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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After the Pfizer vaccine was approved this week for ages 12 and older, Cloquet’s Community Memorial Hospital will hold a vaccine clinic opportunity for anyone 12 years old and older from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 20 at the hospital. Anyone under 18 must bring a parent or guardian along to the appointment to sign a consent form. The second dose of vaccine will be administered June 10. Parents will need to attend this appointment as well. Anyone interested in being vaccinated or having their child aged 12 or older vaccinated can register by c... Full story
The Minnesota Department of Health confirmed Monday that a child under age 10 from southwestern Minnesota died from complications from Covid-19. While Covid-related deaths in children are rare, they can occur even in otherwise healthy children. Since the start of the pandemic, three Minnesota children under age 18 have died due to Covid-19. The MDH issued this statement Monday: “Since children under 16 are not yet eligible to receive a Covid-19 vaccine, the best approach we all can take to keep children safe is to make sure those around them w... Full story
Carlton County Public Health and Human Services is scheduling appointments for upcoming Covid-19 vaccination clinics, including a first-dose clinic at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 615 12th St. in Cloquet, 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, May 6. Please call 218-499-6310, if you are eligible, to schedule an appointment. Pre-registration is required. A second dose clinic will be held June 3. Carlton County is offering clinics in several formats, including walk-thru and drive-thru options, at various days and times throughout the week. To view upcoming clini... Full story
Esko superintendent Aaron Fischer said people are "overwhelmingly glad" to be back in in-person classes at school, following an extended period of distance- and hybrid learning. Fischer shared a story about a possible snow day several weeks ago, when there was a forecast for inclement weather. "In past years the students would lobby me to close school anytime the forecast called for snow, but not this year," he said. "The students lobbied me to stay open." The return to school has come with... Full story
Participants from Carlton County are included in a warning about an outbreak of Covid-19 cases associated with a Minnesota youth wrestling tournament held in South Dakota in late March and early April. The Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Department of Education have alerted schools around the state to watch for potential cases and to double down on masking, social distancing and other prevention measures. Health officials are also asking anyone who attended the tournament to get tested immediately for Covid-19 and to watch for... Full story
To view upcoming clinics and registration links for COVID-19 vaccine clinics through Carlton County Public Health and Human Services, please visit the Carlton County COVID-19 Hub (https://bit.ly/carltoncountyhub). Currently, Carlton County Public Health and Human Services is only providing vaccine that requires eligibility age 18 and over. Interested persons aged 16-17 are encouraged to reach out to their healthcare provider for vaccine availability. If you have questions about registration, please call 218-499-6310. This phone number is... Full story
Carlton County seniors are winning the war on Covid, one shot at a time. As of Tuesday, 94 percent of Carlton County residents 65 and older have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, according to Public Health and Human Services director Dave Lee. Among all residents over the age of 16 — who are all now eligible to be vaccinated — 56 percent have received at least one dose. “From a state percentage standpoint, I think we’re the seventh-highest [in vaccination rate] out out of 87 c... Full story
People streamed in and out of the convention center at Black Bear Casino Resort last Thursday, eager to take another step toward a post-pandemic life. By the end of the day, another 455 residents of Carlton County and members of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa had received their first doses of the Covid-19 Moderna vaccine. The event came in a partnership between the band and Carlton County and was staffed by workers in the health departments from each. The Fond du Lac band... Full story
In a major milestone for the state’s Covid-19 vaccination strategy, all Minnesotans 16 and older are now officially eligible to be vaccinated — regardless of age, location, occupation, health conditions or living situation. But state health officials are cautioning that the expansion won’t mean that vaccine doses will be immediately available to everyone who’s eligible. The Health Department on Wednesday reported about 48,000 new vaccinations, pushing the seven-day trend to nearly 51,000... Full story
Vaccinations went into high gear in Carlton County this week thanks to a joint vaccination clinic held by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Carlton County on Thursday, April 1, after this issue of the Pine Knot News went to press. Fond du Lac made 500 doses available for wider community use at the event, which was staffed by both health departments. The vaccinations were available to residents ages 18 and older. “Having the opportunity to vaccinate our neighbors will increase the overall health and well-being of our c... Full story
In a repeat of a successful Thanksgiving food distribution last November, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College employees handed out spring bundles to current college students on March 26. Student government leaders at the Cloquet college determined that the spring semester bundles would help address food needs of students and their families during the spring break week at area public school districts, a time when some families may not have access to sufficient food via the traditional... Full story
Fond du Lac medical director Dr. Charity Reynolds had trained for public health emergencies as an undergraduate, during medical school and in her residency. "We trained for public health disasters and pandemics and you're thinking, 'This isn't really going to happen - I won't be in that situation,'" she said. "Then part of my job description when I was hired as medical director was 'if there's ever a pandemic or a health crisis, you'll be called upon.' I didn't expect that within a year of... Full story
Rates of Covid-19 in Carlton County continue their steady decline, with six cities around the county showing a zero increase in cases from March 11-18, including Carlton, Cromwell, Esko, Holyoke, Kettle River and Sawyer. Cloquet saw an increase of 10 over that weeklong period, to a cumulative total of 1,404, while Barnum increased by three, to 222, Wrenshall by one to 39 cumulative cases and Moose Lake by one to 417 total cases since last spring. There have been no new deaths in the past week, although the total number of cases increased from... Full story
For a year I've been begging Stockholm syndrome to kick in. To get used to the Covid-19 pandemic holding us hostage. Find a groove and take it through the murky tunnel. Find that a world turned upside down isn't so bad after all. Maybe even miss it once it ends. Fat chance. If you are like me, and many people I've spoken to in the past few weeks, the light at the end of this tunnel - shown with more access to vaccinations and tumbling case rates - is reason for hope. But I am tired. Drained.... Full story
By John Enger / MPR News Almost exactly a year after they were put in place, Minnesota is easing back some of its COVID-19 restrictions, taking another step toward some semblance normalcy into the spring. Gov. Tim Walz announced the new, more lenient restrictions Friday morning, citing strong vaccination progress and falling infection numbers. Beginning noon March 15, bars and restaurants will be allowed to serve customers at 75 percent capacity. Salons, barber shops and churches won't have... 
