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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A lawsuit accusing the Minnesota Department of Corrections of not fulfilling its obligations to protect prisoners in Moose Lake from the Covid-19 pandemic was dismissed in July 2020 by a Sixth District judge. That decision was upheld earlier this week by the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Initially filed on behalf of three inmates by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota against the Department of Corrections in April 2020, the petition asked for the release of the three prisoners and others in a similar situation to a safe location...
Cloquet High School is expecting some growing pains over the next couple years, and moving the Li'l Lumberjacks program may be just what the doctor ordered. Superintendent Michael Cary told board members during Monday's meeting that the recent large classes at the middle school are making their way into the high school now, which will add to future enrollment. Additionally, the district administration is in talks with the Carlton district about a possible tuition agreement, that could mean...
The Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency is emerging as a powerful ally in the years-long fight to get Minnesota to protect wild rice beds from sulfate pollution. Tribal and environmental groups have repeatedly pushed the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to address the issue. Now, the EPA has informed the state agency that it is partially disapproving Minnesota’s most recent Clean Water Act Impaired Waters List because the list doesn’t include rivers or lakes loaded with sulfate, which kills off wild rice beds over time....
The Wrenshall school board approved a major administrative shift for the district Wednesday night in a special meeting. The move was precipitated by superintendent Kim Belcastro’s request to reduce her duties by nearly half, primarily giving up dual work as the school principal. The board approved moving Belcastro to a 0.6 superintendent position and hiring a full-time principal. It will eliminate a dean position. Overall, the district expects to save a few thousand dollars with the changes. Belcastro’s current salary would shift to about $72...
Teresa Hart has been hired as the Esko school district’s new business manager, replacing Janet Halonen, who is retiring June 30. Hart is the current business manager at the Floodwood school, a district of about 200 students and a budget of about $3.2 million. At her new position, she’ll be managing a budget of about $13 million in a district with nearly 1,300 students. “I’m excited at this opportunity,” Hart told the board at its April 12 meeting. The district interviewed five candidate...
Saturday, April 24 Ruby’s Pantry visits Mission Creek Church, 521 131st Ave. West in the Fond Du Lac neighborhood of Duluth, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. the fourth Saturday of the month. The April 24 food distribution will be drive-thru to limit Covid-19 exposure. Donation: $20 donation per share. There are no income or residency requirements; anyone from the surrounding area is welcome. www.missioncreekchurch.com/ministries/rubys-pantry, 218-626-3309 Wednesday, April 28 Ruby’s Pantry visits Our Savior’s Lutheran, 615 12th St. in Cloquet Wedne...
After going without a bishop since late 2019, Pope Francis named a Wisconsin priest to lead the Duluth Diocese. Rev. Daniel Felton, of the Diocese of Green Bay, Wis., will become the 10th bishop of the Diocese of Duluth, which serves the 10 counties of northeastern Minnesota with more than 44,000 Catholics and 71 parishes. His episcopal ordination and installation as bishop of Duluth have been set for May 20. Felton, 66, has served as vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Diocese of...
Recent changes to the Affordable Care Act made through the American Rescue Plan mean more Minnesotans will be able to access tax credits through MNsure. The changes lower premiums for most people who are currently enrolled through MNsure and expand access to tax credits to many Minnesotans who previously made too much money to qualify for financial help. Minnesotans who are not currently enrolled in a plan through MNsure, including those who are uninsured, have until July 16 to enroll in coverage. Plans selected in April will have an effective...
The Cloquet public schools will be ending the in-town winter bus route after Friday, April 16. The bus route serves children and teens who live too close to their school to qualify for busing, during the coldest months of the year at no extra charge. The school district asks families to plan accordingly if their student has been making use of the winter bus option....
Cloquet City Hall and the Cloquet Police Department will reopen to the public on May 1, after limited access because of the pandemic since mid-November. City administrator Tim Peterson told council members Tuesday that he'd like to bring all of the staff back into the building effective next month. "Our goal for the last couple months here was to attempt to wait until vaccines were available to everybody," Peterson said in response to a question from Ward 3 councilor Chris Swanson. "Now that...
A teenager from the Fond du Lac Reservation accused of fatally shooting his friend in December has a new attorney, who intends to contest both the original second degree manslaughter charge along with a third-degree murder charge added in February. Joseph James Fohrenkam, 18, is accused of unintentionally shooting his friend, 16-year-old Joseph James Peterson, during a night of drinking. According to the criminal complaint, Fohrenkam was drinking with four other young men in a pickup truck, which was parked outside a home on the 3600 block of...
The city of Cromwell is prepping for major roadwork on Minnesota Highway 210, scheduled to begin next year. Last week, Mayor Sharon Zelazny summarized a variety of projects coming up over the next couple of years. The 210 project, set to begin in the spring of 2022, will include crosswalks and sidewalks, better lighting and improved drainage. The project will be inconvenient but also a boon to the small town in western Carlton County, as the intersection of highways 210 and 73 is the beating...
There will be a special memorial remembrance for Siiri Peterson at Bethany in Cromwell April 11, at the 10:30 worship service. Coffee and cake will be served in the Fellowship Hall, and all are invited to pay tribute to Siiri. It won’t be long before the hummingbirds return to our area. If you do put out feeders, remember to not use red dye in the juice you make for them. According to Birds & Blooms magazine, the red dye is very harmful to hummingbirds. The Cromwell-Wright School office is c...
On Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at 5:20 p.m., Kathie Kemi, resident of Esko and Cloquet since age 8, was told she had a mass on her pancreas. As the stranger/doctor looked into her eyes and spoke the words, in the small consultation room where she sat, the walls of the room didn't crumble. The earth didn't shake. No lightning bolt flashed and her life didn't flicker by like a clicking highlight reel. "I just felt normal." Kathie insists. "Well, maybe not normal, but numb. I mean, I wasn't thrilled...
Northwoods Credit Union and its members raised more than $9,000 for area food shelves through its latest loan promotion. The loan promotion offered up to 1 percent cash back to members on new loans. If members chose to donate part of their 1 percent to the local food shelf, Northwoods CU matched the funds up to $50 per donation. These donations totaled $9,867 and were given to the Cloquet Salvation Army, the Floodwood Area Food Shelf and the Moose Lake Area Food Shelf. "We've worked with area...
People in the Sturgeon Lake area are experiencing bittersweet feelings about losing a much-loved landmark, the Sturgeon Island covered bridge. "It will be replaced this fall if the state funding comes through," said Pine County engineer Mark LeBrun. "The issues with the old bridge are that parts of the structure that the bridge sits on are starting to wash out and it is narrow at 14 feet. It has served its life." Inspections in the past few years have shown that the bridge is beyond repair and...
The erroneous property tax evaluation monster has struck again, and this time the bite is big. Two decisions in March, in favor of Enbridge and its pipeline that cuts across the state, in Minnesota Tax Court mean that Carlton County will need to find about $1 million to return to the utility. There have been several such corrections in evaluations for utilities in the past few years, but the decisions last month, which cover how Enbridge property was valued and subsequently taxed for for five years beginning in 2012, is a hit that eclipses all...
The Minnesota Supreme Court denied an appeal for a Bayfield County man who was convicted last year of murdering his uncle in Carlton County. James Francis Montano was arrested in April 2018 for shooting his uncle, 56-year-old Andrew James Gokee, and injuring Gokee’s son, 38-year-old Hudson Gauthier, in rural Carlton County. Montano was found guilty in January 2020 on all three of the charges against him, including first-degree premeditated murder and intentional second-degree murder for the shooting death of his uncle. Montano, 35, had a...
In addition to the popular $1,400 payments for many citizens, the recently passed $1.9 trillion federal American Relief Plan also allocated $86 billion to help stabilize distressed multi-employer pension funds for the next three decades. The money would shore up 185 union pension plans that are close to collapse. It’s a group that includes a million retired truck drivers, retail clerks, builders and others who face a loss of earned retirement income. Cloquet’s Sherman Liimatainen serves as vice president of the National United Committee to Pro...
The Boldt Company, in collaboration with the City of Cloquet, will host an Earth Day clean-up, scheduled for the morning of April 24. Registration is required for this event. People will gather between 9:30 and 10 a.m. at the Dunlap Island Park shelter for registration. The cleanup will go until about noon, when there will be a free picnic for those helping. The first 100 people registered will get a free T-shirt. Be sure to include sizes for all of your participants when you register. Visit the city website for information and to sign up:...
As of right now, Cloquet High School plans are to hold both prom and graduation outside, according to principal Steve Battaglia. Prom will be in the school parking lot with large tents “to help facilitate air flow,” Battaglia said. He said the student leadership team wants the school to explore holding it indoors, but moving inside creates challenges. “We’re finding that we’ll have to significantly cut capacity if we try to do that,” the principal said, adding that prom plans are still fluid. Graduation will be on the football field. “Our...
The Friends of Brad Memorial Foundation $1000 scholarship is available for students in rural northeastern Minnesota who plan to pursue music in college. The foundation is providing two scholarships. The foundation was created in 2010 to honor the memory of Bradley Edward Rozman, a percussionist and native of Virginia, Minnesota who passed away in 2009. The foundation honors Rozman through its programs that seek to cultivate and celebrate young musicians. The foundation started the BradFest summer music festival in Two Harbors in 2010 and has...
Samuel Rengo, son of Todd and Sandra Rengo of Esko, was named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota. Rengo is a junior political science major. Four students from Cloquet were named to Bemidji State University’s dean’s list for fall semester. They are Stephanie Ferguson, Preston Lowe, Allyson Rahkola, and Spencer Wehr....
Students at Washington Elementary School in Cloquet jumped rope to help fight heart disease during their physical education class on Friday, February 26th. They had a record-breaking year during this 23rd annual event, raising $23,490 for the American Heart Association. There were 86 students in the 100 club, students who raised $100 or more to help kids with special hearts. Pictured here are three students who each raised more than $1,000....
Golf has survived the pandemic, albeit with a few changes in Carlton County the past year. After some pandemic unknowns, the Cloquet Country Club, the Moose Lake Golf Club, and Pine Hill Golf Club opened with restrictions and special rules. Surprisingly, these courses had record player turnout and golf rounds posted. In July of 2020, the Mahtowa 29 Pines Golf Club was sold to Jim and Colleen Myhre and the course name changed to the Rugged Spruce Golf Club. It opened around Labor Day with much...
