PDD News Sieve
Northeastern Minnesota Book Award Winners for 2024
Nine books have been recognized for this year’s Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards, which celebrate books that substantially represent the history, culture, heritage or lifestyle of northeastern Minnesota. (more…)
Ursa Minor earns bronze at Great American Beer Festival
Duluth’s Ursa Minor Brewing won a bronze medal for its Equanimity Irish Style Red Ale at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver on Oct. 12. It’s the brewery’s second bronze medal at the festival; the first came in 2019 for Thistle Dew in the Scottish-Style Ale category.
Equanimity also won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2022 and another gold at the World Beer Cup in 2023. (more…)
Club One Under to replace Rex Bar at Fitger’s
Duluth's new sports bar features golf simulators - Duluth News Tribune | News, weather, and sports from Duluth, Minnesota
Club One Under is opening soon in the former Rex Nightclub space at the Fitger's Complex.
duluthnewstribune.com
A new bar offering simulated sports such as golf, basketball and hockey is expected to open Sept. 28 in the Fitger’s Brewery Complex. Club One Under will occupy the space that previously served as Rex Bar at Fitger’s, which was a popular nightclub and music venue from 2008 to 2023.
The Duluth News Tribune reports that Club One Under owners Derek, Angie, Mike and Stacy Locker have entered into a long-term lease on the 6,000-square-foot space.
Duluth’s Ten Most Endangered Places in 2024
The Duluth Preservation Alliance has announced its 2024 list of the ten most endangered places. The list includes buildings with active plans for demolition, properties with uncertain futures and underrecognized places with overlooked history that might be vulnerable to future threats. (more…)
Duluth 2024 Primary Election Results
With 4,102 of 4,102 precincts reporting, here are statewide primary election results for races relevant to Duluth. (more…)
Duluth 2024 Primary Election Sample Ballot
Perhaps the most important thing to note about the Aug. 13 primary ballot is what isn’t on it. There are no city of Duluth or Duluth School Board races in this election cycle. There are several state, county and judicial offices that have no primary, so those candidates go straight to the general election on Nov. 5. And there is nothing on the primary ballot related to the U.S. Presidency because that is up to party delegates to determine. (more…)
MiigWitches Brew drive-thru coffee kiosk open
MPR News reports MiigWitches Brew, a new Native-owned drive-thru coffee kiosk, opened in June at 1810 Big Lake Road on the Fond du Lac reservation, about 15 miles east of Duluth.
Villiard aims high with ‘Waiting for Beds’
Ojibwe descendant artist creates safe space for empowerment, exploration of stories | Buffalo’s Fire
Buffalo’s Fire: Native-led news covering Indigenous communities in North Dakota — tribal sovereignty, environmental justice, and cultural preservation.
buffalosfire.com
The Native American news website Buffalo’s Fire reports on Duluth artist Moira Villiard’s new project, “Waiting for Beds,” which looks at what happens to people who have to wait for a bed during a crisis, such as domestic violence, homelessness or addiction. The exhibit is on display at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Duluth’s church at 835 W. College St. through September.
Duluth and the Climate Haven Bandwagon
US cities are advertising themselves as 'climate havens'. But can they actually protect residents from extreme weather?
Buffalo, New York, is one of a growing number of cities to embrace the idea of being a climate refuge, but can they actually protect residents from extreme weather?
bbc.com
The British Broadcasting Corporation mentions Duluth among the cities that have “jumped on the climate haven bandwagon.”
“But is any place really going to be spared from climate change?” the story asks. “And does moving to one of these cities represent a sustainable solution to the crisis?”
Duluth is No. 10 on CNN’s Best Towns to Visit in 2024
“Duluth is proving to be a Superior travel spot,” according to CNN, “thanks to its lakeside setting, outdoor activities and creative spirit.” The Zenith City landed at No. 10 on the cable news channel’s list of “American’s Best Towns to Visit.”
Above & Below: The rise, fall, and rise of the Duluth underground
The July 2004 issue of Twin Cities monthly magazine The Rake included a feature on the Duluth music scene. The Rake existed from 2002 to 2008 and its archives, including the Duluth article, are available online. The text of the now 20-year-old story also appears below, with images from the magazine. (more…)
Cherry Koch: Homebody
Minnesota Public Radio reports Duluth artist Cherry Koch is working on a new series of paintings called “Homebody,” is preparing for an Aug. 24 fashion show at The Main Club, will put the series “Rug on Fire,” back on view again for Duluth Superior Pride in August and September, and is co-curating the group show called “The Gayest Art Show Ever” at Prøve Gallery which opens Aug. 30.
