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 38
Although the Cloquet Ford Chrysler Center is no longer, a lot of people have unfinished business with the former car dealership. Cloquet police chief Derek Randall confirmed Tuesday that his office has received 14 complaints since June from people who bought vehicles from Cloquet Ford. "They're all somewhat similar," Randall said, reading through a list of issues. "People trading in vehicles and the business didn't pay off the loans. Paid for a vehicle, didn't receive the registration or the...
Bil Nicholson is no newcomer to the art of the scare. As a middle school student, he built himself a coffin out of plywood, dressed up as Dracula - or his interpretation of the blood-sucking vampire - and laid out on the front porch of his house, ready to scare the bejesus out of anyone who dared to trick-or-treat there. He's upped his game since then. Now he creates an entire Halloween world in the front yard and porch of their home at 330 Fourth St. in Cloquet. Each year the house is suddenly... Full story
Keith Martin wants to know who everyone is in this picture of local Boy Scouts taken in the mid-1960s. Keith, who is 65, is second from the left in the front row. The photo was taken at the Cloquet Forestry Center, back when the fire tower had a person working in it, Keith said. He can name most of the kids here, all but two. In back, left to right, are Don Sparring, Bill Gerardi, Craig Fergusson, Joe Rautio and Mark Osvold. In front are Gary Schmidt, Martin, unknown, Billy Ferguson and... Full story
Masks will be mandated and the policy guidelines will go into effect Monday, Nov. 1 in any county-owned buildings, as ordered by the Carlton County Board of Commissioners at its meeting Monday. The vote was four to one with commissioner Mark Thell voting no. “The infection numbers — which are falling at this time — do not justify masks,” Thell said via phone. “Community members I have talked to are not supportive of the move. I question whether a majority of the departments in county governmen...
A Cloquet woman was sentenced Monday for fleeing with her 18-year-old son, Joseph James Fohrenkam, after he allegedly shot his friend accidentally in December 2020. Little Fawn Fohrenkam was convicted of aiding an offender to avoid arrest, a felony, and sentenced to 12 months and one day with credit for six days already served. The sentence was stayed for three years and instead she was placed on supervised probation. According to the criminal complaint, Joseph Fohrenkam was drinking with four other young men — Joseph Peterson was the y...
The relocation of the popular Pedro’s restaurant to the corner of Cloquet Avenue and Eighth Street has been well received, with one notable worry. Cloquet police report that there has been an uptick of wrong-way drivers on Eighth Street. Eighth Street is a one-way street going north with parking on both sides of the street, which means there’s no space for traffic in both directions. The CPD said it will be doing directed patrols in the area. They ask for the community’s support in following traffic laws. Customers are also asked to not park... Full story
Just under 20 community members attended a community listening and input session at the Esko school auditorium Monday, Oct. 25 to share what they like about the school and their concerns about what is lacking or needs upgrading. Educational consultants Lynn Dyer and Glenn Chiodo of ICS of Duluth have been conducting sessions with stakeholders of the school to determine needs as the school board prepares to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for the next 10 years. "Always focus on what's best...
The coffee is on at the Carlton County Historical Society. What may seem like a small gesture means a lot to the society's new director, Carol Klitzke. It's been 19 months since the museum on Cloquet Avenue has been able to freely entertain visitors and ask them to come by to just chat. That's how Klitzke would like to mark her tenure. "Come in and say hi," she said this week, her first officially as the director. She was happy to talk with a visitor Monday who eventually said she knew Klitzke... Full story
Carlton County Public Health will be offering a walk-in flu clinic Wednesday, Nov. 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Community Services Building at 14 N. 11th St. in Cloquet. The clinic will be held in the second-floor conference rooms and is open to the public. In addition to the flu vaccine, first or second doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine as well as the one-dose Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine will be available. Covid booster shots will not be available. Registration is strongly encouraged for all vaccines, and please note that the... Full story
While the final 2021 audit brought news of a $556,000 surplus for the Cloquet school district, superintendent Michael Cary cautioned board members that the extra money will eventually be spent on curriculum. “That’s not new money that will stay in the coffers forever, it’s already assigned to a purpose,” Cary said. Cloquet got an “unmodified opinion” on its audit, the best allowed for financial statements, according to the auditor from BerganKDV. Cloquet’s healthy fund balance acts as a good shock absorber, he said. Members of Carlton and C...
The Thomson Township Board of Supervisors and community members continued discussion about the Wood City Riders Snowmobile trail at their meeting Thursday, Oct. 21. The board received a large response from the community after approving the trail in September, due to concerns of safety and confusion of where the trail would run. The Wood City Riders — the nonprofit snowmobile club that proposed and is creating the trail through the Esko area — has been working with concerned community members directly in order to decrease the uncertainty on the...
Participants in Saturday’s 16th annual Pumpkin Run & Walk were greeted with a beautiful brisk morning for the 5K race, which started and ended at Cloquet’s Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. A total of 211 runners and walkers finished the oldest Halloween-themed race in northern Minnesota. Race participants celebrated the theme of the Pumpkin Run by wearing creative costumes or orange and black clothing. Competition was keen for the coveted Best Costume awards, with the winners cov...
Sixth District Court judge Jill Eichenwald set a trial date of May 16 during a settlement conference Wednesday for a Cloquet man accused in the murder of a pregnant woman and her child. Sheldon James Thompson is accused of killing Jackie Defoe, her unborn child, and her 20-month-old son in March 2020. Thompson faces two charges of murder in the first degree each for the deaths of Jackie Ann Defoe and her son Kevin Lee Shabaiash Jr., and one charge of murder in the first degree of an unborn...
