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 83 - 107 of 3953
The intersection of Minnesota Highway 210 and Carlton County Highway 61 in Carlton will close Thursday as construction continues on J-turn installation at the site. Originally, Carlton County officials expected the installation would be done without having to close the intersection. But the best and quickest way to tie in Highway 61 with the new stop area was to close the intersection for a day, county engineer JinYeene Neumann said after Tuesday's county board meeting. "It'll be open by...
For now, the bright green sashes encircling city ash trees are there to identify them as vulnerable to emerald ash borer - not to mark them for imminent destruction. But destruction is coming, whether by a preemptive strike by a chainsaw or death over time due to the bright green invasive insect. "It means it's an ash tree, that's all," said public works director Caleb Peterson. "What we will end up doing is yet to be determined." Emerald ash borer (EAB) is an insect that attacks and kills ash...
A driver that police say may have been "impaired" was killed Wednesday, Sept. 18 when his pickup truck careered off Minnesota Highway 210 in Carlton, crashing into the Carlton Laundry, with customers inside. There were no injuries inside the business, but the building suffered "heavy damage" and was closed the next few days. On Thursday, tire tracks from the truck could be seen in the grass outside the building. The Carlton County Sheriff's Office got a report of the crash at about 8:30 p.m....
For the second time in less than a year, the Thomson Township board of supervisors approved the hire of a new township clerk/treasurer at its meeting Sept. 19. Beth Elstad will replace Deb Kaumunen, who was hired in March to replace Rhonda Peleski. Peleski retired after doing the job for 30 years. Elstad will earn $35 an hour for the full-time salaried position. Elstad brings a wide range of experience in the nonprofit world to her new job. She's worked in the region since 1996 as a financial...
Several departments, including all court-related operations, relocated to the new Carlton County Justice Center earlier this month, and are now conducting business in the new $75 million facility located on County Highway 61 in Carlton. The county attorney’s office, court administration, probation, public defender and Sheriff’s Office have all moved into the facility, and are no longer reachable in the Carlton County Historic Courthouse in downtown Carlton. The Historic Courthouse continues to house several departments including the recorder, a...
Carlton County officials hope to expand the existing smoke-free ordinance to include smoking cannabis as well as vaporizing and consuming non-smokable cannabis and hemp products. Ordinance No. 29 Smoke-Free Public Places and Places of Work already prohibits people from smoking tobacco products within 25 feet of doors, windows and ventilation areas of indoor workplaces, bars, restaurants and other public places. The Carlton County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing regarding the proposal at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Carlton County...
Voters residing in Carlton County can cast early ballots in person at the following locations: Carlton County Historic Courthouse: In-person absentee voting for all Carlton County voters is available at the Carlton County Historic Courthouse, 301 Walnut Ave, Room 205, Carlton. Hours 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday. The auditor/assessor’s office will have extended hours Oct. 26, Oct. 29 and Nov. 2-4 in advance of Election Day. Sawyer Community Center: Temporary absentee voting will be available for all Carlton County residents 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. W...
While the tax levy for the city of Cloquet tax looks like it could grow by 11 percent in December, Cloquet school district levy numbers may actually decrease. District business manager Candace Nelis told board members that right now, the school district tax levy could actually drop 1.3 percent. That could change. “[The state] has been making changes to the levy every single day — sometimes they swing in multiple directions,” Nelis said. “So tonight I’m asking that the approval be at the maximum, so they can continue to make adjustments through...
A $312,927 jump in the Cloquet Area Fire District's proposed budget from its preliminary one two months ago - and a corresponding levy increase of 7 percent, compared to the 2.75 percent sent to the district's member communities in July - passed in a divided vote at the Sept. 18 board meeting. Gary Harms, representing Perch Lake Township, said raising rates after the fact is a problem. "Reality is reality, I guess," he said. "I got to go back and report to my town board and say, 'oops, made a...
It was record-breaking summer at the Cloquet Public Library as 589 children signed up for the Kids Reading Challenge and more than 1,800 people came to events. The library partnered with Community Memorial Hospital to make the summer reading program even more spectacular than past years. Thanks to the hard work of Audrey Tusken, the director of marketing and public relations at the hospital, participants were provided with many health and wellness-related events, including a kids cooking class...
The Carlton County board approved a preliminary 3-percent levy increase at its meeting Monday, containing costs in a way that had commissioners thanking staff, department heads and the finance committee that includes commissioners Susan Zmyslony and Dick Brenner. “I’d like to thank the finance committee for all the work they did on this,” commissioner Marv Bodie said. “I really appreciate it,” commissioner Gary Peterson added. “Myself, I was surprised.” “We worked very hard between our finance committee and the department heads,” Zmyslony said...
The former law enforcement program at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College features new courses and a new name aimed at providing graduates “a deeper understanding of officers’ roles in ensuring justice and providing service,” the college announced this week. The Criminal Justice/Peace Officer program was adopted to replace a focus on enforcement, and reflect “important changes in how officers serve their communities and interact with the public,” a news release said. New courses include one titled Mental Health Crisis Management and anoth...
