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 31
There's a saying that goes around Sappi: folks who've worked in the boiler room for 40 years think the paper mill makes steam. It's an insightful joke about the processes within the mill which require heating chilled Lake Superior water to meet the needs of pulp and paper-making. It's also one that's taken on renewed meaning at a time the mill is striving to reduce its energy usage and water consumption. "Back in the late 1960s, we used over 40 million gallons of water per day," said...
There were more smiles than tears Wednesday morning at Cloquet's Washington Elementary School, as students arrived for the first day of school. The atmosphere was almost celebratory among some families. Moms Carina McKenna and Kelly Bischoff staged a photo shoot for their boys, heading into grades 1, 3 and 4 in the new school year. "They're super excited," said Bischoff. Washington principal Robbi Mondati said the feeling was mutual. "The day has been going great," she said around lunchtime...
There may be fewer than 400 residents in Cromwell, but they know how to make a small-town fun. This weekend marks the annual Harvest Festival, bringing three-plus days of food, fun and music. All events take place at the pavilion unless noted. Weather permitting, six balloonists will be offering rides and a show at the school baseball field Friday night starting at 5:30 p.m., then again Saturday at 5:30 and 8 p.m. Contact Brenda at 218-390-4570 to get on the list. On Friday, there’s a steak fry 4-7 p.m. for $15 a plate for steak and $5 for a h...
Cloquet city councilors unanimously voted for a preliminary 2023 levy increase of 6.5 percent Tuesday, following advice of staff to build a little "wiggle room" into the budget. Ward 2 councilor Sheila Lamb made the motion, stressing that the goal was to lower the levy increase to 5.95 percent by the time the city budget and levy are formally adopted in December. City administrator Tim Peterson recommended the "wiggle room" and higher increase, noting that the council can choose to decrease the...
Carlton County officials blamed a national inflation rate of more than 8 percent this year for putting pressure on the county’s upcoming 2023 budget. On Tuesday, the Committee of the Whole forwarded a preliminary 6.9-percent levy increase for board action by the end of the month. Minnesota statutes call for a preliminary levy to be adopted in September in preparation for a final levy decision in December. Historically, the final number can come in lower, but it cannot be higher than the figure set in September. What are the forces putting p...
A walk through the West End of Cloquet most days is a quiet one. Anchored at one end by Common Ground Coffee Bar & Deli and the Lakeshore Tobacco Vapor store on the other, it’s the end of downtown that time forgot. It will be anything but quiet on Saturday, Sept. 24. Weather permitting, the West End Flourish street fair and car show will turn the historic part of town into a bustling, pedestrian-friendly festival. There will be art and artisans, live music all day, things to buy, d...
New state test data released Aug. 25 shows the majority of Minnesota students are below state proficiency standards in math, and just over half are proficient in reading — a sharp decline since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Just under 52 percent of students met or exceeded reading standards — a drop of 8 percentage points since schools moved to distance learning at the start of the pandemic. Fewer than 46 percent of students statewide met or exceeded math standards — a drop of 10 percentage points from 2019. Minnesota schools were far l... 
Website
The Cloquet Area Alternative Education Programs, a small alternative school for grades 6-12 which draws from 12 school districts, made a list of 371 schools that will receive extra support by the state department of education last week. The program’s four-year graduation rate was below 67 percent for all students, triggering the extra support. Located in Cloquet’s Garfield School, the school ironically reported its highest percentage of graduates last year at 59.4 percent. According to the state’s Minnesota Report Card for CAAEP, the school had...
The superintendent's introduction of a formal complaint form for use going forward opened the floodgates at Wrenshall Schools on Wednesday. Meeting during the committee of the whole, board members praised a new complaint form, designed to go to the superintendent, or board chair should the complaint address the superintendent. Complaints can come from students, parents, employees or community members. "We need to be transparent about where to go," board member Nicole Krisak said. Superintendent...
For many of us, the opportunity to tell people how much we admire them or recognize their accomplishments slips away when that person passes from this life. Ozhaawashkogiizhigokwe Janis Fairbanks found herself in this predicament after the death of her brother, Abajiins-ba Ralph Charles Fairbanks, in 2020. "I didn't know the impact he had on people until I saw the collection of beadwork that was returned to me about 16 months after Ralph passed away," Janis said. Ralph, a member of the Fond du...
In the mid-1920s, my grandmother Ruth Lee Markusen began teaching at Cromwell High School. Although she had earned a degree from the University of Minnesota in English and social science (1910) and had taught grammar school in rural Minnesota for several years, she had most recently been a homemaker with two small boys at home. But her husband, Marinus "Renus" Markusen, had contracted tuberculosis and had to close down his planing mill and stop his carpentry work. So, she went to work teaching...
The Carlton County Labor Day celebration enjoyed its 105th gathering in Cloquet on Monday. The parade and surrounding events were widely and well-received, bringing our communities close in the name of being stronger together than apart - a core tenet of the labor movement. But if we want community celebrations like it to continue, we're going to need to listen to Chad Tuura. "I don't want it to go away," Tuura said. "I don't want to lose it. I don't want Labor Day not to happen." Tuura was the...
I attended the Labor Day festivities in Cloquet on Sept. 5. Great weather. Great crowd. Great fun. One thing that was not great, and quite frankly an embarrassment for our community, was the lack of adequate toilet facilities. I estimated that over 1,000 people were at Veterans Park at various times that day. There were only two porta-potties, yes two, at the park and they were in extremely poor condition at the very beginning of the event. There were long lines to use them and most people walked away with a repulsed look. The lady with one...
