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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We’re almost to Labor Day and what is traditionally considered the heart of election season. It’s the moment, according to political lore, when most Americans start paying attention to electoral contests. This may or may not be true, but here’s one thing I think we can count on: This is when politicians seeking office are most eager to understand the mood and concerns of the electorate. There’s a widely held belief that campaigning is a one-way street: Candidates for office tell us what they th...
As I toured the new ceremonial Big Drum hall, Gimanidoowichigemin Gwaaba'iganing, last week in Sawyer, I felt the importance of the community efforts to see that this place was built, bringing Nimishomis (our grandfather, as the drum is called) home. Listening to speakers who delivered their comments in Ojibwe was an uncommon opportunity to hear the flow of the language as it must have been in community gatherings before the boarding school era, which deliberately attempted to destroy the...
TThumbs up to another great Carlton County Fair. The 4-H projects and other exhibits were well done, the grandstand events were highly entertaining, the music was wonderful. As usual, it was wonderful to see so many people of all ages just out enjoying themselves and exploring everything the Barnum fairgrounds has to offer. Of special note: kudos to the fair board and director for the attention paid to the new additions at the fair. In addition to regular live music we have the Little Italy promenade and its snazzy neon signs, plus the...
I magine teenagers in Esko classrooms staring blithely, wantonly, perhaps a bit of drool forming at the corner of the mouth. But it’s not a window daydream accompanied by mesmerizing clouds forming into creatures or a squirrel running up a tree limb. They are fixed on those pouches. Filled with those tiny devices we all are so tethered to. This summer, the Esko school district decided to do something about phones in school, part of a movement across the country to reduce distractions during the school day. Now, when an Esko teen enters a c...
We cherish the natural beauty of our community, and were disgusted this week to see the desecration of the public bridges and walkways along the Willard Munger State Trail and in Jay Cooke State Park. Painting ugly political messages, including crosshairs that are meant to intimidate, harms us all. If you know anything about these crimes, please report it to the local authorities so they can investigate and prosecute those who are spreading hate. Barbara A. Frey, Carlton...
This was a big week in local politics, although it passed quietly enough. During Tuesday’s primary, voters in District 5 whittled down the number of county commissioner candidates to two — Dan Reed and Alex French — who will advance to the General Election in November. Countywide, we also voted for judicial candidates in a rare local race with no incumbent. Shawn Reed (an Esko grad) and Gunnar Johnson advanced to the general election in that race. But Tuesday was also the final day to file as a candidate in seven local school board races with 2...
If you’re at all like me, it probably feels like we’ve already been through at least three different presidential election years so far this year. And given the pace of events, it’s a good bet that between now and November, there’s more to come. The presidential contest has so thoroughly dominated our attention — not to mention news cycles — that even the Senate and House races have pretty much disappeared from view. In this environment, the central role that ordinary Americans play — except as...
A person can’t work for the FBI or CIA with felony convictions and yet they can be the president of the United States and have 34 felonies on their record. Some things must change regarding this policy, as it opens the door for felons to be commander in chief of our military. Many religious leaders and people who call themselves Christians will vote for the candidate who appointed justices to the Supreme Court who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, taking away the woman’s right to choose, and yet will vote for a womanizer, liar, convicted fel...
I’m jazzed about an event coming to a Cloquet church this month. It’s just what we need in these fractured political times. Our Savior’s Lutheran Church will be the venue for a “Respectful Conversation” about this political season, sponsored by the Minnesota Council of Churches, at 6 p.m. on Aug. 28. It’s designed to allow space for people to explore their feelings about candidates and issues minus the “my way or the highway” responses. A church is a good place to hold such a conversation. People tend to drop their defenses, and perhaps most ve...
It is nice to know the funding provided by the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program will finally be put to use. As part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in November 2021, there has been a significant gap between authorization of funds and the actual implementation. As one of the few owners of an electric vehicle living in Carlton County, I have noticed a lack of charging infrastructure north of Grand Rapids and the northern arrowhead region. When driving along the major traffic corridors of Interstate 35 and Inte...
FinnFest, starring Carlton County! Although that’s a slight exaggeration, I saw more people I knew at FinnFest Saturday morning than I usually see at the local grocery store. I hadn’t even made it to the ticket booth when I bumped into Anja Bottila, she of the mojakka cookoff and the Carlton County Historical Society. Next it was then Mandi (Huhta) Rosebrock, working the registration desk. Near the tori — Finnish for “marketplace” — I bumped into Mary Lukkarila, former Cloquet library director a...
Nearly every person in Minnesota, and, for that matter, everywhere, has known a close friend or relative who has had some form of cancer. My good friend, Gary "Moose" Pastika, a few years back, tested positive for colon cancer. His best chance for recovery was to have his colon totally removed. He recovered, went back to work, played golf well, and after several years was deemed cancer-free. But, as it often does, the cancer returned, he got sick, and the disease won, ending his life. He died...
