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The Pine Knot News was once again named the "most outstanding weekly" in Minnesota at the annual Minnesota Newspaper Association convention last week. It is the second year in a row the paper received the distinction, which comes with the traveling Mills Trophy. The win for the paper comes as circulation increases put it in a larger category of newspapers in the annual Better Newspaper Contest that MNA puts on. The Pine Knot won 23 awards for journalistic and advertising excellence, plus the... Full story
Korryn Sorenson-Brock, 22, of Cloquet, passed away Jan. 29, 2022. She was born Jan. 13, 2000, in Edina, the daughter of Kenneth and Kerrie (Rice) Sorenson. Korryn lived in Andover until she was 5 and then moved to Cloquet. Growing up, Korryn played hockey for Lumberjacks hockey teams. She enjoyed making YouTube videos with Jackson and Nick, family trips with the Sorensons to Arizona, road trips with friends and her brother Konner. Korryn was proud to receive her high school diploma in 2019. She... Full story
It was bitterly cold and blustery on the first Tuesday in February in a big statewide election year as the political party faithful held caucuses here and across the state. Precinct tables for all of the county were set up at the Four Seasons Sports Complex and Event Center in Carlton, where Republican organizers were gleefully surprised by a turnout of about 125 people. They were busy early on setting up new tables for the people who just kept coming into the upstairs room with windows...
Frequent Pine Knot News contributor and award-winning columnist Steve Korby hails from Scanlon, so he knew some of the sixth-graders pictured last week (at right). "The teacher, who was also the Scanlon principal, is Lydia Henke," he said. "She was my sixth-grade teacher as well. She was a Cloquet Country Club member. I remember how shocked I was to see her having a cocktail in the CCC clubhouse after a round of golf. My teacher!" Korby said the tall kid in the back is Paul Carlson and the...
Carlton County will receive almost $7 million from the American Rescue Plan Act, county economic development director Mary Finnegan reported at the board of commissioners committee of the whole meeting Feb. 1. There are nearly four years allowed to plan and spend the funds, she said. Local governments, including cities and townships, have been given their own share. This opens the possibility for the local governments to partner with the county with some of the money, Finnegan said. The county board and department heads requested local...
A massive multi-state drug investigation ended last month with arrest warrants issued for 21 people, including three people from Cloquet. According to a Duluth Police Department press release, the Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crime Task Force investigation spanned three states — Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota — and roughly six months. In June 2021, members of the task force began investigating a Chicago-based drug-trafficking organization (DTO) that transported substantial quantities of fentanyl and heroin from Chicago to Duluth. The fen...
According to a press release from the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office, the crash involved a Toyota pickup driven by a 37-year-old male from Duluth and a Freightliner semi driven by a 48-year-old male from Cromwell. The Toyota truck was eastbound on County Road 4 and stopped at the intersection with County Road 61. The driver pulled away from the stop sign and was struck in the passenger side of the vehicle by the northbound semi. The driver of the Toyota was transported to Essentia hospital in Moose Lake and later airlifted to a Duluth h...
Join Cloquet schools superintendent Michael Cary, along with school board members and administration for conversation 9-10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 7 at Common Ground, on the corner of Avenue C and Broadway in Cloquet. The “coffee in the community” meetings are being held monthly at various coffee shops in Cloquet and are a venue for people wishing to have a two-way discussion with school officials....
A Carlton man is facing DWI charges and more after allegedly running into a Duluth snowbank. According to a press release from the Duluth Police Department, at approximately 10:40 p.m. Monday, Jan. 31, Duluth police officers were dispatched to a report of a car in a snowbank at the intersection of 69th Ave. West and Raleigh Street. Officers located a male, later identified as Carlton resident Paul Booker, 30, who appeared to be passed out in the driver’s seat. Next to him in the passenger seat was a handgun, which the officers secured. It w...
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College welcomes new and experienced beekeepers to the seventh annual Beekeeping and More symposium next week. The virtual event will feature talks given by regional beekeeping experts, UMN Bee Squad and nationally known beekeeper Mike Palmer. The virtual event costs $15 per person and is 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12. To register or find out more, visit https://bit.ly/3s5Ur6e. During this year’s symposium, participants will learn about native pollinators and tips and tricks for beginning beekeeping. T...
Cloquet graduate Luke Heine said he tried to teach himself computer science in high school, but it was overwhelming and there were few resources, aside from one good friend. "I had Billy Bauer, he was phenomenal," Heine said. "He got me into it, but it just was way too hard." Now a Harvard University grad who recently sold his first startup software company, Heine gets it now. He wants to give other kids from his hometown and region a leg up in the world of computer science, so he's calling a... Full story
Next week, the County Seat Theater Company will present an old-fashioned melodrama, "The Villain Wore A Dirty Shirt, or, Always Wash Your Long Johns 'Cause It Makes a Lotta Cents." It's a boo-hiss villain tale around laundry in a mining town in frontier days. "This show is filled with fun characters," said director Joel Soukkala. "It is so fun to get a group of actors together of all ages and just play." The cast of 15 performers features a number of young actors. "It's a good old-fashioned melo...
