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 3601 - 3625 of 3909
It may be more than 1,000 miles away, but Cloquet native Peter McKinney said it felt like home when he stepped inside Mäntylä, the Frank Lloyd Wright home his Finnish grandparents built in Cloquet almost 65 years ago. Instead of being hidden in a grove of pine trees along Highway 33 in Cloquet, the home is now located in Polymath Park in Acme, Penn. After being dismantled, shipped and then reconstructed in Pennsylvania over a two-year period, Mäntylä - Finnish for "under the pines" - opened to...
A second member of the Cloquet police department faced misconduct issues that could affect his ability to be a credible witness in criminal cases. Sergeant Scott Holman, who is likely to be called upon to testify in court because of his position as both a detective and K-9 officer, was identified in a court document April 30 by defense attorney Kevin Cornwell. In a motion for supplemental disclosure for client Adam Jackson, Cornwell requested disclosure of “all” materials pertaining to Hol...
One man is dead after an airplane crashed into the Moose Horn River sometime Wednesday, May 8, likely after taking off from the Moose Lake Carlton County Airport. According to a press release from the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office, at approximately 7 a.m. Thursday, May 9, the aircraft was located crashed and partially submerged in the Moose Horn River, a short distance northwest of the end of the Moose Lake Airport runway. The body of a male was located. All indications appear the body is t...
Residents in the Wrenshall and Moose Lake school districts will vote on an increase in school taxes to pay for improvements at the schools in special elections Tuesday, May 14. In Wrenshall, officials are hoping the third time will be the charm after voters rejected referendum proposals in April 2017, and then again last fall by a much smaller majority. In the current referendum proposal, the Wrenshall school district is requesting to bond for $14.4 million. The plan is to shore up the shell of the now-closed rec building and convert it into a...
Earlier this week, Sappi North America announced the completion of a $25 million capital investment at the Cloquet mill, which was to “debottleneck” areas of the pulp manufacturing process. Managing director Mike Schultz said the investment will bring an additional 30,000 tons per year of pulp production capacity for Sappi’s dissolving wood pulp customers. Look for more on this story in next week’s Pine Knot News....
After responding to 15 vehicle prowl calls in six days, the Cloquet police department is warning residents to beware of break-ins and lock their cars and trucks. In a press release, the department offered several tips beyond simply locking your vehicle: 1. Keep valuables out of sight (electronics, purses, bags, backpacks, wallets, cash, and car keys). 2. Park in areas where there is regular vehicle and pedestrian traffic. 3. Park in well-lit areas when possible. 4. Don’t leave your car running unattended. 5. Add a security alarm or use an a...
Cloquet police commander carey Ferrell said things have been extra busy at the department, where he is currently pulling double duty as patrol commander and acting chief while current police chief Jeff Palmer has been on voluntary paid leave for reasons that have yet to be revealed. City administrator Aaron Reeves reiterated that he assigned Ferrell to “perform the duties and responsibilities of chief” after Palmer was placed on leave effective April 16. According to the department’s policy manual, the order of command in the absence or avail...
A bridge removal project is scheduled to begin Monday, May 20, on Highway 23 in Carlton County. Highway 23 will be closed to through-traffic between County Road 4 and County Road 1. Motorists will be detoured around the closed area. The SOO Line Railroad bridge will be removed and will not be replaced. The project is scheduled to be completed in early July of this year....
Cloquet city councilors and administration agree: it’s time for another police study. While not referring directly to police and council actions that contributed to a rising tide of citizen mistrust and frustration over the previous two years, city administrator Aaron Reeves pointed out that the Cloquet police department was one of the issues that drove last year’s election. Councilors voted unanimously Tuesday to pay the Novak Consulting Group $48,800 to conduct a police department operations s...
Twenty years have passed since Thomson Township adopted its comprehensive plan in February 1999. Over that time, the population of the northern Carlton County township has grown from 4,430 to 5,120 in 2017, making it the second-largest community in Carlton County. A business park that didn’t even exist when the last comprehensive plan was adopted is now over two-thirds full. Many of the residential subdivision lots are sold out. Many other indicators point to strong growth possibilities for t...
After years of study and infrastructure planning, the Big Lake Area Sanitary District is having trouble getting over the final hurdle in cleaning up a lake that is surrounded by failing residential sewer systems. The district has been trying to get the Fond du Lac Reservation’s Reservation Business Committee to sign on to a joint powers agreement that would start the flow of money and construction for a sewage collection plant with hookups around the lake. Earlier this year, the district board held emergency meetings in order to meet d...
Tribal, county and city leaders met Tuesday for what they hope will be the first of more collaborative meetings between the different governmental units. Discussion ranged over several areas. Carlton County board chairman Dick Brenner brought up continuing planning for a new county jail. Jail plans “We have looked at a number of jails including the newest jail in Chisago County,” Brenner said. “The funding package and the size of the jail are soon to be determined. The newest style of jail is based on pods.” Brenner explained that pods are gro...
After nearly nine months of rehearsals and 15 performances, the final curtain has fallen on County Seat Theater Company's production of "Sweet" by Denise Hinson. In 2017 the County Seat Theater was selected as one of five community theaters from around the country to produce a winning production of the American Association of Community Theatre NewPlayFest. County Seat presented the world premiere of "Sweet" in September 2018. To take the piece to contest, they needed to cut the play to a...
