Articles written by Timothy Soden-groves
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 40
Wrenshall Board principal review takes a turn
A special meeting of the Wrenshall school board took a surprising turn Tuesday evening when board members voted to postpone discussion of an extension to principal Michelle Blanchard’s one-year c... Full story
Carlton School Board discusses deep budget cuts
The Carlton school board met Monday, in large part to discuss again the possible cuts to meet a budgetary shortfall of about $500,000. The board is looking to cut that deficit in half for next school year with changes in curricular and...
Ski jumping, racing take over park
Saturday dawned cold and clear with just a light wind puffing some fresh snow out of the trees at Pine Valley in Cloquet. Mid-January turned out to be a perfect time for ski jumping. By the time the... Full story
Wrenshall School Board makes another pick to fill open seat
The Wrenshall school board completed its do-over on the appointment of a new school board member last week. Eight candidates applied for the spot, including Ben Johnson, Karola Dalen, Cindy Bourn, Tony Sheda, Brandon Burt, Caroline Johnson, Janaki...
The Rickety Desk: Book chronicles a long hard struggle with illness
A recently written book by Esko area resident Elaine Osborne confronts the reader with questions about what we believe and why. “If I Felt Alone” is the story of Osborne’s struggle against the perso... Full story
Carlton's comeback kids
Music can have some surprising ways of bringing people together. And now - after several years apart - the Carlton choir is back by popular demand. They're set to livestream their spring choir...
Artists wanted
After a yearlong delay due to the pandemic, the "West End Flourish" is once again back on track to celebrate arts and community. The project aims to revitalize Cloquet's West End business district... Full story
It's a dog's life for Carlton County mushers
Carlton County sled dog racers Will Bomier and Ted Wallace have spent countless hours over the past several decades tending to, training and racing their dogs. For them, time spent with their dogs is... Full story
Arts added to business plan
Jessie Waldorf faced the class. "We're here just to have fun and make something creative." It was a chilly Saturday afternoon and sunlight streamed unobstructed through big, south-facing storefront... Full story
Persistence, peace mark Line 3 protests
Woodsmoke curled through the trees on a quiet winter afternoon at Camp Miigizi, just off Magney Drive on the Fond du Lac Reservation. An event called "Frybread Friday'' was scheduled here for Jan....
Carlton postmaster loves to deliver
Over the past several years, customers walking into the Cloquet or Carlton post offices have been greeted by a familiar face backed up with a helpful, can-do attitude. The guy who seems to be at the...
Bike biz turns 10
While the Carlton and Jay Cooke State Park area is known for its recreational trails, many people who would like to experience the beauty of these trails by bicycle may not be aware of a great resourc... Full story
Mask appeal leads to mass production
When Gail Van Guilder made her first face mask, she was thinking of the potential danger the coronavirus posed to her family and herself. Now, more than a thousand masks later, her effort to supply... Full story
Nantiques shop open for curiosity seekers
With people looking for opportunities to get out of the house and find something new, interesting and safe to do, a local shop with some decidedly dated inventory may prove to be a fun and worthwhile... Full story
Rickety Desk: Here's to looking out for each other with food and music
Wouldn't you know, I had just put down my glasses somewhere and for the life of me I could not find them. Of course, when I finally discovered them sitting above the brim of my ball cap - on my head -...
Rickety Desk: Videos provide needed light in uncertain times
With teams of experts reminding us daily of the defensive measures we must all take to fight off the coronavirus, we tend to think that's all we need to do. But now comes our moment to go on the... Full story
Rickety Desk: Shows must go on
When I was kid, one of the fun things that might happen when the family was stuck in the house on a snowy day was a "theatrical production." These were usually a one-act play dreamed up by the kids...
Care homes strive to keep connections in quarantine
Coronavirus represents an elevated threat to elderly people and those with compromised immune systems. Understandably, those who have a family member or a loved one in an assisted living or long-term...
Connection made to Arizona mom
Just minutes after I finished interviewing one of the two directors for the article that starts on the previous page, I got a call from Linda, an activities assistant at the residential memory care...
Column: Offering support as we distance ourselves
We all know that a key to our health and well-being in this pandemic is "social distancing." While I can feel totally helpless against an enemy that is invisible, powerful, global and doesn't care a...
We could really use public access TV now
The Cloquet-based Community Access Television channel, CAT7, has taken some big hits in recent months. Its broadcast services were off the air for most of 2019 before being restored late in the year....
'Apple tree guy' learns to innovate
When Dustin Anderson wanted to improve his small vineyard in Carlton, he called the company that had sold him his grapevines. What happened next is why he is known as "The Apple Tree Guy" and not...
She's quilting a career making art with wood
Leah Hammond stood on the showroom floor of her family's woodworking business in Cloquet. Beside her was her latest hand-crafted wall hanging, an elegant testimony to her creativity and... Full story
Arts for a spark
Cloquet’s downtown revitalization efforts received a nice boost last week when, along with three other Minnesota municipalities, the city was selected for the 2020 Artists on Main Street cohort. O... Full story
Carlton family business thrives in changing times
When Neil and Theresa Erickson bought Carlton's Woodland Grocery back in 2013, it was already like an old familiar friend. Theresa had found her first job at the store, which was then owned by her...