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 2509 - 2533 of 3909
Our sympathy to the family of Jacob Fredrick Bok, 97, of Meadowlands who passed away Dec. 10. He was born in Holland and at the age of 6 his family moved to a farm in South Dakota. At the age of 10 Jake was doing the majority of the farming thus began his lifelong love of farming, farm machinery, welding, and mechanics. Jake moved his family to a farm in Meadowlands in April of 1951. Our sympathy to the family of Lawrence “Boz” Thomas Dahl, 71, of Cloquet who passed away on Dec. 9. He grew up...
Minnesotans looking for health insurance coverage starting Jan. 1, 2021, have until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 22, to enroll in coverage through MNsure.org. The federal health insurance exchange, HealthCare.gov, ends its enrollment period today, but Minnesotans have an extra week to enroll through MNsure. MNsure is Minnesota’s health insurance marketplace where individuals and families can shop, compare and choose health insurance coverage that meets their needs. MNsure is the only place you can apply for financial help to lower the cost of y...
A former Carlton teacher and girls basketball coach pleaded guilty last week to four counts of felony criminal sexual conduct stemming from a sexual relationship with a student athlete nearly 20 years ago. Robert Kent Pioro, 62, pleaded guilty to a total of four counts of felony third-degree criminal sexual conduct for engaging in sexual penetration with a person who was 16 years old when he was in a position of authority over the victim in an online hearing with Carlton County Sixth District Court Friday, Dec. 4. The guilty pleas were the...
A man from Willow River is expected to serve more than two years in prison after sentencing Tuesday. Preston Prokasky pled guilty to a criminal vehicular homicide charge earlier this year. The 44-year-old was accused of driving into the Kettle River last September while high on methamphetamine, killing passenger Eugene Oestreich. Prokasky was convicted in January but delays due to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions meant sentencing didn’t come until 11 months later. He was sentenced to three years and five months in state prison, with a year and t...
Drivers in Cloquet were greeted by an unusual vehicle on Highway 33 just before 1 p.m. Saturday when a pontoon boat slid off a trailer onto a busy stretch of the highway in front of the Pine Tree Plaza and Super One business sites. Police chief Derek Randall said a family member was trying to move the pontoon for a relative who recently passed away, and it slid off the trailer. A tow truck removed it from the roadway while police directed traffic, Randall said, adding that no one was ticketed...
The 27th annual community Christmas Day Dinner is happening, thanks to a partnership between Zion Lutheran Church and the local Disabled American Veterans group. The church will sponsor the meal, and the DAV and its auxiliary will provide the manpower to cook and package individual meals for pickup. Due to the pandemic, there will not be a sit-down meal. Due to the short timeframe, delivery isn't an option either (except for local high-rise apartments). "Once again, this is a weird year. There...
The Carlton County Truth in Taxation Tuesday drew only five residents and only one person spoke as he walked out of the hearing early. “I guess I came to the wrong meeting to voice my concerns. Someone sooner or later will have to tell me why my taxes went up 80 percent for this coming year,” the unidentified man said. Assessor Kyle Holmes followed him to address his concerns. Overall the property tax levy will increase 2 percent for 2021 if the county board approves the proposed budget. Budget considerations and challenges include the fol...
The community is invited to donate nonperishable food items and new disposable or reusable masks at Carlton High School from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Dec. 19 at Carlton High School. Place masks in a plastic bag. Members of the high school’s National Honor Society are asking that people drive to the front of the high school and drop the items from the car into bins that NHS members will be holding....
Residents are invited to donate new, unwrapped toys or gift cards for children age 17 and younger through Dec. 16 for the Carlton VFW toy drive. Dropoff locations include the Carlton VFW, City of Carlton offices, Thrivent Financial, Carlton Wellness Center, Carlton Meat & Grocery and The Brickyard in Wrenshall. Donations can be dropped off during regular business and city hours. If you would like to make a monetary donation, please make checks payable to the Carlton VFW Auxiliary. Hats, mittens and scarves will also be collected at the dropoff...
A total of 62 local businesses applied for the Carlton County Covid-19 small business relief grants this fall. Those businesses will know soon if their applications were successful, following approval by the Carlton County board of commissioners at its meeting Tuesday, Dec. 8. The grant program offered Carlton County businesses grant money to offset expenses and losses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and is funded federally through the CARES Act. Requests for the small business grants came in at $812,583, with some businesses requesting far...
Clearing pavement with salt containing chloride leads to it draining into storm drains and into nearby lakes, rivers, and groundwater. It takes only a teaspoon of salt to permanently pollute five gallons of water, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency reports. There’s no feasible way to remove chloride once it gets into the water, and we are finding increasing amounts of chloride in waters around the state. Salty water harms freshwater fish and other aquatic wildlife. Smart salting strategies can help reduce chloride pollution in state w...
Valerie Ross Zhaawendaagozikwe, a student at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, was awarded the 2020 Spirit of Sovereignty Scholarship, which is given to students attending tribal colleges across the country. Scholarship recipients are selected by their college, and funds can be used for any education- related expense, including but not limited to tuition, books, housing, travel and childcare. Spirit of Sovereignty is a National Indian Gaming Association-advised fund at the Indian Land Te...
It may look and sound like a toy, but Carlton County's newest device promises to be a boon to local public safety efforts. The new Autel Robotics EVO II Dual drone has a high-quality camera with two sensors - one visual, one thermal - that can be used for everything from search and rescue to finding a hot spot in a fire. The new drone was donated to the county by Frandsen Bank and Trust, which offered a new drone to every county sheriff's office where they have a branch. "Eight of them accepted...
