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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The minutes from the Perch Lake Township annual meeting in March were stark. “The sewer project is dead.” After months of negotiations in 2019, the failure to reach a new joint powers agreement between the Big Lake Area Sanitary District and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa made clear in December that the death notice for improving lake water quality was nigh. Sanitary district chairman John Frederickson wrote the obituary on Dec. 12, saying all efforts to resolve differences between the district and the band “have been exhausted...
Following two roundsa of interviews and months of searching, the Cloquet Area Fire District is still seeking its next fire chief. The CAFD board chose to not hire either of two initial finalists (out of 15 applicants) who interviewed in early April, admitting that the job description called for someone with skills far beyond the average fire chief. In late May, the board interviewed two more candidates: former Cloquet city administrator Brian Fritsinger and George Esbensen, who was fire chief...
Geese honked in unison overhead. Then, after they passed over, the few of the formation's stragglers gave fading squawks individually. Birds chirped from newly flowered fauna. There were the whirs and clicks from media photographers and rumblings of traffic on an overcast and, when the breeze kicked up, chilly late Saturday afternoon. The small clock tower at Cloquet City Hall showed 6 p.m. Now there was the shuffling of feet, some of the more than 60 bodies here repositioning on the asphalt...
With salons opening this month, "pandemic hair" should soon be a distant memory - if you can get an appointment. Stylist Sheryl Davis reopened Sheryl's Golden Shears in Carlton on June 1 with close to 130 people on a waiting list. "So many waited until June 1 to call, so those people won't be able to come in until July or even after," Davis said. Many stylists said the same. After three months of waiting, they're now booked solid for weeks. "Before opening, I sent out a form to my clients,...
Historic Minnesota events with anniversaries this week. June 12 1946 The Minnesota Historical Society accepts a grant from the Weyerhaeuser family to establish the Forest Products History Foundation. Initially located in St. Paul, the foundation evolves into the international organization known as the Forest History Society. Now located in Durham, North Carolina, the society's mission remains the same: to preserve and interpret the documents of forest and conservation history. Weyerhaeuser compa...
The public is invited to attend a Carlton County meeting (via phone or internet) at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 17 about the proposed design for the 14th Street reconstruction project tentatively scheduled for the 2021-22 construction seasons. The meeting will include audio and visual information via a weblink, global.gotomeeting.com/join/877966653. Residents can also attend by phone by calling 866-899-4679. Once connected, enter access code 877-966-653. Questions or concerns can be directed to the Carlton County Transportation Department at...
The County Board of Equalization and the Board of Review and Equalization for the unorganized townships meeting will be held at 4 p.m. Monday, June 15 at the Carlton County Transportation Building. The meeting is in-person and provides an opportunity for property owners to appeal valuations and classifications to a local authority. Appointments are encouraged. Carlton County assessor Kyle Holmes said nine appellants are scheduled to address the board, about three times higher than normal. Appointments are typically limited to 15 minutes. His...
Appropriately, the first day folks could eat or drink inside their favorite Carlton County establishment was chilly, with intermittent showers. "It feels nice to be back inside somewhere that's not your home," said Christian Madson, after enjoying a lunch break at Carlton's Streetcar Kitchen & Pub with coworkers Joe Deppa and Austin Carter. "It's really nice," Deppa added. The process of slowly reopening the state after more than two months of a pandemic stay-at-home order continued this week....
The Carlton school board has chosen its next superintendent to replace Gwen Carman, who is leaving for a job in southeastern Minnesota. John Engstrom said the Carlton job appealed to him because it's a one-year stint and not too far from where he is living, southwest of Minneapolis near Lake Minnetonka. The school board officially hired Engstrom during an online meeting Monday. The district will pay Engstrom $108,243 on a one-year contract that begins July 1. Engstrom's last job was at Friess...
Cloquet school board members approved next year’s school district budget with an anticipated deficit of $411,000 — but knowing the district will likely receive $500,000 dollars in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding. Finance director Candace Nelis said the CARES funding is not included in the budget, because they just got notification from the state Monday morning of its allocation, and how the district will need to apply for the funds. The money can be spe...
State regulators agreed June 3 to hold an additional hearing on a key permit for the proposed Line 3 replacement project, a process that is expected to delay construction of the controversial oil pipeline by several months. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced that a contested case hearing will be held later this summer on a draft water quality permit for the project, in which a state administrative law judge will hear additional evidence on the proposed pipeline’s impacts on wetlands and stream crossings. The decision to hold t...
Journey Christian Church will host a community blood drive with the American Red Cross 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 23 at 1400 Washington Ave. in Cloquet. The Red Cross encourages healthy, eligible individuals to make an appointment to give blood to help keep a stable blood supply for trauma patients and those battling illness or injury. Safety protocols on the day of the blood drive will include: • Safe distancing • Many additional cleaning precautions • Temperature checks prior to entering the donation area • Mask use by donors, volunte...
Members Cooperative Credit Union recently hired Susan Shold as its new vice president of human resources. As a key member of MCCU's executive leadership team, Shold will oversee recruitment, talent management and employee relations while providing strategic leadership to the credit union for HR initiatives. Shold joins MCCU with 10 years of experience in human resources management. She is an instructor at the University of Wisconsin Superior, where she teaches classes for the Human Resources...
