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Thursday, Dec. 12 Boys Basketball Moose Lake/Willow River 0, North Woods 48 Cloquet 71, Denfeld 68 Girls Basketball Barnum 55, Moose Lake/ Willow River 22 Esko 59, Carlton/ Wrenshall 25 Boys Hockey International Falls 11, Moose Lake Area 1 Girls Hockey Rock Ridge 3, CEC 2 (OT) MLA 0, Hopkins/Park 0 Friday, Dec. 13 Boys Basketball Cromwell-Wright 67, Cook County 42 Esko 70, Superior 49 Willow River 71, Two Harbors 42 Mille Lacs 58, Carlton/ Wrenshall 51 Barnum 102, Ogilvie 31 Girls Basketball MIB 84, South Ridge 21 Esko 40 Pierz 37 Rock Ridge... Full story
The Esko girls basketball team stormed out to a big halftime lead and never looked back as they beat next-door neighbor Carlton/Wrenshall, 59-25, on Dec. 12 in Wrenshall. "We went into the game thinking we had a chance of giving them a tough game, but they came out in a press that put us on our heels," said Carlton/Wrenshall coach Emma Grover. "My girls didn't adjust to what we were telling them to do, and it just got out of hand for us." Esko was led by Clara Swanson's 18 points and Kaitlyn... Full story
FRIDAY, DEC. 20 Community chess club 3:30-5 p.m., Cloquet Public Library. Also Dec. 27. Holidays at Lakehead Harvest Reunion, 6-8:30 p.m. at 70 Saint Louis River Road E, north of Esko. Hayrides, Santa, crafts and ice skating rink (weather permitting). $8 admission for most, free for children 11 and under. Dinner available for $10. Also open to the public 2-8:30 p.m. Dec. 21 and 22. SUNDAY, DEC. 22 Senior dance 1-4 p.m. at the Cloquet VFW, music by Jerry and Joyce. Potluck, $10 cover. 218-210-7793, 218-391-4783 Free community pulled pork and... Full story
Special Bulletin — We are hopefully having a white Christmas this year, and it certainly won’t be blue for area children. The North Pole News is pleased to announce that it has once again teamed with the staff at the Pine Knot News to deliver letters to Santa at the North Pole — on time, with room to spare. Santa has released statistics from his lists and it was reported that 99.99 percent of the children and pets in Carlton County made it on the nice list, making them eligible for speci... Full story
At their working session Monday night, the Carlton school board acknowledged and formed a response to a letter from Wrenshall asking for continued discussion of a possible merger. The letter from Wrenshall, dated Nov. 12, had only one sentence which contained 15 words: “We are ready to meet to discuss consolidation between Wrenshall and Carlton when you are.” It was signed by all six members of the Wrenshall school board. Board member Sue Karp, who has two years left to go on her term, thought the superintendents needed to be involved in any...
With no comment from the public or school board members, a 2025 levy increase was approved in Wrenshall Tuesday in a Truth in Taxation hearing before the regular school board meeting. Superintendent Jeff Pesta called the budgeting in the district the past four years a solid path for the district. Next year’s levy is “staying close to home,” he said, and the better news is that the district’s fund balance is increasing: $506,000 in 2023 to $800,000 in 2024, Pesta said. Better financial shape means the district can look for ways to improve...
Thursday, Dec. 5 Boys Basketball Barnum 68 Hinckley-Finlayson 32 Bayfield 104 Fond du Lac 90 Cherry 96 South Ridge 45 Girls Basketball Northwoods 32 Carlton/Wrenshall 30 ML/WR 58 Hinckley-Finlayson 44 Cromwell-Wright 79 McGregor 17 Boys Hockey Moose Lake Area 6 WSFLG (Wisconsin) 5 Girls Hockey CEC 5 Hibbing/Chisholm 1 Superior 4 Moose Lake Area 2 Friday, Dec. 6 Boys Basketball Esko 86 Cloquet 69 Northwoods 80 Carlton/Wrenshall 48 Cromwell-Wright 73 McGregor 45 Girls Basketball Moose Lake Area 4 St. Paul Highland Park 1 Saturday, Dec. 7 Boys... Full story
At the end of harvest, when "All is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin," farmers gather to compare notes before their attention is captured by the holidays. Traditionally, the two largest Minnesota organizations, Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) and Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF), hold their annual conventions in Minneapolis on the weekend before Thanksgiving. Each assembly hears reports, welcomes guest speakers, and votes for delegates to their national affiliates....
