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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Michael Olson, 10, (right) bounces a ball on his hockey stick while his Superior Blue teammates also burn off some energy between games during this weekend's squirt hockey playoffs at the Pine Valley hockey arenas in Cloquet. Parents said it was a way to stay physically distanced outside....
Homecoming candidates were allowed to take a quick group photo without masks, but most of the ceremonies in the high school auditorium Thursday, Feb. 25 were both masked and socially distanced. No others except for emcees and last year's king and queen were allowed in the auditorium - although each candidate could have two guests (mostly parents). Instead, the short program was livestreamed into homeroom classes, and distance learners watched from home. To make up for many events lost or...
It is quite remarkable to have two state high school champions from the same Cloquet household, but especially rare in the world of ski jumping, in particular because it's no longer a sanctioned high school sport here. Tim and Gene Schilling both won ski jumping titles - Tim in 1965 and Gene in 1972. There were state jumping competitions from 1932 to 1978. For nearly three decades, the field of champions was dominated by athletes from Coleraine on the Iron Range and Duluth. That changed in 1958...
The annual Frozen Forester race at Pine Valley is set for March 13 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Cloquet's Pine Valley Park. As usual, racers have myriad choices. They can do a 5K run/walk/snowshoe -- as a family friendly trails option or a more challenging off-trail 5K -- starting at 10:30 a.m. and/or a 15K bike ride on groomed trails starting at 8:30 a.m. (These times are correct - the print story was incorrect.) Cost to register is $30 for one event or $40 for both. For the off-trail race,...
The Nordic ski season has been anything but normal for Section 7 ski teams this year. Some of it couldn't be avoided: to start with, the season was delayed by more than a month because of a spike in Covid numbers and the resulting distance learning requirement. Once it began, meets - which usually feature at least six to eight teams - were limited to three. For the first race, skiers had to wear face masks, but fortunately officials soon came to their senses. During the cold snap, races were...
It might be that early February provided the biggest punch of cold winter we'll receive this season. So the remnants of this winter will be a breeze when it comes to enjoyment without the arctic air. There are myriad ways to alleviate cabin fever in the area while still taking pandemic precautions. Here is a sampling: WALK There are many trails available in Carlton County for folks who'd like to get outside and tromp around in the snow, including trails at Jay Cooke State Park, along the St....
Here is a look at the 33 awards the Pine Knot News received last week from the Minnesota Newspaper Association. The annual contest run by MNA pits papers of comparable size against each other. Awards honoring overall work by a newspaper come from a look at issues chosen at random under contest rules. Entries by individuals are chosen by newspaper staff from a year’s worth of work. There are about 285 newspapers in the state that are part of the association. About 260 of those papers are w...
Sunday was a nearly perfect day for ski jumping at Pine Valley, just in time for the biggest home meet of the year. The jumping hills were a pristine white, thanks to a fresh coat of snow the night before. They were perfectly groomed, thanks to many (mostly) parent volunteers. The sky was blue, and, every once in a while, more snow would blow out of the tree tops, sparkling in the sun as it floated down on an 18-degree day. Jumpers came to Cloquet to celebrate National Ski Jumping Day Saturday a...
Minnesotans know of many ways to enjoy the snow. They eat it, throw it, build with it, slide on it and jump into it. A favorite way that my outdoor companion Keith and I enjoy the frozen precipitation is to strap snowshoes to our boots and walk on it. Snowshoeing can be an affordable and spontaneous outdoor activity that allows you to explore areas with deep snow by "floating" on top. As many parents and teachers know, a great way to play outside and introduce a fun physics lesson to kids is by...
It appears there's a male moose loose in the city of Cloquet, or rather the woods surrounding it. Earlier this month, a handful of residents spotted the large antlered animal not far from Armory Road in Cloquet and shared their stories on Facebook. On Friday, the moose posed for a few photos on a trail cam south of Pine Valley. The owner of the trail cam shared the photos - and at least one past moose story - with the Pine Knot News, but declined to be identified because she doesn't want people...
Despite less than ideal snow conditions, the Lumberjacks Nordic ski teams are off to a fast start in this year's ski season. Still ranked in third place by skinnyski.com, the boys team won both of their first two meets handily, beating Proctor and Denfeld at Spirit Mountain Jan. 14 and Mesabi East and Marshall in a tri-meet at home Tuesday. At Spirit, CEC had five boys in the top 10, and six boys in the meet at Pine Valley this week. It's a deep team, as the boys returned all but one of their to...
Cloquet's newest city councilor, Elizabeth "Lyz" Jaakola, was sworn in Tuesday in a most unusual format, with city administrator Tim Peterson asking councilors and anyone watching the virtual meeting "to imagine" a more conventional ceremony. In reality, Jaakola was not visible as she held her hand up and repeated the oath of office as "caller 02" on the GoToMeeting screen. Jaakola garnered the most votes for the Ward 5 council seat in November's election, beating fellow challenger Dennis...
Cloquet has an excellent system of recreational trails that are, for the most part, maintained by a handful of dedicated volunteers and one very dedicated and highly qualified part-time groomer hired by the city. That’s why it’s sad to see thoughtless abuse of the trails by other, equally enthusiastic sports lovers, who often don’t even realize the damage they are causing. The city’s Pine Valley park is the area of greatest concern and potential conflict, as it is an increasingly popular destination for all kinds of people who want to enjoy t...
