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 51 - 70 of 70
There may not be any bakeries left in Cloquet, but that doesn't mean there aren't some fabulous bakers around. "The gooey salted caramel center wrapped up in the moist chocolate cake with caramel buttercream is such a powerhouse of flavor," home baker Jazmyn Brown said as she described the flavor of her Snickers cupcake to her followers on her Facebook page. Brown offers a variety of cupcake flavors in her Chocolate Lovers Box including Snickers, Triple Chocolate and Chocolate Oreo. "There are...
Mark Lanigan has been named Bank President of the Frandsen Bank & Trust Cloquet office, effective Aug. 12. Lanigan, a native of Waterloo, Iowa has more than 30 years of banking experience, the last 19 years in the Duluth, Minnesota market. Prior to joining Frandsen, he spent 18 years with Republic Bank as a vice president/commercial banker. More recently, he served as a senior vice president/commercial banker for Bell Bank. "We're excited to welcome Mark to Frandsen Bank and the Cloquet communit...
National Bank of Commerce continues its growth and expansion with the addition of a new associate, hiring Roger Mischke as vice president-commercial banker. Roger is from Grand Rapids, Minnesota. He has a bachelor of science degree from Kent State University and 19 years of banking experience. Working out of NBC’s Hibbing office, Roger will build relationships with both current and new commercial customers to help local businesses and communities grow. National Bank of Commerce is headquartered in downtown Superior and also has locations in D...
A new store is doing its best to fill the gap left by the departure of the popular Goodwill and Salvation Army thrift stores in Cloquet. The Highway 45 Thrift Store opened in June. The for-profit store, owned by Gregg Wait and Jill Rousseau, has been in the works for a while. "We've been trying to open for two years," Rousseau said. Wait and Rousseau had been known for running auctions that past decade. "We have a place on Carlton Avenue and that's originally where [Jill] wanted to start the sto...
Effective Wednesday, Black Bear Casino Resort is 100-percent smoke-free inside the building. Guests may still smoke outside. General manager Dan LaPrairie said the Reservation Business Council made the decision to go smoke-free on Tuesday and he implemented the policy within hours. It was something LaPrairie had been thinking about for a long time before he took the recommendation to the RBC. "When I first took over I recognized that times were changing when it came to smokers and nonsmokers,"...
While the Carlton and Jay Cooke State Park area is known for its recreational trails, many people who would like to experience the beauty of these trails by bicycle may not be aware of a great resource for getting out and enjoying them. Carlton Bike Rental and Repair has been around for 10 years this summer, catering to the needs of those who would like to plan a group bicycle ride on the Willard Munger, Alex Laveau, or St. Louis River trails. The shop features a fleet of rentals: hybrid bikes i...
With people looking for opportunities to get out of the house and find something new, interesting and safe to do, a local shop with some decidedly dated inventory may prove to be a fun and worthwhile destination. Billing itself as an "antiques and collectibles shop," Nantiques at 402 Arch Street in Cloquet has now reopened, with limited weekend hours. "We're testing the waters," Nantiques manager Sheila Peterson said of the new hours, which are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. May 24...
Through interviews, we’ve been learning about Carlton County’s small-business challenges with COVID-19 social distancing requirements and mandatory shutdowns of many kinds of businesses. Here’s a look back at the last decade of small business experiences in Carlton County, charting the impact of the Great Recession that resulted in many (especially small) businesses folding. I focus on food preparation jobs — especially hard-hit under COVID-19 distancing restrictions — and how this sector fared...
When Gov. Tim Walz mandated that non-essential Minnesota businesses close to the public, Mainstream Boutique's Kris and RyAnna Anvid decided to take the store to their customers. They didn't violate any social distancing measures. Rather, the mother-daughter team began doing weekly Facebook Live videos. "We idled for a week or two, then I told my daughter we had to do something. We didn't want to give up or let this virus be the end of Mainstream Boutique," said Kris, who owns both the women's...
Being green has its benefits. Just ask the folks at Sappi. What started almost 20 years ago as an effort to prolong the life of the on-site landfill at the Cloquet paper mill has turned into an environmental success story that goes beyond Minnesota, even beyond North America. Sappi North America - and particularly the Cloquet mill - was one of 41 companies recognized globally last month with a SEAL Environmental Initiative Award. It all started with the landfill. With the Cloquet mill adding...
