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 former law enforcement program at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College features new courses and a new name aimed at providing graduates “a deeper understanding of officers’ roles in ensuring justice and providing service,” the college announced this week. The Criminal Justice/Peace Officer program was adopted to replace a focus on enforcement, and reflect “important changes in how officers serve their communities and interact with the public,” a news release said. New courses include one titled Mental Health Crisis Management and anoth...
There are many reasons why people go to the Minnesota State Fair. The food, carnival rides, exhibits, livestock barns, music, educational demonstrations and, of course, people watching, bring nearly two million fairgoers to the fairgrounds each year. But very few get invited to perform on one of the four major stages scattered across the 330 acres of the fairgrounds. Count me as one of them. Doctor Kielbasa, a band with longtime ties to Cloquet and Carlton County, performed two days on the...
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College hired two new deans this summer: Dean of Nursing and Health Sciences Jessica Huber and Dean of Education Sara Montgomery. Huber was promoted from her role as nursing student mentor and program coordinator at FDLTCC, and worked at the College of St. Scholastica before that as an assistant professor, then as director/department chair of undergraduate nursing. Montgomery was the college’s elementary education program coordinator and faculty. She was an instrumental team member in bringing the college’s new...
THUMBS UP to Carlton County and the city of Cloquet for staying competitive when it comes to pay for law enforcement officers. Both jurisdictions saw their board and council, respectively, approve pay increases recently aimed at keeping wages comparable to those of surrounding departments and the local labor market. Nobody likes budget increases that stress tax levies. But, the alternatives are stark — losing peace officers to better-paying outfits and leaving our communities vulnerable. “The bigger issue is, if we can’t get qualified law e...
In the years that followed the 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and subsequent calls for law enforcement reforms, choosing a career as a cop got more complicated and less popular. In 2019, 48 students graduated from the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College law enforcement program. In 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, there were 27. In 2022, only 15. Last year there were 24. There were 22 graduates at this year's Enhanced Skills Professional Peace Officers Education Program ceremo...
Brady Slater [email protected] A pair of major projects took over the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College campus this spring and summer. One, the renovation of the commons area, is ongoing, while the other wrapped up earlier this month. As part of the Forest Stewardship Project, the college underwent a significant tree-thinning effort, dubbed a selective harvest. Built on the remnant timber plantation, the college’s tree thinning effort sought to improve fire safety and ...
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College hosted high school students interested in exploring healthcare at Scrubs Camp June 12-14 during the annual Indigenous Healthcare Career Exploration Camp. Topics for this year’s camp include midwifery, physician’s assistant-orthopedics, aging services, alcohol and drug counseling, emergency medicine, pharmacy, equine assisted therapy, occupational therapy, medical research, and nursing. “The Indigenous Healthcare Career Exploration Camp is a tremendous opportunity for indigenous, rural or under...
For 36 years, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College has fulfilled its mission of providing higher education opportunities for its communities in a welcoming, culturally diverse environment. As an institution, we have much to be grateful for. In reflecting on our history, my thoughts go back to what took place behind the scenes in 1987, and years prior, to officially establish our unique institution. We are the only college in the nation that is both a Tribal college and a state community...
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College included a bit of history as the first bachelor of science degrees for elementary education were handed out in the Lester Jack Briggs Cultural Center May 9. There were 148 graduates who crossed the stage. Joradan Paulson, Nahin Gatica Cruz and Shana Aubid were the education graduates. There were 219 degrees earned in total....
The Thunder Film Fest welcomed a regional celebrity to its screening of the "Bad River" documentary Saturday afternoon at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. Mike Wiggins Jr., former chairman of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, was the guest of honor and featured in the movie. "Bad River" tells the story of the Wisconsin- based Bad River Band and its ongoing fight for sovereignty - not only its recent legal battle over the 70-year-old Enbridge Line 5 pipeline and the threat...
The Cloquet High School Ojibwe Quiz Bowl team recently took first place at the Minnesota Indian Education Association's 2024 Ojibwe Quiz Bowl. Next up is the 2024 Lester "Jack" Briggs Regional Quiz Bowl Championship on May 10 at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. Although it's not technically a "state" quiz bowl competition, "it might as well be," said Ojibwe teacher and quiz bowl coach Julian Kitto. "All the teams will be there." This school year marked the third year for Cloquet's most...
Touted as "the future of indigenous cinema," the Thunder Film Fest offers a free day of indigenous film May 4 at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in Cloquet. The day begins with a free breakfast at 9 a.m., followed by an opening ceremony and a sneak peek of an international documentary and Q&A with Ojibwe and Karelian casts until noon. At 1 p.m. is the community showcase, a local short film competition. The recently released documentary film "Bad River" starts at 3 p.m. Chronicling the W...
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College is honored to share that Achieving the Dream has awarded FDLTCC the 2024 Leah Meyer Austin Award. The Leah Meyer Austin Award signifies a college’s adoption of practices and strategies leading to a student-focused culture, notable increases in student outcomes, and reduction of equity gaps. The announcement was made at the annual DREAM conference, which brought over 2,000 community college leaders, faculty, and student affairs staff to the Orlando World Center Marriott. FDLTCC joined ATD in 2017 among a...
