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Articles from the September 29, 2023 edition


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  • She's a doula on the other end of life

    Jana Peterson|Sep 29, 2023

    Allison Ronning gets some confused looks when she tells people she’s an end-of-life doula. “People are like, ‘oh, you help birth babies,’ and I explain that I’m on the opposite end of that,” she said. By definition, an end-of-life doula assists in the dying process, in the same way a midwife or doula does with the birthing process. Both a birth or end-of-life doula can serve somebody in their home or in a hospital. “I know death is not an easy topic. Life is messy. Death is messy,” Ronni... Full story

  • Tribal college plots next five years

    Brady Slater|Sep 29, 2023

    Once a member of the first class of students to graduate from the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College campus in Cloquet, Roxanne DeLille went on to u niversity in Duluth and later committed five years to the tribal college at the request of its founding president, the late Jack Briggs. "Twenty-five years later, closer to 30, I'm still here," DeLille said. As dean of indigenous and academic affairs, DeLille described herself as a big-picture person who likes to dream big. For that, she was... Full story

  • Fire destroys barn near Esko

    Sep 29, 2023

    A barn in rural Esko caught fire last week when a homeowner was burning vegetation and the fire spread to the barn. The call came into the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office at 2:55 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20, for a structure fire at 44 E. Palkie Road in Thomson Township. No injuries were reported by the property owner or emergency personnel. Property inside the barn was destroyed due to the fire. The barn was not used to house animals. The Esko, Carlton and Wrenshall fire departments responded to contain the fire. No foul play is s...

  • Party with apples at Zion church

    Sep 29, 2023

    Apple Fest is coming Oct. 1 from 3 to 7 p.m. to Zion Lutheran Church in Cloquet, and it’s free. Pick your own apples, enjoy apple tasting, a caramel apple bar and apple juice pressing. Mae Prachar Band will provide music. Apple Fest is a fundraiser for a Haiti medical mission. Donations gratefully accepted. Questions? Call Vicki at 218-451-0278....

  • Lunch with school officials

    Sep 29, 2023

    Cloquet School District officials including superintendent Michael Cary and some school board members and school staff will be part of “lunch in the community” from noon to 1 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2 at the Cloquet Public Library. Bring your own lunch. Future lunch dates include Dec. 4. March 4 and May 6.... Full story

  • Free paint kits are at the library

    Sep 29, 2023

    Free Acrylic Painting Take & Create Art kits are available at the Cloquet, Carlton and Moose Lake public libraries in October, courtesy of the Arrowhead Library System. This art experience was designed by 321 Art Studio in Chisholm and explores acrylic painting for beginners and more advanced participants. They will include supplies to create two unique pictures – one round stretched canvas, three 4x4-inch canvas panels to create a triptych, and an acrylic paint set with brush.... Full story

  • City won't allow pot in parks

    Brady Slater|Sep 29, 2023

    Count the city of Carlton among the growing list of communities to pass an ordinance prohibiting marijuana smoking and use in city parks and other areas the act of smoking is already outlawed. “We’re not trying to control use in public spaces as much as protect people that don’t want to be around it,” Mayor Mike Soderstrom said. “My thought process was parents taking young children to the park and having to walk through clouds of marijuana smoke probably wasn’t the best thing.” Soderstrom called it a proactive approach and one he sees continui...

  • School officer issue is settled, for now

    Jana Peterson|Sep 29, 2023

    Cloquet will keep its school resource officer after Attorney General Keith Ellison released a revised opinion on the legislation last spring regarding the use of force in schools. That was better news than anticipated, superintendent Michael Cary told school board members Monday. Cary had expected to tell the board the district would be exploring other ways to work with local law enforcement. But over the weekend, he received an email from Cloquet Police Chief Derek Randall that the CPD was more comfortable after the attorney general clarified...

  • Science fair students just keep on winning

    Sep 29, 2023

    Three Cloquet High School science fair students who excelled at regional and state science fair last spring continued their winning ways at national and international competitions across the country over the past few months. Science Fair mentor Cindy Welsh shared recent updates: Junior Johanna Bernu competed at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in Dallas, Texas, in May. She was awarded a $40,000 Scholarship to Arizona University at ISEF. In June, Bernu also represented... Full story

  • Girls wanted to start a Scout troop; campout offered

    Sep 29, 2023

    Any girls interested in finding out more about joining a Scout BSA troop — formerly known as the Boy Scouts — can get a taste of a typical event by joining in a campout at Pine Valley on Friday, Oct. 6. Scoutmaster Jason Mangan said they are trying to start a girls troop. Troop activities are focused on camping and the outdoors, community service and similar activities. It’s a great opportunity for kids to learn to be self-reliant, and learn outdoor skills, some leadership skills and have a good time,” he said. His wife, Jenn Mangan, would b...

