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 1 - 25 of 4040
Come next week, Veterans Park in Cloquet will be transformed into an elite hockey facility - outdoors, the way the hockey gods intended it - with seating for 1,300. Hockey Day Cloquet promises to be unlike anything seen before in the Wood City. The homegrown hockey extravaganza will span eight days, from Jan. 8-15, peaking with the Lumberjacks varsity boys and girls hockey games on Saturday, Jan. 11. The timing couldn't be better: the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton boys hockey team is currently ranked... Full story
Trinity Oakland wasn't the focus at the horrific crash scene. She was among the walking wounded. The 21-year-old had just driven her Ford Edge at least 55 mph through a stop sign at Carlton County Road 1 and Military Road, striking a Subaru Forester in its front axle. The Ford spun, and smacked the driver's side of the Subaru again as the vehicles sailed into a snow-filled ditch, southwest of the intersection south of Wrenshall. Janae Sjodin, a senior at Wrenshall High School, and her 11-year-ol...
It's a Friday morning not long before Christmas break, and several groups of Esko high school students are sitting - chatting, studying and looking at their phones or tablets - in a new "flexible learning space" built just for them in the center of school. Tables sit along the wall and in nooks in a large open carpeted area, with talking, drinks and snacks allowed. The open space is surrounded by five glassed-in conference rooms for small-group work and a coffee shop is opening soon. Esko...
A 43-year-old Esko man was killed early Sunday morning when his car spun out and rolled on Interstate 35. According to the Minnesota State Patrol report, Nathan Ray O’Leary was driving a Cadillac STS southbound on I-35 just north of the Esko exit at 2:38 a.m. Dec. 29 when the car spun out and went into the right ditch, striking a guardrail. The car overturned several times and struck an overpass bridge pier before coming to a rest. O’Leary was wearing a seatbelt, but died at the scene. Road conditions were icy and snowy. The Minnesota Sta...
A Sturgeon Lake man was treated for non-life-threatening injuries on Dec. 26 after he lost control of the 2005 International garbage truck he was driving. Nathan Randel Bichler, 48, was driving westbound on Minnesota Highway 73, near the intersection with Jon Brown Drive in Moose Lake, around 2:28 p.m. Dec. 26 under wet conditions. He lost control of the truck, and it flipped on its side. Carlton County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the scene, along with the Minnesota State Patrol. According to the Minnesota State Patrol report, a...
A Cloquet woman was charged with first-degree driving while impaired on Dec. 20, after being found guilty of at least six other DWIs over the past 27 years along with four convictions for felony test refusal. France Margaret Smith, 61, faces new charges of first-degree felony DWI, felony refusal to submit to a breath test, not carrying proof of insurance and lack of illumination for rear license plates. According to the criminal complaint, Carlton County Sheriff’s Office deputy Jon Stracek observed a truck stopped for a long time at the f...
Nearly eight babies were born per day at Essentia Health’s Minnesota hospitals in 2024. Entering the final week of the year, 76 babies had entered the world at Essentia Health-Moose Lake. Here are the most popular names at Essentia Health-Moose Lake. Each name was chosen two times. Top boy names were Henry, Mason, and Waylon. Top girl names were Riley and Sophia, or Sophie....
Wrenshall’s John “Sandy” Dugan is attending the Minnesota Organic Conference in St. Cloud on Jan. 9-10, with hundreds of farmers from across the state. One of the featured events will be a 45-minute listening session so legislators, local and elected officials and state Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen can hear from farmers. Dugan is asking for input from local farmers and others to share during the session. What policies and programs help or hinder your business and how? Email your thoughts to johnsdugan...
The Carlton County board approved a 2025 budget of $84.9 million on Dec. 23, but not before lengthy discussions on pay increases for the elected county sheriff and attorney. Sheriff Kelly Lake, in her 19th year in elected office, was approved for a nearly $20,000 pay increase, from $142,937 in 2024 to $161,387 in 2025. Twice-elected county attorney Lauri Ketola was increased from $152,734 to $163,800. “I do think it matters that you have people in positions who really care about what they do and commit themselves to doing really good w...
Roughly 40 miles of Carlton County roadway surfaces will receive new pavement in 2025, part of 17 projects costing $12.1 million. “It’s a big year,” said county engineer JinYeene Neumann, who joined assistant county engineer Rick Norrgard near the end of 2024 to discuss the upcoming projects. “Last year was a big dollar amount but a lower number of projects, because of the fact that the projects were more entailed,” Neumann said. “[This] year, we’re doing a large number of projects, but they’re paving projects and not as detailed. We do...
A $6,755,244 budget and $4,334,394 levy were both approved unanimously by the Cloquet Area Fire District board on Dec. 18. The district projects a $200,000 home will be levied $290 and $89 for the fire and ambulance areas, respectively. Board members Gary Harms and Dave Sunnarborg reversed their positions on the levy from September when they voted against the numbers. Linda Way, who also voted against the levy proposal, was not present at the December meeting. To pay off an ambulance bond early, the board voted to put $118,000 of emergency...
Thomson Township supervisors bid a fond farewell to board members Bill Gerard and Dave Sunnarborg, who finished their terms in office at the final meeting of the year on Dec. 19. Gerard wrapped up 21 years on the board, while Sunnarborg finished up a two-year appointment after previously serving for 19 years starting in the early ‘90s. Gerard said he got his 600th 6-foot-tall tree planted in the township at the end of the summer. Board chairwoman Ruth Janke presented both men with certificates of service. She praised Sunnarborg as “the go-to pe...
