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WALK TO SCHOOL: Some students may have to step it up PAGE 2
Welcome to White Bear hockey heaven BY DEBRA NEUTKENS STAFF WRITER
PAUL DOLS | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
Spotting signs of Spring Naturalist Shannon Stewart leads a group of visitors down a trail at Tamarack Nature Center following a trip into the sugar bush during a recent Sap to Syrup event. Participants learned how to locate, identify and tap maple trees, at left, during the hiking portion of the event, followed by a trip to the sugar shack and a final stop inside for log cabin sundaes. Future events at Tamarack Nature Center include naturalist led weekend activities and an Earth Day celebration in April. Find more information at tamaracknaturecenter.org
Matchups won’t be announced for a few months yet, but the local organizing committee for Hockey Day Minnesota 2023 is already immersed in planning the extravaganza. Held annually since 2007 at host cities around the state (with the exception of 2021), the special event celebrates the game that makes Minnesota the “State of Hockey.” Mark your calendars and save the date: Jan. 28 at Polar Lakes Park in White Bear Township. The Minnesota Wild originated the unique day, which the organization produces in partnership with Bally Sports North and the local host community, selected more than a year in advance. As the showcase for hockey has evolved over the years, so have expectations from event partners, said Corey Roberts, part of the team that got the puck passed to White Bear Lake. “We need to show we’re making progress and that we’re working to get support,” Roberts said, The support to which Roberts refers is mainly financial at this point. One of the committee’s first major tasks is SEE HOCKEY DAY, PAGE 13
Mahtomedi native killed in Ukraine while standing in bread line BY NOELLE OLSON SHOREVIEW PRESS EDITOR
Jim Hill, a 1973 graduate of Mahtomedi High School, was killed Thursday, March 17, in the northern Ukraine city of Chernihiv when Russian forces attacked people standing in a bread line. According to CBS News, Hill is the second American killed since Russia invaded Ukraine Feb. 24. “My brother Jimmy Hill was killed yesterday in Chernihiv, Ukraine. He was waiting in a bread line with several other people when
they were gunned down by Russian military forces,” Hill’s sister, Cheryl Hill Gordon, wrote on Facebook. “His body was found in the street by the local police.” Hill was in Ukraine to care for his longtime partner, Irina, who was being treated at a local hospital for multiple sclerosis and was in the intensive care unit. Willie Madline, a 1974 graduate of Mahtomedi High School, played baseball and football with Hill and the two have been close friends throughout the years.
Jim Hill’s profile photo on his Facebook page.
“I talked to him two days before he was killed,” Madline said. “He said he had a 50/50 chance of getting out alive.” Before his death, Madline said about 30 people were communicating on a Facebook thread everyday and Hill would provide them updates on his situation and the war. “He said he could have left, but he felt he needed to stay behind and help not only with Ira, but with getting food for people in the hospital,” Madline said. “I don’t think the news shows how bad it really is
for the civilians.” One of Hill’s last posts on Facebook was on March 8. “Intense bombing last night for 2 hours. It was close to hospital. Machinegun fire could be heard. It stopped just after midnight. It was all around Chernihiv. Power was out for 7 hours. Back on now. No shooting for awhile,” Hill wrote. “I believe there is a cease fire. Ira is supposed to start her advanced medical treatment for her MS. This is what we have been waiting for. Hopefully SEE JIM HILL, PAGE 12
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