News and Current Affairs Posts

#9 … #9 … Duluth in Top 10 Coldest Cities

The Daily Beast: America’s 25 Coldest Cities

Duluth’s Downtown Casino

As someone still fairly new to town, I’m not sure I understand the whole story behind the legalities of the Fond-du-Luth casino downtown.

Is it located on sovereign Indian territory or is the Fond du Lac band just the landlords? Why do we have such an eyesore that encourages anti-social behavior in our downtown at all? Isn’t there some way to make it go away entirely in favor of  say, a museum, or a book store, or affordable housing, or a cafe?

[BTW — I come from a family of origin where the scourge of gambling wreaked havoc. Yeah, yeah, I know people can enjoy gambling and do it responsibly — but can’t we at least leave that out of downtown and off in Nevada or on reservations? (Of course, I don’t think it’s really healthy for reservations either, but if that’s a sovereignty issue I respect that.)]

And you thought apartments were expensive in Duluth …

Zygi buys new apartment in NY

Jeno Paulucci dead at 93

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

Minnesota Property Tax

If you are trying to make sense of the “Proposed Property Tax for 2012” statement you got in the mail last week, check out the following link on the Minnesota Dept. of Revenue website. I found it helpful in explaining the changes related to the axed Homestead Tax Credit: “Understanding Recent Changes in Homestead Benefits
For Property Tax Purposes.”

Out-of-town anarchist identified!

Out-of-town element and notorious volunteer, Diane Emerson, reacts to Duluth Police Chief Gordon Ramsay’s reference to her at yesterday’s press conference about Occupy Duluth. She was so stunned she almost spilled her herbal tea on her Nonviolent Communication handbook!

Barack Obama vs. Dennis Kucinich and Michael Moore on Libya

This dramatizes the pie fight on the left that erupted over Libya.

If you view it on its YouTube page here, the brief title sequence plays too but you get the idea.

Hey Frank Miller: Batman is the 99 percent

Warning: political, intemperate.

What is it?

Speaking of the city’s infrastructure (Sunday DNT), does anyone know exactly what this is? By lower Chester.

Gay bars, spurs, gaming, tomatoes and other random Duluth-related matters

Here’s a bunch of reasonably credible information that I didn’t have time to delve into for details this week, so I present it as a clump of bullet points (with arrows as bullets).

  • There are plans in the works for a gay bar in Downtown Duluth on First Avenue West.
  • There’s a rumor floating around that another bar will open in the same vicinity. It will have a Western theme and be called Spurs.
  • Tycoons is still several weeks away from opening, but is shaping up to be one of Duluth’s most unique dining and basement-cave drinking experiences.
  • A new shop for gaming opened in West Duluth on Nov. 1. Dungeon’s End is across the street from Beaner’s Central.
  • There also appears to be some kind of indoor- “tomato”-growing shop opening on Central Avenue, right next to 101 Deals. It’s called the Interior Tomato.
  • Trampled by Turtles and the Minneapolis-based band Motion City Soundtrack are releasing a split 7-inch record together on Nov. 21 in which TBT covers an MCS song and vice versa.
  • Cloud Cult has recorded a cover of the Beatles song “Help!” for the Minnesota Beatle Project Vol. 3 album. All the proceeds will be donated to enhance music and art education programs in Minnesota public schools. The album is scheduled for release on Dec. 6.
  • Cloud Cult has also contributed a new song to a compilation benefiting the Children’s Hospital of Minnesota (no release date yet).
  • Walter Raschick is the new director of the Homegrown Music Festival. The previous director, Shana David-Massett, moved back to Florida in October.
  • Kristin Duckart is the new executive director of the Duluth Art Institute. She replaces Samantha Gibb Roff, who left Duluth to become director of development for the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • I’ve heard no reports on whether Upper Lakes Foods has found a manufacturer to produce Connolly’s Tom and Jerry Batter for this holiday season, but we should see it in stores in the next two weeks if it’s making a comeback.

Duluth 2011 General Election Results

Congratulations to new city councilors Jennifer Julsrud (pending recount), Garry Krause (returning to the council after time off), Linda Krug and Emily Larson.

For the School Board, the winners are incumbent Judy Seliga Punyko and newcomers Michael Miernicki and Bill Westholm.

As for the various questions on the ballot, it’s good for parks and bad for schools.

How’s Business?


I am wondering how Duluth small businesses are fairing during The Great Recession. I’d like to hear from business owners, employees, the self-employed , the unemployed, etc. How is business compared to, say, ’07? How are you adapting? I’m really curious about this, and I don’t want to start an overly-political thread here. So, how’s business, Duluth?

2012 Candidate Forum … in 2011

The 2012 DFL District 8 Congressional Candidate Forum coordinated and moderated by Minnesota Public Radio has ended, but the full transcript remains. You can read it at perfectduluthday.com/candidate-forum.

The candidates are Jeff Anderson, Tarryl Clark, Daniel Fanning and
Rick Nolan.

Duluth City Council District One Election

PDD is conducting a bit of an experiment in today’s race for the District One Duluth City Council seat between incumbent Todd Fedora and challenger Jennifer Julsrud. UMD journalism students we be poll watching at the seven precincts in District One, and they will be hustling to report the results in record time.

Chester Bowl ski-jump dismantling?

Taking my early morning walk, I saw bulldozers taking down at least part of the ski jumps at Chester Bowl Park. My first thought was, “Oh no!” — I love that Duluth sorta thumbs its nose at risk-management concerns.

Does anyone have the skinny???