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Articles from the March 19, 2021 edition


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  • Hitting the skids on Covid

    Mike Creger|Mar 19, 2021

    For a year I've been begging Stockholm syndrome to kick in. To get used to the Covid-19 pandemic holding us hostage. Find a groove and take it through the murky tunnel. Find that a world turned upside down isn't so bad after all. Maybe even miss it once it ends. Fat chance. If you are like me, and many people I've spoken to in the past few weeks, the light at the end of this tunnel - shown with more access to vaccinations and tumbling case rates - is reason for hope. But I am tired. Drained....

  • History Mystery

    Pine Knot News|Mar 19, 2021

    Rich Winkler had a question for the Carlton County Historical Society about a possible ghost town along the original Lake Superior & Mississippi Rail Road line that ran along the St. Louis River in the county. But blank stares is what he gets since there is little to go on concerning what might have been the existence of a place called Milford. We sent Winkler a clipping we found from a January 1871 issue of the Superior Times related to the region's first rail line, up and running by 1870....

  • Community book chosen

    Pine Knot News|Mar 19, 2021

    For its 20th anniversary, One Book Northland committee has selected "The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead as the 2021 One Book Northland title. The committee selection was influenced by the cancellation of the 2020 events for that year's selected title, "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson, due to the pandemic. The topic of racial injustice presented in this nonfiction work still needs to be made available for community discussion, and so a coordinating fiction work was carefully researched and...

  • Irish Flair

    Jana Peterson|Mar 19, 2021

    Judy Stolquist and Larry Johnson celebrate their second and third place awards for showing their St. Patrick's Day spirit at the senior dance at the Cloquet VFW Wednesday. First place went to Esko's Melanie McColley who wore a green mask, headdress and glasses. "And I'm really Irish," McColley said....

  • There's gradual movement in Thompson murder case

    Jana Peterson|Mar 19, 2021

    A Cloquet man accused of murdering his pregnant girlfriend and her young son was in court virtually March 4, as his new attorney and prosecutors met to decide on dates for an important contested omnibus hearing delayed by grand jury proceedings last fall. It was the first hearing for 34-year-old Sheldon Thompson since that Carlton County grand jury voted to charge him with five counts of first-degree murder in October 2020. In total, Thompson faces eight charges: two charges of murder in the first degree, premeditated and murder in the first de...

  • Man charged with vehicular homicide

    Pine Knot News|Mar 19, 2021

    A Cloquet man was charged this week with criminal vehicular homicide this week for causing a head-on crash in September that killed another driver. Tony Northrup, 54, was charged Monday, March 15 in Duluth Sixth District Court in connection with the death of Melissa Kalinoski, 42, of Cromwell. According to the Minnesota State Patrol report, Kalinoski was driving west on Highway 2 east of Brookston when Northrup crossed the centerline and hit her head on while traveling eastbound on Highway 2. Kalinoski died at the scene and Northrup suffered...

  • Man pleads guilty in hit-and-run crash

    Pine Knot News|Mar 19, 2021

    A Two Harbors man pleaded guilty Monday to five counts of criminal vehicular operation-great bodily harm, admitting he was under the influence of alcohol when he hit a car occupied by a family of four on Midway Road last summer. It was the second time that Rodney Drake Scandin Jr., 36, pleaded guilty after the previous plea agreement was revoked by the prosecution. According to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, a car occupied by four family members was stopped on Midway road facing north on June 26, 2020, waiting to turn west onto Stark R...

  • Man charged with fleeing police, DWI

    Jana Peterson|Mar 19, 2021

    A Cromwell man is facing multiple charges after fleeing police in the early hours of Saturday morning in a high-speed chase. David John Aho, 20, is charged with felony fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle and misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor charges of driving while impaired, two counts of criminal vehicular operation, minor consumption and speeding. According to the criminal complaint, Carlton County Sheriff’s Office deputies were on patrol at 2:04 a.m. Saturday, March 13 when they clocked a care driving 71 mph in a 60-mph zone on H...

  • Hallways hum at the high school

    Pine Knot News|Mar 19, 2021

    The hallways at Cloquet High School, above, were bustling Tuesday as students returned to more in-person classes for the first time since November - when Covid-19 rates were peaking in Carlton County - following other area secondary schools that have already returned to school. CHS principal Steve Battaglia said about 72 percent of students are back on campus. Students can choose distance learning and currently Cloquet has more than 200 high school students learning online. That includes a...

