News and Current Affairs
Knee High By The…..
Happy 4 July.
Dial 715 for Superior
Beginning July 17, Duluthians must dial area code 715 to call Superior. The good old days are over.
Starting Aug. 14, some new numbers in the 715 area code will be issued area code 534. What are local calls now will still be local calls, but you’ll have to dial the extra numbers, so it’s pretty much the end of the world as we know it.
Six-story Jesus Struck by Lightning
How did this story not make the PDD headlines?
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGTBFPte-MY
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuWiZJL0NlU
NorShor sale to DEDA official
From the news release:
The path is now clear for the historic NorShor Theater to again become a focal point for Duluth arts and entertainment activities with the Duluth Economic Development Authority’s completed purchase of the NorShor Theater, Temple Opera building, and Norshor Annex.
Today, Mayor Don Ness announced that DEDA closed on the purchase of the buildings from Eric Ringsred and said plans are already underway to reestablish the NorShor Theater as an important part of the downtown waterfront district.
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Is tonight Ladies Night at your favorite bar? Dept. of Human Rights would like to know.
I’m not naming names here, but I know of at least one bar in Duluth that has Ladies Night specials.
“Gender-based pricing violates the Human Rights Act,” says Minnesota Dept. of Human Rights Commissioner James Kirkpatrick.
Five Twin Cities bars are being investigated.
Raw milk is either going to kill us or make us live forever, according to experts
Apparently, according to the Minnesota Dept. of Health, if raw milk from one dairy farm in Minnesota is contaminated with E. Coli, then raw milk in general presents a serious health risk.
And apparently, according to a dairy farm accused of having contaminated milk, there’s no way it could be their fault, even though five people have been hospitalized and the same strain of E. coli found in several animals at the farm in question has been found in the sick people.
Sure, it’s possible that the dairy industry somehow has manipulated the Dept. of Health into scaring people off raw milk from family farmers — after all, it did a good job scaring Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle last month. But isn’t it possible that one farm can screw up without an entire product being considered dangerous?
And let’s not even get into whether raw milk is healthier than pasteurized milk or not, since even that seems to be a major debate, with both sides telling us the other milk is going to kill us.
Anyway, we might as well have the regular people who don’t know anything spout off about it on PDD. So, is raw milk going to kill us or make us live forever? Or is it just as dangerous as other food products and probably not much more nutritious, but comes from a nice little farm where the cows are treated well and that’s good enough?
Speaking of Northland’s NewsCenter …
I am taking this moment to shamelessly plug two stories from last week. Both Renee Passal and myself profiled the Superior-based Genesis Attachments.
The company supplied the gigantic steel shears used to cut the bleeding Deepwater Horizon oil pipe last Thursday.
Fun Fact*
For me, doing this story brought out the unavoidable side of my imagination that creates terrifying, ocean-dwelling robots armed with savage instruments of war. (Not that they truly exist, but if they did, we humans could outfit them with some crazy shit).
Admittedly, Passal with WDIO had the story first. And I’m not saying that my version is better. However, think of it this way:
Could you resist a story about gigantic, robot-controlled, underwater cutting tools?
-MS
Western Middle School site. Discuss.
As a hardcore environmentalist and a Red Plan critic, I am rather befuddled by all the talk of an EIS for the Western Middle School.
To be quite honest, the Western Middle School on the chosen site is the one part of the Red Plan I actually support. As an avid outdoor explorer, I think I’ve made tracks in just about every wild spot in Duluth, this one included. I can tell you the “pristine field” critics talk about is mostly an invasive buckthorn hell. Putting a middle school there, if done right, could lead to ecological restoration and native landscaping to improve a highly disturbed ecosystem.
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Emergency Protest against Flotilla Murders 5pm Tuesday
On Tuesday, June 1, at 5 p.m., peace and justice activists in Duluth will gather at the Federal Building to denounce the Israeli government’s assault on the Gaza Freedom Convoy and call for an end to U.S. aid for Israel. (more…)
Bill and Ted’s Oil Drilling Adventure
Stupid stupid stupid oil industry! If you thought all this crap was bad today, it was equally bad in 1979 (“equally bad” as in “the exact same fucking problem”).
WTF?!? (Puppy Edition)
A warning to all dog owners out there: some asshole is going around Duluth’s Lakeside neighborhood poisoning dogs (DPD, DNT, Strib, Fox21, MPR). Unlike the dog-napper rumors, this appears to be real.
Watch your doggies, bring them to the vet if you notice symptoms, and keep an eye out for suspicious people giving your pets “treats.”
Three years of road rage (and wide open left lanes)?
Since we have to endure this “mega-project” for so long, we better all get on the same page.
I’m one of those who follows the signs that say USE BOTH LANES when backed up and TAKE TURNS AT THE MERGE, which means take turns at the merge to me. I’m pretty sure these signs, their positioning, and the whole setup have been thought out and planned to make the situation as easy as possible for everyone.
Despite those instructions, it seems a majority of people decide to fall in line to the right, maybe assuming they’re eventually going to have to merge anyway. This creates a very long backup in the right lane and a wide open left lane up to the merge, which leads to angry drivers in the right lane who see others cruising by them in the left lane. If a majority of us would actually drive through this the way I think it was intended, I think it would be a lot smoother, similar to the second merge going west from downtown, where traffic spreads out a little and left laners can seamlessly get right without anyone having to slow down at all.
