Articles written by Dan Reed
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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...
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
Zmyslony returns to county board
Commissioner Susan Zmyslony was sworn in as the new commissioner from District 4 of Carlton County this week, representing the southeast portion of the county, including Carlton, Barnum, Wrenshall,... Full story
Board raises county levy 6.55%
Budget discussions for the 2023 Carlton County fiscal year finally culminated at the board of commissioners on Tuesday, Dec. 27 with a 4-0 vote for a 6.55-percent increase in the county’s property tax levy. Commissioner Tom Proulx was absent. A... Full story
County board approves pay increases
County commissioners set the salary rates, per-diems, meal reimbursements and mileage for the next year at its final regular meeting of the year Tuesday. Department heads, confidential, and other non-union employees received a 2.75-percent increase... Full story
Guest column: Getting by in dark days
The early reports of first rain, then snow, seemed somewhat unusual. But those of us who have lived up north a long time know winter has the upper hand. Just live with it, because before you know it,...
Landowners keep cemetery issue in front of board
Again, a delegation of nearly 20 landowners from Blackhoof Township attended the Dec. 12 county board meeting, watching to see what action, if any, the Carlton County Board of Commissioners will take on a proposed “green” cemetery in their... Full story
Rising property taxes dominate hearing
About 20 Carlton County residents came to the Truth in Taxation hearing on Tuesday to voice fears of losing their homes under heavy increases in local property taxes. An Eagle Lake summer resident testified she had a 23 percent increase for taxes...
County prepares for sales tax kick-in
Carlton County voters approved it, but paperwork and state bureaucracy means collecting the voter-approved half-cent sales tax money to support the construction of the Justice Center won’t begin until spring. In November, Carlton County voters...
Blackhoof green cemetery lingers as hot topic
Blackhoof Township residents have collected nearly 100 local signatures on a petition opposing a new “green” cemetery advertising its services on land in the township. Residents again attended Tuesday’s county board meeting, this time to... Full story
New 'green' cemetery in Blackhoof riles neighbors
Two dozen people attended Monday’s Carlton County board meeting to voice opposition to a new cemetery being established in Blackhoof Township, at what is known to locals as the old Gordon MacVey dairy farm on Pioneer Road. The Loving Earth...
County spends to evaluate justice program
The Carlton County Board of Commissioners approved $20,000 for an evaluation of the Restorative Justice program, currently used as a tool for some offenders under the jurisdiction of the local District Court system. This is one of several steps the...
Budget increases reflect inflation pressures
Carlton County officials blamed a national inflation rate of more than 8 percent this year for putting pressure on the county’s upcoming 2023 budget. On Tuesday, the Committee of the Whole forwarded a preliminary 6.9-percent levy increase for...
Justice center breaks ground
After workers spent the past few weeks clearing the site of the future justice center, Carlton County commissioners and other dignitaries gathered for a traditional groundbreaking ceremony Monday...
County to close its only youth shelter this fall
The only local youth shelter will be closing its doors this fall. Located in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Cloquet, the Carlton Youth Shelter, run by Lutheran Social Services, will close by Oct. 1 and the county will utilize a different LSS shelter...
It's county fair time
Editor's note: Find the fair schedule below this story. This weekend people from the greater Carlton County area will gather in Barnum to celebrate the 131st Carlton County fair. Last year saw a... Full story
Board approves final sales tax ballot question
The final wording for a ballot resolution related to funding a new $66.8 million justice center was approved by the Carlton County Board of Commissioners last week. Auditor/treasurer Kevin DeVriendt encouraged the action to make sure there was...
Reporter named grand marshal for Ma & Pa Kettle Days
Kettle River will be transformed Saturday, Aug. 13 as the small town celebrates the 38th year of the Ma & Pa Kettle Days celebration. Exhibitors and vendors will line both sidewalks "fair style,"... Full story
Broadband and next year's budget dominate board talks
Carlton County commissioners gave their support for a $400,000 broadband internet grant during their meeting Monday, July 25. The board instructed economic development director Mary Finnegan to write a letter of support for the Border-to-Border grant...
Maximum cost for justice center $66.8 million
The Carlton County board of commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to accept the guaranteed maximum price for the construction of the new justice center at just over $66.8 million, nearly double early estimates. County coordinator Dennis Genereau s...
County closes in on justice center costs
After eight years of research and planning, Carlton County officials should know the maximum cost of a new justice center following a special meeting set for Thursday, July 21, after this issue of the Pine Knot News went to press. County coordinator...
Jail project charges along in bonding limbo
With bonding money from the state in limbo after the legislature failed to reach an agreement on an omnibus bonding bill, the Carlton County board of commissioners is counting on voter approval of the half-percent sales tax in the November election....
Elk farm stirs moratorium debate
A public meeting Monday regarding captive deer, elk and moose farms yielded two surprises: news of a new elk farm in the county and a state agency’s refusal to give county officials any information regarding the new business. The Minnesota Board...
County probation aims to reduce 'super-utilizers'
As a member of the Arrowhead Regional Corrections agency, Carlton County pays 11 percent of that operating budget to handle 100 percent of Carlton County’s client probation needs. With the advent of the soon-to-be-built justice center, a Carlton...
Carlton County: Public health nurse receives national 'Never Quit' award
Carlton County's Jenny Barta has never worked harder than she has during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the public health nurse met the challenge head-on. "This is what I was called for, this is what I...