The Indigenous-feminist Spiderwoman Theater is bringing its 16-member ensemble to Cloquet as part of a five-day residency at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, and Northland College, in Ashland, Wisconsin, Feb. 27-March 2. Spiderwoman grew out of the urban Native community centered in Brooklyn in the 1950s. In addition to their experimental and activist focuses, they have emphasized the importance of interconnectivity among Indigenous communities across the globe. Spiderwoman Theater was...
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in Cloquet had 273 students achieving high academic standing honors: 154 on the dean’s (3.0 GPA or higher) and 119 on the president’s list (4.0 GPA). FDLTCC president’s list Barnum: Selah Casper, Madison Goodwin, Madison Jones, Julie Krueger, ShyAnn Ostby Carlton: Burley, Shalom Heikkila, Joseph Kitto, Abigail Ronkainen, Abrianna Schmidt, Bradley Untiedt Cloquet: Robin Anderson, Carlos Arreola, Tiffany Bones, Ann Carlson, Dylan Clark, Clara Dale, Jena Hurd, Taylor Janisch, Jacqueline Jennissen, Elizabeth...
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College is starting its own teaching press, which it’s calling Animikii Mazina’iganan: Thunderbird Press. The press aims to publish innovative, culturally significant, high-quality works in English or Anishinaabemowin. The first publication, “Fur Trade Nation,” by renowned artist Carl Gawboy, will be released this spring. “After more than a decade of publishing The Thunderbird Review, our annual literary journal, it’s time to see what more we can do for our com...
Friday, Jan. 19 is the last day to take advantage of the Wall of Wine and raffle from noon to 7 p.m. at Cold One Liquor in Cloquet. For a donation of $20, guests select a random bottle of wine and an envelope containing a gift card ranging in value from $10 to $100 donated from an area business. The event is first come, first served, with payment by cash or check only. Raffle tickets are also available. All proceeds go toward supporting Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College student scholarships....
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College celebrated the associate degree nursing program graduating class from the fall 2023 during a pinning ceremony Dec. 20. It was the first fall pinning ceremony at FDLTCC since the nursing program started enrolling admissions during the spring of 2022. The intimate ceremony featured speeches from FDLTCC Nursing student James Friedman, and Karen Lilyquist, a member of the FDLTCC nursing faculty. Tami Matuszak, interim dean of nursing and health sciences,...
It’s a big holiday weekend at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. The annual Holiday Celebration at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College returns to campus today, Dec. 8. The family event, hosted by the FDLTCC Human Services Club, is 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the FDLTCC commons. The holiday fun continues 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, with the Arts and Crafts Holiday Market in the FDLTCC Commons. During the event, artists, bakers, and craft makers will be sharing beautiful beadwork, healing soaps and creams, Native American artwork, a...
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College’s 18th annual Pumpkin Run and Walk is planned for Saturday, Oct. 21. This year’s event will include a Ring Road Fun Run, 9:30 a.m. The 5K (3.1-mile) race will begin at 10 a.m. The fun run covers a single lap of the FDLTCC campus, while the 5K starts and ends on campus. Both races are open to runners and walkers of all ages and abilities. The entry fee leading up to and on race day is $25 per person. Children 10 and under can register for the new fun run for free. Online registration is available thr...
Once a member of the first class of students to graduate from the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College campus in Cloquet, Roxanne DeLille went on to u niversity in Duluth and later committed five years to the tribal college at the request of its founding president, the late Jack Briggs. "Twenty-five years later, closer to 30, I'm still here," DeLille said. As dean of indigenous and academic affairs, DeLille described herself as a big-picture person who likes to dream big. For that, she was...
The newest president of Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College already knows the college from the inside out, working in numerous positions since she was hired as a part-time counselor nearly 30 years ago. Anita Hanson is the fifth president of the college, and the second woman to lead the college, a partnership between tribe and state. Hanson replaces FDLTCC's first woman president, Stephanie Hammitt, who passed away unexpectedly in November after leading the college officially since 2018....
There was a time when a person could hear a church service in Finnish in Cloquet, live in the "Finntown" neighborhood and join one of several cooperatives started here by Finnish immigrants. Many descendents of those immigrants still live here. Some are easily identified by their blue eyes and blond hair, or their names - Riihiluoma, Juntunen, Ikola and Soukkala, among others - while others may be identified by their speech patterns or habits, such as taking a sauna (pronounced SOW-na if you're...
The elementary education program at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College will host its first Ed Fest on June 26. With a theme of “Bringing Indigenous Teachings into the Classroom,” the Ed Fest will include presentations and workshops for educators throughout the day and a free community feast in the evening. The keynote speaker, James Vukelich, will talk about the Seven Grandfather Teaching. Teacher of the Year Sarah Lancaster will also speak. For more information about Ed Fest 2023, visit https://link.fdltcc.edu/EdFest2023. Educators wil...
The Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities named Anita Hanson to serve as president of Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College on June 21, effective immediately. Hanson has served as interim president since her predecessor, Stephanie Hammitt, passed away in November. "Anita navigated the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College community through an immensely difficult time with empathy and grace," said Devinder Malhotra, chancellor of Minnesota State. "Anita's...
