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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Volunteer Services of Carlton County is offering a new Groceries-To-Go service. The service is different from the Age Well Arrowhead service. Both non-profit services are serving older adults (over age 60) and are partnering with the Super One Foods store in Cloquet. Volunteer Services director Jill Hatfield said the non-profit organization in Carlton is starting the program because the need is high here and will only get higher as the coronavirus infection rates increase locally. They can also deliver pharmacy orders if needed. Volunteer...
Minnesota Veterans impacted by COVID-19 may be eligible for grants from the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA). Since Monday, MDVA has been accepting applications from Minnesota Veterans who have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. MDVA will award one-time financial relief grants in the amount of $1,000. Funding is available for both Disaster Relief Grants and Special Needs Grants. To apply for the grant contact Carlton County Veterans Service Officer Duane Brownie at 218-499-6838 or a MDVA Field Operations...
Spring thaw and saturated soils from last fall’s flooding are impacting road and trail conditions. Several roads and trails in state forests, state parks, recreation areas, and wildlife management areas will close temporarily because they are not firm enough to support vehicle traffic without causing damage. Depending on weather conditions, the temporary closures could remain in effect until sometime in May. “Each spring, forest roads and trails become wet and fragile and we use closures to protect them from damage,” said Dave Schuller, state...
The SCARE program at Cloquet High School in 1970 was a big deal. For a whole week, students would be immersed only in environmental issues of the day. It came days before the first Earth Day, 50 years ago this month. SCARE was an acronym for Students Concerned About a Ravaged Environment. It was the brainchild of Cloquet High School social studies teacher Jack Pichotta. I recently caught up with Jack (he was my Cloquet neighbor not long ago and my teacher at CHS) to reminisce about this...
The first two weeks of distance learning has admittedly been a mixed bag for both students and staff at Carlton County schools, with many older kids adapting quickly to learning online, while some teachers struggle more with the daily grind of staring at a computer screen. Trying to reach students of all ages has been a challenge, administrators and teachers report. Technology breakdowns were another issue, from getting students hooked up with internet access, to software crashing, to fixing...
The Wrenshall School Board earlier this week approved bids for indoor air quality improvements at the school in Wrenshall. The board accepted the low bid of $4,158,000 from Max Gray Construction out of Hibbing to improve air quality in the older parts of the school. The board also accepted a bid of $436,922 from Mavo Systems out of Duluth for asbestos abatement. The board approved bonding for the work last year without a referendum from voters. Superintendent Kim Belcastro has said the work was too vital to wait for any improvements that might...
It’s been nearly a month of quarantine for most of us, and it’s starting to feel normal to be staying at home most of the time. I guess this slower pace of life is a blessing for many, but it must be difficult for our senior citizens in area nursing homes and assisted living facilities. So please keep those phone calls, cards and letters coming to our elders — and any others, for that matter. I’ve spent a considerable amount of my time picking out “Thinking of You” greeting cards to send to my...
We miss you, library patrons, but we still have plenty to offer while we are all sheltering at home. Many of these web pages require a library card, but don’t worry, if you don’t have a card you can apply for one online. There is a link on the card catalog page on our website, www.cloquetlibrary.org. Check out our web page for links to great resources for learning and entertainment. • Ebooks: Overdrive/Libby are the same thing but Libby is a friendlier interface. You will need your library card to access ebooks and audiobooks. When downl...
Some of the funniest memes I’ve seen lately have revolved around parents having to share in their children’s day-to-day education and learning. Nobody seems to be questioning the summer break that teachers take to plan and revise curriculum now that the classroom experience is taking place inside the home. This is Week 2 of online learning for Wrenshall schools and I reached out to Superintendent Kim Belcastro to hear how the transition is going. “You have to learn and adapt in these situa...
Despite a "stay at home" order from the governor in order to slow the spread of COVID-19 cases in the state, spring as we've always known it, does go on in Carlton County, like snow melt this week in Jay Cooke State Park, far right, as witnessed by Pine Knot News editor Jana Peterson. Above, Peterson found Father Justin Fish on Palm Sunday morning handing out palm fronds to those who drove by Queen of Peace Church. And, while not that many of us are driving a whole lot these days, gas prices...
Amidst all the fear and uncertainty caused by the coronavirus, there's a movement afoot to make life more fun, more beautiful, or both. Suddenly, there are bears - of the stuffed variety or two-dimensional, not hungry-just-out-of-hibernation live ones - appearing in windows and on porches in Cloquet and beyond. It's not limited to bears, though. Other windows feature Easter eggs or original artworks for all the world to see as people walk or ride past homes, businesses and even City Hall....
The city of Cloquet closed all its outdoor play structures on Wednesday, including playgrounds, the skatepark and other athletic facilities as part of its ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. City administrator Tim Peterson said the decision to close parks was not specifically due to one park, but rather the safety and well-being of residents throughout the city. “Avoiding groups of people congregating needs to be a priority for all of us and this closure reflects that,” Peterson told the Pine Knot News. “We now need help from the publi...
