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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After graduating from high school last May, Cloquet's Aidan Ripp hit "Pause" on academics to pursue his dream of becoming a top competitor in the world of Nordic combined. He gave himself a year, spending part of the summer and early fall jumping and skiing on plastic in Europe and places such as Utah and Colorado. Since the snow arrived, he's been across the States practicing and competing in his chosen sport. It paid off. Earlier this month, USA Nordic named Ripp as a member of the 2020...
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 "The Wine Guy." Anderson had purchased a couple of apple trees from this same vendor and they were doing well, but the grapevines were not. The company suggested he plant more apple trees, but had a 100-tree minimum purchase policy. "Oh yeah, I can put in 100 trees," the hardworking Anderson told them,...
Historic Minnesota events with anniversaries this week. Feb. 21 2005 Three Minnesota National Guardsmen—David Day of St. Louis Park, Jesse Lhotka of Appleton, and Jason Timmerman of Tracy—are killed in Iraq, marking the deadliest day for Minnesota soldiers since Vietnam. Lhotka is credited with saving a fellow guardsman’s life and helping evacuate another soldier before being killed by the roadside blast. Feb. 22 1855 The Mississippi, Pillager, and Lake Winnibigoshish bands of Ojibwe sign a treaty ceding to the U.S. government a major porti...
The Sather's store in Scanlon was opened up in 1903 by Ole Sather, who was born in 1869 in Norway and came to America when he was 16 years old. He came to Scanlon when the town was a thriving young mill city and remained there after the Brooks & Scanlon Lumber Mill closed in 1909. Sather, who was also a postmaster and civic leader in Scanlon, passed away in 1929. The store continued on the corner of Washington and 29th Streets until 1958, when it closed. The building was demolished in 2000....
Ward 3 Cloquet city councilor Chris Swanson took the oath of office for the second time in seven months Tuesday, this time as a duly elected representative following his appointment in July. The council meeting Tuesday was a quick one, with no public hearings, no presentations and no comments from the public. Changes at the Cloquet police department dominated much of the short meeting, as acting police chief Derek Randall recommended the council approve the appointment of Eric Baker to the position of detective, effective that same day. The...
Tim Young Sr. started on a Valentine's Day snow carving Feb. 13, but the bitter cold temperatures made for poor carving and a cold carver. "I've always wanted to do something with Pepé Le Pew," he said, referring to the cartoon skunk known for his ardent pursuit of uninterested female cats. He finished his carving Friday and Saturday, when the temperature got into the 20s, better suited for carving snow. Young said there are future sculptures waiting in his snow block along Freeman Road. Jana...
The Wrenshall school board wanted the full support of the Carlton school board this week when it comes to the next steps of the school district consolidation process. But some Carlton school board members are still lukewarm about the two-site plan. And that’s despite an overwhelming majority of constituents indicating via a recent survey that they want the districts to consolidate with two school locations, and that they are willing to pay for it. On Monday, the Wrenshall board approved a resolution that the districts would move forward and l...
Shield 616 and the Cloquet Eagles Club worked together to make Cloquet's newest school resource officer (SRO), and the children he is there to protect, a little bit safer. On Wednesday, Feb. 12, SRO Larry Sherk was presented with gear from Shield 616, a nonprofit organization that raises money to provide law enforcement officers with better protection. The nonprofit group was started after founder Jake Skifstad, a former Colorado police officer and SWAT team member, responded to a shooting at a...
Voting to have your local sales taxes raised to fund a particular project isn't as easy as it used to be. Prior to this year, voters could approve proposals on Election Day, then ask the legislature and governor to give their blessing to the funding plans. But the 2019 tax law called for stricter legislative control, including that voter approval can now only occur after the legislature has vetted the projects and granted taxing authority to a municipality or county to fund them. The proposals...
The first sign that the former Applebee’s building may have new owners came when a crew of workers were crawling all over the extensive roof earlier this month, shoveling off snow. Carlton County assessor Kyle Holmes confirmed that the building at 1405 Highway 33 was purchased by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa for $600,000. The seller was Koller Family Trust and the filing date was Dec. 30. In response to the Pine Knot News, spokesperson Rita Aspinwall said the Band has no formal plans for the longtime restaurant site at this p...
Across the highway and about a block north of the Applebee’s site, the former Lemon Tree Liquor and Gas store at 1212 Highway 33 has also been sold. According to the county auditor’s office, the property sold for $140,975 to Pru Properties in May 2019. The seller was Brenner-Pollard, Inc. The Lemon Tree closed in late 2016 and has been vacant ever since. Pru Properties is a commercial and residential real estate development and consulting business. It declined to comment on plans for the building....
The following are the results of court cases as reported by Carlton County District Court in Carlton: Schullo, Kelly Marie, 28, Duluth - 4/23/2018 - Possession of a Narcotic Drug not Heroin in the Third Degree - Felony. Plead Guilty 9/16/2019. Disposition: 9/30/2019 - Placed on Adult Supervised Probation for 3 yrs. Credit for 9 days served. 2nd Offense: 8/17/2018 - Damage to Property - 1st Degree - Felony. Plead Guilty 9/30/2019. Disposition: 9/30/2019 - Adult Supervised Probation 3 yrs. with Conditions, Restitution $1,293. CCSO Overland, Lola...
