News and Current Affairs Posts

Tacos aplenty as new Duluth-area restaurants open

Hungry Hippie Tacos opened at the end of May in the former Westside Pet Clinic location at 1810 W. Superior St. in Duluth’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Photo by Jayden Erie

An array of new restaurants are taking root around Duluth, and tacos continue to be the trend. April and May saw two new taquerias open in Duluth, along with a full-service Mexican restaurant in Superior. At least three more enterprises offering Mexican cuisine are coming later this year.

From authentic Mexican dishes to experimental frybread creations, from taqueria to taco truck, here’s a summer guide of new spots to try.

Duluth 2022 Primary Election Primer

The filing period for Minnesota state and county offices closed on May 31. Below is a tally of candidates who filed for races pertinent to Duluth-area ballots. Names that appear in red are hyperlinked to the candidates’ websites.

PDD Quiz: May 2022

See how much of this month’s headlines you remember with this current events quiz for May 2022!

Baseball will be the theme of the next PDD quiz, which comes your way on June 12. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by June 8.

Live-in volunteers help provide care at Bob Tavani House

Kate Bradley stands on the porch of the Bob Tavani House for Medical Respite. Bradley and her partner, Kelly Wallin, are live-in volunteers who help provide shelter and care for those in need of housing after a hospital stay. (Photo by Jack Wiedner)

Kate Bradley clears off a wooden dining-room table, which doubles as her desk during the day. She switches out her laptop and office supplies for mismatched plates and silverware.

Bradley’s partner, Kelly Wallin, scrounges through the refrigerator, gathering ingredients for meatloaf. “No ketchup,” he reminds himself, as one of the residents is allergic to tomatoes. He will have to improvise.

Twin Ports breweries nab three medals at World Beer Cup

Representatives of Bent Paddle (left) and Earth Rider (right) accepted medals at the 2022 World Beer Cup.

Bent Paddle in Duluth and Earth Rider in Superior each won gold medals at the World Beer Cup on May 5. It’s the first time more than one medal was won by the region’s breweries at the competition. Bent Paddle also took home a bronze medal.

Blush nightclub to close at the end of May

Hip-hop artist Tarli performing May 7 at Blush during the Homegrown Music Festival. (Photo by Paul Lundgren)

Owners of Blush, a community-based art gallery, music venue and drinking establishment, have announced it will close at the end of May.

Great Lakes Now episode “Mushrooms and Mobsters”

Regional news from Great Lakes Now, an initiative of Detroit Public Television. At 21:00 there is a blurb about a proposal in Congress for a Federal Great Lakes Authority, envisioned as a “one-stop shop” for Great Lakes promotion, education, and environmental restoration.

PDD Quiz: April 2022

Review this month’s happenings and headlines in this current events quiz!

The next PDD quiz will be the third installment in the series on Duluth parks. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by May 11.

Thoughts about the new ad campaign

The new campaign to increase tourism for Duluth had, I guess, a “soft open” this week, covered in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and on Fox 21.

A look at the two-level infill house in West Duluth

Enter, a digital biweekly publication from the creators of Architecture MN magazine, takes a look at “a new prototype for building affordable houses on narrow lots in Duluth.”

Hotel Pikku, an early Lincoln Park revival project, is up for sale

The building at 1923 W. Superior St. was constructed in 1899 and houses the Hotel Pikku and Hemlock Leather works. (Photo: gregfollmer.com)

A small, stylish boutique hotel that opened in a renovated historic building and helped transform Lincoln Park into a hip, trendy neighborhood is now for sale.

The three-suite, second-floor Hotel Pikku, 1923 W. Superior St., opened after owners Chelsy Whittington and Andy Matson purchased the building in 2016 and spent more than a year remodeling it. Hemlock Leatherworks, a custom shoemaker, is located on the ground floor.

PDD Quiz: March 2022

See how many of this month’s headlines you remember with this week’s current events quiz!

The next PDD, coming your way on April 10, will look ahead to the Homegrown Music Festival. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by April 7.

Sacred Heart releases album recorded during lockdown

Sacred Heart Music Center is releasing an album recorded during empty-building, pandemic-lockdown concerts live streamed over its YouTube channel in 2020 and 2021.

A listening party for Live from the Heart: The Sacred Heart Music Center Quarantine Sessions will be held from 4-7 p.m. Sunday, March 20 at Ursa Minor Brewing, 2415 W. Superior St. in Duluth. The free event will feature the first public airing of the album, CDs for sale, drink specials, pizza and more.

Trampled by Turtles announce grant and Bayfront concert

Bluegrass band Trampled by Turtles has announced its return to Bayfront Festival Park. The Duluth-formed group will perform July 9 with special guest Jenny Lewis.

The band also announced it is partnering with the Homegrown Music Festival on a grant to “battle against artistic mediocrity.” The $5,000 Palomino Grant is available to musicians in, or within 20 miles of, Duluth and Superior and can be used for things like recording, gear and touring. Applications are being taken through Google Forms, which must be submitted by the first day of Homegrown, May 1. The grant winner will play the opening slot of the Bayfront concert.

PDD Quiz: February 2022

Test your memory of February 2022 headlines with this week’s PDD quiz!

The next PDD quiz will mark Women’s History Month with a quiz about notable Duluth women; it will be published on March 13. Send question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by March 10.