News and Current Affairs
Duluth 2016 General Election Sample Ballot
This ballot shows races on the western side of Duluth. Depending on where you live you might see:
State Representative District 3B
Timothy Brandon, Republican
Mary Murphy, Democratic-Farmer-Labor
State Representative District 7A
Dylan C. Raddant, Republican
Jennifer Schultz, Democratic-Farmer-Labor
County Commissioner District 2
Patrick Boyle
Linda Ross Sellner
… and then of course the back side has the judicial races. (more…)
League of Women Voters Duluth 2016 Voter Guide
With the election cycle now in full swing, the League of Women Voters Duluth has published an online Voter Guide — a tool for voters to know who their regional and local candidates are and where they stand on issues.
This is the first time the LWV of Duluth has offered its Voter Guide electronically. The 76-page PDF offers perspectives from candidates in 10 races on the Nov. 8 General Election ballot:
United States Representative District 8
State Senate District 7
State Representative District 3B
State Representative District 7A
State Representative District 7B
County Commissioner District 2
County Commissioner District 3
Minnesota Supreme Court Associate Justice
Sixth Judicial District Court 13
Sixth Judicial District Court 15
New Duluth-area Restaurants: Fall 2016 Update
The opening date of a new eating or drinking establishment is often a moving target. A majority of enterprises planning to launch in the coming months required significant gutting and reconstruction of old buildings, a common recipe for delays. Here’s the scoop on four soon-to-launch food and beverage joints.
7 West Taphouse
Owner Rick Lampton has pushed back the anticipated opening date for Superior’s 7 West Taphouse to Oct. 3. The burger bar at 1319 N. Tower Ave. is modeled after the original Duluth location. It will feature burgers, tacos and 40 rotating taps of craft beer. Click here to read the full-length story from July.
(more…)Vikre distillery wins national award
Vikre Distillery took first place in a USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice award for best craft specialty spirits, beating out major players like St. George Spirits and Koval Distillery.
Joel and Emily Vikre founded the craft distillery in 2012 and started selling gin and aquavit to the public in 2014. With traditional distilling methods, Lake Superior water and the inventive use of local botanicals foraged in the Northwoods, Vikre is creating unparalleled products. (more…)
Out with the Tycoons, in with the Blind Pig
The Duluth News Tribune reports Tycoons Zenith Alehouse will close Oct. 17 and reopen Oct. 22 as the Blind Pig.
“The Blind Pig is going to be a gastropub and alehouse — higher quality but more casual,” Marissa Saurer told the DNT. She’s the marketing manager for Just Take Action, the company that owns the soon-to-be former Tycoons and future Blind Pig, along with Fitger’s Brewhouse and its Barrel Room, Endion Station and Burrito Union.
The Rathskeller, a second bar on the Michigan Street level of Tycoons, will not be affected by the change.
Duluth News Tribune: Blind Pig to replace Tycoons Alehouse
Duluth’s Best Bread celebrates one year
Robert and Michael Lillegard
The majority of corner bakeries have been casualties of the modern demands of life, which prioritize convenience over quality. A pair of Duluth entrepreneurs is turning the corner bakery model on its head with a limited menu of artisan products, a mix of wholesale, retail and subscription sales and just the right amount of wit. (more…)
The Hillsider newspaper returns, along with former GM/editor
The Hillsider, a nonprofit neighborhood newspaper aimed primarily at the Central and East Hillside of Duluth, will resume publishing in October, according to general manager and editor Naomi Yaeger.
Yaeger is returning to The Hillsider after a five-year stint as editor of the Duluth Budgeteer News. She previously served The Hillsider from May 2006 to January 2011.
