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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On what Rebels head cross country coach Adam Whealan called a "perfect day for running," the collaborative Moose Lake/Willow River/Barnum team won the boys varsity race last Thursday at Carlton's Chub Lake. The Rebels finished with a team total of 33 in the boys race, while South Ridge took second at 39 points and Carlton/Wrenshall came in third place with 60 points in the Raptors home meet. "The weather was beautiful and the course was in awesome shape," Whealan said. "It was just an...
We have the opportunity to elect for the first time in more than 50 years a state senator who actually lives in Carlton County. The last time that happened, the district included Carlton, Aitkin and Crow Wing counties and we were represented by Norman Hanson of Cromwell. Michelle Lee would have voted for the bonding bill with Rep. Mike Sundin that would have paid for a waterline from Carlton to the Interstate 35 area at Minnesota Highway 210. Our senator, who doesn’t live here, did not support the bonding bill. As a result, he also did not s...
This was a surprisingly difficult growing season for a lot of our crops on the Food Farm. It was dry early in the growing season, then the first real rain we got was full of hail. This fall has started off dry as well, exacerbated by a failed irrigation pump. But one vegetable that has done exceeding well is something of a historic one to the area — cabbage. The cabbage and potato farms of Wrenshall used to be the main suppliers for Duluth and Superior and beyond. Boxcars were loaded with the c...
Reports to the school boards at Carlton and Wrenshall this week showed that the two small districts had relatively drama-free starts to the year despite intense pressure due to Covid-19 pandemic protocols. In Wrenshall, the major hitch remains the continuing construction project to improve the heating and air conditioning in the elementary portion of the K-12 building. It is expected that the project will wrap up by early November. Superintendent Kim Belcastro reported to the board that enrollment is slightly down from past years, at 367...
Robert Edward Saari, 88, of Cromwell passed away Sept. 4, 2020, in Villa Vista. To honor Bob’s wishes, there will be no services. Arrangements entrusted to Atkins Northland Funeral Home, Cloquet. To sign the guestbook and offer an online tribute, see www.atkinsnorthlandfuneralhome.com Alice Virginia Jutila (“Virginia”), 92, died peacefully Sept. 5, 2020, in Inter-Faith Care Center in Carlton. A Celebration of Virginia’s life will be held Saturday, Sept. 19 at 1 p.m. at St. Matthews Lutheran Church in Esko. Masks and social distancing will be...
There was a lot of the expected mixed with a little of the unexpected last Thursday as Esko, Carlton/Wrenshall and Cromwell-Wright hooked up in a cross country race at Pine Valley in Cloquet. The Cardinals had the top two individual finishers in both the boys and girls varsity races and the Eskomos took first place as a team followed by the Raptors in the boys meet. The girls race saw Carlton/Wrenshall nab team honors with Esko taking second. Cromwell-Wright did not have the required five...
By the time this paper hits your mailbox, we will have had one partial week of school under our belts. We will have either had a hard frost or we will have been given another week of needed growth for our final shares of tomatoes and peppers. By the time you read this column our family will have established a new schedule and know where we are going on each day and who will pick up whom and what to pack for lunch. We will know how much space the fall cabbage will need in the root cellar. For me,...
As we all know, school has started, but it wasn’t like the first day of school that I remember. As a child, I looked forward to wearing the new outfit and shoes that I got to start the school year. It was exciting to see classmates that I hadn’t seen all summer, since my family lived in the country. This year, kids who start school in person are wearing masks, using hand sanitizer and washing their hands many times a day, and maintaining 6 feet between desks. The teacher who greets each stu...
The Carlton/Wrenshall Raptors cross country girls and boys teams are hoping No. 3 will be a charm. After forming a cooperative team in 2018, last season was the second year in a row the Raptors had enough runners to compete as a team instead of just individuals. Head coach Eric Holter is seeing the results this year. "Last year we had some forward movement with both the boys and girls teams showing up strong and placing respectably amongst the competition," he said. "This was the second year...
I just came back from repairing my Trump sign that some Johnny Sneak-up cut up at night. He or she did it in the dark because they are cowards and have no respect for the law. I am a 78-year-old disabled American veteran who worked hard to put this sign up as I believe in the Constitution, the right to life — as does President Trump. Is there that much hate that someone has to tear down signs that promote life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? (That includes those boys and girls aborted.) I am open to having a discussion where we can s...
The Esko school board decided this week that the district won't have all students in classrooms as planned at the start of the school year Sept. 8. Based on the number of coronavirus cases at the time of the meeting in both Carlton and St. Louis counties - as they pull students from both - the board decided to start at Level Two of the state's guidance on re-opening. While case numbers in Carlton County remain low enough to allow for in-person classes as Esko had planned earlier in the month,...
I have a small plot on the farm that I use to experiment and play - growing things such as artichoke, eggplant, or tomatillo. That last plant is irrepressible. I started growing tomatillos five years ago and every year I have so many volunteer plants that they could probably count as a perennial weed. Even the yellow spindles that I started from seed and forgot in pots grew into flourishing shrubs dripping with green fruit. It was this resilience and energy that came to mind as I talked with...
