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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Every election season, candidates for county office talk about their desire to expand the tax base so that county expenses can be spread across a wider swath of property owners. Growth outpacing expenses would lower individual taxes, which have only risen in recent years. But those are campaign promises. Reality offers a more difficult picture. To learn more about how well Carlton County is positioned for growth, the Pine Knot met this week with one of the primary people responsible for it,...
With wax in hand, Greg White is ready to take his swirling moustache to the next level, aiming to win the title of "saltiest 'stache" in a national competition. The Cloquet Area Fire District firefighter/EMT competed in his first moustache competition last year, and became a brand ambassador for 'Stache Salt - which sells moustache and beard products and sponsors the competition he is aiming to win. White shared a secret revealed only after he decided to grow a moustache during the pandemic....
The local firearm deer season has come and gone with an increased harvest, but a still downbeat mood. Statewide, hunters shot 152,430 deer — up from 126,531 in 2023. In Carlton County, zones 156 and 183 also saw improved numbers. Zone 156 on the western half of the county saw 1,540 deer taken, including 1,292 adult males, or bucks. That was improved from 1,299 overall and 1,066 bucks in 2023. In zone 183, on the eastern side of the county, surrounding Wrenshall, there were 1,264 deer taken, including 1,076 adult males. Comparatively, totals w...
School Board members voted Monday to appoint a new board member rather than holding a special election when Sarah Plante-Buhs steps down on Jan. 3. The replacement board member would be appointed on Jan. 6, but wouldn't take their seat until the first board meeting in February. Plante-Buhs submitted her letter of resignation halfway through her term, after she was elected to serve as District 1 Carlton County Commissioner in November. Whoever replaces her will serve through Jan. 1, 2027. Board...
A Covid-19 vaccination is recommended for everyone 6 months and older, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. The 2024-2025 updated Covid-19 vaccine provides the best protection against the strains of the virus that are currently circulating. Talk to your child’s doctor about getting them vaccinated. It is safe for children to get the Covid-19 vaccine and other vaccines, like their flu shot, at the same visit. Now is a great time to make sure everyone in the family — from babies to grandparents — are vaccinated so they have maxim...
Households across the country can order four additional over-the-counter COVID-19 tests for free again. The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has reopened COVIDtests.gov, in collaboration with the U.S. Postal Service. These tests are intended for use throughout the 2024 holiday season to detect currently circulating COVID-19 variants. As the fall and holiday seasons will create increased close proximity gatherings of people, the government remains...
A planned lottery to give some would-be cannabis business owners a licensing head start won’t go forward early this week after a judge halted the process Monday. Ramsey County District Court Judge Stephen Smith sided with a group of applicants who had been denied access to the social equity pre-approval lottery. They sued over a process they argued had lacked clear criteria and that left no room for appeals. “There’s no lottery tomorrow,” Smith ruled toward the end of an hour-long online hearing. He said the state was free to file an appeal....
Updating infrastructure can be costly. That's a lesson Thomson Township officials learned earlier this month when they got bids ranging from $303,000 to over $440,000 for a Randall Avenue sewer extension project. The bids were close to double what the township expected. After delaying the decision earlier this month to explore the idea of staff doing the work instead, Thomson Township supervisors took the plunge at their meeting Nov. 21, accepting the low bid. "Three hundred thousand is a lot...
MNsure, Minnesota’s official health insurance marketplace, is now open for Minnesotans to enroll in quality, comprehensive coverage for 2025. MNsure’s open enrollment period is the annual opportunity for Minnesotans who need health insurance to shop, compare options and sign up for coverage. Open enrollment runs Nov. 1 through Jan. 15, 2025, but there’s an important deadline in December. Consumers must enroll in a plan by Dec. 18 for coverage that starts New Year’s Day....
While the Cloquet Area Fire District board didn’t discuss whether to move forward on design development for a new building Nov. 20, it did approve an eight-month contract with a marketing firm to promote the district’s legislative priorities, including its desire to build a new station on 22nd Street in Cloquet. The district will pay Cloquet-based marketing firm Promoting Me up to $65,000 to develop a communication strategy, coordinate public meetings such as open houses, and conduct community surveys, among other tasks. “I’m seeing more an...
New grant money will help Volunteer Services of Carlton County continue and hopefully grow many of the services it already provides. The local non-profit will receive $494,000 over two years from the state's Live Well at Home grants, plus a $250,000 dementia grant from the Minnesota Board on Aging ... but more volunteers are also needed. Volunteer Services of Carlton County, Inc. (VSCCI) provides and coordinates an array of services, using volunteers and resources to meet the needs of local...
Brad Matlack, Carlton Soil and Water Conservation District's manager of 24 years, has retired, and the office welcomed a new manager this fall. Matlack's career at the Soil and Water District was highly successful. When he started, there were only two employees, including himself. SWCD staff positions are mainly funded through grant programs with limited funding, creating barriers to hiring new staff. Despite this, Brad grew the workforce three times in size, hiring top-notch conservation...
With cold and flu season in full swing, it’s essential to know the most effective ways to ease symptoms and speed up recovery. According to experts from Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Mayo Clinic, there are several tried and true remedies, as well as a few approaches that may not be as beneficial as you’d think. Do this 1. Rest and hydration The importance of rest can’t be overstated. Your body needs energy to fight off the cold virus, so getting plenty of sleep is essential. Hydrating is also key: water, herbal teas, and warm broths help...