There are only a few days left for northern Minnesota high school seniors to apply for a $24,000 college scholarship from the Marshall H. and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund. Applications may be submitted by the Jan. 15 deadline at www.AlworthScholarship.org, which also includes tips for applying, eligibility criteria, majors funded and more. “Last year, the Alworth Memorial Fund awarded 95 scholarships of $24,000 each, and we’re planning to assist a similar number of students this year,” said Alworth Executive Director Patty Salo Downs. “But... Full story
During Cloquet's taxation and budget hearing on Dec. 3, frustrated resident Shannon Kesner asked city councilors to think outside the box rather than raising taxes, sharing that her property taxes have gone up over $1,200 a year since she purchased her home in 2020. "I know there's all kinds of funding sources out there," she said. "I implore you and others to take a look at all the different opportunities and see if something can help this." There's good news for Kesner and other residents:...
The Carlton County Disabled American Veterans and its supporters are inviting everyone to enjoy a free Christmas dinner on Christmas Day Wednesday. No military service required, just a hungry belly and a heart for community. The annual Christmas meal will be served 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Dec. 25 at Zion Lutheran Church at 1000 Washington Ave. in Cloquet. The menu features a wide array of appetizers, salad, dessert, meatballs, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, beverages and lots of company.... Full story
What's it like to be a young farmer in Minnesota? For starters, there's an expanding variety of farms and they're being passed down to young people who supplement their agrarian passions with off-farm jobs. It's a challenge as hard as ever before, but it's not insurmountable. "Many have other jobs, where farming is not their full-time job," said Brainerd-based University of Minnesota extension officer Nathan Hulinsky. "They need help knowing how to borrow money to run their business and how to...
Cloquet school board members interviewed six people who applied to fill a soon-to-be vacant school board seat. Board member Sarah Plante-Buhs ran for and was elected to the Carlton County Board of Commissioners. She will take her county board seat and vacate her school board seat in early January. The school board will announce its choice Jan. 6 The six candidates — Ted Lammi, Jason Loons, Brendon McKeon, Robert Peacock, Nate Sandman and Shaun Williams — applied to serve the last two years of Buhs’ term. Only Sandman and Lammi have prior exper...
Take your time reading this week's issue, because the Pine Knot News office will be closed the week between Christmas and New Year. We will not produce a paper next week, and look forward to time with family and friends. Obituaries and breaking news will be published online at pineknotnews.com during Christmas week. Email [email protected] or text Jana at 218-213-1231 with anything that simply can't wait. Feel free to share fun or beautiful winter photos for possible publication in the new...
The city of Cloquet's holiday light display is up, outlining scenes of winter and holiday fun around Spafford Park campground, located on Dunlap Island next to the voyageur statue, who is now wearing his XXL Santa hat. It's an excellent place to cruise with a carload of kids or maybe just a mug of hot chocolate as you drive around the area looking at all the homes and businesses lit up for the season. The Butkiewicz Family Farm is another excellent destination in southern Carlton County. The...
Carlton County residents are encouraged to recycle Christmas trees during Treecycling, a free program with dropoff runs through Friday, Jan. 31. Christmas trees, like yard waste, are banned from landfills in Minnesota. Trees contain valuable resources that can be reclaimed through recycling. Collected trees will be ground up and composted by the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District, saving landfill space while safely managing invasive species that may have been brought in on trees from outside of our region. Remove all ornaments, tinsel,...
"My first thought is: We don't deserve an incredible community like this. But then I take a deep breath and realize we are so so grateful to have such an incredible unit of friends, family, and community behind us who see us and love us. And we are eternally grateful." Those were the words to the community from Emily Boulanger this past week. Her temporary home, a bus converted into a camper, was gutted Thursday night by a fire on property in rural Cloquet that she and fiancee Liam May own. An...
Property owners in the Esko school district should see a half-percent increase in next year’s school tax levy, after school board members on Dec. 9 approved the tax levy at $2,365,346, an increase of only $11,681 over last year. Also during the Dec. 9 meeting, board members held a public hearing regarding a proposal to sell a maximum of $895,000 in general obligation tax abatement bonds to pay for a new parking lot and other parking lot improvements in the district. The new parking lot will be constructed on a former residential lot at 25 L...
The Carlton school board approved a levy for 2025 that reduces school taxes by about 4 percent. In the same meeting, there was troubling news about facilities, and mixed news about finances. Before the regular meeting Monday, Carlton schools held this year’s Truth in Taxation hearing, which presents a detailed picture of next year’s taxation and allows for public comment. Jennifer Smith from Arrowhead Regional Computing Consortium told the board and the public that the district would see a reduction in the levy totalling $1,135,540.76. “That is...
A story in last week’s Pine Knot, “County explains 3% tax increase,” raised the eyebrows of Carlton County assessor Kyle Holmes. “Market values are independent from taxes and vice versa,” he said, correcting a passage in the Pine Knot report that suggested the factors were intertwined. “Rising property values and rising taxes are not intertwined, and should be kept separate,” he said. Levy increases are a function of spending, he said. Holmes attended the Dec. 11 Truth in Taxation hearing, at which the county heard from audience members and pre...
Christmas is almost here. I'm wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. It's this time of year that we take the time to reminisce about the past and our favorite Christmas memories. We celebrated Christmas as I was growing up on Christmas Eve. My dad would take us to town in Cromwell or Wright to get us out of the house while my mother made all the last-minute preparations for the evening. Dad would take us to the Co-op store in Wright, and we would look around at all the...
