A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 28
The shock and mystery around the deadly shootings in Cloquet on Jan. 8 remain, but, this week, for friends and family of the two victims, there was time for reflection, thanks and celebration of the lives lost. Tim Trettel, the father of 22-year-old Shellby Trettel, who was killed that evening as she worked at the Super 8 hotel, traveled to Grand Rapids with family members Tuesday. He was there to attend the funeral for Patrick Roers, the 35-year-old hotel guest who was also killed in the...
The currently condemned Hotel Solem building in downtown Cloquet could become 18 market-rate apartments, if plans by a pair of structural engineers click into place. The three-story building at 915 Cloquet Ave. was constructed after the 1918 Fires decimated Cloquet, with the first section going up in 1919 and an addition in 1923. The city gained possession of the former Mexico Lindo building in 2022, citing public safety issues to condemn the building and using eminent domain statutes to take...
Picture a surgery room. A neurosurgeon is performing surgery on the patient's spine. But only after a state-of-the-art X-ray machine does a 360-degree scan of the patient - creating an interactive picture, or template of the person's spine that allows the surgeon to see precisely where his surgical tools are going inside the patient's back. "It's like GPS for the spine," neurosurgeon Dr. Matthew Davies explained, pointing to a large screen that shows the spine model on the table before him and...
The Carlton school board received the results of the annual audit on Monday night and learned that this year’s deficit is lower than expected. Janel Bitzan of the accounting firm BerganKDV outlined the results via remote video presentation. “The amended budget called for a decrease [in the general fund] of $463,000. The actual was a decrease of about $65,000. So about $397,000 better than you anticipated the fund balance to come out,” she said. Why the big disparity between the anticipated and actual? Mostly it was federal dollars coming into...
Last week, the Carlton County’s office dismissed two first-degree criminal sexual conduct charges previously filed against Chad Arnold Connor. The reason listed was “prosecutorial discretion.” When contacted, Carlton County Attorney Lauri Ketola declined to discuss Connor’s case specifically. She did, however, talk about the challenge of prosecuting cases that revolve around conduct from years before. “It can be difficult to prove,” said Ketola, who has made prosecuting sexual abuse a priority. She noted that her office doesn’t file charges...
Those who didn’t get a text message or email announcing the “shelter in place” order in Cloquet on Jan. 8 might want to register with the Cloquet Police Department’s Nixle service. Nixle was created for local law enforcement, designed to notify the public of community updates, public advisories and emergency alerts. To sign up for notifications and alerts using the Nixle messaging system, text the city’s zip code (55720) to 888777 and follow the prompts, or follow the link: https://l...
Friday, Jan. 19 is the last day to take advantage of the Wall of Wine and raffle from noon to 7 p.m. at Cold One Liquor in Cloquet. For a donation of $20, guests select a random bottle of wine and an envelope containing a gift card ranging in value from $10 to $100 donated from an area business. The event is first come, first served, with payment by cash or check only. Raffle tickets are also available. All proceeds go toward supporting Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College student scholarships....
The Cloquet Educational Foundation’s biggest fundraiser is coming up fast. There is a limited number of tickets available for the 22nd annual Blue Jean Ball on Saturday, Feb. 3 at the Black Bear Casino Resort. Tickets are $50 per seat and support educational grants in Cloquet. Social hour begins at 5 p.m., with dinner, auctions and games to follow. Contact Jody Acers at 218-879-3806 or [email protected] for tickets or for more information....
The Essentia Health-Moose Lake hospital has been re-designated as an acute stroke-ready hospital by the Minnesota Department of Health. The re-designation means the hospital has stringent protocols, collaborations, testing and education and partnerships in place to help achieve the best possible outcome for patients who suffer this potentially deadly health event. The designation is good for three years. “We are prepared to care for stroke patients 24/7 and are committed to providing high-quality care to patients undergoing this serious a...
CreativEdge opened in downtown Carlton in 2017 when Jessie Waldorf, with the support of her husband, Joe, jumped from being employed as a full-time graphic artist for more than 15 years to beginning an adventure as a business owner. After starting out as a design studio, CreativEdge has evolved into a full-service print shop offering graphic design, print services, apparel decorating, promotional products and creative workshops. With her knowledge and experience in the design and printing...
By now, it cannot come as a shock that even our own backyard is not immune from gun violence. In the blink of an eye in America, where our infatuation with guns exceeds our sense of order, a grudge, grievance or some other precipitator can yield tragic outcomes and a citywide lockdown. Such was the case on Jan. 8, when a shooter killed two people and then himself at the Super 8 hotel in Cloquet. Authorities continue to investigate in search of a motive, and any possible connections between the shooter and victims. Praise for those who...
My office is in the old Cloquet Co-op building in Esko, and it carries a lot of history. The thing is built solid. Those Finlanders obviously expected the building to be around for a hundred years or more. It’s tight, too, not drafty at all. So many people have stopped in over the years to reminisce about the old co-op. I feel like I’ve been here since the 1950s, when it was built. It carried groceries, of course, but also hardware, sewing stuff, farm supplies, and some clothing. And yes, to...
I just wanted to express my gratitude for how the community responded on Jan. 8 to the shootings at the Super 8 hotel. Someone with the emergency response team mentioned to me, “I got into this line of work because I wanted to help people.” He called it the “farmer mentality.” Everyone does their part to help the ones in need. Every action is vital, and everyone has a role to play. Thank you, whether you were on the scene that night or a guest who talked us through it, sent us food, came to the candlelight vigil, sent a text message, called...
