Larson announces she’ll run for mayor
City Council President Emily Larson has announced she will run to replace Duluth Mayor Don Ness, who has said he will not seek a third term.
“I’m running for mayor because the next chapter for Duluth is critical,” Larson wrote on her Facebook page. “I’m running because our community’s continued progress will require new ideas, and because I want to ensure we write Duluth’s next chapter together.”
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Southwire on WCCO’s list of up-and-coming Minnesota bands
Duluth band Southwire topped WCCO’s list of the five “Best Up-And-Coming Minnesota Bands of 2014.” The trio performs at the Red Herring Lounge on Friday as part of Sarah Krueger’s album release party.
Southwire debuted eight years ago, so the term “up-and-coming” seems a little odd, but the band’s debut album is not yet three years old and its popularity indeed seems to still be on the rise.
Lost Newfie in Twig area
A friend’s Newfie ran off from her house in Twig on Friday. Has anyone seen her?
To move back or not?
I was born and raised in Duluth (I left five years ago) and I am contemplating moving back to Duluth from the Twin Cities. The main reason: I miss my family. However, I have a few concerns and would like feedback from non-relatives that still live in Duluth. We left mostly because of the lack of jobs. Have things improved? I am also concerned about lack of activities for small children, quality of schools, etc. Is Duluth really turning around, or is it dying?
Trampled by Turtles live Pandora private studio performance
Duluth’s own Trampled by Turtles perform songs from their latest album, Wild Animals, for Pandora Live at 25th Street Recording in Oakland, Calif., on Oct. 23.
This Week: lights, flicks, tunes and more
Here’s a bit of what you’ll find on this week’s PDD Calendar:
As Christmas is only ten days away, now’s the time to get out and gawk at the lights. Bentleyville, Glensheen, and Fairlawn are all up to full twinkle right about now, so peep the calendar to see when to schedule your visits.
Plenty of music on tap, this week — Sarah Krueger is releasing her latest album at the Red Herring, former Duluthian Haley Bonar is in town, and the Music Resource Center is holding an open-mic night for its students.
Add to this list a good amount of notable film events — there’s the Star Wars Holiday Special, an Iranian Vampire Western and a film where J.K. Simmons yells at a drummer until he cries — and you’ve got the makings of a pretty full pre-Christmas week.
35,000 miles of scenic highway routes
Slate ran an article today from “The Vault,” its associated history blog. Titled “A beautiful Depression-era route map makes transcontinental bus travel look glamorous,” it details the history of Pacific Greyhound Lines, the company that eventually became Greyhound. The map above is from 1935.
I was struck by the amount of routes covering Minnesota — all the way up to Thunder Bay makes sense, but no state other than Ohio seems to have the saturation that Minnesota does. What gives? (more…)
Wildwoods Notification about Distemper
A fox was found behaving abnormally, and the St. Louis County Undersheriff was able to walk right up to him and pick him up. He seemed very lethargic, and we were not certain of what we were dealing with, at first. Was he stunned from being hit by a car? However, then he began doing this, and we knew he had distemper. (more…)
Selective Focus: Time
Marija Majerle, untitled
Nice to see so many diverse interpretations of this week’s time theme: down time, killing time, bath time, seasonal time, time capsule, even perhaps “time to break your lease” (thanks Tyler).
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Horses and Nerds
Tonight, I am home from the opening of the new art by Patricia Canelake at the Red Herring. This follows a great Nerd Nite last night.
The Canelake opening was awesome.
FAA could release commercial drone regulations by end of 2014
The expected release of new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) regulations later this month and the recent commercial drone incident with TGI Friday’s in New York (TGI Friday’s Dumb Mistletoe Drone Cut Somebody’s Face Open) have me thinking about the future of commercial drone use. Perfect Duluth Day has been somewhat on the forefront of the use of drones since I purchased a quadcopter capable of shooting photography and video back in 2013.
Current FAA Drone Guidelines
I utilize my 4 drones (DJI s800evo, Tarot FY680 Pro, DJI Phantom 2 Vision & Vision 2+) to shoot content for digital media, which has drawn attention beyond PDD via the Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, MPR and also Duluth news outlets. I was contacted by the Federal Aviation Administration in early 2014 after shooting the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon and told I was in violation of FAA regulations because my footage was considered commercial.
