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 1620 - 1644 of 4091
Cloquet city councilor Chris Swanson announced Tuesday that he will step down as the Ward 3 representative effective Aug. 17. Swanson and his family are moving to a home a few blocks outside of Ward 3, so he will no longer fulfill the qualifications to represent his current constituents. "I've taken great pleasure, and it's been really fascinating and interesting. We have a lot of great folks who work for the city. I know we still have some problems, as we've heard from the residents here...
Cracks filled with knee-high weeds zigzag across the tennis courts at Carlton's South Terrace Elementary School. Although there are nets, the courts are in such a state of disrepair it would be almost impossible to play a game of tennis there. With the school district battling ongoing budget woes, repairing the tennis courts has not been a priority for a school board that is working hard to simply keep the schools open and fully staffed. Ed Kavanaugh gets that. The Carlton grad has been on the...
Two northern Minnesota Native American tribes have sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in a bid to reverse recent changes the state made to its water quality standards. The tribes argue the changes are likely to damage wild rice and pollute waters on their reservations and treaty-protected lands. The Fond du Lac and Grand Portage Bands of Lake Superior Chippewa filed the suit Thursday in federal district court. It seeks to overturn the EPA’s approval last October of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s recent overhaul of its Cla... 
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Earlier this summer, Julie Holmgren traveled from Paynesville, Minnesota to Wrenshall where she had booked Farm LoLa's new "AirB-n- BAWK!" She brought with her a copy of "Locally Laid: How We Built a Plucky, Industry-changing Egg Farm – from Scratch," the written tale of Jason and Lucie Amundsen's voyage from city dwellers with a backyard flock to running a free-range local egg farm in rural Carlton County. In the newest chapter of the Locally Laid Egg Company story, the Amundsens have now opene...
After eight years of research and planning, Carlton County officials should know the maximum cost of a new justice center following a special meeting set for Thursday, July 21, after this issue of the Pine Knot News went to press. County coordinator Dennis predicted the top number from project contractor Adolfson & Peterson will come in at over $70 million, including construction and soft costs such as architectural, engineering and permitting. Funding is also up in the air. The largest possible funding source for the justice center is the...
Join your fellow Minnesotans by reading William Kent Krueger’s “Iron Lake” as part of One Book One Minnesota in July and August. Get your free copy of Iron Lake by going to ebooksmn.org and choosing either the eBook or electronic audiobook. “Iron Lake” is Krueger’s first novel in the bestselling Cork O’Connor mystery series and won the Minnesota Book Award. It’s available during July and August as part of One Book One Minnesota, a statewide book club. You can participate in a virtual author discussion with William Kent Krueger in a free, live...
In preparation for the Esko All School Reunion set for August, organizers are seeking people who graduated between 1940 and 1966, who may not be regular users of social media. While the reunion is being held in conjunction with Esko Fun Days Aug. 2-7, Class of ’64 grad Joyce Houtz said they are trying to find older grads who may not be on the internet and are hoping they will reach out....
Esko area author Elaine Osborne’s book, “If I Felt Alone,” was recently nominated for a Northeastern Minnesota Book Award in the nonfiction category. Osborne’s book tells the story of the massive sewage spills near her home and the effects on her health and her life, as she fought to get officials at the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District to acknowledge and rectify the damage done. Tens of millions of gallons of raw sewage — wastewater that included industrial waste from the paper mill in Cloquet along with fecal matter — spilled int...
Minnesotans facing a mental health crisis can now dial or text 988 to connect to Lifeline support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The new 988 code will serve as a universal entry point, so people can reach a trained crisis counselor who can help regardless of where they live. People can also dial 988 if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support. People should call 911 if they suspect drug overdose or need immediate medical help. Moving to a shorter dialing code is an important step to help reduce suicide, and it is part...
Well, Wrong Days in Wright is over for another year. There were a lot of activities, but some had to go by the wayside. For instance, due to Minnesota gambling regulations, Wrong Days can no longer sell gun raffle tickets or give cash prizes for button sales. If you purchased raffle tickets and want your money back, please bring the tickets to Kalli’s Place for a refund. Otherwise, the money from the raffle will go into the general fund. As far as the buttons go, they are mostly just a s...
The city of Cloquet is getting some help with being proactive about climate change. On Monday, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) announced a $106,000 grant to the city to better understand how to prepare the infrastructure for extreme weather caused by climate change. Cloquet will use the funds to update and expand their comprehensive stormwater master plan, which will include identifying infrastructure inadequacies, specific projects to address localized flooding, and funding needed for implementation. The city is matching the...
Time is running out to pick your own strawberries! There are still strawberries to be picked at Spectrum Farms, but the season is ending soon. To check opening times, call 218-389-6265. The fields are located at 2332 County Road 4 in Carlton (formerly Finke's Berry Farm). Remember to bring cash or a check to pay -- they don't take credit or debit cards. What to know more? Here's the latest news from Spectrum co-owner Rita Vavrosky: How is it going? It’s going really well. The berries are b...
