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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With the heat wave in late May and early June, berry picking season is arriving early in Carlton County. Strawberry farmer Steve Schulstrom held out a perfect, bright red strawberry Monday morning, but partly green strawberries were still in the majority at Spectrum Farms. Still, he expected to open for picking later that week, a full week ahead of the early July estimate they made earlier in the month. "This year it got hot early on. Essentially, the plants woke up from sleeping and it was...
We are beginning to see some of the longer-term effects of the Covid-19 pandemic as life returns to normal. For many, the more precise term could be "new normal," because things are nothing like they were before the world basically shut down 16 months ago. That's especially true in the regional labor market, where a shortage of workers has many businesses struggling to get help as customers flock back to venues outside of their homes. The literal signs are everywhere, most notably in the...
Betty May Abrahamson passed away Sunday, June 20, 2021 in Hermantown at the age of 95. Born Oct. 10, 1925 in Wausau, Wisconsin, she was the loving daughter of Gustav and Grace Melling. After high school she worked in a store in Floodwood prior to World War II. During the war, she worked in a factory making small engines. After marrying, she raised her children and was a housewife. During the 1960s and '70s she worked for dentist Greg Swenson in Brooklyn Center and then worked many years at J.C....
Alice J. Lake, 83, of Cromwell passed away and went to heaven in the arms of her loving family on Thursday, June 17, 2021 at the Villa Vista Care Center in Cromwell. Alice was born in Streeter, North Dakota to Oscar and Mayme (Bolstad) Olson on April 28, 1938. She moved to the farm by Wright in the second grade, where she would live for 75 years. On July 26, 1958 she married Kenneth Lake, and together they raised four children on the farm. Alice was a homemaker who always had something...
Arnold Gene Tribby, 83, of Sandstone passed away peacefully at home June 13, 2021. Arnie was born in Cloquet on Sept. 3, 1937 to Emery and Alyce (Holmquist) Tribby. He grew up in Carlton and graduated from Carlton High School in 1955. On Jan. 14, 1961 he was united in marriage to Roberta Kay (Hopp) Tribby at the First Presbyterian Church in Wrenshall. He was a self-proclaimed “professional driver” for United Parcel Service in Duluth before transferring to the newly formed Sandstone center, whe...
Freda’s earth walk ended June 17, 2021 after a year-and-a-half-long battle with cancer. She passed away peacefully in her home at age 70. Freda was born Nov. 15, 1950 in Fort Dodge, Iowa to E.G. Petersen and Donna Mae Conklin. She grew up in Iowa, Michigan, Illinois and, ultimately, Minnesota, where she spent all her adult years. On May 5, 1979 she married Keith Carlson, her soulmate and the love of her life. Their son, Darrin Carlson, was born Feb. 8, 1983. Freda earned her bachelor of s...
Consolidation between the Carlton and Wrenshall school districts is no longer on pause. It's dead. The Carlton school board on Monday voted to remove consolidation from its list of future options for the foundering district. Left on the list are two expensive options for district residents: turning the South Terrace elementary into a preK-8 school and releasing high schoolers to another district, or creating a new preK-12 school at South Terrace. While the Carlton board plans to conduct a...
After serving as pastor for the Queen of Peace Catholic Church for the past 10 years, Father Justin Fish celebrated his last mass here Sunday, June 20. He likes to joke that he's spent a quarter of his time on Earth here. "I've always felt very much at home in our parish community and the Cloquet community," he said. "I've been a good fit for the parish and the parish has been a good fit for me. Fish will be the new pastor at St. Joseph's Church in Gilbert, and Resurrection Parish in Eveleth....
Carlton County will host a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination clinic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Carlton County Community Services Building in downtown Cloquet. People age 18 or older can pre-register or just walk in for a Johnson & Johnson or Moderna vaccine. On top of that, anyone who gets their first Covid-19 vaccine through June 30 will be eligible for a special reward. Rewards include entrance passes to the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth, a 30-point Mall of America Nickelodeon Universe pass, an annual Minnesota fishing license, a...
Things really are getting back to normal. Always a bellwether of spring with its March opening, Gordy’s Hi-Hat is now signaling the end of the pandemic by ending its carhop-style of service. On June 17, the popular local burger joint announced they were transitioning back to counter service only, after trying to provide both carhop and counter service for several weeks. “It just wasn’t going to work as efficiently as we had hoped,” read the Hi-Hat Facebook page. “Thank you for understanding and for allowing us to continue to serve you. We l...
There's a new thrift store in town, but there's a lot more going on than resale at this store. Located at 901 Cloquet Ave., Northern Lights Community Action provides secondhand clothes, furniture, kitchenware and many other essentials. They also provide jobs, and vocational training for people with disabilities. Northern Lights Community Action was started by Heather Wright. Wright is also the president of NorthStar Community Services, a nonprofit organization in Cloquet. The idea for the...
What a new jail or justice center will look in Carlton County continues to evolve as several groups work on specific issues for the project. Recognized as the largest, single county building project since the Carlton County Courthouse became a reality in 1922, the studies are centering on: • The feasibility of construction at the Transportation Building site off CSAH 6, aka old Highway 61. • The size and plan for the building; • A plan to possibly incorporate the courts at the same site; • The layout for increased traffic at the junctio...
