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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It has recently come to my attention that the University of Minnesota Board of Regents will meet to discuss transferring Cloquet Forestry Center land to the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. I am writing to you as a university alumni and a past interim director of the center with 30 years of experience while working at the facility. I am the last surviving faculty member with intimate knowledge of the history of the CFC. I am troubled with the meetings between the band and the university with no public input or informing those...
It’s good to be back. Running for office was an interesting experience, but one of the most fascinating things I learned was how little most voters think about our lawmakers and how our legislature works. It turned out I, too, knew a lot less than I thought I did. It’s amazing how much you can learn by getting out and meeting your neighbors across the district, which covers all of Carlton County and a few adjacent townships in St. Louis and Pine counties. While campaigning, people were alm...
"You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not murder;' and 'whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, 'You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave...
My family moved to Cloquet 17 years ago. In that time, our property taxes have more than doubled, with an increase of 129 percent. This is before the pending new firehall gets added onto the bill. The valuation of our home has increased 98 percent, which plays a role in how much our property taxes are. I like an optimist as much as the next person, but I am highly skeptical that we could sell our home for what the assessor is valuing it at. Thoughts of appealing the value of our property sounds like a waste of time, as I have to believe the suc...
It has come to my attention that the Thomson Township board of supervisors recently changed the time of regular board meetings from its long-established 6:30 p.m. to a much earlier 5 p.m. This will make it very difficult for many working folks to attend without having to take off from work early — costing them precious time and money. This move certainly smells to me of trying to restrict citizen participation. I would strongly suggest to the board that they reconsider, and go back to the 6:30 time slot for their regular meetings. And, for t...
A recent television news report of Exxon Oil’s annual profit for 2022 was $55.7 billion. Wow! If I recall from college accounting classes, business profit is what remains of revenue after all business expenses have been paid. In other words, profit is the free money left over not obligated to any other expense. Reasons Exxon gave for this may be questionable: The economy is improving (strong markets); strong production; and the one that really had me baffled, they are doing a better job at controlling prices (good cost control). What?! I think...
Who grows our food? Where is it grown? How is it grown? How long will production last? Folks with ready answers to these questions probably know a member of the Lake Superior Sustainable Farming Association (LSSFA). For three decades, residents of northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin have benefited from the more than 120 farmers with modestly sized operations who commit to organic and regenerative methods that LSSFA advocates. Forty of those producers gathered for the association’s a...
Cloquet and Hibbing, both in northern Minnesota, have had spirited sports encounters over the years, with the Lumberjacks and Bluejackets enjoying memorable and classic confrontations in football, boys hockey, soccer and basketball. The communities are similarly sized, with mostly blue collar residents and energized fans. When I was a 1971 Cloquet High School senior, the football team played the Bluejackets in what was dubbed the Super Bowl. It pitted Cloquet - the seasonlong Duluth/Zenith/Big...
Congratulations on running a determined and clean campaign for the District 11A Minnesota House position, Pete Radosevich. After you’re done licking your wounds from the unfortunate election defeat, please get back to writing your “Harry’s Gang” column for the Pine Knot. We miss ya, Pete. Sean Sundquist, Culver...
I had worked with former state representative Mike Sundin on a veterans identification bill. The federal government signed a veterans identification bill into law in 2015. HF 720 would bring Minnesota law into compliance with federal law. I would suggest an attorney general opinion as to why Minnesota is not in compliance with federal law. How quickly granting of driver’s licenses despite illegal immigration has moved ahead, yet getting a veterans designation on a driver’s license has not occurred that complies with federal law is som...
As a former teacher and coach in the Carlton school district, I have watched the demise of both the Wrenshall and Carlton schools. There is plenty of blame to go around. School boards, administration and parents all share a piece of this very sad situation. Seldom have I heard this question asked: What is best for our students? In the opening paragraph of a Jan. 20 article in the Pine Knot News, Brady Slater uses the phrase “Deeper cooperation.” Past and present adult leadership hasn’t a clue as to what this really means. Students have been...
February is Minnesota School Board Recognition Month. It’s a great time to recognize our elected community members, who selflessly give their time and energy in support of high-quality public schooling for our youth. School board members in Cloquet are entrusted by this community with responsibility for an annual budget of $46 million, 2,600 students, 450 employees and five buildings. School boards are charged with making decisions that can sometimes be quite difficult or require sifting through a great deal of information. They also bear r...
Jenny Glumack, manager of legislative affairs for the Minnesota Rural Electric Association, wrote this piece on behalf of its member cooperatives. On Jan. 5, the Minnesota Legislature proposed a bill to transition all electricity sold in the state to be carbon-free by 2040. The bill must consider potential impacts to the reliability and affordability of the essential electric service provided by Minnesota cooperative utilities to their 1.7 million members. As new energy generation and transmission facilities are built to meet clean energy...
