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
Sorted by date Results 1060 - 1084 of 3953
Carlton County's emergency management director isn't yet willing to concede the county dodged a bullet with the spring flooding this year. He's worried about what Mother Nature could bring next. "I'm always worried about the weather," Marlyn Halvorson said, chuckling. "Snow, cold weather, rain, all those things play into it." Water levels in the St. Louis River rose dramatically late last week, going from 10 feet in Scanlon at 4 p.m. Thursday to more than 13 feet only 24 hours later, thanks to... Full story
Carlton County voters likely remember passing a local-option sales tax last November to pay for construction of a new jail and courts facility in Carlton. The half-cent addition onto the sales tax was passed overwhelmingly, garnering 89 percent of the vote. With collections starting this month, the sales tax will collect $60 million over 30 years - specifically to pay for the new justice center. Part of the appeal of the sales tax was billed as spreading the cost of the justice center onto visit... Full story
Nearly 40 people turned out for the Carlton school board meeting Monday, many of them upset by allegations of a threat of violence against a Native American student. In a news release Monday, Carlton Indigenous Student Council leader Ayeden Diver alleged a white male student held a knife to the throat of a female Native American student before spring break in March and that the perpetrator received only a partial-day suspension as punishment. Diver also submitted a letter to the school board in...
About 75 people showed up at the Cromwell Pavilion April 12 to support the reconstruction of Minnesota Highway 73 south of Cromwell. Users of the road were invited by a survey group from the Minnesota Department of Transportation to find out what problems exist in the corridor from Kettle River to Cromwell. "It is easy to describe," local trucker and farmer Pat Messer said. "The road is not wide enough, there are no shoulders, the swamp road sections are too low and the high ground hills hamper...
Got a home sewer line that repeatedly backs up from roots? The City of Cloquet is offering a grant program for homeowners who need to upgrade or repair leaky or decaying lateral sewer lines running from the home to main sewer lines. The grants are part of a program to reduce the problems of clean water inflow and infiltration into the sanitary sewer system, which can overwhelm the system during heavy rain events and cause overflows of untreated sewer water. The program offers financial assistance of 80 percent of costs up to $4,000 for the... Full story
The Wrenshall school board had planned to interview three full-time candidates for its superintendent vacancy on the first day in May. But a recommendation Tuesday from the board’s budget committee spoiled the plan, recommending pursuit of a part-time superintendent to replace retiring Kim Belcastro, who is fulfilling a half-time role through the end of the school year. There’s simply not enough money in the developing 2023-24 budget to accommodate a full-time superintendent, board members first learned during a sometimes tense school boa...
City engineers wanted to talk about flooding Tuesday, but not the kind of flooding that's been plaguing northern Minnesota since the snow started melting last week. "This isn't related to the river itself ... this is more storm sewer and drainage throughout the city," said assistant city engineer John Anderson, describing ongoing steps toward developing a Cloquet stormwater resiliency plan. It's been 40 years since the city last completed a stormwater plan, and with climate change a factor that... Full story
In honor of National Donate Life month, there will be an informational gathering to spread awareness of organ transplant starting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 26 at the Carlton Wellness Center, 199 Chestnut Ave. in Carlton. Several organ transplant recipients, including Dwight Cadwell and Sarah Houareau, along with donor families and one organ donor will be available to talk about their experiences. The event is free; refreshments will be provided. Call 715-293-3711 with questions or to RSVP.... Full story
The Carlton County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration will host DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day at locations across the country from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 22. The DEA and its partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs, a news release said. Locations include: • Carlton County Sheriff’s Office Jail Lobby. • Thomson TWP Town Hall. • City of Cromwell, Fire Hall. • Moose Lake Police Department Lobby. • Cloquet Police Department lobby. Collecti... Full story
Minnesota Housing announced over $70.3 million is available to provide affordable mortgages to first-time homebuyers through a collaboration with Minnesota cities and counties, including $226,882 for the city of Cloquet. Homebuyers can take advantage of the resources through the Minnesota Housing Start Up loan program, which offers fixed interest rates and downpayment and closing cost loans up to $18,000 for eligible first-time homebuyers. Buyers can purchase homes in Cloquet that cost up to $349,500. Income limits vary by location and... Full story
The fire station in Scanlon will be eliminated as part of a new long-term plan for the Cloquet Area Fire District. Fire District chief Jesse Buhs is aiming for a financially leaner fire district in the coming years. He and other staff spent the past year coming up with a plan to make the district more financially sustainable, build reserves and ultimately save taxpayer dollars, Buhs said. Board members approved the changes unanimously Wednesday at their monthly meeting, with CAFD chairwoman...
There were a lot of smiling people at the dentist in Carlton last week, as the Lake Superior Community Health Center (LSCHC) celebrated the completion of its dental practice expansion, along with a new chiropractic center. With the expansion, the nonprofit health care center will now be able to offer double the services for dental patients. The difference between LSCHS and most other dental practices in the area is the Carlton clinic serves primarily a low-income population. "Anybody is welcome...
Salute Dispensary, a health and wellness retail store for CBD and THC products — including beverages, gummies, tinctures, vapes and other products — opened Thursday, April 20 in the former Randall’s Heating & Cooling building at 902 Olympic Drive in Cloquet. Co-owned by Josh Mynatt, Nick Montanari and Joey Cook, the opening comes nearly one year after the passing of HF 3595, a law that took effect in early July 2022, in which people in Minnesota can purchase up to 5 milligrams of THC per serving, limited to edibles and drinks speci...
