Pine City Pioneer Newspaper

07/18/2024

Tax abatement for Lakeside property challenged by council member

The tax abatement for the Lakeside student housing project has come up at both the city and county level, just as many projects in the Pine City area. Tax abatements

07/18/2024

Summer Rec tradition continues for kids

Although the summer rec program is under new management this summer, the program is still going strong and the kids are learning and having fun. For many years, the program

07/18/2024

‘Hello Dolly!’ premiers this Thursday!

The Heritage Players Community Theater will open its last show of the 2023-24 season on Thursday evening in Pine City with the delightful classic, “Hello, Dolly!” With a cast of

07/17/2024

Pine County Sheriff Jeff Nelson reported that a gas leak was caused by a fiber company who was boring in broadband in Pine City and hit a line. The gas leak caused a strong natural gas smell to the west and east sides of Highway 61 by Caseys and May…

Pine County Sheriff Jeff Nelson reported that a gas leak was caused by a fiber company who was boring in broadband in Pine City and hit a line. The gas

07/15/2024

Gas leak causing evacuation in city:

Pine County Sheriff Jeff Nelson reported that a gas leak was reported by a fiber company who was boring broadband fiber in Pine City and hit a line. The gas leak has caused a strong natural gas smell in the areas near Highway 61 by Caseys and Maytag with the blocks to the west of Maytag being evacuated.

Nelson said specifically it is the residents near Johnson Ave. SW to 7th St. SW and northeast of 8th St. SW. Pine City Fire is determining who has been or is being evacuated, stated Nelson.

Nelson asks the public to be patient. “It’s going to take some time to dig back a ways from where the puncture was and shut it off,” he noted. “It's more difficult than finding a valve and turning it off. They are waiting for a specialized welder from the Twin Cities.”

He also said no one will be allowed in the blocked off area until the leak is controlled, which could take up to four hours or more. “The wind is favorable to dissipate the gas,” noted Nelson. “If the wind stops or changes direction, we may have to reconsider the current plan. It’s not a concern until it starts pooling somewhere and then could be a problem.”

Concerns of explosion exist if gas is concentrated enough in any one area. “If you don’t have to come through here, find an alternate route and know you won’t be able to get through,” Nelson added.

He said there are no current injuries and the gas leak is not a concern to the city or region at large. “This is a good lesson that if it smells to get out,” he added. “And please be patient as we get things under control.”

A spokesperson from Minnesota Energy said that a construction crew working in the area struck a piece of their equipment.

“Our crews are working quickly and safely to stop the flow of natural gas. As soon as that is complete, we will assess the damage to our equipment and begin to make repairs. As a reminder, if any of our customers smell natural gas in their homes, they should leave the area immediately and call us right away at 800-889-4970,” added the spokesperson.

07/15/2024

Emergency personnel is on scene of a gas leak in the area of 8th St SW and Johnson Ave SW in Pine City. We ask that you avoid the area to allow crews to work. Thank you.

07/15/2024

Forty years ago, an organization started with the goal of ending hopelessness amongst teenagers. That organization? TreeHouse; a Christian non-profit organization. In Sandstone alone, TreeHouse celebrates 11 years, and is celebrating their 11th year…

Forty years ago, an organization started with the goal of ending hopelessness amongst teenagers. That organization? TreeHouse; a Christian non-profit organization. In Sandstone alone, TreeHouse celebrates 11 years, and is

07/13/2024

Medical examiner shares details of deaths in Pine County

Dr. A. Quinn Piper, chief medical examiner of Midwest Medical Examiner, shared death statistics from Pine County recently with the Pine County Board of Commissioners as part of the examiner’s

07/12/2024

The Dragon Wagon has kicked off it’s summer schedule with Lobster Larry and other features at Robinson Park. The Dragon Wagon will be hosting a number of events in the area on the following dates/locations: July 16 at PC Kindergarten Playground 9-9…

The Dragon Wagon has kicked off it’s summer schedule with Lobster Larry and other features at Robinson Park. The Dragon Wagon will be hosting a number of events in the

07/12/2024

The year 1965 was a “doozy” of a year for educational leaders throughout the state of Minnesota. The weather contributed to making it an historic time for both “snow days” and “mud days” when the school buses couldn’t get through. This situation wa…

The year 1965 was a “doozy” of a year for educational leaders throughout the state of Minnesota. The weather contributed to making it an historic time for both “snow days”

07/12/2024

‘Flamingo Gals’ make a splash in the Cross Lake Association Boat Parade taking home a first place award for their flamingo clad pontoon.

