galore, a car show, kids' coin digs and kayak races for older, bolder folk. Kim and Sue Newman of Barnum came for the car show Saturday, staying to eat Julie's egg rolls. "We had a few of these cars, then kids came along," said Kim. But...
The Minnesota Wilderness have added former Bemidji State Beaver Kyle Brodie to its coaching staff. A native of Northglenn, Colorado, Brodie comes to Cloquet after spending the last six seasons working with AAA programs in Wenatchee, Washington. Brodie’s playing career ended in 2015-16, as he concluded with 51 games as a defenseman with the Columbus Cottonmouths. Brodie’s college career included two seasons with Bemidji State, where he earned NCAA All-Academic team honors both seasons. Brodie then transferred to University of Wis...
On March 17, witnesses estimated nearly two dozen squad cars, ambulances and firetrucks from multiple jurisdictions responded to the school campus in the heart of Esko. Someone - in Africa, it later turned out - had called in a bomb threat. There was no bomb, but that didn't change the fact that emergency responders and law enforcement waited for hours before the scene was cleared. At least two ambulances and staff responded from the Cloquet Area Fire District (CAFD). Nobody was billed for those...
When Carlton throws a party, expect big things. And there’s nothing bigger than the annual Carlton Daze celebration, which kicks off Friday and runs through Sunday, July 29-31. Carlton Daze offers something for everyone: a pretty big small-town parade, loads of live music, all kinds of food, a classic car show, sales galore and lots of tournaments, from softball and volleyball, to bean bags, poker and golf. There are gun raffles and meat raffles, community church services, fun at the fire department and a bubble dance party at the bike shelter....
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 Carlton County board of commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to accept the guaranteed maximum price for the construction of the new justice center at just over $66.8 million, nearly double early estimates. County coordinator Dennis Genereau said the county passed the point of no return with this particular vote. “This was a significant decision,” Genereau told the Pine Knot News. “There is no turning back now. After eight years of planning and answering countless questions and concerns, the county board has made the decision to proceed....
The Fond du Lac Tribal College Board of Directors (FDLTCBOD) finds the comments made by a sitting Wrenshall school board member regarding our American Indian ancestors disrespectful and degrading. The comments made by the school board member were in reaction to redoing a school parking lot and a question: “What if they dig up bones?” The board member responded that “I have a plan for that. Fence it off and bring in all the dogs from the dog pound. There won’t be any bones left.” The reference to finding bones was made in connection to the Fo...
On a hot July summer day, 64 players gathered for the third annual Gary "Moose" Pastika memorial golf fundraiser at the Cloquet Country Club. Pastika was an avid golfer and a 50-year member of the Cloquet Country Club. He beat colon cancer once, but the sometimes irrepressible disease came back with a vengeance and he died in December 2018. In response, a few of Gary's family and friends initiated the idea of the fundraiser, including Cloquet Hospital Foundation Executive Director Laurie Korby,...
Efforts to revive Cloquet's West End business district continue, with city officials announcing the second round of the West End Flourish grants which aim to reactivate the historic business district through art. The grants are part of Cloquet's Artists on Main Street program, a multi-year program exploring how the arts help address the challenges affecting Main Street communities today, with funding from the Bush Foundation. Grants will be awarded to the following: • Lori Peterson was a...
After eight years of research and planning, Carlton County officials should know the maximum cost of a new justice center following a special meeting set for Thursday, July 21, after this issue of the Pine Knot News went to press. County coordinator Dennis predicted the top number from project contractor Adolfson & Peterson will come in at over $70 million, including construction and soft costs such as architectural, engineering and permitting. Funding is also up in the air. The largest possible funding source for the justice center is the...
Contrary to rumor, Brickyard Days is a go. Now under the direction of the daughter-and-mother team of Jolene Johnson and Phyllis Rousseau, the annual Wrenshall celebration is set for Aug. 5-6 and will include a parade, a movie in the park and much more. Interested in entering the parade or being a vendor? Call Phyllis at 218-393-1507. And look for a preview story of Brickyard Days in next week’s Pine Knot News....
Esko area author Elaine Osborne’s book, “If I Felt Alone,” was recently nominated for a Northeastern Minnesota Book Award in the nonfiction category. Osborne’s book tells the story of the massive sewage spills near her home and the effects on her health and her life, as she fought to get officials at the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District to acknowledge and rectify the damage done. Tens of millions of gallons of raw sewage — wastewater that included industrial waste from the paper mill in Cloquet along with fecal matter — spilled int...
