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 most recent census has created an upheaval in election boundaries, leaving many of us scrambling to learn basic information on candidates in our newly aligned districts. To those who find themselves in Congressional District 8, where U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber is being challenged by Jen Schultz, I would like to share important information as a constituent who has been in the district for years. Stauber has been the congressman for Grand Rapids and Iron Range cities for the past six years. His performance in office has been so dismal that the...
When we started the Pine Knot News six years ago, people in the newspaper industry noticed. Admittedly, it was mostly shock — Who was crazy enough to start a brand-new paper? — mixed in with a flicker of hope. It all started after my previous employer, the Pine Journal, closed its office here and moved operations to Duluth. A group of us felt strongly that Cloquet and Carlton County needed a solidly local newspaper that actually cared enough to have an office here and a paper producing original...
Back on Oct. 7, the Carlton school board itself went to school. Members met for three hours with a representative of the Minnesota School Board Association to receive instruction on Minnesota law, school board rights and responsibilities, Robert's Rules of Order, and several other subjects pertaining to the proper function of a school board. Carlton schools are facing significant challenges, but all six of the people governing the schools still found time to work on making themselves better...
Our society is far removed from the Great Depression of the 1930s. Nevertheless, some government programs instituted to aid in the economic recovery left their marks on the northern communities of Minnesota. One of the most familiar is the Works Progress Administration, established in 1935 to employ millions of people to build public projects such as town halls, bridges, schools and park structures. These buildings and bridges are widely known, and the WPA letters are seen stamped somewhere on...
Although most media information on elections is about national candidates, Carlton County voters should study the entire ballot before making decisions. They will be choosing, among others, three Soil and Water Conservation District supervisors. While the county has several districts, voters choose all the supervisors. In District 1, roughly the northwest quarter of the county, Michelle Boyechko has been farming for 10 years in Tamarack. She uses sustainable farming practices to raise cows, pigs, sheep, and chickens; she also works at a nearby...
We, the voters of Carlton and parts of Pine and St. Louis counties must do the right thing. We have to vote out first-term Representative Jeff Dotseth. He refuses to step down after the Minnesota Star Tribune reported court records alleging domestic abuse of his wife and children in 2008. In a settlement, Dotseth pled guilty to disorderly conduct. The conduct reported makes me question his claims of pro-family values. The Minnesota Republican Party has refused to remove Dotseth from their state house caucus. Domestic abuse can not be tolerated...
There’s been a lot of talk about Jeff Dotseth’s domestic abuse and animal abuse. But I’m wondering why he won’t debate his opponent, Pete Radosevich. I called Pete to ask him when the usual candidate forum was scheduled. He said Dotseth won’t participate in a live forum, even when they tried to schedule one in Moose Lake. Why won’t Dotseth debate? It’s not hard to guess. Dotseth has been ineffective as a legislator and can’t hold a torch against Radosevich, in my opinion. Pete’s willing to debate. He’s open and transparent. Pete gets my vote....
When I was a young boy and brought home a tall tale from a school mate, my mother said, “Don’t believe everything you hear.” In my Barnum High School English class, Mrs. Docken cautioned us, “Don’t believe everything you read.” When serving in the U.S. Army, we were taught to evaluate information and seek to understand what is true or not true based on current evidence and critical thinking. If we are truly seeking truth, we can test allegations by gathering information, seeking all points of view, and then apply logic and commonsense...
I am writing to express my support for Sarah Plante-Buhs as the next Carlton County Commissioner for District 1. Sarah brings a wealth of experience, a strong community commitment, and a proven ability to get things done. Her dedication to public service is evident in her deep roots in our district and her involvement in local issues. Sarah’s vision for a thriving Carlton County includes advocating for economic development, supporting local businesses, and promoting affordable housing. She understands the importance of balanced decision m...
It was appalling to me that this newspaper printed three opinions in their Letters to the Editor section last week that were all one-sided and did not print any for our hard working Rep. Jeff Dotseth. It’s also not surprising since Jeff’s opponent owns this newspaper. The opposing party must be getting very nervous about losing the race. I have known Jeff personally for the last six years. He is hard working and wants to represent everyone in his district. Jeff has worked tirelessly, despite the one party rule the last two years, to make life b...
What kind of man is Jeff Dotseth? One we shouldn’t vote for. We’re writing to share our concerns about the allegations against Rep. Dotseth. He has been accused of domestic abuse, animal abuse and racist behavior, over a period of a decade — not exactly a one-time mistake or lapse in judgment, or an isolated incident, or a report from only one person. In our opinion, it’s pretty simple: A man accused of domestic abuse should not be in a position to limit women’s rights to control their bodies. A man who had his own guns legally removed f...
It broke the bank and nearly broke my spirit. The other day, hankering for some good old chili on a brisk, er, hot, fall day, me and the kid went to the store. My mind just happened to be on point, so, with a working list in my head, I made a few other purchases beyond the soup recipe I also keep in my brain. I knew it would be a mistake. There were paper products and batteries involved, along with the need to find mid-morning school snacks for the kid for the next few weeks. For the first time in my life, I spent more than $200 on a single...
We recently came across an interesting item by famed Ely outdoorsman, naturalist and writer Sigurd Olson, who once had a syndicated column in the 1940s. This one piqued our interest since it’s all about your favorite newspaper, the Pine Knot. Well, not really, but we enjoyed the spirit of Olson’s words and found in it many traits we aspire to here at the newspaper. Enjoy. In many parts of the country, pine knots are known as fat wood, because of their great amount of resin and their ability to burn with a bright and colorful flame. Resin or...