Mark’s Great Duluth Alley Rally Urban Mountain Biking Route
Duluth has become known for it’s mountain biking trails in recent years, and for decades the paved Munger Trail has been a favorite of those with road bikes. But what about the unofficial street routes created just for the sake of being weird? Well, Perfect Duluth Day’s own Mark Nicklawske has established a route through the Endion, Chester Park and Congdon Park area that “climbs and plummets more than 1,300 feet in about 10 miles” according to a review on Medium by Nicklawske’s friend Keith Uhlig of Wausaw. (more…)
Duluth 2024 Primary Election Primer
The filing period for candidates running for federal, state and county offices in Minnesota is from May 21 to June 4. The primary election is Aug. 13; the general election is Nov. 5. (more…)
Make Music Day Superior Open Call for Musicians
Siggy’s Musical Garden is presenting the third annual Make Music Day in Superior on June 21, the day of the year with the most daylight. The goal of the event is for “every kind of musician — young and old, amateur and professional, of every musical persuasion” to set up on “streets, parks, plazas and porches to share their music with friends, neighbors and strangers.” The open call application for musicians is online at makemusicday.org/superior.
Versions of Make Music Day take place all over the world. Last year Superior had about 40 musical acts performing mostly outdoors.
DuluthiLeaks: Duluth Foghorn Facts
It’s been 100 years since Duluth’s original diaphone fog siren was installed at the Duluth Shipping Canal. That siren was decommissioned by the Coast Guard in 1968 and replaced by an electric whistle. In 1983 another old diaphone foghorn was acquired and installed. It was used on a ceremonial basis until 1995, then returned to regular service as a maritime aid to navigation. Community members immediately complained it was too loud. The controversy raged on until the horn was dismantled in 2006.
For the sixth edition of DuluthiLeaks — Perfect Duluth Day’s series in which public documents are presented as if they contain secret information leaked from an anonymous whistle blower — we present “Duluth Foghorn Facts,” a document and collection of images compiled by Jeffrey L. Laser of Bellville, Ohio. At some point after 1996, Laser put together the information below, delving into the nitty gritty of the diaphone foghorn that was housed in the Duluth South Breakwater Outer Light from 1983 to 2006. (more…)
R. I. P. Florian Chmielewski
Florian Chmielewski, leader of the Chmielewski Funtime Band and a Minnesota state senator from 1971 to 1976, died last week at his home in Sturgeon Lake at the age of 97. (more…)
Alan Sparhawk announces solo album in New Yorker article
The Heart of Low | The New Yorker
Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker’s marriage was one of the most extraordinary collaborations in rock. Now, a year and a half after Parker’s death, Sparhawk is back on the road.
newyorker.com
The New Yorker published an article today on Duluth musician Alan Sparhawk, chronicling his career in the seminal indie-rock band Low and concluding with news about his latest recordings. “The fruits of this work will be released this fall under his own name, as a record called White Roses, My God,” reads the article’s final sentence.
A & Dubs won’t open in summer 2024
A & Dubs, Duluth's first and last drive-in restaurant, won't reopen this year - Duluth News Tribune | News, weather, and sports from Duluth, Minnesota
Owners say health concerns forced them to forego reopening for the summer season.
duluthnewstribune.com
A & Dubs owners Syl and Sandy Hantz posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page that they will not reopen their drive-in Lincoln Park burger joint this summer. It was founded as an A & W in 1948 and parted with the chain to become A & Dubs in 1973. (more…)
Duluth Art Institute exhibitions moving to U.S. Bank building
The Duluth Art Institute has announced the location of its new gallery space. After 50 years at the St. Louis County Depot, the region’s foremost public art venue will move its galleries to the fourth floor of the U.S. Bank Building at 130 W. Superior St. (more…)
R.I.P. Viking Lounge & Liquor
Fox 21 reports crews were demolishing the Viking Lounge & Liquor building in Superior yesterday. The bar at 1501 N. Fifth St., and its upstairs apartments, were condemned after a Thanksgiving Day fire.
Minnesota hockey hair featured in the New York Times
The New York Times reports this week on Minnesota as the “global hub for hockey hair.” The feature includes the story of Graff Mellin, the junior forward for Hairmantown, who went against the mullet trend with a buzzcut leopard look.
Hawk Ridge housing proposal under scrutiny
The Duluth News Tribune reports there is concern in the community about a proposal to rezone about 4 acres of land in the Hawk Ridge neighborhood for the Bald Eagle Estates housing development. (more…)
Cargill buying spree on Park Point exceeds a dozen properties
Mayor enlists councilors to request Cargills share Park Point plans - Duluth News Tribune | News, weather, and sports from Duluth, Minnesota
As a wealthy family continues to snap up property on the world's longest freshwater sandbar in Duluth, concern and curiosity about their intentions builds.
duluthnewstribune.com
The Duluth News Tribune reports Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert wrote a letter to billionaire Kathy Cargill in February asking to discuss her plans for properties she and her representatives purchased on Park Point. The Star Tribune reports two properties sold at the end of February on Minnesota Avenue’s 1500 and 1400 blocks. Cargill’s limited liability company, North Shore LS, has acquired a dozen properties on Park Point in the past 14 months. The Strib notes “the LLC also owns a home on the point bought in 2021, and a Lake Superior shorefront condo in eastern Duluth.”
Minnesota Presidential Primary 2024 Election Results
Democrat Joe Biden, Republican Donald Trump and Legal Marijuana Now party candidate Krystal Gabel won their respective races in Minnesota’s Presidential Nomination Primary Election. (more…)