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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The Cloquet skatepark is the latest vandalism location in the city after it was spray-painted with messages last weekend. It is one of many places - including businesses and bridges - found to be filled with graffiti the past two weeks, many of them with what appears to be the word "junk." Cloquet patrol commander Dan O'Connor said police are investigating the property damage and working on development of a suspect and are looking for more information from the public. The police department...
The Minnesota State High School League's Board of Directors online meeting Monday was packed with coaches and activities directors across the state. The meeting was held to determine whether or not the MSHSL would reverse its decision of not allowing fall football and volleyball. In the end the board, after hearing numerous comments from speakers, made the decision to allow a shortened season for both sports starting this fall. The impetus of the vote came following pressure by parent groups suc... Full story
Wrenshall superintendent Kim Belcastro didn’t need to say it. Her face told all. “It’s been a tough week,” she told the school board Tuesday night during a special meeting. The day before, she announced that the school would be going to full distance learning because of staff shortages related to Covid-19. It means there will be no on-campus classes for elementary students who had been attending twice a week and high school students once a week. The special meeting Tuesday resulted in school board members agreeing that pre-kin... Full story
The Level 3 sex offender notification for Rory Northrup that ran on Page 3 of the Sept. 11 issue of Pine Knot News said that Northrup would be living on Sunnyside Drive. After that issue of the newspaper went to press, the Cloquet police department updated its information regarding Northrup and stated that he is homeless. That meant the previously published information was inaccurate. Additional information may be found at the Minnesota Department of Corrections Public Registrant Search, at https://coms.doc.state.mn.us/publicregistrantsearch...
A remarkable goal by freshman Elijah Aultman last Thursday pretty much cemented the soccer player's standing on a new team in a country he's called home for less than a year. Elijah and his brother, Jordan, came to Carlton County from Sierra Leone last year, after being adopted by John and Jackie Aultman of Esko. They went from a place that is tropical all year to Minnesota in winter, and from a country that is ranked as one of the poorest in the world to one of the wealthiest. The constants in...
After a slowdown last week, positive COVID-19 cases in Carlton County increased rapidly over the past week, rising from 219 total cases on Sept. 16 to 246 on Wednesday, Sept. 23. That’s a jump of 27 in a week, versus nine the week before. The rise is reflected in statewide numbers too. The state reported 690 positive cases Wednesday, bringing the total to 92,100 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Minnesota so far. More than 200,000 people in the U.S. have died from Covid-19. In Minnesota, 1,985 people have died. Carlton County has still only r...
Carlton County will hold a drive-through flu vaccine clinic for the entire family from 12-6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Carlton County Transportation Building. No fees will be collected at the clinic. The vaccine will be available as a standard flu shot, flu-mist for ages 2-49, high-dose for age 65-plus and egg-free for age 4 and older. All attendees are required to wear masks. Entry to the Transportation Building parking lot will be through the south entrance off County Road 61....
Finding ways to create better internet connectivity was front and center during the Thomson Township Board of Supervisors meeting last week, along with determining how to spend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act money received from the federal government. Problems with virtual attendance at township meetings — which often cut out during transmission — brought internet issues to the forefront as a way to spend the $20,000 in funds. “Most of it has been on the internet improvements we are making here [in the town...
Although the free microchipping event was set to begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at Veterans Park in Cloquet, pet owners and their furry friends started lining up for the drive-through event long before that. By start time, cars were lined up down Avenue B and around the corner on Broadway Avenue as far back as the MinuteMart, Cloquet police commander Dave O'Connor said. A total of 210 animals got free microchips Saturday, courtesy of a partnership between Northern Lakes Rescue, the city of Cloquet...
Economic Development Administration chief of staff Dana Gartzke touts the public and private partnership that is bringing a substantial investment and future jobs to the Cloquet Airport. Gartzke traveled from Washington to Minnesota and Carlton County Friday morning to announce a $1.2 million grant to establish an aeronautics workforce training center at the Cloquet Airport. Combined with $291,718 of state and $14,464 in county funds, the money will pay for a new training center and hangar at...
Suicide remains a top public health concern in Minnesota. “Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death in Minnesota and tenth nationally,” said North East Minnesota Suicide Prevention Coordinator Ali Randall. The coronavirus pandemic could be pushing emotions higher than ever before. “I think the pandemic is shedding a good light on the importance of mental professionals in our community and the importance of suicide prevention,” said Randall. “Whether you’re a coach or a supervisor at your employment no matter where you are everyone plays a r...
The 2020 Bridge to Health Survey will be wrapping up soon, and anyone who received a survey in the mail is asked to fill it in and return it as quickly as possible so that their answers can be counted. A second copy of the survey will be sent out to all of the original recipients who haven’t responded in case they have misplaced it. The Bridge to Health Survey has been conducted every five years since 1995....
The Minnesota Department of Health opened a pilot saliva testing site on Wednesday at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. The testing site will be the first of its kind in Minnesota, offering free saliva tests to any Minnesotan who believes they need to be tested. The pilot opening will give state and local health officials a chance to see what kind of demand to expect for the additional saliva test sites in coming weeks. The state plans to open as many as nine more sites across the state like the one planned for the DECC. “The Duluth E...