Rep. Jeff Dotseth this week denied allegations brought to light in a Minnesota Star Tribune story Monday detailing his “extremely difficult divorce” case 15 years ago. Divorce proceedings in 2008 included affidavits obtained by the Minneapolis-based newspaper. Dotseth’s former wife and her son described repeated physical assaults and abuse since the early 1990s from the man who today represents Carlton County in the Minnesota State Legislature and is seeking a second term in the Nov. 5 election. Dotseth was arrested in 2008 after his wife...
Two Carlton County communities are being awarded substantial grants through the Small Cities Development Program. Kettle River will receive $600,000 for improvements to its wastewater and potable drinking water facility. Cromwell also will receive $600,000 for public facility improvements and community center rehabilitation. In total, 31 cities, townships and counties across Minnesota will receive nearly $21 million in grants. The funding must be used for commercial and residential property rehabilitation, public facility improvements and...
The Cloquet Area Fire District is conducting another Fire Explorers program for 2024-2025. The program allows youth members interested in a firefighting or emergency medical technician career to learn and experience the professions. The group will meet the first and third Tuesday of every month where explorers will be trained by firefighters and EMS professionals. The first session will be held at 6 p.m. Oct. 15 at Station 1 at 508 Cloquet Ave. in Cloquet. Contact assistant chief Corey Larson with questions at 218-499-4258, or...
The absentee voting period for the 2024 General Election begins today (Friday, Sept. 20). Voters residing in Carlton County may cast absentee ballots in person at the following location from Sept. 20 through Nov. 4: Carlton County Historic Courthouse: • In-person absentee voting for all Carlton County voters is available at the Carlton County Historic Courthouse, 301 Walnut Ave, Room 205, Carlton. Hours 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday. • The auditor/assessor’s office will have extended hours Oct. 26, Oct. 29 and Nov. 2-4 in advance of the Nov....
The newest J-turn in Carlton County is being constructed near the Carlton Kwik Trip, with completion expected by the end of October, say transportation officials. "It's not a huge construction project," county engineer JinYeene Neumann said. "We're not doing anything with the existing traffic lanes; we're building alongside." Neumann compared the work at the intersection of Minnesota Highway 210 and Carlton County Highway 61 to a J-turn, or reduced-conflict intersection, installed outside...
Officials are investigating the death of a 39-year-old man found in his cell at Minnesota Correctional Facility - Moose Lake. According to a news release, an incarcerated man reported to staff that a cellmate appeared to be unresponsive in their room at 10:40 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17. Corrections staff immediately responded and initiated life-saving measures, without success. The circumstances surrounding the man’s death remain an active investigation. The Minnesota Department of Corrections’ Office of Special Investigations, in coordination wit...
A 37-year-old man was injured in a single-vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon in Mahtowa Township. According to a news release from the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office, the crash near the intersection of County Road 61 and Painted Lane was reported at 4:51 p.m. Sept. 17. A Ford Ranger had left the roadway and crashed into the ditch. The reporting party found a 37-year old male lying on the ground next to the pickup. Carlton County deputies, along with Carlton Fire and Ambulance, Mahtowa first responders and EMS from the Cloquet Area Fire D...
Despite worries it would create another obstacle to consolidation with Wrenshall, Carlton school board members voted 4-2 Monday to extend business manager Angela Lind’s contract through June 2027. The three-year contract included a pay increase, and a year’s wages and benefits if the two districts consolidate during her contract and Lind is not selected as business manager for the new district. Lind was previously business manager for Wrenshall, which did not renew her contract in June 2023. Wrenshall school board members previously exp...
Outside the Wrenshall school library on Wednesday, football players from the Carlton/Wrenshall Raptors cooperative team could be seen running through their practice paces. Inside the library, the football coach and Raptors athletic director Brent Pokornowski joined officials from both districts for a meeting about the sports cooperative. In doing so, officials from the districts were meeting for the first time since a series of setbacks in the ongoing effort to consolidate the districts. In one of the most recent setbacks, Carlton sought to...
Cloquet city councilors set the 2025 preliminary tax levy at just over $3.9 million Tuesday, an 11.23 percent increase over the 2024 levy. Once a preliminary levy is approved, the figure can go down before it gets final approval in December, but it cannot be increased. City administrator Tim Peterson said the reason behind the jump is easy to pinpoint: wages. Salaries and benefits make up just over $6 million of the entire general fund budget of $9.5 million, he said. The total wage increases...
The official grand opening of the Members Cooperative Credit Union Stadium and athletic complex was held Friday night prior to the Cloquet vs. Duluth East football game. School officials, the school board and MCCU representatives joined in a ribbing cutting ceremony before the game, and giveaways were in abundance in celebration of the occasion. A lot of work went on behind the scenes to get the project done, and as with anything of this magnitude, everything had to come together at the right...
Well, folks, here we are again! September. Fall approaches, summer drifts away, and the world keeps spinning around. Although I would love to see the warm temperatures stick around for a while longer, we will just have to see what happens, I suppose. This year marks 10 years for me at ye olde shoe shop, and I feel very fortunate. Cloquet is a pretty neat little place! Thanks for being such an outstanding community. Reflecting on the last year, we have had businesses open, close and change...
Minnesotans facing mental health crises can dial or text 988 to connect to Lifeline support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The 988 code serves as a universal entry point, so callers can reach a trained crisis counselor who can help regardless of where they live. People can also dial 988 if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support. People should call 911 if they suspect a drug overdose or need immediate medical help. The change is part of a nationwide effort to transition the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline,...
