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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In the six years since a housing study showed a need for lots of new housing in Cloquet and Scanlon, there's been what amounts to an apartment building boom. That was the goal, said Cloquet Community Development director Holly Hansen. Seeing how many housing units the two cities needed - 260 rentals, 240 owned units - caught people's attention. And things started happening. "It stimulated major conversation with lots of boards like the EDAs (economic development agencies, city councils, Carlton...
Former Carlton County attorney Thom Pertler is facing possible disciplinary action regarding unprofessional conduct during his tenure with the county. Susan Humiston, the director of the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility, filed a petition for disciplinary action with the Minnesota Supreme Court on July 6. The complaint centers around Pertler's failure to follow through with duties to disclose all exculpatory evidence (favorable to defendants), specifically by not disclosing miscon-...
The Carlton County Historical Society recently posted a photo on Facebook of past Lumberjack Days wood medallion buttons in its collection. The annual event began in the late 1970s and eventually dwindled out of existence after a few decades. It was held at various times, sometimes at the end of June and other times in mid-July. It was tied to the Fourth of July for a long time until the Fourth took on its own traditions in Cloquet. The historical society, located in the Shaw Memorial Library...
Effective Wednesday, Black Bear Casino Resort is 100-percent smoke-free inside the building. Guests may still smoke outside. General manager Dan LaPrairie said the Reservation Business Council made the decision to go smoke-free on Tuesday and he implemented the policy within hours. It was something LaPrairie had been thinking about for a long time before he took the recommendation to the RBC. "When I first took over I recognized that times were changing when it came to smokers and nonsmokers,"...
Lengthy discussion, followed by two attempts to vote for a Carlton County mask policy, ended with no clear choice for a majority of the Carlton County Board of Commissioners at their regular meeting Tuesday, July 14. “I believe the board should set an example supporting the wearing of masks in public,” explained commissioner Dick Brenner. “The safety of our employees is our responsibility and all visitors to a county facility should wear a mask if social distancing is not possible.” To this point, each department head has set mask and social...
Photographer Dan Saletel captured this photo of the July 15 storm, which dropped 3 inches of rain on Wrenshall, while sitting inside his garage. Saletel said he took the photo with a 30-second exposure at f18, ISO 400. "I was really excited when I saw how it turned out," he said. Despite causing some damage with hail, lightning and high winds, last week's storm and significant rainfall - 1 to 3 inches in the region - was a relief for most residents as the southern half of the county had been in...
Two people were seriously injured Tuesday, July 14 when a furnace apparently blew up and mostly destroyed a home in Silver Township. Carlton County Dispatch took a report of an explosion and structure fire at 4080 Korhonen Road at 8:53 p.m. Tuesday. The initial report indicated that a 75-year-old female victim had been injured and a second victim was trapped inside the basement. The 52-year-old female was able to get out of the basement before the Kettle River Fire Department arrived. She...
Bad news for paper manufacturing workers in Maine will likely bring a bit of stability for Sappi’s operation in Cloquet. The company announced on July 9 that it is closing by the end of the year Paper Machine No. 9 and major components of the biomass energy complex at its Westbrook, Maine mill. It will shift the base paper production there to the Sappi mills in Cloquet and Skowhegan, Maine. There are 75 workers in Westbrook who are expected to lose their jobs, about 30 percent of the w...
Superintendent John Engstrom pressed hard and Carlton school board members pushed back. In the end, they seemed to have come to some clearer idea of what the district's future might look like, consolidation with Wrenshall or not. It was an interesting yin and yang Monday night as the new superintendent gave his take on the state of the consolidation process and information he'd like to acquire before moving forward. He also urged the board to plot its course should no bonding money come from...
A one-vehicle crash just after midnight Friday left one person dead and another with non-life-threatening injuries. Patricia Mylonas, 36, of Duluth, was driving a GMC Envoy west on Highway 201 near Markusen Road in Cromwell when the crash occurred. According to the Minnesota State Patrol report, she corrected left, then right, then skidded left before the car crossed into the east traffic lane, leaving the roadway on the left shoulder and rolling before coming to rest. According to the Minnesota State Patrol report, Mylonas was not wearing a...
With 16 regular election judges bowing out of the primary election due to concerns about coronavirus, the city of Cloquet is hoping younger residents will step up for the primary on Aug. 11 and the general election on Nov. 3. Depending on their assigned duties, Cloquet election judges are paid $12-$14 an hour. By law, election judges are granted time off from their regular work. Cloquet typically has about 50 judges throughout its six polling locations. Duties include working a full or half shift between 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. or later on the...
After opening its gym to volleyball practice on July 6, officials at Wrenshall High School had to soon shut everything down as a friend and fellow student of the volleyball players tested positive for Covid-19. Superintendent Kim Belcastro made the case public Monday at the monthly school board meeting. She said the positive case shows just how vigilant students and staff need to be as schools try to reopen this fall despite the ongoing pandemic. “We notified all players that all volleyball activities will be shut down for two weeks,” said act...
A summer of closed pools, canceled activities and less face-to-face contact leaves many kids seeking a little normalcy. Luckily, for some students and mentors in Carlton County, REACH is still finding safe ways to bring Carlton County adults and young people together. "REACH" stands for Recreational Experiences Achieving Community Harmony. The nonprofit organization's mission and vision is to provide supportive mentoring relationships to the youth of Carlton County. They work toward their...
