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 40
A suspect in the burglary this month at the Esko post office was arrested Jan. 12 in Anoka County. The arrest came as a trail of evidence was located by investigators, indicating that the suspect was involved in a string of burglaries in the region. Steven Russell Macdonald, 37, of Willow River, is alleged to have been burglarizing and shoplifting seemingly at will across several days earlier this month, according to a criminal complaint filed in Sixth District Court in Carlton. Macdonald is...
After close to five months without representation, Cloquet's Ward 3 voters have a new city councilor. Iris Keller was selected Tuesday by unanimous council vote, following interviews with her and fellow candidate Pete Erickson. Both candidates ran write-in campaigns this fall, after previous Ward 3 councilor Chris Swanson moved outside of his ward last summer. The move came after the election filing period, however, so Swanson's name could not be removed from the ballot. Despite news stories,...
Anne F. Redfield, age 68 of Cloquet, passed away Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, at Diamond Willow Assisted Living in Proctor. She was born March 24, 1954 in Duluth, Minnesota, the daughter of Robert and Mandy (Balen) Redfield. She was a military daughter and was raised in many places including Alaska, Germany, and New York before resettling with her family in Cloquet. Anne loved her work as a social worker for Carlton County, and also loved crafting with her friends who called themselves, “The S...
Dwight Cadwell first realized something wasn't right during the annual Safe and Sober program at WKLK radio 11 years ago. The longtime sports broadcaster and other guests had been imbibing various alcoholic beverages for over an hour and being breathalyzed by local law enforcement to demonstrate how their blood alcohol content, and therefore their ability to drive, was being affected. Except for Cadwell, it wasn't happening. "By the end of the show, my blood alcohol content had never risen beyon...
With nearly 50 inches of snow recorded so far this winter, it's no surprise Cloquet residents feel like the streets are not up to their usual standards. Waits have been longer, and the piles of snow at corners and in parking lots (and everywhere else) are much higher. While people know there's been a lot of snow, many are still frustrated. Jeremy Johnson, who lives on the 300 block of 21st Street in Cloquet, told the Cloquet City Council Tuesday that he and his neighbors feel like second-class...
A Cloquet man accused of manslaughter resulting from a fight pleaded guilty Friday in Sixth District Court in Carlton. Joel Jay Ammesmaki, 59, was charged with first-degree manslaughter in September 2021 for “causing the death of another while committing assault in the fifth degree with such force and violence” that death or great harm was “reasonably foreseeable.” It was not alleged that he intended to murder his victim, just that he punched him so hard that death was a possible outcome. Under the terms of a plea agreement last week, the cha...
Deeper cooperation between Wrenshall and Carlton schools was on the table Tuesday — and the Carlton school board promptly swept it off. The board members dismissed a letter from the Wrenshall board seeking greater collaboration, declining to move beyond the full sports and activities cooperative that’s already set to begin this spring. “We need to focus on Carlton,” board member Tim Hagenah said. “Wrenshall needs to work on their issues.” Hagenah described how the Jan. 9 letter, made public at this month’s Wrenshall board meeting, caug...
Cloquet High School head football coach Jeff Ojanen pleaded guilty Jan. 13 to a single fourth-degree misdemeanor count of driving while impaired related to his arrest last month. Ojanen, 39, was arrested by Cloquet police early in the morning on Dec. 23, and was subsequently charged in Sixth District Court in Carlton with a pair of misdemeanors related to DWI. In his plea agreement, Ojanen admitted to a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10, which is over the legal limit of 0.08. Ojanen declined to comment when reached by the newspaper, and...
Snow days may soon be a thing of the past in Esko. Esko school board members approved the district’s eLearning day policy — basically having school online instead of canceling classes for a snow day — as presented by superintendent Aaron Fischer during the Jan. 9 meeting. eLearning days will be communicated to parents and students at least two hours prior to normal start time. Teachers will share assignments virtually or will have sent home assignments prior to the eLearning day. Internet accommodations will be made for families that do not h...
A winter season with plenty of snow has made for excellent snowmobiling conditions throughout the state, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources made efforts last week to remind eager riders to make safety a priority. The increase in snowmobile use has resulted in injury and fatal crashes. Already this season, too many rides have ended in tragedy, the DNR reported. While the DNR doesn’t yet have official reports for all fatalities, preliminary reports indicate six riders have died in crashes so far — that’s the same number as the e...
Minnesotans facing mental health crises can now dial or text 988 to connect to Lifeline support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The 988 code will serve as a universal entry point, so callers can reach a trained crisis counselor who can help regardless of where they live. People can also dial 988 if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support. People should call 911 if they suspect a drug overdose or need immediate medical help The change is part of a nationwide effort to transition the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline...
Do you get bored on the cold wintery days and wonder what to do to keep occupied? Maybe you should look at woodcarving as a hobby. You don’t need any special artistic ability to be a woodcarver. There is no age limit. It can be a lifetime hobby. There are two carving clubs in our area. The Bloody Thumbs club meets in Sandstone. The one I belong to is the Knotty Carvers of the North and meets at the Proctor Area Community Center on the first Saturday every month from September to May from 9 a.m. to noon. We also have a small group that meets o...
It’s been just more than four years since this little experiment called the Pine Knot News began. By this time next week, members of the staff here, and contributors, will be coming home with more hardware from the Minnesota Newspaper Association annual conference, awards for excellence in journalism. And, perhaps, Millie, the Mills Trophy, will remain in our office window, as it has for two years now as we bask in the knowledge that we’ve been judged the best weekly newspaper in the state. We can’t express the notion of our competence enoug...
