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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Seated at the console of the beloved pipe organ she has played for more than six decades, Marge Stillwell paused for a moment. Her mind rolled through the catalogues of favorite music and fondest memories of past concerts and services, choir directors and organ instructors who helped her along the way. Stillwell, 87, has served as organist for the Presbyterian Church of Cloquet for the past 63 years. She was 24 when she started to play. The church organ was the instrument that she learned to pla...
Carlton, Cloquet alums graduate from college Chelsie Tischer of Carlton graduated cum laude May 4 from Michigan Technological University with a bachelor of science degree in biomedical engineering. She is the daughter of Brenda and Mike Tischer. Cloquet alumnus Gabriel Berg was among the 532 students to graduate from Gustavus Adolphus College during the school’s annual commencement exercises Saturday, June 1. Berg received a bachelor of arts degree in theatre with honors. Area students make university dean’s lists Cloquet’s Desiree Hache...
"I remember clearly: I had been having a terrible week of hearing really hard cases and I got up early to go at it again. When I was driving out of the farm, the sun caught the angle on my split rail fence and I could see a mother bluebird with her four babies perched along the wood. It was transcendent. Nothing else could bother me that day - it was a 'Bluebird day.'" ~ Judge Dale Wolf Wrenshall's own Dale Wolf is to bird houses what Johnny Appleseed is to U.S. fruit trees. If you have driven...
Editor's note: This Q-and-A with Landon was published in the very first issue of the Pine Knot News on Oct. 26, 2018. We are publishing it online in memory of him. He will be missed, very much. Sincerely, the Pine Knot Staff Q-and-A: Eight questions with Landon Hall It can be difficult to spot the director among the high school students at Cloquet High School these last couple years. It's not that director Landon Hall doesn't stand out in a crowd - with his outgoing personality and pompadour... Full story
Paul and Eva Quiram graduated from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia May 23, 2019. Paul earned a Master of Divinity and Eva earned a Master of Arts in Religion. Paul is the son of Mark and Sheila Quiram of Esko. Both are employed at the Seminary.... Full story
On Memorial Day weekend, we honor those who have died serving in the U.S. military. While Esko's Dale Erickson survived his stint in the Korean War, he came home a different person. "Some Marines never find their souls again," he writes in his memoir. "A part of them remains missing for the rest of their lives and they forever struggle." The memoir details relentless battles, dead bodies and near-death experiences. As we approach Memorial Day, a time when we honor our military veterans for the... Full story
Hardcover with dust jacket 288 pages - 80 original and historically significant photos/images, many in full color including scenic photos, battlefield images, and flight plan and target maps. 8.5 x 11 portrait orientation Author: Gerald I. Reponen, Lt. Col. USAF Ret. $29.95 Website: www.savpress.com Contact the author at [email protected]. Gerald I. Reponen, a gentleman who grew up in Duluth as well as the Esko area, has documented his literal life and death experiences in the air and on...
Have you heard the old saying, "How do you eat an elephant? ... One bite at a time." I heard this saying often when I was young and wondered what it meant, and: Who would want to eat an elephant? As I got older, I found the explanation was quite simple. How do you do anything that seems like a huge task? One bite at a time. So take the "elephant" and apply it to the big tasks in life. How do you spring clean your house? One room at a time. How do you advance your career? One skill or...
The Artists of Minnesota held their annual conference May 17-19 at the Pier B Resort Hotel in Duluth. The purpose of AOM is to promote the creation of fine art and provide an opportunity for artists to exhibit their artwork while connecting with artists across Minnesota. Kris Nelson received a merit award for her piece “Cairn and Cattails,” which is on display through June — along with 23 other painted chairs — at the Pine Knot News, 122 Ave. C in Cloquet. Find out more about about AOM at artistsofminnesota.org....
Carlton County authors and books will be well represented at the 31st annual Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards program next week, with history books about the 1918 fires in Thomson Township and Hermantown among the nominees, along with a fiction book by Thomas Peacock and a photo book by Craig Blacklock and Walter Mondale. The Pine Knot News interviewed Esko’s Connie Jacobson, who had a hand in both of the local history books. “I feel like I won a prize just by being nominated,” said Jacob...
The fate of TJ's Country Corner in Mahtowa spurred Glenn and Renee Gaffney to action after the sudden death of Tom Bislow late in January. The couple bought the store and took possession April 17. "We couldn't see this place closing," said Renee. "The fear of it closing overtook our trepidation of us buying it. We just couldn't let it close." People in the community are happy that local people took over the store. "We have had a warm welcome from people," said Renee. "The response has been...
The Minnesota Credit Union Network recently honored Barb Brown, former CEO and president of Northwoods Credit Union, for being inducted into the Credit Union House Hall of Leaders. The Credit Union House Hall of Leaders was introduced to provide lasting recognition for credit union leaders whose commitment has made a significant impact on the credit union movement at the local, state or national level. Barb was previously inducted in a ceremony in Washington, D.C. March 10 and honored again...
