News and Current Affairs
Vote on same-sex marriage bill scheduled for Thursday
This is actually happening! Call or e-mail your representative now!
07A Huntley, Thomas (DFL) 651-296-2228 [email protected]
03B Murphy, Mary (DFL) 651-296-2676 [email protected]
07B Simonson, Erik (DFL) 651-296-4246 [email protected]
The world is mud-luscious
Duluth’s Parks and Recreation Dept. has issued its annual plea to the public to refrain from using city hiking trails, snowmobile trails and cross country ski trails until the mud dries up. Refer to the 2010 PDD post “Where to hike in Duluth when it’s muddy,” for guidance.
If you enjoy the mud, well, the Mudman Race will be held at Spirit Mountain on July 20. It features 5k and 10k courses with obstacles to “test strength, endurance and mental fortitude.” So, in addition to mud, you better enjoy hopping over hay bales and climbing through a spider web of ropes.
Just to tie this all together, it bears mentioning that Mud Sisters Pottery will open a new exhibit at Washington Studios on May 10 called “Mud Madness, Mud Magic, Mud Sisters.” It features a collection of functional and decorative pottery, and sculpture in clay and bronze.
Sadness About Wisconsin Point
I was wondering if anyone had any information on the following:
My uncle, Bob Miller, has been an advocate for protection of the Indian burial ground located at the end of Wisconsin Point and has been working on this project for over ten years. My ancestors are buried out there and the foundation from my great grandmother’s childhood home still remains. We are descendants of Chief Osagie who owned the land before selling it to Wisconsin (he’s my greatx5 grandfather). Many of us go out there to perform ceremony and the land is held sacred by all local Anishinaabe people. (more…)
Bond, Comics, Kayaks and Bags of Books
Saturday was a full day for pop culture nerds.
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UMD student tells stories of poverty, homelessness through photography
During the past few months, LakeVoice reporter and UMD student Daniel Badhwa set out to learn more about the issue of homelessness within the Duluth community. With a camera in hand, Badhwa explored the city, talking with people he encountered. Several of the people Badhwa photographed and interviewed shared stories of their current struggles with homelessness, but not all identified themselves as homeless.
His project, featured on the student-run community news magazine, LakeVoice, includes a video, produced by Badhwa, that describes how he went about this project and what he learned both about himself and society. The article he wrote shares some of the intimate portraits Badhwa captured as well as stories from Duluth people living on the margins.
Copper and Nickel Mining in Minnesota
[This post originally contained an embedded video that is no longer available at its source.]
Here’s a video from a UMD Center for Ethics and Public Policy discussion about mining in our region.
Congrats to Shane Courtland, the director, for creating a space for this important dialogue.
Honour, jail and consensual sex
The 2014 race for Minnesota Governor is already underway. Republican Scott Honour, a businessman from Orono, has launched his campaign website. (Amusing sidenote: The announcement page is at “/splash/#prettyPhoto.” Well, it is a pretty photo.)
Zenith City Online launched a redesign today and has delved into the history of the Tycoons Alehouse building, formerly Duluth’s City Hall, answering the question, “Was Tycoons Alehouse ever a jail?” Spoiler: For one year the Rathskeller was home to a holding cell, not an official jail.
There will be a full moon tonight for the Take Back the Night march and I Heart Consensual Sex Party. Sexual Assault Awareness Month will be recognized in Superior as well, with the Speak Out Superior march. Howl like a wolf; hump like a civilized person.
Rockridge Elementary Rezoning
The Rockridge Elementary school property’s proposed rezoning reminds me of the age-old phase “you sleep in the bed you made.” The school district knew from the get go what building zones the schools are in. It also knew the market has its ups and downs. We are now in a down cycle. Why didn’t the district’s budget include a more conservative estimate just in case the market went down?
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Boston Marathon Tribute Run
The board of directors of the North Shore Striders will dedicate our next group run to those affected by the bombings at the Boston Marathon. We encourage runners and non-runners alike to come out in support for those injured on Monday. There will be a free-will offering collected at the run that will be sent to the One Fund Boston, Inc. to help those afflicted by the attack. Everyone is encouraged to wear a race shirt or blue and yellow as a visual show of support.
The Run will meet at the Rose Garden parking lot at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 22, and be approximately 5k.
This Week in LakeVoice
On Thursday, LakeVoice will release its first ever photo issue. For this issue, LakeVoice staff will go out into the community to capture snapshots of people living their lives in Duluth. The project is inspired by Humans of New York. The goal is to share stories of people’s everyday lives through photos. LakeVoice would like to invite you to join in the project.
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New stuff in Canal Park
The Rustic Olive, an olive oil and balsamic vinegar bar, opened in the Paulucci Building on Dec. 8. The store doesn’t have a sign or a website, but both are coming soon. There is a Facebook page, though. The owners are Tom and Tami Thoma. They have another store in Wisconsin.
Emily and Joel Vikre are planning to open a distillery next to the Rustic Olive. What kind of “spirits” will be distilled is left vague on the Vikre Distillery website, but bourbon and gin are the words on the street. Apparently the state legislature has work to do before Vikre is allowed to offer samples.
One block away, Amazing Grace Bakery & Cafe is apparently looking to add a few intoxicating beverages to its offerings. Next week’s Duluth City Council meeting agenda includes a resolution “approving the issuance of an on sale wine license and issuing a 3.2 percent malt liquor license.”
Of course, we are morally obligated to remind you that Canal Park remains a Skateboarders GTFO area.