Wrenshall High School Quarter 1, 2024 A Honor Roll Kiara Ankrum Soren Barron Bryce Bartczak Drew Bartczak Gavin Beetcher Soyure Beetcher Luci Berglind Evelyn Brown Vera Brown Willow Cash Gabriel Cass Hannah Christensen Kyler Clarke Kylee Crisp Lila Dalen Taiden Eider Mason Goetz Annabelle House Angel Hughes Taylor Hulgan Gracelyn Johnson Jack Johnson Julieauna Johnson Kendal Kot Tatem Morgando Isaias Padilla Carson Parker Camden Peterson Isabel Riley Aowyn Rupp Selah Rupp Jonah Sandstrom Matthew Shaw Molly Sheda Jaela Sjodin Jeshua Sjodin... Full story
Friday, Dec. 13 Wrestling Cloquet-Esko at Brainerd Invitational, 4:30 p.m. Boys basketball Ogilvie at Barnum, 7:15 p.m. Mille Lacs at Carlton/Wrenshall, 7:15 p.m. Cromwell-Wright at Cook County, 6:15 p.m. Esko at Superior, 7:15 p.m. Moose Lake/Willow River at Two Harbors, 7:15 p.m. Girls basketball Cloquet at Rock Ridge, 7:15 p.m. Cromwell-Wright at Cook County, 4:45 p.m. Pierz at Esko, 7:15 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14 Boys hockey Cloquet-Esko-Carlton at Blaine, 2 p.m. Girls hockey Sartell at CEC, 3 p.m. Hayward at Moose Lake Area, 1 p.m. Alpine ski... Full story
With nine players contributing points, the Carlton/Wrenshall Raptors girls basketball team secured a 56-23 win over the Fond du Lac Ogichidaag last week. "This is the most amount of players we've ever had," said Raptors coach Emma Grover. "We have 33 kids out in grades 7-12 and we have 12 total on our varsity roster. For us, those are awesome numbers." Myleena Ojibway led the Raptors with 16 points and was the lone Raptor in double-digit scoring. Raina Shabaish had 11 points for FDL in the Nov.... Full story
Saturday, Nov. 30 Boys Basketball Cloquet 95 Chisago Lakes 88 Boys Hockey CEC 10 Princeton 0 MLA 7 Ely/Northeast Range 2 Monday, Dec. 2 Girls Basketball Esko 60 Superior 53 Carlton/Wrenshall 46 Greenway 37 Cromwell-Wright 50 Floodwood 38 Tuesday, Dec. 3 Girls Basketball South Ridge 76 Cook County 24 Duluth East 52 Cloquet 47 Littlefork-Big Falls 60 Carlton/Wrenshall 50 Barnum 82 Northwoods 52 Boys Basketball Cloquet 76 North Branch 46 Hill City 79 Fond du Lac 78 Esko 88 Rock Ridge 60 Cromwell-Wright 87 Floodwood 25 Cherry 91 Barnum 58 Boys... Full story
Times are p.m. unless noted Friday, Dec. 6 Girls hockey MLA at Two Rivers, 7 Boys basketball Carlton/Wrenshall at North Woods, 7:15 Cloquet at Esko, 7:15 Cromwell-Wright at McGregor, 7:15 Girls basketball Barnum at Mille Lacs, 7 Cloquet vs. St. Francis, 7:15 Esko at Jordan, 7 ML/WR vs. Two Harbors, 7:15 Saturday, Dec. 7 Boys hockey CEC vs. East Grand Forks, 3 Wrestling Cloquet-Esko at Lakeville North, 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 9 Boys hockey MLA vs. Barron, 6 Girls basketball Barnum vs. McGregor, 7:15 Carlton/Wrenshall vs. Bigfork, 7:15 Cromwell-Wrig... Full story
The local firearm deer season has come and gone with an increased harvest, but a still downbeat mood. Statewide, hunters shot 152,430 deer — up from 126,531 in 2023. In Carlton County, zones 156 and 183 also saw improved numbers. Zone 156 on the western half of the county saw 1,540 deer taken, including 1,292 adult males, or bucks. That was improved from 1,299 overall and 1,066 bucks in 2023. In zone 183, on the eastern side of the county, surrounding Wrenshall, there were 1,264 deer taken, including 1,076 adult males. Comparatively, totals w... Full story
Carlton County commissioner-elect Dan Reed is not losing time in his efforts to fulfill electoral promises. On Saturday, Nov. 23, Reed buttonholed Minnesota’s U.S. Senator Tina Smith at a conference in Minneapolis and secured a future meeting to discuss federal funding for long-delayed improvements in a stretch of Minnesota Highway 73 at mile markers 18, 19, and 24 in Kalevala and Eagle townships south of Cromwell. Reed was attending the annual convention of the Minnesota Farmers Union where Sen. Smith had just given brief remarks on the r... Full story
Tom Cawcutt is calling it "the return of a tradition." After a hiatus brought upon by his own health maladies followed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the pianist/vocalist will resume his popular Christmas benefit concert series at 7 p.m. Dec. 13 at Our Saviors Lutheran Church, 612 12th St. in Cloquet. Tickets will be sold at the door - $20 for adults, $15 for students, and under 12 are free. Proceeds go to needy families. It'll be Cawcutt's first solo Christmas concert since 2014. He has been perform...
