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
In dribs and drabs, and sometimes huge rushes, throughout the wee hours of Wednesday morning, the results in the District 11A state house race came in. In the end, Republican Jeff Dotseth's third try at the seat proved successful as he won the district by 454 votes over Pete Radosevich, the DFL-backed candidate. Both were trying to replace Esko's Mike Sundin, who did not seek a sixth term representing Carlton County and adjoining townships in Pine and St. Louis counties. Dotseth, from Kettle...
Santa may be heading to Duluth in mid-November for its holiday parade, but the jolly old elf has promised to come to Cloquet for three special days in December. "There will be magic, marching, lots of shopping and even fireworks, along with plenty of opportunities to see the old elf in person," said co-organizer and Pine Knot News editor Jana Peterson. The highlight of Santa's Home for the Holidays festivities will be the parade and fireworks on Dec. 3. "We hope lots of people will decide to...
Two years of turmoil left two-thirds of voters in Wrenshall School District precincts having seen enough. They swept out incumbents on the school board Tuesday, giving challengers a chance to stabilize declining enrollment and an operating deficit. “The people running the district are not doing their jobs,” said Dan Gallup, 48, outside of the Silverbrook Township polling center. “Hopefully, they can get it straightened out.” Pipeline technician Eric Ankrum, firefighter and current board appointee Ben Johnson, and wedding planner Mary Carlson...
Election judges reported a steady stream of voters all day Tuesday, with many expressing surprise at such a good turnout for the midterm elections. Thomson Township clerk Rhonda Peleski said they had a line that wrapped through the community room for much of the day, reporting that 2,134 residents voted in person at Thomson Town Hall, the polling place for Carlton County's largest precinct. "It was a long day. Really busy," Peleski said. In Cloquet, Ward 2 residents voted at the public library....
The race for Cloquet mayor was much closer than it was four years ago, but the end result was the same: voters elected Roger Maki to lead the city forward. Maki defeated former Ward 2 city councilor David Bjerkness by 118 votes. Maki had 2,312 votes (51%) to 2,194 (48.5%) for Bjerkness. The race looked a little different when the polls closed and the in-person votes were tallied. Bjerkness had the advantage then, leading by 48 votes. That didn’t include the absentee votes, however. Those early votes made a critical difference for Maki. Maki cre...
Aitkin County officials discovered a body -- presumed to be that of a man reported missing almost two weeks ago -- in the waters of Rat Lake, Aitkin County. According to a news release from Carlton County Sheriff's Office issued Friday, Nov. 11, searchers recovered a body Friday. "Based upon the investigation, the body is believed to be that of Lucas Dudden, the missing man from Carlton County," the release stated, adding that the body will be sent to Ramsey County for an autopsy to determine...
The Esko theater department turned back the clock to the turn of the century on Thursday night for their debut of the Pulitzer Prize winning drama "Our Town." Set between 1901 and 1913 in the fictional small town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, the show explores the universal struggle of the human race to understand the big picture of life and death from the perspective of a rural community living during that time. "You get to follow the same characters at different snapshots in their life,...
Tucked into a corner of eastern Carlton, north of the Oldenburg House on Minnesota Highway 210 and south of the Thomson Reservoir, is a nondescript building that will soon fade into history. The Carlton pump station, which handles wastewater from the southeastern portion of the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District, will be replaced in the next year. Site preparation has already begun. The project mirrors one done to the northeast in Esko beginning in 2014, in another corner of a community,...
Prior to Tuesday night, the only real talk of "trifectas" in Minnesota state government had been from the GOP side - that Republican Scott Jensen could knock off incumbent DFL Gov. Tim Walz while the GOP also pulled off full control of the Legislature. As the sleep-deprived fog of the 2022 Minnesota state election evaporates, it's clear few had "DFL trifecta" in their office pool. But that's what happened, despite an election where historical trends, most of the main issues and polling were... 
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Reelected in a landslide Tuesday, Carlton County sheriff Kelly Lake expects to be around for the end of her term in 2026. "I made a promise to the voters of Carlton County and intend to keep that promise," said the 53-year-old Lake, who will reach retirement age during the middle of her next term. Voters agreed to extend Lake's 17-year run as sheriff, while at the same time overwhelmingly adopting a half-cent sales tax to pay for the $66 million Justice Center. Under construction on County Road...
Three of five candidates were going to be elected to the Cloquet School Board on Tuesday. Sarah Plante Buhs didn’t have the faintest idea she’d be the top vote-getter. “I’m very appreciative, and I was very surprised with what the outcome was,” she told the Pine Knot the next day. “I was not expecting that much support. It’s nice to see; we have a great community.” Plante Buhs won 3,196 votes (25.9%) followed by incumbents David Battaglia, with 2,706 votes (21.9%), and Gary “Hawk” Huard at 2,367 (19.2%). Battaglia was “appreciative” of the four...
There will be no new faces on the Thomson Township Board of Supervisors following the 2022 midterm election, as all three incumbent candidates were re-elected to their spots on the board. The board’s current chairperson, Ruth Janke, defeated Parrish Silbernagel to maintain her seat on the board. Janke brought in 1,810 votes (78.56%), with Silbernagel garnering 482 (20%). Former chairperson and long-time board member Terry Hill also handily defeated a challenger. Amna Hanson fell short of unseating Hill, with 766 votes (33%) to Hill’s 1,549 vot...