The Cloquet football team opened the season at Rol Bromberg Field Friday night with a resounding 57-0 victory over the Proctor Rails, giving first-year head coach Jeff Ojanen his first career coaching win. "Overall it was a good first game," Ojanen said. "The kids played hard and seemed to be on top of things. There are things we'll need to work on but that's to be expected." After stopping the Rails on their opening drive when the Proctor center snapped the ball over the head of the punter,...
The Esko football team wasted little time in sending an early-season message to the rest of Section 7AAA that it is a team to be reckoned with after pounding Duluth Denfeld, 53-0, on Friday night in Duluth. Eskomos quarterback Ty Christiansen had a big night, running for 87 yards on three carries, and passing for 72 yards and one touchdown in leading the offense. "Offensively, we really want that triple threat in our option running game and having Ty at quarterback helps to complement our...
It would be difficult to determine who had the starring role - politicians or candy - in Monday's Labor Day parade, but there was a plethora of both. And the kids were open to either, plastering political stickers on T-shirts without questioning platforms and filling backpacks and plastic grocery bags with enough candy to keep the dentist busy through Halloween. Many local candidates made their public debut this election season, while numerous state politicians and even U.S. Senator Amy Klobucha...
Despite having to open the season against the defending section champions, the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton girls swim team is pointed in a positive direction. Last Thursday saw the Lumberjacks host Grand Rapids in a dual meet the Thunderhawks won 110-70. CEC head coach Rachel Peterson said the team added 13 new athletes. "It is always tough when you open against Grand Rapids, but overall our girls are doing well," she said. "The returners are swimming almost as fast as they were at the end of last...
Entering Tuesday night's volleyball match, Cromwell-Wright was 0-1 and Moose Lake/Willow River was 2-0, but the hometown Cardinals rode strong net play to a convincing 3-0 win, with scores of 25-16, 25-18 and 25-17. "We played very well and just had a good all-around game," said Cards coach Amy Granholm. "We finally started to swing at the ball instead of just tipping the ball and it made a difference." Up front, the Cards were led by Sascha Korpela and Kyra Granholm with 12 and 10 kills,...
Trail runners and walkers, plus a few leashed dogs, gathered at Pine Valley early Saturday, Aug. 27 for the sixth annual Lost Forester Trail Run. The 26 participants completed one lap of the 5.5-kilometer Nordic ski trail. Leading all racers to the finish line was 35-year-old Nathan Bronk, of Duluth, in a Lost Forester course record time of 24 minutes, 29 seconds. Amber Kantonen, of Cloquet, captured the women's title and finished third overall in a time of 29:47. Before the race started, Bronk...
Logan Allen Ward was a beloved son, brother, and nephew who left this world suddenly and tragically on Aug. 24, 2022 at age 15. His gentle heart and quiet presence will be deeply missed by those who loved him. Logan was born on Aug. 17, 2007, in Duluth, Minnesota to Whitney Hanson and Shane Ward. He attended South Range Elementary and Jedlicka Middle School in Proctor. Logan loved hunting and the outdoors. He enjoyed video games, antique toys and comic book collecting. Logan had a gift for...
Marjorie "Margie" Eleanor Benson was born in Pasadena, California on Feb. 24, 1938, to Ruth and Howard Leffler. Her family moved one year later to Barnum, Minnesota, where her parents bought a farm. From an early age, Margie showed an interest in the 4-H youth organization, winning the Golden Fleece award at the age of 12. When she was asked by a newspaper how she had gone about grooming her sheep for the event, she replied, "I just fed him hay and oats." Margie graduated from Barnum High...
Arvid Leland Benson was born in Cloquet on June 4, 1932, to Anton and Signe Benson. His parents were dairy farmers from Mahtowa, and he was the third of five brothers. Arvid graduated from Barnum High School in 1950, where he was nicknamed "Lover Boy." He was an avid athlete in high school and played guard on the varsity team. Early on in life, however, Arvid realized that he wanted something besides farming in his future, so at the age of 18 he decided to leave the rural life and joined the...
Margaret "Maggie" Louise Hubbell, 82, earned her angel wings on Aug. 30, 2022. She was born in Cloquet on Feb. 23, 1940, the daughter of Harold and Helen McIntyre. Margaret attended Our Lady of Sacred Heart Catholic School until the eighth grade and graduated from Cloquet Senior High School, class of 1958. While attending high school, she met the love of her life, Lee Hubbell. Lee and Maggie were happily married March 4, 1960. They never left each other's side throughout their 62 years of...
Ramona Darlene Steffer, 89, of Cromwell passed away peacefully Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, at Villa Court Senior Living in Cromwell. She was born in Brooten on Sept. 23, 1932, the daughter of Leo and Ella (Meyer) Iverson. Ramona grew up in Albert Lea and moved to Wright in 1949. She graduated from Cromwell-Wright High School in 1952, earning her diploma. Ramona married Gordon Steffer on April 3, 1954. She worked at the Diamond Match mill in Cloquet for three years before becoming a homemaker....
School has started, so please take extra time for travel and stop for all school buses. We want to keep all the children safe while they travel to and from school. When the bus is stopped, wait until the children have safely crossed the road and the bus has started again before moving. Come to the next Kettle River city council meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13 at the council room. There will be a Ma & Pa Kettle Days planning meeting at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18 at the Kettle River senior center. We will be working on upcoming events and discus...