Fond du Lac Band members in District I and II voted Tuesday, June 9, in a primary election previously postponed by the coronavirus. Candidates for Reservation Business Committee District I (Cloquet) representative included: Wally Dupuis (incumbent), Eugene (Eny) Reynolds, Todd J. Tidaback, Jeroam Defoe and Jarvis “Chubbs” Paro. According to the official results posted Wednesday, Dupuis and Defoe were the top vote getters and are moving on to the general election, with Dupuis garnering 193 votes (49.11 percent) and Defoe 101 (25.7 percent). In R...
The gathering at Veterans Park last weekend might have caused a stir among community members. Organized by Taysha Martineau, the gathering was inspired by the George Floyd death in Minneapolis and the protests that have rocked cities across the country. The event could easily have turned out poorly. Some worried that an event in Cloquet had the potential to attract outside troublemakers and cause mayhem and damage. But it didn’t. Organizers stressed that the event was not a protest but a peaceful gathering of prayer spurred by Native Americans...
It’s probably too late now, but I wish the City of Cloquet had decided to open “The Beach” at Pinehurst Park this summer. The city council agreed with the leanings of the parks commission and city staff that opening the pool this year just wasn’t feasible due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the late start date, and the concern that the pool may be overrun by swimmers who couldn’t get into other beaches. I can appreciate those concerns, and it’s always easy to criticize a decision after it’s...
Robert Michael Kainu, 81, of Cloquet passed away June 7, 2020, at the Solvay Hospice House in Duluth. He was born to Robert and Rose Kainu in Cloquet. He graduated from Brookston High School in 1956 and started working for Northwest Paper in 1957, retiring in 2000 from Potlatch. He later worked for 18 years at Cloquet Transit. Bob married Julie Aronson in 1987. Bob was an avid golfer and a member of the Black Bear Golf Course, where the "Bobbsey twins" played regularly. Bob was preceded in...
Paulette “Paulee” Martha Hill, 72, of Esko passed away peacefully June 5, 2020 in her home surrounded by her loving family. Visitation was scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, June 11 in St. Matthews Lutheran Church in Esko. Inurnment will be in St. Matthew’s Cemetery. To sign the guest book and offer an online tribute, see www.atkinsnorthlandfuneralhome.com. Roland Ferdinand Kunze, 96, of Cloquet died June 8, 2020 while under hospice care. Visitation: 12 p.m. until the 1 p.m. service Monday, June 22 at Nelson Funeral Care. Private family commi...
I just got word from Mary Purcell’s daughter that she fell and broke a bone in her neck. She will be in recovery and rehab for the next six weeks or so. Cards of encouragement and speedy recovery can be sent to: Mary Purcell, 400 West 67th St. #110, Minneapolis MN 55423. Thanks for any prayers or cards that you send her; I am sure she will appreciate them. Congratulations to Ray and Lindsay on their 50th wedding anniversary June 6. They celebrated with an intimate dinner with their two d...
With people looking for opportunities to get out of the house and find something new, interesting and safe to do, a local shop with some decidedly dated inventory may prove to be a fun and worthwhile destination. Billing itself as an "antiques and collectibles shop," Nantiques at 402 Arch Street in Cloquet has now reopened, with limited weekend hours. "We're testing the waters," Nantiques manager Sheila Peterson said of the new hours, which are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. May 24...
In a normal spring and summer, area youth soccer players would be smack-dab in the middle of their seasons, but with the COVID-19 pandemic that has all changed. Until recently, no teams had even begun practice. Last week Gov. Tim Walz announced a plan that would lead teams and organizations into the next phase of the state's reopening process and which will now allow at least some soccer players to hit the pitch once again. "Our summer recreation and rec-plus leagues have been canceled," said...
I saw something unusual the other day while visiting some neighbors down the street. They have three kids and the two boys were outside playing what appeared to be a game of tag. Those of us who grew up in the 1950s and ’60s — before video games — know what the game of tag is all about, but I am guessing you don’t find kids playing it as often now compared to back in the good old days. As I was walking home from their house it got me thinking about how things have changed over the years....
If you read my column regularly you're already aware I'm up for new adventures. This week I jumped at the chance to fish a new stretch of the St. Louis River with Cloquet's Chad Vermeersh. We hooked up his Lund and headed slightly northwest to downtown Brookston to chase walleyes. The boat landing is easy to locate, upstream of the bridge, just off the beaten path. The landing drops at a precipitous rate, its concrete pads swallowed up by the root-beer stained water far below. I drew the short s...
Minnesota DNR The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources began reopening campgrounds this month at state parks, state forests and recreation areas in a phased approach this month. Camping is allowed now, but not all campgrounds or campsites are open. Dispersed camping and remote camping are allowed for members of a single household. Nearly all state forest campgrounds, and 38 campgrounds within state parks and recreation areas, are now open with limited services. Some lodging options, such...
In this pandemic, artists are among the most financially vulnerable. At the last full Census count, 65 percent of writers, 57 percent of visual artists, 41 percent of musicians and singers, and 36 percent of performing artists reported being self-employed. For decades, economists' research has revealed that artists' incomes are far lower than that of other workers with comparable levels of education. Arrowhead Regional Arts Council's executive director Drew Digby reports that artists in our...
