KNOT notes

Last call for Christmas dinner volunteers, meal orders

Christmas will be here before we know it, and Cloquet’s Dave Johnson wants to make sure nobody is left out.

Everyone is invited to the 25th annual Cloquet Area Community Christmas Day dinner at 2 p.m. Christmas Day at Zion Lutheran Church, 1000 Washington Ave., Cloquet.

No money? Don’t worry, it’s free.

Need a ride? Someone will pick you up.

Can’t leave home? Volunteers will also be delivering meals.

However — and this is important — anyone who wants transportation or a meal delivered must call the Zion Lutheran Church at 218-879-4647 by noon Sunday, Dec. 23 to get on the list.

Volunteers are also asked to call Zion by Dec. 23 so organizers can plan for the big event.

Don’t miss Sunday’s free community Christmas concert

Members of the Cloquet Community Band will play new and old favorite Christmas songs at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16 at Cloquet Presbyterian Church, and everyone is invited.

Band director Carol Risdon rattled off a list of songs people can expect to hear, including classics like “Winter Wonderland,” “White Christmas,” “Here Comes Santa Claus,” “Let It Snow” and some newer ones, such as “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

“We’ve got a really nice lullaby, and a really nice ‘Silent Night,’” said Risdon, noting that audience participation is encouraged.

“If you feel like singing, sing. If you feel like stomping your feet, do it,” she said. “It’s going to be a fun time.”

Risdon said they hope many community members will come for the free performance, and stay for refreshments afterward.

The Cloquet Community Band is made up of 24 volunteer musicians from the community.

“It’s the largest group we’ve had in my memory,” Risdon said. “It might be the largest group we’ve had since we started. But it’s a good problem to have.”

The following Monday the band will play at Sunnyside Health Care Center.

Section 8 housing waiting list to close Dec. 31

The Cloquet Housing & Redevelopment Authority (CHRA) will close the Section 8/Housing Choice Voucher waiting list and will accept no further applications effective Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019.

Outstanding applications must be completed and returned the CHRA Office or postmarked on or before Dec. 31 to be added to the waiting list. New applications will not be distributed while the waiting list is closed. Incomplete applications received by the CHRA after Dec. 31 will not be added to the waiting list.

All applicants currently on the waiting list will maintain their place and move up based on their date of application and other considerations. For more information, contact the CHRA Office at 950 14th Street, Cloquet, MN 55720, call 218-879-3353, or visit their website at http://www.cloquetcarltonhra.org.

Stuff the Squad seeks donations

The Cloquet and Fond du Lac police departments will hold the annual Stuff the Squad event at both Walmart and L&M Supply on Dec. 18 from 4-8 p.m.. They are accepting donations of new, unwrapped toys, games, or sporting equipment for the Cloquet Area Salvation Army Toy Drive. A variety of toys for both boys and girls, and ages newborn to 16 are needed. Can’t make it? They will be collecting donations at the Cloquet Police Department until the event.

Get your pets microchipped for free until Dec. 31

All Cloquet and Scanlon residents have until the end of the year to stop by the Cloquet Police Department for a microchip application. With this application, pet microchipping is free at Animal Allies Humane Society in Hermantown. All you need to do is show your ID to prove you live in Cloquet or Scanlon. There is a limit of two per household. These expire Dec. 31, 2018. The CPD has a chip reader that helps them reunite pets with their owners, so it’s essential for your pets to have chips since there is no longer a local humane society.

Surveys to start in district courts soon

ST. PAUL—The Minnesota Judicial Branch has launched a four-month effort to survey court participants and stakeholders in each of the state’s district courthouses, including the Sixth District Court here in Carlton County.

In addition to the in-courthouse surveys, the Judicial Branch will also survey Court Payment Center users, both over the phone and online, and visitors to the Judicial Branch website. The goal of this effort — called the Access and Fairness Survey — is to ensure accountability of the Judicial Branch, improve overall operations of the court, and enhance the public’s trust and confidence in the judiciary.

“The Access and Fairness Survey is an opportunity for court participants at all levels to tell the Judicial Branch about their personal experiences in our courthouses, using our public website, and accessing the Court Payment Center. We need to hear from Minnesotans about their experiences so we know what is working and how to better meet court users’ needs,” said Chief Justice Lorie Skjerven Gildea. “Court user participation in the Access and Fairness Survey is critical to the administration of justice in a fair, equitable, open, and accessible manner. I encourage all who have the opportunity to take the Survey to do so.”

The Survey asks participants to review the court system, not individual judges or court administration staff. Survey participants will rate the court’s accessibility and its treatment of them in terms of fairness, equality, and respect. Those surveyed are expected to include participants in legal matters and their friends and family, victims, witnesses, attorneys, service counter users, jurors or potential jurors, and all other users of the court system. Surveys will be held on a rolling basis throughout Minnesota’s courthouses anytime between now and March 29. Survey duration will vary by jurisdiction based on response rates.

Courthouse surveys are generally done on paper by in-person courthouse visitors, though customers also have the option of completing an online version of the courthouse survey after they leave the courthouse.