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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Jodie L. Shelton, 53, of Wrenshall passed away April 2, 2021, at home with her family by her side. She was born July 24, 1967 in Duluth, the daughter of Rodney and Peggy (Shaw) Stadin. Jodie was preceded in death by her father. She is survived by her son, Jayden Shelton; mother, Peggy Koski; sisters, Tammy (Mike) Turnbull and Connie Lusk; and brother, Brett Stadin. Visitation: 10 a.m. until the 11 a.m. memorial service Saturday, April 24 at St. Matthews Lutheran Church in Esko. Burial will be...
Cloquet High School Honor rolls for the third quarter A Honor Roll Grade 9 Joshua Anderson Elexis Anderson Elijah Aultman Joseph Bailey David Baker Brandon Bandy Hannah Bastien Owen Brenner LeeAna Burley Ava Carlson Courtney Carroll Ella Chartier Quinn Danielson Macy Dearborn Kiana DeFoe Emmie Doesken Ethan Doty Jacob Dunaiski Madison Fredrickson Anders Gunelson Riley Hall Isaac Hill Makenna Horvat Kiley Issendorf Eli Jazdzewski Jayden Johnson Gage Johnson Carly Johnson Annalise Kalm Mary Kayser Brynn Kowalke Caden Kubis Kyle Lahti Erin Loeb...
Homeowners in the Olsonville area of Twin Lakes Township struggle with well water that smells bad, will dye their whites orange and may contain arsenic (along with other chemicals). On top of all that, the supply of that substandard water isn't even a sure thing. For 20 years, township officials have known the answer to the water issue - getting water from nearby Carlton - but they haven't been able to afford the high price tag of transporting that clean, potable and plentiful water. But the...
Richard J. Smith “Makade-Miigwan” started his journey into the Spirit World on April 10, 2021. Richie was born on June 27, 1965 in Cloquet, the son of Raymond Smith Sr. and Judith Northrup. He enjoyed following the Pow Wow Trail, visiting with his friends, and cherished the time spent with his family. Richie enjoyed beading, sewing, cooking, and traveling. He was meticulous with his crafts. Among many other enjoyments, he especially liked helping his family and friends with many tasks. Ric...
Erwin “Chuck” Shaw, 83, of Carlton passed away at Community Memorial Hospital in Cloquet on Dec. 14, 2020. He was born Sept. 8, 1937 in Richville to Milton and Clara (Butler) Shaw. Chuck was a diesel mechanic and over-the-road truck driver. He was a member of the Cloquet Moose Lodge 1274 for 52 years. Chuck enjoyed camping with his wife, Shirley, at Bent Trout Lake Campground and spending time with his family, and coffee and fun with his Pineview friends. Chuck was preceded in death by his par...
This week’s History Mystery is … where did the weekly History Mystery feature go? Nowhere. We’re still here. We have a few mysteries up our sleeve and have been waiting for the Carlton County Historical Society to open to the public once again. We’ve heard that some limited opportunities may be available soon. We continue to work on the Cloquet etymology question. We are also wondering what readers can tell us about the origins of other names in the county: mainly Carlton (which we have some information on) and Scanlon, which remains a bit of...
The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced more than 200 construction projects for the 2021 construction season. Northeastern Minnesota will have little disruption to traffic flows save for the behemoth project on Interstate 35 in Duluth that has already restricted traffic to one lane in each direction just west of downtown. Here's a rundown of MnDOT- led projects in Carlton County and region known as District 1: • The significant work on the Twin Ports Interchange, known by its n...
Participants from Carlton County are included in a warning about an outbreak of Covid-19 cases associated with a Minnesota youth wrestling tournament held in South Dakota in late March and early April. The Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Department of Education have alerted schools around the state to watch for potential cases and to double down on masking, social distancing and other prevention measures. Health officials are also asking anyone who attended the tournament to get tested immediately for Covid-19 and to watch for...
Although live performances of “Almost, Maine” by the County Seat Theater sold out this week, patrons can still buy tickets for virtual performances through April 18 at www.countyseattheater.com under the “tickets” section on the website. “Almost, Maine” is a romantic comedy about a place that’s “so far north, it’s almost not in the United States. It’s almost in Canada. And it’s not quite a town, because its residents never got around to getting organized. So it almost doesn’t exist.” The play shares nine short “magical moments” with au...
A Cloquet police officer who pleaded guilty to driving while impaired last summer is now facing discipline from the police department. Officer Andrew Michael Murray is being suspended without pay for 14 workdays, or 168 hours, upon the recommendation of police chief Derek Randall and agreement of city administrator Tim Peterson, who signed off on Murray’s suspension Thursday, April 8. The city/CPD is also imposing a “final and last chance agreement” for any alcohol or impairment-related offen...
The Carlton County Board of Commissioners selected a firm to do the preliminary work on architectural and engineering concepts for the new Carlton county jail during Tuesday’s meeting. Adolfson & Peterson Construction has its main office in the Twin Cities but also has a branch office in Duluth. Several firms were interviewed before a final choice was made. Adolfson & Peterson worked on the Minnesota Sex Offender Program facility in Moose Lake and the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth. Their contract as a Construction Manager at Risk will carry a...
Drivers passing the Cloquet Armory Monday morning saw what appeared to be a mountain of garbage bags outside the bright green DAV donation boxes. Happily, those bags were mostly filled with clothing donations members of the local Disabled American Veterans chapter will take to the Savers store in Duluth. The local DAV has a deal with the thrift store, which gives money to the veterans organization in return. Unhappily, there was also a fair amount of "junk" mixed in with the donations. DAV...