  • Commissioners approve levy with 4% increase

    Brady Slater|Sep 29, 2023

    Carlton County commissioners approved a 3.99 percent increase over last year’s levy, delivering a preliminary figure for 2024 at $33.5 million on Monday. With the unanimous 5-0 vote in Carlton, the number the board settled on cannot exceed above 3.99 percent of this year’s $32.2 million levy. It could go down. The budget is set for public review and approval in December. “I feel 3.99 is a good starting point,” auditor/treasurer Kevin DeVriendt told commissioners. Commissioner Marv Bodie praised the work of the budgeting committee, includi...

  • Pet chip clinic nixed; couple faces charges

    Jana Peterson|Sep 29, 2023

    The pet microchip and vaccine clinic in Cloquet for Carlton County residents, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 23, was canceled last week after the partnering humane society founder was charged with fraud. Northern Lakes Rescue has partnered with the city and county in recent years to operate the microchip clinics. Carlton County coordinator Dennis Genereau said the city and county discovered the charges and plan to reschedule the clinic with another agency in the future. According to a news release from the Minnesota Department of Revenue, the...

  • Newspapers take a week to reflect

    Sep 29, 2023

    This week, and every week, newspapers are for you. Americans have more media options than ever. We are inundated with stories, memes, videos and promotions 24 hours a day. Most of us are on social media, which is built to provide an endless feed of content to keep us glued to our screens. And unfortunately, misinformation is prevalent and much of that content isn’t fact-checked, verified or professionally produced. The result is that we’re not always shown what we need to know, or the information that is most likely to impact our lives. Tha... Full story

  • Harry's Gang: Leaders need to be accountable

    Pete Radosevich|Sep 29, 2023

    I’m disturbed by the attorney general in Texas. Recently, he was acquitted by the Texas legislature on corruption charges, even though every Texan who cares knows the man is corrupt. In fact, even the legislature who declined to convict him knows he’s guilty. So why did they acquit? Politics. Then, New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, a Democrat, was indicted (again!) on corruption charges, and while a good number of his fellow party members are encouraging him to resign, his reaction has been to... Full story

  • Letter to the editor: Government shutdown hits hard

    Sep 29, 2023

    The U.S. is on the brink of a government shutdown due to a handful of right wing extremists who are holding the country hostage. These extremists, all Republicans and ironically known as the Freedom Caucus, claim they will not vote to approve the 2024 federal budget due to their opposition to the growing federal debt. Really? According to the Associated Press, a shutdown would furlough millions of federal employees, leave active military without pay, disrupt air travel and cut off vital safety net services. It would definitely affect some of... Full story

  • History Mystery

    Sep 29, 2023

    Forgive yourself if you haven't heard of Julius Berg Baumann. The Norwegian-American poet, who lived in Carlton County, died of cancer in 1923, at age 53. And unless you find translations of his work, you'll need to know Norwegian to properly appreciate it. But he is a celebrated artist, with a large monument honoring him at Hillcrest Cemetery in Cloquet. That's where people will meet Saturday after a celebration of Baumann at the Carlton County Historical Society beginning at 11 a.m. Baumann... Full story

  • News office raid was an inflection point

    Sep 29, 2023

    After local police raided the office of the Marion County Record in Kansas and the home of its owners, creating a national outcry that was entirely justified, the question was asked in newspaper offices around the country, and sometimes in their pages: “Could this happen here?” It’s more likely in some places than others, depending on the nature of the paper, the town, its leaders and the police. In the Record’s case, the accountability journalism that publisher Eric Meyer practiced and taught in Milwaukee hasn’t gone down well with some powe...

