Pine Knot News - A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news

When I was young, we called them swamps, those low areas on the farms where grass for pasture or hay crops failed to grow. They were often wet and farmers said the soil was “sour” and the land...

We had seen the flyers around town and the articles in the Pine Knot in the six years after we moved to Carlton County. We never managed to attend a performance of the County Seat Theater until our... Full story

Those enticing ads depicting people immigrating to a better life in the USA sponsored by Ancestry.com have succeeded in convincing millions of people to submit DNA samples as a means of finding their... Full story

There was a time in America when going to the movies was a favorite pastime for people of all ages. Then, enter television, home theater systems, movie rentals and now streaming services, and the... Full story

Christmas will have passed by the time this piece appears in the paper. Here’s hoping it was a time of peace and joy for all. Now, we look to the new year with expectations that maybe life will... Full story

Last spring, after months of following Covid-19 guidelines, we completed a road trip to South Carolina. Many activities were outdoors or in buildings that required masks. No Covid symptoms upon our...

In general, Americans are generous and willing to lend a helping hand to our fellow citizens. Donations after disasters, local charitable fundraisers and volunteer efforts for those in need... Full story

For many of us, the opportunity to tell people how much we admire them or recognize their accomplishments slips away when that person passes from this life. Ozhaawashkogiizhigokwe Janis Fairbanks...

Cool, clear, water. Nothing compares with that most basic of human needs, the substance that comprises 55-60 percent of our bodies, the liquid that flows freely from our taps, flushes our toilets and...

The bad news just keeps coming: War in Ukraine, mass shooting, gas prices and inflation. But in the midst of the cacophony of the negative, we can find reasons to hope for a better future. One of the... Full story

Storytime at Cloquet's Public Library has been an integral part of Katie Beck's schedule ever since Stella, her 5-year-old daughter, was born. So, when children's librarian Keiko Satomi suggested...

In August, Carlton County will have been without an animal shelter for four years. That's not OK, says a new group of concerned citizens. Now called Carlton County Animal Rescue, the group has been... Full story

Rebuilding Cloquet after the 1918 fire spurred not just growth of the wood products industries, including paper production, but also what are known as "spin-off" developments. The Northern Printery,...

We know as citizens of Carlton County that we are very fortunate. We live in one of the most bucolic domains of nature populated with magnificent forests, crystal clear streams, and multiple lakes... Full story

Some of us may remember learning about the pioneer days when the women settlers would gather every so often for a quilting bee, a day of camaraderie and sewing. Even though our 21st-century lifestyle... Full story

For the past several months, I have had the privilege of interviewing and writing about a few of the farmers in Carlton County. Summer is an extremely busy time for them, but they graciously sat...

In 1976, Roy and Rose Aho decided to sell their dairy cattle and quit farming. Roy had been hired full-time at the paper mill (now Sappi). With small children to care for, Rose could not manage the... Full story

In 2005, Rick Dalen and his wife Karola had the opportunity to start their own Community Supported Agriculture business under the tutelage of John Fisher-Merritt, founder of the Food Farm in... Full story

"I am one of a dying breed," said Peter Laveau during a recent interview at his farm. He is referring to his occupation as an independent family dairy farmer. In 1990, the state numbered just under... Full story

Some folks come to farming through family generations, finding themselves tilling the soil on acres cleared and planted by those whose DNA inhabits the cells in their bodies. Others arrive on the... Full story

Sometimes we hold a treasure within our reach without an awareness of its value and, as the refrain from the song "Big Yellow Taxi" goes, "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you don't... Full story

It comes with age, not wisdom necessarily as the Bible says, but rather an ability to recognize and fathom the depth of the divide facing our democracy. We have been here before, in the lifetimes of... Full story

As I wrapped my canna lily bulbs in newspaper to prepare them for winter storage, it dawned on me that I have taken the multi-purpose factor of already-read newspapers for granted. We have explored...

We know as citizens of Carlton County that we are very fortunate. We live in one of the most bucolic domains of nature populated with magnificent forests, crystal clear streams, and multiple lakes...

Being a victim of or witness to a crime is something we all hope to avoid. But should that situation befall the residents of Carlton County, it is reassuring to know there is an individual working in... Full story