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 3123 - 3147 of 3909
Cloquet's new city administrator started work last week, but he's no stranger to the Cloquet area. Tim Peterson lives in Esko with his wife and their two children, ages 12 and 8, and had worked as the city administrator in Moose Lake for three and a half years before taking the Cloquet job. Prior to working in Moose Lake, he was deputy clerk finance director for the city of Proctor; before Proctor, he worked as finance director for the LifeHouse nonprofit that provides support to homeless and...
Ready, set, act. It's not quite a race, but things will be happening pretty fast Saturday when Cloquet High School hosts a one-act play competition in the school's recently remodeled auditorium. Six different schools will perform in the one-act play subsection event here. Because the Section 7AA competition is in Cloquet, there won't be a separate performance here as there were in the past. The cast welcomes the public to see them perform at noon. Plays will be presented from 10 a.m. through...
James Montano, on trial for a murder and assault in rural Carlton County in April 2018, was found guilty on all three of the charges against him Wednesday: first-degree premeditated murder and intentional second-degree murder for the shooting death of his uncle, Andrew Gokee; and the attempted premeditated first-degree murder of his cousin, Hudson Gauthier. The jury heard closing arguments Tuesday afternoon after six days of testimony and deliberated late into the evening before reaching the...
New Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College president Stephanie Hammitt had her day in the spotlight as local and statewide dignitaries, college staff and students, friends and family filled the college amphitheater Tuesday to see her honored as the fourth and first woman president of the 33-year-old institution. More than one person - including Minnesota Commissioner of Higher Education Dennis Olson and former FDLTCC president Larry Anderson - declared Hammitt the "perfect" person to lead the...
Residents of the Carlton and Wrenshall school districts received a community survey regarding consolidation talks and facility plans between the two districts earlier this month. Copies of the survey were mailed to school district residents and any parents/guardians of students who open-enroll into either district. Staff received the survey electronically. In her report for Tuesday’s Carlton School Board meeting, Superintendent Gwen Carman said the consulting firm handling the survey had received 549 surveys from people in both districts as o...
With little fanfare, Cloquet's new water treatment plant came online in December and so far things are going swimmingly. Residents should notice little change in tap water because the plant is filtering a mineral that hasn't been present in recent years, after the city quit using one of its five wells. Now that well - which previously provided 30 percent of the city's water - is back in action, but with no added manganese because of the city's new $6.6 million facility. Manganese occurs...
We've just finished a heady year of two-month exhibits by Carlton County artists in our refurbished Pine Knot offices on Avenue C in Cloquet. It's been quite a whirl. Altogether, we hosted works by seven artists. We've enjoyed working with them to hang their creations, hosted receptions for each show, and written about them in our weekly newspaper. We began 2019 with Ken Hanson's marvelous three-dimensional paintings of Jay Cooke landscapes on two-dimensional canvas. We hosted Lloyd Backus'...
Esko High School actors will transport their audience and judges to the lakeside in their One Act performance of "Our Place." The play is composed of five scenes and an epilogue, all of which take place on a dock, explained director Joyce Bergstedt. Each group of characters that comes to the dock claims it as "our place" for a variety of reasons. The play concludes with all characters returning to the stage for at least a part of the epilogue in which the characters express their point of view...
Cromwell-Wright High School selected "Hard Candy" by Jonathon Rand for this year's One Act play. Director Mary Rose Varo said it's a funny play, centering around a fast-paced series of hilarious interviews by job applicants at Banff Enterprises who will do anything to claw their way up the corporate ladder. "We have a cast of eight very talented junior high and high schoolers, several of them playing more than one role," said Varo. The director and music teacher pointed out that plays in...
A Nesting Place at Cloquet’s Community Memorial Hospital is a group for new moms with infants up to a year old and anyone in their third trimester of pregnancy. Mothers are welcome no matter where they live or delivered their baby. The free service strives to provide a safe and supportive environment to discuss all postpartum issues: breastfeeding, baby blues, anxiety, depression, sleep, relationships, exercise and nutrition. Meetings are facilitated by healthcare professionals, and the content will be dependent on the group’s needs. Ref...
Minnesota health officials have confirmed an infant death related to pertussis, also known as whooping cough. The infant was diagnosed with pertussis in August 2019 and died in November after being hospitalized for three months. The last pediatric death related to pertussis in Minnesota was in 2013. “We were extremely saddened to hear that this child passed away,” said Kristen Ehresmann, director of infectious disease at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). “Pertussis continues to be a concern in Minnesota, and we want to do every...
The Wrenshall elementary art club is open to students in grades 3-6 and meets once a month for 90 minutes after school in Molly Kidd's art room. She says students ask about the next month's offering as each monthly meeting ends. "They are so engaged during art club, it's really fun to see," Kidd said. "I really see a difference in the students' demeanor while they are making art. It is a special time that they can just let go and focus on creating." I talked to Kidd after learning about the...
What does winter in Finland consist of? Snow. Cold. Dark. But, if you really look, there’s more to Finland’s winter. Snow ... but with the excitement of skiing, sliding, skating, hiking, winter camping and all kinds of winter sports that Finns enjoy and love. Cold ... but with the sharing of warmth and connections during sauna time and other gatherings with friends and family. Dark ... but with the brilliance of the dazzling lights of Revontulet (the Northern Lights) that dance and sway to nature’s music during cold winter nights. We in north...
