PDD News Sieve

Shaunna Heckman – “Cradle the Sound”

Duluth musician Shaunna Heckman has a new single, “Cradle the Sound.”

“This song mostly reflects building confidence to take leaps, trusting my intuition,” Heckman wrote on Facebook. “Overcoming the battle of the inner chatter vs the heart, as messy and terrifying as that can be. Keeping toxic people and negativity away and encompassing the beauty of what you might just find when you own your truth. Hold on to that within your own walls. It’s so precious.”

R.I.P. Gannucci’s Italian Market

Gannucci's to close, liquidate all business items - Duluth News Tribune | News, weather, and sports from Duluth, Minnesota The West Duluth deli and Italian market was established in the mid-1970s as Conito's Italian Village, and was renamed in 2011. duluthnewstribune.com

The Duluth News Tribune reports Gannucci’s Italian Market in West Duluth is closed and a liquidation auction will be held Aug. 25.

Duluth Primary Election Results 2021

With 34 of 34 precincts reporting …

Duluth At-large City Councilor
Top four candidates advance to General Election
Azrin Awal | 2,946
Terese Tomanek | 2,893
Joe Macor | 2,589
Timothy L. Meyer | 989
Ashlie Castaldo | 988
Scott Jenkins | 703
Dezuwon “Pez” Davila | 594
Nancy Stam | 508

Duluth Second District City Councilor
Top two candidates advance to General Election
Mike Mayou | 954
Dave Zbaracki | 289
Andrew C. Jarocki | 254
Andrew Hilfers | 24

Duluth Fourth District City Councilor
Top two candidates advance to General Election
Renee K. Van Nett | 653
Howie Hanson | 524
Nathaniel Rankin | 118

Rafe Carlson – “Lost and Found”

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Hermantown’s Rafe Carlson has a debut single out titled “Lost and Found.” He was profiled on WDIO-TV yesterday. (more…)

Straight Outta Congdon

A caller identifying as “Jebadiah from Duluth, Minn.” made it onto the Aug. 4 episode of the podcast Yo, is this Racist? The show, hosted by Andrew Ti and Tawny Newsome, answers questions from listeners about whether given subjects are an example of racism or not. (more…)

Live music returns to Sacred Heart, fall concerts announced

The Cactus Blossoms performing on the Sacred Heart Music Center altar stage in 2019. (Photo by Michael K. Anderson)

After an 18-month pandemic closure, Sacred Heart Music Center will welcome live audiences back to a full concert schedule beginning in September. (more…)

Duluth 2021 Primary Election Sample Ballot

Most Duluthians will see a ballot that looks like the sample above when they vote in the Primary Election on Aug. 10. There are two other city council races that will appear on ballots in specific parts of the city. (more…)

Bon Iver to play Bayfront Park in Duluth Aug. 18

Indie folk band Bon Iver will headline Honor the Earth’s “Water is Life: Stop Line 3” music, art and cultural festival at Bayfront Park in Duluth on Aug. 18. The event will also feature performances by Mumu Fresh, Annie Humphrey, David Huckfelt, Larry Long, Lissie, Charlie Parr, Corey Medina and Alan Sparhawk, among others. (more…)

Algae blooms on Lake Superior continue

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The first confirmed sighting of blue-green algae on Lake Superior was in 2012. Since then, scientists have been trying to determine what’s causing it and if it’s linked to climate change.

Superior Waffles opens July 27 on Tower Avenue

A sweet and savory waffle bar opens in Superior next week. Superior Waffles, located in the New York Building at 1412 Tower Ave., is holding a soft opening on Sunday and a grand opening on Tuesday. (more…)

Ride or Die Pizzeria open in Superior

Superior couple builds legacy with fresh ingredients at Ride or Die Pizzeria - Superior Telegram | News, weather, sports from Superior Wisconsin Terry and Dawn Johnson hope to leave the new business to their children one day. superiortelegram.com

The Superior Telegram reports a new pizzeria has opened in Superior. Terry and Dawn Johnson are the proprietors of Ride or Die Pizzeria at 1623 Broadway St., the former home of Thirsty Pagan Brewing, which moved to new location a block away in 2019.

The Johnsons also own Lee’s Pizza in Duluth’s Lincoln Park Craft District.