Have you ever had a conversation with someone so intelligent that 10 minutes into the exchange, you start to feel inferior? That maybe you should have accomplished more in your lifetime? That is how my interview went with Luke Heine. After our two-hour talk, I needed two Tylenol to soothe my aching brain. I looked up his name online just to see if I had missed anything. I found multiple stories of Luke's accomplishments. Did I mention he is only 26? Just out of curiosity I searched for my name....
A year ago, the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton girls hockey team completed a season for the ages by going 27-4 and finishing as runner-up at the Minnesota High School Class A Girls Hockey Tournament. The 'Jacks graduated seven seniors off a team that set a school record for most wins in a season. Gone from this year's team is last year's powerhouse line of Taylor Nelson, Kiana Bender and Dea DeLeon. Nelson is playing hockey at Division 1 Bemidji State and Bender and DeLeon are teammates on the University...
A fly on the wall at the office of the Pine Knot News, during a meeting of the minds discussing year-in-review stories, may not have contained itself in screaming: "Covid. Done." But, being a fly with no means to discernibly communicate with humans, no one here at the office heard the plea. Not that we needed to. 2020. Covid. Pandemic. Restricted socializing. Masks. Illness. Death. Loss. Or, as we displayed in our largest headline of the year on March 20: Everything has changed. Yes, fly, 2020...
Youth hockey players choose teams for an afternoon shinny game on the new and improved outdoor rink behind the Pine Valley Ice Arena Dec. 16. Members of the Cloquet Area Hockey Association and even some high school students tore down the old boards and dug up the ground below the rink this summer to create a bigger and better rink. Although the rink was the first to be frozen and ready for skaters, city parks staff have flooded the rinks at Pinehurst Park, Athletic Park and Sunnyside. Parks...
When I was growing up in Cloquet and Carlton county in the 1960’s, basketball was, in popularity, definitely the king of winter high school boys sports. Most of who were considered each school‘s “best athletes” played hoops (OK, I might get a few arguments here and slightly I’m looking through rose colored glasses as I played basketball). However, for the majority of county players, and for sure all females, there wasn’t a sports option. Basketball was the only winter sport offered at many of...
Cloquet’s local ice skating and hockey rinks are being prepped at Pine Valley, Pinehurst Park, Athletic Park, Sunnyside and the skating ribbon on Dunlap Island. The rink at Pine Valley is ready to go already, after volunteers from the Cloquet Area Hockey Association redid the rink this summer. “Our staff started flooding the other rinks Monday,” said Caleb Peterson, public works director for the city of Cloquet, explaining that the other rinks are a work in progress and will likely be ready for skating by Monday. “It typically takes about a...
It’s Christmas and holiday time again and that means the annual ritual of finding presents for family and friends is well underway. Usually I am a last-minute shopper, and by last minute I’m talking about no sooner than a couple of days before Christmas Day. For me the easiest part is having a complete and utter knowledge of the person I am giving the present to. That and the fact that normally my wife does most of the shopping and all I have to do is give her a little nod and say “nice job....
The Nordic Spirit Youth Ski League offers cross-country ski lessons at Spirit Mountain Nordic Center to kids ages 5-14 at an affordable price, with great volunteer teachers. The weekly lessons begin Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021 and run for six weeks. The last lesson, on Feb. 14, will be a picnic. The cost is $20 for the first child, $15 for the second (maximum $45 per family), and includes a ski pass and use of ski equipment for the season. Due to the coronavirus, the equipment can be taken for the season with a $50 deposit per family. The league...
Thanksgiving is a great time to reflect on family history. Covid affords us, regrettably, more time to do so. To pore over old photo albums, view what our parents and grandparents and great-uncles looked like in their youth and parenting stages. Last week I wrote about the cousins who have stood in as sisters for me. This week, I'm thinking about all the men I came to love and adventure with through my father's family's relations. My father grew up in Cromwell, the son of a Danish immigrant - a...
Two city recreational facilities could get some much-needed work in a few years if the city of Cloquet is successful at passing a new sales tax. During Tuesday's virtual meeting, Cloquet city councilors took the first concrete step toward a new sales tax bill that would likely start after the current sales tax sunsets in 2022. But there are a whole lot of steps that need to happen first, including creation of the bill, passage by the legislature and approval by Cloquet voters in a general...
The City of Cloquet has accepted a $225 donation from Brent Smith to pay for the costs of renting a lift to replace the lights on the 2.5K ski trail at Pine Valley. City administrator Tim Peterson said the former ski coach and longtime community volunteer ran by when city workers were changing the lights and asked what it cost to rent the lift. “When Tim Johnson got back to the shop, there was a check from Brent on his desk to pay for us renting the lift,” Peterson said. “I think that’s awesome, a great way to contribute to the communi...
What a beautiful autumn we enjoyed. Splendid colors and great weather for getting outdoors. It was great to see the parks, trails and other outdoor areas remain busy as community members enjoy our great scenery. We even had a bonus week of summer weather after an early winter tease. As always, Community Education encourages folks to stay active and stay well. While there will be no indoor walking at Washington Elementary School this year, we will hope the ground stays clear for many more weeks...
