Paul Lundgren
Duluth 2009 General Election Results
These are the final numbers.
Still no mandate on the school district’s long-range facilities plan. Half of the opponents of the plan were elected, and half were not. Jim Stauber is the comeback kid in the at-large city council race.
Duluth Second District City Councilor
Patrick Boyle – 2,543 | 78%
Rob Wagner – 668 | 21%
Duluth Fourth District City Councilor
Kerry Gauthier – 1,932 | 52%
Gordon Grant – 1,779 | 48%
Duluth At-large City Councilor
Top two candidates are elected
Dan Hartman – 9,322 | 26%
James Stauber – 9,045 | 25%
Beth Olson – 8,851 | 25%
Becky Hall – 8,256 | 23%
Question 1: Amending the city charter so the mayor can appoint a communications and policy officer and a community relations officer.
Yes – 10,797 | 59%
No – 7,431 | 41%
Question 2: Amending the city charter so city employees are not required to take a leave of absence from city employment to run for any political office, except city offices or Duluth’s board of education.
No – 9,069 | 50.07%
Yes – 9,044 | 49.93%
Duluth District One School Board
Ann Wasson – 2,925 | 54%
Marcia Stromgren – 2,513 | 46%
Duluth District Four School Board
Art Johnston – 1,972 | 53%
Laura Condon – 1,770 | 47%
Duluth At-large School Board
Top two candidates are elected
Tom Kasper – 11,757 | 32%
Mary Cameron – 8,960 | 24%
Nancy Nilsen – 8,308 | 22%
Maureen Booth – 7,975 | 21%
Yoshikas Sauna: Seventeen years of Memories in Duluth’s Friendly West End
From 1991 to 2008, Yoshikas Sauna served the West End with its famous “erotic” massages. Everyone in town knew prostitution was going on there, but somehow the long arm of the law seemed to ignore it.
It was finally shut down when the city decided not to grant a massage establishment license to owner Suzy Woo-Young in November 2008. (Woo-Young had operated Yoshikas without a license all those years, and decided to finally apply for one. Oops.)
Kevin Lund bought the building and had it torn down last Thursday.
Any Yoshikas memories for the record, PDD commenters? (You know, stories that won’t gross us all out.)
By the way, people always called the place “Yoshiko’s Sauna.” The News Tribune refers to it as “Yoshiko Sauna,” which is also how it appeared in the phone book. The sign (pictured above) said “Yoshikas Sauna,” so I spell it that way. It seems like there should be a possessive apostrophe, but I’m not sure who or what a Yoshika is.
Last call on the $100 drawing
Perfect Duluth Day’s readership survey will end at 8 p.m. Tuesday, when the election polls close.
If you haven’t already surrendered your private information in order to be eligable to win the drawing, you have until then. Click here for a chance to win $100 from PDD.
The drawing will be held Wednesday morning, and the winner will be announced in the comments of the original post, which is linked above.
Gutter Politics
I cleaned the gutters on my house today and found, among the clumps of various yard waste, a flier for a school board candidate forum and a slice of bologna slathered in mustard.
Trick or treat?
Blue Law Blues
According to estimates by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, Minnesota could raise $10 million in tax revenues simply by allowing liquor stores to sell on Sundays.
Read this brief story from Saint Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report for more info.
But the real reason to allow liquor stores to sell on Sundays is because it’s stupid not to, right?
Regarding Rod Raymond
Rod Raymond is a fitness instructor at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He was investigated by UMD administrators this past summer and reprimanded for sexually harassing students. The issue became the hot topic in town last week when the Duluth News Tribune reported on it.
A post was made on this Web site last week regarding the issue, and a lot of people weighed in with comments. The person who made the post ultimately grew uncomfortable with it and decided to change the post and remove all the comments, except one.
Since then, PDD administrators have opted to not approve two other posts about the issue — one that didn’t seem to make any sense, and another that was purely mean spirited. A third post was automatically published, but was later removed because it was considered to be in poor taste.
This is a sensitive issue, but it’s also an important one. It is not the intention of PDD’s administrators to shut down all commentary about this. On the contrary, we encourage you to add your comments to this post. If you feel Mr. Raymond’s punishment was too light or that he was unfairly judged, by all means say so.
Just keep it productive, please. Don’t go all batshit loonball.
Honkers get together on Facebook
Surely this will come as no surprise, but there’s now a Facebook page for the Honking House.
How are you liking the Lakewalk extension?
I didn’t get around to checking it out until yesterday, but I must say the new Lakewalk extension to 47th Avenue East is fantastic. Call it reason #1,327 to love Duluth.
My only complaint: What’s the deal with the annoying chain-link fence that runs the entire stretch? I suppose it’s to prevent toddlers from crawling in front of a train, but can’t we sacrifice a few kids for the sake of aesthetics?
Minnesota Supreme Court: Bong water is a controlled substance
In a split decision today, the Minnesota Supreme Court said possession of 25 grams or more of bong water that tests positive for a controlled substance can be prosecuted as a first-degree drug crime. (more…)
Denfeld vs. Central: Bookends to a Rivalry
Duluth Denfeld played Duluth Central tonight in high school football for what will very likely be the last time. Denfeld won 20-6 in front of a crowd of maybe 500 at Public Schools Stadium. (more…)
You could win $100! Just feed the PDD marketing weasel by taking a privacy-invading survey.