The Thomson Township Board of Supervisors announced plans to finally interview finalists for its vacant board seat, as the process for selecting those three final candidates is under scrutiny by the state of Minnesota. The board will select one person to replace Jason Paulson, who resigned in August from the board with two years remaining on his term due to a busy work schedule as a pilot. Six people initially applied for the opening, but township supervisors narrowed the applicant pool from six to three in a closed meeting Sept. 8,...
I don’t know about you, but I [wasn’t] inclined to make many predictions about the outcome of the midterm elections this year. There’s one prediction, though, that I think is safe: After the dust has cleared, Congress will be narrowly divided and President Biden will have to work hard to govern effectively. Whether he can do so will depend on plenty of different factors, but none will be more important than his relationship with members of both parties in Congress. To the extent that Ameri...
If you’ve been driving through Cromwell on Minnesota highways 210 or 73 these past few months, you’ll have seen the remarkable infrastructure redo taking place. The Minnesota Department of Transportation project to update storm sewers, redirect sewer and water mains, install city sidewalks and resurface the highway is nearing completion. Area residents and business owners are looking forward to direct access to commercial enterprises including the city’s Muni, post office, Northview Bank, medic...
I was born and raised in Carton County. Though I now live far away, I would like to be buried in the area where most of my family members are buried. However, most township cemeteries are open only to residents. And, many township cemeteries are nearly full, with little opportunity for expansion. Thus, I am pleased to learn that a green cemetery is being planned in the Blackhoof area. I do sympathize with those neighboring residents who feel uncomfortable about this project, but in the long run, it will be an asset to the community and the...
Noah Foster ran the toughest race of his life - bleeding and in need of stitches - at Saturday's Class A Minnesota State Cross Country meet in Northfield. He was about 100 meters into the race and heading into the first turn when the mob of runners compacted and the Cromwell Wright senior felt someone step on his left foot. "His spike sliced open my shoe and the side of my foot," Foster said. "I felt it when it happened but I guess the adrenaline made the pain go away." The fact that his foot...
When Esko needed big plays Thursday against Pequot Lakes, the defense delivered. Because of that, the Eskomos are headed to State. Whether it was a pair of sacks by Nolan Witt, or Witt knocking a ball loose for Joey Antonutti to scoop and score to solidify the win, the Esko defense came up big against a high-flying Patriots team. "The defense played their best game of the year," said Esko coach Scott Arntson of the Eskomos' 28-19 win in the Section 7AAA title game at Malosky Stadium on the...
After upsetting the top team in the section last week, the Cloquet football team came back down to earth Friday against North Branch. The Vikings played a more physical game and slammed their way to a 34-6 victory in the Section 7AAAA championship game in North Branch. "I thought when we played them in the regular season that our line play matched them," Cloquet coach Jeff Ojanen said. "This time they just were more physical in their overall game, and that was the difference." North Branch ran...
World War II veteran Dale Crocker has lived by the motto emblazoned on his Navy Seabees cap: "Can Do." The 97-year-old Cloquet man served his country during World War II and worked at the Johnson Company for 40 years before retiring and embarking on a second career as a bus driver for the next 32 years. He built the Kelly Avenue house he and his wife, Arlene, still live in, some 75 years ago, "pounding every nail in," he said. Crocker sat at his kitchen table Nov. 5 and recalled his World War...
In his 24th season heading his mighty Moose Lake/Willow River football program, coach Dave Louzek always hopes his Rebels teams set the tone of a game early on. In the Section 7AA championship game, that took only seconds. Crosby-Ironton fumbled on the first play from scrimmage, ML/WR recovered, and two plays later, Jaxsyn Schmidt scored his first of three touchdowns as the Rebels' reign atop 7AA continued, shutting out the Rangers 25-0 on Thursday, Nov. 3, before about 900 fans at a drizzly...
All three sons of Albert Beseman served during World War II in the early 1940s, said their nephew Clarence Badger, sharing photos of the three Wright-area men after the war. The photo of Leo, Jasper and John Beseman was taken in 1946, shortly after the war ended. Leo was on destroyers from 1941 to 1945. Two of those destroyers were torpedoed and he was lucky to be rescued both times. He ended his service in the Pacific Theater on another destroyer, the USS Elliot. Eldest brother John joined the...
Veterans Day will be here Friday, Nov. 11, along with programs and meals to honor veterans, and a special section in the Pine Knot News filled with local veteran photos, years of service and more. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day in 1919 with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the vic...
Each season, Cloquet volleyball coach Heidi Anderson has her team take part in a weekly book club, as her players learn life skills they can take with them well beyond the volleyball court. It's clear the Lumberjacks have written in some of their own chapters as well. While it wasn't a storybook ending for Cloquet in another Section 7AAA championship loss to Grand Rapids - an 11-25, 15-25, 18-25 sweep Saturday, Nov. 5 - it's undeniable what the Lumberjacks have accomplished over the past pair...
With wins over a pair of higher seeded teams in the Section 7AA volleyball tournament - and a spirited student section screaming behind them for every point - it'd be easy to call Esko a postseason Cinderella story. Not so fast. "We never felt like we were the underdogs," Eskomos coach Pete Stasiuk said without hesitation. It was Esko that didn't hesitate when trailing by two sets with their season on the line. They came storming back to even the 7AA championship with Rush City, only to fall...
