News and Current Affairs Posts

Missing Person: Roger Wayne Swanson

Aug 05, 2016 No Comments

Wayne Swanson Swanson

Update: On Monday, Oct. 10, at 4:37 p.m., Duluth Police responded to the end of Park Point; in the area of 4800 block of Minnesota Avenue after receiving a report of a person locating the remains of a human body. Officers arrived at the scene and located the remains of human body. Police are investigating the incident and believe the remains of 53-year-old Roger Wayne Swanson, who went missing on Aug. 1. At this time, the preliminary investigation indicates the death of Mr. Swanson is not suspicious. This incident is still under investigation and no other information is available.

The Duluth Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating Roger Wayne Swanson. He is a 52-year-old white male, 5’8″ tall, 150 lbs., has brown grayish hair and brown eyes. Swanson was last seen in the Woodland area near the 100 block of College Street. The Duluth Police Department needs the public’s assistance in locating Swanson to ensure he returns home safely and receives his prescribed medication.


News and Current Affairs

‘Tis the season for car prowls, theft

Aug 05, 2016 No Comments

Stolen Blue Audi Blue audi

There’s an old saying in Duluth that cold weather keeps the riff raff out. Logic follows that summertime is the peak season for car prowls and even the occasional theft. A blue Audi A4 convertible like the one shown above was stolen on the evening of July 31. (Update: Police have recovered it.)

Duluth Police routinely remind citizens to lock their vehicles, remove valuables and report suspicious activity to 911.

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News and Current Affairs

Imagine Duluth 2035 Survey

Aug 03, 2016 1 Comment

Imagine Duluth 2035

Imagine Duluth 2035 is an update to Duluth’s 2006 Comprehensive Plan, the road map for future development of Duluth. Citizens are encouraged to share their thoughts on the future of the city by taking the Imagine Duluth survey.


News and Current Affairs

R.I.P. Jim Northrup

Aug 02, 2016 4 Comments

James NorthrupNoted writer Jim Northrup died Aug. 1 from complications with kidney cancer. He was 73.

A U.S. Marine veteran of the Vietnam War, Northrup attributed his cancer to exposure to Agent Orange, a defoliant used by the U.S. military in herbicidal warfare.

Northrup was a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The Duluth News Tribune notes he “was an ardent keeper of Anishinaabe tradition. He and his wife started a summer Ojibwe language camp on the reservation, made birch bark winnowing baskets, took part in the yearly sugarbush to make maple syrup and harvested wild rice on the reservation’s lakes.”

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News and Current Affairs, R.I.P.

Duluth CBS affiliate moves to channel 6.2; CW moves to 3.1

Aug 01, 2016 1 Comment

The TalkSeveral channel changes happened at KBJR and KDLH-TV on the morning of Aug. 1. Viewers who receive signals over the air using an antenna might need to re-scan their television sets, although some televisions will automatically adjust the changes. Viewers using a cable or satellite service are not affected.

The move is part of the sale of KBJR and KDLH announced in November. As part of the deal Channel 3, the long-time CBS affiliate in Duluth, is now owned by Quincy Media Incorporated and is a digital sub-channel of KBJR, also owned by Quincy Media. KDLH is owned by Sagamore Hill Broadcasting and will become the CW affiliate in the Duluth-Superior market.

KBJR will remain an NBC affiliate on channel 6.1. The new CBS 3 will become channel 6.2 and My 9 will become channel 6.3.

KBJR engineering assistance is available at jwalters @ kbjr.com or 218-720-9635.


News and Current Affairs , ,

PDD Quiz: July 2016

Jul 31, 2016 No Comments

SchMNBallet-StuPerfJuly 2016 is almost in the books. What happened around Duluth? Think you know? Let’s find out.

Thanks to Paul Lundgren for his contribution to the quiz.

Send your idea for quiz topics and questions to lawrence @ perfectduluthday.com.


News and Current Affairs

Liquor is legal in Lakeside. Who will serve it?