Having traveled I-35, writer tips one at Black Woods

Freeway Ends

Texas-based writer Emily Gogolak drove the entirety of Interstate 35 from Laredo to Duluth for an essay in N+1 magazine. (more…)

Chuck Haavik – “Still Raining”

Duluth’s Chuck Haavik has released his second song. “Still Raining” is “a lament from the Summer of 2020,” Haavik said. It’s available for download on Bandcamp.

The track is mixed and mastered by Dave Mehling, who also plays Hammond B3 Organ, bass and drums.

The Nemadji Review, Vol. 10

The tenth issue of the Nemadji Review, the University of Wisconsin-Superior’s literary journal, was released in May and a new website was launched. The publication was previously available only in print, but the 2021 issue can be viewed and downloaded online as a PDF file.

Great Lakes Aquarium art on Superstore

It was nearly impossible to notice, but there was a glimpse of Duluth in the series finale of the NBC sitcom Superstore. The episode, titled “All Sales Final,” aired March 25. It concludes with a scene of the character Amy Sosa putting her children to bed. For just a few seconds, a piece of Great Lakes Aquarium art by Daymark Designs, a Duluth-based graphic arts company, is shown in the background. (more…)

R.I.P. Shorty’s Pizza & Smoked Meats

Shorty’s Pizza shortly after it opened in 2013. (Photo by Cindy Vu)

Shorty’s Pizza & Smoked Meats in Superior announced today via Facebook it has ceased operations due to a labor shortage in the hospitality industry. (more…)

Duluth 2021 Primary Election Primer

The filing period for candidates vying for Duluth City Council and Independent School District #709 School Board runs June 1-15. Below are the names of those who filed. This post was updated on June 15. (more…)

R.I.P. Duluth Electric Fetus

View through the glass door to the Duluth Electric Fetus store on April 13, 2021. (Photo by Paul Lundgren)

Duluth’s Electric Fetus store, 12 E. Superior St., announced today it will not reopen. The store was best known for selling compact discs and other music products, though items like jewelry, clothing and gifts made up a larger chunk of the sales. The company’s Minneapolis location will remain open. (more…)

Hartman tapped for DECC director job

After a national search, the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center announced today that Dan Hartman will serve as its next executive director. Hartman has been director of Glensheen Mansion since 2013 and prior to that was curator at Veterans Memorial Hall. He also served on Duluth’s city council from 2010 to 2014.

As a senior at the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2006, Hartman led the student campaign to build the DECC’s Amsoil Arena. He follows interim executive director Roger Reinert, who has headed the DECC since August. Hartman will start in his new role at the DECC on June 14.

Superior Siren’s “Kill Your Darlings” solo EP out Friday

Laura Sellner of Superior Siren is releasing a solo EP — Kill Your Darlings — with a performance at 7:15 p.m. Friday at Earth Rider Brewery in Superior. (more…)

Chuck Haavik – “Wrestle with the Man”

Duluth’s Chuck Haavik has released his first single as a singer/songwriter. The track, “Wrestle With the Man,” is available on Bandcamp and DistroKid and soon will be available on Spotify. (more…)

Frost River has gone solar

Frost River, a maker of canvas packs in Duluth’s Lincoln Park Craft District, is now powering its manufacturing facility and retail store with solar panels. The new rooftop panels are from EPF Solar of Minneapolis and were installed by Belknap Electric. (more…)

CNN: Duluth is becoming a safe haven for climate refugees

“People are moving to Duluth, Minnesota, for one particularly big reason,” CNN reports in a new video for its Project Planet series. “Is anywhere safe from the climate crisis?” the story asks, answering that some say Duluth is “the new ‘climate refuge.'” (more…)

Sam Ali’s “artistic interpretation” of UMD hockey highlights

The UMD Bulldogs hockey season came to an end last night with a 3-2 loss in overtime to the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Before it was over, Sam Ali had to report on the game without using ESPN footage. He figured it out.

Amtrak wants to return passenger service to Duluth with funding from Biden’s infrastructure proposal

Amtrak’s North Star parked at the Duluth Depot, July 19, 1981. (Photographer unknown)

It’s been 36 years since Amtrak ended its 10-year run of passenger service from the Twin Cities to Duluth. This past week the company, which provides medium and long-distance service in the contiguous United States and nine Canadian cities, announced a vision for up to 30 new routes, including a return to Duluth … if Congress passes President Joe Biden’s $2-trillion infrastructure proposal. (more…)