Thank you to the Pine Knot News for publishing the feel-good story about the wandering dog that was noticed, caught and placed in a safe home. (Jan. 6 issue.) Also a big thank-you goes out to Jodi Carlson, Jen Cadigan, the owner and staff of Trapper Pete’s, and Missing Pets in the Northland. All these individuals remind us that there are many caring, compassionate people in our community. May we all be as kind to one another. Dennis Morreim, Cloquet...
I want to thank the “snow angels” that appeared in the last few weeks. Before the snow stopped falling during the “blue blizzard,” social media was filled with posts asking for help and others offering assistance. Cloquet residents asked for help getting driveways cleared, and others offered to run to the store for groceries for those not able to get out. Like many, I shoveled several times a day in an attempt to keep up with the neverending fluffy stuff falling from the sky. I did OK on the first day. I even managed after the first time th...
Rain and soggy snow conditions greeted eight high school alpine ski teams Monday at Mont du Lac Resort. Temperatures soared into the mid-30s. But the Cloquet-Esko- Carlton girls were undeterred, enjoying a strong performance while finishing second behind Duluth East. The CEC boys took seventh. Cook County/Silver Bay captured first in the boys race. "The rain softened things up quite a bit," said CEC coach Ryan Zimny. "Our girls team skied very well and, had we not had a fall by one of our skiers...
The Moose Lake Area and Cloquet-Esko-Carlton girls hockey teams seem like a good barometer for one another. The teams tied 1-1 on Monday at Northwoods Credit Union Arena, as staunch goaltending prevailed in a game that provided plenty of excitement. It was a rematch between Moose Lake Area and CEC from back on Nov. 22, when the Rebels snuck out a 3-2 overtime win in Moose Lake. "Both teams are blessed to have good goaltending," said MLA coach Reilly Fawcett. "We would like to have tested their...
The Fond du Lac boys basketball team pulled off a significant road win on Tuesday by knocking off the North Woods Grizzlies in Cook. The Ogichidaa won the high-scoring affair, 100-86. "The guys are just starting to get used to me as a first-year coach," said FDL coach Cameron Thompson. "It was just a great game. It was back-and-forth and we battled back from being down and then we got the lead and wouldn't give it up." Jordell Brown led the Ogichadaa with 33 points, while Mukwa Bellanger added...
The Barnum Bombers are winning again. Although that's nothing new when it comes to boys basketball, the team entered Tuesday's basketball game against Duluth Marshall searching for itself a bit. Marshall came in at 1-9, giving Barnum an opportunity to rebound from a loss last week against Browerville. Against the Hilltoppers, the Bombers indeed got back on the winning track with a 77-54 victory. "Browerville is right now the top seed in the other half of Section 5," said Barnum head coach Rich N...
The Minnesota Wilderness opened the door to adversity when they entered the 2023 calendar year. The team got swept in Eagle River, Wisconsin, last weekend, managing only three goals, coughing up seven and finding themselves spinning further away from the top spot in the North American Hockey League’s Midwest Division. The Wilderness dropped a pair to the Wisconsin Windigo, losing 3-0 and 4-3, on Jan. 13-14. Minnesota is 4-4-2 in its last 10 games, a stark contrast to the club’s surging November and December that saw the team reach and hold firs...
The next city council meeting is at 7 p.m., Feb. 14 at the Kettle River Senior Center. Quilting at Holy Trinity is every Wednesday from 9 a.m. until noon. The next Ma & Pa Kettle committee meeting is at 1 p.m. Jan. 29 at the Kettle River Senior center. It is important that people attend this meeting. In 1967, my brother and I purchased the Edelweiss Resort in Sturgeon Lake. My brother and his wife lived upstairs, and my husband, son, and I lived downstairs. We shared the telephone. One winter day my sister-in-law got a phone call, and I...
The Farmers Co-op store in Wright now has a new phone service provider, but the phone number is still 218-357-2251. If you need the number, put it into your contacts or write it down. Watch for updates on sales on Facebook. Margaret Webster is now living at the Aftenro Home at 510 W. College St., Duluth MN 55811. This year’s Cromwell-Wright homecoming candidates are Ellie Anderson, Avery Koivisto, Sascha Korpela, Taylah Pfisthner, Payton Rosbacka, Rowdy Egger, Noah Foster, Levi Hoover, Romain Jacques and Liam Schoenberg. Homecoming will be h...
James J. Nynas, 57, of Minnetonka passed away on Dec. 28, 2022 after a yearlong battle with cancer. He is survived by his partner, Robb Johnson; parents, Jim and Carlie Nynas; siblings, Jodi (Michael) Flynn and Jeff Nynas; nephews and nieces, Christopher (Catherine) and Patrick Flynn, and Natalie and Katie Nynas; and furbabies Zax and Tinkerbelle. James graduated from St. Olaf College in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in economics. He managed numerous restaurants, including Bruegger's Bagels and...
Shirley Anne Marie Soukkala, 69, of Cloquet passed away peacefully on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, at home. She was born in Duluth on Feb. 2, 1953, to Walter and Edith Enger. She grew up in the Duluth and Cloquet area and attended Carlton School. Shirley worked in health care as a certified nursing assistant. She was a very caring and kind woman and became a mother to all that crossed her path. She enjoyed crafting, painting, baking, sewing, camping, parties and picnics, and loved watching the hummi...
Judith Marie Northrup, 79, of Cloquet died Jan. 15, 2023, at her home surrounded by family. She was born April 13, 1943, to Eugene and Eleanor (Shotley) Graves. She was raised on the Fond du Lac Reservation in Cloquet and attended school there. She later attended the University of Minnesota Duluth. Judy worked as an Indian Advocate for the Duluth Public Schools district. Following her retirement in the 1990s, she worked for the Fond du Lac Reservation. Judy was united in marriage to Les...
