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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The staff at Sunnyside Health Care Center don't know exactly how the coronavirus got into the long-term care facility: they just know that once it arrived, it spread quickly, sometimes with devastating effects. Jennifer Capra, director of nursing at Sunnyside, said it started at the end of October, when community spread of Covid-19 was blowing up across the Northland. "Once we got one case in here, it went like boom, boom, boom. You couldn't stop it," Capra said. "As soon as October 30th hit,...
We have received no new information on what is believed to be a 1977 photo of the Carlton High school class of 1947 at a reunion. If you can help, let the History Mystery team know at news@PineKnot News.com. At right, we offer a news clip from July of 1952 about a county mystery solved. Send us your own mystery to solve, be it a photo or simple question. If you care to call in with clues or have a history question, contact reporter Mike Creger at 218-216-6292. In the near future, we plan to...
A former Carlton teacher and girls basketball coach pleaded guilty last week to four counts of felony criminal sexual conduct stemming from a sexual relationship with a student athlete nearly 20 years ago. Robert Kent Pioro, 62, pleaded guilty to a total of four counts of felony third-degree criminal sexual conduct for engaging in sexual penetration with a person who was 16 years old when he was in a position of authority over the victim in an online hearing with Carlton County Sixth District Court Friday, Dec. 4. The guilty pleas were the...
A man from Willow River is expected to serve more than two years in prison after sentencing Tuesday. Preston Prokasky pled guilty to a criminal vehicular homicide charge earlier this year. The 44-year-old was accused of driving into the Kettle River last September while high on methamphetamine, killing passenger Eugene Oestreich. Prokasky was convicted in January but delays due to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions meant sentencing didn’t come until 11 months later. He was sentenced to three years and five months in state prison, with a year and t...
Drivers in Cloquet were greeted by an unusual vehicle on Highway 33 just before 1 p.m. Saturday when a pontoon boat slid off a trailer onto a busy stretch of the highway in front of the Pine Tree Plaza and Super One business sites. Police chief Derek Randall said a family member was trying to move the pontoon for a relative who recently passed away, and it slid off the trailer. A tow truck removed it from the roadway while police directed traffic, Randall said, adding that no one was ticketed...
The 27th annual community Christmas Day Dinner is happening, thanks to a partnership between Zion Lutheran Church and the local Disabled American Veterans group. The church will sponsor the meal, and the DAV and its auxiliary will provide the manpower to cook and package individual meals for pickup. Due to the pandemic, there will not be a sit-down meal. Due to the short timeframe, delivery isn't an option either (except for local high-rise apartments). "Once again, this is a weird year. There...
The Carlton County Truth in Taxation Tuesday drew only five residents and only one person spoke as he walked out of the hearing early. “I guess I came to the wrong meeting to voice my concerns. Someone sooner or later will have to tell me why my taxes went up 80 percent for this coming year,” the unidentified man said. Assessor Kyle Holmes followed him to address his concerns. Overall the property tax levy will increase 2 percent for 2021 if the county board approves the proposed budget. Budget considerations and challenges include the fol...
The community is invited to donate nonperishable food items and new disposable or reusable masks at Carlton High School from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Dec. 19 at Carlton High School. Place masks in a plastic bag. Members of the high school’s National Honor Society are asking that people drive to the front of the high school and drop the items from the car into bins that NHS members will be holding....
Residents are invited to donate new, unwrapped toys or gift cards for children age 17 and younger through Dec. 16 for the Carlton VFW toy drive. Dropoff locations include the Carlton VFW, City of Carlton offices, Thrivent Financial, Carlton Wellness Center, Carlton Meat & Grocery and The Brickyard in Wrenshall. Donations can be dropped off during regular business and city hours. If you would like to make a monetary donation, please make checks payable to the Carlton VFW Auxiliary. Hats, mittens and scarves will also be collected at the dropoff...
A total of 62 local businesses applied for the Carlton County Covid-19 small business relief grants this fall. Those businesses will know soon if their applications were successful, following approval by the Carlton County board of commissioners at its meeting Tuesday, Dec. 8. The grant program offered Carlton County businesses grant money to offset expenses and losses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and is funded federally through the CARES Act. Requests for the small business grants came in at $812,583, with some businesses requesting far...
City of Cloquet summer parks crew members (from left) Makayla Suominen, Kirk Keinamen and Morgan Smith enjoy the feeling of a job well done after repainting the Pinehurst Park bandshell this year. Parks department supervisor Karin Stedman said they went through 18 gallons of paint to get the job done for the first time since 2008, when the now 80-year-old bandshell was reconstructed. Due to the odd shape and high peak, the parks department had to rent a 40-foot lift to reach the higher areas,...
Minnesota is expected to receive 183,400 doses of CovidD-19 vaccines this month, and they’ll be targeted toward health care workers and the state’s most vulnerable residents, Gov. Tim Walz said this week. The vaccines will come from two makers, Pfizer and Moderna, which are seeking emergency use from the federal Food and Drug Administration. The agency was expected to decide on Pfizer’s vaccine on Thursday and Moderna’s on Dec. 17. That timeline could position Minnesota to start vaccinating people as early as next week. “It is happening. It is...
A client at the Minnesota Sex Offender Program in Moose Lake died Dec. 2 of Covid-19. It was the first Covid-related death among clients or staff at MSOP facilities. Nearly 740 civilly committed clients receive treatment at MSOP facilities in Moose Lake and St. Peter. There are currently 18 active cases of Covid-19 in MSOP facilities. All facilities have implemented stringent infection-prevention and control measures. Staff are screened daily for fever and other Covid symptoms before they begin their shifts and are required to wear surgical...
