New game store in play in West End Cloquet
Ten-year-old Cyleiona Almenares made three trips to Cloquet's new game store on the first day it opened at 305 Broadway St. On trip No. 2, she carefully counted out her change to pay for Demon Slayer... Full story
Science fair students just keep on winning
Three Cloquet High School science fair students who excelled at regional and state science fair last spring continued their winning ways at national and international competitions across the country... Full story
Dollar store stakes a claim in Barnum
Sometime in winter 2024, the city of Barnum will be less of a food and retail desert than it is. Dollar General is moving onto Main Street, with construction already begun on a store which figures...
City won't allow pot in parks
Count the city of Carlton among the growing list of communities to pass an ordinance prohibiting marijuana smoking and use in city parks and other areas the act of smoking is already outlawed. “We’re not trying to control use in public spaces...
Golf course set for a conversion
Pine Hill Golf Course on Highway 61 in Carlton will have a new owner soon, and there are some big changes in store for the popular nine-hole golf course. Jim and Cassie Barry have owned and operated...
Pet chip clinic nixed; couple faces charges
The pet microchip and vaccine clinic in Cloquet for Carlton County residents, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 23, was canceled last week after the partnering humane society founder was charged with fraud. Northern Lakes Rescue has partnered with the...
Tribal college plots next five years
Once a member of the first class of students to graduate from the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College campus in Cloquet, Roxanne DeLille went on to u niversity in Duluth and later committed... Full story
She's a doula on the other end of life
Allison Ronning gets some confused looks when she tells people she’s an end-of-life doula. “People are like, ‘oh, you help birth babies,’ and I explain that I’m on the opposite end of...
Fire destroys barn near Esko
A barn in rural Esko caught fire last week when a homeowner was burning vegetation and the fire spread to the barn. The call came into the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office at 2:55 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20, for a structure fire at 44 E. Palkie Road...
Students find science outside
It was one of those picture-perfect fall days. Cerulean blue sky, the slight, wet waft of decaying organic matter, the hillsides seemingly turning orange and red and yellow in the moment. On Dunlap... Full story
Commissioners approve levy with 4% increase
Carlton County commissioners approved a 3.99 percent increase over last year’s levy, delivering a preliminary figure for 2024 at $33.5 million on Monday. With the unanimous 5-0 vote in Carlton, the number the board settled on cannot exceed above...
School officer issue is settled, for now
Cloquet will keep its school resource officer after Attorney General Keith Ellison released a revised opinion on the legislation last spring regarding the use of force in schools. That was better...
Girls wanted to start a Scout troop; campout offered
Any girls interested in finding out more about joining a Scout BSA troop — formerly known as the Boy Scouts — can get a taste of a typical event by joining in a campout at Pine Valley on Friday, Oct. 6. Scoutmaster Jason Mangan said they are...
Wright/Cromwell news
With the leaves turning color and with cooler days and nights, we know that fall is truly in the air. Folks are busy getting their yards ready for winter and planting all those bulbs so we have...
Obituary: Justin Eller
Justin Adrian Daniel Eller, 47, of Esko, a very proud U.S. Navy veteran, died unexpectedly in a tragic accident on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. He was born on May 31, 1976, in Moose Lake to Dan Eller... Full story
Obituary: Constance Marie Hopp
Constance Marie Hopp passed away Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, at St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth. Constance was born Feb. 22, 1940, in Cloquet to Charles and Marie (Pattee) Peterson. Constance was preceded... Full story
Obituary: Jim Bragge
James "Jim" Bragge, 85, passed away on Aug. 29, 2023, in North Branch. Jim was born March 6, 1938, in St. Paul to Elmer and Beulah (Fitzgerald) Bragge. He grew up in Carlton. After graduating from... Full story
death notices
Dorothy Elizabeth Anderson, 89, of Cloquet died peacefully on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, at Inter-Faith Care Center in Carlton. Services were held Sept. 26 at Atkins Northland Funeral Home in Cloquet. Burial in Oneota Cemetery in Duluth. Jean... Full story
Obituary: Carol Bergstrom
Carol Annette (Lussier) Bergstrom, 85, of Cloquet passed away peacefully Sept. 20, 2023 at St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth. Carol was born in Red Lake, at the Red Lake Indian Hospital to Elsie Lussier... Full story
Harry's Gang: Leaders need to be accountable
I’m disturbed by the attorney general in Texas. Recently, he was acquitted by the Texas legislature on corruption charges, even though every Texan who cares knows the man is corrupt. In fact, even... Full story
On the farm: Chemicals threaten farmers
Farmers in Carlton County and across the state face an environmental threat that could affect their business and lead to a loss of livelihood. At a recent meeting of the Carlton County chapter of the...
