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Articles from the September 10, 2021 edition


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  • Board discord gets an airing

    Pine Knot News|Sep 10, 2021

    The strangest rain cloud scuttled from the northwest to southeast across northern Carlton County Wednesday night. A narrow squall poured rain, cuffed by ragged and then bloomy cloud formations. Then, on both sides, clear sky. Arching through all of it was a clear, full rainbow, large enough to cover the entire city of Wrenshall and its environs. Under the bright red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet was the school, where about 50 people ended up gathering for a school board meeting. To say matters surrounding the board lately... Full story

  • Residents frosted by snowmobile trail vote

    Rebekah King|Sep 10, 2021

    The Thomson Township board of supervisors has approved a snowmobile trail alongside township roads, to be run by the Wood City Riders Snowmobile Club. Wood City Riders, located in Cloquet, helps maintain wooded trails throughout northern Carlton County and southern St. Louis County. The board and the club have been discussing the possibility of running a trail through the township since 2019, but ran into obstacles that made it difficult to complete the initial proposal. The township gave Wood City Riders permission to use various rights of... Full story

  • Harvest Festival in Cromwell

    Pine Knot News|Sep 10, 2021

    Head to Cromwell to celebrate the Harvest Festival Friday through Sunday, Sept. 10-12. There will be scarecrows found across the city; they were judged for their creativity this week. Tonight there is a steak and hot dog feed, with ice cream cones available for dessert. A dance begins at 7 p.m. Food and craft vendors will be in the city park 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The Class of 1953 will reunite at the pavilion. A volleyball tournament starts at 9 a.m. A parade will begin at 10:30 a.m. The...

  • Lake Superior Harvest Festival

    Pine Knot News|Sep 10, 2021

    The 27th Lake Superior Harvest Festival takes place Saturday and will feature several farms and vendors from Carlton County. The free event is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Bayfront Festival park in Duluth. The Sustainable Farming Association calls it the largest farmers market in the region, with farms from across the region selling fall harvest produce. There will also be artisan vendors, live music, educational demonstrations, and a renewable energy fair. Masks will be required at the event to help keep everyone safe and physical distancing is...

  • Walk through local history

    Pine Knot News|Sep 10, 2021

    Hear accounts of local history from actors portraying prominent citizens of the past as you walk through Riverside Cemetery in Moose Lake. Meet Minnie Carlson Peterson, a heroic nurse from the 1918 Fires, businessman Claude Poston, pioneer family Olaf and Maria Hultberg and others. The Living History Walk is 2- 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11. Admission is $15, cash or check. Sponsored by the Moose Lake Area Historical Society. In case of inclement weather, the event will move to the Soo Line Event Center....

  • Cloquet sets drought rules

    Pine Knot News|Sep 10, 2021

    With 78 percent of the state experiencing severe drought and some experiencing extreme or exceptional drought, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is requiring water suppliers to implement water-use restrictions as that state enters the warning phase of a statewide drought plan. The Cloquet City Council approved a number of water restriction measures Tuesday in reaction to the ongoing drought. As part of those measures, residents are asked to either stop watering their lawns or restrict watering to odd or even dates. Odd numbered...

  • One dead, one injured in crash

    Pine Knot News|Sep 10, 2021

    One man is dead and another critically injured after a crash last week. According to a Carlton County Sheriff’s Office press release, deputies and first responders from Carlton Fire and Ambulance Department responded to a report of a truck leaving the roadway at 12:18 a.m. Aug. 30. The truck was southbound on the 200 block of Thomson Road when it left the road and struck a tree. Passenger Cuong Hang, 38, was ejected and killed. The driver, Hung Hang, 39, was critically injured and transported to Essentia Health in Duluth by Cloquet Area Fire D...

  • Busy council talks budget, park and PLA

    Jana Peterson|Sep 10, 2021

    Cloquet city councilors approved a master plan for Pine Valley Park Tuesday and continued their ongoing debate over the current Cloquet Project Labor Agreement. Additionally, councilors got a quick overview of the proposed 2022 budget, which included a proposed preliminary levy increase of 3.49-percent, or $109,400. City administrator Tim Peterson said department heads did a good job of holding the line on expenses, but there are increases the city doesn’t have control over, including a 3...

