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 Feeling of Family By Merissa Witte When I was younger my dad would play bands on the radio like Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Guns N’ Roses. I’d sit there in the car with my siblings trying to figure out who the band was and what song of theirs it was. Truth is I never really knew the names of the bands; I just loved listening to music with my siblings and Dad. When I was about 10, I remember one Christmas where we were at my aunt and uncle’s house, playing “Apples to Apples.” It was my grandpa’s turn and the card was “something chewy.” Well,...
Following the Cloquet City Council meeting Tuesday, a few of us were standing around talking about the Highway 33 public meeting last week. And one of the complaints — among many — was the lack of public notice about the meeting. How are we supposed to know, one person asked. “We had it in the newspaper,” I told her. She doesn’t get the paper. Granted, we didn’t run a giant story, but the notice was there on Page 3 of the Jan. 26 issue, with all the details a person would need to attend the...
When politicians meddle with nature, trouble can happen. But people, such as Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wildlife manager Kelly Straka, seem to be a voice of reason when it comes to managing the population of Minnesota wildlife. As a hunter and a wildlife expert, I feel she can be trusted when she states wolves are not the only reason for the decline in deer populations. Over the course of a couple centuries, the wolf population in the United States declined from the millions to mere hundreds. The last survivors in the...
The “Go big, or get out” mantra has dominated U.S. agriculture for decades. It is getting push-back from small and medium-sized farmers in the Lake Superior regions of Minnesota and Wisconsin, and the public response is remarkable. At the Lake Superior Sustainable Farming Association annual meeting last weekend, executive director Julie Allen reported that its major annual activity, the September Harvest Festival in Duluth’s Bayfront Festival Park, was another huge success, attracting over...
The Pine Knot News asked the two members of the Minnesota Legislature who represent the area to offer their views on the session that begins on Monday, Feb. 12. The often head-spinning budget session of 2023 had both Republicans, Sen. Jason Rarick and Rep. Jeff Dotseth, questioning the spending decisions of Democrats, who control the House and Senate in the current biennium. That control includes Democrat Gov. Tim Walz. State lawmakers' primary job following an election year is to create a...
Pine Knot News columnist Steve Korby was curious about the Carlton County reaction to former Minnersota Twin Joe Mauer’s induction into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, which was announced last week. So he asked. Catch his reaction to the news on Page 11. Howie Hanson, gifted Lumberjacks shortstop and publisher of Duluth’s Howie’s Blog: “First ballot is surprising. But Mauer respected the game throughout and will continue to be a legendary ambassador for baseball.” Keith Basney, Cloquet graduate and now Arizona resident: “Mauer Ha...
As a former director, I have often been asked about the status of the Cloquet Forestry Center. I am not in the loop but did recently receive a copy of the University of Minnesota’s annual report, “View of the Woods,” which includes information on the forestry center. The following is taken from that report: “A focused working group of Fond du Lac and U of M representatives have been diving deeper into the details of possible collaborative research and outreach opportunities as we look into the future. This technical working group has been ch...
We live in the land of more than 10,000 lakes and 6,000 rivers and streams. Fresh clean water sustains our way of life from the systems in our homes, to the farmers who grow our food, to the outdoor recreation opportunities on or near our waterways. It is easy to take all of this for granted. Even though we experienced a record snowfall season last winter, our precipitation pattern left us very dry throughout the summer months. Our garden in Carlton County needed watering often, as did the...
The phrase is simple enough, and surely heard often these days. We are Minnesotans, afterall. We like to talk about the weather. But for some reason, the phrase just doesn’t resonate like it might in other years. Of course, the last time we had a weather spell like what we saw in December, none of us were alive. It was 1877 — 147 years ago. We’re quite sure the same phrase was bandied about back then, too. Right now, it is quite gloomy-looking outside the Pine News windows. The weather app says it’s 35 out, but feels like 36. There is drizzle...
It’s said that one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, but expecting a different result. Regardless, this will be my last “Harry’s Gang” column for a while, because I have decided to run for the Minnesota House of Representatives in District 11A, which encompasses all of Carlton County and a small part of Pine & St. Louis counties. Again. There is no legal restriction preventing me from continuing this column. The First Amendment guarantees that the press is free fr...
I use my computer all day at school. Then I do homework on my device until I nod off. I overuse screen time. Experts say we should use our devices for under two hours and 30 minutes, and here is why. As an adult, your phone is essential for communication with other adults and your children (who need constant reminders). Your children also benefit from screen time in multiple ways. They can gain communication skills. If you let your children use educational apps, they learn academic skills to help them in school. Numerous negative effects...
Although Donald Trump won the Republican caucus in Iowa, it was the lowest voter turnout in years with only 14 percent of registered voters, according to David Muir of ABC News. Weather may have contributed. However, this means 86 percent failed to participate in the caucus, leaving one to believe there are many undecided voters who will wait until November to cast their votes, depending on one of the many lawsuits yet to be decided against Trump. As a voter who has lived through 14 presidents, I believe there has been too much drama during...
