PDD News Sieve
Island Lake Inn back in business with original owner
After four months of locked doors, the Island Lake Inn is back open for business, under new management. The well-known bar and grill, located about 12 miles north of Duluth in the Gnesen Township, announced its return Monday on Facebook. (more…)
Irving Park renovation work starts next week
Construction is ready to begin at Irving Park in West Duluth. A news release from the city’s Parks and Recreation division specifies May 7 as the date KTM Paving, Inc. will launch the first phase of a $1.1-million revitalization plan. (more…)
Iron Mug closing May 25
Iron Mug Coffee and Ale House in Duluth’s Morgan Park neighborhood will close May 25 according to a post made on the business’ Facebook page today:
As most of you know we have decided to make the hard decision to close our wonderful restaurant. We have enjoyed getting to know the wonderful people in Morgan Park as well as all the people that drove out to check our place out. I’m so glad that I got to witness and be part of all the new friendships that developed here because that really was what this place was all about. Again thank you for all the support these last four years.
Lake Superior Brewing takes on cans; brings back Mesabi Red
Lake Superior Brewing is poised to begin distributing its line of craft beers in cans.
“We’re using a mobile canning operation, Lagersmith, that will come and set up right here in our brewery,” the brewery’s co-owner Lisa Blade said in a news release. “Cans are lighter, won’t break and can be crushed for easy pack out — plus, it was a great opportunity to refresh the brand art. The Mesabi Red cans will feature a beautiful laker on Superior.”
The first beers to be in cans will be the brewery’s best seller, Kayak Kölsch, and the return of Mesabi Red Ale, available for the first time in five years.
An event is planned in the brewery’s taproom on May 4 at 4 p.m. where the public can watch the Wild Goose MWC-250 mobile-canning line in action.
Superior evacuation and Duluth advisory lifted
“I am lifting the evacuation order at 6 a.m. this morning,” Superior Mayor Jim Paine wrote on Facebook. “All indications are that the refinery site is safe and stable and the air quality is clean and normal. Welcome home.”
The city of Duluth has lifted last night’s precautionary shelter-in-place advisory for the western neighborhoods.
Superior refinery fire contained; precautionary advisory issued for residents of western Duluth as winds shift
Image via WDIO Eyewitness News
Around 6:45 p.m. the fire at Husky Energy’s oil refinery in Superior was contained. An evacuation of the area was ordered earlier today and remains in place. (more…)
Evacuation ordered as Superior refinery burns
At approximately 9:50 a.m. there was an explosion at the Husky Energy oil refinery in Superior. The initial fire was extinguished at 11:31 a.m., but a second fire erupted shortly after noon. The Duluth News Tribune reports there have been multiple explosions. An additional tank caught fire at 3:15 p.m.
All refinery personnel and contractors have been accounted for. There are no known fatalities. Conflicting reports indicate somewhere between six and 20 people injured.
Fox 21 News reports: “Five patients were taken to Essentia Health in Superior and five more to Essentia Health in Duluth. Of those five in Duluth, one person suffered a serious blast injury and the others had minor injuries. … Essentia Health–St. Mary’s Hospital in Superior was evacuated as a precaution and all Essentia facilities in Superior are closed because of the explosion.”
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has issued an evacuation of the area due to the potential toxic nature of the smoke. Anyone located 10 miles south of the Husky Energy refinery, or three miles east or west, or one mile north, are asked to evacuate. The Duluth Entertainment Convention Center and Four Corners Elementary School are the mustering points for evacuees. Four Corners School is located at 4465 E. County Road B in the Town of Superior. (more…)
Earth Rider expands brewing capacity
Earth Rider Brewery in Superior is expanding its production capacity. Tomorrow morning two more large vessels, a 40BBL fermenter and 40BBL brite tank, will be installed. Another expansion is planned for late 2018. Earth Rider began brewing operations in September and intends to expand distribution to Two Harbors this week.
Charlie Parr has the “Best Song to Cry To”
This week’s issue of City Pages is the annual “Best of the Twin Cities” edition. It’s typical for one or two Duluth persons, places or things get a mention. This year it’s Charlie Parr, whose song “Sometimes I’m Alright” was named Best Song to Cry To. (more…)
Duluth Drone not Drones
The fifth annual Drone Not Drones event took place Jan. 26-27 at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. More than 60 acts rotated on and off the stage performing a continuous, uninterrupted, 28-hour drone of unified sound to raise money for Doctors Without Borders.
Now there’s a 28-hour soundtrack on Bandcamp.
It’s broken into segments, so Duluthians interested in listening to sets by Duluth bands can go straight to sets by Low, If Thousands, Timbre Ghost and Modify.