07/11/2024

Back in 2020, we came up with the first Reader’s Choice Best of Pine County. We partnered with a software service called Second Street which uses a completely online process to have readers nominate their favorite businesses or people, vote for them…

Back in 2020, we came up with the first Reader’s Choice Best of Pine County. We partnered with a software service called Second Street which uses a completely online process

07/11/2024

Early voting has begun for the Pine City School District referendum. The special election day will take place on August 13 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the regular polling places.

Early voting has begun for the Pine City School District referendum. The special election day will take place on August 13 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the regular

07/11/2024

The Pine City Athletic Committee, a non-profit organization led by a group of area coaches, will host its annual event “Game Changer Dragon Fundraiser” on Saturday, July 13 at the Pine County Fairgrounds.

The Pine City Athletic Committee, a non-profit organization led by a group of area coaches, will host its annual event “Game Changer Dragon Fundraiser” on Saturday, July 13 at the

07/10/2024

New Pine City mayor sworn in

Newly appointed Pine City Mayor Kent Bombard is sworn in by former acting mayor Gina Pettie at the Hilltop city offices on Monday.

07/10/2024

Royalton Township has been in the spotlight as of late with much controversy over a proposed cannabis farm. Some in the township feel ...

Final decision rests with township at upcoming meeting

07/08/2024

Looking ahead to city elections

The year 2024 will be an exciting election year across our entire country. The city of Pine City will be no exception. Along with the presidential election, Pine City will

07/07/2024

Bottom feeders unite!

Greetings fellow Pine City Comrades! Pine City – East Central Minnesota’s home of high water, higher property taxes, and late mail. So, we’ve got that going for us. Which is

07/06/2024

National Newspaper Association files postal complaints with Postal Regulatory Commission

National Newspaper Association today delivered letters from more than 200 newspaper titles to the Postal Regulatory Commission, complaining about inadequate mail delivery and escalating postage rates.

07/05/2024

Re-opening of Cross Lake access debated at public meeting

Discussion of re-opening the 3rd Avenue SE dead end road to Cross Lake, which has served as a lake access in the past but has since been closed off, was

07/04/2024

Whitesidewalls at Art in the Park!

Click here to view this article from pinecitymn.com.

07/04/2024

New beauty salon opens in Pine City: Dapper & Divine

A new option for a beauty salon is now available to people in the Pine City area: Dapper & Divine. Owners of the new business, Megan Andersen, Ebony Rose and

07/04/2024

Little girl with a long road ahead for recovery

DiGeorge Syndrome isn’t something many of us have heard about. And it wasn’t something local resident David C. David heard of either when his daughter was first diagnosed as a

07/04/2024

Celebrating the Fourth!

Enjoying the firework display at Freedom Fest is always a main attraction for the Pine City community. More fireworks will likely be seen on the lakes on the Fourth and

07/04/2024

Joe Heller editorial cartoon

Click here to view this article from pinecitymn.com.

07/03/2024

Big turnout at PTCC BBQ & Car Show

The 9th Annual BBQ & Car Show at Pine Technical & Community College had the biggest showing ever last week. A free BBQ lunch was served by Mom’s Parkside Cafe.

07/03/2024

PoP Club at Farmers Market beginning July 5

Pine City Farmers’ Market’s Power of Produce Club (PoP Club) will open on Friday and Saturday, July 5 and 6, at the Farmers’ Market at the Pine County Fairgrounds.

07/03/2024

First Pine Theater Camp

The first Pine Theater Camp, hosted by the Heritage Players, Community Education and Pine County 4-H, was held this summer with 27 participating students ranging from 5th-8th grade. A public

07/03/2024

Dragons compete at University of Minnesota Duluth

The Pine City Dragons football team traveled for a two night stay at the University of Minnesota Duluth campus this past week. Pine City has participated in this camp since

07/03/2024

1st Human Foosball event at Freedom Fest

Freedom Fest brought in Human Foosball this year, that brought challenge and excitement to players and spectators of all ages.