News and Current Affairs
More on Smelt
Smelting season is here once again. I am writing a piece on this tradition for UMD’s Lake Voice and am wondering if anyone has photos of themselves smelting they would like to submit for use in my story. Thanks!
Unwelcome in Duluth (part II)
After following the interesting post “Unwelcome in Duluth” and reading a few of the articles mentioned in the numerous posts, I have come to the conclusion that people want different things from this city. Thus, I would like you to ask a few questions to yourself, the people of Duluth to see what kind of consensus can be achieved.
1: What do you want out of a Duluth life?
2: Are you getting it?
3: If not, can this be achievable in Duluth (right now, not in ten years from now or 100 years ago)?
4: What are you willing to sacrifice to get it?
Why is Duluth so anti progressive?
I look in the paper and see nothing about sustainability. No solar, no wind, no geo. But great music. That’s the way it is, Dem. or Rep. Why is Duluth so anti progressive?
Unwelcome Duluth?
MPR has this story about the difficulty of settling into Duluth both professionally and otherwise for a new college grad.
I know in order to finally make this place home myself I had to leave after my tenure at UMD and gain experience and then be willing to make a little less salary but then be able to live here and enjoy it’s uniqueness permanently. I know of others who have done the same and feel the same a I do.
What’s your experience?
Duluth not welcoming, young transplants looking for work say
Blue Laws are Stupid, Post #5
I apologize for not being as vigilant with this as John Ramos has been with his countdown, but here’s the latest sad news on one of the most idiotic laws ever:
Downtown Duluth Safety
A dead body was found in Lake Place Park on Monday. I wonder if the police could set up a mini police station in the park. What do you think?
LakeVoiceNews: Local Themed Publication
What makes Duluth unique? What makes it special? We tried to answer this question through our stories. LakeVoice’s publication this week is about everything local. Here’s what we’ve been working on this week:
- Celiac is an autoimmune disorder believed to affect up to 1% of the US population. Sadly, there is no cure. The only known effective treatment is a gluten-free diet. Alicia Lebens put together a collection of gluten-free options for Duluthians on Pinterest.
- 2104 E. Superior St. has become the coolest house to see local musicians and artists. Recently, they’ve hosted journalist Adam Carr (creator of January in Duluth), music acts Dirty Horse and Big Wave Dave, and photographer Kip Praslowicz. Rebecca Mortensen interviewed the owners for this week’s LakeCast.
Independent Minnesota 8th Congressional District candidate seeks nomination
I realized back when I was a young man the United States of America was not the pillar of democracy that the propagandists claim it to be. Expressing what I knew as a 19 year old, I could name quite a list of ruthless dictators that clandestine parts of the U.S. government had at least some responsibility of bringing into power if they did not outright install them. They included the Shah of Iran, Baby Doc, Marcos, Batista, Samoza, Suharto and Saddam Hussein to name a few.
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A plea
Donald Pridemore, Wisconsin Legislator, Says Single Parenting Leads To Abuse
I am starting to lie when people ask me where I grew up because of shit like this. If you aren’t aware, Wisconsin State Senator Glenn Grotham, along with Wisconsin State Representative Donald Pridemore, both Republicans, sponsored a bill in the Wisconsin Legislature that would mandate the state Child Abuse Prevention Board conduct public awareness campaigns emphasizing that single parenthood is a leading cause of child abuse.
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Local photojournalists film animal abuse in the South
Two local photojournalists are filming a documentary on animal cruelty in the South and the people working to change the culture there. David Cowardin and Joe Olivieri spent two weeks in the gritty areas of rural Alabama and are hoping to return for more footage and interviews. They launched a Kickstarter to raise funds for another tour South. You can donate here.
If their trip is funded, they would like to rescue a dog and find it a better home in Duluth. Anyone interested in adopting a pet can contact David at 320-290-0877 or cowar006 @ d.umn.edu. The adopter would only be responsible for the adoption fee.
2012 Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament Schedule Brackets
The Minnesota State High School Hockey tournament is starting today. The Duluth area has three teams competing this year — Duluth East Greyhounds in class AA, Hermantown Hawks and Marshall Hilltoppers in class A. Below is the schedules for both brackets. Good luck boys!
