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Pine Valley Recreation Area received an unexpected boost this week - and it wasn't from the late-season snowstorm. During the Cloquet city council meeting Tuesday, longtime city parks commissioner Tom Urbanski shared news of a $1 million commitment for construction of a new multipurpose chalet at the popular Cloquet park. The donation comes from a family with deep ties to Cloquet and neighboring communities. "I am happy to inform you of my intent to donate funds for the planning and...
Members of the Kavanaugh village gathered at the Streetcar last week to watch Carlton's own Jeopardy champion, Sam Kavanaugh, in another tournament. The hometown hero didn't disappoint, keeping fans guessing to the very end of the high-stakes trivia show. It wasn't that Sam answered the final question correctly: no one did. Rather, he wagered less than Monica Thieu did, who was beating him by $3,800. The end result saw her score drop to $7,599 while Kavanaugh's dropped to $7,600. A dollar's diff...
The new owners of the Hotel Solem building in downtown Cloquet can begin pulling building permits now, after the Cloquet City Council unanimously passed a slew of resolutions that will help fund its transformation into modern apartments. They also got a blessing from David Guckenberg, the grandson of Hans and Lucy Solem, who built the new hotel at 915 Cloquet Ave. more than 100 years ago. "A lot of memories in that hotel," said Guckenberg, briefly addressing the council at the start of the...
Carlton County Animal Rescue volunteers, the city of Cloquet and its police department and a handful of pet-loving local organizations are partnering to host a microchip clinic. The clinic will be held 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 13 at Veterans Park in Cloquet. Carlton County residents must provide proof of residency at the event to receive free microchips for pets. Non-residents can still bring their cats and dogs for microchipping for a $20 fee. Leslie Pedro, the animal rescue group’s interim president, said it is “heartwarming and unifying to...
The search continues for Peter Michael Martin. The 31-year-old Fond du Lac Band member was last seen and heard from March 8. He is described as approximately 5-foot-10, 185 pounds with dark brown eyes. He has a small scar on his forehead and a number of tattoos across his left and right arms, shoulders and chest. On Monday, April 1, the Fond du Lac Band activated a full Emergency Operations Center process, requiring resources from all divisions across the tribal nation to support the search and rescue efforts for Martin. This allows search effo...
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College will host the 2024 Peace Officer and Criminal Justice Expo from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 17 in the Lester Jack Briggs Cultural Center. The event is free and open to the public, and lunch will be provided. The expo is designed to provide information about the wide range of career opportunities in the criminal justice field. More than 45 prospective employers representing police, sheriff, conservation officers and the state patrol will be in attendance to recruit prospective employees and provide...
A $42,000 Safe Routes to School boost grant is bringing eight bicycle fix-it stations to locations in Cloquet and the Fond du Lac Reservation, along with dual-language signs and a community mural by an indigenous artist to be selected. The fix-it stations will be located at the three FDL community centers, the FDL Ojibwe school, Big Lake Road trail, Washington Elementary, Pinehurst Park and the Cloquet Public Library. The dual-language signs are intended to increase awareness for walking and bicycling that incorporates indigenous arts and...
A five-year plan for roughly 64 miles worth of paving and other road and bridge projects was outlined to the Carlton County board on Tuesday. The tentative list of projects presented to the committee of the whole included only a half-mile of roadway reconstruction work this summer, on 22nd Street from Washington to Prospect avenues in Cloquet, along with a number of repavement projects moving forward. The longest stretch, 9 miles of County Road 6 to Barnum, is scheduled for 2028 and will...
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College will host the 2024 Peace Officer and Criminal Justice Expo from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 17 in the Lester Jack Briggs Cultural Center. The event is free and open to the public, and lunch will be provided. The expo is designed to provide information about the wide range of career opportunities in the criminal justice field. More than 45 prospective employers representing police, sheriff, conservation officers and the state patrol will be in attendance to recruit prospective employees and provide...
A $42,000 Safe Routes to School boost grant is bringing eight bicycle fix-it stations to locations in Cloquet and the Fond du Lac Reservation, along with dual-language signs and a community mural by an indigenous artist to be selected. The fix-it stations will be located at the three FDL community centers, the FDL Ojibwe school, Big Lake Road trail, Washington Elementary, Pinehurst Park and the Cloquet Public Library. The dual-language signs are intended to increase awareness for walking and bicycling that incorporates indigenous arts and...
Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa members voted on tribal council members Tuesday, April 2, narrowing the field of primary candidates to two each for the general election on June 11. The top two vote getters in each race will advance. Current chairperson Kevin Dupuis Sr. will face Bruce Savage in June. Incumbent Wally Dupuis and challenger Michelle Debolt will face off for the District 1 (Cloquet) seat, and incumbent Roger Smith will face Earl Otis for the District 3 (Brookston) seat. The unofficial vote tallies for chair and district...