Members of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe have voted in a historic advisory referendum to eliminate a requirement that enrolled members must have 25 percent tribal blood. Out of nearly 7,800 ballots cast, 64 percent of voters said the “blood quantum” requirement should be removed from the tribe's constitution, which was adopted under pressure from the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs in the early 1960s. In a second referendum question 57 percent said individual bands or reservations should be able to determine their own membership req... Website
After two recent bulk mailings sent out to Wrenshall school district residents suggested that complaints about school board member comments in the past 13 months were unfounded, a union group representing district employees delivered the goods on Monday. More than 70 people attended Monday's meeting in Holyoke, where union members read a lengthy statement. In total, there were 24 speakers in a public forum that lasted 90 minutes inside the township hall. Several Education Minnesota-Wrenshall...
A question was raised at the Wrenshall school board’s public forum Monday about where a bulk mailing came from. Was it through a board discussion or the opinion of merely the three people who were represented at the end of the letter? One signee, board vice-chairwoman Cindy Bourn, interrupted the speaker and said the mailing was a “campaign letter.” When asked how a reader would know, Bourn said it was “implied.” In response to an inquiry from the Pine Knot News, chairwoman Bergman said the letter was political and had nothing to do with the...
A case that began in March in St. Paul, when a report was made about a nonconsensual picture taken of a juvenile at the Minnesota Children's Museum there, led police to a 28-year-old Carlton man. What came next was a series of pornographic images and videos of children found on the man's phone and in his cloud storage account. Stephan Jeremiah Hansen was in Sixth Judicial District Court in Carlton July 8 to face 15 felony charges for the explicit content and criminal sexual conduct after Hansen, according to a police report, by admission said...
Earlier this week, MnDOT crews began concrete repairs from a heat blowout on I-35 southbound just south of the Moose Lake entrance ramp. Work will require a closure of the right lane for one week and a closure of the left lane the following week. Lanes will reopen for the weekend, and all work will be completed by July 22. This work is south of the I-35 construction work near Barnum. More information about that project can be found on the website: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/d1/projects/i35-barnum/index.html....
The Carlton County board gave approval this week to hire a full-time attorney for the attorney’s office. County attorney Lauri Ketola said she has attempted to hire a temporary attorney to help with the backlog of cases created by the effects of the pandemic. She has lost more than one of these attorneys when they found permanent positions elsewhere. There is a shortage of attorneys, she said. Budget money has been allocated to cover the new attorney, which would have been a temporary position until May of 2024. That issue will be discussed d...
The one-year moratorium for expansion or creation of new cervid (deer, elk and moose) farms in Carlton County was approved by the Calrton County board of commissioners Tuesday. It’s purpose is to provide time for an ordinance to be drawn up and approved after a future hearing. Commissioner Mark Thell said he called Minnesota Department of Agriculture commissioner Tom Peterson and asked him if funding was available to create the ordinance. Peterson said he has no authority, and the Department of Natural Resources could have f...
Work has begun on the 2023 budget for Carlton County. Department presentations will be given at public board meetings at 1 p.m. July 25 and 2:30 p.m. Aug. 2....
Minnesota Highway 210 in Cromwell has returned to its current construction traffic pattern with a single lane bypass controlled by signals. It had been previously closed with a detour for a water main repair. All residents and businesses have had their water restored....
A 16-year-old Superior teen who allegedly fired multiple shots at people in Pinehurst Park earlier this month has been identified. Although the identity of juveniles is usually protected by the court system, juveniles over the age of 14 who are believed to have committed felony crimes can be certified to adult court for criminal prosecution. River Ray Schier is charged with two felony counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, along with felony possession of ammo/pistol/assault weapon under the age of 18, felony reckless...
Early voting started June 24 for the Aug. 9 primary election, but so far it’s been a trickle versus the flood of absentee ballots cast before the 2020 elections, when there was a presidential election and lines across the country the first day voters could cast their ballots in advance. In an attempt to avoid confusion, county auditor/treasurer Kevin DeVriendt noted that “early” and “absentee” voting are the same thing. Whatever name you choose to call it, DeVriendt said last week it’s been...
Minnesota Power seeks to increase electric rates by more than 18 percent, adding approximately $180 per year in electricity bills for the average household. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission holds ultimate authority in determining rates, and now requests input from the public on Minnesota Power’s proposal. The nonprofit Citizens Utility Board, the MN Department of Commerce, the Office of the Attorney General and others are pushing back on Minnesota Power’s proposal in a proceeding currently before an Administrative Law Judge. “Th...
With bonding money from the state in limbo after the legislature failed to reach an agreement on an omnibus bonding bill, the Carlton County board of commissioners is counting on voter approval of the half-percent sales tax in the November election. Funding for the $70-plus million complex is dependent on the approval of the sales tax to avoid adding to the local property tax hit. When asked about the impact on property taxes, county coordinator Dennis Genereau essentially said the county is looking at multiple funding streams. “The county is f...
