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
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It was the mid-1970s when the Erickson family moved their Coast to Coast Hardware store from the middle of the block to the former Raiter Hospital building at the corner of Ninth and Cloquet Avenue. Although the names have changed - next it was Ace, then Erickson's and now Wood City Lights and Hardware - since then, the building has remained a hardware store for nearly 50 years. But not anymore. On April 30, Wood City owners Julie and John Haverkamp will hand over the keys to the building's new...
When the news broke last year that former Carlton basketball coach Robert Pioro was being charged with sexually abusing one of his players nearly 20 years ago, there were people who immediately identified his victim. They’d seen the red flags or wondered about the relationship, but never knew for sure. That’s the nature of sexual abuse. It doesn’t usually occur in the open. It’s hidden between abuser and victim, specifically so people don’t see it. So when there are red flags, people need to pay attention to those niggling worries and red flags... Full story
This is a History Mystery that will likely never be solved, so we plan to have many installments regarding the topic: How did the name Cloquet come about? Some spotty history tells us that the town once known as Knife Falls, named for the jagged-rock rapids on the St. Louis River, became Cloquet upon incorporation. Most assume the city name came from the Cloquet River, a tributary to the St. Louis and major log-delivery artery that boosted Cloquet into prominence as a wood processing center....
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 windows at 213 Chestnut Street in Carlton. A hardwood floor and white walls combined to bring early-February light all the way to the back of the shop. Waldorf is the owner of CreativEdge Designs. She was talking to a group of about a dozen women of all ages as part of new art classes at the shop.... Full story
A major water break on Washington Avenue over the weekend was quickly identified but still left local homes wondering why their water was running a little brown this weekend. Caleb Peterson, director of Cloquet public works, said a typical break involves a small hole that leaks at a fairly slow volume. In this case, the pipe ruptured and the city’s water loss was estimated at more than seven times a typical leak. “To put this in perspective, the system was losing more water than some fire hydrants around town are able to supply,” Peter...
A round-trip snowmobile ride and optional poker run will take place March 6 from the Buffalo House to Cromwell and Wright, with a reception following the 125-mile ride. The Rotary Rally for Kids is a rally set for 11 a.m.-7 p.m. March 6 to raise funds for children in the Carlton County area. All net proceeds will go back to the youth in the community through the Cloquet Rotary Club’s literacy program, school supply and backpack drive, clothing drive, and school lunch assistance. The cost of the event is $30 to participate, but donations of a...
With a pandemic still throbbing, the recent annual presentation of the Carlton County Emergency Medical Service took on special significance as volunteers and professionals were honored. Steve Trenhaile from the Moose Lake Fire Department heads the county EMS association and he presented awards to several people at the Feb. 9 Carlton County board meeting. With 25 on the roster of the Esko Fire Department, the group was recognized as the EMS Unit of the Year. It has responded to more than 230...
Things are looking positive for some kind of July Fourth celebration in Cloquet this summer, if discussions during Tuesday's City Council meeting hold true. City administrator Tim Peterson asked councilors for guidance on the annual celebration, which normally features a 5K race, a parade downtown, and activities in Veterans Park all day and into the night, finishing with an outdoor movie and fireworks over the St. Louis River. "Do we want the large normal celebration, a variation where we do...
As the vaccination process for Covid-19 ramps up in Minnesota, getting a vaccine has almost become a sport for some - as they bounce between various drugstore chain websites, local health care clinics and hospitals and a state waiting list that closes and opens as supplies ebb and flow. If you're registered on three different lists and end up getting vaccinated earlier somewhere else, that's OK, says Community Memorial Hospital CEO Rick Breuer. Just make sure you share that information with CMH... Full story
The Carlton High School National Honor Society will auction off St. Patrick’s Day-themed baskets to raise money for Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank. In particular, the funds will go to help youth who have struggled with food insecurity throughout the pandemic. Pictures, retail prices and starting bidding amounts will be posted on the Carlton High School Facebook page on Feb. 22. The bidding will begin on Feb. 23 and end on March 12. Contact Haley Adkins at [email protected] for more information....
The Carlton County Riders Club wasn’t too sad about the recent cold weather — it’s made the ice on the St. Louis River where they will hold their dirtbike races Saturday that much thicker. They call it The Iceberg Classic Under the Lights and it will be held, once again, on a giant oval on the river next to the River Inn Bar & Grill in Scanlon. Admission is free, races run from around 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20. According to the group’s Facebook page, classes include micro mini bikes, ABC bikes, vet bikes and a dash for cash. Gates open at... Full story
Kingdom Builders Ministries will hold its fifth annual ice fishing derby 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20 on Chub Lake. Tickets will be sold on the ice, at $25 for adults, $10 for kids age12 and under. There will be $3,000 worth in prizes; from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., every fish wins a prize, and there will be raffle items on the ice too. Concessions provided by Holy Smokes....
