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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Standing atop a stool, the onetime jockey prepared to climb on board a horse for one of the first times in a long time. "This is when I have my problem," said the 91-year-old Jack Carter, crossing a leg over the horse's back in an unsure manner. "Never in my life did I dream I'd be using this (stool)," he added. "I used to jump on bareback." "Slow and steady," the volunteer hand reminded him at North Country Ride in Esko. The white-speckled, one-time show horse, Cisco, stood still as the helper... Full story
Roundabouts are off the table, state officials told residents at a May 9 informational meeting on the proposed reconstruction of Minnesota Highway 33. The estimated $3.2 million project will include complete reconstruction of the four-lane highway from Big Lake Road to the north side of the St. Louis River Bridge. Replacement of the intersections at Carlton Avenue and Cloquet Avenue with enhanced signal lights was revealed Thursday as the recommended "preferred concept," said Angie Bolstad,...
Aside from being a great show, the Northern Lights that lit up the world last weekend showed just how a simple change in geography can bring a totally different look to the aurora borealis. There were many of us out there, and we present an example here of just how varied the light was in different corners of just Carlton County. Late last week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Center issued its first G4 level geomagnetic storm watch since 2005. Word spread... Full story
Travelers on Interstate 35 between Hinckley and Duluth should expect traffic delays due to several construction projects this summer, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Drivers will encounter single lane, head-to-head traffic just south of Minnesota Highway 210 in Carlton County until the end of August and near Hinckley through October. In the city of Duluth, intermittent lane closures are expected for bridge repair work at 40th Avenue West, Twin Ports Interchange work, and pavement repairs between Lake Avenue and 21st Ave...
The ninth annual Burgers & Bikes & Beer fundraiser hosted by the Sweet Spokes Cycling Team for the American Diabetes Association is 6-8 p.m. Monday, May 20, at The Rendezvous Sports Bar & Grill in Cloquet. Free to attend and open to everyone, family friendly. All funds raised help in the fight against diabetes … and everyone knows someone living with diabetes. The Sweet Spokes Cycling Team, based in Cloquet, has raised more than $285,000 in the fight against diabetes over the past 13 years, and is hoping to be among the top teams this year a... Full story
Public libraries in Cloquet, Carlton and Moose Lake will be providing mosaic art take-and-create kits through May. This art experience, created by Chisholm artist Rebekkah Anderson through Diletto, combines the art of storytelling through both mosaics and barn quilts....
A chance to celebrate roughly $7 million in improvements to the Cromwell-Wright School brought out students and community members Monday. Cromwell graduates Tracey Goranson, 62, Pauly Granholm, 65, and the Koivistos - Ken, 77, and Sue, 74 - gathered on the edge of the student body, bright blue skies overhead. "It's exciting to see the progress," Goranson said. "It's been a long time coming," Granholm added. "I've been looking forward to this, to see the expressions of the kids," Ken Koivisto...
The Carlton school board, fresh from sending a four-day school week proposal to the state for approval, returned to the issue of consolidation with Wrenshall. At Monday’s working session, superintendent Donita Stepan was directed to answer a Wrenshall letter which proposed consolidation in summer 2026, instead of an initial consideration of July 1, 2025. Wrenshall’s correspondence was positive in tone, promising that Wrenshall would “lean into all sharing opportunities,” although declaring their board members had agreed with each other that the...
Esko school board members set an open house for the new fitness center for 4-6 p.m. June 10. Expect to see lots of "Esko" and "Sisu" logos decorating the space, located on the south side of the school. "By June 10, all our equipment and furniture will be set up, and I believe our partner, Essentia, has what they need," said superintendent Aaron Fischer. "It's a big deal for Essentia too." At the same meeting Monday, board members voted unanimously to spend almost a half-million dollars to turn...
A larger-than-expected pipe helped unjam a planned apartment project being held up by sewer capacity issues in Thomson Township. Josh Evans, an assistant engineer with the township’s contracted engineering company, AE2S, had recommended a halt on any new construction in Thomson Township at the board meeting April 18, because he believed the sewer system there was at or exceeding capacity based on modeling and flow data. At the time, township supervisors had refused to issue a moratorium on new construction, but they did delay a vote on the 2...
A notice on social media last week from the Moose Lake Police Department indicated that the office would no longer be “open on a daily basis.” It was the sort of thing that can cause consternation in a community. In February, the city contracted with Carlton County for its law enforcement — a decision which meant disbanding its long-standing police department. The contract between the city and Carlton County is still being negotiated, as the county works toward bringing aboard the four deputies agreed upon to cover the city. But Carlton County...
Dick Brenner knows how to win an election. Eight of them, amounting to 32 years on the Carlton County board alone, to go with 17 years as a Cloquet school board member. "I have a philosophy," he said. "When you run you have to have a visible name and the best way to do that is to put out lawn signs. I had over 500 lawn signs in my district. Particularly, you need to get all the corners." Brenner also knocked on doors in his district twice each campaign season, receiving sandwiches, cookies and...
