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 758 - 782 of 4084
The Cloquet school board approved a maximum levy increase Monday after a Truth in Taxation meeting that had no input from the public. Taxpayers can expect a 4.79-percent increase in the school portion of their taxes for the year 2024. District budget manager Candace Nelis said a huge factor in the increase is the delicate dance of state aid in contrast to property values in school districts. Values on property in Carlton County increased by up to 7 percent, Nelis said, meaning that even a “zero” increase in school taxes would leave res...
It began with a group of parents in the early 1960s looking for something - places to go, things to do - for their grown children, all of them adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Pinewood, Inc. grew out of that early effort at Zion Lutheran Church. Formed in 1964, the nonprofit organization offers employment and day support services to adults (over 18) with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Some may be born with the disability, others may qualify because of a...
The Cloquet Police Department responded Dec. 7 to a report of a residence struck by bullets in the 10 block of 14th Street in Cloquet. The shooting is believed to have occurred the night before. Police discovered several bullet casings and at least one bullet hole in the residence. No injuries were reported in connection with the incident. The Cloquet Police Department is actively investigating the case, with no arrests made as of early this week. “The preliminary information suggests this is an isolated incident, and there is no immediate t...
It’s free to dispose of your unwanted or no longer working holiday lights at the Carlton County Transfer Station located at 1950 Highway 210. Rope lights, extension cords, appliance cords and telephone cords are also accepted. The transfer station is open 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. Before recycling, please remove all decorations and remove lights from any type of plastic spool, cardboard packaging, or plastic bags. Place the clean string lights in the correct box at the Transfer St...
Now that the new Esko school fitness center is nearing completion, school district officials are focusing on another big question: What to do with the 3,800 square feet occupied by the current fitness center? Create a flexible learning center, offered superintendent Aaron Fischer. He likened it to a commons area, a modern open space where students could go study for College in the Schools (CITS) classes at Esko, or even post secondary education option (PSEO) classes they're taking away from the...
Carlton County earned one of six outstanding achievement awards for exhibiting excellence and innovation at the annual conference for Minnesota's 87 counties earlier this month. Carlton County was celebrated for establishing a formal agreement with the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. "In 2023, Carlton County, (the) Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Arrowhead Regional Corrections completed a 12-page agreement that guides agreed-upon best practices, protocols and...
The city of Cloquet is calling on eligible residents to serve as election judges for the 2024 Presidential Nominating Primary on March 5, Primary Election on Aug. 13, and General Election Day, Nov. 5. Cloquet election judges are paid $12-$14 per hour depending on their assigned duties. By law, election judges are granted time off from their regular work. Potential judges must be eligible to vote in Minnesota, be able to read, write and speak English, and complete an online training session. If interested, call City Hall at 218-879-3347 and ask...
Boycott the deer hunt? That was a suggestion from Carlton County commissioner Gary Peterson last week, during a widely attended meeting in Carlton about wolves and their supposed impact on the declining deer population. Peterson was quoted by a Duluth media source as telling the crowd of roughly 300 attendees, "Boycott the deer season," as a way of hitting the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in its pocketbook. When reached for further comment this week about his suggestion, Peterson...
Jordan Rau KFF Health News Jon Guckenberg's rent for a single room in an assisted living cottage in Cloquet was $4,140 a month before adding in a raft of other charges. The facility, New Perspective Cloquet, charged him $500 to reserve a spot and a $2,000 "entrance fee" before he set foot inside two years ago. Each month, he also paid $1,080 for a care plan that helped him cope with bipolar disorder and kidney problems, $750 for meals, and another $750 to make sure he took his daily...
There was a little extra cleaning and TLC last August in the Cloquet Middle School pool. It was completely drained, scrubbed and some on-deck painting was completed as well. In addition to the almost daily usage of the pool by the school district for physical education classes, Community Education also utilizes it for morning/senior lap swims, swimming lessons, aquatics classes and more. Last year, over 1,200 children participated in 168 Red Cross swimming classes. More than 700 participated in...
The city of Moose Lake is weighing a proposal that would eliminate its police department in favor of using the Carlton County Sheriff's Office to conduct the city's policing. The Carlton County proposal would staff the city with four dedicated deputies along with a half-time clerical position at a cost of $574,220. "This is not a decision that the city council takes lightly," city administrator Ellissa Owens said. During a tense Nov. 8 city council meeting, councilors and Owens described being...
When Anthony Uzarowski set out to write a biography about Cloquet native and world-famous actress Jessica Lange, he planned to visit Minnesota, retrace her steps and meet the sources for the book when he could. Instead, the Covid-19 pandemic struck while Uzarowski and his boyfriend were isolated in a tiny village along coastal France. “I ended up doing all of the research from my office,” Uzarowski told the Pine Knot, this time in a Zoom interview last week from Thailand, where he was vac...
Changing school culture - and incorporating more of the local Ojibwe culture - has paid off for Cloquet's Washington Elementary School, in test scores, recognition and especially the well-being of its American Indian students. Washington principal Robbi Mondati recently learned the school has been designated a National ESEA Distinguished School, an unexpected honor promoted by better test scores. ESEA, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, aims to close the skill gap between students. The...