I bring this up after seeing the attempts by some to take up both lanes and actually getting swerved at yesterday for using the wide open left lane. Thank goodness the kids weren’t in the car. Seriously who “fake swerves” their vehicle at another moving vehicle?
Am I wrong here? And if not, how do we get everyone through this as intended? I’ve seen letters to the DNT addressing this and basically saying the same thing I am, obviously without impact.
2010 Minnesota Governor Race
You’ve got until Tuesday, June 1, to pick a running mate and file your candidacy for governor in Minnesota.
Your list of opponents will surely grow in the next week, but here’s the lineup so far:
Tom Emmer & Annette T. Meeks (Republican)
Ole Savior & Todd “Elvis” Anderson (Republican)
Margaret Anderson Kelliher & John Gunyou (DFL)
Mark Dayton & Yvonne Prettner Solon (DFL)
Congratulations to Ole Savior for being more hilarious than ever this time around. Elvis Anderson? Really? Wow.
By the way, in Wisconsin the list of candidates for governor is up to 20 already. Lieutenant governor candidates run separately in Wisconsin. There are 10 of them, including Superior Mayor David Ross.
And how about the crazy scramble to run for Prettner Solon’s Minnesota Senate District 7 seat now that she’s running for lieutenant governor? No one has filed yet, but that one is bound to get interesting.
Oh, and I apologize in advance for provoking a discussion of politics.
Duluth Google Fiber Movie!
Thoughts?
Tour of Old City Hall
A wonderful video tour of Old City Hall made by Dan Hartman. Very cool. Can’t wait for it to be done!
Council says yes to purchase of NorShor
Predictably, it was a 6-3 vote. The easy part is over. Now the work begins. This ought to be interesting.
Challenge #1: Actually close the sale.
Challenge #2: If the strip club agrees to move out, will it open somewhere else? Wherever “somewhere else” might be, that’ll be a fun little controversy.
Challenges #3 through #209: Figure out how to fix the place up, get someone running it who can make it work, and everything that comes up along the way.
Downtown Ace Hardware closing
Losing Daugherty Hardware was bad enough. Now Ace Hardware downtown is closing. The big-box stores cannot compare, and downtown takes another hit. Poop!
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
This didn’t make a lot of news, and that’s a shame. Thanks Rep. Laine.
NEWS RELEASE
New Law Gives Minnesotans a Natural Choice for Care of Deceased
Saint Paul, Minnesota – Governor Pawlenty has signed into law changes that will give Minnesotans a more natural choice in how they care for their deceased loved ones. Under current law, a body must be embalmed if there is a public viewing, but State Rep. Carolyn Laine (DFL – Columbia Heights), who authored the bill, said this practice is largely unneeded. The new law permits dry ice to be used for public viewing of a deceased body within private property, such as a home, church or funeral parlor.
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More NorShor Details
I was going to post this as a response in a previous thread, but made it a post instead…
There are questions about the sale price. Legitimate questions, $2.6 million is a lot of money. Between the three buildings, there is a lot of value. This is both a fair price and makes economic sense for the city. I’ll share our value assessment with you.
First, we have examined the sq ft comps in the neighborhood. There is 40k sq ft of commercial / office space in the Temple and Annex space. The average per sq ft cost for sale in old downtown is $37.75 based on building sales of Coney Island Bldg and Gardner Hotel (and other area building sales). I think we could make a strong case that the Temple is a much more valuable property than those, but using this standard, the value of the commercial and office space would be $1.5 million.
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NorShor and Temple Opera Block
On Saturday Eric Ringsred signed a purchase agreement to sell the Temple Opera Building, NorShor Theatre, and NorShor Annex to DEDA for $2.6 million. The sale is contingent on approval by DEDA and the Council. It’s my intent to make the NorShor the crown jewel of the downtown, to make it the center of a regional arts and entertainment district.
There is a lot of discussion on this, let me fill in with a few thoughts:
UMD Spring Sustainability Fair – Thursday, April 22nd – 9am-2pm – UMD Kirby Student Center
This semester the theme of the UMD Sustainability Fair is Art and Design. What can you do at the fair? Attend an engaging conversation with community experts! Architect David Salmela, FAIA, will discuss architecture and sustainability. Pastor David Carlson of Duluth’s Gloria Dei Lutheran Church will talk about his experience with the Early Adopter’s training and how the Natural Step Framework as affected the congregation. Susan Meyers, graduate of UMD’s Masters of Liberal Arts program, will talk about her project, Creating a Journey into Healing with Art. Ryan Jordan, UMD Admissions Diversity Counselor, will present on Music and Social Change. You’ll have the opportunity to learn more about sustainability efforts in the Twin Ports by visiting over 20 community and campus organization’s informational and interactive booths! Also, check out UMD and Duluth elementary student art on display at UMD Stores Express and around campus! Sustain Fair Poster Spring 2010
UMD Parking Q’s: www.d.umn.edu/parking
Check out UMD’s Sustainability website: www.d.umn.edu/sustain
It’s not over yet, Netflix.
As Business North reports, the West Duluth Video Vision closes April 17. As the banners at Hollywood Video report, that store will be closing soon as well.
Other West Duluth video stores that came and went over the years include Mr. Movies, All Star Video and Late Night Video. The Redbox outside Super One and scattered convenience stores are the only movie rental choices in West Duluth now.
UPDATE: Video Vision owner Brian Augustine has changed his mind and will open a new location in the Spirit Valley Shopping Center.
For Really Fast Sermons
The First Presbyterian Church is located in Duluth on the corner of 3rd Ave E & 2nd St.