Week of November 8, 2024
A card arrived at the Cloquet post office as war loomed in the early 1940s. It was asking postmasters from across the country to consider signing up for military service. Clarence Scheibe was 40 years old. "He said, 'Oh well,' and signed it," his daughter Maggie Scheibe said this fall. It was just a few weeks after the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center in Superior announced its latest exhibit, "Post Office in the Pacific," featuring Scheibe and his work in the Army in keeping the flow...
Bethlehem and Bethany Lutheran churches observed All Saints Day with a candle lighting ceremony on Sunday, Nov. 3. Remembered were Donald Hutar, Kim Peters Creager, Dagny Quarnstrom, Harriet Reno, Jon Swenson, Duane Schafer, Judy Rosicky and Joann Beck. May they rest in peace. Halloween is over, and I was surprised to get 37 trick-or-treaters at my new home in Cromwell. I was prepared for about 25, so had to improvise on the last few kids, but they all went away happy. Anyway, it was fun to see so many happy kids, and most of them were...
Two more pro-consolidation candidates were elected to the Carlton school board Tuesday. Challengers Ben Nilsen and Dan Solarz will join the board in January: both have indicated they strongly favor pairing with neighboring Wrenshall. Another advocate for a union with Wrenshall was Ryan Leonzal, who was re-elected Tuesday after winning a special election a year ago. Each of the winning candidates received over 20 percent of the vote, a strong showing in a race where voters could vote for up to three candidates. Leaving in January will be...
Forty percent of the Carlton County board of commissioners turned over on Tuesday, with voters electing two newcomers to go along with the familiar face of an incumbent. "I appreciate the support from the district, it's been great," said 59-year-old Tom Proulx, the District 3 commissioner representing northeast Cloquet, from Scanlon to beyond Sunnyside. Proulx ran unopposed, and earned 97 percent of the general election vote (2,667 votes out of 2,725 cast), winning his seat for a fifth straight...
Nathan Barta is just 20, but he won in a landslide Tuesday, taking more than 50 percent of the vote for Thomson Township Supervisor Seat C while his opponents – Jaryn Edblad and John Bergman – garnered 27 and 22.6 percent. While the incoming Thomson supervisor is definitely the youngest person in Carlton County – or maybe even the state – to win election Tuesday, the University of Minnesota Duluth junior knows a thing or two about local politics. Two years ago he penned a guest column...
With all of Carlton County's 39 precincts reporting, the unofficial tallies from the 2024 general election brought some interesting results, including a win in the county for President-elect Donald Trump, who did not win Minnesota. The Republican was the top vote-getter - 50.1 percent to Vice President Kamala Harris' 47.6 percent - in a county that had nearly 90-percent voter turnout with more than 20,000 people submitting ballots. Voter turnout nearly matched the 92-percent mark made in 2020...
It was another close race for Minnesota House District 11A Tuesday, with the incumbent Rep. Jeff Dotseth (R-Kettle River) edging repeat DFL challenger Pete Radosevich by 664 votes, 51.1 percent to 48.4 percent of 23,840 votes cast in all of Carlton County and parts of Pine and St. Louis counties. In 2022, Dotseth won by 454. “I am a firm believer in the power of prayer,” Dotseth wrote in a statement to the Pine Knot Wednesday. “I’d like to thank my lord and savior Jesus Christ, my wife and my family, as well as all the members of team...
There was a line of people outside Cloquet City Hall at 7 a.m. Tuesday morning, waiting for the polls to open. "There was a line again at 10 a.m. that kind of surprised us, and now there's another one," said head judge John Cavanaugh at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. "We've been busy all day." By 4:30 p.m. they'd seen 675 voters come through, and Cavanaugh was expecting between 800-850 by the end of the day. The city hall was also busier than usual with people registering to vote, Cavanaugh said,...
When Cromwell-Wright took the field on Halloween night it seemed like all odds were stacked against them. The Cardinals were facing an undefeated team, last year's state champions, and the top-ranked team in nine-player football this season. Nevis had beaten them by 40 points a little over a month before hte Section 5 title game on Halloween night in Brainerd. Add to the odds the fact that Cromwell-Wright's starting quarterback was dealing with an injury. All that, and none of it mattered as...
On a beautiful Saturday morning, hundreds of Minnesota's top high school cross country runners raced across the University of Minnesota Les Bolstad golf course as part of the Minnesota State High School Cross Country Meet. With the temperature in the 50s, it was the perfect day for running and spectators, said Carlton/Wrenshall coach Brenda Knudsen. But the rolling hills of the course created some challenges. "There were not a lot of PRs (personal records) with all those hills. It's not a fast...