Is your digestive system not working the way it should? Do you struggle to lose weight or eliminate daily, get bloated easily, react to certain foods or feel tired and run down? Are your periods a problem? Do you struggle with acne, even though puberty is in the rearview mirror? Then maybe it's time to have a functional medicine visit with Cloquet's Natalie Swanson, of Serenity Wellness. "Clients often come to see me when they want to look into their health from a different angle. They have... Full story
I just finished reading the May 3 edition of the Pine Knot. I reside in Florida now but lived and worked most of my life in Cloquet. I was very disturbed by the business article written by Brady Slater, entitled, “Tribe projects include cannabis.” I worked for more than 20 years as a guidance counselor at Washington and Churchill elementary schools in Cloquet. As part of my job duties, I taught students about drug education, peer pressure, decision making, and consequences for actions. I have taught thousands of Cloquet kids during my car... Full story
OK, kids — go get your placards and bullhorns and be prepared to shove “OK, Boomer” at me. We live in a world with way too much information. It overwhelms. It freezes us. It rules us. It just makes things so dumbly different. The last time I wrote about an amazing Northern Lights experience seems like a lifetime ago. The last time I saw the aurora act like it did last week was in the 1990s. I’m not exactly sure when, because I’m old. (Shakes fist.) I was in my 20s, and, as those of that age are wont to do, I was walking home with some visi... Full story
Kim Broman has dreamed of a National Geographic-type of adventure ever since becoming a second-grade teacher. This summer, she will fulfill that dream after being awarded a Grosvenor Teacher fellowship from the magazine and one of its travel partners. Soon, she will be sharing adventures from Iceland with her students at Washington Elementary in Cloquet. Broman will go on a 10-day Iceland expedition in August, starting in the capital of Reykjavik. She will then board the ship Explorer to...
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College included a bit of history as the first bachelor of science degrees for elementary education were handed out in the Lester Jack Briggs Cultural Center May 9. There were 148 graduates who crossed the stage. Joradan Paulson, Nahin Gatica Cruz and Shana Aubid were the education graduates. There were 219 degrees earned in total....
The kids kept coming, but you didn't need to see it to notice it. What started as a few scattered horn blasts from big equipment at South Terrace Elementary school in Carlton last Thursday evening, May 9, soon crescendoed into one constant blast from a bus, semi, dump truck and various other vehicles at the annual Transportation Night. Kids were taking turns on a makeshift swing on the back of a Cars Towing truck, with a toy tow truck and a flag as added bonuses. They climbed into the empty... Full story
A big third inning helped send the Cloquet softball team to a 9-1 win over Esko Monday afternoon at Braun Park. The Lumberjacks led just 1-0 entering the bottom of third and then blew the game open with five runs in the inning. Cloquet grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, when Blythe Proulx singled and Rylie Goranson laid down a bunt in an attempt to sacrifice Proulx to second base. Instead, Esko misplayed the bunt, which ended up down the right field line, allowing Proulx to...
Thursday, May 9 Baseball Hibbing 9 Cloquet 1 Cromwell-Wright 10 Barnum 9 Cherry 11 ML/WR 1 Softball Cloquet 5 Grand Rapids 0 Silver Bay 8 Carlton/Wrenshall 4 ML/WR 8 Aitkin 4 South Ridge 15 MIB 2 Boys Tennis CEC 5 Duluth Denfeld 2 Friday, May 10 Softball Esko 12 Denfeld 4 Rush City 2 Esko 1 Princeton 2 Cloquet 0 Cloquet 7 Chisago Lakes 6 Rush City 7 Barnum 0 McGregor 14 Carlton/Wrenshall 0 ML/WR 19 Cherry 7 South Ridge 5 Hinckley-Finlayson 0 Baseball ML/WR 10 Two Harbors 0 Barnum 14 Two Harbors 3 Esko 10 Roseau 0 Carlton/Wrenshall 9 McGregor 3... Full story
The Raptors softball team has submitted paperwork to the state association and national federation for pitcher Abby Mitchell to be enshrined as the state record holder and shared national record holder for strikeouts in a seven-inning game at 24. Mitchell recorded 24 strikeouts in a 3-0 loss against Hinkley-Finlayson April 12 at Chub Lake Park in Carlton. Every out achieved by the Raptors in the game was by strikeout. (Three batters reached first base on passed ball strikeouts.) The team is... Full story
Defending Minnesota Class AA baseball champion Esko will carry a 15-0 record into a split doubleheader against Pequot Lakes and Moose Lake/Willow River Friday afternoon in Moose Lake. "We defeated Pequot Lakes 2-0 last season and expect another competitive game against them, and Moose Lake is improving with some veteran leaders," said Esko head coach Ben Haugen. Ranked No. 1 in Class AA, Esko will face a greater challenge next week, with a home game against Duluth Marshall on Monday, May 20,... Full story
The 2024 Lake Superior Conference was held Tuesday afternoon in Cloquet under blue skies and sunshine, with a bit of an east wind. When the day came to an end, the Cloquet Lumberjacks nabbed first place in the boys meet while the Cloquet girls took second place at the brand-new Members Cooperative Credit Union athletic complex. The Cloquet boys placed first with 152.5 points. Proctor was second with 135 points and Grand Rapids was third in the eight-team field. Hibbing captured top honors for... Full story
Former Esko teacher Dr. Roger Erdahl, 75, passed away peacefully at his home in Bloomington, Minnesota on Sunday, May 12, 2024, after a bravely fought battle with brain cancer. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and brother, and leaves behind cherished memories and a legacy of kindness. Roger was born on Dec. 26, 1948, in Benson, Minnesota. He graduated from Glenwood High School, where he met and married his high school sweetheart, Marlene. He proceeded to get his undergraduate degree... Full story
Carl Raymond Jensen, 87, of Carlton passed away on Sunday, May 12, 2024. He was born July 3, 1936, in Askov to Raymond and June Jensen. Carl was the second of six children in his family. Carl graduated from Askov High School and went to work at Elliott’s Meats. He also worked part-time at Frank’s Market, was a mail carrier, and taught at Northeast Regional Corrections Center. Carl and his seven children enjoyed having horses and going to horse shows. This was one of his happiest times. He also e... Full story
