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 3576 - 3600 of 3909
After some debate Tuesday, Cloquet city councilors unanimously approved a temporary pay raise for Cloquet police commander Carey Ferrell, who has been fulfilling the duties of police chief since Chief Jeff Palmer went on “voluntary paid leave” effective April 16. The increase will take Ferrell’s pay rate from $85,722 per year to $102,096 a year, prorated for each month. The raise will be backdated a month, and the council approved two additional months of extra pay but asked that the arrangement...
The Carlton school district is flirting with the possibilities of consolidation with Cloquet as discussion with Wrenshall has ebbed and flowed over the past few years. At the school board meeting Monday, there was some back-and-forth about how Carlton superintendent Gwen Carmen is approaching Cloquet. School board members Ann Gustafson and Jennifer Chmielewski said they thought the board agreed last month that it was going to devise a letter to send to Cloquet. Instead, they heard this week that Carmen met with Cloquet superintendent Mike...
Cloquet had 29 students participate in the Minnesota Academy of Science State Science Fair in March. The annual competition showcases Minnesota's best and brightest students in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. Six students from Cloquet received Grand awards - the top award at state - recognizing excellence in scientific research. Students are ranked according to their poster and presentation score. There are gold, silver and bronze Grand awards. Eighth-grader Emily...
Our region is flush with great food. From the Fond du Lac Band's indigenous gardeners to Mahtowa beekeepers, Wrenshall sustainable farmers, Carlton shiitake mushroom growers, Esko picklers, Moose Lake brewers, and Cromwell orchardists - the "grow, shop and eat local region" is prospering here. Meet our food lovers and enjoy the favorite dishes they actually cook and eat at home. Meet Francois Medion Growing up in a farm family north of the Bordeaux region in southwest France - where wine and...
It may sound like the real deal, but the Federal Trade Commission and the Social Security Administration are warning people to beware of fake calls that claim to come from Social Security. According to the FTC, the caller usually says your Social Security number has been suspended because of suspicious activity, or because it’s been involved in a crime. Sometimes, the scammer wants you to confirm your SSN to reactivate it. Sometimes, he says your bank account is about to be seized — but if you go put your money on gift cards and then give him...
Cloquet city council members had many questions at their Tuesday meeting, tabling two of five votes on the agenda because councilors wanted more time for research and more questions answered before voting. Tabled for now were requests for zoning changes for a proposed parking lot from Sammy's Pizza owner Mike Acheson, and for nearly $100,000 for three different police vehicle purchases. The most contentious issue was the parking lot request, as neighbors of Sammy's Pizza turned out to voice stro...
Cloquet city administrator Aaron Reeves told Cloquet city councilors Tuesday that the move from the current city hall and police department is now anticipated to take place June 14, rather than next week, due to construction delays. “We were supposed to be up and running at the end of next week,” Reeves told the councilors during Tuesday’s work session. “The only thing that didn’t show up are the doors. Literally the whole moving-in process was delayed as a result.” Once city employees have moved the one block from the current city hall locati...
The Cloquet police department and city administrator Aaron Reeves recently clarified that owners must leash pets, although actual stray animals are not a violation. Section 8.2.06 of the city code notes that: “No owner or keeper of any dog shall negligently or intentionally permit the animal to run at large, as that term is defined in Subd. 10 of Section 8.1.01, within the City of Cloquet.” The police department reminded citizens to keep their pets on a leash and get them microchipped in case they do get loose....
Residents who are missing the local CAT-7 cable access station should not give up hope. The station was shut down so the studio and all its equipment could be moved from its long-time home at Cloquet High School into the new city hall building. City administrator Aaron Reeves said he hopes the station will be back on the air next week, with even better equipment and the capability to livestream all meetings held in the new council chambers....
A man’s body was found Wednesday in Canosia Township. According to a press release from the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, positive identification will be determined by the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office. Due to the circumstances, the sheriff’s office believes the remains are likely those of Julian Daniel Decoux, a group home resident missing since May 5. The body was discovered in a location approximately two miles west of the group home. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, volunteers and group home staff had searched the area exte...
The Dragon Ladies of the DFL will host Shannon Sweeney Jorgenson’s presentation, “Make it OK: Stigma and Mental Health in our Rural Communities” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 29 at Eskomo Pizza Pies in downtown Esko. This is the group’s first public event designed to help educate and seek solutions to the important issues facing our rural communities. This event is open to the public and everyone is encouraged to attend. Shannon Sweeney is a certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor and serves on the steering committee for MakeItOK.org, a campa...
Minnesota will join 17 states and the District of Columbia in requiring drivers to have their cellphones in hands-free mode while driving vehicles. The law goes into effect Aug. 1. Under the new law, drivers can use their device in hands-free or voice-activated mode only....
Cloquet High School principal Steve Battaglia has no doubt in his mind which generation is being targeted by e-cigarette manufacturers. He has only to rattle off the flavors - Fizzy Lemonade, Arctic Air, Blue Razz Lemonade, Iced Pink Punch, Really Berry and Straw Nanners Ice - of the many confiscated products to make his point. Then there is the appearance factor. Very few look like cigar- ettes. Instead, they look like pens or pencils, lipstick containers, compacts, key chains, chargers,...
