A closed session to consider allegations against a city employee was canceled Tuesday after CAT-7 coordinator Eric Lipponen, mayor Roger Maki and the city’s human resources director James Barclay...

Meeting for the first time in their new chambers at the new City Hall, Cloquet City Council members voted unanimously Tuesday to appoint Chris Swanson as interim representative for Ward 3. Swanson...

A cold winter rolling into spring is not typically an ideal growing season for berries, but local farmer Jason Amundson saw potential in the cold Minnesotan weather. Happily, Minnesota has the same...

ROI: Return on Investment. For those who don’t know, this simply means what you get (return) for what you give (invest). And as a taxpayer, you have the right and responsibility to ask about the... Full story

Seven-year-old Bella Richards and her grandmother, Jean Vatnsdal of Cloquet, have enjoyed summer nature walks since Bella's fourth birthday. Throughout the summer, they explore the outside elements... Full story

The Carlton County farmers market is going strong in both locations now: Tuesdays 4-6 p.m. in Carlton at the Four Seasons Center, and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Cloquet in the Premiere Theatres...

"Come on, Betsy, let's go!" This was the enthusiastic cheer of my 4-year-old last Friday as we set off with his grandma and 50 other area residents on a coach bus tour of the Nemadji Watershed.... Full story

I would say my number is about 20 this year. That is the number of ticks which I have taken off my legs, socks and pants this year. I love to be outside, either running or walking my dogs but there... Full story

Our region is flush with great food. From the Fond du Lac Band's indigenous gardeners, to Mahtowa beekeepers, Wrenshall sustainable farmers, Carlton shiitake mushroom growers, Esko picklers, Moose... Full story

Fifty years ago was a monumental time in American history. On July 20, 1969, our country made President John F. Kennedy's 1961 proclamation - to put a man on the moon and return him safely, by the...

On any given Tuesday, Thursday, or Sunday you may see the large group of mountain bikers standing eagerly, roughly in a circle. This group is the Cloquet- Esko-Carlton mountain biking team, and they...

Braun Park was the hub of softball in northern Minnesota over this past weekend with the USSSA Northern State Softball Championships. The complex will continue to be a mecca for ball when a massive...

It’s been a busy summer so far for the Esko Legion baseball program. As of Tuesday, the Esko senior Legion team sported a 6-4 record while the junior Legion team is 7-3. With playoffs right around...

Hermantown's Taylor Sundbom won his third Cloquet Country Club Invitational Sunday, coming from three strokes off the lead to tie Matt Mellin of Duluth and force extra holes. With both players tied...

Only about 45 people out of a total of nearly 800 students and hundreds of staff attended the Carlton-Wrenshall consolidation discussion meeting July 9. It was a meeting filled with optimism and... Full story

The season of giving. When is it? I’d argue that the season never truly ends, as giving can be, and should be, year-round. One can give in many ways, through either resources or time; each is... Full story

Steven Ray Martin, 63, died peacefully, surrounded by his family, on Oct. 14, 2018, at Lakeland Medical Center in St. Joseph, Mich. Steve was born on Nov. 23, 1954 in Cook County, Illinois, to Janet...

It was as if the bees were calling them, said Glenn Swanson, organizer of this weekend's "Bee Friendly Day" in Carlton. He told how he and his wife, Emily, got some used beehives from a friend more... Full story

Only in Wright, could things go so wrong in a celebration … on purpose. This weekend marks the 54th annual Wrong Days in Wright celebration, where people challenge each other to a game of O-G-N-I-B... Full story

For the next two months, the Pine Knot Gallery is showing Adam Swanson's paintings. When I first saw his work, I was struck by his blends of color, as in his "You Are the Water," depicting two... Full story

The sound of the drums spread out from the Big Lake powwow grounds like ripples in the water last weekend, as hundreds of people came together to celebrate the 26th annual Veterans Powwow at the... Full story

Dozens of runners and volunteers gathered to have fun and honor the late Cole Drechsler during the Cloquet Rotary Club’s annual Color Run Saturday, June 13. Their transformation from the start to...

Carlton's celebration of "Carlton Daze" is just around the corner, July 26-28. Over the years how many community celebrations has Carlton had? I checked at the Carlton County Historical Society to... Full story

The Risdon family got together earlier this month to celebrate five generations with patriarch Gene Risdon, of the Rock Place in Cloquet. Clockwise from top left are granddaughter Kary Ley,...

Well, it’s here. Wright will celebrate its 54th annual Wrong Days in Wright this weekend. For those of you who have come many times, you know the routine. For those of you who may be coming for the... Full story

Carlton's Ed Kavanaugh remembers coming in from the field and finding his son, Sam, in front of the TV, intently watching "Jeopardy!" and playing along with the contestants, clicking a pen each time... Full story

The freshly fried walleyes had barely hit the cake pan when they were scooped up by the masses gathered around our picnic table. A Baker fish fry was in full swing. In all, 25 friends and family...