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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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...
At approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 21, Carlton County dispatch received a call from a resident in the 3100 block of Maple Drive in Sawyer, stating that their neighbor's seasonal cabin was on fire. First arriving law enforcement personnel noted visible flames and smoke coming from the structure. The property owner was notified of the fire and confirmed that nobody was at the cabin. There was extensive damage but the exact amount wasn't immediately known. The incident remains under...
The Kettle River Christmas tree lights have been turned on again to provide a light of hope during these darkening days of the coronavirus pandemic. The Ma ’n’ Pa Kettle Days committee, with the electrical support of the Federated Co-op of Kettle River, have made this possible. The lights will remain on through the Easter season. The idea of putting up lights has been spreading throughout the nation, according to news reports. Duluth has bathed its iconic Enger Tower in purple light this week. Last year’s Ma ’n’ Pa Kettle Days parade grand mar...
The average U.S. worker spends seven hours a day on the computer either in the office or working from home. According to an American Optometric Association’s 2015 survey, 58 percent of adults surveyed have experienced digital eye strain or vision problems as a direct result. Digital eye strain is defined as a temporary vision condition caused by prolonged use of electronic devices. Each March, the AOA reminds Americans of the importance of eye health and regular, comprehensive eye exams to identify and treat digital eye strain symptoms. The ear...
Medicare Cost plans are not going away for 21 counties in the state, including Carlton County. Medicare Cost plans provide additional coverage to help pay for expenses that original Medicare doesn’t cover, and they are administered by private insurance companies. Platinum Blue (Blue Cross Blue Shield), Prime Solutions (Medica), and Freedom (HealthPartners) are Cost plans. Starr Marshall, a Medicare agent at Reliable Agency in Cloquet, says the news will ease fears. “I have been receiving calls from clients that are concerned about this and I a...
MNsure announced a 30-day special enrollment period for qualified individuals who are currently without insurance, in response to the potential growth of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases. The enrollment period began Monday, March 23, and runs through April 21. It allows uninsured individuals 30 days to enroll in health insurance coverage through MNsure.org. Individuals who enroll after April 1 but before 11:59 p.m. on April 21 will have a retroactive coverage start date of April 1. “As more cases of COVID-19 are diagnosed throughout the state, w...
Community Memorial Hospital in Cloquet welcomes Ronald Alston, the new practice administrator for CMH Raiter Family Clinic and Specialty Clinic. Alston is originally from Washington, D.C. and moved to Rochester, Minn., following high school graduation. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in human and healthcare administration. Prior to joining CMH, he was employed in the Mayo system and Essentia Health. During his career he has worked with community organizations combining healthcare and com...
Community Memorial Hospital in Cloquet welcomes Dr. William Haug, who has joined the CMH Emergency Services department. Dr. Haug is a native of Grafton, North Dakota and graduated from University of Minnesota Medical School. He completed a sports medicine fellowship in Montana and is board- certified in family medicine and primary care sports medicine. His work experience includes health services in Alaska and Red Lake, as well as sports medicine in Grand Forks....
This week we have settled into the realization that everything is canceled except grocery shopping, critical medical appointments and emergency travel. At least folks seem to be paying attention and following the guidelines of our health experts. I, for one, haven’t done much away from home. I did have to make a quick trip to town for much-needed supplies, but did not try to overstock my shelves by hoarding any items. If we do run out of some things, I’m sure we can make do with what we sti...
Hoping, dear readers, that you are finding it a kind of strange gift to be shut out of most social events and gathering holes. At first, I discovered the joys of just staying home, cleaning out the corners of our home where detritus had piled up and whittling down the pile of deferred correspondence. But, watching the birds avidly dining at our feeders, I got restless. "Why don't we get out on our snowshoes?" I suggested to my husband Rod. So far we've gone four days in a row. We started by...
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, in accordance with guidance from state health officials, is postponing, adjusting, and canceling a variety of public events, including open houses, safety education training, interpretive naturalist programs and other meetings. The DNR reported this week that issues and projects are a top priority and it is exploring a range of digital options to support public meetings and other critical engagement opportunities. It will update information on DNR social media channels, the DNR Information Center,...
The Cook County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved a travel advisory at its meeting in Grand Marais, requesting that seasonal or second homeowners stay home for the time being. "Due to our very limited health care infrastructure, please do not visit us now," the advisory reads. The growing spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by a coronovirus, has the state of Minnesota basically closed - with schools and businesses consider nonessential idled. Read the whole story here:...
About 95 percent or about 143 million households in the country have received an initial invitation to respond to the 2020 Census in their mailboxes the past week. The Census Bureau says the materials can help the public know what to expect and avoid scams. Households are encouraged to respond when they receive their invitation. Depending on how likely the area is to respond online, households will receive either an invitation encouraging them to respond online or by phone (about 112 million households), or an invitation along with a paper...
Cloquet schools superintendent Michael Cary woke up at 5 a.m. Sunday, March 15 to numerous messages on his cell phone. Five hours later, the rest of the state got the message that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was requiring every school district in the state to close by Wednesday, March 18 through March 27. Ostensibly, the time off is to be used to make plans for "distance learning" for students, in case schools close for a longer period of time following the break in response to the spread of...
Minnesota State Chancellor Devinder Malhotra announc- ed March 12 that all Minnesota State colleges and universities will suspend classes an extra week following spring break. At FDLTCC, that means classes will be suspended March 23-29 following spring break this week. Additionally, Malhotra said all events or other gatherings totaling more than 100 attendees are canceled until May 1, and the situation will be re-evaluated. “While there will be no classes during each campuses’ extra week, administrators, faculty, and staff will spend that wee...
This week's Cloquet city council meeting laid out a new world order, before even a word was said. Councilors sat one or two chairs apart, with two attending via conference call to make space for social distancing (the recommended 6 feet between individuals). More than half the chairs for audience members had been removed, to make sure no one sat too close to one another. By the end of the meeting, the council implemented even more changes to minimize the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused...
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the judicial branch has also made some adjustments to its usual procedures that were effective March 16. • All court facilities shall remain open. Service windows at court facilities will also remain open, and courts will continue to accept filings in all case types. The Judicial Branch discourages the public from making any non-essential visits to court facilities. • Each judicial district will identify cases by priority, and proceed with “super-high priority” and “high priority” cases. • Other than th...
