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
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 43
It seemed like a fairly simple call. A dog in a plastic culvert, could the Esko Fire Department help the owner get it out? But this was no ordinary culvert, running from one side of the road to another. It was a culvert built at Oldenburg Point after the 2012 floods ripped through Jay Cooke State Park and the surrounding area. "I think [the pipe] ran about 300-400 feet, down a steep ravine and probably emptied out into the river," said Esko fire chief Kyle Gustafson. "We aren't sure because we...
In front of a standing-room-only crowd Tuesday, Cloquet City Council members first "reconsidered" a vote to deny a $1000 donation from Enbridge Energy, then reversed their vote from two weeks ago in favor of accepting the money. The donation became an issue at the Aug. 7 council meeting when Ward 2 councilor Sheila Lamb made a motion to deny the donation to the National Night Out celebration, asserting that if the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline goes through, sex trafficking will increase in Cloquet...
There are very few people in this world who are widely known by just their first names. Some athletes, celebrities, or the occasional politician might achieve this distinction, but it is a fairly unusual thing. Yet, in Carlton and Wrenshall, and even in Cloquet, when the name "Harold" comes up in conversation, longtime residents frequently know the man to whom the name belongs. Harold Ankrum is the rare, memorable person who merits this sort of recognition. Owner and operator of Harold's...
Historic Minnesota events that took place Aug. 23-29. August 23 1862 Twenty-four townspeople are killed at the second Battle of New Ulm during the U.S.-Dakota War. Although the Dakota come close to victory, the barricaded defenders, led by Judge Charles E. Flandrau, manage to hold the town’s center. Among the dead is Capt. William Dodd, who had founded St. Peter in 1853 and laid out the Dodd Road from St. Paul to Mankato. August 25 1827 Minnesota’s first post office is established at Fort Snelling. 1937 Congress establishes the state’s first...
Three people filed to fill the Ward 3 Cloquet City Council seat vacated by Dakota Koski, including Uriah Wilkinson, Ray Schow and Chris Swanson. With three people filing, that means there will be a primary election on Nov. 5, with a general election to follow for the final two candidates on Feb. 11. All three men had also applied to fill the Ward 3 seat on an interim basis; the city council selected Swanson, who was sworn in earlier this month. Elected in the November 2018 general election,...
Jody Acers is a familiar face at the Cloquet Educational Foundation, having served on its board for at least nine years - two of them as president - and worked hand-in-hand with founding director Lorna Mangen for years. Now Acers will step into a new role at CEF: as its executive director. She is a Cloquet High School 1986 alumna and parent of two CHS graduates, Emily and Andy. Acers is replacing outgoing director Jeannie Kermeen, who is leaving after three years to work as the director of...
After a playing career that spanned 18 years in the NHL, and included a couple of Stanley Cups as well as numerous moves around the country, Jamie Langenbrunner and his family retired to northern Minnesota. Now? The family will be making another move as Langenbrunner makes the transition from retired hockey player and Boston Bruins player development coordinator, into a more in-depth role with Boston as the director of player development as well as a physical move to the Twin Cities area to...
Now in its 128th year, horse racing has missed only one of Carlton County Fair's remarkable 129 years, and that was the very first fair, according to the event's superintendent, Kari Siltanen. Since then it's been going strong, thanks mostly to a collection of dedicated volunteers. Siltanen said without those volunteers the complicated racing program would not be possible. "Each year the track starts out from a grassy field and after countless hours of dragging the track it turns into a horse...
If Carlton County Democratic voters get to choose, Minnesota’s senior senator will be the next president of the United States. The Carlton County DFL party ran a popsicle stick poll for president at their fair booth, and Klobuchar got the most votes, with 32 percent. Joe Biden took second with 21 percent, Elizabeth Warren with 16 percent, Bernie Sanders with 13 percent, Pete Buttigieg with 8 percent and Kamala Harris with 4 percent. “Almost 500 people cast a popsicle stick!” said local DFL party activist Patty Murto....
All kinds of organizations are partnering to get local residents to ‘Meet on the Street’ in downtown Cloquet 3-7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27. This free community event will temporarily close Cloquet Avenue from Eighth to 14th streets to vehicles and open the street to pedestrians. The event has an overall focus on physical activity, and healthy eating initiatives in the community. Each block of Cloquet Avenue will have different activities related to healthy living. Some of the activities include local educational and informational booths, fam...
Following is a very brief overview of Cloquet police calls from Aug. 2-18, provided by the Cloquet Police Department: Aug. 2 Officers responded to the 1700 block of Sahlman Avenue for a report of a possible abduction of an 11-year-old. Officers spoke with the child and later began canvassing the area for a suspect but were unable to locate anyone or any vehicles matching the description of the suspect. Officers then obtained video footage of the area where the alleged abduction attempt took place. The video did not show any attempted abduction...
Fairgoers of all ages will connect agriculture to their daily lives with fast and fun hands-on activities in the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s 2019 State Fair exhibit. Kid-oriented activities, sponsored by Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom, are scheduled daily from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. all 12 days of the fair. Children can make a seed ball, a living plant necklace, a wool bracelet, a custom wildflower seed mix, or a livestock animal ear tag necklace that they can take home. The MDA will also showcase industrial hemp, one of M...
A crowd of about 50 people gathered Aug. 14 to celebrate the start of something new: the Fond du Lac Cultural Language and Learning Center. Although it's a vacant lot now, by March 2020 the site will be home to a new building for Anishinaabe language and cultural health programs. Many members of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and other local officials and construction industry representatives gathered near Tribal Center on a plot of land off Big Lake Road, eager to learn more...
