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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The financial stress that is being put on individuals and families by our elected officials in the form of new taxes each year must be looked at very seriously in terms of how the continual increases are affecting their lives. The population of Carlton County has increased very little over my 80-plus years here, but taxes on the people have continued to increase at an alarming rate. Carlton County’s tax base is made up mainly of homeowners, who want to live here but are being taxed at such high rates it is really difficult for them. Carlton C... Full story
On Jan. 6, 2021, thousands of Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol to overthrow the election results. They injured more than 140 police officers, five who later died or took their own lives because of the attack. More than 1,500 insurrectionists were convicted by juries of their peers or pled guilty and were sentenced. President Trump repeatedly called the convicted rioters “hostages” and “patriots,” and the assault “a day of love.” In one of his first acts in office this week he pardoned all but a handful of them. Our own U.S. Re... Full story
I was driving down Country Club Drive by the Cloquet golf course when I spotted friend and fellow library board member Mary DuPont Hagen. She was outside the two-story, white house where she grew up, doing fall cleaning, painting, and yard work with her daughter. I asked about the tiny replica house by the hedge row. Like the big white house, it had windows on all sides, a front door, bunk beds, and a shingled roof. But an adult could not stand up in it. Mary said she spent many hours in the... Full story
Hockey Day Cloquet could not have gone any better last weekend. "Happy Hockey Day," Cloquet resident Catherine Loeb said. "Best day ever!" Among the best, for sure. The stands were full and easily 2,000 or more people descended on Veterans Park throughout the open air extravaganza Saturday which featured Cloquet-Esko-Carlton boys and girls varsity and junior varsity hockey games. The weather cooperated and even graced the day with snow fit for a Hallmark film. Certainly somebody was falling in... Full story
“With hope waning, horse is found,” was a heartwarming story, written by Wendy Rockvam Johnson, about the disappearance, search and recovery — after two long months — of my horse, Taz. It was published in the Pine Knot News on Dec. 6. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the people, many unknown to me, who helped by posting flyers and/or participating in our search: on foot, on horseback, online and on ATV. When we brought him home, Taz was grossly underweight, dehydrated and with an injury, so following the advice of my vet, I ad... Full story
When my dad passed early Sunday morning (Jan. 5) I was scrambling to write and proofread an obituary for him, and, when it was finally satisfactory, I started looking to publish it. My dad always wanted his obituary in the Pine Knot and another local publication. So I first contacted the larger local publication and they wanted $1,767.69 to publish it and, on top of that, they said I had missed the deadline for the Wednesday print edition by 90 minutes, so the only paper they could get it in was Saturday, the day after the funeral. I called... Full story
What projects can help your rural community? Now is the time to speak up. Every year, the University of Minnesota Extension invites ideas to promote sustainable development in outlying areas. Extension funds a number of proposals that enhance development in four areas: resilient communities, agriculture and food systems, clean energy, and natural resources. The deadline this year is Feb. 14. Anybody can apply, and the procedure is facilitated by people who help you shape ideas that will succeed...
A few weeks ago on X, that social media platform’s owner, Elon Musk, tweeted that he has the US’s twice-yearly Daylight Savings/Standard Time change in his sights. “Looks like the people want to abolish the annoying time changes!” he wrote. Vivek Ramaswamy responded quickly: “It’s inefficient & easy to change.” This wasn’t just two billionaires musing about a source of annoyance to lots of Americans, but two billionaires who believe they’re in a position to do something about it. That’s thanks... Full story
Here we are at the end of the holiday season, a time of “glad tidings, peace, and good will toward all.” How ironic it is that Merriam-Webster, the dictionary people, recently released “polarization” as their word of the year. The word is chosen each year based on how often it is searched and found online. In 2024, an election year, the word was at the top of the list. Even though the word has been around for a couple hundred years, the usage has changed, which often happens in our languag... Full story
I was saddened to hear the news that Mary Murphy had died on Christmas Day. She was, for many years when I lived in Scanlon, my legislator in the Minnesota House of Representatives, from 1976 to 2022. She was the longest-serving woman in the House, and second-longest serving legislator ever. She lost her reelection bid in 2022 by 33 votes. She was a trailblazer and effective in what was - especially when she began - a man's world. Murphy's full-time job was as a social studies and history... Full story
Welcome to the final Pine Knot News issue of 2024. The paper will be closed next week, so staff can spend more time with friends and family. That means there will be a two-week gap until the publishing of the Jan. 3 editionbut we will be updating the website more frequently. Creating a newspaper every week is a labor of love for all of us at the Pine Knot News, but it’s labor all the same. We could use the breather, but not before we tell you how much we appreciate your readership and support. In the six years since we printed our first e... Full story
Every December, our kitchen transforms into a holiday bakery. The countertop is crowded with bowls of flour, sugar, and spices, while cookie cutters clatter against the wooden table. It's a tradition as constant as Christmas itself: baking cookies with my mom and grandma. They're my memory makers, the women who taught me that cookies are more than just desserts, they're stories in sugar and dough. It always starts the same way. My grandma ties on her faded red apron, worn soft over years of... Full story
Recently I was traveling through Cloquet for work and noticed that there is a quite large Ten Commandments tablet outside of the Cloquet fire station on Cloquet Avenue. Clearly, this is a violation of the First Amendment. In speaking with a local, they stated that the city council was informed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation to remove the Ten Commandments, yet they have clearly failed to do so. Being a lifetime resident of Minnesota (and longtime resident of the Duluth area), I’m surprised at the brazen action taken by the Cloquet c... Full story
