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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We owe it to ourselves and future generations to cast a well-informed, educated vote on Nov. 8. There are many who vote only based on the letter (D or R) behind the candidate’s name on the ballot. Please think about the issues that impact you and your loved ones the most. Is it taxes, the economy, gas and grocery prices, crime, education? I urge everyone to research the candidates on the ballot. Which candidate aligns with your values? A vote for Jeff Dotseth for Minnesota House of Representative, District 11A, is a vote for a brighter, b...
I have been a resident of Cloquet for 49 years. Seventeen of those have had Dave Bjerkness as my ward council member. He has listened well to any concerns I had. His leadership led to positive action and through his follow-up he showed me his dedication to the people in his ward. He would represent all the people in Cloquet in the same capacity as our mayor. Don Unulock, Cloquet...
A representative is a person chosen or appointed to act or speak for others. How will you choose? Jeff Dotseth is a local resident, family man, farmer, and Moose Lake businessman in District 11A, which was expanded to include areas in Carlton, Pine and St. Louis counties. Jeff works hard in his district with integrity and a simple grass roots campaign. He shows up joyfully and tirelessly everywhere there are people to meet. Jeff has endeared himself to young and old because he listens and is committed to action. He is endorsed by trade unions a...
As a manager in my manufacturing and education career I have had the opportunity to vet and hire many employees. Through the application and interview process I sought to learn and understand as much as possible about the applicant and how they would benefit our work team. Jeff Dotseth is seeking the “job” of representing the people of House District 11A. During the last election cycle I called both candidates requesting an interview. Jeff came to my home and spent nearly an hour sharing our concerns. In spite of my asking many questions he...
This week’s Pine Knot News and the local election guide inside are being delivered to almost every home and business in Carlton County … free of charge. Please don’t throw it into the recycling bin before exploring what’s inside. You will find stories and photos about government, your neighbors, business, crime, local sports and so many local candidate profiles. There are ads too, for local businesses that you love. As the only independent and locally owned newspaper in Carlton County, our mission is to inform and/or entertain readers with th...
When we started the Pine Knot News four years ago next week, people in the newspaper industry noticed. It was mostly shock — who was crazy enough to start a brand-new paper? — mixed in with hope. The Minneapolis Star Tribune sent a photographer and a reporter to our office in Cloquet. Minnesota Public Radio called, so did Business North and Fox 21 in Duluth. The industry’s Editor & Publisher magazine even wrote a short story with a photo. I can confidently say we weren’t delusional. After t...
In general, Americans are generous and willing to lend a helping hand to our fellow citizens. Donations after disasters, local charitable fundraisers and volunteer efforts for those in need demonstrate our benevolence no matter what political party individuals follow. So, what happens to our ability to be kind in the political arena? As we advance through this election cycle, we spiral deeper into the quagmire of negative, and too often derogatory attacks on those who do not share our views,...
Here is the call to action, the case for vetting candidates and getting out to vote. In democratic forms of politics, representation and visibility matters. During elections, voters are the board of directors establishing the mandates for the elected officials. Elected officials are aware if they do not follow through with substantive legislation, they could lose their positions. Voters have allowed the gap between our elected officials and public to continue to widen due to lower midterm voter turnout. My friend and a former Oglala Lakota Indi...
It seems to me so many senior citizens like me feel they have no way, no power, to express unhappiness with what is happening in our government. Voting may seem like a small thing, but it’s the most important thing you can do. I urge you to vote in the upcoming election. Barbara Koopman, Cloquet...
First & Second Amendments, police, veterans, secure borders, every unborn, freedom, American dream, good to defeat evil, future of the USA and, most important, to serve my God. Bill Dian, Wrenshall...
Weighing in on a political race is just not something I normally do, but I have concerns that I would like to share with my fellow voters. I wonder, is Jeff Dotseth truly focused on the needs of 11A? His realty business office address is in Zimmerman, Minnesota, closer to the Twin Cities than to District 11A. The Minnesota Campaign Finance Board website information for his campaign shows his campaign chair and treasurer both live outside the district (in Anoka and Cambridge). How can he truly understand and represent the issues unique to our...
Politicians are sending us campaign literature. I ask of every sentence that comes my way: how shall I pick this sentence up? What shall I do with it? It seems as if our default assumption is that (declarative) sentences are about the natural world and therefore true or false; but if you pay attention, you’ll see that assumption is often false. If the speaker/writer doesn’t allow any way the sentence could be wrong, it’s not about the natural world and not a matter of truth or falsity. It might be used to try to incite us to have a certa...
I am writing this letter in support of Dave Bjerkness for mayor of Cloquet. I only came to know Dave this year and he has been very helpful. He really listens and has compassion for people. Through conversations with his supporters, and his history as a councilman, I believe he will take this position very seriously and give attention to the most important issues in Cloquet. I believe we need a leader like Dave to oversee the city‘s business, improve safety for Cloquet‘s citizens, and be able to communicate and address complex issues cle...