While the Cloquet city council passed the city’s 2021 budget and tax levy Tuesday, the Cloquet police department got a one-time boost from unspent funds in this year’s budget. Police chief Derek Randall presented the council with a list of requests, mostly for equipment and technology upgrades, to be paid for out of the department’s 2020 budget surplus, which Randall estimated at a minimum of $139,200, including planned expenses through the end of the year. Many of the items are urgently neede...
For years, the Sixth Judicial District has wanted more space at the Carlton County Courthouse in Carlton, which houses both the courtrooms and myriad county departments. Lawyer-client conferences happen in public hallways and stairwells, plus the district needs additional space for courtrooms and court administration. During last week's board of commissioners meeting, county coordinator Dennis Genereau recommended the Community & Family Initiatives Department led by Donna Lekander be moved to...
Carlton County saw exactly two recounts following the Nov. 3 election. The Carlton County auditor’s office completed a recount of votes in the special election for Wrenshall council member, and got the same results, with just two votes separating winner Joyce Gvesrude (116) from Kevin House (114). On Wednesday, Dec. 2, votes were recounted for three Esko School Board seats with the same numbers coming up. Sixteen votes separated the third- and fourth-place candidates: Leona Johnson received the third-highest number of votes with 1,347 votes a...
With the approval of a final stormwater permit by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency on Monday, the Enbridge Energy Line 3 project has all the permits it needs to begin construction in Minnesota. Line 3 begins in the Alberta oil sands in Canada and crosses a corner of North Dakota before crossing Minnesota on its way to Enbridge’s terminal in Superior. The new Line 3 would replace one that has been in use for decades and currently clips the northeast corner of Carlton County. The new line route was originally shifted to avoid reservation l...
Every week that they can - pandemic permitting - the staff and students involved in the REACH program meet at the Common Ground coffee bar and deli. They do a little homework, various activities, enjoy some snacks and simply spend time together. Over time, the staff at the Christian coffee shop have grown pretty fond of the kids, so they were looking forward to hosting them for a Thanksgiving dinner last week. But Covid-19 got in the way. "I couldn't let it go," said Common Ground cook Jeana...
Jerry Anderson, the last surviving starter on the first boys basketball team from Carlton County to reach the state tournament, died Tuesday at age 83. Anderson was a star on the 1955 Esko team that won the consolation championship. The success of the Eskomos preceded runs by Cloquet and Carlton in subsequent tournaments in the late 1950s and 1960s. Pine Knot News writer Steve Korby wrote about Anderson this past October, after fellow starter Don Terwey died on Sept. 30. Anderson said he met...
For generations, families have bundled into layers and wandered in a winter wonderland in search of the perfect Christmas tree. The snow crunches underfoot, breaking the sound of silence as they walk between the trees before making a selection. The traditional tree hunt continues unhindered this year, despite the many changes brought on by the pandemic at tree farms across Carlton County. Perhaps the oldest family farm in Carlton County selling trees is the Butkiewicz Family Farm, established...
MPR News With Covid-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations at or near record highs, roughly 60 percent of Minnesota K-12 students are currently in distance learning - more than double the rate from early October. Many schools pivoted to remote instruction just before Thanksgiving break and plan to stay that way for at least a couple of months. St. Paul Public Schools, for example, which began the year with distance learning, won't resume any in-person instruction until at least Jan. 19, or two...
With many ACT testing dates canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Alworth Foundation board of directors has determined that eligibility for scholarships will be based solely on a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher this year. “In previous years we’ve required both a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher and an ACT test score of 25 or higher for students to be considered for an Alworth scholarship, but it would be unfair to require a test score when many students have no opportunity to take the test,” said Patty Salo Downs, Alworth Found...
Esko High School Quarter 1 Honor roll Will Abrahamson Emma Adkins Kaitlyn Adkins Alexandra Aker Ashley Aker Jason Amireault Claire Anderson Karin Anderson Siri Anderson Santiago Anich Joseph Antonutti Rachel Antonutti Ellahna Barnes Ellynor Barta Joel Barta Nathan Barta Alena Beare Mollie Belich Aspen Berg Cuinn Berger Tia Bertogliat Carli Bloom Sierra Boitz Alexander Bourgeault Cadence Brissett Owen Campanario Samuel Cheslak Ayden Chopskie Jordan Chopskie Megan Chopskie Brynn Christensen Ty Christensen Liberty Clifford Isabelle Cloose Avah Clo...
When the Covid-19 pandemic started, lots of people thought it might be over in a few months, but it's still going strong. So is the B&B Market's "food train." Started in late March by a single donation from Cloquet's Lenny Conklin - who bought 100 pounds of ground beef to "pay it forward" - what grew into the food train is still chugging along, eight months later. During that time, individuals and businesses from all over Carlton County and even further away have donated money, products,...
Carlton ambulance director Erik Bergstedt sure is happy he was working at the Carlton fire hall on Sept. 29. That's the day a woman walked in carrying an infant in a blanket. She told Bergstedt the baby was three days old, that he was born at home and she delivered him on her own. She did not want Bergstedt to call the police or any other EMTs, she just wanted to leave the baby with him. After she left, he called for assistance. Although unusual, the situation worked exactly as it was supposed...
