News and Current Affairs
Zombies invade UMD Oct. 27
Join us for a zombie-themed symposium that is free and open to the public. Six UMD professors will give talks about how their work relates to zombies. Refreshments appropriate for the topic will be served. BYOB (Bring Your Own Brain). (more…)
Lions & Creators – “Growing”
Lions&Creators just released their album in Duluth on Saturday and now the whole thing is up to stream on our Bandcamp, which is here. You can buy it there for only $5! (and it comes with a few extra surprises too). Physical copies will be available at The Electric Fetus soon. All hand made, designed by the band.
Give me your Twin Ports Halloween events!
I will post them on HauntedDuluth.com for free! If it’s a major Halloween bash or a tiny haunted garage on Halloween night, I want to add it to my site!
Post your event info as a comment in this post, or email me from the HauntedDuluth.com contact page.
2011 Duluth General Election Sample Ballot
Brush up on your referendums, kids. The city and the school district have some wordy questions for you. (By the way, you should be able to click on the images below to see them larger and read them more easily. The city question is the back side of the ballot, and is a separate image below.)
Another note about the ballot: As usual, depending on what neighborhood you live in, you might also vote on a district city councilor and/or school board member. This ballot has the district council race blanked out and does not include a district school board race.
Last Place on Earth raided
At 1:02 p.m. today Duluth Police executed a search warrant at the Last Place On Earth, a head shop at 120 E. Superior St.
According to police, the search warrant is part of an ongoing investigation into the sale of “illegal synthetic marijuana,” and Last Place will remain closed until investigators have cleared the scene.
No arrests have been made, so whether illegal products were being sold along with legal ones is yet to be determined.
Designer drugs were the subject of cover stories in the Duluth News Tribune and Star Tribune on Sunday.
DNT: Synthetic drugs bring new rush hour to downtown Duluth
Strib: Bath salts hit U.S. ‘like a freight train’
Duluth Dinkytown?
Anybody have thoughts on this?
Duluth School Board authorizes sale of Woodland site; developer envisions mini ‘Dinkytown’
I know the family that lives on the east end of the wooded area. They have been trying for over a year to purchase some of that land to leave as green-space and a buffer. They were assured that the developer would take the neighborhood “into consideration.” Can anybody fire up their crystal ball and see how this plays out? Or should I invest in vinyl siding as it takes a lot of plastic to wrap buildings over 21 acres.
Duluth 2011 Primary Election Results
With 36 of 36 precincts reporting and 6,620 total ballots cast:
At-large Duluth City Councilors
(Two positions; top four candidates advance)
Emily Larson – 4,918 | 40%
Linda Krug – 4,860 | 40%
Tim Riley – 947 | 8%
Chad Smith – 645 | 5%
Eric Edwardson – 446 | 4%
Gareth W. Bates – 442 | 4%
Fourth District Duluth City Councilor
(Top two candidates advance.)
Jacqueline Halberg – 695 | 44%
Garry Krause – 649 | 41%
Ryan Miles – 134 | 9%
Wallace Newquist – 59 | 4%
Travis Silvers – 29 | 2%
At-large Duluth School Board Member
(Top two candidates advance.)
Michael Miernicki – 3,783 | 61%
Ryan Stauber – 1,882 | 30%
Doug Frisk – 515 | 8%
Local Perspective on 9/11
Tomorrow (9/9) at 10am KUMD 103.3 FM will air a panel discussion called “Reflections of 9/11.” Hosted by Northland Morning’s Lisa Johnson, the program includes Paula Pedersen from the UMD Psychology Department, Dan Martin from the UMD Sociology Department and Nik Hassan from the Twin Ports Muslim Center.
The show will re-air on Sunday morning at 7.
KUMD will also be airing songs inspired by 9/11 throughout the day tomorrow.
Million Minute Family Challenge
Join the Duluth Area Family Y in celebrating the 11th Annual, Nationwide: Million Minute Family Challenge! Board games and card games offer true face-to-face interaction that is disappearing in daily in the lives of our families across the nation. Playing a game creates a relaxed environment to converse, laugh and really get to know one another.
Register online at millionminute.com to receive a free organizer kit and game ideas.
Gather your friends and family for a Sunday Afternoon of free play at the Y! The game center will be open from 3:30 to 4:30 on Sundays starting Sept. 11 through Dec. 18. Any and all ages are welcome to participate!
Sept. 11 Northland Community Observance
Join the community on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 1 p.m. at the DECC auditorium to remember the victims, honor our brave, and promote peace and understanding.
* Free parking provided courtesy of the DECC.
* Sign language interpretation provided by Amy Norris.
Opportunity knocks.
