Duluth 2019 Primary Election Results

With 34 of 34 precincts counted …

Duluth Mayor
(Top two candidates advance to General Election)
Emily Larson – 5,225 | 66.87%
David Nolle – 992 | 12.7%
John Socha – 450 | 5.76%
Daniel Weatherly – 285 | 3.65%
Donald Raihala – 220 | 2.82%
Caleb Anderson – 206 | 2.64%
Jesse Peterson – 193 | 2.47%
Corey Ford – 160 | 2.05%
Doris Queen Lavender – 83 | 1.06%

At-large Duluth City Councilors
(Two positions; top four candidates advance to General Election)
Arik Forsman – 3,570 | 26.87%
Noah Hobbs – 3,313 | 24.94%
Derek Medved – 3,003 | 22.6%
Mike Mayou – 2,338 | 17.6%
Stephen Abernethy – 498 | 3.75%
Nathaniel Rankin – 321 | 2.42%
Matthew William Stewart – 242 | 1.82%

Third District Duluth City Councilor
(Top two candidates advance to General Election)
Roz Randorf – 661 | 47.9%
Theresa O’Halloran-Johnson – 454 | 32.9%
Henry Banks – 185 | 13.41%
Ryan Glenn – 80 | 5.8%

News and Current Affairs, PoliticsElection Information

More vinyl from Gabriel’s Used Bookstore

I’m still working my way through the vinyl I grabbed from the bag sale at Gabriel’s Used Bookstore. Most of it is listen once, then dispose or destroy, although I have a mild curiosity about who the owner of these singles was. (more…)

ArtGabriel's Used Bookstore
Pier B Resort: Rise and Dine
Weis Eye Center

Duluth Trivia Deck Sampler #15

Ah hah! Here is maybe a better way to share the cards from the Duluth Trivia game I bought at Savers. I destroyed all the bits that were not Duluth-centric, and I am destroying the cards as I use them here. I own waaaay too much stuff. (more…)

HistoryCollections and Memorabilia

Hey look, a 45-inch Lake Superior trout

Caught by Steven Gotchie and Jordan Korzenowski on Lake Superior, about five miles out from the Aerial Lift Bridge.

News and Current Affairs, OutdoorsFish and Fishing, Lake Superior
Pizza Luce: Butternut Squash
Glensheen Lantern Tours 2026

Big changes at Wildwoods rehab facility

Left: New Wildwoods Executive Director Jessica LaBumbard. Right: Outgoing Director Farzad Farr.

Wildwoods, the Duluth-area wildlife rehabber, recently posted its early-season stats: 1,260 animals have been helped by the organization this year, through Aug. 1. Migration season, a busy time for Wildwoods, is still to come.

Meanwhile, Executive Director Farzad Farr will be stepping down on Sept. 21 after 13 years with Wildwoods. He’s going back to California to be close to family. New director Jessica LaBumbard has already began. (more…)

News and Current AffairsCritters, Wildwoods Rehabilitation

Selective Focus: #tallships

A few views as the Festival of Sail blew into town Sunday. The festival continues today and tomorrow, Aug. 12 and 13. (more…)

Events, PhotosFestival of Sail, Selective Focus, Tall Ships
Glensheen Lantern Tours 2026
Vision Pro: Year End 2026

Pulled over again. There were also some tall ships.

News and Current Affairs, Outdoors, PhotosLake Superior, Lake Superior Aquaman

PDD Quiz: Neon Signs of the Twin Ports

Banner image by Garner Moffat.

Whether you’re in Superior or Duluth, we’re in that prime Perfect Day™ time of year. Belly up to this week’s quiz and see if you can identify local neon signs based on a single letter (and some possibly helpful hints)!

The next PDD quiz, scheduled for Aug. 25, will review the month’s headlines and happenings. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Aug. 21. (more…)

RestaurantsPDD Quiz
Vision Pro: Year End 2026
Pizza Luce: Butternut Squash

The Good Ship Ridiculous

Last spring, a friend texted a picture of a plywood shanty boat to my husband, Jason. A tiny craft, its 13 feet sat trailered on a Superior side street. And at 5-feet wide, it gave off a garage-built, “I made this myself!” feel with outlandish colors and faux iron scrollwork screwed into the side. It also had balloons and a “For Sale” sign.