It’s been a rough week for the Cloquet Police Department, but the issues are caused by construction work on 14th Street rather than a crime wave. On Monday, the phone lines and internet were down because a fiber optic line was cut. The line was repaired by Tuesday morning, and then a construction company struck a gas line outside City Hall on Tuesday. A press release issued just after noon Tuesday said the combined City Hall and police department building is temporarily closed. It was reported they had resumed normal operations before the e...
The Minnesota Department of Transportation is hosting a virtual public meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday to discuss the upcoming Minnesota Highway 210 box culvert replacement project. The 2022 project includes the replacement of four box culverts from the Tamarack River in Wright to Otter Creek near Interstae 35. For more information and a link to the virtual meeting, visit: www.dot.state.mn.us/d1/projects/hwy210-boxculvertsreplacements/index.html. Participants can also call 773-831-9018; phone conference ID: 677 848 015# for audio only. A...
Although the thrift shop is closed, the Salvation Army social services office is still open. Call 879-5447 for information on programs offered at 316 Carlton Ave. The food shelf is open 4-6 p.m. Mondays as well as 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Tuesdays....
The $7.5 million waterline that will run along Minnesota Highway 210 from Carlton to Twin Lakes Township is a wonderful example of government done right. For 20 years, township officials have been working to resolve issues of water quality and quantity in part of the township, especially the areas around Highway 210 and Interstate 35, like Olsonville, Schmitz Road and the hotels and businesses along 210. There isn’t enough water there, and what water there is, isn’t very nice. It can smell like rotten eggs, some wells contain arsenic, and the...
There's clearly an employee shortage right now. As the pandemic wanes and the economy improves, we're seeing it harder and harder to find people to fill many job openings. Some blame the state and federal unemployment programs, which essentially paid people (mostly lower-end workers) to stay home during the pandemic. It worked, as the toll of the coronavirus was bad enough without it spreading even more through the workforce. That's not the only cause of the employee shortage. Our country's...
Thanks to the Pine Knot for the great summary in the June 11 issue on the Ministry in Medical Missions’ work with Dr. Manno in Haiti. We now have an active web page. Anyone interested in more information can go to MMMHaitiMN.org. Thanks. Mary Krohn, Cloquet...
What would you like to see in an upgrade of Cloquet's Pine Valley recreation area? The city of Cloquet recently hired a team of consultants to consider options and survey the public on our priorities. On June 21, the consultants presented an overview and received feedback from a couple dozen community members at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. Many participants proposed improvements for Pine Valley. Cross-country skiers, ski jumpers, snowshoers, trail runners, mountain and winter...
Pine Knot News reporter Lydia Stone hit the sand at Cloquet's Pinehurst Beach to ask people's opinions on the new beach rule - all children age 12 and under are required to wear a lifejacket while in the water. Here are a few responses. Paris FierkeLepp, 17, Cloquet, lifeguard "It's really helpful for us lifegueards, just making sure that younger kids who can't swim aren't getting caught out too far, not being too close and stuff like that. I think that is really beneficial and helps keep the pa...
Carla Cresap picks up some free life jackets for her grandchildren at a drive-thru life jacket giveaway Tuesday at the Perch Lake fire hall. The Cloquet Area Fire District partnered with Fond du Lac Human Services Division and Safe Kids Northeast Minnesota to offer up to two free life jackets per household for Carlton County kids ages newborn to 16 years old. CAFD educator Sarah Buhs said they gave away 150 life jackets in 30 minutes Tuesday. With the warmer weather, families will be spending...
Irene Marie Kamunen, 99, of Cloquet died March 3, 2021 in Sunnyside Health Care Center in Cloquet. A graveside service will be held at 12 p.m. Wednesday, June 30 in Maple Grove Cemetery in Cloquet. A luncheon will follow in the Fireside Room in Atkins Northland Funeral Home, 801 14th St., Cloquet....
Do bad things really happen in threes? This was definitely my third bad Memorial Day. On May 31, I had just traveled home with my mom from visiting family in Illinois, about a seven-hour drive. It was a beautiful afternoon and since I had been sitting all day, I decided to wash my car. This was no surprise to my husband, Sean. He knows my mind is constantly processing what I can accomplish next. Plus, I am self-diagnosed with a "little" obsessive compulsive disorder and living on a dirt road...
The CarltonCounty Fruit.org. website is the one-stop spot for information on local fruit farms. The site has links to each farm website and/or social media pages along with hotline numbers for picking times. Leaning Barn Farm 218-349-7696 176 Thomson Road Esko Sweet Land Farm 264 Prevost Road Cloquet 218-260-9448 Blackbirds & Blueberries 3601 Crosby Road Cloquet 218-879-8193 Spectrum Farm Strawberries 2332 County Road 4 Carlton 218-389-6265 Farm LoLa 852 Cemetery Road Wrenshall 218-203-5995 Chub Lake Blueberries 2001 Kiehl Road Carlton...
Celebrate with fervor Even with a reported shortage of consumer fireworks, this year's Fourth of July celebrations will most certainly be far more spectacular (and noisier) than last year, when local celebrations were canceled because of the pandemic. Here is the current schedule of July Fourth events in Carlton County. Cloquet 8 a.m. Sawdust 5K race at Pinehurst Park. Register in advance at www.tempotickets.com/sawdust2021. Registration for the Sawdust is $25 before July 2 and $30 on race day....
