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 258 - 282 of 4027
Kent Syverson’s mind was blown when Mount St. Helens blew its top in 1980. The famous eruption of the long-dormant volcano in Washington scratched a geology itch in the Barnum student’s brain. “I was always interested in rocks and the outdoors,” he said this month. The historic event led to a 4-H project on volcanoes, which eventually won ribbons at the local Carlton County Fair and then the Minnesota State Fair. Today, Syverson is a well-traveled geology professor at the University of Wisconsin...
TJ's Country Corner is the hub of the Mahtowa community and a business that's hard to pigeonhole. Owners Renee and Glenn Gaffney love the support they receive from the community and they like to help out whenever and however they can. TJ's always offers delicious food, great conversation, and a rich history in Mahtowa. They have a little bit of everything. Their Facebook page lists them as a convenience store, but they're much more than that. Known for their slogan - "Our Wurst is Best!" - TJ's...
Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Cloquet is hosting an event later this month called “Respectful Conversations” that it says will focus “not on changing minds, but on softening hearts while discussing politics.” The Respectful Conversations Project is a program of the Minnesota Council of Churches designed to strengthen civic life in Minnesota. “Congregations throughout Minnesota have hosted conversations that explore issues through the lens of deeply held convictions while maintaining, even enhancing, relationships among those who disagree,...
At Monday night’s Carlton school board retreat, board members had a freewheeling discussion about the major challenges to be faced in the coming school year. A large amount of discussion centered around the four-day school week which starts this September. Board members were supportive, but expressed doubts. Board member Ryan Leonzal was direct. “I’ve had anywhere from 10 to 15 families tell me that they’re leaving, and they’re not particularly ones that I would have assumed [would] go,” he said, and went on to warn the board about the gamble...
A Carlton County man died in a single-car accident on Minnesota Highway 210 on the morning of Thursday, Aug. 1. According to the State Patrol incident report, Rodney William Metso of Sawyer was traveling eastbound just before 9 a.m. on Highway 210 near the cross street of County Road 5 in a Ford Escape. The vehicle crossed into the westbound lane and entered the north ditch, hitting an embankment. The airbag deployed but Metso apparently died at the scene. Road conditions were wet at the time. Fond du Lac Police, Carlton County Sheriff’s O...
The $75 million Carlton County Justice Center opens this month with a public grand opening celebration at noon, Aug. 22, at the new facility along County Road 61 in Carlton, on the new Justice Drive. Public tours are scheduled for 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Aug. 22, and for 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., and 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Aug. 27. The public grand opening ceremony will include cake, refreshments, a ribbon cutting and media tours. The Justice Center combines a new county jail with a new Sixth...
Road construction begins Monday, Aug. 19, at the intersection of Highway 2 and Munger Shaw Road in Solway Township. As a result, both roads will be closed at that intersection for approximately six weeks. Detour signs will be posted, directing traffic on Munger Shaw Road to use Hermantown Road, Jeffrey Road, and Maple Grove Road. Meanwhile, Highway 2 traffic will be directed to use Canosia Road, Maple Grove Road, and Midway Road. Access to the Solway Town Hall will be from the north only during...
For the first time in anyone's memory, Wrenshall school will head into the new school year with multiple sections of multiple elementary grades as enrollment continues to rise during the summer offseason. A kindergarten split was approved in July as the class hit 25 prospective students. Last week, the board agreed to split fourth grade, as it approached 30 students. The board will vote at its Aug. 12 business meeting to post a job opening for a second fourth-grade teacher at the school. "This...
Indigenous artists are invited to submit proposals for a community mural that would highlight “community, Ojibwe artwork, language (Ojibwe and English), and walking and bicycling” to be located in the bandshell at Cloquet’s Pinehurst Park, according to a request for proposals issued by Carlton County Health and Human Services. The mural and signage with artwork and both English and Ojibwe language will be paid for through a $16,200 Safe Routes to School Boost grant. The preferred applicant must be an enrolled tribal member or a desce...
Thanks to the end of an almost two-year drought, water levels were high enough this year for Paddlemania to again feature the Fin Falls race course, which spans some of the best rapids on the lower St. Louis River through Jay Cooke State Park. “This race highlights some of the more gnarly rapids you have to navigate, including some Class 4 rapids,” race director Cliff Langley told the Pine Knot last week, explaining the water had been too low the past two years for that race course. Spe...
It's peak community festival season right now, with three Carlton County communities throwing hometown celebrations over the next nine days. On Saturday, Brickyard Days will bring the small town of Wrenshall together for a parade and fun in the park and at Bricks Pub and Grub. Esko Fun Days runs Tuesday through Saturday next week, and Ma and Pa Kettle Days returns next weekend in Kettle River. While all three events include food and community gatherings, Kettle River is the only community to...
A Carlton County man is dead after an crash on Highway 210 at approximately 9:05 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 1. According to the State Patrol incident report. The 69-year-old male from Sawyer was traveling eastbound on Highway 210 near the cross street of County Road 5 in a Ford Escape. The vehicle crossed into the westbound lane and entered the north ditch hitting an embankment. The airbag deployed but the man — who will be identified Friday — apparently died at the scene. Road conditions were wet at the time. Fond du Lac police, Carlton County She...
