Vomit Detective
When partially digested nourishment is involuntarily ejected through the mouth, one of the first reactions is to wonder what caused it to happen. Was rancid meat recently consumed? Is there a norovirus going around?
Sometimes excessive alcohol is to blame and there isn’t a lot of detective work necessary. When that isn’t the case, however, the cause of a sudden retching can be difficult to track.
I have some recent experience as a vomit detective, following an incident that preceded the Christmas holiday. After a full month on the case, I can confidently state that the evidence points toward the culprit being either a cookie, a bowl of chili, or really just about anything else I encountered around that time.
That’s right, I’m getting ready to wrap up my investigation and file it as a cold case.
What’s worse is that information gathered in my latest probe has called into question a case from 2015. I might have wrongfully convicted a local fast-food chain restaurant of food poisoning. (more…)
Selective Focus: Duluth-area Film Festivals in 2020
If you’re a fan of film or an aspiring filmmaker, here’s a quick list of festivals in the area you can get involved in by attending or submitting your work. Each has a different focus and flavor, but for those interested in the art of filmmaking, there are opportunities for involvement at many of levels beyond being an audience member. (more…)
Duluth Schools of the 1890s
Courtesy of the New York Public Library and Google Books, detailed Duluth School Board annual reports from 125 years ago are available online to geek out on.
Links:
Report of the Board of Education of the City of Duluth, Minnesota (1891 to 1894)
Report of the Board of Education of the City of Duluth, Minnesota (1895 to 1901) (more…)
Video: Duluth Inauguration 2020
Duluth Mayor Emily Larson and newly elected city council members were sworn in at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center on Jan. 6.
Postcard from the Spalding Hotel: “Duluth’s Popular Rendezvous”
This undated postcard, printed by Brown & Bigelow of St. Paul, depicts the Spalding Hotel in Downtown Duluth. The back of the card notes the Spalding was “Duluth’s Popular Rendezvous” and offered a coffee shop, cocktail lounge and bar.
The Spalding opened at 428 W. Superior St. on June 6, 1889 and was demolished on Sept. 25, 1963.
St. Louis River remedial action plan open to public comment
A draft version of the 2019 St. Louis River Area of Concern Remedial Action Plan is available on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource’s website. Public comments are being accepted through 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 21. (more…)
Duluth Trivia Deck Sampler #35
Another trivia card from a board game purchased at Savers. (more…)
Historic Inauguration of Duluth City Councilor Janet Kennedy
Duluth’s 2020 Inauguration was historic as the city welcomed its first African-heritage person to serve on the city council. Janet Kennedy has long been serving the city as a leader in the local NAACP as its first vice president and chair for the Health & Environmental Equity Committee. Kennedy now represents District 5 in western Duluth on the council. She joins Renee Van Nett of District 4, who was part of another historic inauguration in 2018 as the council’s first Native American woman. (more…)
JamesG brings the Heely tricks on TikTok
Who’s that guy wearing the University of Minnesota Duluth hoodie while doing Heely tricks on Tik Tok? It’s James Geisler, also known as the hip-hop artist JamesG. The former Duluthian is generating views by the thousands on the short-form mobile video service, while performing stunts on wheeled sneakers around the Twin Cities area.
Check it out at tiktok.com/@jamesmakesmusic.
Charlie Parr – “Where You Gonna Be (When the Good Lord Calls You Home)”
According to Charlie’s Facebook page, this video was nine years in the making.
Director of Photography – Erik Murphy
Sound Engineer – Jon Oelke
Editor – Lei Shi
Director – Lance Lundahl
Glitteratti – “I Believe You / Another Day”
Duluth band Glitteratti releases its debut full-length album, Among the Wild, on March 6 and performs at Pizza Luce on March 13. (more…)
Soo Line Port Switcher 2118
This photo is dated Jan. 5, 1980 — 40 years ago today. It shows the Soo Line Port Switcher 2118, one of two switchers honoring the Twin Ports cities of Duluth and Superior. (more…)
Selective Focus: Carly Jandl
Carly Jandl is an artist still exploring all the options, currently working in painting and jewelry. She also helps others get their work in front of an audience by hosting pop-up events. This week in Selective Focus we get a close-up view of her small-scale artwork and bigger goals.
CJ: Northern Exposure Art is an ever-changing endeavor. My passion began with acrylic painting, and slowly continues to morph as I find other projects to satisfy my creative brain. I am currently focused on commissioned paintings, crafting rainbow earrings, and designing logos. I basically take whatever my creativity tells me to do and run with it. (more…)
Duluth online business Noihsaf Bazaar in New York Times
Photo by Riah Beth Photography for the New York Times
Duluthian Kate Lindello and her Instagram-based business Noihsaf Bazaar are featured in the New York Times today with other business in an article titled “How to Make Friends Online the Old-Fashioned Way (Buying Clothes Together).”
(more…)
View from Skyline Parkway of Downtown Duluth in 1899
Stitched together above to produced a jagged panorama are three photos by William Henry Jackson of Downtown Duluth shot just uphill from a gravel road we presume is an early version of what we call Skyline Parkway today. Below are the isolated images, which show greater detail. (more…)
Monthly Grovel: January 2020 Edition
In the past year — from January through December 2019 — the PDD Calendar published 7,937 Duluth-area events. Each one was edited by a human being before the “publish” button was pushed.
It’s a tremendous amount of work to keep up with all the submissions from the more than 1,000 organizations that have sent us info about their concerts, plays, improv nights and snowshoe hikes. That’s why once a month we set our dignity aside and remind readers how much we appreciate their financial support. (more…)
Perfect Duluth Day’s Best Videos of 2019
Looking back at what Duluthians documented on video in 2019, we find the usual themes. The lake made numerous appearances, whether liquid and moving or frozen solid. We saw lots of music videos, parodies, spur-of-the-moment happenings, and some weird experimentation. Below are our picks for the standout videos of 2019. (more…)
Denfeld takes Heritage title; Hermantown wins Hilltopper
Denfeld’s hockey team celebrates its victory in the Heritage Holiday Classic.
(Photo by Bruce Woodman)
The Denfeld Hunters emerged as the 2019 Heritage Hockey Classic champions on Dec. 28, while the Hermantown Hawks captured the trophy in the Hilltopper Holiday Classic. Prep hockey tournaments on the weekend after Christmas have become an annual tradition in Duluth during the past decade.
Denfeld defeated Owatonna 2-1 in overtime to claim its title, with Griffin Lehet scoring the game-winning goal.
Hermantown dominated the Hilltopper tourney, defeating Buffalo in the final game by a 7-1 margin.
New Year Greetings from Fitger’s Brewing Co.
From the Jan. 1, 1910 issue of the Duluth Evening Herald.
2019: The Year in Duluth Gig Posters
Here it is, Perfect Duluth Day’s annual collection of things that were stapled to telephone polls, taped to lavatory walls, pinned to bulletin boards and uploaded to websites. As usual, by no means is this a comprehensive collection of local rock posters, nor is it a carefully curated archive of the best. It’s just a bunch of them we noticed and didn’t lose in 2019. (more…)
Snow-Fort City Build/Sledding Party
WDIO covered the event which happened on the solstice, Dec. 21. Thanks to all. #snowfortcity has suffered from the recent rains etc but all great cities have been destroyed at least once.