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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A suspected double murder/suicide at the Super 8 hotel in Cloquet Monday resulted in the death of a Cloquet woman and two male hotel guests, one of the men the killer. The shooting forced the evacuation of the hotel and nearby businesses and a community lockdown as authorities searched for a suspect. That search ended in the hotel parking lot, where the suspected shooter was found dead with evidence suggesting a self-inflicted gunshot wound. By midweek, investigators still had no information on...
"To know Shellby was to love Shellby," said Lizzie Strickland of Shellby Trettel, the 22-year-old Cloquet woman who died Monday after being shot during a shift as a clerk at the Super 8 hotel in Cloquet. Police are still trying to find out if there was a motive behind the shootings, and if Trettel was targeted. Her friends and family want people to remember Trettel for the person she was, not as just a tragic statistic. "I think everybody should see her smile, and her laugh and how she was. Who...
A dispute involving a boxcutter between two students at Barnum schools Tuesday led to a short lockdown and an arrest of a 14-year-old girl. The Carlton County Sheriff’s Office reported that it received a call from the district just after 9 a.m. about a student attacking a classmate with a knife. A 16-year-old boy suffered a slight slash wound to his chest. When deputies arrived, school staff had subdued the 14-year-old girl and were taking care of the boy. The victim was brought to Mercy Hospital in a private car and is “expected to make a ful...
Carlton school board filled its leadership positions at its organizational meeting Monday. Julianne Emerson was re-elected to her position as chair. This will be her fourth consecutive year in the role. To date, she has served on the board 11 years total, leaving in 2018 and returning in 2020 as a write-in candidate. Over her previous terms starting in 2010, she served as chair for six years. Salaries for board members were renewed without change. Board members receive $1,000 a year plus $40 a meeting. Based on the tentative schedule, a member...
Of all the unwelcome house guests you may ever host, few are as nasty as radon. The colorless, odorless gas occurs naturally in Minnesota soils and is found at elevated levels in nearly 40 percent of all homes in the state. It also is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. In fact, each year this unwelcome house guest kills more than 21,000 people across the country. While there are cheap and easy ways to test for radon, many people are unaware of the risks and may not be getting the help they need to be safe. Fortunately, the...
Residents of Carlton County are eligible to apply for dislocated worker funding. This funding can be life-changing for people who have been laid off from a job and need a way to recover lost wages and benefits, according to JET, which serves adults, dislocated workers, public assistance recipients, and youth ages 14. Applicants must have been on Unemployment Insurance sometime in the past year to be considered. Funding can be used to assist with training and job search expenses such as help paying tuition for a 2-year degree or the last two...
A continuing shortage of bus drivers for routes in the Cloquet school district has provoked school board members to meet with its transportation company to find ways to ease the crunch. The issue came up in the work session before the board's organizational meeting on Monday. "Something's got to change," said member Ken Scarbrough. Melissa Juntunen said there have been far too many instances of parents finding out that a route can't be filled, leaving them to their own devices in getting kids...
Reorganization was the first item of business at the Thomson Township meeting on Thursday, Jan. 4. Ruth Janke will again serve as chair of the Thomson Township Board of Supervisors, with Bill Gerard as vice chair, both by unanimous vote. Board members voted to continue with their current committee assignments as well. The board also approved a list of office appointments including Leah Pykkonen as deputy clerk treasurer, Jon Bouvine as public works supervisor/assistant weed inspector, Dan...
By unanimous vote, Esko School board members re-elected the same officers to serve in 2024: Board chair Jerry Frederick, Vice chair Todd Rengo, Treasurer Maggie Sunnarborg and Clerk Steve McConnell. The group set board salary at $60 per meeting up to a maximum of $1,690 per year. Sunnarborg was the sole "no" vote. "I don't want any [salary] at all," she said. Board members also again selected the Pine Knot News as the school district's official newspaper....
There's a new game, and a lot of craft beer, in town. The 218 TapHouse opened for business on Wednesday, Dec. 27, in the business complex that includes Premiere Theatres on South Highway 33 in Cloquet. Southgate Family Pizza previously operated in the space that is now home to 218 TapHouse. "We had a very successful first week," said bar manager Dane Levinski. "Opening day was on a Wednesday and our seating was full with a good standing room crowd. Our weekends have been very popular." "The...
The University of Wisconsin-Superior announced its dean’s list for the fall 2023 semester. To be named to the list, students must have completed 12 degree-seeking semester credits and achieved at least a 3.50 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. Students from the area earning the honor include: Barnum Brynne Mickle, Joe Peterson Carlton Henry Collier, Samuel Collier, Matthew Hamann, Jadin Sullivan-Soukkala Cloquet Joseph Baker, Lexi Bakken, Adam Blesener, Ryan Conway, Maddie Kayser, Timber Latvala, Brenna Mattson, Gavin Rasmussen, Maria Sajdak,...
Barring an emergency, there will be no New Year's baby at Cloquet's Community Memorial Hospital this year. The three delivery suites - with private baths and whirlpools, forest views and aromatherapy patches - sit empty. "We've got a pause on it right now," said Rick Breuer, CEO of the independent nonprofit hospital. It is not a permanent change at this point, but it was necessary due to low staffing levels, Breuer said of the decision made last summer. "As much as I hate to blame anything on...