A house fire in Barnum Township Sunday put three people in the hospital for smoke inhalation, and destroyed the home, killing several pets that were inside. According to a press release from the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office, a 911 call reporting the structure fire at 4120 County Road 6 in Barnum Township came in just after noon Sunday, March 29. The initial report was that the water heater inside the residence had started on fire and the flames had spread to the residence. Members of the Barnum Fire Department, Moose Lake Police D...
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act authorizes stimulus payments to those who qualify. As a result, scammers may target Minnesotans and try to steal their personal information. Government agencies, including the IRS and the Minnesota Department of Revenue, will not call, text, or email requesting information for stimulus payments. The Minnesota Department of Revenue does not have a role in issuing these or other federal payments. Be aware of phishing calls, emails, or texts that include language such as: “In order to r...
The Pine Knot News contacted Lyz Jaakola and asked her to describe her life at home after staff members discovered her family in humorous musical performance on Facebook. The Jaakola family joins a growing trend near and far of people offering their talents for all to see while "stay at home" edicts remain. Every night after dinner, I ask the kids: "So what song are we going to livestream tonight?" Being a music teacher and having a bit of a music habit, of course my family has a band. We...
B&B Market is the epicenter of giving in the Cloquet area right now, as many residents grapple with losing jobs or income as the state responds to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to owners John and Kim Lind, it all started last week when Lenny Conklin bought 100 pounds of ground beef to "pay it forward" on Tuesday, March 24. They posted a photo on social media to get the word out, then Tom McConnell from Cloquet Flooring came in and chipped in $500 toward the cause. The donations have been...
There are several free book boxes in the area, including a Book Barn and Kitchen Cabinet outside the Jadeke family’s house at the corner of Sixth Street and Selmer Avenue in Cloquet, where both books and food supplies are free for the taking (or giving). The Cloquet Police Department also has a book box outside the joint City Hall and Police Station at 101 14th Street in Cloquet and there’s one on Brevator Road near the Fond du Lac school, among others. Contact [email protected] or call 218-878-9332 with the address of any that we mis...
A grand and hurried experiment in education began this week in Minnesota, as schools around the state implemented distance learning for K-12 students in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers and administrators across Carlton County had two weeks to come up with a plan for distance learning, which is not necessarily the same thing as online learning - rather, it refers to learning away from school. In Cloquet, that meant lessons on paper for elementary school students (K-grade 4) -...
Thanks to all for playing Wrenshall trivia this week. I had a videoconference with Dale Wolf and he told me all the answers. I wrote them down while dehydrating apples and now they are either in the compost or at the bottom of the stack of papers that I cleared off my desk to make room for my son’s new “classroom.” So I called the next best resource, Jim Sheetz. Here are his responses: QWhat was the total number of brickyards running in Wrenshall during the peak time of that industry here?...
The order Wednesday by Minnesota governor Tim Walz that schools remain closed and transition to distance learning through May 4 didn't surprise many educators, since they were told to be ready for this moment on March 15. Not to worry, the Cloquet school district - like every other district in the county and the state - has a plan. "For elementary it's all paper and pencil via delivery or pickup," Cloquet superintendent Micheal Cary said. "For secondary, we'll go digital for as many students as...
In Wrenshall, superintendent Kim Belcastro updated the school board this week on where the district was since the closure order March 15. “I will admit it did feel like the last week of school for the students,” Belcastro wrote in her memo about the final day of school March 17. She said teachers prepped for distance learning last Wednesday through Friday. The district is on spring break this week, allowing for a bit of a breather for staff, she said. “Once the teachers had the assurance that they were going to be able to work from home (it)...
Don’t even think about flushing that down the toilet. Western Lake Superior Sanitary District officials warn residents and businesses about the hazards of flushing any products except toilet paper. Wipes, paper towels, facial tissue and other paper products are not flushable and must be disposed of in the trash. “Toilet tissue has been in limited supply in local stores and we’ve heard some folks have substituted paper towel, facial tissue, wipes, napkins, and more,” said Al Parrella, WLSSD’s man...
The workings of government have changed as the pandemic spreads at an unknown rate throughout the nation. Physical participation in Carlton County meetings and whether any County building should be open to the public were two of many public safety issues discussed at the Carlton County Board of Commissioners meeting Monday, March 23, when commissioners passed a resolution declaring Carlton County in a peacetime emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During Monday’s meeting, Commissioners voted on a number of measures to protect county staff a...
Local governments have closed many offices to the public in response to the coronavirus pandemic and governor's orders, although vital staff continue to work in buildings and from home and can be contacted by phone and email. Following is the latest guide to what's open and what's closed, and other vital information for Carlton County residents. Contact each department at the phone numbers listed below or by visiting the county website at www.co.carlton.mn.us. Find updates on the homepage under...
CAT7 TV must have at least seven lives. Following a year (2019) when the community access television channel was black almost as much as it was broadcasting, the station is black again following the dismissal of its only remaining employee on March 5. Cable coordinator Eric Lipponen was present and the subject of a closed meeting with the Cloquet city council that night. Immediately after the meeting was reopened, councilors voted unanimously to terminate Lipponen's employment with the city, on...