Minnesota withdraws from mercury pollution project
The Duluth News Tribune reports the state of Minnesota is withdrawing from a research project regarding mercury pollution in the St. Louis River, even though much of the river’s fish are inedible to women and children, and despite the fact that 1 out of 10 North Shore infants have unsafe levels of mercury in their blood.
The article states that sources of mercury in the environment are well known. They include power plants, taconite plants and sulfate pollution (like the pollution from sulfide mining).
Officials from the MPCA said the state first needs more research on how mercury behaves in nature, but later in the article the proposed study is said to have included new research on how mercury behaves in the environment. Huh? It seems this research would be especially timely due to proposed copper-sulfide mining in Northern Minnesota.
This Week in LakeVoice
This week, LakeVoice releases its fifth spring issue, featuring stories on Mentor Duluth and its search for volunteers, the Re-Leaf Duluth program and its plan to replenish the city’s landscape, the Duluth Transit Authority’s plans for a new station and the changes that are coming to next year’s Bentleyville season.
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Be careful out there
DTA buses are sliding all over the place and bus service might be stopped before the end of the work day.
The Duluth Police Dept. reports that slippery conditions and poor visibility have contributed to over 20 crashes within the past two hours. The department is asking that residents stay home and only travel if necessary.
The zoo is closed. Goodwill is closed. Open skating at the Heritage Center is cancelled. The Duluth Parks and Rec clean up event at Chambers Grove Park is cancelled. Assume most things aren’t happening.
Found cat in West Duluth
The poor dummy is high up in a tree on the Western Waterfront Trail just south of Indian Point Campground. I invoked the Fire Dept., but the location of the tree was determined to be too tricky for rescue, and, so I’m told, cats always come down on their own … eventually.
This Week in LakeVoice News
LakeVoice News’ sixth issue of the spring features stories on Native American housing in Duluth, Renegade Improvisation at the Teatro Zuccone and Pak’s Green Corner’s innovative culinary creations. Also, listen to an audio piece about Meghan, who works for the Incline Bowling Station, and a take a look at a photo story of Lake Superior Zoo’s EGG-Stravaganza.
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Jim Carlson: “The Nazis got me again.”
[This post originally contained an embedded video that is no longer available at its source.]
This afternoon Duluth police arrested Last Place on Earth owner Jim Carlson and his son, Joseph Gellerman, on probable cause based on prior sales of illegal controlled substances to undercover police officers.
Both Carlson and Gellerman were transported to the St. Louis County Jail and booked for three counts of fourth-degree sale of controlled substance.
Is the Duluth News Tribune taking potshots at special education?
The DNT has run two recent articles on special education in our public schools. Both articles seem to be to be blaming the current overcrowding and school budget crisis on special education costs. (more…)
Eight places to enroll in the nationwide cancer prevention study
First Covenant Church
St. Michael’s Catholic Church
US Bank Building
Superior Public Library
Peace in Christ Church
Asbury United Methodist Church
First United Methodist Church
Mariner Mall
There is one week left to enroll in the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Prevention Study-3. For dates and details visit cps3twinports.org
Not-So-Perfect Duluth Comet
Finally. Clear skies after sunset allowing my first, eagerly anticipated view of Comet PANSTARRS over Duluth. Sigh. Unfortunately, PANSTARRS isn’t really delivering the goods. I took these pictures Saturday night about 45 minutes after sunset, looking due west over the UMD campus, and trust me, even though the comet was visible to the naked eye, the photos are better than what I could see, even with binoculars. Still, if you get a chance (and the weather Gods permit) I recommend checking this underachieving celestial visitor out. (more…)
Looking for grant applicants
The Duluth Legacy Endowment Fund Committee is looking for grant applicants.
The Neighborhood Grant program awards grants up to $5,000 for projects and programs improving Duluth’s neighborhood parks and services. The deadline is April 1. Applications and other details are at
dsacommunityfoundation.com.
Please apply. Or please pass this along to anyone you think may be interested.
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LakeVoice publishes second issue of spring
After several weeks of preparation, LakeVoice News published its first issue of the semester Feb. 28. The issue features the kickoff of LakeVoice’s Photo-A-Day project, video and audio pieces, and local issues stories produced by UMD journalism students. Since its launch, LakeVoice has published a second issue that includes a “Duluth on Ice” section, which features the history behind area hockey rinks.
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Has anyone recently looked at the Unfair Campaign?
There are a bunch of posts promoting radical leaders who advocate racial genocide on the Un-fair Campaign’s Facebook page! Yipes! Is this what Duluth has come to?
Why are we not?
I just headed down to Goodwill to pick up a suitcase. I’m heading to Scotland to work on an organic vegetable farm for a couple of months. As I was coming back up the hill, I happened to look at the freeway and the thought came to me: Why is it that there are no solar photovoltaics on the south-facing sides of the freeway? What a perfect spot. Out of the way, not doing anything. Some places 20 to 30 feet from the ground to the road bed. South facing. Don’t have to take anything down. We own the right away. Why don’t we do something like that in Duluth? Apathy, ignorance, afraid of change, sold out to power companies, scared, need the money for hockey rinks … what’s the reason? I just don’t get it.
This is a revolution that is sweeping the world. The cost of solarvoltaics is cheaper then fossil fuels in some places. We can’t even try something so small as one solar street light. For 15 years I’ve been going on this rant. Is it going to be another 15 years? Is Duluth going to be that far behind the rest of the world? I just don’t get it.