  • Defense wants admission struck in murder case

    Jana Peterson|Sep 10, 2021

    A former Fond du Lac police patrol officer took to the witness stand during the Carlton County Sixth District Court hearing held Sept. 1 for Sheldon Thompson, a Cloquet man accused of murdering his pregnant girlfriend and her young son in March 2020. Deputy Nils Hansen, now with the Carlton County Sheriff's Office, was the only person to testify, with much of the testimony centering around the alleged "utterance" he reported Thompson made while he was being treated for possible hypothermia...

  • Library sets open house, new hours

    Pine Knot News|Sep 10, 2021

    The Cloquet Public Library will host an open house to celebrate the completion of the new addition 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. A number of community organizations will also be part of the festivities. As of Tuesday, the library resumed normal opening hours for the first time since pandemic restrictions were implemented in the spring of 2020. Library hours are now 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Fridays and 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Library director Beth Sorenson said staff will be masked,...

  • Cloquet attorney Tom Skare dies

    Pine Knot News|Sep 10, 2021

    Thomas M. Skare, a longtime attorney in Cloquet, died Saturday, Sept. 4. He was 69. Skare started practicing law in Cloquet and eventually became a partner at Newby, Lindgren & Skare before starting his own law firm in 2004. He retired from practicing law in 2020, just as the pandemic made meeting with clients especially difficult. Skare’s practice focused on personal injury litigation, criminal defense, and general practice. For many years, he held the unofficial record for obtaining, on behalf of his client, the highest jury verdict in C... Full story

  • College offers housing series

    Pine Knot News|Sep 10, 2021

    Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College will offer courses that lay the groundwork for building green. The courses connect with Green New Deal Housing’s mission to develop equitable zero- energy housing and a green collar workforce in the region. The four- part series will be held Tuesday evenings 4:30- 6:30 p.m. at FDLTCC starting Oct. 14. For more information, visit fdltcc.edu or contact Jeannie Kermeen at 218-879-0790 or [email protected]....

  • New Liquor store stocks up

    Jana Peterson|Sep 10, 2021

    Workers move stock earlier this month from the former Gramma Polo's Liquor store into the new Kwik Spirits addition next to the Scanlon Kwik Trip. Polo's was torn down two days later, but the Kwik Spirits wasn't open yet because there were issues transferring the liquor license, according to a sign on the door recently....

  • Our View: Sanitary district serves our needs

    Pine Knot News|Sep 10, 2021

    No one likes unflattering publicity, even if the negative incidents happened years ago and have little semblance to today’s activities. But it can still sting. That’s exactly what happened after we ran our story last month about Elaine Osborne, who wrote a book about her life after a sewer main line leaked millions of gallons five different times near her Esko backyard decades ago, exposing her to toxic raw sewage off and on for years. She has claimed the incidents in the early 1980s have caused her severe and long- term medical issues, and tha... Full story

  • United we may strive, but divided we definitely are

    Pete Radosevich|Sep 10, 2021

    The recent political events in Texas got me thinking a bit. As a Catholic, I've never been a fan of abortion. As a Democrat, I value the personal freedoms and rights all people should have, whether rich, poor, connected or unaffected. As an American, I value the right of its citizens to choose their leaders and to pass laws that reflect their wishes to be self- regulated. But I am disturbed by the manufactured crises that politicians use, frequently, to divide the people, making it easier for... Full story

  • On The Mark: Hospital navigates Covid storm

    Ann Markusen|Sep 10, 2021

    Among area enterprises propelled into the Covid hotseat, Community Memorial Hospital must be our local ground zero. Demand for its care and services skyrocketed from the start, peaking in winter 2020. To explore how its management team and staff are navigating ongoing Covid cases, I sat down, adequately distanced, to talk with CEO Rick Breuer. Breuer emphasized that Covid outbreaks are not behind us. New variants are emerging. “We can tailor something that will defeat it,” Breuer notes, “bu...