The Moose Lake Area Historical Society will hold a Living History Walk at Riverside Cemetery 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24. The cost is $10. Chat with actors portraying real people from the area’s past, including Nora Nilsen, superintendent of Carlton County schools; attorneys CJ and Stand Dodge; historian Dave Anderson; Cornelius McCabe, considered the founding father of Moose Lake; and more. After the walk, return to the museum for refreshments and a tour. In case of inclement weather, the event will be held at the Soo Line Event C...
One of the benefits of smalltown life is the excellent customer service we enjoy from our local stores, shops and workers. Whether it’s a clerk at the gas station, a carpenter or plumber for your home, a nurse at the clinic, or mechanic at the garage, there’s a pretty good chance you’re getting served by someone who knows you, attends church with your uncle, went to grade school with your mother, or even lives next door to you. In the past few weeks, we’ve seen gas station clerks tell a customer who forgot her wallet to not worry, go on her...
I took a bribe the other day. And I’ve been a little uneasy about it ever since. For politicians, there are some pretty strict laws against bribery, and for good reason. A small bribe can be pretty effective in swaying politicians’ positions on issues, and because there is so much power in leadership, those trying to get their way may sometimes resort to the unseemly world of bribery. So, Minnesota passed a law, first applicable to state officials, then amended to include local officials, suc...
Responding to last week’s column on gun control, I have a few questions. The answers have to be exact. How do you identify and stop the “mentally” ill? Who determines (under a red flag law) that someone is a danger? Tell me which mass shooting could have been prevented under a “universal” background check law? Wouldn’t the law abiding citizens bear the brunt of this law? Is there a danger of these citizens becoming lawbreakers if they gave a gun to their son or relative? It is said that if it saves one life, all gun control laws are worth i...
Well, local governments of both Cloquet and Thomson Township have again proven their ability to stay ignorant, inept, and “peddling” influence; this, specifically in regard to CAT-7. Cloquet’s administrator was recently quoted in the Pine Knot News as saying he didn’t know [ignorance] about the legal arrangements for CAT-7 to which the city was obligated; even after months of strife in its operational regard, one would be led to believe that government leadership would at least investigate [ineptitude]. And what about the city’s legal cou...
At the last Carlton County board of commissioners meeting (Aug. 13), the commissioners voted to approve a resolution changing the office of auditor/treasurer from an elected to an appointed position. If that becomes official in a few weeks, then any person from outside of Carlton County can apply for the auditor/treasurer position. If that position is an elected position — that person would have to be a Carlton County resident. The last person in that position was local, paid taxes locally, and did an incredible job during his tenure. Now t...
Carlton County Board of Commissioners District 1 Commissioner Dick Brenner, Chair 218-879-5572, [email protected] District 2 Commissioner Marv Bodie, Vice Chair 218-879-2085, [email protected] District 3 Commissioner Thomas Proulx 218-348-4288, [email protected] District 4 Commissioner Mark Thell 218-851-7718, [email protected] District 5 Commissioner Gary Peterson 218-380-4949, [email protected] City of Cloquet Mayor Roger Maki, 218-879-4976, [email protected] Ward 1 Councilor Warren...
Kay Konietzko, 77, of Cloquet, Minnesota, passed away Sunday, Aug. 18, 2019 surrounded by family at Essentia St. Mary’s in Duluth. Kay was born in Litchfield, Minnesota to Harry and Leona (Albin) Hershey. She graduated from Litchfield High School. She married John Konietzko on Oct. 6, 1962. Kay attended school for radiologic technology, and worked as an X-ray technician for Community Memorial Hospital and the Raiter Clinic in Cloquet for 25 years. Kay was a member of Queen of Peace Catholic Chur...
Willard Rudolph Maki, 99, of Esko, Minnesota passed away Tuesday, July 23, 2019 at Augustana Health Care in Moose Lake. He was born March 30, 1920 in Brevator Township, northwest of Cloquet, to Alexander and Ida (Nyroos) Maki. He had two older sisters, Mildred and Ethel. The family farmed, and after Willard married Martha Isaacson on June 27, 1941, the couple bought their own farm and were Grade A milk producers. In 1948, the family moved to Esko. Willard became a union carpenter, working...
Lawrence Urbanski, 93, Cloquet, Minnesota, passed away Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019 in Inter-Faith Care Center. Larry was born on April 3, 1926 in Clifton Township, and grew up and attended school in Tracy. Prior to completing high school, Larry was inducted into the U.S. Army at age 18, and in February 1945 shipped out overseas for the Pacific Theater of World War II with the “Deadeyes” of the Army’s 96th Infantry Division, 381st Infantry, as a field telecommunications specialist and infan...
Larry Julius Matten, 72, of Missoula, Montana passed away at his home on Friday, July 19, 2019. He was born on Jan. 19, 1947 in Cloquet, Minnesota to Julius and Florence Matten. Larry spent his childhood growing up in northern Minnesota, fishing and ice skating. He attended Wrenshall High School where he was involved in football and track but excelled at basketball, earning All-American honors in 1965. During his senior year, he went on a recruiting trip to the University of Minnesota Duluth. Th...
Helen C. Medich, 90, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by her family Tuesday Aug. 20, 2019. Helen was born in Duluth, Minnesota, the youngest child of Christ A. and Laura Helen Andrews. Known and loved by many, Helen never failed to feed anyone who stopped by. She learned to cook during her youth by working in her family’s restaurants, The Main and The Jolly Fisher, in Duluth. Proud of her Greek heritage and following in the footsteps of many family members before her, she was one to s...
