Articles

Local childcare providers vow to continue fight against union

Minnesota legislators approved a bill allowing in-home childcare providers — licensed and unlicensed — and personal care attendants that will allow for an election among providers if unions meet certain thresholds of support. If in-home childcare providers and personal care attendants (PCAs) decided to form a union, the union would have exclusive rights to negotiate on their behalf with the state.

• Don't want union

Our Neighbors...Of four Zack brothers who were drafted in WWII, only one remains

Until Monday morning, Cloquet’s Clifford Zack almost never talked about his experiences in World War II. But he has never forgotten.

• Clifford Zack after basic training
• Photo gallery: Clifford Zack looks back on 87 years

First responders prepare for the worst

Carlton County’s most recent rescue training was a lot more graphic than the previous week’s mock grain bin rescues.

Carlton man pleads guilty to possession of counterfeit bills

A Carlton man accused of making and passing counterfeit money in addition to other crimes, pleaded guilty to a number of charges Monday in Carlton County Court.

• Aaron David Miller

Man out on bail arrested for almost identical crime

A Duluth man arrested two weeks ago for stealing a vehicle and fleeing police was arrested again Tuesday, for stealing a vehicle and fleeing police.

From the Editor..Everything is better when you talk about it

In the first audience question at last week’s “Into the Light” panel discussion on mental illness, the person who wrote the question was looking for practical tips for dealing with stigma — misconceptions, bias, ignorance — about mental illness. Talk about it, said Troy Otterson, panelist

Students learn dangers of texting and driving first-hand

Just last week, texting and driving officially became the leading cause of death among teenagers, surpassing drinking and driving.

• Simulated driving and texting

Conference aims to give hope to people with mental illness

It’s about hope and education, Ginger Spiess said. That’s why the Carlton County Local Advisory Council hosted a conference on mental illness last Thursday at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College.

Students take a trip to the 'sugarbush'

• PHoto
• Photo gallery: Journey to sugarbush

Looking for homeowners who could use a helping hand

For some people in northern Minnesota, last summer’s flood isn’t a distant memory. It’s something they live with every day, as they continue to struggle to get their homes and their lives back to a pre-flood state. If that description fits you or someone you know, help is just a phone call — or a drive to Moose Lake — away.

Columns

Landfill redux

The Cloquet City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to reconsider a landfill conditional use permit in light of additional information provided by the applicant, Dem-Con Companies, as well as the proposed new conditions. To hear the entire council meeting (which was not broadcast on CAT-7) click on the audio recording attached to this story.

• Photo

The Pine Pulse... The road to the top is seldom smooth

At the top of what I assumed was the first flight of stairs ascending to the Queen of Peace bell tower in Cloquet last week, my guide suddenly bowed out. It was then that I noticed a tall wooden ladder that would take me farther up. “Is it like this all the way up from here?” I asked my guide casually, as if I relished climbing wooden ladders in lightning-damaged old buildings.

The Pine Pulse... Carlton County bike thrills

On Saturday, I decided to roll out of bed and go for it. It was finally time to ride. My bike, that is. I don’t know if anyone recalls that first story about me when I arrived in Cloquet to begin my new life as editor, but there was a line about how I looked forward to riding my bike around Carlton County. I had visions of rolling through the countryside and doing an ongoing column describing all the cool places I would ride.

The Pine Pulse... 'National Lampoon Family Vacation' - Baumann style

There I was, enjoying the view of greater Seattle out the window and the smooth ride of the rented Lincoln Navigator, as I sat in the “way back” of the vehicle. My parents were up front, while my sister and her husband sat in the second row. As I jokingly yelled, “How much longer?” I realized I was a kid again, on a trip with my family, reminiscent of the classic “Vacation” movies.

The Pine Pulse... Fond racing memory: Soaked-to-the-bone sweatshirts

I officially gave up my nickname of “sponge” last week after my parents sold the sailboat we raced twice a week for some 20-odd-years on Lake Minnetonka. This slightly strange absorbant monikor was bestowed on me for my accidental role in helping to keep the other crew members high and dry.

The Pine Pulse.... Tax Prep: What a rush

I googled the word “turbo” the other day. It came up with 112,000,000 results, including a Web site that claimed to be for “users who love the rush of all things motorized.” It also seems a Polish heavy metal band went by the name “Turbo” during the early ‘80s.

The Pine Pulse... So many channels, so little time

On Sunday, a whole new world opened up to me while I sat in true couch-potato form in my living room. Because of a blunder the communications company made with our Internet service, they gave us three months of the so-called premium cable channels to surf at our leisure.

The Pine Pulse... Ahhhh, blizzards are fun, exciting!

So this is winter! For at least 20 years now I’ve been complaining about the cold, wind and snow. And after last week, I realize why.

The Pine Pulse... There’s no place like a new home

A welcoming whirlwind. That pretty accurately sums up my first week as editor of The Pine Journal. Being from the Twin Cities originally, I can’t call this area home, at least not yet. In fact, the only experience I’ve ever had in Cloquet included a fun visit to the Bentleyville holiday lights show, and a trip to Sammy’s Pizza to fuel up beforehand, in December of 2005.