I come from a family of patriots. My grandfather, father, two of my sons and I — four generations — have served in the United States Armed Forces, from World War II to Iraq. It is because of my sense of duty to America that I feel compelled to weigh in on our election choices. My grandfather taught me to pay attention to whom we elect as our leaders and that they will preserve our Democratic ideals. This letter is to show my support for Pete Radosevich to represent us in Minnesota House District 11A. His message is simple, to serve the peo...
Now that this year’s primaries are over and general election campaigns are revving up, it’s time to take a step back. I know, it seems an odd thing to do when all the media attention is shifting to focus on the U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and legislative contests that might affect who controls those chambers. But for those of us who care about where the country’s headed, it’s also a time to look past the election and consider what our government and society as a whole need. I can tell you, in four...
It’s been more than two weeks since the Cloquet school district was victimized by a hoax reporting a threat of active violence within the high school. Cloquet joined more than a dozen schools across the state in being swept up by the expansive “swatting” effort. Rochester Mayor Kim Norton’s “beyond angry” response was widely shared across media platforms. We can relate. But we’re not going to presume to know how we can stop foreign actors from using masking technology to make prank threats against our school communities. The calls have be...
It‘s been the honor of a lifetime to have served the citizens of Carlton County and all of District 11A in the Minnesota Legislature for the past 10 years. As we weigh the options of who will continue the efforts for working families, the environment, economic development, and the host of other issues that impact our lives, please consider your role while casting your vote on Nov. 8. Do we want a representative that will follow his political party’s mandates that restrict a woman’s ability to choose her health care and reproductive optio...
I am writing this letter in support of Pete Radosevich for Minnesota House District 11A. Pete is an influential member of our community. He is a local small-business owner, a husband and a father of three wonderful kids. Pete makes time to truly listen to people’s concerns on issues that impact the community. Growing up in a northern Minnesota town, he understands the day to day of small-town life and the effect big-city thinking in a small town can have. I trust Pete to get stuff done in the capital. He fights for people’s rights every day...
The Pine Knot News will accept candidate endorsement letters, with the following restrictions. Suggested word limit is 200, but we’ll accept up to 300 words for those who aren’t simply repeating themselves. If we receive multiple letters about a candidate saying the same thing, we won’t run all of them. We don’t charge for endorsement letters, but expect our readers to understand that space is valuable. Endorsements must abide by the same rules as any other letter to the editor: in particular, reader comments should be respectful, and the newsp...
With the election season ramping up, it’s time to lay a few ground rules. First up: endorsements. Defined as “the act of giving one’s public approval or support to someone or something,” candidate endorsements generally appear in newspapers in two ways: as letters from citizens endorsing candidates, or the newspaper itself announcing its opinion on the best person for the job. We at the Pine Knot accept one but choose to not practice the other. Endorsement letters are welcome, with limits....
I want the people of our district to know what Pete Radosevich stands for. As a former court administrator and mayor of Cloquet, I have known Pete for many years both professionally and personally. Pete has the attitude of a politician who is there for the people first, not the party. If you read the News Tribune column by Pete and the statements he made about his platform and stances on issues, it is clear that he makes sense. Years ago, the Minnesota legislators worked across the aisle with each other for the common good of those they...
The meeting last Thursday at Silver Brook Town Hall [with Wrenshall candidates Jack Eudy, Cindy Bourn and Deb Washenesky] was a little confrontational at times but it was good that the public was allowed to speak. The teachers’ meeting earlier in the week was tightly controlled by teachers and the public was gagged. During what I’d call “the real public meeting” some facts came out. No. 1 was the “investigation” that all of the board members voted for is the elephant in the room and they are not allowed to comment on it. I feel the investigatio...
“Would You Rather?” is a great game to play with your friends and family. On Election Day, Nov. 8, voters can play “Would You Rather?” in the House District 11A race between Pete Radosevich and Jeff Dotseth. Let’s play! Would you rather vote for someone who fundraises himself, or would you rather vote for someone who is supported by outside special interest groups that are spending big bucks to influence your vote? Would you rather have a leader who has proven himself able and committed to listening to all sides, or would you rather have someon...
Driving around town, you’ll find remnants of long-forgotten commercial activity in many neighborhoods, corner groceries and old gas stations that have evolved into residential space, as most commercial activity moved downtown or to the Highway 33 corridor over the years. The West End of Cloquet is one of those sites. Once the thriving center of Cloquet, it held City Hall, the police station, and many of the most important businesses in town. The original town square was in the West End. So was the train station, and the town’s movie the...
I recently read your article in the paper that discussed the upcoming bike race and the worry this has created for the ski club. As a mother of a member of our local cycling team, I was bothered by some of the comments and lack of acceptance or excitement about this upcoming race. We as a city tend to pride ourselves on supporting local sporting events, so to have cycling looked at as hindrance is rather disappointing. If we pride ourselves on accepting and encouraging our youth to be active and engaged in sports or other activities then we...