National Night Out is Tuesday, Aug. 6. Across the nation, neighborhoods and communities will host block parties, festivals, cookouts and various other community events with an emphasis on getting to know neighbors and local law enforcement. Every group has its own way of celebrating, large and small. In Cloquet, close to a thousand people will converge on Veterans Park for food and fun 5-8 p.m. Tuesday. At the same time, residents in the Sunnyside-Erickson Acres neighborhood will gather from...
A passenger on a motorcycle sustained serious injuries in a crash Monday on the Minnesota Highway 33 roundabout in Cloquet. According to the Minnesota State Patrol crash site, a Harley-Davidson was entering the roundabout from southbound Highway 33 to southbound Interstate 35 when the driver lost control due to an oily substance on the roadway at roughly 4:21 p.m. Monday, July 29. The driver, 48-year-old Jeffrey Baker of Virginia, Minnesota, had non-life threatening injuries that did not require further care. His passenger, 39-year-old Ashley...
Hoping to start a friendly game of cards with friendly seniors two Thursdays a month starting in September. Time and place to be determined. Interested? Call Joan at 218-348-8480....
The Minnesota Department of Transportation has closed CSAH 61 under the Interstate 35 bridge until Aug. 9. MnDOT will re-open once bridge painting has been completed. The DNR trail under the bridge will remain open. Traffic will be detoured on County Road 61 to County Road 4 to County Road 5....
The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has joined a lawsuit with other tribal nations saying social media companies have added to the mental health crisis engulfing Native American teenagers. It is the first such effort by a tribe in Minnesota. The law firm of Robins Kaplan in Los Angeles is representing the Band and four other tribes from the Dakotas and Wisconsin that have filed similar suits earlier this year against the four major social media companies: Alphabet, ByteDance, Meta and Snap, which run the social media sites...
The Senior LinkAge Line will offer a class on health care fraud and abuse prevention on Wednesday, Aug. 14. Attendees may choose the 10-11:30 a.m. or 2-3:30 p.m. session. Attendees will learn how to detect and report potential errors, fraud, and abuse; review potential fraud and scams targeting older adults, learn how to read their Medicare paperwork, learn how to protect their Medicare beneficiary number, and how to protect, detect and report Medicare scams and fraud. The class is offered online using the Microsoft Teams meeting platform....
Donna Ennis of Cloquet was appointed to the Mentally Ill and Dangerous Civil Commitment task force as a tribal representative, according to a news release from Gov. Tim Walz’s office. Her term will last one year, starting Aug. 1. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor are seeking qualified and diverse individuals who are passionate about using their knowledge, skills, and lived experiences to serve the state of Minnesota. Find a list of boards and commissions with open positions at commissionsandappointments.sos.state.mn.us/Po...
The Minnesota Department of Transportation asks the public to weigh in on the future of passenger rail. This request comes as part of the ongoing update to the Minnesota State Rail Plan. The Minnesota State Rail Plan addresses a variety of topics important to the future of rail including safety, economic development and possible expansion of passenger rail. With more than 4,000 miles of freight and passenger rail lines in the state, the MSRP provides an overall vision for future development of the rail system and identifies priority rail...
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has scheduled two public auctions of confiscated fishing, hunting, and trapping equipment. The auctions, which will be held online Aug. 26 and Oct. 7, include equipment that was confiscated following serious game and fish violations. A list of equipment to be auctioned will be available about a month before each auction at hillerauction.com. Online bidding for the auctions begins Aug. 23 (first auction) and Oct. 4 (second auction). Onsite inspection is available. All equipment will be sold as-is....
The U.S. Department of the Interior this week announced next steps on the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, launched in June 2021 by Secretary Deb Haaland as the first-ever comprehensive effort by the federal government to recognize the troubled legacy of past federal Indian boarding school policies with the goal of addressing their intergenerational impact and shedding light on past and present trauma in Indigenous communities. The final volume of the investigative report came with...
There were many happy returns for Ann Heikkila, who celebrated her 90th birthday on July 24. She also celebrated on July 28 at church, with a special birthday cake and fancy place setting in her honor, with several area folks there. She got calls from Finland, Alaska, New York, Oregon, Colonial Williamsburg, Florida, Colorado, Cloquet, Duluth, Thunder Bay and Wisconsin. There were lots of cards. Special friends dropped off a small cake, and she had wine with dinner at Bann’s on Lake M...
A committee is working to bring pickleball to the tennis courts at South Terrace Elementary School. With the courts in disrepair for many years, Ed Kavanaugh estimated it will take close to $50,000 to renovate the space for four pickleball courts. Kavanaugh said they have a contractor willing to do the project, which will require digging up the existing asphalt, putting in new, then hiring someone to do the final surfacing. The courts could be striped for tennis and pickleball, like they are at...
Known for its hydroelectric power generation and appeal to kayakers, the Thomson Reservoir is soon to be the site of a $36 million construction project. Contractors are set to converge in August on the parking lot alongside Minnesota Highway 210 outside the Thomson Dam. They’ll be there through next summer, working to apply a layer of carbon pellets that will cover up and bind to contaminated sediments at the bottom of what is the St. Louis River. The process will prevent contaminants from t...