Cool, clear, water. Nothing compares with that most basic of human needs, the substance that comprises 55-60 percent of our bodies, the liquid that flows freely from our taps, flushes our toilets and cleanses our bodies. Water is the life-giving elixir we so easily take for granted, until it is gone. The July 27, 2021, issue of Time magazine carried an article by José Andrés, a world-famous chef. He said, “As the climate crisis worsens, we need to address protecting and preserving our water res...
With the annual Carlton Daze celebration just around the corner, I am dedicating this column to all the ways we celebrate our city. Over the years, how many unique community celebrations has Carlton had? I checked at the Carlton County Historical Society to find out. I didn’t find an exact number but saw there have been several celebrations over the years, including a street fair that started in 1914 and a cabbage festival held in late fall. At one time there was a July Fourth at Carlton, beginn...
The city of Cloquet is getting some help with being proactive about climate change. On Monday, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) announced a $106,000 grant to the city to better understand how to prepare the infrastructure for extreme weather caused by climate change. Cloquet will use the funds to update and expand their comprehensive stormwater master plan, which will include identifying infrastructure inadequacies, specific projects to address localized flooding, and funding needed for implementation. The city is matching the...
Brian Stewart McLain, born Aug. 18, 1959, in Cloquet, the son of John and Theresa (Loumala) McLain, passed away of a massive heart attack July 18, 2022, at Community Memorial Hospital. He was a 1977 graduate of Cloquet High School. Brian married Angie Carlson on Sept. 22, 2001; they would have been married 21 years this September. He loved hunting, fishing, and was a diehard dirt track race fan and loved classic cars. Brian loved socializing with family and friends. He was employed at Chemstar f...
William "Billy" Howard Hughes, 76, died July 15, 2022, in Waconia, Minnesota after a lengthy illness. He was born Sept. 4, 1945, in Oakland, California to Robert and Genevieve Hughes. He attended Sawyer Elementary School and graduated from Carlton High School. After college, Bill embarked on a career as a musician, first in the rock band The Vacant Lot, performing at many venues throughout the country, and later as a talent agent. His love of music never left him. He was preceded in death by his...
Roger "Bopper" Mark Molstad, 61, of Cloquet passed away peacefully with his wife and best friends by his side July 16, 2022, after a two-year battle with bladder cancer. Bopper was born April 1, 1961, in Cloquet, the son of Roger Edgar and LaVonna (Watters) Molstad. He worked for the toboggan factory, Lake Superior Cabs, Cloquet Collision Center, and the family-owned Molstad Resort. In addition to being a fantastic friend, brother, uncle, grandfather and loving husband, Bopper enjoyed caring...
Donna G. Peters, 88, of Cloquet passed away July 16, 2022, at home. She was born Dec. 15, 1933, in Cloquet, the daughter of Adolph and Mathilda (Oakland) Fagre, and graduated from Cloquet High School. Donna was united in marriage to Robert Peters in 1952. She worked at The Treasure Shop at the Johnson Company for 17 years. Donna was a lifelong member of the Moose Club where she sold pull tabs for 24 years. She enjoyed fishing, playing pool, bowling, cribbage, and dancing. Donna was preceded in...
Alois "Al" Donald Rudnicki, 84, of Cloquet passed away July 1, 2022, in Essentia Health Moose Lake. He was born May 16, 1938, in Cook to John and Harriet Rudnicki. He graduated from Cloquet High School in 1957. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and the Minnesota Army National Guard. He was a St. Louis County corrections officer and spent time as a Solway township constable until retiring. Al enjoyed cars and spending time at swap meets and garage sales. He was active in Ducks Unlimited and...
The weather was perfect Saturday for the Fond du Lac veterans' powwow - held for the first time in three years after a pandemic hiatus. First into the circle Saturday were the Eagle flags, each one carried by a veteran, who was named by the master of ceremonies. The eagle flags were followed by the Fond du Lac Honor Guards with a row of cloth flags, including the FDL reservation flag, a Purple Heart flag, flags from each branch of the Armed Services and a POW flag, flags from other reservations...
At 57 years straight - or is it crooked? - the Wrong Days in Wright celebration is one of the longest running community events in the area. The small town celebration in western Carlton County didn't even pause during the first year of the pandemic, and it's still going strong. Longtime Wrong Days volunteer Jennie Hanson said it's a special time for the local community, population 136. "It's the one time every year that people get together," she said. "Past and present residents come from miles...
Minnesota's largest celebration of the state gem - the Lake Superior agate - returns to Moose Lake this weekend with the Agate Days celebration Saturday and Sunday. For those unfamiliar with our famous stone, the Lake Superior agate was named the official state gemstone in 1969. It is an unusually beautiful quartz stone banded with rich red and orange colors derived from iron ore in the soil. Most agates are about the size of a pea, but some are as big as bowling balls and weigh more than 20...