The Carlton County board of commissioners recently approved and presented a $4,000 grant from CARES Act funds to go to the B&B Market food train, which has been chugging along since late last March. During that time, individuals and businesses from all over Carlton County and even further away have donated money, products, anything to help out folks who are struggling during the pandemic, and B&B owners John and Kim Lind have used the donations to give away free food for anyone in need during the pandemic. The food train has morphed over time.... Full story
The coronavirus does not discriminate on the basis of sex, politics or religion. Cloquet’s Good Hope Church in Cloquet proved that last month, when Covid-19 spread through its members at a remarkable pace. Pastor Mike Stevens estimated that about one in five members — most of them volunteers — were infected. In total, he estimated about 45 people tested positive for Covid. “As far as churches go, we’re pretty strict with masking and social distancing. We have ushers seat people at a distance, and we’ve fought the fight with masks,” he... Full story
Sometimes, the press will protect the identity of a source in order to protect that person from retribution, scorn or embarrassment, or for some other reason. That doesn’t alleviate the reporter’s duty to verify the information, but the source’s name will be protected from the public. But what happens when the person is actually willing to be named, but the editor decides to protect the source anyway? That’s what happened with Pine Knot News editor Jana Peterson’s piece last week on the decades-old sexual assault of a teenage student by a teach...
I feel sorry for landlords who have been bitten by both the federal and state eviction moratoriums during the Covid-19 pandemic. Losing the ability to evict someone for not paying their rent could seriously affect a landlord’s business model. The eviction moratorium is a necessary consequence of the global pandemic. Not only has the pandemic affected the economy, leaving some tenants without a paycheck and thus unable to pay rent, it turns out that moving people from residence to residence ... Full story
I've spent my whole life growing up in the countryside and getting the chance to try many outdoor activities. I understand that most people have never gotten the chance to experience the outdoors like I have and the thought of that crushes me because that often leaves people to take advantage of nature like littering and treating beautiful places like campgrounds like dumps. When I say campgrounds I mean the ones near Holyoke, Moose Lake, and Barnum that are filled with lush wildlife. I've...
There are two complementary ways to avoid Covid-19 and reduce its incidence in our communities. Social distancing is one: the tiresome masking and regression to private spaces and the internet for everything from dining to schooling. Most of us have made sacrifices to follow the guidelines and learn alternative forms of working, learning and socializing. The other involves taking dosages of the new vaccines that have been tested and evaluated. Together, they form an even stronger route to...
Many of you are acquainted with our local Carlton County Soil and Water Conservation District. Our small team has achieved great successes following our mission of "Assisting landowners in protecting and enhancing the natural resources of Carlton County since 1961." I'd give you the details, but I have just 500 words, and our website, www.carltonswcd.org, is much cleaner. If you'd like a personal story, call me anytime; my contact information is on the website (at carltonswcd.org). My name is...
Robert "Bob" James Peters, 88 of Cloquet died on Feb. 11, 2021, at Inter-Faith Care Center in Carlton. He was born on Nov. 26, 1932, to Albert and Tyna (Sipola) Peters in Cloquet. Bob married Donna Fagre on June 28, 1952, in Cloquet. He was a U.S. Army veteran, serving 1953 to 1955. Bob returned home and was employed as a journeyman pipefitter for Johnson Controls for 36½ years. He was a member of the Carl Anderson American Legion Post 262, the Hebert-Kennedy VFW Post 3979, and the... Full story
Leo LeRoy Dahlberg, 86, of Cromwell passed away Feb. 13, 2021, in Villa Vista Care Center in Cromwell. He was born March 1, 1934, in Bigfork to Roy and Marie Dahlberg. Leo grew up in Effie and graduated from Bigfork High School in 1952. He married Marie Groth in 1956. Leo joined the Army and served until 1958. After his discharge, they made their home in Minneapolis, where Leo worked in construction as a heavy equipment operator, operating both dozers and cranes. In 1963 they moved to Wright... Full story
Michael John Hagen, 69, of Roseville passed away Feb. 12, 2021, at United Hospital in St. Paul. He was born Dec. 18, 1951, in Cloquet to Maurice and Virginia Hagen. Michael worked for LCS Coaches, Greyhound bus lines and managed multiple apartment complexes in the Twin Cities. He enjoyed visiting state parks, especially Jay Cooke State Park in Carlton. He loved kayaking at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park in Two Harbors. His favorite part was kayaking to a spot to enjoy some cheese, crackers... Full story
James Marvin Sunnarborg, 88, of Esko passed away Feb. 11, 2021 in his home with his loving family by his side. Services were held Thursday at Atkins Northland Funeral Home in Cloquet. Military honors were accorded by the Cloquet Combined Honor Guard. Burial will be in the spring in Apostolic Lutheran Cemetery in Esko. A video of the service is available on the funeral home website. Letters and cards of condolence may be sent to the family care of the funeral home.... Full story
In English, we have the term bookworm to describe someone who is always reading. According to historian Nick Kapur, most every other language has a similar phrase. In Spanish and French there is book rat, in Finnish there is chapter maggot, and in Norwegian there is reading horse. All describe animals consuming and devouring books, something that some of us can relate to, especially given the relentless subzero temperatures and increased time in isolation. Wrenshall library media assistant...
The residents of the Villa Vista and Cardinal Court got their second Covid vaccine shots last week. Let’s hope this opens things up so the residents can receive more visitors soon. It’s been a long year without family and friends being able to visit them. Sympathy to the family of Leo Dahlberg, who passed away Feb. 13 at the Villa Vista in Cromwell. Find his obituary on Page 8 of this week’s paper. Condolences can be sent to his daughter, Sharon Lake, at P.O. Box 164, McGregor MN 55787 and t...
