News and Current Affairs Posts

PDD Quiz: March 2024

Close out the month of March and see how many newsworthy events you remember with this week’s current events quiz!

The next PDD quiz will preview the 2024 Homegrown Music Festival; it will be published on April 14. Submit question ideas to Alison Moffat [email protected] by April 10.

Hermantown Fleet Farm property sold to North Dakota investors

The Fleet Farm property in Hermantown has been sold to a North Dakota investment firm for $30 million. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)

The Fleet Farm big-box retail store property in Hermantown has been sold to a real estate investment firm based in Fargo, North Dakota for $30 million.

PDD Geoguessr Challenge #14: Duluth’s Sister Cities – Rania, Iraqi-Kurdistan

Rania, Iraqi-Kurdistan. Photo based on an interpretation of aerial imagery by Microsoft Flight Simulator.

The next of Duluth’s sister cities in this challenge series is its most recent. Rania officially became Duluth’s fifth sister in November 2015. According to the webpage on Duluth’s sister cities, Rania is located in a partially autonomous Kurdish region in Northern Iraq near Lake Dukan. With a population of 95,000, it is about the same size as Duluth. Exchange activities have included a visiting professor from Rania at the University of Minnesota Duluth and a visit to Rania by a Duluth choir group.

R.I.P. Viking Lounge & Liquor

Fox 21 reports crews were demolishing the Viking Lounge & Liquor building in Superior yesterday. The bar at 1501 N. Fifth St., and its upstairs apartments, were condemned after a Thanksgiving Day fire.

Minnesota hockey hair featured in the New York Times

The New York Times reports this week on Minnesota as the “global hub for hockey hair.” The feature includes the story of Graff Mellin, the junior forward for Hairmantown, who went against the mullet trend with a buzzcut leopard look.

Hawk Ridge housing proposal under scrutiny

The Duluth News Tribune reports there is concern in the community about a proposal to rezone about 4 acres of land in the Hawk Ridge neighborhood for the Bald Eagle Estates housing development.

Cargill buying spree on Park Point exceeds a dozen properties

The Duluth News Tribune reports Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert wrote a letter to billionaire Kathy Cargill in February asking to discuss her plans for properties she and her representatives purchased on Park Point. The Star Tribune reports two properties sold at the end of February on Minnesota Avenue’s 1500 and 1400 blocks. Cargill’s limited liability company, North Shore LS, has acquired a dozen properties on Park Point in the past 14 months. The Strib notes “the LLC also owns a home on the point bought in 2021, and a Lake Superior shorefront condo in eastern Duluth.”

Ritual Salad planning mid-March opening

Cori Zastera, left, and her husband Jason, stand in front of the Ritual Salad location at 1802 W. Superior St. in Lincoln Park last summer before a remodel of the building began. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske).

New Lincoln Park restaurant Ritual Salad is slated to open to the public March 17. It will serve salads and soups, and feature a gift shop with crystals, books, jewelry and more.

Minnesota Presidential Primary 2024 Election Results

Democrat Joe Biden, Republican Donald Trump and Legal Marijuana Now party candidate Krystal Gabel won their respective races in Minnesota’s Presidential Nomination Primary Election.

Minnesota Presidential Primary Election Primer 2024

Minnesota’s Presidential Nomination Primary Election is on Tuesday, March 5. The state’s three major parties have an array of candidates to choose from. Each party has a separate ballot; voter’s must request the ballot of the party of their choice.

Wired Whisker Cat Café, Duluth’s first cat-adoption coffee shop, opening later this year

Misha Smith stands outside the future home of Wired Whisker Cat Café, 1823 E. Superior St. The building served as home to Endion Square Children’s Center for 33 years. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)

Duluth will soon see its first cat café open with a special lounge where customers can drink coffee and meet the “purr-fect” adoptable pet.

Jungle North Holdings purchased the former Endion Square Children’s Center, 1823 E. Superior St., in November and is currently directing a full building renovation. St. Louis County records show the new owners paid $216,000 for the 1,800-square-foot property.

PDD Quiz: February 2024

Test your memory of February 2024 headlines with this edition of the PDD quiz.

A basketball-themed quiz drives your way on March 17 in honor of March Madness. Submit question ideas to Alison Moffat [email protected] by March 14.

Historic Lutsen Lodge destroyed by fire

Minnesota Public Radio reports Lutsen Lodge, also known as the historic lodge at Lutsen Resort, was destroyed in a midnight fire. Resort officials say it’s a total loss.

Falastin will take over former New London Café

Fox 21 reports a Palestinian café and market will replace the New London Café at 4721 E. Superior St. in Duluth’s Lakeside neighborhood.

Lyla Abukhodair and her mother Ann have operated a Palentinian pop-up restaurant called Falastin for more than a year. They plan to open their brick-and-mortar location later this year.

PDD Quiz: January 2024

The first month of 2024 is almost at an end; see how much of it you remember with this week’s quiz.

A PDD quiz about the movie Iron Will sleds your way on Feb. 11. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Feb. 8.