February 2023 Posts

Duluth Mail Bag: Snow Removal, Budgets and Bag Fees

Hobbs Mail BagAs a two-time Duluth city councilor, now in my final year of service, one of my goals is to make city government more accessible, or at least help citizens become more informed. I figure there are a lot of Duluthians who would like some simple answers to some simple questions. I learned in school that if there is something you don’t understand it’s likely there are many others who feel the same way. Hence the idea of the Duluth Mailbag column.

I won’t divulge who is asking the questions, but I’ll answer them in this format about once a month. Feel free to put a question in the comments for next month’s “Duluth Mailbag” or tweet me via @Hobbs_Duluth or email me at hobbsforduluth @ gmail.com.

Also, if you want to have a longer conversation, you can sign up for a 45-minute cup of coffee through my 100 Cups of Coffee project.

OK, here we go!

Management shift at WDSE “The North” brings change

Under new station manager Brian Rickman, 103.3 FM WDSE has moved to new music programming software and begun considering changes to its schedule, the Duluth News Tribune reports.

We are here. Hear us! An invitation to participate

This event looks pretty cool, and everyone is invited to tell their story. It grows out of the Green Card Voices project.

Return of the Lake Superior Plate Ice

 

Video by Ron Benson.

The Merry Kiss Cam Cinematic Universe

Kip Praslowicz is perhaps best known in Duluth as a photographer and on YouTube as a ranter, but did you know he’s also a championship bowler? A movie shot in Duluth in 2022 has the proof. In his latest video, Praslowicz delves into Merry Kiss Cam from a local’s perspective.

View of Duluth, North Section, 1888

Welcome to Duluth

An American cinematheque production by Jack Rossi.

Obituary of Peter S. Svenson, Minnesota’s Rogue Historian

August 23rd 1947-January 24th(?) 2022. The historian Peter Sven Svenson died without heirs sometime last week according to his autopsy. He will be buried in Forest Hills cemetery in Duluth after the spring thaw. Speaking as one of his only friends, I have penned this obituary.

A document hoarder, Svenson was practically the state’s analog back-up brain for decades, and its conscience.

He was a popular history professor at UMD from 1973-2002. However, he tussled with the university over the legitimacy of his sources. Then they disavowed his work altogether when issues arose about his statistical analyses. Under pressure, he took early retirement, but sued the university for defamation. He lost.

Svenson went on to self-publish books, monographs, and articles, but struggled to find a paying audience. His most important work was produced during this period. Being his friend enabled my access to his research and unpublished manuscripts.

“What About the Legend of the Underwater Lake?”

This informative article refers to the “legend” of Lake Inferior, which originated here at Perfect Duluth Day with my 5/8/21 Saturday Essay, “Lake Inferior: the Underground Lake Beneath Lake Superior.” From a blog post to legend in less than two years — oh, internet! The informative article summarizes the “legend,” linking to the PDD Saturday Essay as the source, which is repeated in a second article seemingly plagiarizing the first:

Old Softball Field in Midway Township

On Midway/Becks Road, about a quarter mile south of Interstate 35 and just west of the former Nopeming Sanatorium, sits a softball — or perhaps youth baseball — field that doesn’t appear to have been played on in about 40 years. These photos are from November.

Savalex

Dream of a better life. A life in Duluth. Take Savalex, the once-daily Duluth hallucination pill.

Video by Jack Rossi.

Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards 2023 Call for Nominations

Lake Superior Writers is seeking nominations for the 2023 Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards.

The categories have changed and are as follows: Nonfiction; Fiction; Children’s Literature; Middle Grade/Young Adult; Poetry; and Memoir. Art/Photography is now part of the Nonfiction category. A $40 entry fee is required for each nominated title.

Duluth Incline Magic Lantern Glass Slides from 1893

Car on the Seventh Ave Incline Duluth Minn. 1893

Images here of the Duluth Incline Railway are from three lantern slides, also known as “magic lanterns.” According to the website of the Magic Lantern Society of U.S. and Canada, the slides generally “consist of two sheets of glass, one of which has the image on one side of it and the other which covers the image, and bound all around by a black paper tape.”