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 311
With no comment from the public or school board members, a 2025 levy increase was approved in Wrenshall Tuesday in a Truth in Taxation hearing before the regular school board meeting. Superintendent Jeff Pesta called the budgeting in the district the past four years a solid path for the district. Next year’s levy is “staying close to home,” he said, and the better news is that the district’s fund balance is increasing: $506,000 in 2023 to $800,000 in 2024, Pesta said. Better financial shape means the district can look for ways to improve...
Esko Schools Quarter 1, 2024 Honor Roll Emma Adkins Aania Ahsan Adisyn Anderson Lillee Ankarlo Joshua Antonutti Emmett Bailey Aaron Bailey Roman Barnes Ellynor Barta Lucy Barta Brooklyn Battaglia Ashlynn Beare Josef Bednar William Beisang Gavin Belich Remington Bender Jaxon Benedix Harper Benedix Aviana Bergstrand Elin Besonen Isabella Bowman Marisa Brabec Ahna Brekke Annabella Brodin Quinn Bryant Braeden Caple Merik Carey Priya Carey Charlie Carlson Owen Cawcutt Amelia Cebelinski Joseph Cekalla Samuel Cheslak Ayden Chopskie Brynn Christensen...
Wrenshall High School Quarter 1, 2024 A Honor Roll Kiara Ankrum Soren Barron Bryce Bartczak Drew Bartczak Gavin Beetcher Soyure Beetcher Luci Berglind Evelyn Brown Vera Brown Willow Cash Gabriel Cass Hannah Christensen Kyler Clarke Kylee Crisp Lila Dalen Taiden Eider Mason Goetz Annabelle House Angel Hughes Taylor Hulgan Gracelyn Johnson Jack Johnson Julieauna Johnson Kendal Kot Tatem Morgando Isaias Padilla Carson Parker Camden Peterson Isabel Riley Aowyn Rupp Selah Rupp Jonah Sandstrom Matthew Shaw Molly Sheda Jaela Sjodin Jeshua Sjodin...
Barnum Schools Quarter 1, 2024 A Honor Roll Grade 7 Nicolas Beckstrand Nolan Carlson Owen Carvell Draya Collelo Colten DeVriendt Jaxon Erickson Grace Evans McKenzie Gran Cameron Kauppila Gendreau Langhorst Lilly Leino Makaylie Lohn Clark Moerke MiKayla Nichols Myah Ninefeldt Willamena Olsen Kylan Reller Emmie Rhodes Gabrielle Roy Levi Thompson Luke Thompson Vivian Wallace Grade 8 Owen Bailey Andrae Davis Morgan DeCaigny Rachel Dinger Henry Franek Avery Graftaas Amos Grover Hailey Ikola Lucas Laine Benson Langhorst Lindy LeDoux Clover Moerke...
School Board members voted Monday to appoint a new board member rather than holding a special election when Sarah Plante-Buhs steps down on Jan. 3. The replacement board member would be appointed on Jan. 6, but wouldn't take their seat until the first board meeting in February. Plante-Buhs submitted her letter of resignation halfway through her term, after she was elected to serve as District 1 Carlton County Commissioner in November. Whoever replaces her will serve through Jan. 1, 2027. Board...
Carlton Schools Quarter 1, 2024-25 A Honor Roll Grade 6 Marie Cottier Taylon Jackman Jordyn Luoma Averie Soukkala Grade 7 Benjamin Abbott Mackenzie Mullenix Grade 8 Andrew Cottier Lila Manning Natalie Twardowski Grade 9 Katelyn Cadotte Hadley Carlson Jaylah Crane Sophia DeCaigny Jorgen Herman Kohltan Johnson Baily Line Gabriella Loucks Cooper Miller Taylor-Rose Skagerberg Kyria Tuttle Kaden Ward Grade 10 Lydia Kiehl Lucas Radtke Brielle Simula Evelyn Socha Teagan Tessier Grade 11 Karysa Brown Alexis Coy Alex Gillette Myles Pearson Sophia...
Nearly 40 people filled the Carlton library for Monday's Carlton School Board meeting as superintendent Donita Stepan continued her advocacy of a merger with Barnum. But not before a large group of students stood to address the school board, most of them members of the Raptors cross country team, which competed at State earlier this month. Wrenshall junior Isabel Riley addressed the board on behalf of her team, pointing to the success of the Carlton/Wrenshall sports teams and what it has meant....