Bjorklund 2018 half-marathon entry up for bid
Security Jewelers is again auctioning one of its sponsor entries to the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon on eBay. This year the proceeds will benefit the Hills Youth & Family Services, a Duluth nonprofit that provides programming for at-risk youth and their families. The auction ends April 13 at noon.
Lottery registration for the 2018 Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon is closed. The race is at capacity with 7,500 participants. The entry cost via the lottery was $95; last year’s auctioned entry raised $205 for the Damiano Center.
Homegrown Music Festival 2018: New Website, 20th Anniversary Mixtape, Field Guide, Schedule, et. al.
The publicity machine for the 20th annual Homegrown Music Festival is gearing up. A 108-page Field Guide hit the streets during the last week of March, and now a new promotional mix is available for free download on Bandcamp and a new web design has launched at duluthhomegrown.org. (more…)
Kingsbury Bay and Grassy Point Habitat Restoration Project
There’s good news for people who like to geek out with lengthy environmental assessment worksheets and pages upon pages of support documents. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is accepting public comments through April 18 on the EAW for the Kingsbury Bay and Grassy Point Habitat Restoration Project in West Duluth.
The graphic above is an interesting nugget from the documents. It shows aerial views of the Kingsbury Bay area, where Kingsbury Creek enters the St. Louis River estuary near Indian Point Campground. The 1948 version shows a wide open beach; the modern view shows a marshy swamp filled with invasive narrow-leaved cattails. (more…)
Bent Paddle’s new taproom will open April 12
Bent Paddle will transition from its old taproom at its brewing facility to a new one across the avenue during the month of April. The new space, located in the former Enger & Olson Furniture store building at 1832 W. Michigan St., has been under construction since November. (more…)
Canning is underway at Earth Rider Brewery
Earth Rider Brewery announced today that 12 oz. cans of its beer will be available at retail outlets beginning Thursday. Until now Earth Rider beer has been exclusively available in crowlers (32 oz. cans) from the Cedar Lounge taproom and on draft at local restaurants and taverns.
Cans will be available in the Twin Ports initially and expand this summer to include the South Shore to Ashland, North Shore to Two Harbors and other points within the Lake Superior watershed.
Four Earth Rider flagship styles will be put into cans initially: Superior Pale Ale, North Tower Stout, Precious Material Helles and Caribou Lake IPA.
Ursa Minor Brewing plans summer opening in Duluth
Duluth’s West End neighborhood will soon be home to three breweries. Ursa Minor Brewing expects to open this summer, joining Lake Superior Brewing Company and Bent Paddle Brewing in the burgeoning Lincoln Park Craft District.
The founders of the new brewery are brothers Ben and Mark Hugus. (more…)
Missing Person: Hunter Goeden
Update: Hunter Goeden returned home March 9 and is safe.
The Duluth Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating Hunter Joseph Goeden, a 14-year-old male who is approximately 5-foot 8-inches tall, 115 pounds with blue eyes and blond hair. Goeden did not return home from school on March 8. He was last seen wearing a purple/green plaid shirt, white jogging pants, a Seahawks cap, gray Nike shoes and thick blue glasses.
Duluthians go for Gold
UMD Bulldog and Team USA goalie Maddie Rooney sported the Aerial Lift Bridge on the back of her helmet as Team USA took gold last night. There were a total of five UMD Bulldogs in the quest for the gold medal: Rooney and defenseman Sidney Morin for team USA, and forward Haley Irwin, defensemen Jocelyne Larocque and Brigette Lacquette were playing for Canada. Also, the U.S. team was coached by Duluth native Robb Stauber.
HERE COMES DIGGINS!!! Chad Salmela does it again!!!
Above: Duluth’s Chad Salmela delivers another outstanding performance as an announcer at the 2018 Winter Olympics. (more…)
Oakhold Farmhouse Brewery “will not become a reality”
A planned brewery in Midway Township outside Duluth will apparently not come to fruition. Equipment from a disreputable manufacturer could be partially to blame, but there has been no official statement from the owners regarding what ultimately brought the project to a halt. (more…)
Johnson’s Bakery will close Lakeside location
Johnson’s Bakery announced Saturday on Facebook it will close its Lakeside location. Operations will continue at the original Johnson’s Bakery in Duluth’s West End.
“It is with regret that we must close our retail location in Lakeside,” the Facebook post stated. “We have GREATLY appreciated our loyal customers; our Lakeside employees have LOVED working with you. Many of you have been so kind to those employees as they have made different life transitions.”
An exact closing date has not been determined, but the Facebook post indicates it will be “no later than the end of April.” (more…)
North Country Girl in the Saturday Evening Post
Gay Haubner’s memoir about growing up in Duluth during the 1960s has been running as a weekly serial in The Saturday Evening Post since May 24, 2017. It’s at 36 chapters and counting, indexed on the page linked below.