When we started the Pine Knot News three years and three months ago, people in the newspaper industry noticed. I think it was mostly shock — who was crazy enough to start a brand-new paper? — mixed in with a little bit of hope. The Minneapolis Star Tribune sent a photographer and a reporter to our office in Cloquet, with our story told as part of a larger story focusing on the relative healthiness of newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. Minnesota Public Radio called, so did Business North, and Fox... Full story
Business people often think that any government regulation is an intrusion into their business and should not be allowed. In fact, that theme has become a plank in the Republican platform, as evidenced by the likes of Grover Norquist — who had some success in the earlier part of this century with his “no new taxes” pledge — and with recent politicians who have campaigned on a promise of eliminating government regulations. Sometimes they are right, and sometimes they are wrong. For example... Full story
Last June, I lost a close friend, Gary Ross. It wasn't officially recorded as a direct Covid-19 death, but the damn pandemic was surely a contributing factor. Sorry about the curse, but it is deserved. He was a couple years older than me and had cancer scares, diabetes, tremors and, finally, heart issues which were ultimately his undoing. Gary's wife died about a year earlier. Since her illness was at the height of the pandemic, he couldn't even visit her at the hospital until she went into... Full story
To our concert patrons: As we work on scheduling our next season, we are once again reminded of how important you are. There are concert organizations that have not yet been able to return to live concerts. This is due in large part to audiences who won’t conform to Covid protocols — primarily, mask mandates. We are so lucky to have your support on this issue. This is why we can do what we do for our community. Thank you. We look forward to seeing you on Sunday, Feb. 27 for the highly anticipated Irish group, Ring of Kerry. Jeanne and Dan Dot... Full story
In this season of election ramp-up, the party differences articulate the value of servant leadership. The elected officials and political activists should not focus solely on the immediate issues to achieve short-term gains without preparing for unintended consequences. When elected officials are using descriptive statistics to support a claim without fully vetting the information, the statistics are used to score political points among the base or cause fear. Recently, elected officials seeking other offices have been claiming to do something... Full story
Constance Olida Golla Schroller passed away Jan. 16, 2022, at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center in Chula Vista, California, succumbing to sepsis after a minor procedure. She lived at the Veterans Home in Chula Vista the prior two years, but had resided in sunny (and warm) Orange County for most of her adult life. Born May 31, 1942, in Cloquet to Gail and Peter Golla, Connie graduated from Cloquet High School in 1960. She then joined the U.S. Marine Corps and got to see different parts of the... Full story
Charles H. Lembke, 87, of Cloquet, passed away Jan. 29, 2022, at Inter-Faith Care Center in Carlton. He was born Dec. 13, 1934, in West Seneca, New York, the son of Mason H. and Violet Lembke. Charles served in the U.S. Army for most of his life, serving two tours in Vietnam, and retired in 1977 as a Master Sergeant. He was involved with the White Oak Society in Deer River, which provides education through the medium of 18th- and 15th-century historical reenactments. Charles was a past... Full story
Dwayne Lee “Dewey” Asbach, 46, passed away Jan. 28, 2022, at Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth after succumbing to Covid-19 pneumonia while bravely undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma. Dewey was born Sept. 16, 1975, in Ashland, Wisconsin, where he spent his childhood exploring the woods, which developed into a lifelong appreciation of and love for the beauty and nuance of nature. He enjoyed camping, running, biking, walking, CrossFit, and participated in half marathons, 5... Full story
David Anthony Anderson, 79, of Carlton, passed away at his home Jan. 22, 2022. David was born Jan. 2, 1943, in Duluth to Herbert and Mildred (Hunter) Anderson. He was raised in Duluth, graduated from Central High School, and worked as a custodian for 28 years at St. Mary's Hospital. David was an active fisherman and bowler. He is lovingly remembered as a caring and loving human being, who was willing to help anyone in need. He was a big man with a huge heart, and he will be missed. David was... Full story
With the season-ending championship events just around the corner in mid-February, the Lumberjacks Nordic ski teams got a good look at where they stand during the Duluth East Invitational held at Snowflake Nordic Center Friday. Ten of the 11 teams in Section 7 were competing, creating a showcase of the Nordic skiing talent in northeastern Minnesota. The Cloquet-Esko-Carlton varsity boys team finished fifth overall out of 10 teams, landing behind meet hosts and winners Duluth East, followed by... Full story
Essentially a race-within-a-race, the Lake Superior Conference Nordic Ski Team champions and All-Conference individuals were named using the results from last Friday’s Duluth East Invitational races. While 10 teams competed in the event, a second set of results were tabulated using just the Lake Superior Conference teams to produce the team winners and individual honors. The CEC Nordic Ski Teams had three boys and two girls earn all-conference honors. The top 10 finishers in the pursuit format race make the annual all-conference team. With Mile... Full story
Many Minnesota Wilderness fans were writing off the hometown team around the Christmasbreak. Not so fast, folks. The Wilderness have ripped off six straight wins and suddenly are back in the playoff hunt in the NAHL Midwest Division. “Two things have happened for us really,” said head coach and general manager Dave Boitz. “We have gotten healthy and we have had much better goaltending during the streak.” The Wilderness posted the second shutout in the last three games Saturday night with a 2-0 w... Full story
Thursday, Jan. 27 Girls Basketball McGregor-51 Carlton-41 Esko-83 Barnum-39 Cromwell-Wright-50 Floodwood-29 South Ridge-73 Ml/wr-52 Girls Hockey Duluth Marshall-4 Moose Lake Area-1 Boys Basketball Lakeview Christian Ac-65 Carlton-51 Friday, Jan. 28 Girls Basketball Wrenshall-71 Silver Bay-41 Ml/wr-53 East Central-37 Girls Hockey CEC-1 Chisago Lakes Area-0 Boys Basketball Silver Bay-50 Wrenshall-39 McGregor-61 Carlton-53 Esko-79 Barnum-53 Cromwell-Wright-72 Floodwood-36 ML/WR-71 South Ridge-43 Superior-100 Cloquet-47 Chisholm-65 Fond du Lac-49... Full story