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

I had an interesting experience the other day. In an email with a fellow attorney over settling a case, the attorney told me that her client's previous offer was no longer on the table, because... Full story

Even I was a little shocked to get my Pine Knot News in the mail last Friday. Maybe we should start mailing them in brown paper wrapping, so little kids can't see the covers, like they used to do... Full story

The Esko school board approved a revamped graduation party for its students that will be abbreviated from the traditional all-night event during its meeting Monday night. In previous years, graduates...

There's no denying the Derek Chauvin trial in Minneapolis is having an effect all over the state, including here in Carlton County. The issue has been politicized, pitting ultra-liberals who want to... Full story

Brothers can be the most competitive people you'll ever know, while still being your biggest supporters. I've got three brothers, two older and one younger, so I think I know what I'm talking about.... Full story

I had a chance to chat with Cloquet city administrator Tim Peterson this week. He's been on the job a bit over a year now, so I figured he's been acclimated to his new job enough to give us a decent... Full story

That was quite a cold snap we just outlived, with 13 days in a row with lows of around 20 degrees below zero or even lower. Many of those days it never rose above zero. Our furnaces worked nonstop... Full story

There's talk in the Minnesota Legislature to bring back the "voter ID" issue. The problem with voter ID is that the logic behind it is backward - that since we need an ID to write a check or buy... Full story

I feel sorry for landlords who have been bitten by both the federal and state eviction moratoriums during the Covid-19 pandemic. Losing the ability to evict someone for not paying their rent could... Full story

We're fortunate to have so many quality banking options here in town. Not only do we have a couple branches of some major banks, we also have plenty of smaller, local banks for most services. It's... Full story

My son Patrick wrote a little poem a few years ago that went something like this: "If we practice an 'eye for an eye' pretty soon we'll all be blind." I had been trying to teach my boys about the... Full story

I was supposed to be in Washington this week, but I canceled my plane tickets in early December. We had been planning to attend the inauguration, taking advantage of Martin Luther King Jr. Day to... Full story

The Supreme Court took a hard turn to conservatism when President Trump appointed Amy Coney Barrett just a few months ago. Despite the disappointing way she was confirmed to the court, she exhibits... Full story

Soon, the restrictions on evictions will end, and I expect to see an onslaught of evictions crowding the courts. I have several landlord clients for whom I handle their evictions, and I also... Full story

Thankfully, no one remembers my predictions from last year, so there's no way to gauge my accuracy or prognostic ability. Just trust me when I say I was very accurate and remarkably prescient. So,... Full story

The Thomson Town board came through bigtime for Esko Community Education during its meeting Thursday, Dec. 17. These are tough times for the organization, which is part of the Esko school district....

It was an infamous utterance made more than five decades ago. “We’re more popular than Jesus now.” So said Beatles member John Lennon in 1966, during a newspaper interview, where he was... Full story

In a way, I actually enjoy seeing people's continued protests over the 2020 elections. Such a demonstration of civic pride and patriotism is central to the American way. Now, I certainly think they...

A friend asked me around election time if things were as good for me now as they were four years ago. My Republican friend was implying that our lives are actually pretty good, so why switch the...

Now that dining rooms are closed due to the state shutdown order, many restaurants are shifting to takeout and delivery. As a guy who spent the last 25 years delivering pizza and sandwiches — first...

The Esko school board was given an update on the bus garage and athletic field parking lot projects at its Monday, Nov. 23 meeting. Project manager ICS reported the two projects are essentially...

Nothing seems to make a child happier than waking up to a snowfall and hearing their parents say, “School’s been canceled today.” But those days are numbered. Soon, snow days may be a thing of...

While the latest election was pretty decisive (about 51 percent for Biden, 47.3 percent for Trump), the fact remains that nearly half the voters preferred the Republican candidate over the eventual...

I’m one of the few people I know willing to state that the Electoral College is still a useful way to choose a president. The absurdity that a candidate can win the popular vote and still lose the...