First there was one. Now there are seven cases of Covid-19 at the Esko schools, and nearly three dozen students were quarantined as of last week. The Esko school board held a special online meeting Wednesday, Sept. 16 to approve new hires and discuss Covid-19 information. During that meeting, superintendent Aaron Fischer told board members the school had five cases of Covid-19, and 35 students in quarantine. As of Tuesday, Sept. 22 the number of positive cases had grown to seven, with two at...
7Notice is hereby served that the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton boys soccer team is now 6-0 on the season following two impressive wins last week. On Thursday the Lumberjacks beat Duluth East for the first time in school history. On Saturday afternoon they knocked off always tough Grand Rapids 3-1. At home Thursday against Duluth East the wind swirled and created problems for both teams at times, but the 'Jacks showed patience, and then got a little bit of luck, when normally sure-handed East net minder... Full story
The Esko girls soccer team picked up an impressive win Sept. 17 as they knocked off Hermantown for the second time this season. Two second-half goals helped secure the 2-0 road win. "I think the girls were much happier with their performance than earlier in the week," said Esko coach Caitlin Lilly. "I thought we controlled the pace for most of the game." After a scoreless first half, the Eskomos scored 16 minutes into the second half when Ava Korby took a feed from Maya Emanuel making it 1-0... Full story
After suffering a 6-1 loss at the hands of Grand Rapids-Greenway on Monday, the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton girls tennis team rallied for a solid home win against Superior on Tuesday. Against GRG the lone CEC win came at No. 3 singles when Addie Loeb rallied from a set down to beat Emily Hill 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. Despite losing the rest of the matches, the Lumberjacks nearly won four other matches including Lydia Stone at No. 4 singles to Abby Gustafson 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 and CEC's No. 1 doubles team of Kylie Mc...
On what Rebels head cross country coach Adam Whealan called a "perfect day for running," the collaborative Moose Lake/Willow River/Barnum team won the boys varsity race last Thursday at Carlton's Chub Lake. The Rebels finished with a team total of 33 in the boys race, while South Ridge took second at 39 points and Carlton/Wrenshall came in third place with 60 points in the Raptors home meet. "The weather was beautiful and the course was in awesome shape," Whealan said. "It was just an... Full story
It’s never pleasant to see someone going through troubled times, especially when such troubles are splayed across the newspapers for all your friends, neighbors, and colleagues to see. In those situations, it’s not too hard to forget that the troubled person was also a dedicated public servant who spent most of his career fighting crime and administering justice, as an elected public servant dedicated to our community. Such is the case of Thom Pertler, the former Carlton County attorney who lost re-election in 2018 and was recently dis... Full story
I got a fishing merit badge as a Boy Scout, not because I loved to fish and had grown up fishing. No, I precisely got the merit badge in spite of growing up without fishing, and having little idea of what fishing actually was all about. My city-slicker father, Tony, wasn’t too into outdoor sports. He taught me how to shoot a cue ball and mix a Manhattan, but building a fire was beyond him. His idea of roughing it was staying at a hotel without room service. My mother loved him for those r...
We have the opportunity to elect for the first time in more than 50 years a state senator who actually lives in Carlton County. The last time that happened, the district included Carlton, Aitkin and Crow Wing counties and we were represented by Norman Hanson of Cromwell. Michelle Lee would have voted for the bonding bill with Rep. Mike Sundin that would have paid for a waterline from Carlton to the Interstate 35 area at Minnesota Highway 210. Our senator, who doesn’t live here, did not support the bonding bill. As a result, he also did not s...
If you've driven through Cromwell this past week, you'll have glimpsed the 10 scarecrows lining the main street downtown. Because the usually annual Harvest Fest had to be canceled, the Cromwell Area Community Club dreamed up a scarecrow competition as a fun way to lift spirits and capture a piece of the festival. The scarecrows had to be mounted by Sept. 17. The club was delighted to find 10 scarecrows. "They liven up the town," said Tracey Goranson, one of the organizers. She and her sister, L...
During the past two weeks, a number of political signs put on private property have been stolen by persons unknown, but I’m guessing they are of the opposing political party. In talking with the Cloquet Police Department, it is a criminal offense to steal or deface a sign. Until this year, I had never had a political sign stolen in all the years of putting them on my land where they can be seen from the road. I have been active politically over many years at local, state and national levels. But this year the political climate has changed t...
Martin Robert Burch, 73, of Cromwell passed away Sept. 18, 2020, in his home with his family by his side. He was born July 4, 1947, in Moose Lake to Elvin and Petronella (Pionk) Burch. Martin graduated from Moose Lake High School in 1966. After high school, he was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. After his discharge, he returned to Moose Lake working various jobs, including working at the peat plant and logging before going to work at USG in Cloquet. Martin married Nancy... Full story
Marjorie Lucille Kunz Backus, 90, resident of Cloquet, passed away peacefully Sept. 18, 2020, at her home surrounded by family. Margie was born in St. Paul to Ernest and Stella (Inman) Haskell. She went to school at Minnehaha Academy in St. Paul. Four of her children were born in St. Paul, and her youngest son was born in Cloquet. The family then moved to Rapid City, South Dakota. After raising her children, she worked for many years at the Family Thrift bakery and Jolly Lane Greenhouse. She was a counselor for a singles group with the Canyon... Full story
