July 2015 Posts

Public Officials with Cool Names

Brainerd Police Chief Corky McQuiston

Brainerd Police Chief
Corky McQuiston

Bass Lake Fire Department Chief Marvin Mullet

Bass Lake Fire Department Chief Marvin Mullet

Superior City Attorney Frog Prell

Superior City Attorney
Frog Prell

Itasca County District Court Judge Korey Wahwassuck

Itasca County District Court Judge Korey Wahwassuck

Acoustic Guitar Sessions presents Charlie Parr

Duluth 2015 Primary Election Primer

The filing period for Duluth city and school board offices closed on July 21. Below are the offices up for grabs and the names of those who filed. The Primary Election will be held Tuesday, Sept. 15.

 
Duluth Mayor
(Top two candidates advance to General Election)
Thomas Cooper
John Howard Evans
Jane Hammerstrom Hoffman (withdrew)
Howie Hanson
Chuck Horton
Emily Larson
James Mattson
Robert D. Schieve
John Socha

At-large Duluth City Councilors
(Two positions; no primary in this race, all four candidates advance)
Jim Booth
Elissa Hansen
Noah Hobbs
Kriss Osbakken

First District Duluth City Councilor
(No primary in this race; both candidates advance)
Gary Anderson
Karl Spring

Second District Duluth City Councilor
(No primary in this race; candidate is unopposed)
Joel Sipress

Third District Duluth City Councilor
(No primary in this race, both candidates advance)
Jay Cole (withdrew)
Barri Love
Em Westerlund

Fifth District Duluth City Councilor
(Top two candidates advance)
Allan Beaulier
Derrick Ellis
Jay Fosle
Janet Kennedy

At-large Duluth School Board Member
(Top two candidates advance)
Alanna Oswald
Jim H. Unden
Renee K. VanNett

District Two Duluth School Board Member
(Top two candidates advance)
Jane Hammerstrom Hoffman
David Kirby
Charles Obije

District Three Duluth School Board Member
(No primary in this race; both candidates advance)
Loren Martell
Nora Sandstad

Duluth named a top city for foodies by Livability.com

DSC05565A cool story crossed news desks yesterday. Duluth is once again on the national radar as a very special place. Last year Outside magazine gave us kudos. Now it’s Livability.com. Here are the details.

Max Dvorak – “Honey”

Max Dvorak is a Madison native living in Boston and touring the United States and Canada this summer. He plays the Redstar on Saturday night, July 11.

Accent in Duluth

I’m aware the “Minnesota accent” varies as you move north through the state, but apparently it also varies west-to-east in Duluth. But don’t take my word for it. I’m a transplant, twice.

Neighbors: Linguist keeps ear open for Duluth accents

Arts fellowships and grants awarded to Duluth artists and regional organizations

The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council awarded the following grants and fellowships to the following applicants, many from Duluth. If you see these artists, congratulate them.

Northern Pike Swims By

A brief encounter with a Northern Pike in several feet of water. It looks injured as if by a propeller across its back.

St. Louis River photos from National Geographic

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On April 7, National Geographic published a photo gallery featuring images of the St. Louis River. The intro to the piece notes the St. Louis is “the eighth most endangered river in the U.S.,” according to a ranking by the advocacy group American Rivers.

ARAC Call for Community Volunteers to Evaluate Grants

ARAC-Regions-Map
I volunteer with the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, and I can say surely and with enthusiasm that some of the best people I have met in Duluth I have met through ARAC, including grants manager Ashley Kulka, executive director Bob DeArmond, local artists and arts organizers across the seven-county Arrowhead region. If you have a desire to support the arts, doing this work is immensely awesome.

The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council is recruiting community members to be a part of ARAC’s Rural and Community Art Project and Career Development grant review panels. Each program has two panel meetings a year that require members to read between 15 and 30 applications per meeting. If you are interested in serving on either of these panels, contact the office at 218-722-0952, 800-569-8134, or info @ aracouncil.org. This is a great way to learn more about our regional arts community; the council and its programs; and the grant review process.

Explore Duluth/Superior LocalWiki

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Chris Handsone and Esther Derby have launched a LocalWiki for Duluth and Superior. Similar to Wikipedia in general, the LocalWiki effort is intended to “collect, share and open the world’s local knowledge” by allowing anyone to create and edit information about where they live — “their local government, the history of their neighborhoods, streets, social movements, noteworthy local figures, social services, schools — every facet of life in their community.” Check out the Explore Duluth/Superior LocalWiki at localwiki.org/duluth/_explore.

This Week: Movies in the Park, Rick Springfield, Trampled by Turtles and more

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Here’s a bit of what you’ll find on this week’s PDD Calendar:

It’s a busy week of summertastic events large and small. Make a clay animal at Duluth Makerspace, watch the Huskies battle the MoonDogs, Lawrence Lee defends a favorite film of his at the Zinema, there’s comedic magic for kids at the Library, the South St. Louis County Fair kicks off in Proctor and downtown Duluth’s Sidewalk Days get underway.

At Teatro Zuccone, the New Works Festival brings the freshness, the heat can be beaten at the Heritage Center’s weekly open-skate, the still-envious-of-Jesse Rick Springfield hits Bayfront Park (as do Trampled by Turtles with several guests) and Emilio Estevez’ enduring classic The Mighty Ducks ushers in the Movies in the Park season.

U-S-A!

Interesting Duluth Restroom Graffiti

Which public lavatories in the Duluth area have the most interesting graffiti?

Selective Focus: The Human Comedy

Jeremiah Brown

Jeremiah Brown, “Heiko”

Mirthful man that he was, Nietzsche wrote “it is man alone who laughs; he alone suffers so deeply that he had to invent laughter.” There’s a recognition there that being human is a difficult endeavor, and that taking ourselves too seriously is one of the ways we compound the difficulty. Thanks to all who braved letting down their stoic fronts this week.