  • Gordy's stays alive in bracket

    Pine Knot News|Mar 19, 2021

    It was a clear victory for Gordy’s Hi-Hat in the quarterfinal round of the Great Minnesota Burger Bracket sponsored by Minnesota Public Radio’s Warming House program. Gordy’s had 446 votes to 257 over Matt’s in Minneapolis, while the Rusty Nail in Battle Lake won over the Royal Bar in Park Rapids. The Rusty Nail and Gordy’s Hi-Hat will face off in the burger bracket the week of March 21, the same week that the Hi-Hat opens for the season on March 24. To vote, visit mprnews.or...

  • Hospital has shots available

    Pine Knot News|Mar 19, 2021

    Covid-19 vaccines are now available for the following essential frontline workers at Community Memorial Hospital in Cloquet. That group includes airport staff, child care workers not previously eligible, and first responders, and individuals working in agriculture, correctional settings, food production, retail and service, the judicial system, manufacturing, public health, public transit and the postal service. You do not need to be a CMH patient to receive the vaccine. To schedule an appointment, fill out the form on the Community Memorial...

  • Man dies in snowy crash

    Pine Knot News|Mar 19, 2021

    A 57-year-old man died after his vehicle left the roadway at approximately 5:51 p.m. March 10 and rolled over into the ditch near the 3800 block of Canosia Road, according to a press release from the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office. Poor weather and road conditions likely contributed, as it was snowing heavily on March 10. Members of the St. Louis County Rescue Squad, Solway Volunteer Fire Department responded....

  • Lawsuit targets city labor agreements

    Jana Peterson|Mar 19, 2021

    The Cloquet City Council closed its meeting Tuesday to discuss legal strategies for pending litigation, shortly after amending the city’s project labor agreement, which is targeted by the civil lawsuit. Although no legal documents were shared through the city, the Pine Knot News was able to find the lawsuit by searching federal court records. The city’s project labor agreement, or PLA — adopted in May 2017 by then-mayor Dave Hallback and the city council — is the issue, along with other PLAs in...

  • MPR News|Mar 19, 2021

    By John Enger / MPR News Almost exactly a year after they were put in place, Minnesota is easing back some of its COVID-19 restrictions, taking another step toward some semblance normalcy into the spring. Gov. Tim Walz announced the new, more lenient restrictions Friday morning, citing strong vaccination progress and falling infection numbers. Beginning noon March 15, bars and restaurants will be allowed to serve customers at 75 percent capacity. Salons, barber shops and churches won't have...  Website

  • Covid relief brings millions to area

    Jana Peterson|Mar 19, 2021

    The $1.9 trillion stimulus package passed last week by Congress and President Biden isn’t only sending $1,400 checks to many middle- to lower-income Americans, it also includes $360 billion for state and local governments that have had to cut services due to budget shortfalls during the pandemic. Minnesota is expected to receive $4.72 billion, with $2.6 billion going directly to the state and $2.1 billion going to local governments statewide. Another $20 billion will be sent to tribal governments across the country. Cloquet city a...

  • Guest View: Newspapers allow public info to shine

    Pine Knot News|Mar 19, 2021

    From Jim Pumarlo Reminding citizens and public officials about the public’s right of access to government information is the focus of “Sunshine Week: It’s Your Right to Know,” March 14-20. At its foundation, Sunshine Week underscores preserving the free flow of information for an open, effective and accountable government. Newspapers, at their best, are stewards of their communities. The news columns are a blend of stories that people like to read and stories they should read. The advertising columns promote and grow local commerce. And the...

  • Harry's Gang: Oh, brother and competitor, you are a tough act to follow

    Pete Radosevich|Mar 19, 2021

    Brothers can be the most competitive people you'll ever know, while still being your biggest supporters. I've got three brothers, two older and one younger, so I think I know what I'm talking about. We have a pretty close family, but, man, can we be competitive. I don't think we got that way competing for our parents' affections; we all did pretty good in that department. Maybe it was competing for food at the dinner table? I don't know. But we sure are competitive. My brother Bill is just a...

