News and Current Affairs
Duluth Flag Redesign Project
The city of Duluth is holding an initiative to redesign the city flag. All members of the public are encouraged to participate regardless of skill. The purpose of the project is to create a new symbol that all Duluthians can identify with. Submit ideas for the flag contest before Friday, April 12, at 5 p.m.
Wild State Cider opening April 16
Andrew Price and Adam Ruhland – Photo by Lissa Maki
Cider seekers will soon have another Duluth option to swoon over. Owners of Wild State Cider say opening day will be April 16. A grand opening event is planned for the weekend of April 26-27. (more…)
Annual reminder: Stay off muddy trails in spring
Duluth’s Parks and Recreation Division has put forth its annual reminder that all natural-surface trails are closed until further notice due to wet soil conditions from the annual spring thaw.
So, where should people hike in April? (more…)
PDD Quiz: March 2019 in Review
Time to test your current events acumen with this week’s PDD quiz!
In a nod to Homegrown Music Festival, the next PDD quiz (scheduled for April 14) will feature other things that were “homegrown” in the Northland. Please email question suggestions to Alison Moffat at aklawite@d.umn.edu by April 11. (more…)
Five years after it opened, Red Herring Lounge slated to close
Red Herring Lounge owner Bob Monahan posted on Facebook today that “barring some sort of wildly unforeseen circumstance” his music club in Downtown Duluth “will close its doors permanently on June 10.” (more…)
Duluth Children’s Museum latest to buy into Lincoln Park
The Lincoln Park Cafe building, former home to Randy’s Cafe, was recently sold to the Duluth Children’s Museum. Long range plans call for the museum to relocate into the Lincoln Park neighborhood.
Add a museum to the list of new attractions and amenities planned for Duluth’s booming Lincoln Park neighborhood. Duluth Children’s Museum purchased the former Randy’s Café building at 2125 W. Superior St. in Lincoln Park March 18. Minnesota Department of Revenue records show longtime building owners Michael and Rochelle Delich of Superior sold the property for $345,000. (more…)
Taqueria El Oasis Del Norte open in Superior pub
Eduardo Sandoval – Photo by Lissa Maki
Everyday options for authentic Mexican food in the Twin Ports have vastly improved. Earlier this month, El Oasis Del Norte food truck started serving up items like tacos, burritos and tortas at Average Joe’s Pub in Superior. (more…)
T-Icy Roll Ice Cream opens Downtown Duluth location
Duluth’s second T-Icy Roll Ice Cream shop opens today at 202 E. Superior St., the former location of Lake Superior Art Glass.
Owner Daniel Huang and manager Michelle Lin opened the first T-Icy shop on Aug. 10 in the Denfeld Retail Center in West Duluth. The shops specialize in hibachi-style Thai rolled ice cream treats.
Renovation of former Carlson Book building nearly complete
The Lange Motors building at 206 E. Superior St. was constructed in 1915 and served as an automobile showroom and service center for four decades. A complete building rehabilitation is nearing completion.
Major restoration work on a historic auto dealership now located in a Downtown Duluth entertainment district appears close to completion and owners say they will begin marketing the space this spring. (more…)
Moose Lake woman nervous for boyfriend to meet person she becomes around parents
There have been 14 Duluth datelines in The Onion by Perfect Duluth Day’s count, but now Moose Lake is part of the action. The satirical newspaper reports that Erika Moreau is “nervous for dinner this evening, when her boyfriend will finally meet the person she turns into around her parents.”
The Onion: Woman nervous for boyfriend to meet person she becomes around parents
Brittany Lind is new host of “The Duluth Local Show”
The Duluth Local Show has a new host. Brittany Lind recently took the helm of the Sunday night radio program that features music by Duluth-area musicians. Her first broadcast was March 3.
Lind replaces Mike Novitzki, who hosted the show from May 2016 to December 2018. Andrea Swensson served as interim host.
The one-hour show on St. Paul-based Minnesota Public Radio’s the Current is broadcast on Sundays from 8 to 9 p.m. on three Duluth satellite stations — 90.9, 94.1 and 104.3 FM. It does not air in the Twin Cities market, but is on the Local Current stream on Mondays at 2 p.m. and archived at thecurrent.org. (more…)
New Scenic Café celebrates 20 years
Photo by Lissa Maki
New Scenic Café will mark its 20-year anniversary on April 1. Although Chef Scott Graden has carefully refined his approach over the years, the acclaimed destination eatery on Lake Superior’s North Shore continues to emphasize quality and culinary artisanship. (more…)
R.I.P. Transistor
The Transistor, a weekly arts ‘zine published by Adam Guggemos, has folded. The publication existed from Valentine’s Day 2004 to Valentine’s Day 2019. For more than 14 years the Tranny existed in print; most of the final year’s issues were published online only.