Soon the rest of Minnesota can find out what Cloquet residents already know: Pine Valley is special. City officials learned last week that Cloquet's Pine Valley Recreation Area - home to ski jumps and woodland trails for skiing, walking and mountain biking - was designated a regionally significant park. That means the woodland park will be included on various statewide maps and online resources. More importantly, it makes the park eligible for Minnesota Legacy funds, statewide sales tax dollars...
As the days grow shorter, the Santa's Home for the Holidays celebration spread light and cheer last weekend. There were multiple Santa appearances, magic, meals, shopping, a parade, hot drinks, fireworks, s'mores and more fun spanning three days and multiple venues across the city of Cloquet. The new "Pet photos with Santa" saw a good turnout, with only one overexcited doggie accident, no cat fights and one well-behaved hedgehog. The annual Churchill Holiday Expo raised more than $10,000 for...
The loon will be featured on the official Great Seal of the State of Minnesota. The State Emblems Redesign Commission unanimously voted Tuesday to move forward with "design S224" as the basis for the seal. Aspects of the design may still be modified, including dates, language, design of the stars, and colors, the commission reported. Commissioners also listened to testimony from the public during Tuesday’s meeting. They will meet in person Dec. 12 to discuss design modifications to the state s...
It’s a big holiday weekend at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. The annual Holiday Celebration at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College returns to campus today, Dec. 8. The family event, hosted by the FDLTCC Human Services Club, is 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the FDLTCC commons. The holiday fun continues 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, with the Arts and Crafts Holiday Market in the FDLTCC Commons. During the event, artists, bakers, and craft makers will be sharing beautiful beadwork, healing soaps and creams, Native American artwork, a...
The Wrenshall school board will vote later this month on another loan to support cash flow during a period of time in the new year when district funds will be at their lowest. Speaking at Tuesday’s work session of the board, superintendent Jeff Pesta compared the $300,000 loan to last year, when the board approved a $500,000 loan. “This is truly our safety net,” Pesta said, later telling the Pine Knot, “in my recommendation to the board, I’m reasoning that the cost of borrowing $300,000 is worth it to eliminate the small risk of coming up...
The Minnesota Department of Transportation is once again inviting the public to help name another round of eight snowplows, one for each MnDOT district in the state. Past winners include the names Plowy McPlowFace, Blader Tot Hotdish, Han Snowlo and The Truck Formerly Known As Plow. MnDOT encourages people to submit their most witty, unique and Minnesota- or winter-themed snowplow name ideas on the agency’s website, www.dot.state.mn.us. Submissions will be accepted through noon on Dec. 15. Check the guidelines on the site. MnDOT staff will r...
The federal government is taking a cut from most of the Minnesota tax rebates sent out this fall, meaning a $26 to $286 handover depending on the size of a household’s initial payout. The Minnesota Department of Revenue failed to convince the IRS to treat the rebate as it had the tax-free pandemic-era checks delivered by other states. The rebates were $260 per person subject to income caps, with a qualifying household eligible for up to $1,300 if a couple had three or more dependents. It all means that $100 million or more of the $1 billion o...
Cloquet city councilors and mayor Roger Maki approved a smaller budget Tuesday than they expected three months ago. That means the levy increase for property taxes will also be smaller than reflected in recent estimates, with a 2.85-percent levy increase versus 4.53 percent. One local business owner spoke during the Truth in Taxation hearing that preceded the vote. Jim Kuklis, who owns Trails Edge subdivision - consisting of two-family townhomes available for rent by residents over the age of 55...
The Cloquet Police Department is investigating a residence struck by bullets in the 10 block of 14th Street in Cloquet. The incident is believed to have occurred Wednesday evening, Dec 6. Upon the arrival of officers at the scene, they discovered several bullet casings and at least one bullet hole penetrating the residence. No injuries were reported in connection with the incident. The Cloquet Police Department is actively investigating the case, with officers and investigators working to gather information and resolve the situation....
They liked its unique nature, which is something, considering that the state flag design entered by Cloquet artist Sarah Agaton Howes was one of 2,600 entries reviewed by the State Emblem Redesign Commission this fall as it winnows down to a final new Minnesota flag and seal by year's end. The commission deliberated for hours on Nov. 21 and voted in six flag designs and five seal entries. Agaton Howes' flag, based on Native loom and bead work, features a geometric yellow North Star and...
Get your news in now, because the Pine Knot News office will be closed the week between Christmas and New Year. We will not produce a paper that week, and encourage readers to take their time perusing the extra- large Dec. 22 issue. Call 218-878-9332 with any questions or comments. Obituaries and breaking news will be published online at pineknotnews.com....
Firefighters in the area were busy the past week with a spate of fires surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday. The most serious incident was a garage fire on Wednesday, Nov. 22, at a home in Brevator Township north of Cloquet in St. Louis County. A 64-year-old man suffered serious burns when trying to retrieve items from the burning garage. He was in stable condition by early this week. Deputies and the Cloquet Area Fire District were called to the 3500 block of Nelson Road, just west of...
