Our View: Thumbs up, thumbs down

TThumbs up to another great Carlton County Fair. The 4-H projects and other exhibits were well done, the grandstand events were highly entertaining, the music was wonderful. As usual, it was wonderful to see so many people of all ages just out enjoying themselves and exploring everything the Barnum fairgrounds has to offer. Of special note: kudos to the fair board and director for the attention paid to the new additions at the fair. In addition to regular live music we have the Little Italy promenade and its snazzy neon signs, plus the pollinator gardens, which were new in 2022. Now if we could only figure out how to make the senior parking lot a little less muddy.

Thumbs down to a fairly terrible primary turnout. Though it was to be expected given the lack of competitive state and federal races and only two local races (for judge and county board in western Carlton County), voting is important. On the bright side, it was good practice for the General Election, one Cloquet election judge told us. He (and we) expect the number of voters to skyrocket on Nov. 5. Look for the Pine Knot News special election section coming to every door in the county in October.

Thumbs up to the county Justice Center tours this week and the facility’s imminent opening. There were plenty of doubts during planning and funding of the $75 million facility, but taxpayers can now see a thoughtful, well-constructed home for law enforcement, jail and the courts that figures to last for several decades. Plenty of details are still unfolding, like the Justice Involved Female program opening next year and how well the county will fill and fix the historic Carlton County Courthouse in Carlton, keeping the heart of the city beating for another 100 years.

Don’t worry if you missed this week’s walking tours, there’s more to come Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 9 and 11 a.m., and 3 and 5 p.m. Just make sure you wear comfortable shoes and expect to walk for more than an hour. It’s a big building.