Hospital earns Level 4 status The Minnesota Department of Health has redesignated Community Memorial Hospital as a level 4 trauma hospital. The emergency services staff voluntarily participated in the intense designation process to become part of Minnesota’s statewide trauma system. The process included an outside review of the hospital’s resources and capabilities to care for trauma patients. CMH met the standards of commitment, clinical and equipment resources and staff training. The hospital also participates in a continuous performance imp...
Gathered together for a moment of celebration, supporters of the Carlton County Historical Society did not try to conceal their enthusiasm last week. Carlton County had just signed over the deed to the 99-year-old Shaw Memorial Library Building in Cloquet. Excited to take on a future filled with both big challenges and new possibilities, the group assembled in the museum's exhibit area on a late April afternoon. Executive director Mark King summed things up. "It has been a harrowing path for...
They don't have a name or a mascot yet, but the combined Carlton-Wrenshall football team players know what colors they will be wearing - blue and orange - and that they will get to play football, and even have some substitutes when needed. Casting a unanimous vote Monday, the Carlton school board joined the Wrenshall board in approving a cooperative football program for next fall. Per Minnesota State High School League rules, the cooperative agreement is for a minimum of two years. It will...
The Cloquet Middle School gym was filled with the sound of footsteps, voices and beating drums Saturday, as nearly 400 people gathered for the annual Ziigwan (Spring) Powwow. Teresa Angell, Cloquet American Indian Education Program director, said attendance was great, with 11 drums, more than 120 registered dancers and a dozen visiting royalty from other schools and communities. "This was the sixth annual powwow for Cloquet Schools and is a celebration to honor our students, staff and program,"...
Voters in the Wrenshall and Moose Lake school districts are being asked to approve an increase in school taxes to pay for improvements at the schools in local elections set for May 14. Eligible voters who can’t participate in the special elections May 14 can cast absentee ballots at the auditor’s office at the Carlton County Courthouse in Carlton on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. through Monday, May 13. The auditor’s office will also be open for absentee voting from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 11. To receive absentee ballots by mail,...
We boarded the bus with blankets, pillows and anticipation. Our long-awaited class trip was finally beginning. On April 11, 2019 at 2:00 in the morning, 34 seniors departed Cloquet High School and headed for Washington, D.C. Chris Swanson, a social studies teacher at CHS, organizes the incredible experience every year. Since 1985 the school had followed the Close Up program, designed to bring students to our nation's capital. In recent years, however, Swanson has taken over the entire operation...
Almost three years after it was dismantled, and moved brick by brick from Cloquet to Pennsylvania, the R.W. Lindholm House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is open for business. The R.W. Lindholm House — known as Mäntylä, Finnish for “under the pines” — was commissioned by the same family that built Cloquet’s Wright-designed gas station. In 2016, Peter and Julene McKinney donated the home and much of the Wright-designed furnishings to the nonprofit group Usonian Preservation, with the intention of relocating it to Polymath Park in Acme, Penn. The...
And then there were six. Over the course of a nearly three-hour working session Monday, Carlton School Board members narrowed down a list of possible long-term options for the school district from 10 to six. After a couple months of long meetings with little progress, it was a Herculean achievement. To start, Carlton board chair LaRae Lehto presented the board with strict rules of engagement, asking that each board member take turns and share his or her top four or five options with minimal...
According to city administrator Aaron Reeves, Cloquet Police Chief Jeff Palmer was placed on "voluntary paid leave" effective April 16. Reeves said he could not elaborate on Palmer's absence, but said it wasn't a result of the investigation of former police chief Wade Lamirande's complaints about Palmer. Palmer has been cleared of all eight allegations contained in that complaint, according to Reeves and to a redacted copy of the investigative report shared last week by Teamsters Union 320 -...
After several studies and countless meetings, the Carlton county board of commissioners voted to proceed with final plans for a new jail construction. The size of the jail, the total cost of the project, the location of the building, and the means of funding it are still to be determined. The vote of 4-1 (commissioner Tom Proulx voting “nay”) came after a presentation by sheriff Kelly Lake, BKV Group architect/consultant Bruce Schwartzman, county attorney Lauri Ketola, county deputy Paul Coughlin and county coordinator Dennis Genereau. Lak...
Cloquet school board members voted unanimously for life skills over computer programming during their regular meeting Monday. At issue was a proposal by Cloquet Middle School principal Tom Brenner to replace the eighth-grade Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) coursework with computer programming. Brenner explained that with longtime FCS teacher Mary Jane Lundberg retiring, he wanted to make some changes before they hired a new teacher or teachers. He proposed keeping the seventh-grade cooking...
The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa purchased the 43-room AmericInn hotel at 1716 Highway 201 in Carlton, for $2.85 million from REETI, LLC on March 8, according to Carlton County records. According to Carlton County assessor Kyle Holmes, the Band now owns several properties along that section of Highway 210, including the Royal Pines Inn, the former Spirits gas station/restaurant and the Dons Dens property. All were purchased in separate sales over the past few years. The Fond du Lac band did not have any comment on the property...
