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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With the numbers of positive Covid-19 cases climbing rapidly, students in grades 7-12 started distance learning Tuesday and grades K-6 will make the switch next Monday, despite the fact that last week's numbers didn't meet the state benchmark for changing elementary school students to distance learning, a last resort. Superintendent Michael Cary told school board members he doesn't expect the schools to change back to hybrid or in-person learning anytime soon at Monday's meeting. "The numbers...
Cloquet police officer Andrew Murray pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of driving while impaired at a hearing in district court last week. It means he will likely face probation and maybe a fine after an arrest three months ago. Murray represented himself in the case that stems from his arrest Aug. 6 after crashing his car in Carlton. Police officers had been tipped previously about someone driving erratically in the area at the time. Murray fled into the woods near the South Terrace school, where police eventually found him. Special prosec...
There may not be any bakeries left in Cloquet, but that doesn't mean there aren't some fabulous bakers around. "The gooey salted caramel center wrapped up in the moist chocolate cake with caramel buttercream is such a powerhouse of flavor," home baker Jazmyn Brown said as she described the flavor of her Snickers cupcake to her followers on her Facebook page. Brown offers a variety of cupcake flavors in her Chocolate Lovers Box including Snickers, Triple Chocolate and Chocolate Oreo. "There are...
While many Christmas traditions are being canceled or changed this year, the Christmas Lighting Challenge is not one of those events. Registration for the sixth annual Christmas Lighting challenge — a naturally socially distanced community event — is now underway through Dec. 10. Folks in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin can register now, decorate their home or business and help spread some holiday cheer. The contest is free to enter. Online voting by the community for both homes and businesses begins Nov. 21 and ends Dec. 20. Winners in eac...
Reader David Haugen admits he’s lived in Cloquet for only 15 years, so may have missed an era of general knowledge about some physical structures in the area that have puzzled him for some time. He recently submitted two photos for History Mystery. One is a fireplace, without a structure around it, found in the woods just east of the playground at Hilltop Park in Cloquet. What gives? The other is what Haugen refers to as a “gondola cable car” apparatus on the St. Louis River, just south of wh...
A potentially threatening social media post by a juvenile will likely not result in any kind of formal consequences, Cloquet Patrol Commander David O’Connor told the Pine Knot News Wednesday. The question arose after the police department posted Tuesday that the department was aware of a social media post that morning showing an individual “holding what appeared to be a handgun with a suggestive quote.” The post had been taken down by the individual already, but the police investigated, contacting the parents and learning that the pictu...
Two local government meetings were canceled this week due to lack of agenda items. The Carlton County committee of the whole meeting set for Tuesday, Nov. 3 was canceled after a couple agenda items were pulled. “It is not unusual for one or two COW meetings to be canceled each year, and calling a public meeting with very little on the agenda did not make good sense in light of the pandemic,” county coordinator Dennis Genereau said. The county board meets for its next regular meeting at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10. The Cloquet city council mee...
Governor Tim Walz spent close to 90 minutes touring several different projects on the Fond du Lac Reservation Friday with tribal leaders. Walz said he was grateful to be there, and happy to sit with Fond du Lac leaders to find out what’s going on and try to figure things out together. Fond du Lac Reservation Business Committee chairman Kevin Dupuis Sr. said they “will sit at the table with anybody.” “I think that’s where it starts, with that dialogue, to welcome people in and see where eve...
It took 12 minutes for the Carlton County board of commissioners to meet Monday, Oct. 26. Chairman Marv Bodie chaired the meeting, which was livestreamed and attended virtually by commissioners Tom Proulx and Dick Brenner. A permit for the use of the Alex Omar land on the Bromfield Road in Atkinson Township for pipeline construction staging needed no board action, because the company withdrew its permit application after residents living near the proposed staging area voiced concerns at the board’s Oct. 13 meeting. The negative neighborhood f...
It’s that time of year again … time to “fall back” and change the clocks. Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1. On Saturday night, set your clocks back one hour before you go to bed … or, if your world runs on cell phones and computer time, don’t do anything....
Winter parking begins for at least three cities next week, meaning overnight parking is not allowed. From Nov. 1 until March 31, cars cannot be parked overnight on streets or in alleys to allow snowplow drivers and others to clear the streets where winter parking is observed. In Esko, it’s prohibited between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m., and, in Carlton, the hours are 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. Cloquet doesn’t allow parking on the street between midnight and 6 a.m....
Since secondary grades in Cloquet switched to hybrid learning — attending classes in person every third day and distance learning the rest — the schools have seen an uptick in the number of students switching to distance learning. That’s a concern, superintendent Micheal Cary told school board members in Monday’s regular board meeting. “When kids transition to full distance learning, even though we’re doing a good job, we do tend to see poorer results,” Cary said. “As an educator, I would really urge families, it’s important to keep your chil...
A grand jury indicted a Scanlon man last week with three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct “with heinous elements” and a charge of kidnapping. If convicted, the first three charges all carry a life sentence without possibility of release. Dennis Michael St. John Jr., 53, was arrested in July, after being accused of holding a woman against her will and raping her repeatedly, forcing drugs on her and threatening to kill her. According to the complaint, the alleged victim ran into St. John at the Black Bear Casino Resort on Fri...