The Pine Knot and our weekly dose of news is likely complicit in any information overload you may be feeling these days. On average, Americans spend at least eight hours in front of a screen each day. And there’s that fascinating fact that one day of information today is as much as our ancient ancestors learned in a lifetime. Ugh. So let’s take a break Monday. It’s a perfect opportunity with the solar eclipse occurring in the early afternoon. It’s a good time to reset, relax and perhaps repent. The effect of this cosmic event on our brains... Full story
As a 1966 graduate of Morgan Park High School, I befriended many Wrenshall graduates in that era. Morgan Park was a K-12 school, then a middle and high school, then just a middle school and now it’s gone forever. It was replaced by apartments as a result of Duluth’s consolidation known as the Red Plan, which cost taxpayers upwards of $300 million dollars. There are only a handful of K-12 school buildings left in the state. It is my belief these are diamonds in the rough. Wrenshall has always been K-12 and now has a trades facility to boot. Whe... Full story
The Carlton Area Lions Club has been serving the Carlton County area for 50 years strong, growing and serving. It is one of 49,000 Lions clubs around the world, and its members reside in all corners of Carlton County. They give their time and energy to create a positive impact here and around the globe. The club is over 25 members strong. Members spend much of their time raising funds to help support several causes. Fundraisers include their monthly Burger Night at the Carlton VFW, raffles, plant sales and more. Their next Burger Night is... Full story
The National Weather Service in Duluth is hosting free in-person and online Skywarn Spotter training classes in the region this spring. Skywarn is a cooperative effort between the NWS, local emergency management, and residents who volunteer to attend free classes and send weather reports to the NWS. Volunteers who commit to attending serve a vital need for the NWS by monitoring and reporting severe weather conditions. The reports help the NWS deliver accurate and timely severe weather warnings. No weather background is necessary to attend a...
The County Seat Theater will host the Carlton High School production “The 10 Best Worst Things About High School” at 2 and 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 13. Ah, high school. The best worst four years of your life! Join a group of real-life high school students as they uncover the wonders perils of gym class, the marvels horrors of field trips, the joy humiliation of prom, and many more of the fond traumatizing aspects of life as a high school student. To reserve tickets call the box office at 218-878-0071 or reserve online at www...
The Wood City Quilters Guild of Cloquet celebrated National Quilting Day in Cloquet onMarch 15. Seventy quilts made by guild members were displayed at the Cloquet Public Library and the Carlton County Historical Society museum, right. Guild members were on hand to answer questions, provide information on the art of quilting and to promote Wood City Quilters Guild. The guild, formed in 2019, currently has 40 members at all skill levels. Its mission is to connect area quilters, learn from...
Our regular bird photo contributor Will Stenberg caught this wee robin getting itself together after dipping into the bird bath in his yard north of Esko.... Full story
Just a couple of weeks ago, spring sports teams were licking their chops because there was no snow on the ground. Teams were able to get outside and simulate gamelike conditions. Then Mother Nature decided to throw a curveball at local teams by dumping nearly 2 feet of snow on the region last week. Teams were suddenly pumping the brakes on the upcoming season. The Cloquet-Esko-Carlton boys tennis team was excited about getting to practice on the new eight-court facility at Members Cooperative... Full story
A 3-point weekend against the top team in the division allowed the Minnesota Wilderness to keep pace in the playoff hunt last weekend, with four games to go. Minnesota got a shutout from goalie Adam Prokop, 3-0, on March 29 to beat the Wisconsin Windigo, while the Wilderness sent the next night's game into a tie and shootout, won 2-1, by the Windigo. With 61 points, Minnesota (28-23-5) remained in fifth place in the division with four games left to play, all against the Springfield Jr. Blues,... Full story
I am back from a trip to San Jose, California to visit Curtis and Steven, and my sister’s niece and family. My sister Margaret, and her daughter Tamilee and her husband Craig, and I were there March 14-25. We were a bit concerned about flying back from the San Francisco airport, but all went on schedule. The ride back to Margaret’s went OK since there wasn’t much snow on the roads until we got to the Moose Lake area. From that point, because we know how to drive in Minnesota in the winte...
The Ma & Pa Kettle meeting is 6 p.m. Sunday, April 14 at the Kettle River Senior Center. Bring ideas on what you would like to see happen this year. If you would like to be a food vendor or have a space at Ma & Pa Kettle Days on Aug. 10, contact Dan Reed at 218-273-6103 for information. We are going to try to continue with the Finnish Luncheon. We don’t have someone to cater it, so we will be trying to make it happen. We’re hoping to hold it on the third Tuesday of the month starting in April. So, if we can get things organized, it would be...
Thank you to Jennie Hanson, Wright/Cromwell News columnist, for reminding us about the Little Red Schoolhouse on the Carlton County Fair grounds in Barnum. I remember visiting the schoolhouse as a kid with my siblings during the fair. It is hard to believe that all student grade levels attended school in such a small building. Volunteers are asking for donations to purchase books and school supplies to give to kids during the Carlton County Fair held in August. Donations can be sent to CCRE c/o...
Corky "Jaws" K. Joslin, 77 of Sturgeon Lake, went to be with the Lord on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, at his home under the care of his loving family and St. Croix Hospice. Corky completed his final "marathon of life" with friends and family cheering him on, as he crossed the finish line. God was the first to take him into His loving arms and welcome him with the most gratifying reward of all ... eternal life in His beautiful, heavenly kingdom. Corky was born in Minneapolis on Nov. 20, 1946 to... Full story
Steven Marshall Sanda of Cloquet passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home on March 27, 2024. Steve, "Toivo" to his closest friends, was born May 9, 1951, in Cloquet. He graduated from Cloquet Senior High School in 1969 and continued to intently follow their sport teams. After graduation and some exploration, he worked at his father's business, Sanda Paint and Wallpaper. He would later take ownership of it and run it for the next 30 years. In that time period, he met, fell in love with, an... Full story