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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With two-and-a-half years of his four-year term behind him, Robert Abramowski resigned from the position of secretary/treasurer of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa last week, effective Friday, Jan. 31. He made the announcement at the Jan. 16 Reservation Business Committee open meeting for band members, saying he wants more time for other priorities in his life. RBC chairman Bruce Savage thanked Abramowski for his services and said the RBC will appoint Brookston representative Earl...
The Cloquet Area Fire District board, with eyes on breaking ground on a new building this fall, unanimously declared its intent to bond for a Station 1 replacement at its 22nd Street property. A desire to avoid rising building costs coupled with the fact that the fire and ambulance service has outgrown its current aging space prompted the vote, after years of planning. The resolution doesn't set the decision in stone, nor does it take referendums off the table. It lays the groundwork for a...
Minnesota Power crews restored power Tuesday to 2,500 customers in the Barnum, Moose Lake and Sturgeon Lake areas who were impacted by an outage caused by the bitterly cold temperatures that morning (when temperatures dropped below -22 degrees). The company called in additional lineworkers and resources from surrounding areas to assist in the response, including a helicopter to fly the transmission line so crews could figure out the problem faster. The outage, which occurred around 4:30 a.m., was caused by a substation breaker failure. Crews...
Carlton County Animal Rescue is having a supply drive with a drop-off box at Moose Lake Brewery, beginning now and ending with a Paws & Pints fundraiser 1-4 p.m. Feb. 8. See the Carlton County Animal Rescue Facebook page to purchase tickets and for more information about the latest CCAR rescues and needs....
January is National Blood Donor Month. The Red Cross reports that someone in the United States needs a blood transfusion every two seconds. It is vital for cancer treatments, chronic illnesses and surgeries. In an effort to continue to meet the needs of the community, the Essentia Health-Moose Lake Foundation is hosting a blood drive from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 27, at Essentia Health-Moose Lake hospital, 4572 County Road 61. Please make an appointment by signing up at www.mbc.org/searchdrives (search sponsor code 3724). Interested...
The St. Olaf Band, conducted by Dr. Henry L. Dorn, will perform at Cloquet High School at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1, during its 2025 winter tour. Founded in 1891, the St. Olaf Band, from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, performs compositions and transcriptions for symphonic band and was dubbed “one of America’s preeminent bands” by The New Yorker. Dorn leads the St. Olaf Band in his second year as conductor. Local residents are invited to support this world-class music made in Minnesota. Tickets are $10 and free for students and educa...
Bun Carlson's seat sat conspicuously empty as the Cloquet City Council meeting convened Tuesday. Carlson, the Ward 1 councilor for the past six years, died Jan. 12, at age 68. Mayor Roger Maki opened the meeting with words about Carlson, recalling him as a councilor who researched the issues and voted for what he felt was best. One of the first items of new business for the council Tuesday was determining how to fill the open seat through 2026, the remainder of Carlson's term. After some...
Following a city water main break before Christmas, a Cloquet family finds itself in an insurance nightmare where no one will help them: neither the city nor their insurance agent. Residents Jamie and Andrea Anderson addressed the Cloquet City Council Tuesday, sharing the story (and photos) of the water main break that damaged their home, which also serves as an in-home childcare. The Cloquet couple were denied by their own insurance company, State Farm, which blamed the city. Then the city's...
Carlton superintendent Donita Stepan informed the school board on Monday she will not seek renewal of her contract when it expires at the end of June 2026. "I understand the district may be exploring the possibility of transitioning to a part-time superintendent role in the future, which does not align with my goals," Stepan said in an email to the Pine Knot News. "To provide ample time for planning, I wanted to communicate my decision early, allowing the district to thoughtfully consider its ne...
As the state’s plans to license legal cannabis dispensaries continue to be delayed, Thomson Township officials are taking steps toward deciding how the township will handle cannabis business regulations. During Thursday’s regular meeting, the board formed a committee to consider cannabis regulations. Committee members include township supervisor (and former Cloquet assistant police chief) Terry Hill, supervisor Logan Saline and township attorney David Pritchett. The supervisors will bring public safety and zoning/planning experience, res...
The committee rosters were announced this legislative session for the Minnesota Senate. Carlton County’s representative, Sen. Jason Rarick (R-Pine City), will continue on the Education Finance, Energy, and Higher Education committees. He will also return to the Labor Committee, which he previously served as chairman in 2021. “Being that this is a budget year and our state is headed towards an over $5 billion deficit, the top priority for us needs to be reining in the overspending that Democrats have engaged in for the past two years,” Raric...
Salutations. By the time you read this news, we will have Donald J. Trump as our 47th president of the United States. The people have spoken, now we will have to wait and see how Trump's second term turns out. The ice rink at the Cromwell Park has been flooded and is ready for skaters. Skates are available in the warming shack. The Cromwell-Wright Dollar for Scholars annual meeting was held this week in the school cafeteria. New members are welcome. If you have any questions about what this...