“I miss journalism so bad. I miss being out there and just pulling everything together,” Yaeger said. “I enjoy listening to people and hearing their stories and I enjoy telling other people those stories in an accurate way. … I have a passion to do this.” (more…)
Entrepreneur eyes West End for distillery
Kevin Evans, CEO of Duluth Whiskey Project LLC, is interested in opening a distillery at the former Franklin Foods facility on the 1900 block of West First St. in Duluth’s West End. The Duluth News Tribune reports the Duluth City Council could vote tonight on a resolution authorizing up to $50,000 for Barr Engineering Co. to conduct an environmental investigation of the former Arrowhead-Kemps dairy operation, which closed in 2013. The property is listed by Holappa Commercial Real Estate at $450,000. (more…)
Duluth 1200 Fund Advance West Loan Program
A new loan program designed to spur the revitalization of older stock commercial buildings and create jobs in West Duluth and West End business districts is detailed in a brochure released by the city of Duluth and the Duluth 1200 Fund Board. The program is intended to help with commercial building acquisition or improvements in the form of a loan up to $50,000 with opportunity to have up to one half of the balance forgiven, assuming program requirements are met.
The maximum amount of the loans will range between $10,000 and $20,000 per job created, up to the $50,000 limit. The loans are only available for commercial buildings in the 55806 and 55807 zip codes. The buildings must be owner occupied (not leased) by a small business committed to creating two or more full-time equivalent jobs within two years. Further details are available in the brochure below. (more…)
Book store will replace Wild West Liquor; other slow-moving changes in the works on Central Avenue in West Duluth
The former Wild West Liquor building, at left, is being remodeled and new owners plan to open a used book store there next summer.
A Carleton College professor and his wife have purchased a former West Duluth liquor store and plan to open a used book shop in a business district targeted by city officials for redevelopment.
Bob and Angel Dobrow of Northfield bought the Wild West Liquor building, 318 N. Central Ave., in July for $214,000 and plan to open Zenith Bookstore in the space next summer. The couple, along with friends and family, have gutted the 1890s building and exposed its original floors, tin ceilings and brick walls. They will eventually fill the store with thousands of books from their collection, recent purchases and new finds. (more…)
PDD Quiz: August 2016
August is waning. How’s your short term memory? How much do you remember of what happened in and around Duluth this month? Let’s find out.
R.I.P. Monty
Monty Lee Wilkes
We mourn the passing of Monty Lee Wilkes, local boy who made good.
New owners reopen Cedar Lounge in Superior
Tim and Naomi Nelson pose inside the Cedar Lounge just off Tower Avenue in Superior.
Trailblazing craft brewery owner and longtime Duluth bar developer Tim Nelson is ready to launch his newest drinking establishment in a historic, working waterfront neighborhood on the Superior side of the Twin Ports.
The Cedar Lounge, 1715 N. Third Street, just off Tower Avenue, opens in the shadows of the Harvest State Co-op grain elevators Friday, Aug. 26. Nelson and his wife, Naomi, purchased the historic bar building in December and the property has undergone a seven-month restoration. (more…)
The Red Plan’s little brother
As the Duluth school district struggles to find money to pay for the insanely expensive Red Plan, a similar situation is playing out to the north. In 2009, St. Louis County School District officials and consultant Johnson Controls argued that closing several old schools and building new consolidated schools would result in significant savings for the school district. Anyone who followed that publicity campaign could not have failed to notice marked similarities with Duluth’s Red Plan, which was also pushed by Johnson Controls.
In fact, as Marshall Helmberger points out in a recent Ely Timberjay story, almost all of the claims and promises have turned out to be worthless. (more…)
Google Fiber experiment over; Duluth spared
Bob Collins reported this week for Minnesota Public Radio that “Duluth dodged Google’s fiber optic bullet.”
Six years after Duluth came up short in its bid to be a test community for ultra-high speed internet connections, the experiment is looking like an expensive boondoggle. After digging up a half-dozen cities to lay fiber-optic cables, the company is now shifting into plans to transmit fast internet through the air.
Duluth’s C.J. Ham looking good in purple
Duluth native C.J. Ham is the Minnesota Vikings leading rusher over the first two preseason contests. He has gained 60 yards on 20 attempts, including a game-winning touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals in week one. He also has three receptions for 27 yards.