Nearly 40 people filled the Carlton library for Monday's Carlton School Board meeting as superintendent Donita Stepan continued her advocacy of a merger with Barnum. But not before a large group of students stood to address the school board, most of them members of the Raptors cross country team, which competed at State earlier this month. Wrenshall junior Isabel Riley addressed the board on behalf of her team, pointing to the success of the Carlton/Wrenshall sports teams and what it has meant....
Andrew Mario Raushel, 59, of McGregor passed away Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, at his home surrounded by his family. He was born Aug. 28, 1965, in Cloquet, the son of Frank and Mae (Paoli) Raushel. Andrew married Cheryl Ankrum on Nov. 24, 1986, in Wrenshall. He was the owner, along with his three children, brothers and son, of Savanna Pallets. He enjoyed snowmobiling, auctions, working on cars, captaining the pontoon on the lake and spending time with his family. He was preceded in death by his... Full story
All times are p.m. unless noted Friday, Nov. 22 Girls basketball Barnum vs Hinckley- Finlayson, 7:15 Cromwell-Wright at Ely, 7:15 Saturday, Nov. 23 Boys hockey MLA vs Red Wing, 11 a.m. CEC vs Bloomington Jefferson, 3 Girls hockey MLA vs Fort Frances, 1 CEC at River Lakes, 3 Girls basketball Cloquet vs Hermantown, 1 Monday, Nov. 25 Girls basketball Carlton/Wrenshall at Denfeld, 7 Tuesday, Nov. 26 Boys hockey CEC at Hibbing, 7 MLA at Greenway, 6 Girls hockey CEC at Orono, 7 Girls basketball Esko at Cloquet, 7:15 Barnum at Floodwood, 7:15 South... Full story
Wrenshall school board members voted unanimously Tuesday to write and deliver a letter to the Carlton school board posthaste, indicating Wrenshall's desire to continue with consolidation talks after news broke last month that the Carlton superintendent and board chair had initiated merger talks with Barnum. Short and to the point, the letter adopted by the board stated: Dear Carlton School Board. We are ready to meet to discuss consolidation between Wrenshall and Carlton when you are. Raptors... Full story
Tied at 143 votes each after the Nov. 5 municipal election, challenger Jeff Bloom’s name was drawn at Wrenshall City Hall Tuesday, meaning that he will likely replace incumbent Gary Butala, who requested a recount after the drawing. That will be done by Carlton County, and is within either candidate’s rights, considering the knotted vote totals. The recount will take place at 9 a.m. Dec. 2 at the county transportation building. Butala said there are some questions about 50 ballots that were not counted. All voting for the city is done by mai... Full story
Carlton Schools superintendent Donita Stepan delivered a side-by-side comparison of the two consolidation options facing the district on Tuesday night, with a strong push to pivot to Barnum. It was the first time the board met since Stepan and Carlton chairwoman Julianne Emerson dropped the bombshell that they had initiated talks with Barnum about consolidation. Stepan began by stating that the merger talks with Wrenshall were stalled. "We've been trying to consolidate with Wrenshall for over...
With all of Carlton County's 39 precincts reporting, the unofficial tallies from the 2024 general election brought some interesting results, including a win in the county for President-elect Donald Trump, who did not win Minnesota. The Republican was the top vote-getter - 50.1 percent to Vice President Kamala Harris' 47.6 percent - in a county that had nearly 90-percent voter turnout with more than 20,000 people submitting ballots. Voter turnout nearly matched the 92-percent mark made in 2020... Full story
Two more pro-consolidation candidates were elected to the Carlton school board Tuesday. Challengers Ben Nilsen and Dan Solarz will join the board in January: both have indicated they strongly favor pairing with neighboring Wrenshall. Another advocate for a union with Wrenshall was Ryan Leonzal, who was re-elected Tuesday after winning a special election a year ago. Each of the winning candidates received over 20 percent of the vote, a strong showing in a race where voters could vote for up to three candidates. Leaving in January will be... Full story
Nathan Barta is just 20, but he won in a landslide Tuesday, taking more than 50 percent of the vote for Thomson Township Supervisor Seat C while his opponents – Jaryn Edblad and John Bergman – garnered 27 and 22.6 percent. While the incoming Thomson supervisor is definitely the youngest person in Carlton County – or maybe even the state – to win election Tuesday, the University of Minnesota Duluth junior knows a thing or two about local politics. Two years ago he penned a guest column in the Pin...