Articles written by Mike Creger
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This conversation is stuck in the snow
Go forward, but turn your wheels a bit. ... The other way. - How far? - Right there. If you get any traction, hit the brake. - Nothing. - Yeah. I smell rubber. Try going back, but not too far, the pol...
It's governing in your back yard
One of the oldest traditions in the history of Minnesota carries on Tuesday, March 14 in the annual township meetings. The township system of government was established as part of the Northwest Ordina... Full story
Robotics programs run on collaboration
Robotics, where teamwork extends beyond the team. They call it a robotics competition, but it's really a collaboration. It starts by entering events like last week's FIRST Robotics Regional...
State auditor says Kettle River violated state law
In the black and white world of auditing, the letter the Minnesota State Auditor sent to the city of Kettle River last month is clear. "We found several instances where the city violated Minnesota...
Journey ends for jug games
Wrenshall boys get historic win in dramatic fashion It was one of those basketball games that saw every few seconds produce a hero - at the line, the three-point arc, in the congested paint, on the... Full story
Snow keeps coming down
There is a lot of snow out there this winter. How much? It depends on where you are. While Duluth is breaking - or on the cusp of - all kinds of snowfall records for December and the season, areas in... Full story
Game, atmosphere was historic
Had you arrived early enough, you may have mistaken the junior varsity game for the main event jug game on Tuesday in Wrenshall. It was raucous, but not nearly as loud as it would get. The Carlton JV...
One last battle for the jug
A chapter in the history of two small-town basketball programs will draw to a close next week. But when it comes to the annual "Jug" games between the boys and girls teams at Carlton and Wrenshall, th... Full story
Cloquet teacher wins state award
Dave Perry curled his hand in front of his face, forming a small circle. "What I like to see is a kid with that hood, and all you see is about this much of him or her," he said. "And all of a sudden... Full story
Taking a nostalgic slide
Corey was standing a few feet from the sled run when she spoke — one hand on her hip, her other mittened hand trying to wisp away the strands of hair run renegade from under her cap. “Are you the announcer, or something?” She was 8. She often...
Vikings ... it's complicated
I’m not sure if even Fran Tarkenton could have consoled me as I hid in the closet. Of course, he was at that time on a plane returning from a Vikings loss in Washington. It was in the early evening on Nov. 30, 1975 — a gloomy, wet gloaming...
Dotseth finally clears hurdle
In dribs and drabs, and sometimes huge rushes, throughout the wee hours of Wednesday morning, the results in the District 11A state house race came in. In the end, Republican Jeff Dotseth's third try... Full story
New pump station will boost volume
Tucked into a corner of eastern Carlton, north of the Oldenburg House on Minnesota Highway 210 and south of the Thomson Reservoir, is a nondescript building that will soon fade into history. The...
State house candidates diverge throughout forum
There was little back-and-forth between the two candidates for the state House of Representatives District 11A seat at the Cloquet Area Chamber of Commerce candidate forum Oct. 25. Incumbent Democrat... Full story
Lakehead fun for all
There may have to be a re-turning of the phrase "kid in a candy store" when it comes to the childlike excitement Saturday in Esko. Kids at the Lakehead Harvest Festival last weekend had a wide... Full story
Wrenshall employees union fires back at board
After two recent bulk mailings sent out to Wrenshall school district residents suggested that complaints about school board member comments in the past 13 months were unfounded, a union group... Full story
Letter brings questions in Wrenshall
A question was raised at the Wrenshall school board’s public forum Monday about where a bulk mailing came from. Was it through a board discussion or the opinion of merely the three people who were represented at the end of the letter? One signee,... Full story
Father accused of abuse of six children
A case that began in March in St. Paul, when a report was made about a nonconsensual picture taken of a juvenile at the Minnesota Children's Museum there, led police to a 28-year-old Carlton man. What came next was a series of pornographic images...
Cloquet group explores turf field
The talk is preliminary at best, but there is a movement afoot to explore replacing the grass at Bromberg Field in Cloquet with artificial turf. At the Cloquet school board meeting last month, superin... Full story
City: 'Squatters' must leave apartments
There are still people living on the second and third floors of the Victory Apartments building, a month after the city of Cloquet warned those residents that without a proper backstairs, an escape...
Wrenshall continues wrangle with allegations
The Wrenshall school board was scheduled to have another meeting to discuss an investigation of “allegations of misconduct” on Thursday, June 30. It wasn’t determined before this issue of the Pine Knot News went to press whether the meeting...
Carlton hires new school leaders
South Terrace Elementary School in Carlton has a new principal. The school board on Monday approved the hiring of Donita Stepan, the former superintendent in Thief River Falls in northwestern Minnesota. She will replace Ben Midge, who resigned this s...
Wrenshall: School Board leans toward inquiry
After more than 50 people showed up at its last meeting, the Wrenshall school board held its regular June meeting in the commons area of the school instead of the cramped library. A microphone was deployed so a similar-sized audience could hear what...
Knot Pining: A decade ago, it rained and rained and rained
It began raining at midday on June 19, 2012. Five inches and about 10 hours later, I found myself driving in the heart of what has simply become known as the 2012 flood. I had been working two jobs. One was for the weekly newspaper in Two Harbors...