Squinting into my cell phone, I said, “That’s ridiculous!” Another friend, looking over my shoulder, suggested it looked like a floating puppet show. I laughed, I mean, it was meant as a joke — all of it.

That text was a response to a conversation with other middle-aged parents. Around a bonfire, we gave bold lip service to the idea of living on the water. Late into the evening, we chatted about houseboats and travel — big talk from people made of obligation, staked to mortgages and children and pets. Then, as the embers died down, we wiped the counters, fed the cat and went to bed. There would be work tomorrow because … there is always work tomorrow. (more…)

RandomBoating, Saturday Essay, St. Louis River

Taps are flowing at Rapids Brewing in Grand Rapids

Executive Chef Erik Halverson, General Manager Bill Martinetto and Head Brewer Darin Jensen are ready to spread beard and beer culture in Grand Rapids.

The newest brewery on Minnesota’s Iron Range has begun serving up suds. Rapids Brewing Company opened Aug. 2 for its first “Summer Sneak Peak Weekend,” with limited beer and food options. General Manager Bill Marinetto said he expects the business to be open seven days a week before the end of the month, and his target is next weekend. (more…)

News and Current Affairs, RestaurantsBeer and Breweries, Grand Rapids, Iron Range, Rapids Brewing Company
Vision Pro: Year End 2026

Video from Iron River’s pie-eating contest

The annual Iron River Lions Club Blueberry Festival features a pie-eating contest. Spoiler alert: it gets messy. (more…)

VideosIron River, The Slice, WDSE-TV - PBS North

Apartment building could replace Robert’s Home Furnishings

News and Current AffairsLincoln Park Neighborhood / The Friendly West End
Weis Eye Center
Casey Carbert

Working through a personal record collection from Gabriel’s

The $5 bag sale happens a few times a year at Gabriel’s Books. I swung by on Saturday and filled a grocery sack with a book on new testament theology by Rudolf Bultmann (what kind of nerd has a favorite theologian, in this case an “existential theologian” committed to “demythologizing” the Bible?), and a book by Frederic Wertham (now that is comic nerd excellence right there) and a stack of 45rpm records. (more…)

MusicGabriel's Used Bookstore, Geeky, Record Stores

Postcard from West Superior Street

This undated postcard from Zenith Interstate News Company has a very 1960s look to it. The image shows businesses and traffic on the 400 block of West Superior Street in Downtown Duluth, looking northeast. (more…)

History, PhotosPostcards, Zenith Interstate News Company
Pier B Resort: Rise and Dine
Casey Carbert

Missing Person: Priscilla Joy Sohm

The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s assistance with locating Priscilla Joy Sohm, a 25-year-old Native American female who left the At Home Living group home facility in Canosia Township on July 21.

Sohm has a history of leaving the home without permission and was missing for approximately one month in May before being located in Superior. She is described as having black hair, brown eyes, approximately 5 ft. 8 in. tall and weighing 150 pounds.

Anyone with information about Sohm’s whereabouts is asked to call 911 or the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division at 218-336-4350.

Aug. 21 Update:

Over the past month Sohm has been in contact with her family, but is unwilling to come home or ask for assistance. She is diagnosed with mental health issues that designate her as vulnerable. She is believed to be accompanied by a friend named Joseph Reynolds.

On Aug. 13, Sohm was observed in Downtown Duluth, however, she was gone before law enforcement could locate her. She is still likely to be in the Duluth/Superior area.

Aug. 23 Update:

Sohm was located and brought to a local hospital by the Hermantown Police Department. She was not far from the Kings Creek Park area of Hermantown. A concerned caller had reported to 911 that people may have been camping in the area. She appeared to be in good health.

