Pine Knot News - A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news

As the final days of summer slowly run out, so does my summer internship with the Pine Knot News. From the first article to my last, I've enjoyed the opportunity to help tell the story of our county and the people who live here. However, school and extracurriculars leave me with little time to devote to the weekly interviewing and writing. This school year, I plan to continue to write for the Pine Knot, but the time constraints that inevitably come with the school year will not allow me to write weekly like I have been.

This internship has allowed me to get closer to the community where I have spent nearly all of my life. Through this job, I went to my first Labor Day parade and the Wood City Music Festival. I learned how to make mats out of plastic bags and how the school board supports our school system. I had the opportunity to meet an ultra runner, and a local guy who now works to address climate change in Washington, D.C. I met a girl who followed her passion across the nation, and a couple who have been married for a lifetime.

I would like to say a few thank-yous before my time with the paper is limited to the occasional freelance pieces I will be fitting in between homework, sports, and club activities that started Wednesday.

I first want to thank the Minnesota Newspaper Association/Minnesota News Media Institute. The organization supplied the grant which allowed the Pine Knot to bring me on as a summer intern.

Second, I would like to thank the Pine Knot staff. Each one of them made me feel welcome every time I walked into the office. They also helped me learn about how local media works, from interviewing to photography to writing. Without their help, I wouldn't have learned nearly as much about our county or the media as I have.

Third, I would like to thank everyone I interviewed over the summer. You made every story a unique and special experience that I will always remember. The special and amazing things you do are what makes us different from every other place in the world.

Finally, I want to thank the Pine Knot readers. Without your support, I would never have gotten the opportunity to write and explore our county's story like I have this summer.

Thank you again for all of the support you give our newspaper and the staff members who work here. You have all made this summer an experience that I don't think I will forget anytime soon.

Look for the occasional story by Jordan Allen over the school year, and contact him care of [email protected]. Or go watch him run cross-country and perform in the musical this fall at Cloquet High School, where he is a senior.