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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Sometimes you just have to ask. But it never hurts to do a little homework first. That's pretty much what happened with Cloquet High School senior Maya Fairbanks this spring, when she decided to ask that her school allow students to honor their American Indian culture during graduation ceremonies. Fairbanks, a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and her mother, Sheila Lamb, wanted to do more with decorated mortar boards or sashes. They initially found from talking to...
Edward William Davidson, 93, passed away peacefully May 5, 2021 at Barnes Care in Esko. He was born to Joseph and Helia (Oja) Davidson June 16, 1927 in Thomson Township, where he resided most of his life. As a young boy he hunted and fished the land, and as an adult became a true outdoorsman. He proudly served his country in Germany immediately following World War II. Upon returning to the U.S., a lovely brunette from Cloquet, Jackie, caught his bright blue eyes. They married April 1, 1950....
In April 2015, then President Larry Anderson challenged the leadership team at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College to be prepared to discuss the value of the college during a campus administrative meeting. For some reason I couldn’t attend, so I took time to write my thoughts and handed them to President Anderson before the meeting. Six years later, as I was clearing out my office during the last days before I retired from the college, I came across my answer to Larry’s question. After re-visiting those 2015 thoughts about the col...
A recent state ruling regarding the state's open meeting law (OML) and public meetings during the pandemic had area school districts scrambling to make sure they were following the law, and changing procedures if they weren't. The Minnesota Commissioner of Administration issued an advisory opinion on April 19, in response to The Timberjay newspaper publisher Marshall Helmberger, ruling that the St. Louis County School Board violated the state's open meeting law when at least a quorum of school board members met in person, but members of the pub...
Students have been planting trees on Arbor Day since 1872, when more than a million trees were planted in Nebraska for the first official celebration of trees. Now add research, science and satellite imagery to the mix. That's what Cloquet students and staff did in advance of this year's Arbor Day plantings last Friday, with the goal of maximizing the chances the tiny seedlings will grow to big strong trees over the upcoming decades. Cloquet High School teacher Matt Winbigler explained that...
On Sunday, May 2, members of the Carlton County Rowdy Wranglers 4-H club cleaned up a 2-mile stretch of County Road 4 as part of their Adopt A Highway commitment....
On Thursday, May 13, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College will host a virtual commencement ceremony to honor this year’s graduates. “Once again we find ourselves celebrating apart rather than together, but it does not lessen our happiness or enthusiasm for the achievements of our students on this special occasion,” said FDLTCC president Stephanie Hammitt....
When the pandemic suddenly made Minneapolis substitute school teacher Sam Kavanaugh jobless, the Carlton High School alumnus turned it into an opportunity. He went full "Olympic mode" with his training for the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, set to air May 17-28. A total of 15 competitors, including Kavanaugh, face off for a $250,000 grand prize. Kavanaugh, who won a total of $156,202 on the popular quiz show in 2019, already had a pretty good idea of what it takes to win and it's more than...
After repeated requests from bars and restaurants that were hammered financially by closures and restrictions because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Cloquet City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to reduce liquor license fees by 50 percent for the next license year starting July 1. The reduction applies across the board to all liquor license fees, including the more expensive bar and restaurant licenses as well as liquor store licenses. The city normally takes in around $30,000 in liquor license fees, finance director Nancy Klassen said. City...
By the narrowest of margins, the Cloquet City Council voted to overturn the city's Project Labor Agreement, as recommended by staff last month. The 4-3 vote came after extensive public comment during Tuesday's meeting, which set a record for participation since the council started meeting virtually because of the pandemic. Including councilors and city staff, more than 50 people logged on or called into the meeting. Seventeen addressed the council directly Tuesday, and three had submitted...
The latest news regarding Minnesota property tax assessments was good for Enbridge and other utility companies and fairly dire for local governments, who find themselves on the hook for many years’ worth of past overpayments. Carlton County is no exception, with the total payback estimated at close to $5 million after the Minnesota Tax Court ruled that past tax assessments were too high on state utilities and pipelines. With that in mind, the Carlton County Board of Commissioners scrambled at their meeting Tuesday to formally support state l...
For the third year in a row, the Advanced Wound Clinic at Community Memorial Hospital was awarded the Center of Distinction award by Healogics, the nation’s largest provider of advanced wound care services. The Advanced Wound Clinic achieved outstanding clinical outcomes for 12 consecutive months, including patient satisfaction rates higher than 92 percent and a minimum wound-healing rate of at least 92 percent within 28 median days to heal. There were 555 centers eligible for the Center of Distinction award and 278 achieved the honor. “We are...
Tony Pease is the newest mortgage loan originator with Members Cooperative Credit Union, and is based out of The Cloquet office. As a mortgage loan originator, Pease will assist homeowners and prospective buyers with all their real estate financing needs, including home purchases and refinancing, as well as home equity and home improvement loans. Pease joined MCCU in 2018 as a financial solutions consultant. The Carlton High School graduate has spent most of his life in the Cloquet area, and brings nearly a decade of experience in financial ser...
The Carlton County Historical Society has seen its fair share of change over the past year, including a new roof and a new director who came and went in that time. Former board president Ed Kavanaugh resigned in March to serve as interim director following the resignation of Beth Lyle, who served March 2020 until March 2021. Lyle has taken a full-time job elsewhere, as the CCHS job is part-time. The board has begun the search process for a new executive director. Kavanaugh will return to the...
