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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Films focus on migration of people to and from Cloquet While researching a theme for seven short films he'll debut next week in Cloquet, Augustin Ganley drew inspiration from a French word, "cloque," defined as blister. The word features dual meanings, both the kind you get from walking in new shoes, and, when adjusted to cloqué, an irregularly raised pattern in fabric design. "We have histories that are woven together here that are an irregular or uneven pattern," the 35-year-old Ganley said.... Full story
The long months of campaigning are peaking now, with Election Day on Tuesday and both local and national candidates trying to reach people who have yet to vote. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8. There are polling locations in the cities of Cloquet, Carlton, Moose Lake, Scanlon, Wrenshall and Wright. Townships with polls include Atkinson, Automba, Barnum, Blackhoof, Eagle, Lakeview, Mahtowa, Moose Lake, Perch Lake, Silver, Silver Brook, Skelton, Thomson and Twin Lakes. Voters in Cloquet’s Ward 2 should head to the C... Full story
A crash between a semi tractor trailer and Chevy Tahoe resulted in six occupants of the SUV sustaining injuries Tuesday afternoon in Scanlon. The crash was near the intersection of Minnesota Highway 45 and the Interstate 35 southbound exit. The occupants of the full-sized SUV had moderate to life-threatening injuries, according to the Cloquet Area Fire District. Firefighters carried out an extensive auto extrication rescue to remove the people from the vehicle. The right-angle, or T-bone, crash... Full story
After overturning a vote on $8.3 million in projects in March, the Barnum school board voted 4-3 to bond for $10.85 million on Tuesday, Oct. 25. Beth Dinger, Beth Schatz, Steph Ferrin and board chair Jessica Unkelhaeuser voted yes, while Paul Coughlin, Louie Bonneville and Jamie Fuglestad voted no. “We were trying to push for a referendum, but everyone voted against it,” Schatz said. “We’re in a bad spot. This will give us the money to start. We can pick the projects from there.” The projects for the elementary school are window replaceme...
When Chris Gustafson arrived at Wrenshall School, his predecessor teaching industrial arts had quit after the district cut the teaching position to barely more than half-time. "They realized if they were going to keep a shop teacher, they better offer a full-time position," Gustafson said, happy to have filled the job for the last 17 years. In that time, Gustafson has seen the pendulum swing back toward training students for careers which don't always require four-year college degrees. On... Full story
Cloquet city councilors got a lesson in water and sewer costs and rates Tuesday night, as public works director Caleb Peterson provided an overview of the fee-based utilities. The good news? No. 1: Cloquet has good water. No. 2: Cloquet's water isn't very expensive for users. Compared to similarly sized cities around the state, Cloquet has always been right in the middle of the pack for water and sewer rates, Peterson said. However, when compared to other neighboring towns that also pay the...
A Carlton County man faces 10 felony charges related to criminal sexual conduct for repeatedly groping and sexually touching three juvenile girls over a period of several years, according to authorities. The abuse is alleged to have occurred while he was romantically involved with an adult relative of the girls. Jamie Alden Godbout, 33, was charged in Sixth District Carlton County Court last month with seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, plus two counts of attempted first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of second...
Four fire departments responded to a house fire on Gault Road in Silver Brook Township on Monday, Oct. 31. The response kept the fire from spreading, but couldn't save the home. The homeowners were outside Monday morning when they observed smoke coming from the structure and called 911 at 9:24 a.m. Neighbors also called 911 a couple minutes later when they heard an explosion, telling the Pine Knot that there were high flames and lots of black smoke. The home was a total loss. The American Red...
There was little back-and-forth between the two candidates for the state House of Representatives District 11A seat at the Cloquet Area Chamber of Commerce candidate forum Oct. 25. Incumbent Democrat Mike Sundin of Esko chose not to seek another term, so now perennial Republican challenger Jeff Dotseth of Kettle River will face DFL-backed Pete Radosevich of Cloquet. The two spent about 30 minutes answering questions from moderator Tony Sertich. It was the final portion of an evening that... Full story
Candidates for Minnesota Senate District 11A worked overtime last week, facing off in two candidate forums in three days. Tuesday's event was sponsored by the Cloquet Chamber of Commerce, while the forum in Moose Lake on Thursday was organized by the Land Stewardship Action Fund. In both instances, incumbent Jason Rarick, R-Pine City, and challenger Michelle Boyechko, DFL-Tamarack, established their differing viewpoints from the start. Rarick stressed his eight years of experience at the state... Full story
Four of five candidates for school board weighed in at the Cloquet Area Chamber of Commerce candidate forum Oct. 25. In the wake of two lockdowns within the past year, the topic of school safety drew provocative responses from an incumbent and newcomer alike. Both advocated for a stronger security presence in Cloquet’s public schools. “I would support having professionals in the building, some of our professionals, carefully screened and carefully trained and able to use special tactics and tools to stop a threat,” incumbent Ted Lammi said.... Full story
When Carlton County residents go to the polls on Tuesday, they will find one or more questions requiring a “yes” or “no” vote. All voters will see the simple “County Question” asking voters to weigh in on paying for the new Justice Center, estimated at $66 million. Know this, voters. The question isn’t asking whether or not to build the Justice Center — that’s a done deal. It’s been approved at multiple meetings, contracts have been let, lots of bonds have been sold. Rather, the question is how to pay for the $66 million project. A “yes” vo...
The Costume and Candy holiday is over and we’ve turned the calendar to November. Our thoughts naturally turn to deer hunting, furnace repair and gratitude. Some years ago, during a dark time in my mind, I read about the practice of gratitude. What did that mean, anyway — practicing gratitude? Isn’t gratitude simply knowing to say “thank you” at the culturally appropriate times? The book I was reading — I’ve forgotten what it was called, but I am grateful for its existence — suggested keeping a “gratitude journal.” There is nothing to buy or a...