A lawsuit accusing the Minnesota Department of Corrections of not fulfilling its obligations to protect prisoners in Moose Lake from the Covid-19 pandemic was dismissed in July 2020 by a Sixth District judge. That decision was upheld earlier this week by the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Initially filed on behalf of three inmates by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota against the Department of Corrections in April 2020, the petition asked for the release of the three prisoners and others in a similar situation to a safe location...
Cloquet High School is expecting some growing pains over the next couple years, and moving the Li'l Lumberjacks program may be just what the doctor ordered. Superintendent Michael Cary told board members during Monday's meeting that the recent large classes at the middle school are making their way into the high school now, which will add to future enrollment. Additionally, the district administration is in talks with the Carlton district about a possible tuition agreement, that could mean...
The Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency is emerging as a powerful ally in the years-long fight to get Minnesota to protect wild rice beds from sulfate pollution. Tribal and environmental groups have repeatedly pushed the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to address the issue. Now, the EPA has informed the state agency that it is partially disapproving Minnesota’s most recent Clean Water Act Impaired Waters List because the list doesn’t include rivers or lakes loaded with sulfate, which kills off wild rice beds over time....
The Wrenshall school board approved a major administrative shift for the district Wednesday night in a special meeting. The move was precipitated by superintendent Kim Belcastro’s request to reduce her duties by nearly half, primarily giving up dual work as the school principal. The board approved moving Belcastro to a 0.6 superintendent position and hiring a full-time principal. It will eliminate a dean position. Overall, the district expects to save a few thousand dollars with the changes. Belcastro’s current salary would shift to about $72...
Teresa Hart has been hired as the Esko school district’s new business manager, replacing Janet Halonen, who is retiring June 30. Hart is the current business manager at the Floodwood school, a district of about 200 students and a budget of about $3.2 million. At her new position, she’ll be managing a budget of about $13 million in a district with nearly 1,300 students. “I’m excited at this opportunity,” Hart told the board at its April 12 meeting. The district interviewed five candidate...
CAT-7 has been a part of local cable television since the late 1970s. In recent years, the channel became stagnant and irrelevant, serving little purpose except to broadcast some City of Cloquet meetings and a few half-hearted public service announcements. Operating a TV channel became a burden to the city, rather than a benefit to its residents. So, the city contracted out the operations to an entity that knows how to gather and present local news and information: this newspaper, the Pine Knot News. After several months of assembling...
There's been talk of making major changes to the Supreme Court, and that makes me nervous. Politics can be a dirty game, and it often attracts dirty players. For example, after the last president won the Electoral College even though his opponent won 3 million more popular votes, many people wanted to abolish the Electoral College, or reform the election process in some way to prevent that from happening again. Politicians, usually very partisan politicians, seized on that sentiment to make all...
Freedom of Speech: We can say what we want, whenever, wherever we want. Except “Fire!” in a crowded theater when there is no fire. Most of us get that. Freedom of Assembly: We can peaceably gather when and where we want. Except when we can’t because it is patently against the law and compromises someone else’s rights. Most of us get that. Freedom to Keep and Bear Arms: I can have a .12 gauge for a partridge dinner and you can have an AR-15 for … for … what, again? Oh, yeah. Target practice. I...
When the pandemic canceled all spring sports in northern Minnesota last year, it also took away the chance for a repeat trip to state for three local softball teams: Cloquet, Esko and South Ridge. Last year's seniors didn't get to prove their mettle on the diamond, but there are still players on all three teams who played for those 2019 state teams. In a week that saw the first softball games postponed for weather rather than the pandemic, Pine Knot News sports writer Kerry Rodd reached out to f...
Like so many sporting events last spring, the 2020 USA Nordic Junior Championships were canceled at the last minute due to the spread of Covid-19 across the country. This year, three high-flying Cloquet athletes ended their winter sports season in Colorado, competing at the 2021 USA Nordic Junior Championships last month. Cloquet High School sophomores Charlotte Ripp and Karl Thompson, both age 16, traveled to Steamboat Springs the first week of March for junior nationals, after earning enough...
Since the first Moose Run in 2000 on the first Saturday in May, it has become the unofficial kickoff event for the busy summer season in Moose Lake. This year, the Moose Run organizers wanted to help some local businesses impacted by the ongoing pandemic, so they decided to hold a virtual race. The registration fee is $20, and each participant will receive a $20 gift card from their choice of a participating business. Pay $20; get $20. It’s virtually free. Gift cards will be mailed out during the week of May 10 and can be used through the e...
Four former Cloquet-Esko athletes are making their mark on the Bulldog baseball and softball rosters this spring. Tim Pokornowski and Kiana Bender from Cloquet and Esko's Dea DeLeon and Tyler Peterson all made the jump from high school to Division II athletics at the University of Minnesota Duluth over the past few years. Pokornowski, a 2018 high school graduate, is not only playing on the Bulldogs baseball team, he also plays on the football team. "Playing two sports in college is a gift,"...
Seeing how people are struggling and yet winning battles with Covid-19 reminds me of my friend Dave Boyer - a man with great inner strength and character - and so does my wedding anniversary this month, as Boyer was my best man. One of his goals was to live to 2000 and celebrate the new century. He died in 1999 at age 46 from complications of kidney disease. Growing up, Boyer was one of the best athletes in Cloquet in his age group. I recall seeing his many Punt, Pass, and Kick trophies,...