  • On The Mark: A little mindfulness can get minds off Covid

    Ann Markusen|Mar 19, 2021

    Though you can practice alone, even in a small space with minimal props, yoga is more pleasurable and probably better exercise when done with others or in classes. I’ve been doing yoga for more than half a lifetime. I’m grateful to the teachers, quite a variety of them, with whom I’ve studied wherever I lived. I have enhanced both my strength and flexibility by rolling out my mat several times a week, sometimes with friends or relations. Once you’ve worked consistently with one or more teacher...

  • Letter to the editor: Spend Covid checks locally

    Pine Knot News|Mar 19, 2021

    I welcome the American Rescue Plan. People who need the $1,400 will spend their checks locally on essentials like overdue bills and food. I encourage those of us who don’t really need the money to recharge our local economy by spending our checks at our favorite local businesses. Frankly, online businesses are doing just fine. Peter Klitzke, Cloquet...

  • Letters to the editor: IDs for voting seems right way

    Pine Knot News|Mar 19, 2021

    I am writing in response to the Harry’s Gang column (Feb. 26) written by Pete Radosevich about voter ID and the right to vote. First, while being a constitutional right to vote, there are times when this is removed: meaning not every adult American has the “right” to vote. He stated that it has been proven there is “virtually” no voter fraud in Minnesota. While that may be true, why not make an effort to make it more difficult for it to happen? In this country we have IDs for almost everything, student, state, military, IDs for police, c...

  • Obituaries: Lawrence Francis Grimm

    Pine Knot News|Mar 19, 2021

    Lawrence F. Grimm, 90, of Moose Lake passed away Monday, March 15, 2021, at St. Mary's Hospital in Duluth. He was born June 24, 1930 in Mahtowa, the son of Francis and Charlotte (Nesbitt) Grimm. Lawrence served as a sergeant in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War 1951-1955 and was a member of the American Legion Post 415 in Barnum. He was a member of Holy Angels Catholic Church in Moose Lake and Teamsters Union Local 346, and enjoyed auction sales, stock car racing, airplane shows, cutting...

  • Obituaries: Raymond William Tan

    Pine Knot News|Mar 19, 2021

    Raymond William Tan, 57, of Esko died Wednesday, March 10, 2021. He was born in Cloquet, the son of Richard and Ruth Tan. Raymond was a graduate of Esko High School, received a degree in auto mechanics, and graduated from Dunwoody Institute with a degree in drafting. He was a heavy equipment operator and worked on the boardwalk in Duluth, Gooseberry Falls, and on U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. He will be remembered as a quiet, private, fiercely loyal person who loved the simple things in life...

  • Obituaries: Bill Radosevich

    Pine Knot News|Mar 19, 2021

    Bill Radosevich, 58, of south Minneapolis died at home on March 9, 2021. Bill was a brilliant, funny, kindhearted scientist whose curiosity and intellect guided him through a life of fun, adventure, and accomplishment. He was a beloved family man; he has left behind wife Terre Thomas; children Jami Reilly (Chris Woods), Adam Dash Reilly (Ash Burns) and Maggie Reilly (Georgio Wright); grandchildren Ana Bernot-Reilly, Rhys Bernot-Reilly and Gianni Wright; his siblings Pete Radosevich (Tara Jordan...

  • Obituaries: Genevieve Lorene Thompson

    Pine Knot News|Mar 19, 2021

    Genevieve Lorene Thompson Entering into Heaven with a marble board, a deck of cards, and dice in her hands, Genevieve Lorene Thompson of Carlton left this earth on March 14 2021 at the young age of 90. Greeting her was her husband, Leroy, along with their son, Steven; her parents, Roverda (Hammitt) and Hubert Grover; granddaughter Michelle Thompson; and several brothers, sisters and other family members and friends. Surviving Genevieve are five children, Linda Lavoy, Dennis Thompson, Gerald...

  • Obituaries: Geraldine "Gerry" A. Nynas

    Pine Knot News|Mar 19, 2021

    Geraldine "Gerry" A. Nynas, 86, of Cloquet passed away Saturday, March 13, 2021, at Bayshore Residence and Rehabilitation Center in Duluth. She was proud to have lived longer than any other immediate family members. Geraldine worked at Coney Island as a teenager and also at Bergquist Imports in Cloquet, where she retired. She was born April 22, 1934 to Charles Jr. and Margaret (Soulier) Ganter. She was a proud member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Gerry baked marvelous breads a...

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