Seriously. Perfect Duluth Day is going to give away $100 to one randomly drawn survey participant. Isn’t that awesome enough to make you want to answer a bunch of personal questions without feeling any reservations or contempt?
Good. Then click this link:
SURVEY IS NOW CLOSED.
Why have PDD’s powers-that-be ignored their natural Minnesota Lutheran shame and commenced prodding you to disclose information that is none of their business? Because that’s how the vicious gears of capitalism work, you silly goose.
We all got bills to pay, yo.
This survey will gather information that PDD’s marketing weasel can use to show other marketing weasels how this Web site is an ideal place to advertise certain products and services.
Rest assured, the intentions of this survey are entirely money-grabbing in nature, just as the rationale of participating in it should be. There are no plans to streamline content on PDD, based on survey results, in order to produce a highly targeted product that is perfectly tailored to your distinct demographic. PDD wouldn’t stoop that low. This is just about selling more of those little squares on the right of the page.
Your info won’t be shared with anyone, and you won’t be put on any spam list or further bothered in any way. It is Perfect Duluth Day’s policy to be as upfront and forthright as possible while taking advantage of you.
Thanks, and good luck.
PDD Contest: Guess how many razor blades are hidden in this apple
Be the first to guess the exact number of razor blades hidden in the apple pictured above to win two spots on the guest list for Evil Dead: The Musical. One guess per person, please. Make your guess in the comments to this post.
Mark Mallman returning to Duluth
He’ll be playing Pizza Luce on Nov. 13. (Show canceled.) Here’s his new video, “White Leather Days.”
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXWWG0gCxhk
Eeeeeck! Crazy moose loose in the hoose!
This must be the spot where mice are inviting themselves into my home. What I don’t understand is: Why rip the siding apart? That’s got to be hard work for mice, and it’s totally unnecessary. I mean, hell, six mice at a time could enter side by side now. If they make the entry much bigger a cat will be able to go in there after them.
Anyway, finding a little black mouse doing laps in the basement sink is a fun way to start the day, isn’t it?
Make me feel better by commenting about infestations you’ve experienced and your innovative and hopefully humane ideas for termanting the lives of the little bastards.
(I’m not including any photos of the mouse or details about how it was executed, because I want you to like me.)
Circles of Giving – Donate your stuff and shop for free stuff
The next Circles of Giving event is Saturday, Oct. 24, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Valley Youth Center in West Duluth. It’s a recycling-minded shopping event where everything is free.
If you’ve got something useful you want to get rid of, someone will actually come to your home and pick it up for the purpose of giving it to someone who wants it. (Although it would obviously be easier for the organizers if you drop it off).
Duluth 2009 General Election Sample Ballot
You’ll probably be surprised to discover there are two questions on the Nov. 3 ballot regarding amendments to the City Charter. There’s nothing highly sexy about the questions, so there hasn’t been much reporting about them. Read the questions and you’ll pretty much get the gist.
Another note: There are more races going on than the ballot image above indicates. What will be on your ballot depends on what precinct you vote in.
A complete and more legible list of candidates can be found here. PDD presents this ballot image because, well, some of us are visual learners.
Captured by Robots
In reference to the Captured by Robots show at Pizza Luce, I believe Lumpy G put it best: “It’s like Chuck E. Cheese meets David Lynch.”
Another “harsh online critic” of the Duluth News Tribune
John Ramos’ Cheerleader Blog presents: “How to Control the Media: A Rant.”
Duluth’s western middle school plans
Check out the plans for Duluth’s western middle school. Click here to see the PDF file.
Famous Beaver Bay Invention: Sexual Armor
The Green Door, a liquor store and bar in Beaver Bay, has a framed tribute to Ellen E. Perkins. She was the inventor of “certain new and useful Improvements in Sexual Armor.”
The account on the wall of the bar reads:
Surprisingly enough, the sexual armor invented by Ellen E. Perkins of Beaver Bay, Minnesota is not for defense against assault but to keep the wearer from playing with himself. In her 1908 patent she calls the practice that the garment is designed to prevent one of the most common causes of insanity, imbecility and feeblemindedness – especially in youth – and equally true of both sexes. Her profession, by implication nursing, had made her very familiar with the subject. (more…)
Fall colors on Lake Superior’s North Shore: Silver Bay and Beaver Bay area
Someone left this for me to find on the footbridge across Penn Creek. Kudos to the artist. (more…)
Fire on the Water – Firey photos of the flaming frenzy
The Spin Collective Fire Dancers performed at Lake Place Park as the grand finale to last night’s Fire on the Water dance show at Teatro Zuccone.
There are two more performances, Oct. 9 and 10. See original post.
Kill the Skunk! – Plus open ranting in the comments about experiences at the West Duluth Kmart
Last night I walked past a house that reeked of a fetid oil recently sprayed from the anus of a West Duluth skunk.
Two kids, who looked to be about 11 years old, were walking the sidewalk toward the odiferous house as I was walking away. They seemed to know that something was going on. Another kid, maybe two years younger, came from across the street and shouted, “Did they kill the skunk yet?”
“No, but they’re about to,” one of the other kids answered.
“Awesome!” the younger kid yelled with great enthusiasm, running over to join them.
I continued on my way, as I often do in these situations, only to wonder later why I didn’t hang around for the full story. It seems that, at some point in my life, getting to Kmart became more important than witnessing an execution.