Wrenshall school board members voted unanimously Tuesday to write and deliver a letter to the Carlton school board posthaste, indicating Wrenshall's desire to continue with consolidation talks after news broke last month that the Carlton superintendent and board chair had initiated merger talks with Barnum. Short and to the point, the letter adopted by the board stated: Dear Carlton School Board. We are ready to meet to discuss consolidation between Wrenshall and Carlton when you are. Raptors...
Carlton Schools superintendent Donita Stepan delivered a side-by-side comparison of the two consolidation options facing the district on Tuesday night, with a strong push to pivot to Barnum. It was the first time the board met since Stepan and Carlton chairwoman Julianne Emerson dropped the bombshell that they had initiated talks with Barnum about consolidation. Stepan began by stating that the merger talks with Wrenshall were stalled. "We've been trying to consolidate with Wrenshall for over...
Like any other extracurricular activity, science fair offers kids the chance to take their talents as far as they can go. A handful of Cloquet kids have done exactly that over the past six months, advancing to statewide, national and international competitions to share their research and compete for even bigger awards. The following is a roundup of competitions and the students who got there. International Science and Engineering Fair Cloquet High School senior Grace Lavan and junior Johanna Ber...
The School Nurse Organization of Minnesota has named Sarah Ellena, Cloquet school district nurse, as its 2024 "School Nurse of the Year." The award annually recognizes one licensed school nurse in the state for "excellence in nursing practice and leadership." Ellena's career after graduating from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth includes experience in long-term care, pediatric and pediatric intensive care, public health and volunteer services, as well as nursing services in Carlton and...
After years of looking for a more economical way to distribute the school paper, Esko school board members approved a move to a digital-only newspaper starting in January. That means community members will no longer receive a paper copy of the Esko's Corner paper produced and distributed by Esko Community Education. The move is expected to save the school district thousands in printing and postage costs. Esko isn't the only local school making the move: Wrenshall switched to a digital paper effe...
The Wrenshall school board is in the process of formalizing a policy for community use of school facilities. The policy received a first reading at the board’s meeting on Tuesday. Superintendent Jeff Pesta said that because it’s a new policy the board can conduct as many readings as it takes to get it right. “We want community feedback on this,” board chair Mary Carlson said. Depending on the category, users of the school could be charged fees. The six-page policy proposal prioritizes non-fee based use of the facility for pre-K through 12th gr...
Dakota Tireman of Esko graduated with honors from Milwaukee School of Engineering this past spring with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering. • • • Cloquet’s Madolyn Beckfield (nursing and health sciences) and Lexis Gerard (psychology) graduated this past spring from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. • • • University of Minnesota in Minneapolis included the following students from the area on its spring dean’s list. Carlton: Ashley Aker, Isaac Konu Cloquet: Cameron Borner, Alex Despot, Mario Genereau, Michael Kayser,...
The first returns on the popularity of the new four-day week at Carlton schools showed only a slight dip in enrollment. It amounted to good news for a district entering a new era by not having classes on Fridays. Early childhood to 12th grade saw the student count reach 304, according to superintendent Donita Stepan, compared to 317 on a report generated by the school in March. “We lost some, we gained some,” Stepan said. “We budgeted for 295 and are at 304. We are optimistic that the numbers will keep rising as the year progresses.” Nearby...
Of the 27 Carlton County 4-H members with demonstrations and exhibits at the Minnesota State Fair that began in August, 19 purple or blue ribbons were brought home by the time the fair ended on Labor Day. Purple is the top award, for entries deemed to have "met and far exceed the average standards established for that particular class. The exhibit or workmanship is outstanding with minimal flaws." Here is a rundown on the Carlton County participants who won purple ribbons: • Laura Rubesh of C...
The Wrenshall school board converged Monday on Holyoke, where board members watched a sudden downpour and a whistling train outside, and were met by Wrenshall mayor Gary Butala. Butala agreed with the board that the city and school district ought to examine how to share snowplowing duties in the winter as well as fuel costs and access, already located on school district property. “We would like to share if we could with the school,” Butala said, inviting board member Eric Ankrum, head of the school’s building and grounds committee, to the J...