“It’s been a dream come true,” Ham told WCCO-TV. “Just having the opportunity to be in the NFL and be with the team I grew up watching, it’s a dream come true.” (more…)
Cast Iron Bar and Grill fills Le Grand Supper Club void
Duluthians don’t typically venture north of Hermantown to eat dinner, but now there’s a reason for the ride. The Cast Iron Bar and Grill opened three months ago in the old Le Grand Supper Club space in the Pike Lake area. (more…)
PDD Quiz: Tall Ships Festival 2016
The tall ships are coming! How much do you know about the ships coming (or not coming) to this year’s festival? Let’s find out!
Our next quiz will be on August 28 and it will be the month in review. Send your August in Duluth related questions (and answers) to lawrence @ perfectduluthday.com by Wednesday, August 24 at noon.
Duluth 2016 Primary Election Sample Ballot
Minnesota’s State Primary election will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 9, in all election precincts within all cities, towns and unorganized areas of St. Louis County. Shown above is the state partisan side of the ballot for the Duluth area. Shown below is the state and county nonpartisan side of the ballot. (more…)
Missing Person: Roger Wayne Swanson
Update: On Monday, Oct. 10, at 4:37 p.m., Duluth Police responded to the end of Park Point; in the area of 4800 block of Minnesota Avenue after receiving a report of a person locating the remains of a human body. Officers arrived at the scene and located the remains of human body. Police are investigating the incident and believe the remains of 53-year-old Roger Wayne Swanson, who went missing on Aug. 1. At this time, the preliminary investigation indicates the death of Mr. Swanson is not suspicious. This incident is still under investigation and no other information is available.
The Duluth Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating Roger Wayne Swanson. He is a 52-year-old white male, 5’8″ tall, 150 lbs., has brown grayish hair and brown eyes. Swanson was last seen in the Woodland area near the 100 block of College Street. The Duluth Police Department needs the public’s assistance in locating Swanson to ensure he returns home safely and receives his prescribed medication.
‘Tis the season for car prowls, theft
There’s an old saying in Duluth that cold weather keeps the riff raff out. Logic follows that summertime is the peak season for car prowls and even the occasional theft. A blue Audi A4 convertible like the one shown above was stolen on the evening of July 31. (Update: Police have recovered it.)
Duluth Police routinely remind citizens to lock their vehicles, remove valuables and report suspicious activity to 911. (more…)
Imagine Duluth 2035 Survey
Imagine Duluth 2035 is an update to Duluth’s 2006 Comprehensive Plan, the road map for future development of Duluth. Citizens are encouraged to share their thoughts on the future of the city by taking the Imagine Duluth survey.
R.I.P. Jim Northrup
Noted writer Jim Northrup died Aug. 1 from complications with kidney cancer. He was 73.
A U.S. Marine veteran of the Vietnam War, Northrup attributed his cancer to exposure to Agent Orange, a defoliant used by the U.S. military in herbicidal warfare.
Northrup was a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The Duluth News Tribune notes he “was an ardent keeper of Anishinaabe tradition. He and his wife started a summer Ojibwe language camp on the reservation, made birch bark winnowing baskets, took part in the yearly sugarbush to make maple syrup and harvested wild rice on the reservation’s lakes.” (more…)
Duluth CBS affiliate moves to channel 6.2; CW moves to 3.1
Several channel changes happened at KBJR and KDLH-TV on the morning of Aug. 1. Viewers who receive signals over the air using an antenna might need to re-scan their television sets, although some televisions will automatically adjust the changes. Viewers using a cable or satellite service are not affected.
The move is part of the sale of KBJR and KDLH announced in November. As part of the deal Channel 3, the long-time CBS affiliate in Duluth, is now owned by Quincy Media Incorporated and is a digital sub-channel of KBJR, also owned by Quincy Media. KDLH is owned by Sagamore Hill Broadcasting and will become the CW affiliate in the Duluth-Superior market.
KBJR will remain an NBC affiliate on channel 6.1. The new CBS 3 will become channel 6.2 and My 9 will become channel 6.3.
KBJR engineering assistance is available at jwalters @ kbjr.com or 218-720-9635.