The Cloquet Area Chamber of Commerce honored businesses large and small along with its volunteer of the year at its annual meeting and banquet Thursday, Feb. 27 in the Otter Creek Event Center at the Black Bear Casino Resort. For 67 years, the Cloquet Area Chamber has recognized the significant contributions that area individuals and businesses make to the local, state and national economies with the presentation of awards and recognition to its member businesses each year. Award winners for...
The first sign that the former Applebee’s building may have new owners came when a crew of workers were crawling all over the extensive roof earlier this month, shoveling off snow. Carlton County assessor Kyle Holmes confirmed that the building at 1405 Highway 33 was purchased by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa for $600,000. The seller was Koller Family Trust and the filing date was Dec. 30. In response to the Pine Knot News, spokesperson Rita Aspinwall said the Band has no formal plans for the longtime restaurant site at this p...
Across the highway and about a block north of the Applebee’s site, the former Lemon Tree Liquor and Gas store at 1212 Highway 33 has also been sold. According to the county auditor’s office, the property sold for $140,975 to Pru Properties in May 2019. The seller was Brenner-Pollard, Inc. The Lemon Tree closed in late 2016 and has been vacant ever since. Pru Properties is a commercial and residential real estate development and consulting business. It declined to comment on plans for the building....
When Neil and Theresa Erickson bought Carlton's Woodland Grocery back in 2013, it was already like an old familiar friend. Theresa had found her first job at the store, which was then owned by her uncle, Richard Meger. She had worked there, off and on, since 1995. Neil grew up on a family farm in the Wrenshall area and knew the store at 500 Third Street in Carlton, including its excellent meat department. He met Theresa in 2000. They got married and started a family. Theresa had the store in...
1. Current Kwik Trip store. 2. Current Kwik Spirits liquor store, formerly Gramma Polo’s, to be demolished and replaced with car wash. 3. Trapper Pete’s is staying put. 4. Golden Gate motel will be razed and the area cleared for more parking and extension off the store for a liquor store. 5. Kwik Trip’s purchase of the motel will allow frontage road access to Minnesota Highway 61. 6. Entrances at County Road 45 have been congested....
Cloquet Wendy’s store sold, Burger King coming The Wendy’s in Cloquet is closed for good, and will be replaced by Burger King. “Thanks for a great 15 years,” says a sign on the window of the local fast food restaurant, which is located in a prime spot between Highway 33 and the local Walmart store. “We appreciate all the support. The friendships we’ve made, and all the great employees who worked here.” Chicago-based Cave Enterprises will be leasing the property in Cloquet and the London Road property in Duluth, said Cave Enterprise pr...
Members Cooperative Credit Union has been named the top 2019 Minnesota Credit Union of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. According to an MCCU press release, the award is being presented to MCCU in recognition of their excellent SBA activity for the fiscal year. From July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019 MCCU closed over $3 million in SBA-guaranteed approved loans, ranking them the top SBA credit union in Minnesota. “We know that without capital, small businesses struggle to s...
After being acquired by national retailer Camping World in March, it seemed to be business as usual at the Coates RV showroom in Scanlon. Not anymore. Although it is still filled with all kinds of RVs, campers and fish houses, the Scanlon staff (and soon its inventory) have moved to the Hermantown Gander Outdoors and RV store, which are also owned by Camping World. Sales associate Matt Juntunen said it's more like Coates RV took over Hermantown Gander store. "We're selling there; it's our...
A peek inside the windows of the former Goodwill building on Cloquet Avenue shows big changes ahead. Empty for months since the charity shop closed its Cloquet location in December, office and conference room walls are going up where gently used clothes and household items once called to those searching for a deal. Local attorney Terri Port Wright is hoping to generate a different kind of goodwill here; she's looking to create a facility that will help families and individuals struggling in the...
Sappi Limited, a global leader in dissolving wood pulp as well as graphic, packaging and speciality papers, announced that Michael Haws has been appointed as president and CEO of Sappi North America effective Oct. 1, 2019. Haws succeeds Mark Gardner, a 38-year veteran of Sappi in North America, who will retire at the end of September. Haws is currently vice president of manufacturing at Sappi North America. Haws joined Sappi in 2012 as managing director of the Somerset Mill before being promoted to vice president of manufacturing in Oct. 2015...