One could easily mistake a northeastern Minnesota meteorologist for a sadist these days. Just two days after the messy April 4-5 snowstorm, followed by some slight signs of an actual spring, the National Weather Service in Duluth issued a report on the likely flooding that will occur in the region. It seems the winter of 2022-23 just won't relinquish its hold on the public conversation during a non-existent spring that had any children on an outdoor Easter egg hunt tromping over snow deeper... Full story
With the possible exception of 22-month-old Callahan Broneak, the Broneak and Kalash cousins were thrilled with their celebrity ice skate Saturday in Cloquet. "They were excited when we told them they would get to skate with the Easter Bunny. We still believe," said April Kalash, telling how her middle son, 6-year-old Luke, even brought a dyed Easter egg to Northwoods Credit Union Arena as a gift for the Easter Bunny. His cousin, Callahan, on the other hand, gave the tall white bunny a hard star... Full story
Carlton County officials are poised to make some significant changes to the zoning ordinance, specifically addressing cervid farms, residential and commercial kennels and future cemeteries, with a public hearing set for May 3 to receive public input. The commission held three working sessions through the fall and winter, approving proposed changes on March 1 and finally setting a hearing date at their April 5 meeting. Cervid farms (deer, elk, moose or reindeer) have been under a county moratorium on establishing or expanding an operation while...
The city of Carlton moved closer to adding a pair of full-timers to its ambulance service at the council meeting Wednesday. Fire chief Derek Wolf reported roughly $206,000 in commitments from municipalities that use the service. The goal is $250,000 annually, which would be used to add two full-time emergency medical technicians beginning in 2024. “I’m super-happy with the support,” Wolf told the newspaper afterward. “It really shows people understand the need.” In February, the city asked surrounding municipalities to help fund the addition...
Firefighters responded to a home on one of Cloquet's shortest streets after a resident smelled smoke around 9 p.m. Saturday, April 8. The response was quick and damage was minimal, thanks to the early notification by the resident, said Cloquet Area Fire District battalion chief Jason Maki. Police arrived first at the home on 6 ½ Street and doused the flames with a fire extinguisher. Cloquet Area Fire District firefighters extinguished the fire a second time when it flared back up. Due to...
A crash between two cars Friday morning ended with one car upside down after the other driver ran a stop sign. The Carlton County Sheriff’s office received the report of a two-car motor vehicle crash at the intersection of East Stark and Canosia roads in Thomson Township, north of Esko, just after 10:30 a.m. Friday, April 7. The investigation revealed that the vehicle driven by Arlyn Shabiash, 34-year-old man from Thomson Township, was eastbound on East Stark Road when he failed to stop at a stop sign. Shabiash’s vehicle struck a vehicle tra...
The Cloquet Police Department, in collaboration with Carlton County and neighboring veterinarian clinics, will be issuing spay/neuter vouchers from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 19 at the Cloquet Police Department on a first come, first served basis. The voucher is a credit worth $250 for dogs and $150 for cats at participating clinics, which include the Moose Lake Veterinary Clinic, Crow-Goebel Veterinary Clinic and Cloquet Animal Hospital. Vouchers will be issued to owners residing in Carlton County; bring a driver’s license or state I... Full story
The cost of a postage stamp is expected to go up soon for the fourth time in two years. The price of a First-Class Forever stamp will increase to 66 cents, up from 63 cents. The United States Postal Service filed notice this week with the Postal Regulatory Commission of a series of price changes to take effect July 9. If favorably reviewed by the commission, the proposed increases will raise prices approximately 5.4 percent to offset the rise in inflation, the USPS said. The price changes have been approved by the governors of the U.S. Postal...
The Esko school board is once again being asked to consider changing the school mascot's "Eskomos" nickname. The call for change from some community members comes as the Minnesota State Legislature is considering a bill that would prohibit the use of American Indian mascots and logos for all schools in the state. As the bill is currently written, school districts may not "have or adopt a name, symbol, or image that depicts or refers to an American Indian Tribe, individual, custom, or tradition t...
A barn fire in rural Carlton County left numerous miniature goats dead and two farmers suffering from burns and smoke inhalation. Jody and Fast Eddie Westerberg of King Creek Hobby Farm, located on M T Nelson Road between Mahtowa and Barnum, don't know what started the fire. By the time they got to the barn, it was burning too fiercely to enter. They were able to save seven of their miniature silky fainting goats in a pen next to the barn. A total of 16 goats and two rabbits died inside the...
The city of Carlton adopted first-time ordinances related to short-term vacation and camping rentals during its March city council meeting. The unanimous approvals mean vacation and camping rentals will need to be permitted. Vacation rentals will be capped at five and feature quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. Camping rentals must be on lots of 10 acres or more with no more than two sites. The applicant must also live on the property. A maximum of two short-term camping locations will be allowed in the city. The locations must also have campfir...
Carlton School District officials are working hard to reduce next year’s projected budget deficit, as the small school faces the consequences of years of declining enrollment leading to lower state revenues. Superintendent John Engstrom outlined budget reduction targets for the 2023-24 school year Monday at the Carlton school board committee of the whole meeting. Likely savings would result from not replacing a retiring custodian; non-renewal of full-time building substitute teachers; and combining two current third-grade classrooms into one f...