Increasing the sales tax to fix the Pine Valley park and hockey shelters is not fair to everyone. It’s totally ridiculous. I, for one, have never used Pine Valley facilities, nor ever plan on it. To put more tax burdens on us who are already struggling is way out of line. You want the upkeep and maintenance, get it out of the people who use it — hockey players, skiers, etc. Charge for memberships at home hockey and skiing events, or any other event held there. I don’t consider saving Pine Valley facilities as an important issue, when there...
Pine Valley is the crown jewel of Cloquet’s parks. It is my most favorite park. I go skiing, running, and biking at the park. But it needs some loving support, which is why I support the 0.5% sales tax for Pine Valley and the accompanying 0.5% sales tax for the ice arena. As told to me, together they will not exceed 0.5% over 10 years or when their predetermined dollar amounts are reached, whichever is first — time or money. Many people from outside Cloquet come visit both Pine Valley park and the ice arena and spend money in Cloquet. The oth...
It's a third at state in run for the record books In a historic run for the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton boys soccer team, the Lumberjacks claimed third place in the Class AA Minnesota state soccer tournament on Wednesday, Nov. 2. The 'Jacks got a 3–0 win over Richfield to secure the hardware and a 2-1 record at state. The program's first state tournament victory came in a Thursday, Oct. 27 quarterfinal, 3-1 over St. Cloud Tech, before a Tuesday, Nov. 1 semifinal defeat to DeLaSalle, 4-0. Junior Elijah... Full story
Mankato East sported a pitch-perfect record entering its Thursday, Oct. 27 Class AA girls soccer state quarterfinal against Cloquet. The opposing Lumberjacks found out why. Ella Huettl had the game's only goal and the Cougars defense did what they usually do - give up nothing - in keeping Cloquet off the scoreboard in Mankato East's 1-0 victory on a brisk night at Irondale High School. The Lumberjacks were victim No. 20 in the Cougars' unblemished season, as third-seeded Mankato East (20-0)... Full story
It was a tale of two halves for the Esko girls soccer team at the state tournament last week. The Eskomos started slow before mounting a furious rally Thursday, Oct. 24, but came up short on the scoreboard in a 4-2 Class A quarterfinal loss to St. Anthony Village. Head coach Sharon Lahti said her team played well in their first trip to State since 2011. "We were a little on our heels, and I think that came from nerves and I attribute it to lack of playoff experience," she said. "But this was... Full story
It was hard to know who was more excited after the Section 7A girls cross country race last week: South Ridge champion Evelyn Brodeen, or her grandmother Lauri Brodeen. The proud grandma said she had found the perfect Bible verse for her granddaughter. "Hebrews 11:1 says 'Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,' so for the last two days I've been texting her, calling her, sending her pictures with that verse," she said. "Every time that she passed me on a corner, I would just... Full story
When South Ridge and Cromwell-Wright met in mid-September, the Panthers marched up and down the field, but self-destructed with five fumbles and Cromwell capitalized. On Thursday, Oct. 27, the two teams collided again in the Section 5A playoffs. This time the Panthers held on to the ball, coming away with a 32-13 win in Cromwell that erased the sting of that earlier 15-0 loss. “We went in knowing that we should control the line of scrimmage,” said Panthers coach Brent Johnson. “We felt we did a... Full story
If someone had told the typical high school football fan that the Lumberjacks would beat the No. 1 Section 7AAAA seed in a semifinal game, they may have rattled off a list of reasons that idea was crazy. The ’Jacks had lost 27-14 to the Thunderhawks in mid-September. Grand Rapids entered the semifinal undefeated and their QRF ranking was second in the state, while Cloquet had three losses and a QRF state ranking of 21. On top of that, the game was in Grand Rapids, so the odds were stacked for a Thunderhawks win. “Yeah, a lot of people did... Full story
While being a football quarterback bestows extra expectations, the weight of the position doesn't faze Ty Christensen. Literally. When the Esko senior shouldered the hardest of defeats last November - leaving the Eskomos one win shy of a Prep Bowl appearance - the signal-caller didn't need long to get in the weight room with his teammates. "The day after," said Christensen, who put on over 30 pounds of muscle to his now chiseled 5-foot-10-inch, 185-pound frame in the offseason, "we wanted to be... Full story
Sectional volleyball play opened across the state of Minnesota last week. Up north the Section 7A tournament kicked things off at various locations Wednesday, Oct. 26, with larger schools joining the bid for a state tournament berth on Thursday, Oct. 27. Section 7A Floodwood received the No. 1 South seed and Ely gained the No. 1 North seed. Local teams included South Ridge, Carlton, Cromwell-Wright, Wrenshall and Barnum. The Bombers, the No. 7 seed, eliminated the Wrens, the No. 10 seed, in the... Full story
With school colors of black and orange, it makes sense that Wrenshall should go all out for Halloween. The school's recently formed Partners in Education (PIE) group joined with Wrenshall Community Education to offer a family fun night Oct. 28 in the school commons area. School board member Misty Bergman provided totes full of decorations, including ghouls, goblins, and a healthy number of plastic rats. Karola Dalen spent the week leading up to the party coming up with signature spooks to... Full story
We held a beautiful visitation and memorial service for my husband, Bob Hanson, on Oct. 21 and 22. Here are some additional passages I wrote and read from Bob’s eulogy: “Last Thursday, I was subbing in the fifth grade in Floodwood, and I wanted the kids to know that my husband had died so I might be a bit sad. But I also told them that I experienced a miracle today. I told them that I had misplaced the book, “Wild,” that I had been reading when school started, and when I walked into their room there it was on the teacher’s desk. It took a fe...
