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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A long chapter in the history of the Cloquet school district ended Friday when Bonnie Monfeldt retired. Monfeldt served as executive assistant to the superintendent the past two decades and was part of almost every major decision over that time. One can only wonder at the volumes of meeting minutes and notes she has typed up over the years. Only the fifth executive assistant in the school district's 95 years of existence, Monfeldt worked for four superintendents - one of them twice. Russell Smit...
The nation marked 100 years this week since women finally won the suffrage battle. A key player in getting women the right to vote hailed from Cloquet, Anna Dickie Olesen. She was the first female nominee of a major party for the U.S. Senate and was a celebrated orator and passionate social reformer who became one of the most prominent Democratic women of the early 20th century. Anna Dickie was born on July 3, 1885, to Peter and Margaret Dickie and grew up in rural Waterville in southern...
There was a passionate debate during a Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game at Veterans Park Tuesday, not to be mistaken as part of the nearby picnic for Carlton County Republicans. Nicholas Devriendt-Ledous, at left, in hat, is a mentor for Cloquet's REACH program. He and William Heyer, standing at right, gestured to each other as Edward Schulstrom, seated at left, and Shane Lavanki listened. REACH has been sponsoring weekly ventures in the park for outdoor activities....
Friends, family and members of the Carlton Fire Department wished Gordy Davis a happy 92nd birthday in a pandemic-appropriate manner this year. Friends and family brought lawn chairs and sat outside, but distanced from each other. His wife Lillian joined him. Firefighters from Carlton, where Davis volunteered for more than 20 years and served as chief for a few years, drove by with sirens and horns blowing while Car's Towing even towed an old-model car, followed by grandchildren and...
A Minnesota man walked 100 miles to raise funds for Covid-19 food programs. Mickey Nelson crossed the finish line at his church in Clarks Grove in southern Minnesota on Aug. 5, just three blocks from the house he was born in - and still lives in. A veteran of World War II, Nelson served in an armored division maintaining tanks. As a businessman, he founded and operated a successful bus business for 58 years. Now, he is serving in another role - as fundraiser. He decided back in May he would...
Of all of the sectors to be affected by the Covid pandemic, performing arts and special event centers have been some of the hardest hit. That is certainly true of our community treasure - The Historic Scott House. James Sheetz usually spends his summer months diligently preparing for musical productions along the lakeshore near his family's historic home. The Scott House has seen reviews of "Mary Poppins" and welcomed world-class musicians to share their craft with the community. When the...
When it's your pet that's missing, having a place to go for advice and support can make all the difference. During the nearly two years since the county's only humane society folded, that support system has been mostly online and filled largely by one small group. Missing Pets In the Northland is a Facebook page run by four friends. It posts lost and found pet photos and descriptions, offers advice and often a helping hand or supplies, as well as fundraisers for stray animals that would...
Changes at the Cloquet Ford Chrysler Center have been noticeable the past few months since it has been under new management. Owners Al and Renee Birman have stepped back to a more silent role and the previously silent partner, Mike Larson, has taken on a more active role. "We are trying to get things to a more stable structure," Larson said. "There are changes in several processes that we are working through." New staff members have been part of that effort. "We are under new management," he...
Members of Croft's Crew - from left, Cale Prosen, AJ Maijala, Josh Sanders, Ben Croft and Bob Fox - adopted a stretch of Carlton Road and met earlier this summer to collect trash. Contributed photo...
Photographer Dan Saletel captured this photo of the July 15 storm, which dropped 3 inches of rain on Wrenshall, while sitting inside his garage. Saletel said he took the photo with a 30-second exposure at f18, ISO 400. "I was really excited when I saw how it turned out," he said. Despite causing some damage with hail, lightning and high winds, last week's storm and significant rainfall - 1 to 3 inches in the region - was a relief for most residents as the southern half of the county had been in...
A summer of closed pools, canceled activities and less face-to-face contact leaves many kids seeking a little normalcy. Luckily, for some students and mentors in Carlton County, REACH is still finding safe ways to bring Carlton County adults and young people together. "REACH" stands for Recreational Experiences Achieving Community Harmony. The nonprofit organization's mission and vision is to provide supportive mentoring relationships to the youth of Carlton County. They work toward their...
The Jelinek family of Barnum has been named Carlton County's 2020 "Farm Family of the Year" by the University of Minnesota. Carol and Peter Jelinek purchased an old dairy farm near Barnum in 2001. They brought their five horses and one goat and made a home there. Eventually, the Jelineks added a couple of lambs for their boys to raise as part of their 4-H involvement. Those lambs quickly led to a flock of about 35 ewes. Later, Carol and Peter purchased two nubian goat kids from a cousin in New...
The morning of June 21, Father's Day, broke hot and humid in the Twin Cities. I was visiting my daughter and son-in-law and three of my grandsons. My work quarantine was over and, for the first time in three months, I was able to see my grandsons and play ball with them. Little did I know it came close to being the last time. After a quick breakfast, we all headed to a ballpark where we played catch, hit grounders and I pitched to them as we finally got a little normalcy back in our lives. The f...