Due to higher numbers of Covid-19 cases and the tight quarters at the National Guard Armory in Cloquet, Ruby's Pantry will not distribute this month in Cloquet. Ruby's Pantry serves about 200 people on the fourth Wednesday of each month in Cloquet. It hopes to have a better distribution location by January. The Second Harvest Mobile Food Pantry comes to the Our Savior's Lutheran Church parking lot in Cloquet to distribute food 10:30-11:30 a.m. on the third Thursday of each month. Drive up, and...
The Cloquet Police Department recently requested a significant amount of city funds on $109,000 worth of equipment. Stuff like new squad computers, new squad car video, new stun guns, and new security measures at the police station. It was a bold request. But after careful consideration and review, we feel the request was worthwhile. The Cloquet City Council agreed, approving the new purchases unanimously, using police funds not spent from the 2020 budget. The budget has a surplus of at least $139,000, and those funds won’t carry over to n...
A friend asked me around election time if things were as good for me now as they were four years ago. My Republican friend was implying that our lives are actually pretty good, so why switch the parties in power? Aside from the obvious issues we are facing now, I have to answer honestly: While my life seems to be pretty good, there is a national debt that has climbed so rapidly over the past four years that my future, and my children’s future, is in jeopardy. So, yes, my life is pretty good n...
I will be retiring as the Community Education Director for Cloquet Public Schools this month. In my wildest imagination I could not have predicted that this final year would take the path that it has taken. The year 2021 will be filled with possibilities for re-visioning and rebuilding with a new director on board. It has been a pleasure getting to know the Cloquet community through the position of director. I am a lucky woman. Ruth Reeves, Cloquet Community Education...
Once again, husband Rod Walli and I headed out to clear the Fond du Lac Forest cross-country ski trail of annual downfalls and upstart saplings. Once again, the Willow River Challenge Incarceration Program men and Sgt. Steve Whited joined us. I introduced myself - masked just like they were - to each man and thanked him for his work. On the trails we encountered more downfalls than usual. But we managed to get the A to B trails and the way back to the parking lot cleared. It helped that Rod...
The news covers the number of Covid-19 cases each day, the number of deaths occuring and the pleas of caregivers to the public about following the simple guidelines of wearing masks, social distancing, avoiding crowds, etc. The thing that bothers me the most is the strain and burden on the medical people, first responders and others that have to deal with the public. The medical people have my deepest respect, sympathy and concern for their health and welfare. Nurses especially have to deal with the individual cases during their shift at the...
Arthur Allen Johnson, 92, died peacefully on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020, at Inter-Faith Care Center in Carlton. He was born on June 11, 1928, in Minneapolis to Arthur Rudolph Johnson and Florence Reed. Art was a U.S. Army veteran, serving during World War II and the Korean War. He married Charlotte Ann Johnson on June 16, 1956, and they started a family. He was employed as the printer at the Conwed plant for many years. Art had a passion for the Minnesota Twins, making jokes, and a soft spot for his...
Neil W. Rule, 83, of Cloquet, passed away Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020, at Inter-Faith Care Center in Carlton. He was born July 31, 1937, in Bear River, Minnesota, the son of Charles and Thelma (Hagsten) Rule. Neil attended Cherry High School, where he met his wife of 60 years, Carol Lahti Rule. He was a member of the Army National Guard. An apprenticeship led to a 40-year career as a proud meat cutter, "not a butcher," as he would say. Throughout his life he enjoyed hunting, camping, snowmobiling,...
Robert Michael Nelson passed away Nov. 28, 2020, at the age of 53 in St. Charles, Missouri. The world lost a beloved son, father, brother, uncle, and friend. Rob was born March 15, 1967 in Duluth to Michael Edwin and Barbara Ann Nelson. The eldest of three, he grew up in his father's footsteps, developing an affinity for the lake, hunting, and golf. He graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth - a great school on a great lake, as he would always remind you - and began working in sales...
George Thomas Paquin of Coon Rapids, formerly of Cloquet, passed away on Nov. 28, 2020. He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Genevieve Paquin; two older sisters, Marjorie Paquin and Jacqueline Morrissette; and brother-in-law Edward Morrissette. He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Susan; daughters Leah and Sarah; and 10 nieces and nephews. George attended the University of Minnesota Duluth before proudly serving in the U.S. Army. He spent most of his career in real estate in...
Virginia (Peterson) McPhail (aka Ginger and The Mommer) ate radishes every day for breakfast. Ginger died Nov. 26, 2020. The beloved mother, grandmother and sister was born Aug. 26, 1936. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert, of 53 years; and one daughter, Midge. She is survived by her sister, Nancy (Andrew) McFarland; daughters Sally (Brian) O'Donnell and Jody (Thomas) Fries; son, Benjamin (Laurie) McPhail; and eight grandchildren. The Mommer had a strong love for music and was a...
Robert "Bobo" L. Denzler Jr., 66, of Scanlon, passed away Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, at Community Memorial Hospital from congestive heart failure with his family by his side. Bob was born May 29, 1954, in Cloquet, the son of Robert and Bernice (Matlock) Denzler. He graduated from Cloquet High School in 1972. He served as an altar boy for St. Casimir's Catholic Church and was in the Cub Scouts. Bob worked for Diamond Brands for 40 years with many different people. He liked fishing and hunting with...