It seems that a person can choose whatever version of the American flag they like these days. I drive by places and see all kinds of different flags with different-colored stripes, depending which group they support. It made me think: what would a journalist’s flag look like? Would it have the text of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution written in the white stripes? The First Amendment is important, but it’s a lot to fit onto a flag: “Congress shall make no law respecting an estab... Full story
I feel sorry for Mick Jagger. All that fame and fortune, but the poor guy never went to Esko to eat an Eskomo Pizza Pie. What kind of life can be considered fulfilling if he's never had a slice of pizza from my old business? Jagger does seem to get out and about when he's in the state, as he mentioned at his concert last weekend in Minneapolis that he ate a Juicy Lucy at both Matt's Bar and the 5-8 Club, both in south Minneapolis; and quaffed a few beers at Grumpy's, a tavern in Nordeast owned b... Full story
There are storms and then there are storms. The ones we remember are often tied to other significant events. Think of the Super Bowl blizzards in the 1970s, or the Armistice Day blizzard in 1940. The Halloween blizzard in Minnesota has properly taken its place in Minnesota weather lore. It's hard to forget trick-or-treating through heavy snow and even by snowmobile. It's hard to forget that in Carlton County we got a break of about just 20 inches of snow, really, compared to more than 3 feet in...
Roy Arthur Charon, 88, of Cloquet, passed away Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021, in Mesa, Arizona after a 14-month battle with cancer. He was born Nov. 10, 1932, the youngest of 10, to Azim and Aurile Charon. He graduated from Cloquet High School in 1952, then enlisted and served honorably for four years in the Air Force. After the military, he attended the University of Minnesota for one year and served on the Cloquet police department for two years. He then found his true passion and opened and owned Ro... Full story
Charles "Chuck" B. Beberg, 87, of Cloquet, passed away Monday, Oct. 25, 2021, at Inter-Faith Care Center in Carlton. He was born Dec. 10, 1933, to Charles and May (Sangola) Beberg in Kalevala Township in Carlton County. He was very proud of his Finnish heritage. Charles graduated from Barnum High School in 1951 and the University of Minnesota Duluth in 1956. He married Janice Baker on Oct. 5, 1956, in Carlton. Sports were a big part of his school years. He excelled in track, cross country,... Full story
Karen Rose Tuomala, 65, passed on to her eternal home Oct. 15, 2021, at North Memorial Health Hospital in Robbinsdale. Karen was born Feb. 11, 1956, to Michael and Violet (Korpi) Tuomala in Ely, where she was raised, the sixth of seven siblings. She attended Ely public K-12 schools and earned an associate of arts degree from Vermilion College as well. Karen then took nursing aide training and found she truly loved dealing with patients in nursing homes. Subsequently, she worked at several... Full story
Susan "Sue" Adell Nelson, 62, of Burnsville passed away Oct. 21, 2021, in Duluth, surrounded by her family. She was born on Sept. 22, 1959 in Duluth to Donald and Ardeth Pykkonen. She was raised in Esko and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1978. She attended St. Cloud State University, graduating in 1984. Sue married John Nelson in Esko on Feb. 14, 1987. Sue worked for 35 years with the State of Minnesota as a computer programmer/systems analyst, most notably in the Department of Public... Full story
Faye Joann Hurst, 69, died peacefully Oct. 19, 2021 in her home, surrounded by the love and care of her children. She was born in Moose Lake on Sept. 7, 1952, to Arthur and Hetty (Aho) Korpela. Faye grew up in Cromwell and settled down to raise a family in Barnum after she married her true love, Dennis Hurst. Dennis and Faye enjoyed traveling and sightseeing as well as fixing and remodeling homes for their family. She worked for many years as the business manager for the Barnum school district.... Full story
Dorothy A. Lisignoli, 91, of Cloquet, passed away on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021, at Evergreen Knoll in Cloquet. A full obituary will follow in December with the date and time of the service.... Full story
Haunted Hawthorne This 10-minute walk-through maze at 827 Hawthorne St. in Cloquet returns for another year. There’s candy at the end and you can buy a $5 raffle ticket to win a T-shirt. It’s free, and donations are accepted. Do the haunt 7-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through the end of the month. Carlton mazes The Haunted Shack and Haunted Ridge are open their final three nights Oct. 28-30. Hours are 7-9 p.m. Thursday, and 7-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets: $15 per person, cash or check only. Save $2 off the admission price with a non... Full story
The Cloquet-Esko-Carlton boys soccer season didn't end the way they were hoping, but with the thrilling 2-1 double overtime loss to Mahtomedi, the Lumberjacks showed many why they are one of the best teams in the state and deserved to play in the state tournament. The Zephyrs and the Lumberjacks were very similarly matched heading into the state quarterfinal matchup at Irondale High School in New Brighton. Each of the two teams entered the tournament averaging a little over three goals per... Full story
Wed., Oct. 20 Football (Final regular season games) North Branch-49 Cloquet-12 Moose Lake/Willow River-40 Rush City-6 Barnum-10 Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin-6 Esko-55 Duluth East-0 Monday, Oct. 25 Volleyball playoffs Section 7A Wrenshall-3 Silver Bay-1... Full story
