News and Current Affairs Posts

Homegrown Music Festival 2013 Schedule Spreadsheet

Here is it if you want it.

Copper and Nickel Mining in Minnesota

[This post originally contained an embedded video that is no longer available at its source.]

Here’s a video from a UMD Center for Ethics and Public Policy discussion about mining in our region.

Congrats to Shane Courtland, the director, for creating a space for this important dialogue.

Honour, jail and consensual sex

The 2014 race for Minnesota Governor is already underway. Republican Scott Honour, a businessman from Orono, has launched his campaign website. (Amusing sidenote: The announcement page is at “/splash/#prettyPhoto.” Well, it is a pretty photo.)

Zenith City Online launched a redesign today and has delved into the history of the Tycoons Alehouse building, formerly Duluth’s City Hall, answering the question, “Was Tycoons Alehouse ever a jail?” Spoiler: For one year the Rathskeller was home to a holding cell, not an official jail.

There will be a full moon tonight for the Take Back the Night march and I Heart Consensual Sex Party. Sexual Assault Awareness Month will be recognized in Superior as well, with the Speak Out Superior march. Howl like a wolf; hump like a civilized person.

Rockridge Elementary Rezoning

The Rockridge Elementary school property’s proposed rezoning reminds me of the age-old phase “you sleep in the bed you made.” The school district knew from the get go what building zones the schools are in. It also knew the market has its ups and downs. We are now in a down cycle. Why didn’t the district’s budget include a more conservative estimate just in case the market went down?

Boston Marathon Tribute Run

The board of directors of the North Shore Striders will dedicate our next group run to those affected by the bombings at the Boston Marathon. We encourage runners and non-runners alike to come out in support for those injured on Monday.  There will be a free-will offering collected at the run that will be sent to the One Fund Boston, Inc. to help those afflicted by the attack. Everyone is encouraged to wear a race shirt or blue and yellow as a visual show of support.

The Run will meet at the Rose Garden parking lot at 6 p.m. on Monday,  April 22, and be approximately 5k.

This Week in LakeVoice

On Thursday, LakeVoice will release its first ever photo issue. For this issue, LakeVoice staff will go out into the community to capture snapshots of people living their lives in Duluth. The project is inspired by Humans of New York. The goal is to share stories of people’s everyday lives through photos. LakeVoice would like to invite you to join in the project.

New stuff in Canal Park

The Rustic Olive, an olive oil and balsamic vinegar bar, opened in the Paulucci Building on Dec. 8. The store doesn’t have a sign or a website, but both are coming soon. There is a Facebook page, though. The owners are Tom and Tami Thoma. They have another store in Wisconsin.

Emily and Joel Vikre are planning to open a distillery next to the Rustic Olive. What kind of “spirits” will be distilled is left vague on the Vikre Distillery website, but bourbon and gin are the words on the street. Apparently the state legislature has work to do before Vikre is allowed to offer samples.

One block away, Amazing Grace Bakery & Cafe is apparently looking to add a few intoxicating beverages to its offerings. Next week’s Duluth City Council meeting agenda includes a resolution “approving the issuance of an on sale wine license and issuing a 3.2 percent malt liquor license.”

Of course, we are morally obligated to remind you that Canal Park remains a Skateboarders GTFO area.

Minnesota withdraws from mercury pollution project

The Duluth News Tribune reports the state of Minnesota is withdrawing from a research project regarding mercury pollution in the St. Louis River, even though much of the river’s fish are inedible to women and children, and despite the fact that 1 out of 10 North Shore infants have unsafe levels of mercury in their blood.

The article states that sources of mercury in the environment are well known. They include power plants, taconite plants and sulfate pollution (like the pollution from sulfide mining).

Officials from the MPCA said the state first needs more research on how mercury behaves in nature, but later in the article the proposed study is said to have included new research on how mercury behaves in the environment. Huh? It seems this research would be especially timely due to proposed copper-sulfide mining in Northern Minnesota.

This Week in LakeVoice

This week, LakeVoice releases its fifth spring issue, featuring stories on Mentor Duluth and its search for volunteers, the Re-Leaf Duluth program and its plan to replenish the city’s landscape, the Duluth Transit Authority’s plans for a new station and the changes that are coming to next year’s Bentleyville season.

Be careful out there

DTA buses are sliding all over the place and bus service might be stopped before the end of the work day.

The Duluth Police Dept. reports that slippery conditions and poor visibility have contributed to over 20 crashes within the past two hours. The department is asking that residents stay home and only travel if necessary.

The zoo is closed. Goodwill is closed. Open skating at the Heritage Center is cancelled. The Duluth Parks and Rec clean up event at Chambers Grove Park is cancelled. Assume most things aren’t happening.

Found cat in West Duluth

The poor dummy is high up in a tree on the Western Waterfront Trail just south of Indian Point Campground. I invoked the Fire Dept., but the location of the tree was determined to be too tricky for rescue, and, so I’m told, cats always come down on their own … eventually.

This Week in LakeVoice News

LakeVoice News’ sixth issue of the spring features stories on Native American housing in Duluth, Renegade Improvisation at the Teatro Zuccone and Pak’s Green Corner’s innovative culinary creations. Also, listen to an audio piece about Meghan, who works for the Incline Bowling Station, and a take a look at a photo story of Lake Superior Zoo’s EGG-Stravaganza.

Jim Carlson: “The Nazis got me again.”

[This post originally contained an embedded video that is no longer available at its source.]

This afternoon Duluth police arrested Last Place on Earth owner Jim Carlson and his son, Joseph Gellerman, on probable cause based on prior sales of illegal controlled substances to undercover police officers.

Both Carlson and Gellerman were transported to the St. Louis County Jail and booked for three counts of fourth-degree sale of controlled substance.

Is the Duluth News Tribune taking potshots at special education?

The DNT has run two recent articles on special education in our public schools. Both articles seem to be to be blaming the current overcrowding and school budget crisis on special education costs.

Eight places to enroll in the nationwide cancer prevention study

First Covenant Church
St. Michael’s Catholic Church
US Bank Building
Superior Public Library
Peace in Christ Church
Asbury United Methodist Church
First United Methodist Church
Mariner Mall

There is one week left to enroll in the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Prevention Study-3. For dates and details visit cps3twinports.org