One of Carlton County's premier used bookstores resides in one of its least populous towns, where roughly 5,000 titles of inventory is more than 10 times the resident population. "As my son would say, 'We're a hidden gem,'" said Janis Martin, who was working the desk at Twice Told Tales in downtown Mahtowa last week. Twice Told Tales has been around since 2006, and moved into its charming cottage of a bookstore in the spring of 2023. A brainchild of Mahtowa Covenant Church's mission and outreach...
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...
I was pleased to see the council approve the wage adjustment for the police officers and settle their three-year contract. I’m hoping this decision will enhance their morale and job satisfaction. Minnesota is currently grappling with a severe shortage of law enforcement officers. The number of candidates entering the job market is alarmingly low, posing a significant challenge to our law enforcement agencies. For instance, the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Peace Officer program, which used to attract nearly 100 students annually, has...
I am frequently asked whether or not the University of Minnesota’s Cloquet Forestry Center is now under the operation of the Fond du Lac Band. No, it is not. There has been no land transfer, although rumors and misinformation continue to be abundant. The following is based on my knowledge, which is l imited because all of the meetings are still held with no transparency. In the recent legislative session, bills were introduced in the House and Senate to satisfy the state’s obligation to settle the bonding debt involved and transfer the lan...
It is my opinion that word choices matter because they convey the writer’s opinion. Specifically, I am looking at the flier for the Ma and Pa Kettle Days Aug. 9-10 in Kettle River, Minnesota. It feels like the flier places a huge emphasis on the availability of alcohol and who is providing it, which I think implies that alcohol is more important than the scheduled events for those days, e.g., the steak fry. The flier has been approved by the committee and is available to the public, so it is too late to edit and amend the flier. Sandra S...
It’s a Friday night in June, just before 10. At the corner of 12th Street and Carlton Avenue slow cars drone by, going somewhere, their dull Doppler pitch rising and falling. An occasional cop car eases — then races past, sometimes with lights and sound. The cop traffic glides west, toward Pinehurst Park and the just-set sun. A purple pickup truck with Minnesota Vikings decals and a skinny driver with a tapered beard makes its way east, toward Highway 45, apparently where the trucks live. Rob...
By the time most of you read this, July Fourth will have come and gone. Weather permitting, the parade, family fun, car show, races, basketball, movie in the park, and fireworks will have brought great joy to thousands once again, a national birthday party that's been celebrated in Cloquet for more than a century. "July fourth was the best summer day ever. It always will be," wrote Cloquet native and local poet Patrick Stevens of his 55-year-old memories of the holiday. Many of us share some...
IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all m...
It has been an honor for me to serve you as a Carlton County commissioner for the last 12 years. We have made many positive accomplishments, but there is still much work to be done. I have known Dan Reed and his family for many years. Dan served on the Barnum school board with my father when they built the new school. Dan and I have worked together on many county projects. We went to St. Paul and lobbied for funding for the new Justice Center and Highway 73. He assisted in helping keep the county’s Kettle River shop open. Dan represents the t...
We are getting closer to another election labeled again as “the most important of our lifetime.” Every election is important, and with every office fought for, it is imperative that we elect those who represent our convictions. Thousands of registered Republicans do not take the time to vote, and the offices won by Republicans are won by very slim margins. This shouldn’t be. We can’t assume that “We’ve got this, they don’t need my vote,” or that “It’s hopeless, why vote?” The only way to make a difference is to pick up the pencil and fill in th...
As another spring has arrived, the same story repeats itself: Wolves decimating deer herds, wolfing down farm livestock, and devouring pets. This past winter saw a renewed exposure of these nefarious activities of our exploding wolf population. Hunters and farmers have been silently steaming for years about this depredation, but it was the Hunters4Hunters group that brought this story to the forefront. With meetings all across northern Minnesota, this group united these voices with a real push to finally get some legislative action on wolves....
Do you remember the first Minnesota Twins game you attended in person? I sure do. The Washington Senators moved their major league baseball franchise from Washington, D.C. to Metropolitan Stadium in 1961. It was also the first year the Vikings became an NFL franchise. Met stadium was located in Bloomington, a Minneapolis suburb. Back then, there was no interstate highway between Duluth and the Twin Cities area. My uncle and aunt, Clifford and Helen Johnson, took my sister, Jan, and me to a...
I have always found solace in the outdoors. Growing up in suburban Tampa, Florida, would seem a hard place to find wilderness, but it was there if you knew where to look. Barefoot, with cutoff jeans and no way for anyone to know where I was, I’d venture out into the swamps along the Hillsborough River in search of a place to quiet my mind. I’d come home hours later, covered in mud and bug bites. This Sunday morning, I woke around 5 a.m. to see the sun reflecting off the trees, after days of gra...