I remember when I first learned that my smartphone kept track of the number of steps I took every day. I was sort of creeped out that this piece of technology I carry everywhere was keeping such close tabs on me but I was equally horrified that I lived such a sedentary lifestyle. I thought for sure that living on a farm would mean an abundance of ambulation but the reality of my driving and desk time for my day job came crashing into view. I made some short-lived resolutions about moving more...
Cloquet's newest librarian, Courtney Dietsche, started her job May 18 when the public library was closed to the public in response to the coronavirus pandemic and knee deep in a construction project. That means the new adult services librarian has had to get creative in planning some virtual events and an adult summer reading program and focus on other parts of her job, which includes publicity. The former director of the Evelyn Goldberg Briggs Memorial Library in Iron River, Wisconsin, got her...
I once had the opportunity to walk the Freedom Trail in Boston, Massachusetts. The trail is a red line painted on the pavement and guides people from the central city park to many of the historic sites that are preserved in modern downtown Boston. Sites like the Old North church where they famously hung one or two lanterns to reveal the British invasion route. Paul Revere's house, the Bunker Hill Monument, and the USS Constitution are all stops along the route. In July we celebrate those who...
Pope Francis has appointed Father Michel J. Mulloy, from the Diocese of Rapid City, South Dakota, to be the 10th bishop of the Diocese of Duluth, it was announced June 19. Bishop-elect Mulloy was born May 20, 1953, in Mobridge, South Dakota, and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Sioux Falls in 1979. He served parishes in both the Sioux Falls and Rapid City dioceses before being incardinated formally in the Rapid City diocese in 1986. He has spent most of his ministry serving in parishes...
For the next two months, the Pine Knot Gallery will exhibit Julia Jaakola's watercolors, with an opening and in-person (socially distanced) reception on Thursday, July 9. How did Julia become an artist? "I always had a lot of time on my hands," she said, explaining that her family moved a lot when she was growing up. "I drew pictures to pass the time. My teachers encouraged me, and I loved all the art supplies." After graduating from Cloquet High School, where she spent many hours in Dewey Johns...
The Cloquet Library has been blessed with tremendously dedicated staff and volunteers over the years. One of those was Helen Jensen, a 40-year employee of the library, whose name would be near the top of any hypothetical list of dedicated community contributors to this resource. Jensen was hired as the library's first children's librarian in 1936, and was appointed director in November 1944. She would serve as director for 32 years, until December 1976. Kathy Blais, a fellow library board...
Hello. I would like to formally introduce myself as the new summer intern at the Pine Knot News. My name is Lexis Gerard, and I am going into my senior year at Cloquet High School. Ever since I was little, I have loved to read and write stories, so I am beyond excited to be working for the Pine Knot this summer. When I am not reading a book near a lake, I keep myself extremely busy. Between school, activities, volunteer work and my job at Epic Nutrition, my schedule is hectic. Last year I was...
Natalie Swanson shares a recipe from "The New Midwestern Table," a 2013 book of recipes from Amy Thielen. Rhubarb-Lime Icebox Pie Sweet Shortbread Crust Nonstick spray or canola oil 1½ cups finely ground shortbread crumbs (from plain sandies cookies or other shortbread) 5 tablespoons sugar ½ teaspoon ground ginger 3 tablespoons salted butter, melted Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick spray (or coat it with a little canola oil). Combine the shortbread...
Jessica Olson recently pickled some rhubarb. A family member declared "it made the whole house smell like stinky feet. Worth it, though, to make kale confetti salad from Kim Ode's 'Rhubarb Renaissance' recipe book," she said. Pickled Rhubarb 1 cup rhubarb, cut in quarter-inch pieces 1/3 cup sugar ½ cup white balsamic vinegar ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon mustard seeds Place rhubarb in a shallow heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, combine remaining ingredients and bring to a...
As a child, Kevin Schroeder used to tag along with his dad as he headed to the Scanlon fire hall to work as a volunteer firefighter. Schroeder became a firefighter himself, first as a volunteer in Scanlon when he was 17 years old, then in Cloquet, where he rose through the ranks to captain, battalion chief and finally to fire chief of the state's first fire district. Next week will be Schroeder's last one as chief of the Cloquet Area Fire District - an entity he helped shepherd since he was...
Members Cooperative Credit Union recently hired Susan Shold as its new vice president of human resources. As a key member of MCCU's executive leadership team, Shold will oversee recruitment, talent management and employee relations while providing strategic leadership to the credit union for HR initiatives. Shold joins MCCU with 10 years of experience in human resources management. She is an instructor at the University of Wisconsin Superior, where she teaches classes for the Human Resources...
Local photographer Dan Malkovich likes to photograph woodland wildflowers and shared these two with the Pine Knot News this week. According to Malkovich, several varieties of trillium grow in Minnesota. The largest, the Trillium grandiflora, grows in profusion along the Munger Trail in mid-May each year. Next to the trail, opposite the Thomson reservoir, is a hillside covered in these lovely woodland wildflowers. Trillium is slow to mature - it can be several years between the time seed is...
