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 2814 - 2838 of 3909
Following two roundsa of interviews and months of searching, the Cloquet Area Fire District is still seeking its next fire chief. The CAFD board chose to not hire either of two initial finalists (out of 15 applicants) who interviewed in early April, admitting that the job description called for someone with skills far beyond the average fire chief. In late May, the board interviewed two more candidates: former Cloquet city administrator Brian Fritsinger and George Esbensen, who was fire chief...
Geese honked in unison overhead. Then, after they passed over, the few of the formation's stragglers gave fading squawks individually. Birds chirped from newly flowered fauna. There were the whirs and clicks from media photographers and rumblings of traffic on an overcast and, when the breeze kicked up, chilly late Saturday afternoon. The small clock tower at Cloquet City Hall showed 6 p.m. Now there was the shuffling of feet, some of the more than 60 bodies here repositioning on the asphalt...
The Carlton school board has chosen its next superintendent to replace Gwen Carman, who is leaving for a job in southeastern Minnesota. John Engstrom said the Carlton job appealed to him because it's a one-year stint and not too far from where he is living, southwest of Minneapolis near Lake Minnetonka. The school board officially hired Engstrom during an online meeting Monday. The district will pay Engstrom $108,243 on a one-year contract that begins July 1. Engstrom's last job was at Friess...
Cloquet school board members approved next year’s school district budget with an anticipated deficit of $411,000 — but knowing the district will likely receive $500,000 dollars in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding. Finance director Candace Nelis said the CARES funding is not included in the budget, because they just got notification from the state Monday morning of its allocation, and how the district will need to apply for the funds. The money can be spe...
State regulators agreed June 3 to hold an additional hearing on a key permit for the proposed Line 3 replacement project, a process that is expected to delay construction of the controversial oil pipeline by several months. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced that a contested case hearing will be held later this summer on a draft water quality permit for the project, in which a state administrative law judge will hear additional evidence on the proposed pipeline’s impacts on wetlands and stream crossings. The decision to hold t...
Fond du Lac Band members in District I and II voted Tuesday, June 9, in a primary election previously postponed by the coronavirus. Candidates for Reservation Business Committee District I (Cloquet) representative included: Wally Dupuis (incumbent), Eugene (Eny) Reynolds, Todd J. Tidaback, Jeroam Defoe and Jarvis “Chubbs” Paro. According to the official results posted Wednesday, Dupuis and Defoe were the top vote getters and are moving on to the general election, with Dupuis garnering 193 votes (49.11 percent) and Defoe 101 (25.7 percent). In R...
With people looking for opportunities to get out of the house and find something new, interesting and safe to do, a local shop with some decidedly dated inventory may prove to be a fun and worthwhile destination. Billing itself as an "antiques and collectibles shop," Nantiques at 402 Arch Street in Cloquet has now reopened, with limited weekend hours. "We're testing the waters," Nantiques manager Sheila Peterson said of the new hours, which are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. May 24...
After more than 1,000 protesters in Duluth marched down Superior Street to City Hall, organizers asked them to kneel for nine minutes, almost the time that a Minneapolis police officer knelt on the neck of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who'd been arrested on suspicion of passing a counterfeit $20 bill. Floyd pleaded with the police officer, Derek Chauvin, telling him he couldn't breathe. He called out for his mother. Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd's neck for eight minutes and 46...
Thank goodness the sun came out. Monday marked the first day people could eat at restaurants and drink at bars - outdoors only, not inside - since Gov. Tim Walz began issuing orders to keep people at home and nonessential businesses closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although many local restaurants have been offering curbside or delivery service for customers, most bars have simply been closed for almost three months. There's been a lot of remodeling and cleaning, but minimal revenue,...
After months of searching and almost an entire day of interviews, Cloquet has a new, yet familiar, police chief. Following a nationwide search, Cloquet city councilors voted 6-1 Tuesday to hire interim police chief Derek Randall as the permanent police chief. A panel of nine community members interviewed the three finalist candidates Tuesday morning, then the council conducted interviews via teleconference in the afternoon. Candidates included Troy Bacon, police chief in Franklin, Indiana, Eric...
When a 73-year-old man didn’t return as expected last week, family members called the Carlton County Dispatch Center the evening of May 27. The man had been planning for future tree plantings on a property on Carlton County Road 4. Carlton County deputies responded to the 911 call at approximately 7:22 p.m. With the assistance of the Carlton County drone team, U.S. Border Patrol K-9, Carlton Fire and Ambulance and the St. Louis County Rescue Squad, an extensive search of the property was conducted. The male was located by searchers at 9:45 p...
In keeping with the altered state of life during a pandemic, the Cloquet Public Library kicked off a virtual summer reading program Monday. Instead of using physical time sheets to log their reading, the library is using Beanstack, an online software program for keeping track of reading time and activity challenges. Participants will earn badges and tickets along the way, and once they reach seven-hour reading time, every child will receive a free book. They can also turn in their tickets for a virtual grand prize drawing. Prizes are...
