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
Sorted by date Results 601 - 625 of 1239
No one likes unflattering publicity, even if the negative incidents happened years ago and have little semblance to today’s activities. But it can still sting. That’s exactly what happened after we ran our story last month about Elaine Osborne, who wrote a book about her life after a sewer main line leaked millions of gallons five different times near her Esko backyard decades ago, exposing her to toxic raw sewage off and on for years. She has claimed the incidents in the early 1980s have caused her severe and long- term medical issues, and tha...
The recent political events in Texas got me thinking a bit. As a Catholic, I've never been a fan of abortion. As a Democrat, I value the personal freedoms and rights all people should have, whether rich, poor, connected or unaffected. As an American, I value the right of its citizens to choose their leaders and to pass laws that reflect their wishes to be self- regulated. But I am disturbed by the manufactured crises that politicians use, frequently, to divide the people, making it easier for...
Among area enterprises propelled into the Covid hotseat, Community Memorial Hospital must be our local ground zero. Demand for its care and services skyrocketed from the start, peaking in winter 2020. To explore how its management team and staff are navigating ongoing Covid cases, I sat down, adequately distanced, to talk with CEO Rick Breuer. Breuer emphasized that Covid outbreaks are not behind us. New variants are emerging. “We can tailor something that will defeat it,” Breuer notes, “bu...
I was very disappointed in some signs in the Cloquet Labor Day parade. "Trump won" isn't a political statement. Police officers died on Jan. 6 over an issue that isn't valid at all. There was a person walking in the parade wearing a shirt that said "Kamala isn't black." Huh? Where is there conversation in this? Lastly, the last two vehicles didn't represent anything. There was no business promoted or political backing. However, they had a "Police Lives Matter" flag, and a "Black Guns Matter"...
I respectfully disagree with columnist Pete Radosevich’s argument that the Constitution doesn’t play a role in the mask debate. (Aug. 27 issue.) Freedom is our nation’s backbone and strengthened by God’s blessing. His point on government’s role to secure “our general welfare” is recognized, but I question where “our general welfare” is provided for with the border crisis, our religious rights, and the recent Afghanistan debacle leaving Americans’ safety in jeopardy? The pandemic has taken many twists, and many are not conspiracies. Scien...
We love having our kids home all summer, but many parents are just as happy to have them back in school, masks or no masks. Most parents are aware that this will be the second year that all children will be offered free meals at schools, thanks to the pandemic. The federal program is welcome, but it is coming at an unexpected cost to our local school districts. They are pleading with parents to fill out the forms filed in normal times, in order to gauge the number of those eligible for free and reduced-cost lunches. That number is tied to the...
Yard parties are a pretty good way to get to know your neighbors - sort of a National Night Out, but on our own terms and conditions. So, we held a big yard party last week. It was all Kathy Lund's idea. She realized that several new families had moved into our Cloquet neighborhood the past couple of years and we had never all come together to get acquainted. Picking a date that worked for everyone was the hardest part. We finally decided on last Wednesday and, if someone couldn't make it, we'd...
It's that time of year again. The time when the sun comes up a little later in the morning, goes down a little earlier at night, and the evenings start to take on a little cooler tinge. It's also the time when our streets begin to bustle with buses and children moving to and from school in the mornings and afternoons. Cloquet is welcoming back most of our students on Sept. 8, while our kindergartners start their educational journey on Sept. 9, and we're excited to know they're on their way. As...
The appointment of Bill Dian to the Wrenshall School Board has drawn a number of objections. All parties affirm that it’s about the process, not Mr. Dian. According to the Aug. 27 issue of the Pine Knot, the Minnesota School Board Association confirmed that “the board followed the letter of the law when it came to making the appointment.” The petition to reject the appointment of Mr. Dian states that the candidate was “interviewed privately by the chair and a few school board members rather than holding a public interview process or even a...
I was with Bill Dian Saturday, Aug. 29, at Wrenshall Park. Bill talked with people as they came there to sign a petition to rescind his appointment to the Wrenshall school board. The petition was started by someone who doesn’t live in our district. Most of the people Bill talked to said the school board didn’t follow the statute, as reported in your paper on Aug. 20. The Pine Knot ran a correction on Aug. 27, but the damage was done. What’s the saying? “A lie goes around the world before the truth gets its pants on.” Bill Dian is a good man...
We need to re-evaluate how we select judges in Minnesota. Judge Robert Macaulay, who has served Carlton County since 1995, is retiring next week. A statewide panel called the Commission on Judicial Selection accepts applications from lawyers who want judgeships, and recommends three of the applicants to the governor, who makes the appointment. The commission picks candidates using such criteria as integrity, maturity, temperament, legal knowledge, ability and experience, and community service. It’s that last one that has us concerned. A...
I find it hard to understand how wearing a mask in public has become a political issue. But it has. To me, it's an example of how easily politicians and talking heads can manipulate people's viewpoints on subjects they know little about, and how easily propaganda can convince people of illogical and unrealistic facts. Spreading misinformation seems to bind some people together, getting a large block of people to mistrust the authorities seems to be a favorite tool of those with an unclear...
