Opinion
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Our view: PLA decision was best option for city
The Cloquet City Council and Mayor Roger Maki did the right thing last week when they voted to eliminate the project labor agreement mandate for private businesses. We elect the mayor and the councilors to look after the city of Cloquet, and that...
Unions have a legit gripe
It’s difficult to explain why, exactly, there’s a disagreement over the revised project labor agreement (PLA) requirement for city-funded economic development projects. Just asking the question...
Letters: Getchell is one of the good guys
Thank you for your heartfelt story by Brady Slater in the March 17 issue. It was nice to see you honor a friend and one of the best mechanics that I know. I have been a loyal customer of Tom Getchell’s for decades, and so were my sons. It was nice...
Guest column: Thanks Cloquet, for all the support
March Madness is a great time of year if you are a basketball junkie. With multiple media outlets allowing for the televising of games, you can hardly miss any of the scores or stories that surround...
A case of old-fashioned discrimination
Throughout life I’ve toggled between professional worlds, working in journalism or being employed in human services as a caregiver. For the first time, I’m juggling those. I work part-time at the Pine Knot News, of course, and also for a Cloquet...
Letters: Thank you, stranger
On Sunday, March 26, I had a fall on ice at a local store. A kind man who was driving a truck at this store helped me without being asked to by moving my car where I lay on the ground and helping me to get back into it. I would like to express my...
Letters: Dogs in schools idea is a good one
I love (Kermit Nielsen’s) ideas for security dogs in schools. (Column in the March 24 Pine Knot.) As a teacher for 45 years, I could see it working. I wonder if you could get your friends at Proctor High School to pilot a program. You most...
Our view: Public bodies owe residents transparency
There is a fine line between public duty done right and dereliction, and currently the city of Kettle River is skating on it. After a lengthy letter from the state auditor’s office in February outlining a long list of questionable procedures by... Full story
Conditionally, you can call me 'Pete'
It was August 8, 1991, before I ever called my buddy Rolf’s dad “Bud” like everyone else did. Until that date, he had been “Mr. Kragseth” to me for over 20 years. This memory came back last...
Farming alliance pushes for action
Lawmaking in Minnesota is moving rapidly this year, and Carlton County farmers are pushing to make their voice heard. Several members of the Land Stewardship Project (LSP) met in Barnum on Feb. 17...
Letters: Forestry Center issues need more sunshine
Steve Olson did a good job of relating the history of the various laws that affected the Fond du Lac Band in his March 3 column. But I wonder how far back in history we want to go. After all, the Ojibway seized the land from the Sioux. There is a...
Are dogs an answer for school protection?
As a retired school teacher, I’ve thought a lot about school shootings over the years and I would like to suggest an unconventional idea — incorporating service dogs into the school environment. School service dogs would add a dimension that huma...
Our view: Thumbs up, thumbs down
Thumbs up to people having fun together, even when it’s cold or snowing outside. It’s all over the recent issues of the Pine Knot, from the City Meet to the Mojakka Cookoff. Sure, it takes time to organize these things, but the payoff goes way...
Harry's gang: How safe is your money?
Nothing strikes fear in a banker’s heart more than the words, “run on the bank.” It conjures up images of the Great Depression, the Great Recession, and Jimmy Stewart convincing his customers...
This conversation is stuck in the snow
Go forward, but turn your wheels a bit. ... The other way. - How far? - Right there. If you get any traction, hit the brake. - Nothing. - Yeah. I smell rubber. Try going back, but not too far, the pol...
Passing MNCare public option would give middle-income Minnesotans another choice
Everyone deserves health insurance that is affordable, simple to use, and provides coverage for what they and their doctor decide is necessary to keep them healthy. Minnesota is lucky to have this... Full story
Being a good citizen is harder now
A couple of decades ago, I wrote a book in which I talked about what it takes to be a good citizen in a representative democracy like ours. I thought the principles I laid out were timeless, but I... Full story
Our view: Some praise for the sunshine
Sunshine Week is an annual initiative to promote open government and journalism’s role in it. It is celebrated in the second full week of March. It was launched in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors — now News Leaders Association. The...
Harry's gang: we use a lot of salt, and it stays
Thaw, freeze. Thaw, freeze. We’ve seen that cycle quite a bit this winter, especially as we close in on a record seasonal snowfall — will we beat the record of 113.4 inches? Stick around until... Full story
Letters: Hooray for the Clean Energy bill
History was made last month when 34 strong DFL senators at the Minnesota State Capitol delivered the critical commitment to safeguard our children’s future. The Minnesota 100 Percent Clean Energy bill, passed by the DFL on party-line Senate and...
Korby's connections: Dart leagues hit their mark
After a couple of years off due to the Covid pandemic, the competitive retiree dart league has returned to Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Cloquet. The league resumed in late fall, but now...
Letters: Current session has issues
This legislative session has proven interesting. In most bienniums, the first year is appropriations, not policy. However, there have been a lot of policies introduced and passed. Our local legislators have voted against most of the legislation....
Letters: Reporter got it wrong
I disagree with the Pine Knot reporter’s description of a community member shouting questions at the Wrenshall school board meeting in the Feb. 17 issue. I was sitting right next to that community member and he did not “shout.” In fact, he...
Letters: Importing needs a dialback
Back in the 1960s, China was a Third World country, but today it’s a superpower. We, through trade agreements and importation, have turned the tables, making them strong. What do China, Russia and North Korea have in common? They’re all led by...
Harry's gang: These are gifts that never gave
Gift certificates are very popular presents. They have been since at least 1978, when my sister Zora gave me a McDonald's certificate for Christmas. Fifty cents, which bought a burger and maybe a drin...