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

The Esko School Board approved pay hikes for noncontract substitute workers during its July 12 meeting, citing a need to not only attract new substitutes but also to show appreciation for the current...

I love newspapers, and always have. It's common for me to pick up a copy of the local paper at every little town I may be traveling through, and it's fascinating to learn that every town has its... Full story

My wife forgot our wedding anniversary last week. I am not sure I can forgive her. Shocked? So was I. Not a card; no flowers, candy, fancy dinner or beer. Nothing. Well, she didn’t completely forget;... Full story

Like any good organization, it's important for the U.S. Postal Service to keep up with modern times. It's the only way it can survive. Some of my more crazy ideas to save the USPS won't work in this... Full story

After serving as pastor for the Queen of Peace Catholic Church for the past 10 years, Father Justin Fish celebrated his last mass here Sunday, June 20. He likes to joke that he's spent a quarter of... Full story

There's clearly an employee shortage right now. As the pandemic wanes and the economy improves, we're seeing it harder and harder to find people to fill many job openings. Some blame the state and... Full story

A picture is worth a thousand words, it's said, and I agree. This article is about more than half that, and there's no way I can adequately explain how beautiful my mother is, even if you read to the... Full story

School is over for the summer, but the learning never ends, according to most professional educators. Kids learn a lot over the summer, even if it's not in a classroom. And it's a good idea to keep yo... Full story

Memorial Day is Monday, and many people take advantage of the long weekend to get to the cabin; maybe travel or barbecue, and enjoy other activities to mark the “official” start of the summer sea... Full story

It was exciting to see so many people breathe a sigh of relief when Gov. Walz lifted the state's mask mandate last week. Not only was it easier to breathe that sigh of relief, we could actually see... Full story

Esko seniors will graduate in a normal ceremony this year, if everything goes the way superintendent Aaron Fischer hopes it does. “Current guidelines will allow only two guests per student,” at the...

I don't know if people realize how close we came to losing a seat in Congress recently. If good ol' Minnesotans had not been so effective at completing the census, odds are pretty good our eight... Full story

One of my favorite jobs was writing restaurant reviews for the old Ripsaw, the now-defunct alternative weekly out of Duluth. After exploring a couple of locally owned restaurants recently, I couldn't... Full story

There’s a lot of talk about raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, which is one of the campaign promises of the Biden administration. I’m uncomfortable with such a high minimum wage, but... Full story

Bruce Ahlgren is a pretty well-known guy around these parts, having served the community for decades: first on the Cloquet school board for 12 years, then as mayor for about 16 years. Meanwhile, he... Full story

Teresa Hart has been hired as the Esko school district’s new business manager, replacing Janet Halonen, who is retiring June 30. Hart is the current business manager at the Floodwood school, a d...

There's been talk of making major changes to the Supreme Court, and that makes me nervous. Politics can be a dirty game, and it often attracts dirty players. For example, after the last president won... Full story

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