It would be easy to cast a wary eye at the actions of the Carlton school district, which over the course of roughly 10 days this month adopted a four-day school week beginning next year. The notion came as a surprise. The move to adopt it was hasty... Full story

I worked for the City of Cloquet for 40 years and came to know Pine Valley well. It has long been a Cloquet gem overlooked by many. The first time I walked into the chalet, my immediate thought was what a great place this would be with an updated... Full story

I want to express my appreciation to kind strangers. Thank you to the father carrying his young son, who took my hand and made a path through the snowbank so I could get to the Good Friday service. Thank you to the kind gentleman who took notice of... Full story

Last week the Pine Knot ran a story by the Minnesota Reformer, with the self-ascribed tagline “Minnesota Reformer is a nonpartisan news producer.” I visited the Reformer website. After perusing several articles, it appears to me this org... Full story

Freedom to practice religion is a cornerstone of our country and its history — we enjoy many freedoms that are constitutionally protected, and the freedom of religion is the prime example. In the past, the Minnesota Human Rights Act included an e...

Trees, lakes, and water: Minnesota is known for an abundance of each. And there’s something else we have in abundance: common sense. We work hard, play hard, and don’t waste time on things that don’t serve us. Rep. Jeff Dotseth would be wise to follo... Full story

The Pine Knot and our weekly dose of news is likely complicit in any information overload you may be feeling these days. On average, Americans spend at least eight hours in front of a screen each day. And there’s that fascinating fact that one day o... Full story

As a 1966 graduate of Morgan Park High School, I befriended many Wrenshall graduates in that era. Morgan Park was a K-12 school, then a middle and high school, then just a middle school and now it’s gone forever. It was replaced by apartments as a r... Full story

Well, this week was a cold, wet reminder of winter, wasn’t it? If you got stuck with your car, or felt you were holding up all the traffic because of your unpracticed driving ability, or lack of assuredness, you were not alone. It’s been that kin... Full story

I enjoyed Steve Korby’s article about Angelo Pergol in last week’s paper, especially the part about him experiencing “historical nirvana” as he read through our collection of Pergol’s scrapbooks. When you walk through the door at the Carlton C... Full story

It’s no secret rural ambulance services are struggling. Called a “quiet crisis” by the state health department as far back as 2002, rural ambulance services across the state are being confronted with their own mortality: Continue forward in the face... Full story

What Sen. Jason Rarick failed to mention in his article last week is that the testing locations that the Driver and Vehicle Services department is proposing closing are open only one day a week, at most, for limited or inconsistent hours, and run by... Full story

I was at the Thomson Township annual meeting last evening, March 12, and proposed a resolution for the town board, staff, and attorney to lobby the Minnesota Association of Townships and our state representative and senator to consider changing... Full story

He gave it the old college try. But, they say, when you take on the bull, you get the horns. Or, in social media circles, and toned down for a family newspaper: Mess around and find out. There may be a new old saw: Take on the Iron Range and its...

It’s time to shine a light on an annual week of mindfulness in the journalism industry. March 10-16 is Sunshine Week, a nonpartisan collaboration among groups in the journalism, civic, education, government and private sectors that shines a light o... Full story

The Department of Vehicle Services continues to be an issue throughout the state, specifically when it comes to accessing behind-the-wheel drivers tests. Families have grown frustrated with the current backlog that seems to be growing every year. To...

Wrenshall High School English teacher Ted Conover said students in his College in the Schools composition course were eager to add to local discourse. So they revised and shortened their long-form problem-solution essays on local issues into... Full story

George Bernard Shaw was riffing on Thomas Jefferson when he once wrote: “Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.” Are we deserving? There is one way you might answer that question this month. You can tak... Full story

On Feb. 14, after a previous public hearing and discussion, the city council of Moose Lake voted to contract with the Carlton County Sheriff’s Department to provide law enforcement protection for the residents of Moose Lake. It was not a decision m... Full story

Patty and I would like to thank the moms and dads, grammas and grandpas, aunts and uncles, school officials, coaches and past coaches and the many boys basketball players from the Fond du Lac Ojibwe School, past and present, for all the enjoyment... Full story

Wrenshall High School English teacher Ted Conover said students in his College in the Schools composition course were eager to add to local discourse. So they revised and shortened their long-form problem-solution essays on local issues into... Full story