Articles written by Mike Creger
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 125
By 
Board sets annual budget for next year
While it’s never an exact science when setting a budget nearly three months before students enter buildings for a new school year, the Cloquet school board approved numbers it was presented with at its regular meeting Monday night. The total...
Hiring bind forces lifejacket rule at The Beach
Attention, potential lifeguards: Preteens will soon be begging you to apply for a job at The Beach at Pinehurst Park this summer. That's because a staff shortage is requiring a major change in beach... Full story
Kavanaugh wins it all on Jeopardy!
The uproar at the Streetcar in Carlton late Friday afternoon was not sustained. There were those who specifically came to watch Sam Kavanaugh in the last game of the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions... Full story
Sam edges closer to Jeopardy! championship
Sam Kavanaugh was watching himself on Jeopardy! Monday night and it felt foreign to him. While that can be expected for a show that was taped two months ago, it's Kavanaugh's whirlwind success in the... Full story
Board: Mask mandate will end in June
The Cloquet school board is whittling away at changing a new normal into just plain normal after an entire school year under the Covid-19 pandemic protocols. On Monday, board members agreed that masking mandates in district buildings would be lifted...
Barnum girls shocked with national title
The video is amazing. The reaction from Barnum High School sophomores Kate Ferrin and Ava Gran tells you all you need to know about how big a deal it was to find out last weekend that they are...
Survey looks to future of school district
The Carlton school board agreed this week to move forward with a survey of district residents on a list of options for the future of the district. The survey will come after attempts to consolidate...
Board approves Belcastro request to drop duties
The Wrenshall school board approved a major administrative shift for the district Wednesday night in a special meeting. The move was precipitated by superintendent Kim Belcastro’s request to reduce her duties by nearly half, primarily giving up...
Tax case hits keep coming
The erroneous property tax evaluation monster has struck again, and this time the bite is big. Two decisions in March, in favor of Enbridge and its pipeline that cuts across the state, in Minnesota Tax Court mean that Carlton County will need to...
Flags using F-words raise ire
Political flags flying in Scanlon underneath an American flag have caused a lot of consternation in the community. At the corner of 22nd Street and Doddridge Avenue, which runs along the border...
Hitting the skids on Covid
For a year I've been begging Stockholm syndrome to kick in. To get used to the Covid-19 pandemic holding us hostage. Find a groove and take it through the murky tunnel. Find that a world turned... Full story
Ice racers take to the river
It's always hit and miss when it comes to hosting motorcycle ice racing on the St. Louis River in Scanlon. But the mid-February cold snap allowed Jeff Berg to rally racers online for an event last... Full story
Supreme Court backs band on groundwater
The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency was justified in arguing that pollution seeping into groundwater from the Minntac mine tailing basin...
Carlton Wrenshall: Schools 'pause' merger wrangle
The on-again, off-again talks between the Carlton and Wrenshall school districts regarding consolidation are officially off again. Superintendents and school board members agreed last week that it...
Newspaper people can certainly dream big
Jana and I were doing the math. It’s a common game to play after the awards ceremony at the annual convention that draws newspaper people in from across the state each January. We win this, enter that, carry the one … we could have a trophy.... Full story
Husband, wife die hours apart in virus fight
"You're grounded." That's what Judy Proulx told her 60-something son last week when the thermometer he had purchased for her went on the blink. The impish gesture defined Jim Proulx's mother. "I'm... Full story
2020: A rollercoaster of Covid realities
At the start, it was as if no one really knew how or whether to panic. So they cleared shelves of toilet paper and anything that could be used to kill germs on surfaces. As the state ordered places...
DeFoe leaves a historical legacy
It was a cold morning at the edge of the Old Holy Family Cemetery. This is where LeRoy DeFoe was put to rest on Dec. 28. It's important to note that fact, since DeFoe spent many years discovering... Full story
2020 Year in Review, part 1
A fly on the wall at the office of the Pine Knot News, during a meeting of the minds discussing year-in-review stories, may not have contained itself in screaming: "Covid. Done." But, being a fly...
Husband rues not getting Covid help earlier
Gene Shank most often got up before his wife, Linda, did. She had allergies, and at night it could keep her from getting to sleep right away. Gene would let the dogs outside at their home next to the... Full story
District financials stay the course, good and bad
The good news for the Carlton school district is that there were no surprises and things stayed pretty much the same as years before in the annual audit released Monday night. That’s also the bad news as the district continues to face rising costs...
Carlton heading toward consolidation cliff
The Carlton school board this week firmed up its position when it comes to the current standoff with the Wrenshall board and possible consolidation between the two neighboring districts. On Monday, the Carlton board agreed in a committee of the...
Last of Esko's 1955 starting five has died
Jerry Anderson, the last surviving starter on the first boys basketball team from Carlton County to reach the state tournament, died Tuesday at age 83. Anderson was a star on the 1955 Esko team that...
Carlton looking at school options
The Carlton school board voted Monday night to hire a company to provide construction cost estimates on transforming South Terrace Elementary into a facility that could serve three more grades, up to grade 8, or serve all students through 12th...
History mystery not quite resolved
There’s good news and no news regarding the two History Mystery photos from last week. David Haugen submitted pictures of a fireplace sitting alone in a woods in Cloquet and a “gondola cable... Full story
