A brand, new day is dawning for the Pine Journal - yet again.
After a number of ownership changes and a merger over the past decade, "Carlton County's newspaper" is about to come full circle - right back to where it once belonged.
With its headquarters currently located at 813 Cloquet Avenue, the local newspaper plans to relocate its office to the historic West End district of Cloquet in coming weeks, along with the Northland Smart Shopper of Cloquet.
The two publications, both of which are part of the Forum Communications Inc. group, will share permanent office space at 122 Avenue C, in the space formerly occupied by Eclipse Paint and Supply.
Ironically, that very building was once the home of the Pine Knot, one of the predecessors to the current Pine Journal.
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As the office space in the West End is being renovated and wired for the necessary technology, the Pine Journal will temporarily relocate to the Pine Tree Plaza this Friday, April 13, and share space with the Northland Smart Shopper in the shopper's current location.
There will be no interruption in the production of either the newspaper or shopper during the course of the transition.
An exact date has not yet been set for the two publications to move to the West End location, but both publications anticipate it should happen within the month.
The Pine Journal and the Northland Smart Shopper will continue to do business separately following the upcoming move but hope to share some synergies of operation that willincrease efficiency and benefit readers and advertisers by being located under one roof.
Wendy Johnson will continue as publisher of the Pine Journal and John Sheff will continue as manager of the Northland Smart Shopper. No staffing changes will take place.
"We are excited about the upcoming changes afoot," said Johnson, "but we have a lot of work ahead of us to get there. We ask for the public's patience and cooperation in coming weeks, and we believe the changes will be well worth waiting for."
Anyone wishing to send in new or renewed subscription orders or account payments beginning Friday can send them directly to the Pine Journal at its temporary Pine Tree Plaza address at: 707 Highway 33 South, Suite 3, Cloquet, MN 55720, or directly to the Duluth News Tribune at: 424 West First Street, Duluth, MN 55803.
Anyone with news items to share or other business to conduct with either publication will be able to continue to reach each of them at their current telephone and fax numbers. The Pine Journal telephone number is 879-1950 and the Northland Smart Shopper's is 879-1497. The fax number for the Pine Journal is 879-2078 and the Smart Shopper's is 879-0507.
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Advertisers are encouraged to contact their account representatives by cell phone whenever possible at the following numbers: Phyllis Rousseau, 590-8375, and Jenny Gilberg, 590-8381, of the Pine Journal; and John Sheff, 590-7948, and Scott Blatchford, 590-8349, of the Northland Smart Shopper.