Add July Fourth festivities in Cloquet and the swimming pond at Pinehurst Park to the list of cancellations caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Cloquet City Councilors voted unanimously Tuesday to cancel all of the usual July Fourth activities, including the fireworks. The committee that organizes the event had hoped they could still offer the fireworks, and ask people to watch from cars or other uncrowded locations, but it wasn't to be. City administrator Tim Peterson requested the council not...
The swimming pond at Pinehurst Park is another pandemic casualty, city staff and councilors determined during Tuesday's Cloquet city council meeting. Although there was no formal vote, councilors agreed with a staff assessment and the Cloquet parks commission that the The Beach at Pinehurst would not open this year. Public works director Caleb Peterson said it would take staff two weeks to fill the pond and balance the chemicals to start. Add a late start to the state's current prohibition...
After much study and citizen input, the Carlton county transportation department has decided to keep the Kettle River county garage open as a base of operations for the area’s grader. Commissioner Gary Peterson recently attended a Split Rock Township board meeting with more than 15 people in the audience. “Not one person there thought the closure of the Kettle River garage was a good idea,” Peterson said. “I am glad that it has worked out to keep the garage open. My constituents support that action.” The county’s Barnum garage is being upgra...
The Carlton County Republican Party will hold its monthly meeting outside at Wrenshall’s Hugh Line Park at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 8. Bring your own chair. All are welcome. Social distancing guidelines will be observed. Call Republican Party chairman Tony Sheda at 218-384-4734 for more information....
Cloquet's Sappi Mill is continuing to find its place in a pandemic world. Word that the Cloquet Sappi Mill is laying off some employees while it balances supply and demand as a result of the worldwide response to the COVID-19 virus isn't so much news as the new normal, at least for now. "These are unprecedented times for anybody and everybody," said Mike Schultz, former Cloquet mill manager and now vice president of manufacturing for Sappi North America, explaining that the mill has been...
The filing period for local political offices ended Tuesday, June 2 and there are both new and familiar faces in the mix. At the state level, incumbent Mike Sundin (DFL) will face challenger Jeff Dotseth (R) again in the general election for State Representative District 11A. For State Senator District 11, incumbent Jason Rarick (R) will face challenger Michelle Lee (DFL). For Carlton county commissioner, incumbent Dick Brenner will be challenged by Erik Blesener, while District 3 commissioner Tom Proulx is running unopposed. Three people are...
My maternal grandmother, Mildred Schulenburg, was born in Hull in northeastern England in 1910. During World War I, her hometown was a common target for Zeppelin airships, and she recounted stories of watching neighbors perish in the attacks. When she was 18 her family immigrated to the United States. In October of that year the United States was plunged into the Great Depression. When she was 80 years old she built a new house for herself, and we have a snapshot of her hanging on a kudzu vine....
Graduation Gallery!...
A gathering held in Cloquet Saturday afternoon to remember George Floyd lasted close to two hours, with a peaceful reflective vibe. A handful of people spoke at the park rally as more than 100 people gathered around, most wearing facemasks and keeping their distance from each other, then 60-plus marched to the police station and City Hall. As a group they took a knee together for 8 minutes, 40 seconds ... the time a Minneapolis police officer knelt on Floyd’s neck. Organizer Taysha Martineau o...
You just can't cancel Memorial Day. After initially announcing there would be no ceremonies by the Combined Cloquet Honor Guard because of coronavirus concerns, events to honor the nation's fallen soldiers came together anyway. At Cloquet's Veterans Park, a prayer was said, wreaths were laid - representing each branch of the military - and Marine Lance Corp. Bryce Moe played taps on his trumpet, as a crowd of nearly two dozen people stood silently Monday morning. At Hillcrest Cemetery, above...
With the permanent closure of the Salvation Army store last week, Cloquet is now officially a thrift store desert. The Salvation Army Northern Division blamed "the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic" for the closure of the thrift store at 316 Carlton Avenue in Cloquet, along with stores in Morris, Faribault and Fairmont. "This is the type of decision that is tough to make, because it has an impact on staff and the communities we serve," said Lt. Colonel Lonneal Richardson, commander of The Salvatio...
School board members got a glimpse this month of what a budget for a Carlton and Wrenshall consolidated district might look like. Some rough data project a significant fund balance increase for school operations in a consolidation. With current enrollment staying intact, savings in administrative salary costs would drive a $786,200 balance of revenues over expenditures. Representatives from Arrowhead Regional Computing Consortium presented the numbers during a joint meeting of the district school boards online last week. ARCC’s Jennifer S...
After closing public access to city facilities since March, the City of Cloquet is opening back up, one step at a time. City parks reopened last week, with cautionary signs posted to let residents know that playgrounds aren’t sanitized and park users (including the skatepark and basketball court) should follow social distancing recommendations. Pinehurst Pond and indoor rental space remain closed at this time. The library also reopened for staff but is offering curbside pickup of material. To request materials, call 218-879-1531 or emailing c...