“Greek Police Smash Violent Doughnut Ring”
THESSALONIKI – It took an undercover operation, but Greek police have blown a hole in a ring of alleged crooks who had cornered the doughnut market in a beach resort.
I hereby call upon Mayor Ness to offer asylum in Duluth to these industrious, probably misunderstood people, with an eye toward improving our own disastrous local donut market–their violent tendencies would presumably remain latent due to the absence of any competition to intimidate.
What’s that thing in Canal Park?
I keep wondering every time I go to Canal Park — what is that structure being built in the northeast corner of Canal Park, just across from the Endion Station building on that construction site over there. Does anyone know?
Iran continues to be Iran
Associated Press via the Washington Post: “Iran sentences two American men to eight years in jail in blow to hopes for freedom“
Why is the library essential?
I thought about commenting on the post below, but this question deserves a post of its own. It looks like our library’s status is an issue that is going to stick around awhile. Libraries are closing everywhere, even in large metro areas like Chicago, Philadelphia and Charlotte (the first few that come up on a search).
It’s also a question that came up at the Duluth Chamber’s most recent “Forvm” event with city council candidates, and it led to some odd answers. One candidate said something like, “Absolutely we need to support our library.” I take that as meaning he thinks it’s essential. But then he went on, “I haven’t been there since college. It seems everything I need now is on the internet, but I was there all the time in college.”
(more…)
Support the Duluth Public Library
Support the public library at the Duluth City Council Meeting.
Please join us on Monday, Aug. 15, when we again attend the council meeting. We’ll gather at 6:30 p.m. outside the Council Chambers at City Hall. Please come and help to support our coordinated campaign to keep the Duluth Public Library a top priority for city funding. The message is, “Our libraries are essential!”
Missing playing on NorShor main stage
Summer is going. Should get new roof on. I got 20 dollars. Tis only theater left from the old days. Talking about the NorShor. Hey I’d volunteer. It’s a great roof up there. Always thought about winning the lottery and buying the Shor and putting a Penthouse on the top with roof gardens and have Neil Young play downstairs and party upstairs later. Best stage in town. But you can’t change it. Is what it is. Leave it alone. Oh now I’m wondering. Just put it back as it is. It’s the only one left. Shoud get a roof on. I got 20 dollars.
Missing Person: Walter Clock
The Duluth Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a missing 69-year-old male. Walter Clock was last seen on Saturday at noon, leaving his residence in the 2200 block of West Second Street.
UPDATE: He has been found.
National Citizen Survey Results – Duluth
Find the full National Citizen Survey results for the City of Duluth here (PDF).
The numbers are still lower than we would like, but we’re seeing progress over the past couple of years. A good example of this is the question on “The overall direction Duluth is taking.” In 2009 it was only 33%, today it’s 51%. That’s a number that I’d like to see around 80%, but we’re making progress.
I think PDD deserves a lot of credit for consistently pointing out the good things happening around town (as well as pointing out those things that need to be improved).
Duluth Tall Ships / Music and Maritime Festival 2011 Photos
I went on a little paddle Saturday afternoon to see if I could track down any of those “tall” ships.
I found a couple and I can confirm they are tall.
Mysterious Metal Melodies
I hear a band playing that sounds like it’s coming from Bayfront park, but I don’t see anything on the schedule. Anyone know the mystery of the random sounds of metal washing over Lincoln Park?
Fighting for us
News Release
Cravaack introduces bill to eliminate federal sign brightness mandate
(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Congressman Chip Cravaack (MN-8) introduced H.R. 2442, the Rural County Mandate Relief Act. The bill would eliminate the federal mandate that states and local municipalities must keep their road and street signs bright enough to meet federal government brightness standards, allowing them to decide when signs are replaced.
“State and local governments are still struggling under the weight of lower revenues brought on by the recent recession,” said Cravaack. “Any mandate from Washington forcing municipalities to unnecessarily replace perfectly adequate street signs hurts their ability to affectively spend scarce taxpayer dollars elsewhere. State and local governments are perfectly capable of deciding when their signs need to be replaced and how best to pay for any new signs.”
The bill has the support of numerous mayors and council members across the 8th District. One such legislator, Steve Biondich, an Aurora City Councilman said H.R. 2442 “is exactly what we need … getting rid of silly unfunded mandates.” Based on a conservative estimate, state and local municipalities will be forced to spend at least $37.5 million over the next ten years to meet the current federal mandate on sign brightness.
Congressman Cravaack serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee – where he is vice chair of the Aviation Subcommittee – the Homeland Security Committee, and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. The 8th Congressional District covers 18 counties in Northeast Minnesota.