Arrowhead EMS Association was awarded $5 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All Program as part of an initiative to improve and expedite post-crash care in rural communities and tribal areas. The program will equip 20 ambulances with telemedicine technology so EMTs and paramedics can get support from doctors, nurses and paramedics in the field or during transport, speeding access to post-crash care. The Arrowhead EMS Association is a nonprofit organization acting as the lead regional EMS planning o...
With the holiday season upon us and people begin making travel plans, it’s important to think about personal safety and the well-being of first responders on Minnesota roads. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety is coordinating a statewide driving while impaired (DWI) extra enforcement campaign starting Nov. 27. More than 300 local law enforcement agencies will be providing extra DWI enforcement weekends through New Year’s Eve. Preliminary data shows that 418 people have died in traffic crashes so far this year, an...
Carlton Schools Quarter 1, 2024-25 A Honor Roll Grade 6 Marie Cottier Taylon Jackman Jordyn Luoma Averie Soukkala Grade 7 Benjamin Abbott Mackenzie Mullenix Grade 8 Andrew Cottier Lila Manning Natalie Twardowski Grade 9 Katelyn Cadotte Hadley Carlson Jaylah Crane Sophia DeCaigny Jorgen Herman Kohltan Johnson Baily Line Gabriella Loucks Cooper Miller Taylor-Rose Skagerberg Kyria Tuttle Kaden Ward Grade 10 Lydia Kiehl Lucas Radtke Brielle Simula Evelyn Socha Teagan Tessier Grade 11 Karysa Brown Alexis Coy Alex Gillette Myles Pearson Sophia...
With great winters come great responsibilities, and, as the snow whipped in this week, we are reminded of just what those responsibilities are. If you live in a city, check the overnight parking ordinances. In Cloquet, parking overnight on streets is prohibited. It doesn’t matter what the snow situation is. Keeping cars off the streets allows for faster plowing when the snow comes. Get your car in shape for the season. It’s easy to feel invincible on the road, that you might not ever get stuck out there on some dark, blustery night because you...
They’ve been doing it all along, and now they want to take an extra step and bring some vibrancy to Carlton and its environs. Emily and Glenn Swanson from the city’s historic Oldenburg House have hosted numerous arts events at the bed and breakfast — concerts featuring national and international artists, poets, and delightful events with a host of local artists like the Honey Bee Festival a few years ago. They’ve also worked on the West End Flourish, taking art to Cloquet’s historic district in an effort to bring some revitalization. Oldenburg...
Carlton County commissioner-elect Dan Reed is not losing time in his efforts to fulfill electoral promises. On Saturday, Nov. 23, Reed buttonholed Minnesota’s U.S. Senator Tina Smith at a conference in Minneapolis and secured a future meeting to discuss federal funding for long-delayed improvements in a stretch of Minnesota Highway 73 at mile markers 18, 19, and 24 in Kalevala and Eagle townships south of Cromwell. Reed was attending the annual convention of the Minnesota Farmers Union where Sen. Smith had just given brief remarks on the r...
When I arrived at the Cloquet public library for chess club on a Friday afternoon this month, Seth Stevens was the only one there. He bested me at two rounds, and after nearly an hour, with no one else in sight, we decided Round 3 would be our last. Stevens put me in a quagmire when 10-year-old Orion Pierson entered the scene. For his benefit, I explained my ultimatum: move my checked king and allow Stevens to infiltrate my weak left flank with one knight or capture his other knight but lose my...
November is National Education Month, so try to send your children’s teachers a thank-you note. If you are an educator, thanks. Community bingo will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, at the Villa Vista and Cardinal Courts. The Villa/Cardinal will celebrate its 50th anniversary at Family Night starting at 6 p.m. Dec. 4. All area folks are encouraged to attend. Don’t forget the show at Cloquet’s County Seat Theater in December. They are always great productions, and “A Goblins’ Christmas...
A five-goal burst in the third period helped push the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton boys hockey team to an impressive 7-1 opening game win over Bloomington Jefferson at Northwoods Credit Union Arena on Saturday afternoon. "Every year we play them, they give us a good game and I thought this is one of the better teams they've had as of late," said CEC coach Shea Walters. "They came out hard in the second period, but we weathered the storm and then we really got things going in the third period." The...
Heading into Tuesday's girls basketball Battle for the Paddle, neither Cloquet nor Esko had put a mark in the win column this season. The Lumberjacks entered the game 0-2, with losses to Proctor and Hermantown, and Esko came in 0-1 with a loss to Rock Ridge. On Tuesday night the 'Jacks were able to overcome a challenging game to come away with a 71-43 victory. They also won the paddle, which goes to the victors. "We got the paddle back," said Cloquet coach Heather Young. "We will take the win,...
Arvid Brekke is a humble, Carlton County octogenarian and now a foreign sports medal winner. Brekke, who lives between Carlton and Esko on West Palkie Road, returned from Germany this fall after participating in a successful 2024 World Rowing Masters Regatta in Brandenburg. He was joined on his September journey by several of his teammates from the Duluth Rowing Club. Unlike the fairly recent George Clooney movie based on the Daniel Brown book, "The Boys in the Boat," this was not an Olympic...
After more than 20 years with the Cloquet football program, head coach Jeff Ojanen has resigned. He told his team Nov. 20 about his decision. He said he wants to spend more time with his family. "It really comes down to how priorities change in your life," Ojanen said. "When I took the head coach job three years ago I thought I'd be able to handle missing some stuff for my girls, but it got harder and harder. Right now, I want to see my girls play and help them and their teammates in any way I...