By now, it cannot come as a shock that even our own backyard is not immune from gun violence. In the blink of an eye in America, where our infatuation with guns exceeds our sense of order, a grudge, grievance or some other precipitator can yield tragic outcomes and a citywide lockdown. Such was the case on Jan. 8, when a shooter killed two people and then himself at the Super 8 hotel in Cloquet. Authorities continue to investigate in search of a motive, and any possible connections between the shooter and victims. Praise for those who...
My office is in the old Cloquet Co-op building in Esko, and it carries a lot of history. The thing is built solid. Those Finlanders obviously expected the building to be around for a hundred years or more. It’s tight, too, not drafty at all. So many people have stopped in over the years to reminisce about the old co-op. I feel like I’ve been here since the 1950s, when it was built. It carried groceries, of course, but also hardware, sewing stuff, farm supplies, and some clothing. And yes, to...
I just wanted to express my gratitude for how the community responded on Jan. 8 to the shootings at the Super 8 hotel. Someone with the emergency response team mentioned to me, “I got into this line of work because I wanted to help people.” He called it the “farmer mentality.” Everyone does their part to help the ones in need. Every action is vital, and everyone has a role to play. Thank you, whether you were on the scene that night or a guest who talked us through it, sent us food, came to the candlelight vigil, sent a text message, called...
In your Dec. 22, “Our View” editorial and its “thumbs down” of the new Hunters4Hunters group, it was obvious to me that the individual writing this biased view either did not attend the Carlton meeting or was sleeping through the presentation. As a hunter for over 60 years, I was in attendance and listened attentively to the speakers because neither the DNR nor the state government has been listening to deer hunters for years. This wolf crisis has been brewing for years prior to this meeting and has finally reached a crescendo due to the tot...
The Barnum bus drivers continue to struggle with being short-staffed. The ultimate solution would be to hire two additional bus drivers. The district is considering an alternative solution that is concerning the bus drivers and the community. The district is proposing to sell its bus fleet to a private busing company. Most of the current drivers are Barnum graduates and/or have children connecting them to the district. They care about our school and our children, but are unwilling to work for a private for-profit company, as they will lose...
The holidays were fun, with so many relatives at our house that no one really wanted it to end. So, after Christmas, my sisters invited Tommy, 16, to drive back to the Cities with them. He jumped at the chance. Fifteen minutes later, he had packed a bag, made a few calls, and was ready to go. As he asked me for a few bucks, he said, “Dad, I’m heading to Minneapolis. I don’t know where I’m staying. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. And I’m not really sure how I’m getting home. This is gonna b...
Reviewing the recent home mailing from the Cloquet Educational Foundation, I recalled an exceptional environmental learning experience with my son at Wolf Ridge Center in Finland, Minnesota. It was around Thanksgiving 2000. Fifth-graders from Cloquet took a bus to the center to experience being outside and hiking, looking at the stars, feeding birds, the infamous “ropes” obstacle course, staying overnight, and interacting with other students and parents. I was a parent chaperone. Wolf Ridge is...
Years ago, the United Way of Carlton County was in a bit of a pickle. Potlatch had just been sold to Sappi; there were layoffs and uncertainty, and the annual United Way campaign was in jeopardy. A significant amount of the money raised each year was from the good people at Potlatch, and that year the donations were way down from previous years. Thankfully, they’ve rebounded since, but that year things were tough. Of course, the community was hurting too, and organizations and people who r...
I lived in Carlton then Cloquet for over 30 years. Then my job took me to the Twin Cities where I have resided since. I have family in your area so visit occasionally. I love it “up there.” Every week I look forward to the mail so I can receive my prized Pine Knot! It makes me feel I am still attached to my hometowns. Your staff does an exemplary job in making this great paper the very best. Thank you for all you do. Thank you, Pete Radosevich, for your perfectly worded article in the Dec. 22 edition. You hit the nail on the head, as often you...
Opinions are as unique as fingerprints. Everybody has one, and every one is different, even if only slightly. In politics, we gather together based on our opinions, much like metal shavings around a magnet, with people gravitating to one magnetic pole or the other, even if you don’t share the exact opinion with everyone in your group. In America, we call the magnetic poles “conservatives” and “liberals.” Republicans and Democrats. What most people are forgetting is that a magnet needs both pole...
Welcome to the final newspaper of 2023. For the first time in our five-year history, the Pine Knot News will be closed for a week, taking off the final week of the year, meaning there will be a two-week gap until the publishing of the Jan. 5 edition. 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 five years since we printed our first edition in October 2018, we’ve...
Obviously, it has been a strange winter. I didn’t (but could have) rake leaves in Cloquet on Dec. 18. There was no snow, but it was too windy. It’s wacky. The Rugged Spruce Senior Golf League in Mahtowa played competitively on Nov. 15. Greens were a hair slow, but it’s still pretty lucky to be hacking outdoors near the end of the year. The course was playing a little easier because the water hazards were frozen. The Twin Cities area, just last week, had golf courses opening for play and all t...
One of the things people say in the receiving line at funerals is "If there is anything we can do, please let us know ...." So, we did. We let you know. And we will continue to do so. Drowning people are rarely too shy to ask for help. And everyone has been amazing. The prayers - we feel them. The food - we've eaten it. The flowers - we've smelled them and done our damnedest to keep them alive. The nervous awkward smiles at the grocery store - no one knows what to say and how could they? We...