The Members Cooperative Credit Union Board of Directors has selected Steve Ewers to serve as the organization's next president and CEO, following the retirement of Tammy Heikkinen. Ewers has over 22 years of industry experience and most recently held the position of senior vice president and chief information officer at University and State Employees Credit Union. "I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity to lead such a prestigious organization and one for which I have a great deal of...
Halloween is arguably one of the most creative holidays, and this year that spirit (pun intended) will have to go toward figuring out new ways to celebrate. Luckily, Wrenshallites are figuring out some safe alternatives. The city of Wrenshall is hosting scarecrow scenes in Hugh Line park over the weekend. Visitors can walk through the park and pose for selfies, then vote for their favorite creation. Votes are due to City Hall by Nov. 3, with a winner announced on Nov. 4. Wrenshall school is...
Editor’s note:In response to questions about efforts by three area school districts — Barnum, Moose Lake and Willow River — to explore ways to share resources and expenses, committee members share the following update with the Pine Knot News. In early 2020, school board chairs from Barnum, Moose Lake and Willow River began meeting to discuss opportunities to share costs and services between the three districts. Previous conversations had been ongoing between superintendents, and the chairs decided to build on these relationships and expan...
After five special sessions since the regular session ended in May, the Minnesota Legislature last week passed a $1.9 billion bonding bill. It was signed Wednesday by Gov. Tim Walz. The bonding will allow for public works projects across the state, including a $7.5 million grant to Twin Lakes Township to design and construct a water main from Carlton County along the Minnesota Highway 210 corridor to Interstate 35. The waterline will alleviate fears about wells contaminated with arsenic and also offer an expected economic boost to the business...
A police call Monday for a disturbance at a local apartment building ended well, but only after police and firefighters converged on the building for hours. Nearly a dozen police cars and four fire department vehicles lined Carlton Avenue outside the Carlton Lofts apartment complex Monday afternoon, as police negotiators tried to convince a man in an upper floor apartment to come out and surrender. Billy Joe Martineau, 26, of Cloquet, was ultimately arrested. He was charged with first-degree...
A Cloquet police officer made his first virtual court appearance Oct. 15 after being arrested for driving while impaired in August. The next court action will take place Nov. 5. Andrew Michael Murray, 34, allegedly crashed his car near 223 Gillespie Road in Carlton on Aug. 6, and fled into some nearby woods, according to a Minnesota State Patrol incident report. In addition to the MSP, Cloquet and Fond du Lac police officers assisted at the scene. Murray was located a short time later and taken into custody without incident. Murray is being cha...
The new motor for the Cloquet Middle School pool is installed and running. Senior Swim and Lap Swim will resume on Monday, Oct. 26, according to Cloquet Community Education. A faulty dehumidifying fan on the roof of the middle school put the three-year-old $6 million pool out of commission for close to six weeks. The first replacement motor didn't work, but a specially built one did, and the swim team can resume practicing, along with all the community education classes and upcoming swim...
The Extension Office in Carlton has an opening for a three-year District 1 term starting in 2021. The committee meets five times per year (bi-monthly February-November). If you are interested in getting involved, please call or email the extension office for an application and more information. Application deadline is Nov. 16. To find out more, contact Carlton County Extension volunteer coordinator Ann Rust at 218-384-3511 or [email protected]....
Carlton County is looking for a Carlton County resident to serve on its Airport Commission. The commission reviews the day-to-day maintenance, operations, and construction at both the Moose Lake and Cloquet airports. Commissioners are appointed for a three-year term and can serve up to three terms. A per diem of $60 will be paid for attending meetings. Contact Quinten Anderson, airport manager, at (218) 879-4911 or email Quinten.anderson @co.carlton.mn.us for more information....
Wrenshall teacher Molly Kidd has been honored with the K-12 Art Educator of the Year award by Art Educators of Minnesota. The veteran teacher was nominated by Wrenshall's speech language pathologist, Theresa O'Gara, after O'Gara saw time and again how Kidd presented engaging, creative lessons and then let her students fly. Kidd said she is dedicated to the growth of her students as artists and critics of the world, and she has spent years crafting her lessons so they build upon each other year a...
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College is among the 30 colleges and seven universities of Minnesota State waiving application fees in October for all or part of College Knowledge Month, an annual statewide effort to encourage students to apply to college. The college is also offering virtual information sessions for interested students and parents to connect with college staff to learn more about the college. “We always encourage and recommend that students apply early for college admission and start the next steps of their futures,” sai...
Winter weather has arrived, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation wants drivers to be ready for conditions. Hundreds of snowplow operators work during winter storms to keep road conditions as safe and clear as possible. Motorists should remember to slow down, stay alert, and stay back at least 10 car lengths and use extra caution when driving near snowplows. The same goes for general safe driving on winter roads. The Cloquet Police Department on Wednesday reported that the Tuesday...
