Minnesota’s only living Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, Duluth’s Mike Colalillo, died last night.

UMD  released the name of a student found dead in his dorm Monday. William “Billy” Harper, 19 from Coon Rapids, was discovered dead in his room at Heany Hall on Monday. Lisa Erwin, chancellor of student life, says it appears he died of natural causes.  Billy Harper was enrolled in the Labowitz School of Business and Economics. He was very active in sports and talented football player in high school. My prayers are with his friends and family.

Got this email last week.

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The best Vietnamese restaurant in the City of Duluth is gone. (Thank goodness we still have Lan Chi’s in Superior.) (more…)

It’s being reported that local broadcast legend Lew Latto passed today while preparing for work.

Lead singer for 1980′s hair band Warrant was found dead at the Woodland Hills Comfort Inn in L.A. last night. Jani Lane was 47 years old and was probably best known for the hit “Cherry Pie.”  The cause of death is unknown.

Maybe a band at this years Duluth Tribute Fest, at Bayfront Park Aug. 26-27, will cover a Warrant song or two in memory of Jani?
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You may have noticed that Cliff’s Barber Shop in West Duluth is for sale. The proprietor, Clifford E. Johnson, died two years ago. I took the photo above in April, when Cliff’s shop was being cleared out after an estate sale.

At the estate sale were boxes upon boxes of old slides. Most of them were of vacations to Hawaii and so on, but I found two boxes that had some local images, so I plopped down $10 and brought them home for a slide show. The fine folks at Swim Creative have scanned a few of them for me to share on PDD.
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A few snapshots from today’s demolition. I’m not sure how far they got, I could only stay about 15 minutes.

The new building is apparently more or less done. It is right next to the old building in a space where there used to be a skating rink and a fairly decent (but quick) sled run.

Teen zombies descend on Duluth

With all the attention the local press has given to the closing of Central High School (and rightly so) there has been little mention of the closing of the original Laura MacArthur Elementary School. (A new MacArthur is being built across the street from the original.)

An open house was held at MacArthur yesterday as the last day of classes was wrapping up, so I brought my camera on a final tour before the place is demolished and turned into a soccer field.

I attended MacArthur from the fall of 1978 to the spring of 1985, so that’s the frame of reference for nostalgic comments connected to any of the photos.
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Rumored to be the future site of the Walgreen’s headquarters. Or not.

1801 London Road, Duluth

Le Bistro restaurant in the former City/County Complex in Superior will close April 16, a victim of the sluggish economy.

Duluth News Tribune story

From lebistrosuperior.com:

REBUILDING IS FUTILE!!!

Memorial Service for
Scott “Shorty” William Nace
(1953 – 2010)

Tuesday, February 1st, 2010 · 7:30pm
R.T. Quinlan’s

Speakers, food, music, silent auction.

James W. Bothwell died on Jan. 13. He had a long career as a teacher and principal in St. Paul, but in 1986 he had a stint in Duluth as Morgan Park Junior High School’s interim principal, following the mid-school-year retirement of longtime principal Milan S. Karich and preceding the launch of Jon Vomachka’s reign.

I was in seventh grade and not much of an outlaw during Bothwell’s brief term, so I don’t have any good stories to relate, but I remember him seeming to be quite a nice guy. Does anyone have more specific memories to share?

Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart) passed away. Doc at the Radar Station is one of my all time favorite albums. This guy was an original. Hopefully him and Zappa are enjoying a muffin of their own design in the garage. Run paint, Run Run is genius.

Nellie Bird, longtime owner of Les Bird’s Bar in South Superior, died Nov. 27. She was 90.

Nellie felt that everyone who came into her bar was a friend. The feeling was mutual.

Profile from the Superior Telegram:
“Wisconsin bar celebrates 50 years“

Peter Christopherson passed away peacefully in his sleep on the 24th November 2010 at his home in Bankok.

I took this photo of a couple cats in the window of a ground level apartment in the Kozy on the morning of April 18th, 2008.

Apparently the “Murder House” in West Duluth has been condemned. I walked by today and noticed some of the insane signs on the property have been taken down. The neighbor said the place is going to be demolished.

Barbara Billingsley passed away yesterday.

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“Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.” — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“If I can’t dance I don’t want to be in your revolution.” — Emma Goldman

I was shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the untimely death last night of Cathy Curley – founder of Safe Haven, the Lake Superior Regional Justice Center, domestic violence prevention and intervention pioneer, community activist, mother, friend, mentor, lover of life.

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Gluek brand beer ending after 153 years

He had been suffering from prostate cancer, asthma, high blood pressure and depression.

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An earlier post about a car hitting the Kozy brought a discussion of the building, so I thought I’d share what I know of the building. So here’s some info on the Kozy we at X-Comm have gathered for a forthcoming book, Duluth’s Grand Old Buildings.
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Well, Bone Appetit played it’s last show ever last weekend, and it ended just like it began — sloppy, drunken, and unpredictable.

Thanks to everyone throughout the years that supported us, and thanks even more to the people who took time out of their lives to rip on us, thus giving us even more press than our supporters. I wish I could take the time to individually thank everyone, but I refuse to do that knowing I’d forget someone.  We may have never sang about “what’s cool,” and never really fit in with the whole Duluth scene, but to those that embraced us for doing whatever the fuck we wanted, I thank you!  

I have more good and funny memories from that band than most any other thing in life, and even though some of us don’t really get along in the band anymore, I will still say that I love each and every one of those guys. We’ll never get the accolades that some bands in that town get, but there isn’t one fucking person who deny that we fucking rocked that town over the years.  In the end, I like to think we left a nice big skid mark on certain parts of that music scene that can’t be wiped off.

To everyone I’ve had a beer/smoke/laugh with over the last 11 years in this band, I have nothing but thanks for you.  I love you all, and Good Fucking Night.

Love always,

Cory “Hotrod” Ahlm

P.S.  Special thanks to Starfire,  Adam Guggemos, Paul Lundgren/Barrett Chase, Christa Lawler, Rick Boo, Eric Swanson, Slim Goodbuzz, Jason Cork, and Chris Whittier. Anyone else I forgot, hit me up for a beer.