  • Some numbers to ponder

    Sep 29, 2023

    We here at the Pine Knot News hear from readers every day about how they cherish a local newspaper that covers what’s going on right here in Carlton County. We never take those sentiments lightly and pride ourselves on offering a newspaper in print and online that puts the community first. It includes having an office here and being on the ground every day exploring what’s happening in your own backyard. Newspapers are important. And you, dear readers, are not alone. As we celebrate National Newspaper Week Oct. 1-7, digest these recent fin... Full story

  • It's never a good bet to mess with us

    Sep 29, 2023

    A solemn but dubious audience of students heard it. “Newspapers are dead. In 10 years, they’ll be gone altogether.” We’ve all heard the grim assessment. But it didn’t come this year, when corporate greed downsized far too many newsrooms. It didn’t come 15 years ago, when social media began to cocoon us into echo chambers that let us hear only what we believe. It didn’t come 30 years ago, at the dawn of the Internet letting us browse multiple sources of information. It didn’t come 45 years ago, when cable news channels began giving us talki... Full story

  • New game store in play in West End Cloquet

    Jana Peterson|Sep 29, 2023

    Ten-year-old Cyleiona Almenares made three trips to Cloquet's new game store on the first day it opened at 305 Broadway St. On trip No. 2, she carefully counted out her change to pay for Demon Slayer cards under the watchful eye of her dad, Tyler Almenares, an unabashed Pokémon fan. The father-daughter duo is exactly the target audience Sara Kenwood and her wife, Gabrielle, were thinking of when they decided to open the store in Cloquet. Game players. Card collectors. People who enjoy the art... Full story

  • Golf course set for a conversion

    Steve Korby|Sep 29, 2023

    Pine Hill Golf Course on Highway 61 in Carlton will have a new owner soon, and there are some big changes in store for the popular nine-hole golf course. Jim and Cassie Barry have owned and operated the golf course since 2005, and listed the golf course for sale three years ago. Tom Kraemer Inc. of Moose Lake contacted them a day after it went on the market. TKI, formerly StorMor, is presently located just off Minnesota Highway 27 and Old Highway 61. The company offers large, portable storage...

  • Dollar store stakes a claim in Barnum

    Brady Slater|Sep 29, 2023

    Sometime in winter 2024, the city of Barnum will be less of a food and retail desert than it is. Dollar General is moving onto Main Street, with construction already begun on a store which figures to include staples such as milk. While not a grocery store, Dollar General will fill a longtime void in a community that sees its residents travel to Moose Lake, Cloquet and beyond for merchandise such as cleaning supplies, health and beauty products, stationery, seasonal decorations, and some snacks...

  • Esko keeps rolling, scoring at will

    Kerry Rodd|Sep 29, 2023

    Esko played what most folks predicted would be the football team's most competitive game of the regular season against Pequot Lakes Friday night. They crushed the Patriots at home. Esko won 60-0 and sent notice to the rest of the state that they are the team to beat in Class AAA, with talent to spare. The two teams met in last year's section final, with Esko escaping and going to state. The Patriots came in ranked as the No. 5 team in the state. Esko came in ranked at No. 3. Esko has scored at... Full story

  • The Ticker: A quick look at area teams in action

    Sep 29, 2023

    Thursday, Sept. 21 Girls Soccer Cloquet/Carlton 8 Proctor 0 Esko 3 Rock Ridge 1 Boys Soccer CEC 4 Proctor 0 Volleyball Cloquet 3 Greenway 0 Esko 3 Rock Ridge 1 Two Harbors 3 ML/WR 0 Football East Central 38 South Ridge 8 Friday, Sept. 22 Football Cloquet 38 Rock Ridge 12 ML/WR 34 Mesabi East 16 Esko 60 Pequot Lakes 0 Cromwell-Wright 76 Carlton/Wrenshall 0 Barnum 27 Braham 26 Saturday, Sept. 23 Volleyball Northland 2 Fond du Lac 0 Cloquet 2 Deer River 0 Cloquet 2 Hill Murray 0 Cloquet 2 Brainerd 0 Cloquet 2 Calumet 0 Girls Soccer Esko 3 Chisago... Full story

  • Lumberjacks get even at 2-2

    Kerry Rodd|Sep 29, 2023

    After opening the season with two straight losses, the Cloquet football team picked up their second win in a row Friday with a 38-12 win over Rock Ridge. The home game was played at Proctor's Egerdahl Field because Cloquet's home field is still not ready for play after getting turf this summer. The game was played in a dense fog where at times the fans could not see the opposite side of the field. "We just don't see fog like that when we play at our field in Cloquet," said Cloquet coach Jeff... Full story

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