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

While other area schools and cities are heightening Covid-19 protocols, the Esko school board voted Monday to pass a set of guidelines that would allow the removal of mandatory masks on Feb. 7. With a 3-2 vote at the regular meeting Jan. 24, the...

We weren’t taken aback at the news that Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College is ending its football program. Football is always expensive, with lots of players, lots of equipment. Very few of the football players — at least in recent years — h... Full story

Esko senior Nate Rengo has been vocal about mask wearing at the high school, saying he advocates taking any “proactive” measures to avoid a school shutdown and missing school events in his final year. After a board meeting earlier in January whe...

A group advancing the idea of a Carlton County animal shelter is holding its next meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 3 at the VFW in Carlton. Anyone is welcome to attend. Carlton County has not had a local humane society since the Friends of Animals...

The Fond du Lac Reservation Business Committee approved a mask mandate from Jan. 21 through Feb. 18 for the following facilities: Black Bear Casino Resort, Fond-du-Luth Casino, and Fond du Lac Gas & Grocery. The City of Cloquet implemented a mask...

The 2022 precinct caucuses will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 1. Precinct caucuses are meetings run by Minnesota’s political parties. They are the first in a series of meetings where parties may endorse candidates, select delegates, and set g...

After warning families that the district might have to switch to distance learning because of staffing shortages caused by the pandemic, Cloquet superintendent Michael Cary said things are looking up. Staffing levels have stabilized, somewhat....

Continued fluctuations between moderate and frigid temperatures this month, coupled with spates of snow, have left roadways slick. In just the past week there were several incidents of cars sliding off roads and some overturning. In Cloquet on...

Carlton County was one of five counties recognized for the Association of Minnesota Counties County Achievement award out of all 87 counties in Minnesota last month. Several Carlton County departments were recognized for their collaborative work on...

Residential households in the U.S. can order one set of four free at-home tests from USPS.com courtesy of the federal government. Go to https://special.usps.com/testkits to order. Here’s what you need to know about your order: Limit of one order p... Full story

The Carlton County Extension Office is offering a class on Feb. 17 called “Growing Healthy Landscapes for Bees and Other Pollinators,” presented by master gardener Kathy Rahkola. The 90-minute class begins at 2 p.m. at 1630 County Road 61 in Car...

For the fourth time in the last 40 years the Carlton County board of commissioners declared their support for necessary funding by state and federal action to rebuild Highway 73 in western Carlton County, particularly the 8-mile stretch south of...

Talk of the Cloquet Area Fire District continued at the Thomson Township Board of Supervisors meeting Thursday, Jan. 20. In past discussions about CAFD board representation, it was unclear whether the township’s representative had to be an elected o...

A Cloquet man who is facing manslaughter charges will argue he acted in self defense, and seek to have the charges dismissed, according to his attorney. Joel Jay Ammesmaki, 58, was charged with first-degree manslaughter in September for “causing t...

Following the upheaval of the final weeks of 2021, the first Cloquet Area Fire District Board meeting Wednesday, Jan. 19, was positively noncontroversial. The fact that it was held online likely helped — the board will meet remotely as long as C...

There was a wonderful article in the Pine Knot (Jan. 7) that prompted me to write a little bit of history to pass down. This particular article really touched home. My grandparents on my father Wallace Johanson’s side were Swedish emigrants — alo... Full story

Kudos to Mayor Maki and the City Council for implementing and supporting a mask mandate in indoor public gathering places. I appreciate the courage this took. Thank you for helping us help ourselves. John Boland, Cloquet... Full story

As a business owner, the news of the Cloquet mask mandate passed Jan. 18 raised some questions and concerns. When previous Covid-19 safety measures were implemented, I ensured that my restaurant followed all of the appropriate guidelines. I did not... Full story