Carlton schools Second semester honor rolls. A Honor Roll Grade 12 Luukas Korpela Gavin LeBrasseur Megan Matarelli Tiffany Meade Abigail Mitchell Sam Ojibway Keanna Simula Gibson Reed Brody Vernon Harlee Ziebol Grade 11 Cody Shaw Gavin Gibson Lauryn Hilton Jackson Korpela Kayla Radtke Julia Peterson Amy Schoch Ariadna Rovira Sanchez Grade 10 Karysa Brown Alexis Coy Sophia Schmidt Nadia Tessier Grade 9 Harley Erickson Lydia Kiehl Brielle Simula Teagen Tessier Grade 8 Jaylah Crane Jack Gibson Jorgen Herman Gabriella Loucks Cooper Miller Selah...
Brady Slater [email protected] A pair of major projects took over the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College campus this spring and summer. One, the renovation of the commons area, is ongoing, while the other wrapped up earlier this month. As part of the Forest Stewardship Project, the college underwent a significant tree-thinning effort, dubbed a selective harvest. Built on the remnant timber plantation, the college’s tree thinning effort sought to improve fire safety and ...
Esko schools Second semester honor rolls. A Honor Roll Hailey Hansen Nora Kachinske Jacion Owens Avani Perez Millie Seymour Lucye Backstrom Cairin Berger Keaira Coleman Jamis Halverson Madilyn Hawkinson Aubrey Micken Joshua Synnott Evan Watsick Ethan Gamache Trevor Leach Gabriel Dusek Jaster Johnson Leah Borden Philip Furcht Amber Lawry Cole Luense Sovay Nick Layla Whiting Blake Behrendt Kiya Marino Evelyn Peterson Neela Stuermer Colton Dewey Hank Backstrom Owen OConnor Carter Osvold Baizlee Ritchie Aiden Tingum Annabelle Sunnarborg Jaxon...
Wrenshall schools Second semester honor rolls. A Honor Roll Connar Ankrum Kiara Ankrum Drew Bartczak Soyure Beetcher Vera Brown Willow Cash Gabriel Cass Lila Dalen Mason Goetz Annabelle House Angel Hughes Taylor Hulgan Brysen Jessup Jack Johnson Julieauna Johnson Natalya Kacer Kendal Kot Elliana Lattu Ryan Mattson Tyler Mills Alexis Nelson Andrew Olesen Isaias Padilla Teyah Parent Isabella Parmeter Camden Peterson Owen Resberg Isabel Riley Jack Riley Molly Sheda Jeshua Sjodin Faith Solomon Jasper Stamper Birk Stensaas Alexis Swanson Samuel Thul...
Carlton business manager Angela Lind said busing costs are too high, and driving a deficit for the next school year. At their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, the Carlton school board approved a budget for the 2024-25 school year that showed a deficit of $102,380, with $6,206,726 in estimated revenues, and $6,309,106 in estimated expenses. "The revenues we receive for transportation do not ... come close to our expenses," Lind said. "There's a $192,000 deficit in transportation."...
Children in Wrenshall Community Education’s Wrens Club program are learning about plants and pollination this summer. In mid-June, the Wrenshall Parents in Education group engaged the kids in a daylong activity that included hearing a hands-on presentation by a retired biologist, transplanting a native pollinator-friendly plant to take home, weeding a garden at the school, crafting a solar-powered night light with bee decorations, and visiting a nearby farm that relies critically on natural poll...
Cromwell-Wright School Second semester honor rolls. A Honor Roll Grade 12 Elliott Anderson Jillian Anderson Avery Birman Anaka Burton Tanner Collman Brandon Dickey Gracie Foley Aurora Gervais Wyatt Goranson Kyra Granholm Mya Gronner Maxwell Hanni Andrew Kachinske Macie Lind Emaleigh Olesiak Karina Olesiak Josie Suhonen Grace Swenson Pawel Swiatkiewicz Grade 11 Isabella Anderson Siiena Anderson Brady Dahl Bryanna Foster Jack Irving Tucker Korpi Emerson Lind Emily Lindman Nevaeh Manninen Dylan Nyberg Titus Swartout Grade 10 Justine Anderson...
The Wrenshall school board meeting Monday featured one of the more enthusiastic votes a board can give. Each of the five members exclaimed their affirmative vote to extend the contract for part-time superintendent Jeff Pesta. In doing so, the members lightly razzed the administrator about his loquacious manner — getting their money’s worth as far as the number of words he uses, they said. But thorough, detailed explanations were necessary to help get the district out of a $300,000-plus deficit last year. In accomplishing that, as well as ini...