I swear I didn’t run for state representative just to get out of writing for the Pine Knot News this past year. In fact, I’m pleased Jana, the editor, asked me to start writing “Harry’s Gang” again. It’s nice to be back. It’s also nice to know that I was right. Just after the election, we heard the state is facing a possible budget deficit in two years of nearly $6 billion. That’s precisely the amount I had been advocating that we save from the $18 billion budget surplus of a couple years ago. A... Full story
Congratulations to directors Jodi Hodgson and Joel Soukkala, and the entire cast and crew of County Seat Theater Company’s recent production of “A Goblins’ Christmas Carol.” For several years I have been meaning to attend a show at County Seat Theater, but it has never worked out. I was fortunate enough to be in the audience on Saturday, Dec. 7 and was very impressed with all elements of the show. The staging was smooth and seamless. The scenery, lighting, makeup, and costumes were very well done. It was also great to see the wide range o... Full story
Here is our annual reminder on the importance of public notices in your local newspaper. As a hyper-local newspaper, the Pine Knot News is a lean and keen newspaper. There are no unnecessary additives or sweeteners in the product you enjoy each week. And that includes the back of the paper, often filled with public notices. These notices are the key to open government and an informed public. Yes, publishing them at a cost helps keep the lights on here at the office, but they also serve a... Full story
With great winters come great responsibilities, and, as the snow whipped in this week, we are reminded of just what those responsibilities are. If you live in a city, check the overnight parking ordinances. In Cloquet, parking overnight on streets is prohibited. It doesn’t matter what the snow situation is. Keeping cars off the streets allows for faster plowing when the snow comes. Get your car in shape for the season. It’s easy to feel invincible on the road, that you might not ever get stuck out there on some dark, blustery night because you... Full story
They’ve been doing it all along, and now they want to take an extra step and bring some vibrancy to Carlton and its environs. Emily and Glenn Swanson from the city’s historic Oldenburg House have hosted numerous arts events at the bed and breakfast — concerts featuring national and international artists, poets, and delightful events with a host of local artists like the Honey Bee Festival a few years ago. They’ve also worked on the West End Flourish, taking art to Cloquet’s historic district in an effort to bring some revitalization. Oldenburg... Full story
Carlton County commissioner-elect Dan Reed is not losing time in his efforts to fulfill electoral promises. On Saturday, Nov. 23, Reed buttonholed Minnesota’s U.S. Senator Tina Smith at a conference in Minneapolis and secured a future meeting to discuss federal funding for long-delayed improvements in a stretch of Minnesota Highway 73 at mile markers 18, 19, and 24 in Kalevala and Eagle townships south of Cromwell. Reed was attending the annual convention of the Minnesota Farmers Union where Sen. Smith had just given brief remarks on the r... Full story
Shop locally. It’s not a new concept, but with online shopping a mouse click away, it’s a message that bears repeating for old and new generations. Sure, it’s easy to find what you want online. And sometimes, that’s the only place a person living in northeastern Minnesota can find that special something. But there may be something equally or even more special lurking in a shop or business right here in Carlton County. Have you visited Sass Boutique yet? Abundant Baby? Or Shop on the Corner, home to multiple makers, artists and vintage collect... Full story
Tuesday’s wet and windy weather blew many things around, including a piece of paper with handwriting on it. It went splat, flat onto the front window of the Pine Knot. Or perhaps we should say “hoofwriting.” Apparently, the notorious loose sheep, known by many as Brad, was making his way back to Carlton County after quite the odyssey. After so much adventure, it seems he felt obligated to get it all down for the record. He was first spotted up the North Shore in the Two Harbors area a few weeks... Full story
Fred Rogers, from the beloved children’s show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, once recalled how his mother comforted him during frightening times. “Look for the helpers,” she would say, reminding him of the people who, even in the worst situations, step up to help those in need. Many of those helpers recently returned home after restoring power in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, where entire towns were torn apart, homes were flooded, and millions faced the grueling uncertainty of days, even weeks, without power. For millions across... Full story
The 7-year-old was obviously confused Wednesday morning. Her school voted for Harris, why didn't the country? "I want a woman president." She pondered her school chum who had voted for the other guy. "But we are still friends." She asked rhetorically if the votes at her school had counted in the wider world. "I know, you have to be 18." I wondered if what she was spouting post-election was precocious or just how yet another person in the world can get so inundated with politics in the current st... Full story
It’s one of our favorite annual traditions, the Veterans Day Roll Call you’ll find starting on Page 9. We are honored to highlight our veterans each year, and especially love hearing new details about the extraordinary experiences they hold so dear. We hope you enjoy the section as much as we do. And if you’d like to honor vets in person, attend one of the events listed for Monday. A huge THUMBS UP to those who contribute to this section each year, and thanks to all veterans for your service. THUMBS UP to voter turnout in Carlton County. We re...
Museums are not just repositories of objects, they are living spaces that tell stories, bring people together, and create understanding." – Unknown We like to hold on to our history as evidenced by the local museums in Carlton County. Cloquet, Moose Lake, and Esko museums retain artifacts of our past to help us remember people who worked, played and formed the society and culture we enjoy today. The stories and insights we garner from a visit to the museum can improve our perspective on life a... Full story