Were you born in 1976 and are turning only 12 this year? What camp are you in: Can Leap Year babies only celebrate a birthday on Feb. 29? On off years, should they celebrate Feb. 28 or March 1? So many questions. None of them earth-shattering, but quizzical nonetheless. The Pine Knot News wants to hear from Leap Year babies from age 1 to 150. Tell us about your unique date in personal history. Tell us how you celebrate. If nothing else, just let us know you are a Leap Year baby and we’ll publish a special page honoring all those to answer t...
Three new laws that were central to the DFL trifecta's legislative agenda took effect Jan. 1. Gun-safety laws, including so-called red flag warnings for people at risk of harming themselves or others, sweeping landlord-tenant changes and a statewide sick leave plan all became law on the first day of 2024. Here are descriptions of the new changes to Minnesota law. Paid sick leave The sick leave law covers all-but the self-employed, even those who work for employers with just one worker. It...
Over $9.5 million in new state grants will help aging Minnesotans stay in their homes longer through services such as caregiver support, housekeeping, retrofitting to prevent falls and other assistance. Research shows that people are happier and have better health outcomes when they can live in their homes longer, rather than moving into institutionalized care such as nursing homes. Projects funded in the Minnesota Department of Human Services include Volunteer Services of Carlton County with $192,000. The grant will help rebuild programs...
High school seniors and other Northland residents seeking financial assistance with advanced studies of all kinds can apply for scholarship support. The Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation provides more than 80 scholarship awards annually. Scholarships support students and job seekers who are pursuing postsecondary education throughout the region. The foundation website (dsacommunityfoundation.org) allows students to research eligibility based on the high school from which they graduated or GED program completed. Many of the scholarships...
A giant warehouse that will one day support the medical supply needs for more than 100 Essentia Health facilities has transformed the Esko Industrial Park over the past several months. Hidden from Highway 61 - where the park entrance is located - the dark rectangular building looms large to those driving past on Interstate 35. It represents a $36 million investment by the regional health care system. According to Essentia spokesperson Tony Matt, the building structure is complete. Contractors...
Essentia Health isn't the only health care provider currently in the process of constructing a warehouse in Carlton County. While not nearly as sprawling as the 163,000-square-foot hospital warehouse in Esko, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is building a warehouse at the corner of Airport and Jolicouer roads. The 100-by-60-foot warehouse will serve the Band's nearby Min No Aya Win Human Services Center, and its assorted clinics, which provide medical, dental, behavioral health,...
The Carlton County board ushered in the new year with its annual meeting and changing of leadership in the chair position. Last year's chair, Dick Brenner, nominated Susan Zmyslony to succeed him and she earned a unanimous vote Tuesday at the Transportation Building in Carlton. "Thank you; I appreciate it," said a humbled Zmyslony before immediately turning to the agenda. Zmyslony had mentioned Brenner during the final meeting of last year, Dec. 26. "I'd like to take this opportunity, Dick, to...
A Carlton County man who was sentenced last month for shooting his ailing wife died by suicide two days later in a Minnesota prison. Judge Amy Lukasavitz had sentenced 67-year-old Raymond Arthur Julian to 25 ½ years in prison — the guideline sentence — after an emotional sentencing hearing at the Carlton County Courthouse Dec. 18. (Find that story in the Dec. 22 issue of the Pine Knot News.) Aaron Swanum, Minnesota Department of Corrections spokesperson, confirmed that Julian entered Minn...
When Dr. Kayla Ellison established Ellison Family Chiropractic in 2019, she wanted "Family" in the name for good reason: Patients of all ages, from infants to children to adults, receive care here based on their individual needs. "We love caring for patients of all ages in our clinic, and serve many families," said Dr. Ellison. "We provide diverse, individualized care to our patients, focusing on their unique needs." Located in the West End of Cloquet at the corner of Avenue C and Arch Street,...
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College celebrated the associate degree nursing program graduating class from the fall 2023 during a pinning ceremony Dec. 20. It was the first fall pinning ceremony at FDLTCC since the nursing program started enrolling admissions during the spring of 2022. The intimate ceremony featured speeches from FDLTCC Nursing student James Friedman, and Karen Lilyquist, a member of the FDLTCC nursing faculty. Tami Matuszak, interim dean of nursing and health sciences,...
Cloquet police have lifted the shelter-in-place order issued in response to a shooting at the Super 8 hotel in Cloquet. Law enforcement officials confirmed three people died, including one person they believe was the shooter. Cloquet police issued an online warning to residents of Big Lake Road and Highway 33 area just after 7 p.m. Monday to remain home, lock doors and shelter in place as there was an active shooter incident in progress with the suspect still at large. For several hours Monday,...
After responding to a shooting, then issuing and later lifting an order to shelter-in-place, the Cloquet Police Department confirmed that a man killed two people at the Super 8 in Cloquet before taking his own life. According to a Cloquet Police Department news release, an employee of the Super 8 hotel in Cloquet called 911 at approximately 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 8, to report they'd found another hotel employee who looked like she'd been attacked. Cloquet police responded and found a...
Three people from three different cities were killed Monday in a suspected double murder/suicide at the Super 8 hotel in Cloquet that forced the evacuation of the hotel and a community lockdown as authorities searched for a suspect. That search ended on hotel property, where the suspected shooter was found dead with evidence suggesting a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police continue to search for a motive. "Last night was a very difficult night for our community," said Cloquet Police Chief Derek...