Duluth News Tribune: “Publisher declares end to Duluth’s Transistor“
Portion of Wisconsin Point could get National Register of Historic Places designation
The Superior Telegram reports the city of Superior and Wisconsin Historical Society are working to place a portion of Wisconsin Point on the National Register of Historic Places.
The story notes “the boundaries for the site would extend from the access road to the bird sanctuary on the bay side of Wisconsin Point and extend south to about Lot 15.” The site was a campsite and burial place for Ojibwe people until the 20th century.
PDD Quiz: February 2019 in Review
Take a break from the neverending shoveling and give your brain a workout with this month-in-review quiz!
The next PDD quiz, on the history of Morgan Park, will be published on March 10. Please email question suggestions to Alison Moffat at aklawite@d.umn.edu by March 7. (more…)
R.I.P. Lew Martin
The Superior Telegram reports longtime broadcaster and public servant Lew Martin died Sunday after his 102nd birthday.
Martin began his career at WEBC Radio in the 1930s and transitioned to television in the 1950s. The Telegram reports “his first television broadcast came from the two-car garage that served as a makeshift studio beneath a transmitter. He served as an anchor at WDSM Channel 6 — later KBJR — for 16 years.”
Martin was on the Douglas County Board off and on from 1968 to 2012. (more…)
Essentia Fitness & Therapy Center will move to former Younkers
Essentia Health is investing $15 million in the purchase and remodeling of the 145,000-square-foot former Younkers department store at Miller Hill Mall in Duluth. The Essentia Health Fitness & Therapy Center will move into the first floor this fall. Plans are being developed for the rest of the building and will be announced when they are finalized. (more…)
Redstone redevelopment nearly complete
The mansion that was home to the Congdon family while Glensheen was built is being remodeled into luxury apartments. A news release from Heirloom Property Management announces the majestic Redstone Lofts will have “12 modern style loft apartments and a commercial space that will all be available for lease beginning early 2019.” (more…)
DLH passenger numbers up 13 percent
Duluth International Airport announced today that 280,865 passengers flew through the facility in 2018, marking a 13 percent increase over 2017.
Both United and Delta saw increases, with United’s addition of the airbus flight in May leading to a nearly 30 percent increase year-over-year.
United offers three daily nonstop flights to Chicago and Delta offers five daily nonstop flights to Minneapolis/St. Paul. American Airlines is set to begin direct service to Chicago on May 23.
“We now have the three largest carriers in the country flying out of DLH,” Tom Werner, the airport’s executive director, said in a news release. “We’re hoping to use that momentum to add Denver to the growing list of places we fly and ways we connect our region to the world.”
Endion Station to be converted into ‘brewtique’ hotel
A former railroad depot will soon become Duluth’s first “brewtique” hotel. (more…)
Perfect New Restaurant: Corktown Deli & Brews
A Lincoln Park sandwich shop emerged as the hero in Perfect Duluth Day’s 2019 poll to discern the area’s best new restaurant. Corktown Deli & Brews won 43 percent of the runoff vote in a pool of three finalists that was narrowed down from a list of 25 nominees. Pak’s Green Corner and Martha’s Daughter were runners up with 33 percent and 24 percent of the votes, respectively.
Corktown Deli & Brews opened in June. Jeff Petcoff, the fast-casual restaurant’s general manager, was thrilled to hear the poll results. “That’s one of the biggest compliments you can get,” he says, “because readers and people vote on it; it’s a vote of confidence from everyone. It’s humbling and will help keep us going.” (more…)
The BBC Interviews Duluth Cyclist Leah Gruhn
Photo by Jeremy Kershaw
Leah Gruhn, geologist at Barr Engineering and avid Duluth cyclist, was the first woman to complete Northern Minnesota’s Arrowhead 135 mile race in record-breaking low temps on Tuesday, Jan. 29.
Glamourous Duluth
Duluth’s Ashley Sullivan, sporting a Duluth Cider hat, is part of a feature in the online women’s magazine Glamour titled “Insanely cold polar vortex temperatures are literally freezing people’s eyelashes.” The article refers to a social media trend of people “posting commentary and photos of themselves turning into Elsa from Frozen simply by going about their lives in a polar vortex.”
“Depending on how cold it is, you can feel them freeze right away,” Sullivan told Glamour reporter Abby Gardner. “It doesn’t hurt and doesn’t affect your eyesight, but by the end of a hike, you get the pretty frost. The aftermath isn’t so pretty as the ice melts and mascara runs down your face. But it’s like Mother Nature’s art on while you’re outside, if you think about it. It’s like you’re your own snowflake with the frost vibrating to your own energy.” (more…)
The Hopper Shuttle: Catering to Craft Beverage Fans
A new complimentary shuttle service will provide a link between Duluth’s craft beverage purveyors. Starting Feb. 8 the Hopper, a 15-passenger van, will run between Canal Park, Lincoln Park and Downtown every Friday and Saturday night. (more…)