When Moose Lake/Willow River and Mesabi East stepped onto the field in Esko for the Section 7AA championship game last Thursday, they had to deal with cold and wet and a field covered in snow. In the end the Rebels overcame the elements and the Giants, earning another trip to state - the 18th time in school history - by winning 24-14. The Rebels got two big runs from Levi Mikrot in the first quarter to gain the early lead. Mikrot rumbled 41 yards for the first score of the game, giving ML/WR an...
For three years in a row, the Esko volleyball team has met Rush City in the Section 7AA championship game and for three straight years the Tigers have come away with the title. The latest championship tilt came on Saturday night when the Tigers nabbed a 3-1 win in Hermantown. "Last year Rush City finished as the runner-up at the state tournament," Esko coach Pete Stasiuk said. "Our girls were excited to come out and play them." Esko started by grabbing a first set win with a strong finish,...
Accolades continue to pour in for area soccer players as All-State and All-Tournament teams were announced after the Minnesota State High School Soccer Tournament ended last week. Lauren Hughes of Cloquet/Carlton was named to first team All-State in Class AA and Reese Kuklinski of Esko was named first team All-State in Class A. “Reese is a true leader of our program,” said Esko coach Sharon Lahtii. “Academically, she is a 4.0 student, she mentors our younger players and is positive under...
The first leg of an Alaska trip was a sweep for the Minnesota Wilderness last weekend in 6-3 and 5-2 wins over Kenai River. Ferry Netusil posted his second hat trick of the season in leading the Wilderness to victory Friday. Five players scored Saturday night to lead the Wilderness to a 5-2 victory and the sweep over Kenai River in Alaska. Netusil was named the NAHL Midwest Division Star of the Week. The native of Prague becomes the first forward in the NAHL to earn multiple weekly honors this...
Please recognize, support and utilize an important and valued city asset: the Cloquet Public Library. The library has been acknowledged by the Minnesota Department of Education as providing well above the minimum level of support for 2025. Should a library fall below the state-certified level, Minnesota law requires removal of the city from State Library Services funding formulas. This would greatly reduce the breadth and depth of library services available to Cloquet city and area residents. It has been a few years since the Cloquet Public...
Museums are not just repositories of objects, they are living spaces that tell stories, bring people together, and create understanding." – Unknown We like to hold on to our history as evidenced by the local museums in Carlton County. Cloquet, Moose Lake, and Esko museums retain artifacts of our past to help us remember people who worked, played and formed the society and culture we enjoy today. The stories and insights we garner from a visit to the museum can improve our perspective on life...
It’s one of our favorite annual traditions, the Veterans Day Roll Call you’ll find starting on Page 9. We are honored to highlight our veterans each year, and especially love hearing new details about the extraordinary experiences they hold so dear. We hope you enjoy the section as much as we do. And if you’d like to honor vets in person, attend one of the events listed for Monday. A huge THUMBS UP to those who contribute to this section each year, and thanks to all veterans for your service. THUMBS UP to voter turnout in Carlton...
Be forewarned ... attending next week's Cloquet High School production of "Mamma Mia!" will have Abba songs running through your head day and night. Having Abba in your head is a happy way to start the day though, just like the CHS musical is a happy way to spend a couple hours Thursday through Sunday next week, with performances starting at 7 p.m. Nov. 14-16 and 2 p.m. Nov. 17 in the CHS auditorium. Director Corey Hunt said choir teacher (and music director) Rhonda Card pitched the musical...
Milkweed is the only host plant of Monarch butterflies, meaning it's the only plant Monarch butterflies will lay eggs on and the only plant monarch caterpillars will eat. Milkweed also provides a food source for many other pollinators. Plant milkweed in your garden next spring. Photo by Jana Peterson / Pine Knot...
FRIDAY, NOV. 8 Community chess club 3:30-5 p.m. at the Cloquet Public Library, through Nov. 22 SATURDAY, NOV. 9 Journey Christian Church craft and vendor fair, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. “How to Say North!” with Bart and Ross Sutter, 10 a.m., Cloquet Public Library. The Sutter brothers blend poetry from Bart’s new book, “Cotton Grass” and traditional folk music by Ross on a variety of instruments. The 50-minute program is geared toward adults. Beehive Community Club annual Mojakka hunters supper 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Find the Beehive 6...
Arrowhead Senior Nutrition menu Friday, Nov. 8 Chili con carne, tossed salad, cornbread, gelatin Sat.-Sun., Nov. 9-10 Frozen meals available Monday, Nov. 11 Deli sandwich (for alternative entree, call 24 hours ahead: 879-5870), fresh apple, sugar cookie Tuesday, Nov. 12 BBQ chicken, butter & parsley potatoes, broccoli, chocolate pudding Wednesday, Nov. 13 Hamburger gravy, mashed potatoes, tossed salad, frosted lemon cake Thursday, Nov. 14 Sweet & sour pork, rice, Normandy vegetables, fresh banana, sugar cookie Friday, Nov. 15 Meatloaf, baked...