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The $1.9 trillion stimulus package passed last week by Congress and President Biden isn’t only sending $1,400 checks to many middle- to lower-income Americans, it also includes $360 billion for state and local governments that have had to cut services due to budget shortfalls during the pandemic. Minnesota is expected to receive $4.72 billion, with $2.6 billion going directly to the state and $2.1 billion going to local governments statewide. Another $20 billion will be sent to tribal governments across the country. Cloquet city a... Full story
You could almost hear a delirious giggle accompanying Annette Christian's email sent with an assortment of assembled jigsaw puzzles she and husband Butch, above, have done over the past many months under the Covid-19 pandemic at home in Cloquet. "Puzzles, puzzles and more puzzles," Annette wrote in all capital letters. Steven Brown of Minneapolis, a 1970 Cloquet High School graduate, says he's been creating artwork inspired by the pandemic. One work is called "Autumn in the Year of Covid."... Full story
A total of 54 local small businesses and nonprofit organizations were approved to receive the latest round of Carlton County grants, courtesy of Covid-19 county relief money provided by the State of Minnesota Legislature. In total, the grants add up to $691,466. The Carlton County board of commissioners approved 54 out of 71 applications on Tuesday, as recommended by the CARES Act committee and a grant application review committee. All grants must be awarded by March 15 and the funds distributed by April 1, pending some final compliance... Full story
Tim Nelson / MPR News The state will hit its goal of vaccinating 70 percent of Minnesotans age 65 and older weeks ahead of schedule, and is rolling out Covid-19 vaccines to a wider array of people. Gov. Tim Walz announced the expanded guidelines in a statement Tuesday, March 9, hours after health officials posted data indicating that 66 percent of older Minnesotans had already been vaccinated, and the 70-percent benchmark was near. "We asked most Minnesotans to wait patiently while we protected Minnesotans at higher risk and got shots to at... Full story
It has been a whole year since this plague of Covid-19 first crept into the Northland, and the days of mass vaccination have finally arrived. It is new, and yet not so new to me. I was a product of a Minnesota education that celebrated the wonders and power of science and trusted our doctors and scientists when they said we should do something. I was in an elementary Kalevala school line that first got polio shots and other immunizations that surely protected us so we could lead productive... Full story
For two weeks in a row now, Carlton County has put out alerts letting people know there are openings for vaccinations at their weekly vaccine clinics and asking them to call 218-499-6310 to register for an appointment. Public information officer Meghann Levitt said the county doesn’t know very far in advance how many openings it will have for its vaccinations at the Barnum garage. Notices can’t run in the pages of the Pine Knot News, because they don’t even know how many doses are coming. Instead, people with internet access can check the C... Full story
Covid-19 vaccines are now available for the following essential frontline workers at Community Memorial Hospital in Cloquet. You do not need to be a CMH patient to receive the vaccine. That group includes individuals working in: Agriculture Airport staff Child care workers not previously eligible Correctional settings First responders Food production Food retail Food service Judicial system Manufacturing Public health Public transit Postal service To schedule an appointment, fill out the form... Full story
Although first responders in Minnesota got to jump to the front of the line for the Covid-19 vaccine, some have said "no" to getting vaccinated despite their elevated risk of contracting and spreading the coronavirus. Like other states, Minnesota is giving high-risk groups priority access to the vaccine during the first phases of vaccination. That includes all health care workers - including doctors, nurses, firefighters, paramedics, and other public health officials and emergency personnel -... Full story
• In Cloquet, Community Memorial Hospital has a vaccination registration form on its website, or call 218-879-1271. The form allows residents to register their interest but not to schedule an appointment. The hospital will notify people who have registered when they can schedule a visit. The second dose will be scheduled to take place after the proper number of days have passed from the initial dose. • Some local pharmacies are also offering vaccination appointments, including Walmart and Thrifty White pharmacies. Call them for more inf... Full story
Currently, there are openings for upcoming COVID-19 vaccination clinics in Carlton County, for the week of 3/8-3/12. This information is subject to change quickly. Carlton County Public Health continues to provide vaccines for Phase 1a, E-12 and Childcare, and 65+ populations. People with specific underlying health conditions are encouraged to reach out to their healthcare provider, these conditions include: people diagnosed with Sickle cell disease, Down syndrome, those in cancer treatment or immunocompromised from organ transplant, oxygen-dep... Full story
