KNOT notes

Santa is home for the holidays now

The annual Santa’s Home for the Holidays is in full swing already, with a chili feed courtesy of the Cloquet and Fond du Lac police, who reported a good turnout Wednesday; the same with the Pine Knot News open house with Santa on Thursday. But there is much still to come.

A gift and craft show continues today (Friday, Nov. 30) at the Armory, followed by Holidays on the Farm at the Carlton County Historical Society 1-3 p.m., and free photos with Santa, live children’s holiday music, and crafts and dinner at Queen of Peace Church 5-7 p.m.

The County Seat Theater play “The Game’s Afoot or Holmes for the Holidays” runs Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. with a 2 p.m. matinee Sunday.

Saturday is the BIG day, when there are events all day long, a parade, and fireworks with an alumni hockey game to wrap things up in true Northland style.

Saturday starts with a Pancake breakfast at Churchill Elementary 8:30-10:30 a.m., followed by a Cookie Walk and Country Store 9-11 a.m. at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church. From 1 to 4 p.m., have loads of fun at both Cloquet Ford Chrysler and Members Cooperative Credit Union. Warm up and make a s’more around a Cloquet Area Fire District fire pit starting at 4 p.m. in anticipation of the 5 p.m. Santa’s Home for the Holidays Parade down Cloquet Avenue, followed immediately by fireworks. Then head to Northwoods Credit Union for the alumni hockey game. Find the full schedule of events on Page 20 of this week’s paper.

Lighting contest starts today

Today is the first day for voting in the Christmas Lighting Challenge, although registration for the fourth annual lighting contest is open through Dec. 5.

Families and business owners in the Northland can register their homes or businesses online. Once registered (for free), their address will be listed on an official Lighting Challenge google map with a chance to win great prizes. Prospective voters can view and see a map of the registered lighting displays and vote for their favorites online. Prizes will be awarded Dec. 21 for the categories of “Best Home” and “Best Business” in each city (including Duluth, Superior and Cloquet). There will also be an additional prize for “Best Home” overall, and folks can also vote for their favorite “Master.” “Best City” will also be a voting category, along with the new category “Grand Master,” with no official prize being awarded, but recognition and bragging rights.

Find a full list of lighting displays, an interactive map and voting at http://www.asweeteventus.com/lightingchallenge

The overall event goal is to provide the community a fun resource of lighting displays for the community to tour.

Use de-icing salt sparingly to protect Minnesota waters

As the first snow of the season arrives, Minnesotans start thinking about clearing snow and ice from pavement — sometimes with salt. But when the snow melts or it rains, the salt, which contains chloride, runs into storm drains and into nearby lakes, rivers, and groundwater.

It takes only a teaspoon of salt to permanently pollute five gallons of water. There’s no feasible way to remove chloride once it gets into the water, and we are finding increasing amounts of chloride in waters around the state. Salty water harms freshwater fish and other aquatic wildlife.

Though no environmentally safe, effective, and inexpensive alternatives to salt are yet available, smart salting strategies can help reduce chloride pollution in state waters. You might think more salt means more melting and safer conditions, but it’s not true! Salt will effectively remove snow and ice if it’s scattered so that the salt grains are about three inches apart. A coffee mugful of salt (about 12 ounces) is all you need for a 20-foot driveway or 10 sidewalk squares (roughly 1,000 square feet). Consider using a hand-held spreader to apply salt consistently, and use salt only in critical areas.

And sweep up any extra that is visible on dry pavement. It is no longer doing any work and will be washed away into local waters.

Additional tips for limiting salt use:

Shovel. The more snow and ice you remove manually, the less salt you’ll have to use and the more effective it can be.

15°F and below is too cold for salt. Most salts stop working at this temperature. Use sand instead for traction, but remember that sand does not melt ice.

Slow down. Drive for the conditions and make sure to give plow drivers plenty of space to do their work. Consider purchasing winter (snow) tires.

Promote smart salting. Work together with local government, businesses, schools, churches, and nonprofits to advocate for reducing salt use in your community.

Learn more on the agency’s website at https://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/chloride-salts

It’s that time of year again — with winter comes “winter parking” in Cloquet and Scanlon, which means no vehicles are allowed to be parked on the streets, alleys, boulevards, sidewalks or public grounds overnight from Nov. 1 through March 31. In Cloquet, that technically means 3 a.m. to 6 a.m .; in Scanlon it means between 1 a.m.

and 6 a.m.

No overnight parking during winter in Cloquet, Scanlon

Last week, Cloquet police officers issued warnings to vehicles in violation of the winter parking statute. According to city code, the police department can remove and impound any vehicle in violation of the winter parking ordinance, and the motor vehicle shall not be released until the fees for towing and storage of the vehicle are paid to the bailee holding the vehicle. Those fees are on top of any fine otherwise imposed for the violation of this section.

With the first couple of snowfalls this week, Cloquet officers responded

to several motor vehicle accidents. Please remember to drive slowly, obey traffic laws, and give yourself extra time to arrive at your destination safely.

Protestors arrested in Carlton Tuesday

According to a press release from the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office, a call came in at 7:14 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27 that there was a large group of protestors and a tent by a lumberyard in the city of Carlton. Updated information placed the protestors at an address in Twin Lakes Township off of County Road 61.

Deputies responded and encountered approximately seven people that were on private property without permission from the property owner. Three individuals refused to leave after being requested to do so by the property owner. Deputies also spoke with these individuals who refused to voluntarily leave, and they were subsequently arrested.

The individuals arrested are:

Andrew (NMN) Acque, age 36, of Duluth, charged with Trespass, bail $200;

Malia Geewai Hulleman, age 24, of Kanoehe, Hawaii, charged with Trespass, bail $200;

Margaret Christine Sager, age 22, of Owatonna, Minn., charged with Trespass and Obstruct Legal Process/Interfere with Peace Officer, bail $200.

All of the individuals have been released on bail pending future court appearances.

Knot Notes are written or compiled by Pine Knot News staff.