It snowed the morning my dad died in Indiana earlier this month, big white flakes that weren't in the forecast, as if Mother Nature wanted to honor my Minnesota-born-and -raised father one last time. I will miss him dearly, but I take comfort in the fact that Lloyd "Pete" Peterson packed plenty of living into his 87 years of life. We grew up hearing about pond hockey games with magazines for shin pads, and Dad's secret way of turning on the lights at the Worthington city rink so he could continu...
Do you get bored on the cold wintery days and wonder what to do to keep occupied? Maybe you should look at woodcarving as a hobby. You don’t need any special artistic ability to be a woodcarver. There is no age limit. It can be a lifetime hobby. There are two carving clubs in our area. The Bloody Thumbs club meets in Sandstone. The one I belong to is the Knotty Carvers of the North and meets at the Proctor Area Community Center on the first Saturday every month from September to May from 9 a.m. to noon. We also have a small group that meets o...
It’s been just more than four years since this little experiment called the Pine Knot News began. By this time next week, members of the staff here, and contributors, will be coming home with more hardware from the Minnesota Newspaper Association annual conference, awards for excellence in journalism. And, perhaps, Millie, the Mills Trophy, will remain in our office window, as it has for two years now as we bask in the knowledge that we’ve been judged the best weekly newspaper in the state. We can’t express the notion of our competence enoug...
Thank you to the Pine Knot News for publishing the feel-good story about the wandering dog that was noticed, caught and placed in a safe home. (Jan. 6 issue.) Also a big thank-you goes out to Jodi Carlson, Jen Cadigan, the owner and staff of Trapper Pete’s, and Missing Pets in the Northland. All these individuals remind us that there are many caring, compassionate people in our community. May we all be as kind to one another. Dennis Morreim, Cloquet...
I want to thank the “snow angels” that appeared in the last few weeks. Before the snow stopped falling during the “blue blizzard,” social media was filled with posts asking for help and others offering assistance. Cloquet residents asked for help getting driveways cleared, and others offered to run to the store for groceries for those not able to get out. Like many, I shoveled several times a day in an attempt to keep up with the neverending fluffy stuff falling from the sky. I did OK on the first day. I even managed after the first time th...
For over 60 years, he has made me and many other Carlton County residents laugh. His name is Tom Marciniak, although "Maynard" has been his informal handle since childhood. All Scanlon kids had nicknames: Bird, Heinz, Singy, Mugger, Hawk, Wennie, Jase, Speedy, Kraut, Baz, and the list goes on. Tom grew up in Scanlon and he's very proud of that - just ask him. Sather Park was his home away from home. Any place where there was a ball or puck in Scanlon in the 1960s or '70s, Tom was likely nearby....
What does the other side think? Like the rest of you, I have experienced and witnessed countless interactions of people around me over the past many years. My education in human nature has continued from childhood to my present age. Over the past few years, I have witnessed some aspects of human nature that have caused concern but, at the same time, hope. I have been overwhelmed by how quickly some people can judge and separate from people they have known for years. Division is the game’s name, and it seems you must pick a side — a side tha...
Once again, the Pine Knot News reached out to elected officials and other area leaders to solicit their New Year’s wishes and/or predictions, with the request that they share their thoughts on things within their own sphere of influence in 75 words or fewer. To find out what they said, read on. Carlton County District 1 Commissioner and chairman Dick Brenner I’m really hopeful for 2023 and I hope our economy turns around. In the county, the big thing moving forward is getting closer to the completion of the new Justice Center. And we’re going...
Christmas will have passed by the time this piece appears in the paper. Here’s hoping it was a time of peace and joy for all. Now, we look to the new year with expectations that maybe life will improve, inflation will drop, good-paying jobs will be plentiful, and all those nasty viruses will disappear. We know that’s not reality. Words of wisdom from an old friend and mentor continue to bolster my outlook when things begin looking gloomy. He said: “Happiness is not about having what you want;...
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 valuable service to readers. Newspapers have fought hard in recent years against the idea that notices should be self-published by government...
Stroke. I never thought I'd be speaking from experience, but I had a stroke on Oct. 7. It was frightening, but, so far, I haven't become disabled. While we're publishing more than two months later, I started typing this opening from my Duluth hospital bed. I hoped that if I shared what happened to me, and the knowledge I've gained, it could benefit other Carlton County residents. Stroke is one of the leading causes of American deaths following cardiac incidents. Can it be eliminated? Probably no...
The early reports of first rain, then snow, seemed somewhat unusual. But those of us who have lived up north a long time know winter has the upper hand. Just live with it, because before you know it, things will change. I saw the rain come - and come - and came to the conclusion that at least we wouldn't get 4 feet of snow when it was all said and done. The Halloween storm of 1991 was like that. Two bursts of snow came in at about 12 to 14 inches. It was super heavy and clung to the trees like...