Jul 29, 2016 3 Comments

Lakeside Liquor

It’s as clear as 100-proof vodka that the first bar in the long-temperate Lakeside neighborhood of Duluth will be located on East Superior Street. The commercial corridor bends almost three miles from Northland Country Club to the Lester River. The road cuts through the heart of a bedroom community that includes close to 10,000 residents. It’s a neighborhood that has never seen a neon Leinenkugel sign or heard a last call.

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News and Current Affairs ,

Send in the Drones

Jul 26, 2016 5 Comments

Sitting up in Woodland going on 128 hours with no electricity. Where is the cool aerial drone footage of the damage at Hartley Park (or anywhere else, for that matter)?


News and Current Affairs

Grill Wars 2016

Jul 26, 2016 2 Comments

Why no Grill Wars this year?


News and Current Affairs

Changes in Bookstores in the Duluth Region and Nationally

Jul 25, 2016 No Comments

Village BookstoreLocal and national media are reflecting on the fate of the bookstore in Grand Rapids, Minn., about 70 miles from Duluth.

It’s small, smaller even than the Bookstore at Fitger’s, although it was crammed to the gills with books.

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News and Current Affairs ,

On tap at Bayfront: a plethora of craft beer

Jul 22, 2016 3 Comments

All-Pints-North-2016

Duluth’s beeriest festival, All Pints North, is coming up on Saturday. Organized by the Minnesota Craft Brewer’s Guild, the tasting extravaganza at Bayfront Festival Park will include more than 120 breweries.

All Pints North began in 2012 and has mushroomed each successive year. In 2015, an estimated 3,500 people attended. The beer fest primarily highlights the guild’s roughly 100 members, but some national breweries participate as well.

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Music, News and Current Affairs, Outdoors ,

Duluth Storm Damage Recap

Jul 21, 2016 6 Comments
Crumbled chimney bricks on the roof of the Board of Trade Building.

Crumbled chimney bricks on the roof of the Board of Trade Building.

A severe storm ripped through the Duluth area around 3:30 a.m., knocking down trees and leaving many without power and running water.

There are two confirmed deaths from the storm, both Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness campers who were part of a Boy Scouts of America Northern Tier High Adventure Program. A 39-year-old female and a 13-year-old male were killed by falling trees on the shore of Basswood Lake. Two others in the group were injured.

The Duluth Fire Department advised no travel this morning. There are multiple power lines down and streets blocked.

The Board of Trade Building is closed due to structural issues after lightning hit the chimney and sent parts of it through the roof. The neighboring Duluth Government Services Center has two weather stations on its roof, the newer of which clocked wind gusts in excess of 100 m.p.h.

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News and Current Affairs

Duluth Gate and Wayfinding Master Plan

Jul 14, 2016 12 Comments

Duluth-Wayfinding-Design

Duluth’s Parks and Recreation Division is in the planning stages of a Gate, Wayfinding and Trail head/Orientation Plan. A public meeting took place in June where the city’s consultants provided five concept designs to be used for park entries, trail heads, information kiosks and historical markers. The city is seeking additional input from the public until July 20 using an online survey, after which a summary of the survey will be provided to the Duluth Parks Commission.

The five concept designs and additional background are online at duluthmn.gov.

Direct link to design options PDF | Direct link to survey tool


News and Current Affairs, Outdoors

Pokemon Go Duluth Update

Jul 14, 2016 2 Comments

Does anyone have any crazy Pokemon Go Duluth stories? I see tons of evidence that the Rose Garden is overrun with Pokemon. And I saw eight kids staring into their phones at Pizza Lucé, which is a Gym across the street from a PokeStop or whatever it is.

Mix 108 has a list of sites. So does Reddit. And so does Duluth.com.

Remember, injured and orphaned wildlife should be brought to Wildwoods. Even Pokemon.


News and Current Affairs

Recommendations For Alligator Removal Service?

Jul 13, 2016 1 Comment

AlligatorBakery

Can anyone recommend a good alligator removal service? My brother and I own Duluth’s Best Bread and have had quite a few guests and workers eaten in the past month. I think they are coming in through the pipes or something.

I was planning on ignoring it but OSHA says if we don’t get the gators out in 90 days we have to pay like a $200 fine.


News and Current Affairs, Recommendations