When the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton girls hockey team lined up on Thursday against Duluth, the team was in serious need of a win. The Lumberjacks had lost five straight games since Dec. 19. CEC responded with an impressive second period and stunned the Northern Stars, 4-3. The winning kept going into this week, with wins over Northern Tier and Hibbing/Chisholm. "We needed that win," said CEC coach Kennedy Houge. "We had a string of games that we could have won. With a young team, they need to be...
Thursday, Jan. 11 Girls Hockey CEC 4 Duluth 3 Boys Hockey CEC 3 Duluth Marshall 1 Girls Basketball Esko 72 Hibbing 35 South Ridge 92 Carlton/Wrenshall 40 Cromwell-Wright 70 Barnum 34 Floodwood 64 Moose Lake/WR 53 Boys Basketball Ogilvie 66 Cromwell-Wright 56 Hermantown 106 Cloquet 74 Friday, Jan. 12 Boys Basketball Carlton/Wrenshall 101 Floodwood 33 Cherry 100 Esko 74 Girls Hockey Litchfield/DC 2 Moose Lake Area 1 Saturday, Jan. 13 Boys Basketball Cloquet 88 Duluth Marshall 68 Girls Basketball Red Lake 73 Fond du Lac 56 Boys Hockey Coon Rapids...
The Cloquet-Esko-Carlton wrestling team hosted its final home meet of the season Friday as the senior wrestlers, managers and their parents were honored on the mat between matches. "It was a fun night of wrestling and a great way to honor the seniors and their parents," said CEC coach Al Denman. CEC opened the triangular by losing a tough 42-34 decision to Ogilvie, having to forfeit four matches. "Had we had a full roster there is no doubt in my mind we would have won," Denman said. Freshman Aid...
The Minnesota Wilderness eclipsed a hurdle last weekend, when it won a regular season game in Eagle River, Wisconsin for the first time in franchise history. But it needed a thrashing first, losing 7-1 to the Wisconsin Windigo on Jan. 12 before winning a 4-3 shootout on Saturday. The split allowed Minnesota to remain in sole possession of first place in the Midwest Division, as the Wilderness (22-12-3) now sits two points ahead of Janesville (21-10-3), which is now tied for second with Wisconsin (20-10-5). Minnesota owns 47 points compared to...
Given the unseasonable winter weather until January rolled around, the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton alpine ski team had taken a backseat to sports with stable ice and indoor floorboards. When we last heard from the program, it had two participants in last year's rain-soaked state meet at Giants Ridge in Biwabik. Those state skiers, Emily Regas and Teagen Tessier, are back this year. The Pine Knot asked coach Ryan Zimny about the season so far: Q How goes the alpine ski season so far, in terms of...
It was surprising to not see University of Minnesota Gopher coaches P.J. Fleck and Ben Johnson pushing their way through the Esko gymnasium doors at the Jan. 12 boys basketball game. After all, Esko's Koi Perich (football) and Cherry's Isaac Asuma (basketball) are two of the most heralded 2024 Gopher recruits in their respective sports and they were playing each other in a clash of northeastern Minnesota powerhouse teams. Cherry prevailed over Esko, turning a close game at halftime into a...
What do Minnesota farmers do in the wintertime? Aside from livestock chores, machinery repair, record analysis, next-season planning, and a little more family time, they can improve their knowledge and networks by attending conferences. When meat and poultry farmer Mark Thell, chair of the Carlton County Chapter of the Minnesota Farmers Union, fell ill last week, I was asked to attend the 21st annual Minnesota Organic Conference Jan. 11-12 in St. Cloud. The event drew over 300 hundred...
My sympathies to the families of Don Hutar, 80, who died Jan. 10; Fran Soloman, who died Jan. 11; Gary Larson, who died Jan. 1; and Reuben Wenstrom, who died Jan. 8. The Bethany Lutheran public memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 22 at Villa Vista, in honor of Delores Demenge, Leonard Stokke, Ray Marsyla, John Kauppila, Tom Donohue, and Joanne Beck. The Villa will also be honoring residents that are or will be in their 90s and 100s at 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 26: Dagny Quarnstrom,...
On January 8, 2024, the world stopped turning just for a moment as our lives were forever changed by the loss of a beautiful soul, Shellby Marie Trettel. In her short 22 years here on earth she made a tremendous impact on those she met. Her uniqueness and colorful character shined bright even in dark moments. Shellby’s love for her family, her friends, and her community will forever be honored and remembered. Shellby was born in Sonora, California on Nov. 26, 2001. Her father and biological m...
With great sadness, we must share the loss of our beloved Patrick Jeffrey Roers. Patrick left us on the evening of January 8th, 2024, leaving behind a widespread memory of his infectious smile, laugh, and his ability to make even the newest stranger feel like an old friend. Born as the fifth child (in a family of six kids) on November 16th, 1988, in Buffalo, MN, he spent most of his life growing up in Monticello, MN. Patrick had a hunger to know about all things in the world - how things...
Frances A. Solomon, age 85 of Cromwell, Minnesota passed away Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, at Community Memorial Hospital in Cloquet. She was born July 3, 1938, in Duluth, the daughter of John and Florence (Kriski) Kubiski. Frances graduated from Cathedral High School in Duluth. She was united in marriage to Glenn Solomon in 1956. They were very active with the former St. Casimir’s Catholic Church in Cloquet and attended St. Francis Catholic Church in Carlton. Frances especially loved her family a...
Bonnie Mae Edin, 83, of Spokane, Washington, and formerly of Cloquet, passed away Jan. 9, 2024. She was born on April 16, 1940, to Arthur and Hilma (Sipola) Swanson in Cloquet, where she grew up and graduated from high school in 1958. She worked at the Northwest Paper Company, helped run Rog's Galley, a successful drive-in restaurant in Esko, and retired from Carlton County Health and Adult Services in 1999, after almost 20 years of service. Bonnie was a very outgoing and caring person who...