The Wrenshall school district appears to have its superintendent for the 2025-26 school year, with Frank Schill accepting the job late Wednesday. Schill and the school board will need to finalize an "interim half-time" contract in the coming days, reflective of the board's desire for a one-year term for a part-time top administrator. But in accepting the job, he has canceled another interview he had scheduled. "If I'm the candidate, great," Schill told the board during a community-wide...
Decorated with major state awards and beloved for his leadership both in-house and across the public health sector, Dave Lee conducted his final all-staff meeting on Jan. 9. The roughly 150 employees in Carlton County Public Health and Human Services left him with a standing ovation. The 66-year-old director is retiring at the end of the month after 25 years with the county, with the last 20 in the department's top spot. "I have been director for 20 years," he said. "I feel like I have had my...
It was a "build it and they will come" moment ... Minnesota style. The Hockey Day Cloquet headlining Lumberjacks varsity boys and girls hockey games took place Saturday in front of roughly 2,000 people. They packed the metal bleachers (with seating for 1,300) and stood three and four deep at each end of the outdoor hockey arena built especially for the event. Clusters of mostly young men and boys stood on the hillside, respectfully placing hands on hearts as a giant American flag waved in the...
Couples hoping for a Valentine’s Day wedding will get some help from the Minnesota Judicial Branch, as judges throughout the state offer free weddings on Feb. 14. It includes the Sixth District Court in Carlton as well as judges in Duluth. This year, 11 district courts will offer free Valentine’s Day weddings — that’s up from just one a few years ago. Hennepin County District Court has offered free Valentine’s Day weddings since 2013, and last year Ramsey and St. Louis counties joined the festivities. The success and sheer joy of the Valentine...
According to the National Weather Service, dangerous wind chills are forecast Sunday night into Tuesday, Jan. 19-21. Sunday and Monday's high is forecast at minus 8, with lows around 19 and 17 degrees below zero. Wind chills will approach 30 to 45 below zero. People exposed to extreme cold are susceptible to frostbite and can succumb to hypothermia in a matter of minutes. Areas most prone to frostbite are uncovered skin and the extremities, such as hands and feet. Hypothermia occurs when the...
A sort of musical chairs has come to the region’s schools this year as several open superintendent positions are scheduled to be filled in the coming days and months. Barnum, Moose Lake and Wrenshall, along with nearby McGregor and Proctor, are all in the market for new leaders atop their district administrations. Wrenshall appears closest to filling its superintendent post, scheduling a round of community-led interviews next week after the school board narrowed its candidate list to two on Monday. “We’re currently out ahead of those other sear...
It took nearly two weeks, but Essentia Health-Moose Lake hospital welcomed its first baby of 2025 last weekend. Eloise Arae Fogt was born at 5:15 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 11. Her parents are Brianna Childers and Gunner Fogt. Eloise was born weighing 6 pounds, 14 ounces. The Moose Lake hospital is the only hospital in Carlton County offering birthing services, since Community Memorial Hospital in Cloquet "paused" its obstetrics services in the summer of 2023 due to staffing issues and a decreasing...
Workers removed nearly all of the brick on the east wall at the former Hotel Solem building in downtown Cloquet last week. Developer C&C Holdings of Cloquet purchased the building - and former Mexico Lindo restaurant - from the city and is renovating the historic building into market rate apartments over the next year or two. Want to know more about this project? Search for "Hotel Solem" on this website....
Take a Kid Ice Fishing weekend is Saturday, Jan. 18 through Monday, Jan. 20. Any Minnesota resident can go fishing for free if fishing with a child 15 years old or younger, who don’t need fishing licenses any time of the year. “Ice fishing is lots of fun and this weekend is a great time to share the experience with a kid in your life,” said Benji Kohn, volunteer mentor program coordinator with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “If you’re new to ice fishing, check out the helpful how-to and ice safety information on our website or e...
The post office, Cloquet Public Library and most city and county offices will be closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 20. In 1994, Congress designated the holiday as a national day of service, marking the third Monday in January every year as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service — a “Day On, Not a Day Off....
Winter parking is in effect now through March, so don’t leave your cars parked on the streets of Cloquet overnight. According to city code, cars cannot be parked on the streets or in alleys between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. from Nov. 1 through March 31, to allow snowplow drivers and others to clear the streets. The only exception is a vehicle parked at an open business establishment between midnight and 2 a.m. “unless ordered to be moved at the direction of a peace officer....
State Rep. Jeff Dotseth (R-Kettle River) took the oath of office and began his second term on Tuesday after a swearing-in ceremony on the House Floor. Dotseth represents District 11A, which encompasses all of Carlton County and parts of Pine and St. Louis counties. Before the session began, Dotseth was appointed to the Commerce Finance and Policy Committee and was named vice chair of the Housing Finance and Policy Committee. “I am honored to continue serving the residents of District 11A and t...
A good-sized crowd turned out for Monday's open house highlighting Esko high school's new flexible learning space for juniors and seniors, a place students can gather to study for their various College in the Schools classes. Guests at the open house got a bonus on Monday: free samples of coffee from the new student-run Kahvia Coffee shop opening soon inside the learning center. Kahvia means coffee in Finnish, and is a little more straightforward than Esko's "sisu" motto (which has no direct tra...
