Lakeside estate sale draws a crowd
'There's a lot of nice stuff there' In 30 years of auctioneering and conducting estate sales, Steven Wesely has never gone to a second weekend for a sale. Until this weekend. "This is by far the most... Full story
'It's time to make the move' - Boys hockey to shift to Class A next season
After January 27, it will be official: the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton boys hockey team will move to Class A hockey starting next season for at least two years, a move that 90 percent of parents in the... Full story
Police arrest man passed out in car
A Barnum man is facing charges after police found him passed out in a parked car earlier this month. Roger Petersen Jr., 35, was charged Friday, Jan. 20, in Sixth District Court in Carlton County with felony first-degree drug possession along with...
Alleged fentanyl dealer arrested while on bail
A Cloquet man who was charged in October for having 1,200 fentanyl pills in his possession is facing new drug charges. James Daniel Randa, 19, and Kaydance Marie Barrett, 18, were charged with felony second-degree drug sale and fifth-degree drug... Full story
District wants $6.45 million for fixes
Voters in the Cromwell-Wright school district will go to the polls Feb. 14 with a chance to weigh a series of school improvements, costing $6.45 million and including updates to the second gym and... Full story
New rep serves on WLSSD board
The Board of Directors of the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District welcomes Jack Ezell as the elected Carlton County representative. The seat was previously filled by Ruth Janke who dedicated 13 years of service to WLSSD and its environmental...
Food tasting takes center stage
The Food for Thought tasting event returned to the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College last week after a Covid hiatus. More than 200 people enjoyed samples of signature food and beverages from a...
Hearing set on sewer rate increase
The Thomson Township board of supervisors had a short agenda for its meeting Jan. 19. The board rescheduled a public hearing to set rates for sewer service in order to allow time to work out the details for changes to commercial businesses in the...
Justice center funding sought
With a state budget surplus of more than $17 billion, Carlton County leaders are again looking to the state legislature for help funding the new justice center, despite voter approval in November of a half-cent sales tax for the next 30 years. The...
College wins e-book award
An e-book project coordinated by Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College was recently awarded the 2022 Minnesota Author Project award in the Communities Create category. To celebrate the win, the college is inviting the community to a reception...
Obituary: Elmer "Lee" Woodward
Elmer "Lee" Woodward, 79, of Cloquet passed away Jan. 23, 2023, at Solvay Hospice House in Duluth. He was born June 25, 1943, in Seattle, Washington, the son of Elmer and Laura (Simnis) Woodward. Lee... Full story
Obituary: Robert L. Johnson
Robert L. Johnson, 89, of Cloquet passed away Jan. 21, 2023, at Community Memorial Hospital, surrounded by his family. He was born Nov. 22, 1933, in Cloquet, the son of John and Marion (Jesse)... Full story
Death notice: Marlin Fredrick Wick
Marlin Fredrick Wick, 76, passed away Jan. 22, 2023, while living at Garden Terrace Assisted Living in Wrenshall. He was born on Nov. 9, 1946, to Raymond and Eleanor (Aiken) Wick. Visitation: 10 a.m. until the 11 a.m. memorial service Thursday,... Full story
Obituary: Anne F. Redfield
Anne F. Redfield, 68, of Cloquet passed away Jan. 18, 2023, at Diamond Willow Assisted Living in Proctor. She was born March 24, 1954, in Duluth, the daughter of Robert and Mandy (Balen) Redfield.... Full story
Obituary: Charles Arthur Sedlander
Charles Arthur Sedlander, 84, of Cromwell passed away peacefully at his home on Jan. 19, 2023. Visitation will be 11 a.m. until the 12 p.m. funeral service Friday, Jan. 27 at Bethany Lutheran Church... Full story
Obituary: Gerald "Jerry" Lonke
Gerald "Jerry" Lonke died Jan. 14, 2023, after a brief battle with cancer. He was born on April 22, 1951, in Duluth to Bernard and Betty Lonke. He worked at the DM&IR Railway for 33 years. He was... Full story
From the editor: Celebrating Dad's good life
It snowed the morning my dad died in Indiana earlier this month, big white flakes that weren’t in the forecast, as if Mother Nature wanted to honor my Minnesota-born-and -raised father one last... Full story
Guest view: Carbon-free bill needs some work
Jenny Glumack, manager of legislative affairs for the Minnesota Rural Electric Association, wrote this piece on behalf of its member cooperatives. On Jan. 5, the Minnesota Legislature proposed a bill to transition all electricity sold in the state...
Cloquet grad makes world stage
During this month's 2023 FISU World University Games in Lake Placid, New York, Nordic combined competitor Aidan Ripp wore his Cloquet Ski Club hat for every competition. The Cloquet grad was one of... Full story
Eskomos show depth in another big win
The Esko boys basketball team proved again Friday why it's a favorite in local basketball circles. The Eskomos hosted Moose Lake/Willow River - another perennial local basketball power - and handed... Full story
'Jacks escape frenzy with a tie
Following a tough loss to Duluth East the night before, the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton boys hockey team looked to change their fortune Friday when they hosted Holy Angels Academy at Northwoods Credit Union... Full story
Cardinals soar past Rebels
Entering the game between Cromwell-Wright and Moose Lake/Willow River, the Cardinals had 12 wins and the Rebels just a single win. One of the reasons for the Cardinals' strong season, Sascha Korpela,... Full story
Top scorer lifts Wilderness to sweep
The top scorer for the Minnesota Wilderness delivered his most dramatic goal of the season on Friday. Kevin Marx Norén scored as time expired in regulation, giving the Wilderness a 4-3 win en route to a home-and-home series sweep last weekend...
Better internet is on the way
Good internet service in rural areas has been troublesome for a long time. This is not the world of my grandparents. Waiting for more advanced technology to finally hook up all of rural America, I have seen a lot of changes in my lifetime. But the... Full story
Hackathon returns with webinar series, live event
The inaugural Northland Hackathon in April 2022 exposed students from 20 Minnesota high schools to aspects of computer science that included building apps, writing code and exploring opportunities in tech. That focus was important because,...
Book author to present at CFC
Author John Pastor will share stories about white pine from his new book titled “White Pine: The Ecological and Human History of a Foundational American Tree.” In the book, Pastor tells the story of attempts over the past two centuries to...
Wright/Cromwell news
The price of Forever stamps went up to 63 cents on Monday. So, how many of us send letters anymore? Well, I do. And the folks I write to sure appreciate getting actual letters from time to time. Even though a lot of greetings are now sent by email,...
Kettle River news
Quilting runs from from 9 a.m. until noon at Holy Trinity every Wednesday. The next Ma & Pa Kettle days meeting starts at 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29 at the Kettle River Senior Center. The next Kettle River City Council meeting is 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb....
'Charlotte's Web' promises fun for whole family
The County Seat Theater will open its new season next weekend with "Charlotte's Web," a story about friendship that ought to enchant audiences of all ages. The Children's Literature Association had... Full story
Lunar landscape
Jay Cooke State Park is Dan Malkovich's favorite spot for outdoor landscape photography. "We are lucky to live near such a beautiful location," he said. On Jan. 5, the moon was 99-percent full,... Full story
Reminder about deer feeding and attractant bans
The DNR is reminding Minnesotans that deer feeding and attractant bans are in place across the state to prevent concentrations of wild deer in areas with a higher risk for disease, including all of Carlton County. These bans are precautionary steps...