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

It’s been called the “Overnight Recession” by some economists. Just weeks ago, the economy was humming along. Suddenly, stock values dropped; people are out of work; and economic uncertainty is...

Winter started early, with snowstorms over Thanksgiving I wasn’t expecting. No one was, really. Over 2 feet of heavy, wet snow that clogged the streets caused most of us to “shelter in place...

I plan to keep working until I can collect my full Social Security benefits. Or, at least until something I did 20 years ago comes back to ruin my career. I know most of us are focused on...

Esko residents learned that Canosia Road North of Highway 61 will be closed starting July 1 and into the fall for replacement of a bridge over the Midway River. The news about what is also known as...

After the Cloquet City Council fired Eric Lipponen, the CAT-7 cable TV coordinator, I have been asked repeatedly: Is CAT-7 dead? Will "Harry's Gang" ever come back? I am encouraged by the comments, ac...

It’s fun to strategize the run for President. On one hand, we have an incumbent who is wildly popular with his base supporters, and intensely reviled by others. On the other hand, we have a group of...

Tara forced me to spend a week in Orlando recently. “Forced” is accurate, but I’ve learned that putting up a fight is pointless, so I went along and even pretended to enjoy it. I can sense that...

Scott Holman, the former Cloquet police officer who is now suing the City of Cloquet, didn’t run for mayor as I stated here a few weeks ago; he ran for city council against Kelly Riihiluoma but lost...

The Carlton County Republican Party invited a self-described refugee resettlement expert to conduct a meeting from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, accordi...

There’s been a lot of news lately about county boards voting on the “refugee issue.” Places like Cook County in extreme northeast Minnesota have voted to accept refugees, even though the odds...

James Montano, on trial for a murder and assault in rural Carlton County in April 2018, was found guilty on all three of the charges against him Wednesday: first-degree premeditated murder and...

I’ve always liked Scott Holman, the former Cloquet detective who is now suing the city and others after being fired from the police department. I mentioned to former mayor Dave Hallbeck the other...

It’s not easy being a man in these enlightened times. Recently, my family spent the day skiing at Spirit Mountain. I was in court, so I joined up with them later in the day. A mile before the...

I read in the last Pine Knot News of 2019 that the Rudy Law firm merged with Fryberger in Duluth, and will now be known as Rudy, Gassert, Yetka, Pritchett, and Helwig, a Fryberger Law Firm Practice...

I love reminiscing. A good story, well-aged, being told and re-told, brings out the nuances that develop like fine wine and cheese. Details emerge that didn’t exist in the original story. But no...

The Minnesota Board of Pardons is planning to issue its first ever posthumous pardon to a black man convicted of rape in Duluth. Many of you already know the story: In 1920, six black circus workers...

You probably know about noncompete clauses from sports and broadcast performers. For example, after Kerry Rodd left KDAL radio in Duluth, (the “formerly great radio station,” as it is sometimes...

There’s so much misinformation over the impeachment proceedings, I thought it might be helpful to explain the process using more common terms and an analogy that should make sense to most of us....

Diocese of Duluth Bishop Paul Sirba died unexpectedly Sunday, Dec.1, after suffering cardiac arrest on his way to celebrate Mass at St. Rose Church in Proctor. "Bishop Sirba was a role model to all... Full story

A few weeks ago I was in court arguing a motion against the always impenetrable opposing attorney Jessica Sterle. Midway through, the judge needed to stop for a minute to consult with her clerk and...

As a divorce attorney, I find myself asking my clients a lot of questions that really don’t have anything to do with the legalities of their case. I like to know why the parties got married in the...

Jimmy Carter has always been my favorite president. I’m not sure many people agreed with me, because when he ran for re-election in 1980 he got only about 40 percent of the vote and lost to Ronald...

The Democrats are excited to find the right candidate to take on the incumbent in next year’s Presidential election. They’re spending a lot of time and energy to pick the right candidate, and the...

As a patriotic American, I am proud of our Constitution and all its amendments (I am particularly fond of the 21st). But there’s a reason why the First Amendment comes first. Freedom of speech and... Full story

There’s a primary election coming up in Cloquet’s Ward 3, and three very good candidates are running. I had a chance to interview all three on “Harry’s Gang” on CAT-7. We talked,...