The Cloquet branch of Members Cooperative Credit Union (MCCU) was recognized recently with a CUNA Diamond Award for its distinctive lobby design and aesthetics. Hosted by CUNA Marketing & Business Development Council, the annual Diamond Awards ceremony took place in a series of virtual events recognizing credit unions nationwide for creative excellence and outstanding results in marketing. The event drew 1,278 entries across 35 categories. MCCU was chosen Best in Category (Color) with an award...
We were sad to hear of Walter “Fritz” Mondale’s passing last month at age 93. It’s well known that Fritz served as our U.S. Senator before he became Jimmy Carter’s vice president in 1976, and that he was the Democrats’ candidate for president in 1984, winning just one state, Minnesota, in the electoral college. Now that he’s gone, we hope others of his integrity and dedication emerge in the political scene. Minnesota knew, even when the rest of the country didn’t, what a spectacular and honorable politician Fritz Mondale was, and how his leg...
One of my favorite jobs was writing restaurant reviews for the old Ripsaw, the now-defunct alternative weekly out of Duluth. After exploring a couple of locally owned restaurants recently, I couldn't resist stepping back into my old shoes and taking another stab at it. Heather's Café Heather's Café is simply a reincarnation of Culbert's Café on 11th Street and Cloquet Avenue. Culbert's had been shut down since the pandemic forced many restaurants to close, but Heather was unable to reopen ev...
An elderly friend, who happens to be a great-grandma, brought this real and potential danger to my attention. I would like to preface our concern by commending the City for providing amenities to denizens and families from the nearby campground. I’m referring to the warming house and playground in Dunlap Island. Within a stone’s throw is the imminent danger of a river, where a child could easily wander off and drown, since parents can’t be everywhere. I propose a chain-link fence be erected along the river to provide safety and peace of mind,...
Even newspaper owners don’t always agree, and that’s OK. This week I’d like to examine the other side of the argument for raising the minimum wage, in response to my fellow Pine Knot board member Pete Radosevich’s “Harry’s Gang” column last week. As a retired economics professor, I can tell you there is an irreconcilable conflict of interest between employer and employee when it comes to sharing the proceeds of their joint work. The power to determine compensation is unevenly distributed. That’s...
Take a Mom Fishing Weekend — when Minnesota-resident moms can fish without purchasing a license — is this weekend, May 8-9. Most years, under Minnesota law, the fishing opener and Take a Mom Fishing Weekend fall on the same weekend, but not this year. Per state law, the 2021 fishing opener is Saturday, May 15. Although the walleye season won’t be open for the 2021 Take a Mom Fishing Weekend, fishing is open for several other species, including crappie, sunfish, and under-appreciated fish such as buffalo, sucker, bullhead or sheep...
The risk of wildfire has moved into the northern part of the state, so the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recently added Carlton, Cook and Lake counties to the burn restriction list effective immediately. The state will not issue burning permits for brush or yard waste in these counties until the restrictions are lifted. “People may not perceive how easily fires can accidentally get out of control when it’s dry outside,” said Casey McCoy, DNR fire prevention supervisor. “By restricting burning during our peak wildfire season, we’ve s...
Kenneth George Olson, 78, of Carlton passed away Wednesday, April 28, 2021 in Golden Horizons Assisted Living in Crosslake with his loving family by his side. Visitation was scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 6 in the Atkins Northland Funeral Home, Cloquet, resuming at 10 a.m. until the 11 a.m. funeral service Friday, May 7 in Bethesda Lutheran Church, Carlton. Masks required. A time of lunch and fellowship will follow in the church social hall. Burial will be in Mount Salem Cemetery in Mahtowa. Marlene Ann Maijala, 81, of Barnum passed...
Kevin Jeffrey MacDonald, 65, of Nickerson died of natural causes April 21, 2021 at his home. He was preceded in death by his parents, Orien and Mildred MacDonald. Kevin was born July 24, 1955 in Cloquet. He was the fifth of eight children in the family. He graduated from Wrenshall High School in 1974. Kevin was a union-based licensed welder, and was respected for his skill and creativity. Through the years, he worked out of the union shop on jobs including working at the shipyards in Superior,...
Quentin John Badger, 87, of St. Helen, Oregon passed away April 25, 2021. He was born Feb. 20, 1934 in Wright to Mae (Beseman) and Darrel Badger. He grew up in Cloquet and attended Sacred Heart School and then the Cloquet public high school. He joined the U.S. Army in 1952 and served in South Korea in the Korean War in the Tank Corps. On Oct. 7, 1961 Quentin married Eunice Christenson. He was an exceptional automotive mechanic and worked in Aurora and Cloquet, then moved to the Portland, Oregon...
Forrest Paul Lee, 66, died on April 29, 2021, at the Mayo Health Center in Mankato, Minnesota. He was born Jan. 22, 1955 at the Butler Maternity Hospital in Cloquet to Mildred Ruth Holmes Lee and Paul Elmer Lee. He was baptized as an infant into the Presbyterian faith. Forrest attended public school in Wrenshall and graduated second in his class in 1973. He briefly attended Bethel Bible College. In July of 1975, Forrest was united in marriage with Tina Marie Merrill. The marriage was blessed with two sons, Derek and Corey. The marriage ended...
