June 2021 Posts

The Slice: Tour of Murals at the Kom-on-Inn

Jun 04, 2021 No Comments

The interior of the Kom-on-Inn in West Duluth is surrounded with Arthur Fleming’s oil paintings of industry that stretched across the city in the 1950s. The building at 332 N. 57th Ave. W. was constructed in 1891 according to St. Louis County land records and the bar took the name Kom-on-Inn circa 1942 under the proprietorship of Frank M. Crotty according to city directories.

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.


History, Videos , , ,

June of ’71: Duluth sewers failing, Voyageurs Park bill signed

Jun 04, 2021 No Comments

Sewer system malfunctions were on the rise in Duluth 50 years ago. The June 4, 1971 Duluth Herald reported 48 claims had been filed against the city through June 3, an amount that nearly doubled the rate of 1970, when 51 claims were made in the full year.

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History ,

On Madweyaashkaa: Waves Can be Heard with Moira Villiard

Jun 03, 2021 No Comments

Duluth artist Moira Villiard is interviewed in the Spring 2021 issue of Open Rivers, an online journal “that recognizes rivers in general, and the Mississippi River in particular, as space for timely and critical conversations about the intersections between biophysical systems and human systems.”

The topic of the interview is Villiard’s animated video collage, Madweyaashkaa: Waves Can Be Heard, which was projected in February on walls at the closed Upper St. Anthony Lock and Dam in Minneapolis. The article can be read in the PDF version of the journal, beginning on page 50, or on a web page.


Art

June of ’71: Anderson Furniture completes remodeling project

Jun 03, 2021 1 Comment

Wilbur Anderson and Dean Reese of Anderson Furniture announced the completion of an extensive remodeling project at their Anderson Furniture Co. store fifty years ago. The Duluth Herald of June 3, 1971 provides the details of the work done at 2032 W. Superior St., also noting the remodeling was planned to fit in with a proposed new mall across the street. Of course, Miller Hill Mall would open instead, two years later.

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History , ,

This wolf pup is still working on a proper howl

Jun 02, 2021 No Comments

The wolf pup in this video was trying its best to howl, but just couldn’t quite get it out. The footage is of the Paradise Pack of wolves at Voyageurs National Park, observed with a Voyageurs Wolf Project‘s trail camera. The project is focused on understanding the summer ecology of wolves in the park, located about 120 miles north of Duluth.


Outdoors, Videos ,

Mary Bue – “I Don’t Need”

Jun 02, 2021 No Comments

Another track by Mary Bue from her 2020 album The World is Your Lover, captured on video by Richard Medek in April for the Homegrown Music Festival. Steve Price and Jeremy Ylvisaker accompany Bue.


Music, Videos

June of ’71: Council debates Mayor Boo’s pay raise

Jun 02, 2021 3 Comments

Duluth Mayor Ben Boo was on the verge of a pay increase 50 years ago, but several city councilors planned to amend the measure and cut the raise in half. That was the top local story in the June 2, 1971 Duluth Herald.

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History , ,

R.I.P. Shorty’s Pizza & Smoked Meats

Jun 01, 2021 2 Comments

Shorty’s Pizza shortly after it opened in 2013. (Photo by Cindy Vu)

Shorty’s Pizza & Smoked Meats in Superior announced today via Facebook it has ceased operations due to a labor shortage in the hospitality industry.

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News and Current Affairs, R.I.P., Restaurants , ,

Duluth 2021 Primary Election Primer

Jun 01, 2021 No Comments

The filing period for candidates vying for Duluth City Council and Independent School District #709 School Board runs June 1-15. Below are the names of those who filed. This post was updated on June 15.

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Politics

June of ’71: Western Union workers strike

Jun 01, 2021 1 Comment

A national walkout of Western Union workers in 1971 included 12 employees in Duluth and about 13 more from around the region. According to the Duluth Herald of June 1, the United Telegraph Workers and the Communications Workers of America had walked off the job over wage and job security issues. The average CWA wage at the time was $3.47 per hour.

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History ,