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 Cloquet police officer was sentenced in Carlton County Court Monday after admitting he crashed his vehicle and fled the scene this summer, while under the influence of alcohol. Andrew Michael Murry, 34, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving while impaired, with an alcohol concentration .08 within two hours. He was placed on one year of supervised probation Monday by Carlton County Sixth District Judge Rebekka Stumme, who stayed a 90-day jail sentence and imposed a $1,000 highway patrol fine in the case. Murray represented...
A suggestion to move the only Cloquet polling location on the Fond du Lac Reservation got shut down quickly during Tuesday night’s Cloquet City Council meeting. Reservation Business Committee (RBC) Chairman Kevin Dupuis, Jr. spoke out against the possible closure during the public comments portion of the meeting, and again when the council began discussing staff proposals for polling places in 2021. On the table was a change of polling place for Ward 2 from the Garfield School gymnasium to the Cloquet Public Library addition — which passed — an... Full story
Native American women and girls are far more likely than other Minnesota residents to be victims of homicide, go missing or experience others forms of violence, according to a task force established last year to address the crisis. American Indian women and girls make up less than 1 percent of the state’s population, yet they accounted for 8 percent of all women and girls slain in Minnesota from 2010 through 2018, according to state data included in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Task Force report. The report released Tuesday n...
It’s the time of year when local governments are approving budgets for the coming year, and tax levies to go with them. Here’s a roundup of levies passed in the past week: Cloquet School District The Cloquet School Board members approved a 2.15-percent levy increase for taxes paid in 2021 following the truth-in-taxation hearing held Monday, Dec. 14. The increase brings the total local tax levy to $7,136,281, an increase of $149,993 over last year. That’s a smaller increase than most recent years, said district finance director Candace Nelis...
Governor Tim Walz said elementary schools could return to in-person classes on Jan. 18, regardless of county Covid case rates, as long as they adopt a number of strategies to contain the spread of the coronavirus, including a testing program for all staff who interact with students. But it’s still up to individual school districts to decide if the conditions are right, bearing in mind the greater need for younger children to have in-person instruction. On Monday Cloquet superintendent Michael C...
The holidays are fast approaching and gift buying is in full swing, but don't forget your local businesses as you search for that perfect gift for someone on your list. There is a wealth of unique gifts available right in this area, as well as friendly familiar faces in the businesses who are eager to help you make a selection. During this year of pandemic, it is doubly important to support local businesses and organizations, especially during the holiday shopping season. They are having a... Full story
There are more ways than Amazon and huge national chains to do your Christmas shopping online. The Pine Knot News is offering a free online "Shop Locally" service to all area businesses and shoppers. Just head to www.pineknotnews.com and click on the Shop Locally button to see what local businesses have to offer. A wide range of businesses are participating: each one has its own page, complete with photos, shopping and contact information, and a map to help customers find them. Offerings...
A pandemic Christmas means that many shows typically being put on in the region and statewide are now online affairs. From the Pine Knot News and Minnesota Public Radio News, here is a list of seasonal shows you can catch online this year. The ghost story • In Cloquet, County Seat Theater has a performance of "A Christmas Carol," available via on-demand video Dec. 23-25. The "ticket" price is $9.99 for single view, $14.99 for family view, and the link is good for 24 hours. To book a viewing, g...
Kingdom Builders Ministries will have a toy giveaway at Common Ground Coffee Bar and Deli from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. For toys, enter through the metal side door on Broadway. If toys are left, the giveaway will continue Monday, and then Tuesday. Call 218-499-8030 with questions. New and gently used toys available to help families have a wonderful Christmas. All toys are free. Social distancing guidelines and masks will be observed. There will be a bake sale of Christmas Cookies in the coffee shop at the same time Saturday. Enter main doors...
Santa Claus may come just once a year, but Ms. Christmas lives in Cloquet year-round. Paula Maki, aka Ms. Christmas, founded her own nonprofit to give gifts and a little Christmas caring to people in adult foster homes, nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Maki solicits donations of gift items from local and national companies (see photo below) which she passes on in December. Although it's been a challenging year for Maki healthwise, she still gave presents to residents of numerous...
Within the last two years, the Carlton and Wrenshall school districts have combined their football, cross country, and football cheerleading programs under the Raptors mascot. This year, they are continuing their work together by launching another collaboration, this time in the classroom. Carlton and Wrenshall secondary special education students will have the opportunity to learn together in Wrenshall under the guidance of special education teacher Aaron Lattu and paraprofessionals Debbie Bous...
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... Full story
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... Full story
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... Full story
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... Full story
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...