Pro stock racer Jason Line announced that this will be his last season on the National Hot Rod Association circuit. He has had a very successful racing career starting at age 15. He has won championships in 2006, 2011 and 2016 and has 50 pro stock wins over his career. We wish him all the best this coming year, as he will be staying with Ken Black Racing. Jason said “we’ve got a great family there. My position is just going to change a little bit, that’s all. My heart was always in drag racin...
The Minnesota State Arts Board has awarded an Artist Initiative grant, totaling $10,000, to Cloquet artist Adam Swanson. Swanson will use the funding to research and create a series of ten paintings featuring federally listed endangered species in Minnesota, exhibiting the paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth and the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul. The Artist Initiative grant program helps artists complete projects that enhance their careers and help them reach and serve a wider audience. Artist Initiative grants support...
State Rep. Mike Sundin (DFL-Esko) announced his intention to run for another two-year term in the Minnesota House of Representatives in this year’s general election, and again plans to seek the DFL party endorsement. Since 2013, Sundin has served District 11A, consisting of all of Carlton County as well as portions of Pine and St. Louis counties. “Serving in the Minnesota House is the greatest honor of my life, and I’m extremely grateful for the trust people in our region have placed in me,” Sundin said. “We need to ensure all children...
Former Cloquet police detective Scott Holman filed a civil lawsuit last week seeking $4 million in damages caused by his dismissal from employment, including defamation and "intentional infliction of emotional distress." Holman, represented by attorneys Mike Padden and Paul Applebaum, names four defendants in the lawsuit: the city of Cloquet, Carlton County, Carlton County Attorney Lauri Ketola and Cloquet City Councilor Kerry Kolodge. The lawsuit states that Holman's termination was the result...
Kwe Pack has been up and running, literally, for nearly a decade. The group of indigenous women based out of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Reservation run for wellness, socializing and share volunteer activities. They have been featured in national magazines and on television. The exposure caught the attention of Oprah Winfrey. So when she was planning to be in Minneapolis last weekend for her 2020 Vision tour, Kwe Pack members were asked to be a part of the event that focuses...
In 2016, Minnesota passed legislation establishing a presidential nomination primary, bringing the state into Super Tuesday, when a host of states hold primaries. The state is better known as a caucus state, where people gather and discuss their preference for candidates instead of simply voting. But Minnesota isn’t new to presidential primaries. There have been four: in 1916, 1952, 1956 and 1992. In most cases, the legislature voted for a primary to try and gain some political edge. In 1992, the primary was considered rather meaningless as i...
Cloquet explores vocational education options Following the retooling of the construction trades program at Cloquet High School into something that could lead motivated students directly into an carpenters union apprenticeship, CHS administrators are now hoping to do the same thing with other trades. They've have a potential agreement with the electricians union in the works for next year. On Tuesday, CHS vice principal Tim Prosen met with the plumbers and pipefitting unions, and he's working...
After a mercifully long run with no major fire calls, the Cloquet Area Fire District responded to two calls on Sunday, Jan. 12. CAFD Chief Kevin Schroeder said a house fire at 318 Avenue E started in the afternoon, then crews were called around midnight to the USG Interiors plant for a fire in a dust collection system that caused a lot of smoke, but no flames. Schroeder said the house fire Sunday was in the attic, and caused extensive damage to the roof structure and attic of the home near Pineh...
Cloquet, Carlton and Carlton County offices, among others, will be closed on Monday, Jan. 20 in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. This includes County Courthouse offices, County Transportation Department, Human Services, Public Health, Motor Vehicle License Bureau, Veterans Service Office, and the University of Minnesota Extension Service/Carlton County. The Minnesota Highway 210 transfer station will be open....
Cloquet commercial and residential customers will see an increase in their city water rates this month, after the Cloquet City Council approved an increase to water and sanitary sewer rates at its Dec. 17 meeting. According to the city’s website, the average residential customer could expect the monthly bill to increase by nearly $5. Public Works Director Caleb Peterson explained the city did a rate study in 2017 and the increases were planned. “They’re primarily influenced by infrastructure replacement projects for pipes, pumps and pump stati...
Following the retooling of the construction trades program at Cloquet High School into something that could lead motivated students directly into an carpenters union apprenticeship, CHS administrators are now hoping to do the same thing with other trades. They’ve have a potential agreement with the electricians union in the works for next year. On Tuesday, CHS vice principal Tim Prosen met with the plumbers and pipefitting unions, and he’s working to find a connection for the auto shop program....
A jury trial for a Wisconsin man accused of shooting and killing his uncle began Monday in Carlton County Sixth District Court. James Francis Montano, 34, of Bayfield County was arrested in April 2018 in Carlton County for shooting his uncle, 57-year-old Andrew James Gokee, and injuring Gokee’s son, 38-year-old Hudson Gauthier, Montano’s cousin. Montano faces charges of first-degree premeditated murder, attempted premeditated first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and assault in the second degree. Gauthier testified much of...
