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

“Sorry to bother you on a Saturday, but my walk-in cooler isn’t working and if you can’t fix it today, I’ll have to throw everything out ... or do an awful lot of eating tonight!” That’s...

President George W. Bush used to say he was a “uniter; not a divider” and in a lot of ways he was right. I wasn’t a particularly big fan of his conservative politics and I felt he jumped onto...

It’s been 20 years, and Cloquet has changed a bit since I first moved to town on Oct. 1, 1999. There were two weekly newspapers then, too, the old Pine Knot and the upstart Cloquet Journal. But...

It’s been happening since people started having kids, but in recent years some people are trying to do something about it. I’m talking about First Witness, a group dedicated to protecting...

Esko's Corner won't have a gas station after today, when the Esko Self Serve closes down after more than 40 years in business. Beth Belden, whose family has operated the popular store known around...

They say you can’t go home again, but it sure would be nice sometimes if some people did. For example, former Cloquet City Administrator Brian Fritsinger served Cloquet for over 18 years ...

Del Prevost was looking sharp in his colorful jacket, tie, and creased slacks, but when he stepped to the pulpit at the end of Mass at the rededication of the Sawyer Log Church at Saints Mary and... Full story

I have a lot of respect for coaches; they are mostly parents or teachers who take on the task of guiding children through soccer, hockey, lacrosse, and a dozen more sports popular with kids these...

Cloquet Ford, one of the community’s prominent high-profile small businesses, has held a sales event at Veterans Park in Cloquet a couple of times in the past, but when it went to reserve the park...

I’m fascinated at how political the immigration issue has become in America. The fact is, the issue is much too complicated to be solved easily, and all sides are not too far apart. But it’s just...

I took a bribe the other day. And I’ve been a little uneasy about it ever since. For politicians, there are some pretty strict laws against bribery, and for good reason. A small bribe can be pretty...

The “Help Wanted” sign is out again at City Hall. Not only does Cloquet need to hire a new police chief, we also need to find a good city administrator. Those are two of the most important city po...

The Washington Monument is a pretty impressive structure, located in the heart of the "swamp" of Washington, D.C. It's an obelisk, a four-sided tapered tower with a pyramid on top. It's just about...

Admittedly, I have a vested interest in CAT-7, the local public access television station. I’ve hosted “Harry’s Gang” on that channel for almost 20 years, and I’ve developed close...

I’m always tempted to apply for elected positions in government when there is a vacant seat. Running for election is too much work. It would be an honor to serve … but too much of a chore to run a...

The Cloquet library is a godsend to parents in the summer. No sooner did we walk in last week than several kids greeted Tommy and Patrick, apparently friends of theirs from school. Soon, the girls...

For years, I’ve been asking candidates for sheriff (there’s been only one for more than a decade) and county board how they feel about a new jail. I get to do this because “Harry’s Gang...

For years, the only people eligible to vote were male property owners. Yet humanity flourished. In America, women weren’t allowed to vote until 1920. Blacks were given the right in 1870 but many act...

Now that summer has arrived, The Beach at Pinehurst Park is open and ready for swimmers. Or is it? The City of Cloquet spent millions to renovate Pinehurst Park to make a clean, safe swimming facility...

The Thomson Township board approved the hiring of a comprehensive plan consultant at its June 6 meeting. The current comprehensive plan is 20 years old and township officials are working on updating...

My dad would have turned 100 years old tomorrow. Out of respect for him, and because my siblings look for any excuse to get together, we are all assembling at my sister’s house in St. Paul for a...

Not everyone needs a will. But everyone should consider having one anyway. In Minnesota, if you pass away without a will, the law takes over: everything you own will pass to your heirs. If you have ch...

Queen of Peace school has been around town a long time. Since before the big fire. Since 1911, to be precise. The new principal, David Douglas, is just finishing up his first year at the school....