I had the honor to serve as our area’s state representative from 2013 to 2023 and I’m grateful for the trust voters gave me. Take note of a keyword: trust. The job requires plenty of it. Trust to collaborate with colleagues to solve problems and improve people’s lives. Trust to be responsive to the local needs of the district. Trust to serve in a way that reflects the values of constituents. Disturbing information about our current representative, Jeff Dotseth, has recently emerged showing he’s undeserving of our trust to serve at the State Cap...
Character matters to me when I vote in elections. I read in various media outlets about state Rep. Jeff Dotseth’s domestic abuse incidents. As a board member of an area domestic abuse program, I know about the destructive patterns of domestic abusers. Physical violence in particular leaves actual and emotional scars that don’t go away. Victims are left traumatized forever. Rep. Dotseth has denied some of the allegations, but the records show that an arrest occurred, and that Dotseth had supervised visits with his daughter. Those are the fac...
How long do we look away? Our current representative in the Minnesota House has sworn affidavits from his former wife and stepson that he terrorized them for a decade with physical abuse. He even beat the family dog, with his daughter begging him to stop. He copped to a lesser plea in court and was barred from owning weapons for a year. This guy actually not only has a license to conceal and carry, he has a license to teach and certify others to carry a gun. No wonder he voted against the red flag laws in Minnesota that take guns out of the...
With election season come more letters to the editor, most of them revolving around one or another political candidate or party. While we aren’t changing our regular rules for letter writers — including a requirement to be factually correct, avoid libel and not attack other letter writers — we feel the need to add a few additional rules especially for the season. Rule No. 1: Stick to local politics. No more letters about presidential or vice presidential candidates. We fact check all our letters as much as possible and we are a local paper...
I attended the West End Flourish on Saturday, Sept. 14. While there, somehow, I lost a set of keys and didn’t realize it until I got home. I returned and asked a few people if they had seen or heard of anyone finding some keys. No luck. I am not on Facebook, but a friend who knew I had lost the keys is on Facebook and saw a posting of some lost keys that were found. I was put in contact with the finder and was able to give her a full description of the keys, which verified to her that they were mine. I gave my address and the keys were r...
First, we wish to thank Dick Brenner for being our Carlton County commissioner in District 1 for over 32 years. Dick did an exceptional job, and his representation of the community was outstanding. Now that Dick is retiring, our focus turns to who should represent District 1. We submit that Sarah Plante-Buhs would carry on the tradition of exceptional representation and would be a stellar county commissioner. Sarah possesses high morals, values and ethics and her authentic, down-to-earth personality makes her approachable and reliable. Her...
There were 5,488 bills introduced in the Minnesota House of Representatives last session. Some ideas were good, a few were real doozies. Our State Representative Jeff Dotseth might have the distinction of putting forth the biggest head-scratcher. On March 7, he introduced HF 4687: “Harmful atmospheric activity prohibited, and penalties provided.” The bill talks about “cloud seeding,” “stratospheric aerosol injection,” “xenobiotic agents,” and “electromagnetic radiation.” These are all references to chemtrails, a discredited conspiracy theory t...
After watching Tuesday’s presidential debate, we’d like to propose that moderators abide by soccer rules if there is a next one and award “added time” at the end of the debate. In soccer that means extending the game past regulation time to make up for lost time due to injuries, substitutions, disciplinary penalties, arguments and other delays, a common practice. In a debate with clearly defined speaking limits, moderators should have the ability to award added time to a candidate who received less speaking time because their opponent did not...
Like many other Carlton County veterans, I take offense at the way some Republican leaders, especially Donald Trump, have disrespected veterans over the years. John Kerry ran as a presidential candidate against George W. Bush 20 years ago. Kerry, a combat veteran who received several military honors, including three Purple Hearts, had his military service falsely discredited repeatedly by Republican “Swift Boat” ads, contributing to his defeat in the 2004 election. In 2015, Donald Trump criticized John McCain’s military service in the Vietn...
Since our eldest son, Doug, died by suicide 17 years ago this month, September has been a difficult time. But it’s also a month that gives me hope, because of how many things have changed since then, nationally and in our own county. Doug’s death was devastating to our family and friends. At the time, things were kept pretty “quiet” about suicide deaths. We really didn’t have much direction on where to go for help or support after his death. It was more of a taboo subject and wasn’t talked abou...
Pine Knot News accountant Janis Fairbanks is also the chairwoman of the Fond du Lac Reservation Language Advisory Board. So who better to ask about community feedback on the showing in Cloquet and Duluth of "Star Wars: A New Hope" in Ojibwe the past week? Janis says it's part of her life's mission to "support the survival of the Ojibwe language." She had been to the Premiere Theaters showings three times by mid-week and was planning to go again before the run ended Thursday. "I can't get...
Jen Schultz has the capability of being a great representative. U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber comes from a good family, has a good family and he is probably a decent man, but he is a poor representative. We need a representative that will actually try to make the families in the district have a better life in some way, a representative that will think about us. Pete Stauber has voted against everything that would do better for the people of this district. He voted against getting the Blatnik Bridge repaired, he voted against the Inflation Reduction Ac...