Letter to the editor: Government shutdown hits hard
The U.S. is on the brink of a government shutdown due to a handful of right wing extremists who are holding the country hostage. These extremists, all Republicans and ironically known as the Freedom Caucus, claim they will not vote to approve the... Full story
Some numbers to ponder
We here at the Pine Knot News hear from readers every day about how they cherish a local newspaper that covers what’s going on right here in Carlton County. We never take those sentiments lightly and pride ourselves on offering a newspaper in... Full story
Newspapers take a week to reflect
This week, and every week, newspapers are for you. Americans have more media options than ever. We are inundated with stories, memes, videos and promotions 24 hours a day. Most of us are on social media, which is built to provide an endless feed of... Full story
News office raid was an inflection point
After local police raided the office of the Marion County Record in Kansas and the home of its owners, creating a national outcry that was entirely justified, the question was asked in newspaper offices around the country, and sometimes in their...
It's never a good bet to mess with us
A solemn but dubious audience of students heard it. “Newspapers are dead. In 10 years, they’ll be gone altogether.” We’ve all heard the grim assessment. But it didn’t come this year, when corporate greed downsized far too many newsrooms.... Full story
Raptors continue to learn despite routs
When Cromwell-Wright and Carlton/Wrenshall took the field on Friday night, both teams knew the Cardinals were the heavy favorite. The Raptors are trying to meld a program together, while the Cards... Full story
Esko keeps rolling, scoring at will
Esko played what most folks predicted would be the football team's most competitive game of the regular season against Pequot Lakes Friday night. They crushed the Patriots at home. Esko won 60-0 and... Full story
Lumberjacks get even at 2-2
After opening the season with two straight losses, the Cloquet football team picked up their second win in a row Friday with a 38-12 win over Rock Ridge. The home game was played at Proctor's... Full story
Scramble tourney hits five courses
Created by Pine City's LeRoy Samuelson in 2010, the four-day, four-person Senior Scramble recently completed play at five golf courses in the region. While Samuelson passed away a few years ago, his... Full story
'Jacks sweep Esko
Two of the top teams in northeastern Minnesota did battle at Cloquet Middle School Tuesday, when Cloquet defeated Esko 3-0. "It's always fun to play Esko," said Cloquet coach Heidi Anderson. "They... Full story
Late goal is not enough
The Minnesota Wilderness scored in dramatic fashion to tie the game Saturday, but still fell to the Chippewa Steel in overtime, 4-3. Peteris Purmalis’ second goal of the game as time expired allowed the Wilderness to even the score at 3-3 and... Full story
The Ticker: A quick look at area teams in action
Thursday, Sept. 21 Girls Soccer Cloquet/Carlton 8 Proctor 0 Esko 3 Rock Ridge 1 Boys Soccer CEC 4 Proctor 0 Volleyball Cloquet 3 Greenway 0 Esko 3 Rock Ridge 1 Two Harbors 3 ML/WR 0 Football East Central 38 South Ridge 8 Friday, Sept. 22 Football... Full story
Sports Schedule
Times are p.m. unless noted Friday, Sept. 29 Football Cloquet at Proctor, 7 East Central at Barnum, 7 Carlton/Wrenshall at Laporte, 1 Nevis at Cromwell-Wright, 7 Two Harbors at Esko, 5 Hinckley-Finlayson at ML/WR, 7 Saturday, Sept. 30 Volleyball... Full story
Church Services
Apostolic Lutheran Church Pastor Nathan Juntunen 25 Church Road, Esko 218-879-3882 [email protected] www.esko-apostolic.org Services on Esko Apostolic YouTube channel Communion 1st & 3rd Sundays 9 a.m. worship 10 a.m. Sunday school 11 a.m.... Full story
Free paint kits are at the library
Free Acrylic Painting Take & Create Art kits are available at the Cloquet, Carlton and Moose Lake public libraries in October, courtesy of the Arrowhead Library System. This art experience was designed by 321 Art Studio in Chisholm and explores... Full story
Party with apples at Zion church
Apple Fest is coming Oct. 1 from 3 to 7 p.m. to Zion Lutheran Church in Cloquet, and it’s free. Pick your own apples, enjoy apple tasting, a caramel apple bar and apple juice pressing. Mae Prachar Band will provide music. Apple Fest is a...
History Mystery
Forgive yourself if you haven't heard of Julius Berg Baumann. The Norwegian-American poet, who lived in Carlton County, died of cancer in 1923, at age 53. And unless you find translations of his... Full story
Lunch with school officials
Cloquet School District officials including superintendent Michael Cary and some school board members and school staff will be part of “lunch in the community” from noon to 1 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2 at the Cloquet Public Library. Bring your own... Full story