Northeastern Minnesota failed to match the state’s population growth rate (6.3 percent) from 2010 to 2019. The Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), using estimates from the U.S. Census, found that the seven northeastern counties’ population declined by 0.6 percent, down 1,935 residents. Cook County accounted for the fastest population growth rate at 5.5 percent, still below the statewide average. Carlton County was the other net gainer in the region, posting a growth rat...
This is in regard to the appointment of Bill Dian to the Wrenshall School Board. My husband and I have lived in the Wrenshall School District for 50 years, and I was a teacher in the district for 28 of those years. Thus, I have been familiar with many school boards throughout those years. I read in the Pine Knot that some people are concerned with what Mr. Dian had posted on his Facebook page. He has the right to say what he feels, and I can’t figure out what his being pro-Trump has to do with his appointment to the board. I haven’t known Mr....
It’s always fun to drive past Cloquet’s Veterans Park and see bustling activity — crowds of people, cars parked along the road, bright tents and kiddie games, food vendors, and musicians on a big stage in the corner. This time, it was the Kingdom Builders Ministry that brought back its annual festival to the park last Saturday, after a break last year due to the pandemic. We couldn’t be happier to see them. The park was updated by the city in 2016, to the tune of more than $1 million, to add walkways, the wall honoring veterans, shelter...
Jana Peterson, editor of the Pine Knot News, asked me to cover the opening and closing of a salacious criminal trial in Carlton last week; you can see that story in today's paper. I assume Jana assigned me this task because the story is newsworthy; I have some criminal law experience; and she is very, very busy. It was a fascinating look at our criminal justice system in action. Several things jumped out at me. It struck me that our system truly protects the rights of both the accused and the...
Ah, who doesn't love a day at the county fair? All those adorable farm animals, bumping into old friends and distant family members, yummy fair food, carnival rides and games and all kinds of adventures at the racing track ... what more could a person desire? As a bonus attraction, you also can visit your favorite Pine Knot personalities at the fair this year. Yep. We'll be in the Centennial Building at booth No. 50, near the middle of the building, along with various other organizations and...
Almost 20 years ago, my daughter, her unborn son and my sister were killed in a car accident. Another daughter survived with life-changing injuries. People say “time heals,” but my reality is heartbreak that never goes away. So when on the news I heard a Minnesota State Patrol trooper talk about the increased fatality rates on our highways due to speed and selfishness, I was motivated to write. The road is a place we share on life’s journey. It is a place where we all make mistakes — where we don’t know which way to turn or can get lost — wh...
We want to acknowledge a very generous man, Dike (hope we have the name right). We were at Super One grocery shopping on Aug. 13 and were at the counter when he approached us, offering to pay for our groceries. When we asked why, he said that he and his wife like to help people. Our bill was $205.70. He paid it all. Not only did he pay for our groceries, but for the person behind us also. Thank you to this thoughtful person. You are truly an angel. Donald and Betty Fossum, Cloquet...
I am a lifelong resident of Cloquet. I am the grandma of Cloquet students and the mom of former students. I am also a retired Cloquet district preschool teacher. When I read that the school board was considering making wearing masks optional I was shocked and dismayed. Something so simple that can help us be safe, well, that should be the obvious decision. Yes, the virus is mainly infecting unvaccinated people. But not only are all children under 12 unvaccinated, some people cannot be vaccinated because of medical conditions. The Delta variant...
American history is littered with ginned up, so-called “problems” designed to alienate, punish and divide people based, mostly, on the drive to score political points. Bogeymen. The question, of course, is to what end? Is it just fear? A loss of control of the narrative that is the messy history of the United States? Is it power grabbing? Ego? Critical race theory is an academic concept that is more than 40 years old, something upper level university students sometimes debate, but not theory taught at the high school level. High schools tea...
Those loud train whistles that blare all night long are not really necessary and should be stopped. There's simply no reason why the trains have to wake up half the town in the middle of the night to tell us they are coming through. I'm sleeping. I don't need to know. Hardly anyone is on the road. They have better ways to know they should stop when a train is coming. Train whistles are a relic of the old days when cars routinely crashed into moving trains. It's no secret that trains, once...
We would like to thank everyone and all the businesses and organizations that donated to Jake’s benefit on July 17 at the Cloquet VFW. With the support of our family and friends, the benefit was a success. There aren’t enough words to adequately thank you. To those who have generously donated and offered prayers, thank you. Your kindness and prayers are very appreciated. Dave, Karen and Jake Schwinn, Cloquet...
I frequently see at the Kwik Trip entrance and exit closest to the stop sign on Washington Avenue in Cloquet drivers who are making left turns in and left turns out. This entrance and exit as indicated by signs, is designed for right turns only in and out. I believe it was designed and constructed this way for safety purposes and maybe to avoid congestion. Perhaps the city council or administration and law enforcement should provide an official reminder and reason for the traffic rules. Dan Unulock, Cloquet...
We appreciate the forward thinking of local law enforcement by embracing the addition of Troy Homstad to their toolbox of public safety resources. Homstad is a social worker from the Human Development Center who is now working with the Cloquet, Fond du Lac, and Moose Lake police departments and the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office to support officers as they respond to 911 calls that aren’t necessarily crimes. Adding a social worker to the police force is an appropriate supplement to the hard and appreciated work of traditional law enf...
