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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During Cloquet's taxation and budget hearing on Dec. 3, frustrated resident Shannon Kesner asked city councilors to think outside the box rather than raising taxes, sharing that her property taxes have gone up over $1,200 a year since she purchased her home in 2020. "I know there's all kinds of funding sources out there," she said. "I implore you and others to take a look at all the different opportunities and see if something can help this." There's good news for Kesner and other residents:...
Gerald "Buck" Bloomquist recently turned 100 years old. Born Oct. 10, 1924, he was part of The Greatest Generation, graduating from Cloquet High School in 1942. He currently lives at a Veterans Home in Rifle, Colorado. He is a proud veteran of World War II. The Nov. 8 Pine Knot Veterans Day tribute spurred the Bloomquist relatives and me to revive - and retrieve - Buck's military and life stories. Buck's son, Bill, was a Cloquet school and athletic chum of mine. Buck Bloomquist was an...
James Joseph Johnson, 22, of Apple Valley, Minnesota, passed away at his home Nov. 14, 2024. James was a humble, affectionate and dedicated individual who always put the needs of others ahead of himself. James was born to Kathy and Dan Johnson on April 1, 2002, in Duluth. James lived at his country home in Mahtowa with his family until Jan. 1, 2024. James was a 2020 graduate of Barnum High School, and a 2022 graduate of Lake Superior College, with a degree in aviation maintenance. James took...
Prospective cross country skiers and ski jumpers ages 3-18 are invited to join the Cloquet Ski Club, which is based out of the Pine Valley park in Cloquet. Ski jumpers practice Tuesday and Thursday evenings, while cross country skiers meet every Sunday afternoon, weather permitting. Cross country membership including equipment is $50, ski jumping is $75. Membership only is $30. Register online at https://tinyurl.com/Cloquet-Ski-Club. Email additional questions to [email protected] or find them on Facebook @cloquetski...
This year's Carlton Soil and Water Conservation District Outstanding Conservationist award was not presented to a person, rather the award went to an entire department. The public works department for the city of Cloquet was recognized by the Carlton SWCD on Nov. 12 for going "above and beyond" in implementing numerous conservation projects. Those projects included working with the SWCD to manage more than 10 acres of buckthorn and other invasive species on city property with the help of the...
Armory Road will be smoother, safer and a little less steep at the end after a $1.8 million reconstruction project is mostly complete in 2026. For now, that project exists only on paper, but assistant city engineer John Anderson said construction is expected to start next spring during a public hearing at Tuesday's Cloquet City Council meeting. It's a well-used road, leading from Minnesota Highway 33 to the Cloquet Armory, McDonald's Restaurant and entrances to the Lumberjack Mall businesses...
Cloquet's Pine Valley Park was crawling with mountain bikers last weekend, as nearly 1,000 student athletes competed in the sixth Minnesota Cycling Association race event of the season. Add in their parents, coaches and fans, and the woodland recreation area was in constant motion, with fans hiking into the woods with cowbells or large speakers blaring music under a canopy of yellow, orange and red tents. The announcer's voice could be heard across the park and up to a mile away, as he...
Carlton County teacher, naturalist and poet Patrick Stevens has released a second book of poetry, titled "Natural Wonders." The new poetry book follows the author through his wanderings in each distinct season of the Minnesota year. He begins his journey in winter, the longest season, dealing with dying plants, frost, frozen lakes, major snowfalls, animal tracks and habitat, before moving on to spring and the welcome rebirth of plants and animals. Summer is his joyous time, bringing long days...
Lela Faye (Heckman) Tuominen, 89, passed away Sept. 19, 2024, at Brooke Manor in Brookston, where she resided for the last five years. She was born in Runeberg Township near Menahga, Minnesota July 15, 1935, to Nels and Aina Heckman. Lela graduated from Denfeld High School in Duluth in 1953 and was married to Eugene Tuominen on June 29, 1957. Lela was an excellent bowler and avid fan of the Minnesota Vikings and Twins. She enjoyed gardening and baking. She adored her grandchildren and...
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...
There are many reasons why people go to the Minnesota State Fair. The food, carnival rides, exhibits, livestock barns, music, educational demonstrations and, of course, people watching, bring nearly two million fairgoers to the fairgrounds each year. But very few get invited to perform on one of the four major stages scattered across the 330 acres of the fairgrounds. Count me as one of them. Doctor Kielbasa, a band with longtime ties to Cloquet and Carlton County, performed two days on the...
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...
More than 50 people took part in the annual and unusual Lost Forester trail races last Saturday, Aug. 24 at Pine Valley Recreation Area in Cloquet. The 5.5K race had 29 finishers and one who did not start. The race course was the most standard with weather that was sunny, warm, and humid. In a surprise finish, a 9-year-old, Dean Ervaets, came in first at 23 minutes, 40 seconds. Others who ran with Ervaets said he sprinted the whole way. Then the race was all about the Gilbertson family....