There was no "third time's a charm" for Wrenshall referendum supporters, as 55 percent of school district residents who voted Tuesday rejected a $14.4 million bonding request for school facility improvements. With 513 "no" votes to 418 "yes" votes, superintendent Kimberly Belcastro pointed out that 48 more "yes" votes would have meant a different result. But that's not what happened. School board vice chair Janaki Fisher-Merritt announced the results just before 10 p.m., after a group of nearly...
n the Moose Lake School District, more than 61 percent of voters said “no” to athletic facility improvements at the PreK-12 school. After the voting polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 14 and the ballots were tallied, the final count was 610 “no” votes to 382 “yes” on Question 1 of the Moose Lake school bond referendum. Absentee ballots turned in by early voters came in at 38 “no” and 21 “yes,” bringing the total to 648 “no” and 403 “yes” votes. Question 1 proposed a bond referendum of $3.935 million for additions to Moose Lake School athlet...
Finding and getting started on a great career right out of high school is rarely an easy task. Yet helping to make that happen is what Cloquet High School, through its building trades program, has set out to do with its students ... with a lot of help from some local trade unions. Vocational teachers Dusty Rhoades and Bret Gunderson led the way in transforming an already well-developed industrial arts program into a comprehensive building trades curriculum. While their diverse course offerings h...
In the largest individual investment in the Cloquet mill since 2013, Sappi North America announced last week that it recently completed a $25 million capital investment at the local mill to "debottleneck" areas of the pulp manufacturing process. Mike Schultz, managing director of the Sappi Cloquet Mill, said the bulk of the investment was made in the recovery areas of the pulp mill to "debottleneck" the mill's dissolving wood pulp production - which was the main focus of the $170 million...
A BNSF Railway derailment Feb. 16 was caused by a broken wheel, BNSF reported to the Federal Railroad Administration. The broken wheel caused 40 (out of 121) loaded coal cars to derail from the train tracks about four miles west of Cloquet three months ago. Cleanup started almost immediately. The derailment dumped more than 4,000 tons of coal near or partially into the frozen St. Louis River. “BNSF conducts a thorough review of every incident because we want to understand what happened and why, and work to prevent it from happening in the f...
Students went to academic war last week in the Battle of the Books. Fourteen teams of fourth- and fifth-graders from Cloquet Middle School, Cloquet's Churchill and Washington elementary schools and Carlton's South Terrace Elementary School participated. Above, members of the winning team from CMS, The Moats, pose with their trophies. Pictured from left are Aidan Anderson, Mason Powers, Wesley Olson, Keigan Lennartson and Darren LaFave. At right, also from CMS, members of the Pink Panthers (from...
My name is Liz McLaughlin and I am the SNAP-Ed Educator for Carlton County. I deliver classes and curricula to individuals and families — from elementary school students to older adults — who are eligible for SNAP benefits or other federal assistance programs. The past year I worked with the Cloquet Area Alternative Education Program, Northern Lights Academy, Washington and Churchill Elementary schools, Fond Du Lac Ojibwe School, the Cloquet Public Library after-school programs, churches and community centers. One of the great partnerships this...
Aspirin has been around for centuries. It was originally derived from the willow tree. Hippocrates used it to treat fever. I fondly remember having to make the compound in college chemistry class. I did not sample the end product, but I think it turned out OK. Today it still has many uses. Aspirin has been a life-saving medicine for those people who have struggled with cardiovascular disease such as heart attacks and strokes. We give aspirin immediately to anyone we think is having a heart...
The tables were turned at the annual "Volunteer Brunch" at Community Memorial Hospital in Cloquet earlier this month. As volunteers got to relax and enjoy music and a program, department heads from the hospital and Sunnyside Health Care Center served frittatas with cottage fries and salad with mimosas, fresh raspberries and dessert. Volunteer coordinator Jennifer Stay said there are about 100 volunteers between hospital and care center. They help in a variety of ways, including working in the...
Many reasons to get your hearing tested May is Better Speech and Hearing month and this designation is a good reminder that it’s important to get your hearing tested. There are many reasons why this is a good idea. Some of the most important reasons include: • Untreated hearing loss in adults correlates with higher rates of depression, anxiety and other cognitive disorders. • There is a strong link between untreated hearing loss and the risk for developing dementia. • Untreated hearing loss increases your chances of a fall. • Treating...
Carlton County employees in AFSCME Local 2750 have been working without a contract since it expired Dec. 31, 2018. Negotiations began in August 2018 with mediation services in the fall. After a mediation session Nov. 27, the Carlton County board of commissioners — through their negotiation team — presented its final offer. In late winter, the AFSCME county workers voted to not accept the proposal. The Carlton County board of commissioners sent a letter to the union March 22, notifying it that the board had determined the negotiations were at...
Sammy's Pizza gives to DAV The Cloquet Sammy's Pizza restaurant donated $2,000 to the Disabled American Veterans Friday. Owner Mike Acheson said in celebration of Sammy's 65th anniversary, they donated 65 percent of inside sales that evening to the local DAV. Pictured, from left, are DAV Sr. Vice Commander Gary Dahl, Cloquet Sammy's owner Mike Acheson and DAV Commander Stan Heuer. Rotary gives to Vets Hall, DAV Julie Rothmeier of the Cloquet Rotary Club presents a check for $3,000 to veterans...