Does anyone have any good Minnesota State High School Hockey Tourney stories? From what I “remember” it was pretty crazy when I went.
MN State Hockey Class AA Live Bracket Click Here
MN State Hockey Class A Live Bracket Click Here
Gotta getcha shovel if ya wanta go ta work
After finally getting a decent snowstorm, I wanted to have a little fun with the timelapse app. I put my iPhone 4 on my shovel handle with a gorilla pod. It flopped around too much, so I was only able to do a short time lapse.
Leap Day 2012 Snowmageddon Photos
At left is Rich Narum’s shot of Superior Street; at right the view from Anna Montgomery’s side door. Has anyone had the guts to wreck a camera and try shooting outside instead of through glass? Not me!
Anyway, add your best attempts in the comments.
Duluth: Say Ix-nay to the March 3 Rally
I’m reposting here an open letter written to the Duluth community by Joel Kilgour, a local peace activist, and Sara Thomsen, a local musician. Basically, Duluthians are urged to stay away from the March 3 rally planned by a white supremacist group right here in the Zenith City.
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Lot of hoo-haw fer nuthin
No change in Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District, except that it now includes more of Betrami County.
State of the School Speech at Harbor City International School
Given by John Haire, Ph.D. on Feb. 14, 2012
Harbor City International School is 10 years old, young enough to enjoy the wonderment of imagination, and old enough to develop true measures of independence. Our clarity of purpose, our labors toward effectiveness, and our willingness to reflect on our methods give us our identity. As with all great journeys, we have faced, and continue to face, many challenges. Yet, our confidence that we are a valuable resource to the families of Duluth remains undaunted.
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Don Ness talks about Un-Fair Campaign on National Public Radio
Mayor Ness was on National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation earlier this afternoon talking about the Un-Fair Campaign and the controversy it stirred. In case you missed it you can hear the archived version on their website.
You also get to hear host Neal Conan call our mayor “John Ness” at the top of the show. Don was classy enough not to correct him.
People Get Ready
Racist organizations plan on visiting Duluth on March 3. Let’s not give them a Minnesota Nice welcome. See you there!
Synthetic Marijauna
[This post originally contained an embedded video that is no longer available at its source.]
This is a video I did as a fact-finding mission for a long-form documentary I’m working on. It may be interesting for anyone curious about the “legal alternatives” being sold in Duluth.
Minnesota Republicans love Santorum
Considering the definition of “santorum,” there are a lot of opportunities for headline writers tonight. Your suggestions are welcome in the comments.
A few hundred debate marriage for homosexual partners at UMD
On Feb. 6, at UMD, the Center for Ethics and Public Policy, directed by Shane Courtland, sponsored another in its series of events that bring the university and the community into dialogue about key issues of the day. (more…)
From I&I to Feelin’ Irie in Just 12 Easy Steps
OK, maybe there are more than twelve steps, and maybe they are not-so-easy. But the City of Duluth and the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District promised a “12-year schedule to stop sewage overflows.” That was back in 2004 (I think), so if my math is right we are 8 years into the plan. I don’t know about you, fellow Duluthians, but I am feeling irie!
Here it is early February, and spring is in the air. That means snow-melt, which admittedly won’t be a huge issue this year. But we know from past experience that spring melt and heavy rains can lead to sewer overflows. This is a problem worth understanding, and rather than trying to offer details here, I highly recommend WLSSD’s article on the topic (I and I Solutions – Inflow and Infiltration: When Clean Water Causes Problems!).
Read more about why I love the new storage tank in Canal Park, and overlook some of its less redeeming qualities (and see a photo) by visiting today’s Nature of Modern Life post.
“Hey White People …” Un-Fair Campaign
I’m no longer in Duluth, but I found out about a campaign going on there right now and I couldn’t be more encouraged by the people and message behind it, including Mayor Ness. (more…)
PDD transferring to new server
Server Migration
Here is what monitors look like when one spends his Saturday night migrating Perfect Duluth Day to a new VPS server. The amount of data currently used by PDD is 3.4GB, needless to say that takes a little while to transfer and reconfigure.
Oh, side-note, the old server was in Canada the new one is in the USA. I feel so patriotic right now!