Minnesota is holding primary elections for various offices on Tuesday, Aug. 11. In Carlton County there’s not a lot of action: voters will narrow the field for Cloquet City Council Ward 5 and County Commissioner District 5. In addition, there are partisan elections for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House. Considering the potential for spreading the coronavirus, coupled with the nervousness of many — especially seniors and others more vulnerable to the virus — we encourage people to vote absentee. While the question of the virus’ potential to caus...
Eleanor has a birthday in 12 days. She’s been reminding me every morning that big, big things are going to happen when she turns 6, like she won’t need a booster seat in the car anymore (she will). And she won’t have to eat her vegetables if she doesn’t feel like it (not true at all), even though she still loves her carrots and beans. She won’t need training wheels on her bike anymore (hopefully) and there will be a big party with presents and cake and ice cream (she’s right about that). But the...
Minnesotans have had an affinity for the color purple ever since the NFL Minnesota Vikings chose purple and white as their franchise colors and Prince cried “Purple Rain.” Throughout the centuries purple has been regarded as the symbol of royalty as well as wealth, power, wisdom and more. Jenny Joseph sings the praises of wearing purple in her poem “Warning,” an ode to defying social norms by wearing purple clothing with a red hat, no less. And now there is a children’s picture book by Kriste...
Colleen Marie Slater Ending a lifetime filled with love and kindness, Colleen Marie Slater, 78, passed away peacefully with her husband by her side at their Mahtowa, Minnesota home Thursday, July 9, 2020. She was surrounded by friends and family during her final days. Born Feb. 28, 1942, in Chatfield, Minnesota, Colleen later grew up in Mahtowa, where she spent most of her life. Colleen adored her parents, William and Marie Rodgers, and enjoyed lovely relationships with all of her siblings,...
Brian Holm, 60, of Missoula, Montana passed away peacefully of natural causes at Community Memorial Hospital on July 8, 2020, in Missoula. He was born in Cloquet on April 27, 1960. Brian grew up in Cloquet, New Brighton and Cromwell. He enjoyed special times spent living with Grandpa Tom in Cromwell when he was a boy. After graduating from Cromwell High School in 1978 he attended vocational school in Brainerd to become an auto body technician. Brian moved to Montana to be closer to his brother...
The folks in Wright are holding the 55th annual Wrong Days in Wright celebration this weekend, July 17-19. Friday events start with the rummage sale at St. John's Church from noon-6 p.m., with a steak fry from 4-7 p.m. at the Big Top, OGNIB (BINGO spelled backwards) starting at 7:30 p.m. Hang around for fireworks at dusk and free popcorn in the Cook Shack at Big Top. Mixed softball and volleyball tournaments kick off Saturday and last all weekend. Pick up scavenger hunt information at the Big...
The fun continues next weekend in Carlton, where the official Carlton Daze celebration was canceled due to the pandemic but some local businesses are continuing with a few of the traditional weekend’s most popular events July 24-26. The festivities kick off Friday evening with bingo from 4-8 p.m. at the Carlton VFW, followed by music from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. at both the VFW and the Third Base Bar. Saturday is a big day, with a car show starting at 9 a.m., plus bingo, poker and horseshoe and bean bag tournaments. Sand volleyball and softball t...
New health care option covers cost for many residents in need Many uninsured Minnesotans can get tested for Covid-19 at no cost to them during the federal public health emergency, thanks to a new health care option. The state will cover the cost of testing for individuals who apply and meet all of the following conditions: Be a resident of Minnesota. Be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national or lawfully present noncitizen with an immigration status that qualifies for Medical Assistance. Provide their Social Security number unless they meet an exception...
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 Monday. Sixth District judge Leslie Beiers dismissed the case, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota against the Department of Corrections on April 15. Initially filed on behalf of three inmates - later only two - the petition asked for the release of the three prisoners and others in a similar situation to a...
The summer of COVID-19. In northern Minnesota, pandemic responses have canceled most local festivals (but not Wrong Days in Wright, and only part of Carlton Daze) and many of the sports leagues that occupy so much time in the summer. Concerts? Largely on hold for now, even outdoors. County fairs are mostly on hiatus as well. But they can't cancel the great outdoors, and that is where many people have fled in the wake of coronavirus. We've seen them walking around town, or taking up different...
Three-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Jason Line, formerly of Wright and now based in North Carolina, will retire from driving after the 2020 drag racing season. He reached a goal last weekend with his 51st pro stock win at the NHRA Nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana. Line has had a tremendous career, but this win in his 17th season was really special because it meant he has won at least once in every season of pro stock racing since he started in 2004. Line has the longest career season win...
Cloquet’s first and perhaps only summer race event will kick off at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 18, when the Frozen Forester Pine Valley Bike and Run begins. Think mountain bikes, not road bikes, and come prepared to deal with the great outdoors in Cloquet’s woodland park whether you’re running or biking, or both. Competitors can choose from four races, including an 18.8K bike-and-run duathlon, a bike-only 13.3K race, a 5.5K run-only and a 1.2K Family Run. Event director Tim Krohn said he feels he ca...