One man is dead after an airplane crashed into the Moose Horn River Wednesday, May 8, after taking off from Moose Lake Carlton County Airport during winter weather. Dr. Thomas Stillwell, 65, of Plymouth died in the plane crash. A pilot, Stillwell was about to return to the Crystal airport that afternoon in a heavy snowstorm. He was a urology specialist and had been seeing patients at Mercy Hospital that day, as he had twice a month for 16 years. According to a press release from the Carlton County sheriff’s office, at approximately 7 a.m. T...
About 150 people from all over the Eighth Congressional District attended a "thank you" dinner for retired U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan, who retired this year after serving the district since 2013. State Rep. Mike Sundeen, DFL-Esko, was the master of ceremonies. Local party dignitaries such as former legislators Don Samuelson and Loren Solberg joined former congressman Bill Luther and former state attorney general Lori Swanson in praising Nolan's accomplishments in Congress. Swanson, who ran for the...
Many people describe volunteers as being kind or caring people. And it is true. These honorable character traits are often at the heart of service. But do you ever wonder, on a practical level, what motivates volunteers? The following reasons are what we hear most often from our retired volunteers. Some say they are looking for something to do in retirement, while others volunteer for the social aspect. Some simply comment they want to “make a difference,” while others want to give back. They want to be there for others, the same way peo...
Teaching K-12 art is a continually creative act. You must imagine projects for kids of various ages, acquire materials on a tight budget, and help as many as 30 kids per classroom fashion distinctive artworks. For Kris Nelson, the newest featured artist at the Pine Knot gallery, a classroom project morphed into a second career. After completing her art degree at the University of Minnesota, Nelson taught in Robbinsdale and Forest Lake schools, then Carlton, followed by 21 years at Wrenshall. A...
Cloquet senior Riley Leslie was honored at the 12th annual Minnesota Football Honors on April 27 at U.S. Bank Stadium, presented by the Minnesota Vikings. Leslie was one of only a few students across the state named a Scholar Athlete by the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation. Leslie quarterbacked and captained the Lumberjacks to a Section 7AAAA runner-up finish in 2018. He earned 7AAAA All-Section and all-district recognition as a senior. He was a two-year starter as a...
Cloquet’s Matthew Krikava has loved apple trees since he was a little boy and his grandparents would put him and his sisters in the bucket of their backhoe so they could pick apples. “We would just fill the bucket with apples,” Krikava said in an interview last month. Fast-forward about 20 years to when Krikava decided he wanted to spread the joy of the apple tree. He was chatting with a friend, and told him he was thinking of getting an apple tree for his front yard. The friend pointed out t... Full story
A total of 14 junior Rotarians planned and attended their final Cloquet Rotary Club lunch on Tuesday, April 16, marking the culmination of the 2018-2019 Junior Rotarian Program. Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian services, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. The Junior Rotarian Program provides an opportunity for student leaders to meet and interact with community...
There is some celebrating going on at Cold One Liquor in Cloquet this weekend. It's billed as a "new ownership grand opening" but the faces at the 15-year-old store will be familiar. Dean and Alison Crotteau are part of the Stowell family that has run a plethora of enterprises in Cloquet since the early 1960s, most notably grocery stores and the movie theater adjacent to the liquor store at 906 Highway 33. Alison is Gary Stowell's niece. He and his wife, Candi, sold the liquor store to the...
In the space of about four years, the culture at the Cloquet Area Alternative Education Program has been transformed, thanks to a school-wide, top-to-bottom adoption of Restorative Practices, which focuses on building relationships and including all voices. And people from all around the state are noticing. Last week, student ambassadors from CAAEP were interviewed for the "Student Voice in Creating Positive School Climates" podcast developed by the Minnesota Department of Education. This interv...
As I walk alongside my mother in her final journey from death to life, I realize that Christianity - as well as other religions, and nature itself -suggests that the pattern of transformation is not death avoided, but death transformed. In other words, the only trustworthy pattern of spiritual transformation is death and resurrection. Death and life are two sides of the same coin; you cannot have one without the other. Each time you surrender, each time you trust the dying, your faith is led to...
Today there is a resurgence of interest in making useful, handmade items from scraps. We call it “repurposing.” In Sweden, it is called “luffarslöjd.” Artist and maker Faith Clover will be visiting the Cloquet Public Library at 6 p.m. Friday, May 10 to show some examples of luffarslöjd. Participants will be able to try out the craft by making a hook or two from wire. Traditionally, items were made out of scrap wire people had around their farms and homes. Please register for this event by...
You can fake a lot of things in life, but you can't fake showing up - for yourself or for others. "Showing up" is not a matter of being, it is a matter of doing. Volunteer Rick Ramey knows what it means to show up, noting that he has volunteered for as long as he can remember. When asked why, he simply replies, "It's just part of who I am." When Ramey and his wife moved to Carlton County, he began volunteering as a tutor in the Moose Lake schools and as a Medicare counselor. More recently, he...
Tony Cummings is a preschooler in the St. Joseph class at Queen of Peace Catholic School. He was chosen as student of the month because he always has a positive attitude and he's a great friend to all of the other students. Tony is always willing to lend a hand to help out the teachers and his friends. He is very kind and compassionate. Tony is a new big brother to his baby sister Lucy, and he proudly shows her off to his classmates. Evelyn LeBlanc is an exceptional student in our third-grade...