I won’t get into the specifics of what the current regulations entail, but needless to say they are bit vague and need clarification. The National Transportation Safety Board felt the same way, dismissing multiple instances in which the FAA fined UAV operators $10,000 for commercial operation. There has been kind of a wild west approach to commercial use of UAVs since then, with little risk of citations or fines until the new regulations are released. (more…)
Video Archive: Puddle Wonderful and Nobody performing at UWS Rothwell Student Center in 1994
UWS Studio II captured these clips from the Puddle Wonderful and Nobody performances at Rothwell Student Center in early 1994. Somewhere deep in the video vault there is also a Puddle Wonderful interview segment. We’ll find it one day.
A big “get well soon” to Puddle drummer Marcus Mathews, who is recovering from a motorcycle accident. “Broken arm, lacerated liver, broken ribs, punctured lung, ligament damage, and a shitpile of cuts and bruises,” he wrote on Facebook. Ouch. Hopefully laughing at this two-minute blast from the past won’t hurt him too much more.
The One Who Watches
The One Who Watches movie premiere tonight at Zinema 2 is sold out. The movie is available to stream or download at nicholassunsdahl.com. It will also show again Jan. 6 at the Zinema 2 Explorer’s Club and on Jan. 8 at the Trylon Microcinema in Minneapolis.
Duluth News Tribune: Duluth filmmakers hope audiences enjoy their first feature-length film
Lonely Planet names Duluth a top destination for 2015
Duluth pulled a #9 ranking in Lonely Planet‘s “Best in the U.S. 2015” travel guide. “With trails in every direction, Lake Superior’s waves crashing on one side, and snowy mountains rising on the other, Duluth has emerged as the Midwest’s premier outdoors hot spot,” the panel of authors and editors wrote. “The 290-mile Superior Hiking Trail hugs the lake from Duluth en route to Canada, passing waterfalls, red-rock overlooks, and the occasional moose. Without even leaving town, the mountain biker (and snowshoer) fantasy known as the Duluth Traverse is in the works, linking several existing trails to cover the 26-mile length of the city.”
Related post: “What else is Duluth the best at?“
French Tutor for Language-Deprived Youth
My 17-year-old daughter, Rachel, a junior at East who is fluent in French — she spent much of last summer in France and is currently enrolled in an upper-level French literature course at UMD through the PSEO program — would like to help Duluth’s language-deprived youth by tutoring preK through high school students (ages 4-18). No prior knowledge of the French language is required and her introductory rates are very reasonable. (For those who don’t know, French is not taught in Duluth’s public schools, which is quite inconvenient, but that is a discussion for another day.) Rachel is kind and patient and has references available from her own previous tutors, as she started studying French in middle school. If anyone would like more information, please call or text me. My cell number is 218-310-1867. Merci beaucoup!
Claire
Select Images from the 1934 Denfeld Oracle
Back in the day, Denfeld art students competed in the Proctor and Gamble contest, the Scholastic Award or the House Beautiful Cover Design contest. Miss Genevieve Bancroft was the art instructor, with the assistance of Miss Nellie Smith. (more…)
This Week: Chris Monroe, Jimmy Dorsey, Violet Bick and more
Here’s a bit of what you’ll find on this week’s PDD Calendar:
Chris Monroe’s new art exhibit opens, Sing! A Women’s Chorus is kicking off the hibernation season and the Handel’s Messiah singalong is taking place.
Get involved with the Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, make some glass holiday ornaments and check out the opening of Fitger’s Salon & Spa.
The Minnesota Ballet’s Nutcracker is opening on Friday, Rubber Chicken’s Holiday Revue is going up, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra is cranking out the holiday favorites and George Bailey is back up on the big screen. Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Building and Loan!
Found: Your phone, lighter and two dimes
In general this is a public service announcement: Keep in mind during the winter months that if you reach into your pockets and pull something out from the bottom, everything else is likely to come out with it and land in the snow next to the railroad tracks. You probably won’t even notice.
Well, that’s at least my theory of what happened. If this is your stuff, inquire about it at the West Duluth Police Substation.
Selective Focus: Warmth
Marissa Murdy, untitled
It’s good to be reminded that however bare and frozen our present surroundings may be (though granted, there’s an austere beauty there too) that current conditions aren’t permanent, and are not beyond most of our abilities to moderate them — given enough light, loved ones, woolen wear, fire, alcohol, some occasional nudity … whatever is close at hand. (more…)
#locateLakeVoice
Lake Voice News invites the public to participate in its community-wide #locateLakeVoice contest by finding cards with the #locateLakeVoice logo around Duluth at locations that have been featured in Lake Voice stories this past fall. The contest runs until Sunday, Dec. 14. (more…)