Imagine the uproar if the Cloquet School Board decided to eliminate soccer as a sport for its students. We’re fairly certain that will not happen any time soon, but we mention it to properly frame this premise: it is undeniable that lacrosse is becoming a very popular sport with today’s children. And it is undeniable that, if the sport’s popularity continues, local school districts will have to consider adding lacrosse, which often means eliminating a different sport. Recently, organizers of lacrosse in Carlton County have approached schoo...
Tara forced me to spend a week in Orlando recently. “Forced” is accurate, but I’ve learned that putting up a fight is pointless, so I went along and even pretended to enjoy it. I can sense that I will not get much sympathy from you, dear readers, about being “forced” to spend a week in sunny Florida while the rest of you stayed back here and tended to the snow and cold. Note that I already said that complaining about it is pointless. Typically, my wife and kids go on vacation — I just happen...
Our city of Cromwell, nestled along the east-west BNSF rails, has its challenges. Sandwiched between two lakes that empty west toward the Mississippi, Cromwell's water table is high, creating periodic street and park flooding. Our main street is Minnesota Highway 210, with a single four-way stop sign where north-south Highway 73 intersects. It is in need of serious traffic calming, as trucks and cars of all sizes ignore the 30-mph signs and sometimes glide through the intersection. Once a...
Adrian J. Sturgeleski, 83, of Cloquet passed away Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020, at Sunnyside Health Care. He was born May 30, 1936, in Sturgeon Lake to Theodore and Gertrude (Mikrot) Sturgeleski. Adrian worked for Wood Conversion, Conwed and USG in Cloquet. After retirement, he worked for the Calvary cemeteries in Cloquet. Adrian was a member of St. Francis Catholic Church in Carlton. He spent many years of life on his farm in Sturgeon Lake. He raised beef cattle and spent many hours working the...
Patricia (Wedl) Bailey passed away peacefully Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, at Inter-Faith Care Center in Carlton. The second of three children, Pat was born May 5, 1930, to Lee and Peg Wedl in Coleraine. She was united in marriage to Bob Bailey on June 30, 1950. They raised their family in Remer. Upon retirement, Pat and Bob moved to St. George, Utah, and she returned to Cloquet in 2008 to be closer to family. Pat was a kind and loving person who always put others above herself. She enjoyed being wi...
Dorothy L. “Dottie” Ruhnke, 87, of Wrenshall, passed away Friday, Jan. 17, 2020, at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth. Visitation: 10 a.m. until the 11 a.m. Celebration of Life on Saturday, Feb. 22 at SonLife Community Church in Wrenshall. Arrangements by Nelson Funeral Care....
Students, parents and teachers talked to the Barnum school board at its monthly meeting Tuesday, Feb. 18 to express their concerns about proposed staff cuts following news that the district needs to make significant cuts or it will go into the red. Kyle, a student, spoke first and listed two items that the students wanted the board to realize: that academic needs are met by the students’ relationships with the teachers, and that the students care deeply about each and every teacher. A high school teacher asked if restructuring, such as a f...
When firefighters responded to a fire on 13th Street in Cloquet earlier this month, it wasn’t their first visit. According to Cloquet Area Fire District captain and public education coordinator Sarah Buhs, CAFD had been proactively involved years before disaster struck the duplex at 115 13th Street on Feb. 1. In 2017, CAFD staff updated and installed smoke alarms in the home. They also discussed the importance of having an escape plan for the entire family. The day the fire occurred, the smoke alarms that were installed in 2017 alerted the o...
A Cloquet man faces a felony charge of mistreating or torturing an animal after he allegedly stabbed a dog in the neck. According to the criminal complaint, Shayne Jason Thompson, 42, banged on the door of his girlfriend’s father’s residence on Jarvi Road on Feb. 3, allegedly yelling accusations about the daughter at the homeowner and accused him of lying for her. It was reported that Thompson had a knife in his hand. The homeowner said he went upstairs and Thompson left, but when he came back downstairs he noticed his dog was lying on the flo...
The Carlton Soil and Water Conservation District returns to the Cloquet library with a fun activity for kids Monday, along with a program for families and adults at City Hall, all centered on the topic of recycling, repurposing and better waste management habits at home. From 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 24, kids can enjoy a hands-on activity repurposing and being creative with “waste” materials in building rubber band cars from recycled goods during the library’s Tinker Club program. On the adult-oriented front, county resource and recyc...
A look up at the Cloquet Forestry Center last weekend offers quite the pastiche with the pine trees there. This weekend will be a perfect time to get outdoors with a winter thaw expected as temperatures linger into the 30s....
The Cloquet Rotary Club is organizing its Rotary March for Veterans Celebration to show appreciation for military veterans starting at 5:30 p.m. March 7 at the AAD Shriners Building in Hermantown. This event is open to the public and festivities will include a speaker, entertainment, dinner, and silent auction. The featured speaker is Chris Magnusson, who served in the United States Marine Corps for six years as a Special Intelligence Communications Center Operator. Tickets are $30. Call Reliable Insurance at 218-879-4663 to purchase. The...
The Artful Hat Show is coming to the Pine Knot News office 1-2:30 p.m. Saturday. Anyone who would like to come is invited to wear their favorite hat, and come admire other hats and others' hats, drink tea and enjoy treats like mini scones and cucumber sandwiches. It's not exactly an art show, and it's not exactly a hat show. On the long, multicolored brick wall that is the center of The Knot gallery are multiple vintage hats, artworks, old magazine covers and photographs, all centered around...
