News and Current Affairs Posts

Duluth reconsidering mandated parking minimums

The Duluth News Tribune reports that proposed changes to city code would eliminate requirements for developers to provide a specific number of parking spots.

Low fights for rights to master recordings

I’m surprised I didn’t know about this yet, but the Star Trib just posted a story about the difficulties Low and other mostly indie bands are having with re-releasing and/or getting the rights back for their older recordings. What a goofy system to deal with art! Art belongs to the artist(s)!

PDD Quiz: 2023 Coming Attractions

Peek into the future with this week’s quiz about 2023 Duluth area happenings.

The next PDD quiz will review this month’s headlines; it will be published on Jan. 29. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Jan. 26.

Many new Duluth-area restaurants kept it in the family in 2022

 

Twin Ports food fans gained some favorable new restaurant options in 2022 — from high-end dining to downhome comfort food, tacos and the return of an old classic.

Miller Hill Mall Perkins leads list of 2022 restaurant closings

The Miller Hill Mall Perkins closed in March after 37 years of service. The national chain still operates at two other Duluth sites. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)

Restaurants come and go all the time but some seem like they will be around forever. The Miller Hill Mall Perkins is a perfect example. The naugahyde booths, chrome-plated tables, gigantic breakfast menu and sweet pies made each visit feel like the one before — like eating in a time machine that would never end.

But then it did end.

PDD Quiz: 2022 in Review

Look back on 2022 in the Duluth area with this end-of-the-year quiz.

The next PDD quiz will preview coming attractions for 2023; it will be published on Jan. 15. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Jan. 11.

“Joel in Duluth” on “Structural Weaknesses in the Democratic Campaign Apparatus”

Joel in Duluth” currently has an essay on the front page of Dailykos.com, a hive of fightin’ mad progressives. The essay is a cogent analysis of the recent Santos scandal in New York, where a Dem candidate’s oppo research was so underwhelming, he lost to Santos (above) who immediately became embroiled in a scandal about whether his bio is full of lies. Joel in Duluth diagnoses the problem using his own campaign experiences.

Globe News, landmark store in Superior, changing ownership

Globe News owner Tom Unterberger, left, has sold his store to a new ownership group led by longtime customer Jon Fritsche of Poplar. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)

A landmark Superior collectible store — along with its iconic sign — has been sold to new owners who plan to maintain all its nostalgic charm.

Globe News owner Tom Unterberger announced last week that he has sold the historic building at Tower Avenue and Belknap Street along with all its contents to a partnership group headed by a longtime customer. Unterberger and his wife, Jill, purchased the building with the help of his parents in 1982 and slowly converted its corner newsstand into a retail store filled with books, music, trading cards and a wide variety of vintage gifts.

Loiselle Liquor ends 88-year run; new owners plan name change

Loiselle Liquor Store, 413 E. Fourth St., was owned and operated by the Loiselle family for 88 years. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske).

The oldest liquor store in Duluth has changed hands and will take on a new name for the first time in nearly nine decades.

Loiselle Liquor Store, 413 E. Fourth St., was sold by the Loiselle family this spring to Matthew Krueger and Katherine Eagle of Cloquet. St. Louis County property tax records showed the sale price at $360,000 for the two-story building — which was constructed in 1893 as the Goering Block.

Great Lakes Now episode: “Great Lakes Wildlife”

This contains several segments including one about Enbridge Line 3 (@17:15), and a mention of Duluth’s “Water is Life” festival (@24:58).

PDD Quiz: November 2022

Shake off the post-Thanksgiving malaise with a little current events trivia!

A holiday-themed PDD quiz will come your way on Dec. 11. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Nov. 7.

Bob Dylan’s Hibbing High School love letters sold for $670K

The Associated Press reports 42 handwritten love letters from Robert Zimmerman to his high school sweetheart, Barbara Ann Hewitt, were sold at auction to a Portuguese bookshop for nearly $670,000.

Photos of an Empty Skywalk

The Duluth News Tribune recently published an article about the Downtown Task Force’s recommendations to improve conditions in downtown. This summer, I spent some time walking through the Skywalk system and was a bit shocked by how empty it was. The summer might not be the most popular time to use the Skywalk, but it wasn’t just the absence of people. So many of the shops that I remembered were gone. I didn’t intend to make a themed photo series about this, but I had my camera and kept turning a corner to find another impossibly long, completely empty hallway.

Developing Story

Cruising the Great Lakes with Dan Kraker, MPR

Minnesota Public Radio’s Dan Kraker talks about the Great Lakes cruise ship industry.

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