  • Letter: Parade entries should be vetted first

    Pine Knot News|Sep 10, 2021

    I was very disappointed in some signs in the Cloquet Labor Day parade. "Trump won" isn't a political statement. Police officers died on Jan. 6 over an issue that isn't valid at all. There was a person walking in the parade wearing a shirt that said "Kamala isn't black." Huh? Where is there conversation in this? Lastly, the last two vehicles didn't represent anything. There was no business promoted or political backing. However, they had a "Police Lives Matter" flag, and a "Black Guns Matter"... Full story

  • Letter: There's freedom to choose in pandemic

    Pine Knot News|Sep 10, 2021

    I respectfully disagree with columnist Pete Radosevich’s argument that the Constitution doesn’t play a role in the mask debate. (Aug. 27 issue.) Freedom is our nation’s backbone and strengthened by God’s blessing. His point on government’s role to secure “our general welfare” is recognized, but I question where “our general welfare” is provided for with the border crisis, our religious rights, and the recent Afghanistan debacle leaving Americans’ safety in jeopardy? The pandemic has taken many twists, and many are not conspiracies. Scien... Full story

  • Obituary: John Patrick Connor

    Pine Knot News|Sep 10, 2021

    John Patrick Connor, 47, of Barnum passed away on Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021, in his home. He was born March 30, 1974, in Cloquet to John and MaryAnn (Fisher) Connor. John grew up in Blackhoof Township and graduated from Carlton High School in 1992. He was a manager at McDonald Rental for several years before going to work at Randall Bros. Heating and Cooling in 1998. In August of 2020 John had a tragic accident and was unable to return to work. On May 19, 2001 he married Lynnette Mallon in Cloquet.... Full story

  • Obituary: Nancy Ruth (Abrahamson) Koivisto

    Pine Knot News|Sep 10, 2021

    Nancy Ruth (Abrahamson) Koivisto, 87, of Esko passed away Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021 in Inter-Faith Care Center, Carlton. She was born April 3, 1934, in Duluth to Oliver and Alice (Johnson) Abrahamson. She graduated from Denfeld High School in 1952. After meeting at UMD, Nancy and Melvin Koivisto were married on June 15, 1956 in Duluth. She was a member of Apostolic Lutheran Church in Esko. Nancy enjoyed golfing, traveling and spending time with family and friends. She was preceded in death by her p... Full story

  • Obituary: Duane Edward Johnson

    Pine Knot News|Sep 10, 2021

    Duane Edward Johnson, 87, of Cloquet, passed away Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, at Sunnyside Health Care Center. He was born Oct. 28, 1933, in Cloquet to Edward and Sieva (Lehto) Johnson. Duane grew up in Cromwell and graduated from Cromwell High School in 1951. On April 27, 1957, he married Shirley Laine. Duane worked his entire life as a master carpenter and a sawmill sawyer. He built log homes and many pieces of fine furniture. He served in the U.S. Army 1955 through 1957. He enjoyed hunting,... Full story

  • Death Notices

    Pine Knot News|Sep 10, 2021

    Thomas Michael Skare, 69, of Cloquet died at home Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021. A private service will be held at a later date. Arrangements are with Nelson Funeral Care.... Full story

  • Jane Helen (Nelson) Salo

    Pine Knot News|Sep 10, 2021

    Jane Helen (Nelson) Salo, 100, of Cloquet passed away Monday, Sept. 6, 2021. She was born December 13, 1920 in Cloquet, the daughter of Walter and Hilda (Nelson) Nelson. She married Ray W. Salo on April 10, 1954. She and Ray raised their four children in Cloquet, where she was a homemaker. They enjoyed traveling to visit friends all over the country and supporting all the activities of their children and their children’s friends. Her family will always remember and miss “Grandma’s Finnish rye bread” and all the wonderful Christmas cookies. Jane... Full story

  • There goes the judge

    Jana Peterson|Sep 10, 2021

    When asked what cases stand out most over his career, recently retired Judge Robert Macaulay doesn't have to think for long. None of them, he says. "No case was more important than the next to me," Macaulay said. "Each case was the most important to the people that were part of it. And it was so important to me to think about them that way." Macaulay retired last week, taking one final bike ride from his home in Cloquet to the courthouse in Carlton with a police escort and numerous coworkers. Bo...

  • Lukasavitz appointed as Carlton County judge

    Pine Knot News|Sep 10, 2021

    Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan announced the appointment of Amy Lukasavitz as District Court Judge in Minnesota’s Sixth Judicial District Wednesday, Sept. 8. The Iron Range native will fill the seat vacated by recently retired Judge Robert Macaulay. “Ms. Lukasavitz is an experienced lawyer, whose previous work as a prosecutor and public defender will allow her to serve the people of Carlton County well,” Walz said in a press release Wednesday afternoon. “Ms. Lukasavitz is uniquely prepared to step into this role, and I look forward...

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