The filing period for the most local of political offices — school board, cities and township positions — ended on primary election day last week with one exception. In Carlton County, Cloquet city candidates filed by June 2 and there was a primary election for the Ward 5 City Council spot last week. Staff at the Carlton County Auditor’s office said residents may request absentee ballots by calling the auditor’s office at 218-384-9127 (leave your name and address if you get voicemail) or register online at mnvotes.org. It’s not urgent th...
A sloppy kiss between a moist, unstable air mass and a veering cold front led to a stormy afternoon and evening last Friday, Aug. 14, across Carlton County. Strong downdraft winds snapped trees and unrooted others. Power lines went down, causing outages, particularly in the Carlton area and south although there were also lines down in Thomson Township. In the western part of the county, near Wright and Cromwell, low-level tornadoes were suspected but unconfirmed by the National Weather Service....
There are outliers among Carlton County schools, those that won’t be coming back this fall with all of their students. So far, students in Esko, Carlton, Cromwell-Wright, Moose Lake and Barnum will likely go back to school en masse next month if the number of positive Covid-19 cases remains low. Decisions have already been made by some boards or have been recommended. Cloquet won’t make a final decision until Aug. 24, when more numbers come in on the number of coronavirus cases in the county. Wrenshall, by virtue of a delayed construction proje...
Of all of the sectors to be affected by the Covid pandemic, performing arts and special event centers have been some of the hardest hit. That is certainly true of our community treasure - The Historic Scott House. James Sheetz usually spends his summer months diligently preparing for musical productions along the lakeshore near his family's historic home. The Scott House has seen reviews of "Mary Poppins" and welcomed world-class musicians to share their craft with the community. When the...
An August scramble like no other is on across Carlton County this August as schools prepare to reopen for the year. School boards, staff and administrators are meeting this week and next to make almost-final decisions after it was announced last week by Gov. Tim Walz that districts will have discretion on how school days will go while still in the grips of the Covid-19 pandemic. This week, more fodder was tossed in as the Minnesota State High School League on Tuesday moved the volleyball and foo...
Wrenshall had its annual Community Night Out last week, keeping with a tradition despite the current Covid-19 pandemic. All summer, organizers have bucked the physical distance trend and hosted bingo, music and other fun at the city park. The night out included a free picnic - courtesy of local businesses Bricks Pub & Grub, Wrenshall General Store and the Brickyard Restaurant - of hot dogs, chips, root beer floats, and watermelon as residents mingled with firefighters and Carlton County...
David Everett Goad, 63, of Barnum, formerly of Wrenshall, died July 30, 2020, in Duluth. He was born in Duluth on Sept. 22, 1956, to Harold Goad and Doris McCuskey. David married Marjorie Johnson on Aug. 16, 1986. He was employed as an over-the-road truck driver for more than 23 years with Halvor Lines. He had a love for sports and was a softball referee in his younger years. He always had a vegetable and flower garden at his home. David looked forward to spending time with his family and...
As children, we'd pile into our family car and head north from Minneapolis on Highway 65 for Cromwell to visit my grandfather. After 30 miles or so, leaving the suburbs behind, my father began to scout the roadsides. Braking firmly, to my mother and brothers' groans, he'd pull over, call for his roomy hat, and head for the roadside chokecherry tree. I chose to scramble after him. That was my introduction to berry picking. As my mother later quipped, "you've been bit by the berry bug and you'll n...
The Minnesota State High School League on Tuesday agreed to move high school football and volleyball to spring seasons this year while other fall sports maintain modified schedules in response to COVID-19. The football and volleyball seasons will take place from March to May and spring sports will be pushed back to a May start. Practices will be allowed this fall with conditions. Girls tennis, boys and girls cross country and girls swimming and diving, boys and girls soccer will be allowed to...
Trail rider groups and local homeowners concerned about noise from disrespectful ATV and dirt bike enthusiasts who literally roar onto the access road of the Moose Lake Old Soo Line pit mostly approved of the ordinance passed unanimously by the Carlton County board on Monday. About 15 people came to give their input on the issue. Eric Senarighi of the Carlton County Riders ATV club addressed the board, offering to pay for a portable decibel reader to check machines that have loud mufflers....
Dennis R. Van Guilder, 75, of Makinen passed away July 26, 2020, at home, with his family at his side. He was born Nov. 8, 1944, in Carlton, the son of Harry and Colleen (Berge) Van Guilder. Dennis graduated from Wrenshall High School in 1962. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in December of 1965 and served for 13 months in Korea, being honorably discharged in December of 1971. Dennis started working for U.S. Steel in 1968 and retired after 35 years in 2003. He was united in marriage to Gayle...
As a pandemic summer heats up meteorologically, so has the national rhetoric around how school districts will start classes in August and September. Normally sleepy and short meetings of school boards across Carlton County have become hours-long discussions on what school days will look like in the fall. Committees of staff have formed and ramped up planning in the past few weeks as an announcement is expected Monday from state leaders on how things will proceed. While Covid-19 cases in...
The Carlton school board decided on Monday to go it alone on a $3,000 study that would determine what district residents would pay in taxes if a consolidation with Wrenshall should ever come to fruition. The financial impact study would pinpoint how taxes would be affected for residents in both districts as they put fund balances and debts together. It’s something Carlton and Wrenshall board members have said should have been done in the process of providing information to residents about the consolidation. On Monday, Carlton members said g...