News and Current AffairsMissing Persons

Exploring the new multi-use trail at Quarry Park

Outdoors, VideosQuarry Park / Casket Quarry
Pizza Luce: Butternut Squash
Glensheen Lantern Tours 2026

Brighton Beach 360 with 2D Video

Outdoors, Videos360-degree Videos, Kitchi Gammi Park and Brighton Beach

Northern Cold Storage & Warehouse Company

Northern Cold Storage & Warehouse Company was located in Duluth’s waterfront warehouse district from about 1907 to 1968. The photo above is credited to Hugh McKenzie circa 1935. (more…)

HistoryDuluth Harbor and Waterfront, McKenzie Photo Studio
Pizza Luce: Butternut Squash
Pier B Resort: Rise and Dine

The Slice: Under the Waterfall

Take a swim with Milos and discover what lies behind the waterfall.

In its series The Slice, WDSE-TV presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.

VideosThe Slice, WDSE-TV - PBS North

Lake Superior eats trees for breakfast

 

Outdoors, PhotosLake Superior, Lake Superior Aquaman
Pier B Resort: Rise and Dine
Pizza Luce: Butternut Squash

Mystery Photo #96: Unknown Building

This image landed in Perfect Duluth Day’s files under “unknown building.” Anyone recognize it?

History, PhotosMystery Photos

Quitter

Just about a year ago, I wrote an essay detailing my own reasons for abstaining from alcohol. (If you’re also a stickler for reading a series in order, you can find “1,186 Days” in the archive. Don’t rush. We’ll try not to get too far ahead before you rejoin us.) It was a relief to talk about it, frankly, having stewed it over for a few years. It was also surprisingly cathartic to put it on paper, since it was substantially more chaotic swirling about my brain box than it was organized and detailed in that essay. Ah, the curious, inscrutable liberation of constraint.

Before I published it, I labored for months over the implications of my admissions: would friends judge me? Would they rewrite the stories of our relationships with this new information, indelibly staining our shared moments with my arrival at this murky end? Would they see evidence in my behavior, view our debaucherous moments with hindsight bias, convinced they could see now the unfortunate trajectory that would lead me to quit drinking? Would they feel weird around me? Would they glumph me into the world of addicts, a ticking time bomb that might dive headlong into a vat of gin and tonics and never resurface? Would I lose friends? Job opportunities? And did any of this matter to me, really? Because in this case, the truth was the truth. The only variable was other people seeing me as I actually was. So I published it. (more…)

RandomSaturday Essay
FDLTCC: Pumpin Run

Meet the Candidates – Recorded by PACT-TV Duluth

The staff from PACT-TV Duluth invited candidates for the mayoral, at-large city council and council districts 1, 3 and 5 to speak up to 5 minutes in regarding their candidate platforms.

Politics, VideosElection Information

Selective Focus: Adeline Wright

Adeline Wright is a multi-disciplinary artist, probably known by most for the work done at her hair salon. The distinctive building at 1132 E. Ninth St. was recently repainted, and a mural is being finished up along the side of the building. Changes and collaborations are happening inside the salon as well. There will be a Grand Reopening Celebration this Saturday, Aug. 3, from 4-7 p.m. Adeline gives us a preview and some more info on the updates.

I am currently creating in multiple ways though hair will always be my primary avenue of expression. What I have come to realize recently is that all of the creative endeavors in my life point clearly to one thing: My love of people is at the forefront of why I do what I do. As a visual artist (working in oils, acrylic, and spray paint) I lean toward portraiture as a means of understanding my relationships with the people around me and those in the broader human community. When I take digital photos, or form a collection of images, the photos and images are always of people. I really notice art that has humans or animals somehow included, even if indirectly. To me, sometimes flowers are also faces, or they represent something similar to how I feel about people. Also, as animals are sentient beings too, I don’t really separate them from humanity, though I only cut human hair, LOL! I have been relationship driven, portrait focused, and styling hair as long as I can remember. (more…)

ArtAdeline Wright, Barber Shops / Hair Salons / Cosmetology, Selective Focus
Ashwabay Alliance / Big Top Chautauqua

Skyline Lanes will remodel, rebrand

News and Current AffairsBowling, Hermantown