The Lost Forester Runs of Pine Valley return Saturday, Aug. 24. The unique event offers three choices: a 5.5K or 15K on the ski or mountain bike trails that run through Pine Valley's scenic pines and hardwoods, or 12.5 miles on and off the trails. The really interesting race is the 12.5 miler. It will be run on the Pine Valley and Pine Valley west ski and mountain bike trails, with some additional running off-trail following a ribbon line. Runners will have to collect data cards with their bib...
The final step in becoming an Eagle Scout - the highest rank for Scouts - is to do a project that will make a difference in the community. Bryce Sweere came up with a unique idea for his final project this summer: A skinny bike course in Cloquet's Pine Valley Recreation Area. Mountain bikers call wooden features on a trail "skinnies," but the Esko senior-to-be built a criss-crossing course of four different features. His efforts will give people something completely new in the popular biking...
Rodney William "Rocky" Metso, 69, of Sawyer, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. He was born April 5, 1955, in Cloquet to William and Tyyne (Mannila) Metso. Rocky grew up in Sawyer and graduated from Carlton High School in 1973. He enjoyed a long career with the Potlatch paper mill in Cloquet. Rocky and his brother Les were twins of sorts. They had the same birthday, 17 years apart. If there was something that needed fixing, Rocky was there to help - whether it was a neighbor's...
If all goes as planned, construction on a new dental clinic will start this fall or in the spring in the city’s Business Park, after Cloquet city councilors approved the sale of a 1.3-acre lot just off Highway 33, behind the business park sign. Dentist Wendy Peterson attended Tuesday’s meeting. Peterson plans to build a $2.3 million dental facility called Woods & Water Family Dental with space for up to seven operatories, starting with four. Peterson started her career as a dental hygienist in 2006, then went back to school, graduating fro...
Storm chasing is a dangerous and unpredictable hobby, but it can also be incredibly rewarding. For me, there’s nothing quite like the thrill of chasing a storm cell and trying to capture the perfect shot. I had the opportunity to do just that when a severe thunderstorm warning was issued June 12 for our area. I grabbed my camera and headed out into the field, hoping to get a glimpse of a tornado or just amazing cloud formations. As I drove, I watched the storm clouds build in the distance. T...
Pine Knot News staff report Whether you’re looking for a way to while away an afternoon or plan an entire week’s worth of activities — staycation style — there’s plenty to do in Carlton County. Now that summer has taken hold, it’s the perfect time to explore everything the area has to offer, from hiking in Jay Cooke State Park and whitewater rafting down the St. Louis River, swimming at The Beach or perfect rainy day attractions like our local museums. Established in 1857 and home to more than 3...
Chad Richard Timonen, 43, of Apple Valley, Minnesota, passed away at Fairview Ridges Hospital on March 28, 2024, with his family by his side. Chad was born June 14, 1980, at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, and was raised in Beaver Township. He graduated from Moose Lake High School in 1998. Chad worked in various industries, including farming, the railroad, truck driving, logging, over-the-road heavy haul, driving tow trucks and, most recently, for Castle Rock Contracting &...
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...
Congratulations to Tom Gervais on being recognized for excellence in leadership at the Cromwell-Wright Fire District’s annual get-together April 26. Tom’s leadership style is a steadfast commitment to serving others with integrity, and he is an inspiration and example of true leadership excellence. It was so great to see the wonderful photographs and paintings at the Pine Knot office in Cloquet last Friday evening. The exhibit will be up for several weeks, so stop in to take a gander at the...
Polka celebrity, farmer and retired Minnesota state senator Florian Chmielewski died Tuesday at his home in Sturgeon Lake at the age of 97. He should be buried with his accordion, which he played for nearly 80 years and famously played on the steps of the Minnesota Capitol building in his first Minnesota Senate term in 1971. "Freshman senator stages 'polka protest' at Capitol," a newspaper headline shouted, the story detailing how Chmielewski had broken out his accordion and performed a special...
I worked for the City of Cloquet for 40 years and came to know Pine Valley well. It has long been a Cloquet gem overlooked by many. The first time I walked into the chalet, my immediate thought was what a great place this would be with an updated chalet that had a Master Fireplace! Thank you to the Medich Family for having this same vision. It will forever be a lasting legacy for not only Joe Nowak, Mike Marciniak and Hank Nelson, who gave their everything to Pine Valley, but also to George and Helen. Thank you! Jim Prusak, Pike...
Pine Valley Recreation Area received an unexpected boost this week - and it wasn't from the late-season snowstorm. During the Cloquet city council meeting Tuesday, longtime city parks commissioner Tom Urbanski shared news of a $1 million commitment for construction of a new multipurpose chalet at the popular Cloquet park. The donation comes from a family with deep ties to Cloquet and neighboring communities. "I am happy to inform you of my intent to donate funds for the planning and...
