Summer is going. Should get new roof on. I got 20 dollars. Tis only theater left from the old days. Talking about the NorShor. Hey I’d volunteer. It’s a great roof up there. Always thought about winning the lottery and buying the Shor and putting a Penthouse on the top with roof gardens and have Neil Young play downstairs and party upstairs later. Best stage in town. But you can’t change it. Is what it is. Leave it alone. Oh now I’m wondering. Just put it back as it is. It’s the only one left. Shoud get a roof on. I got 20 dollars.

Find the full National Citizen Survey results for the City of Duluth here (PDF).

The numbers are still lower than we would like, but we’re seeing progress over the past couple of years.  A good example of this is the question on “The overall direction Duluth is taking.”  In 2009 it was only 33%, today it’s 51%.  That’s a number that I’d like to see around 80%, but we’re making progress.

I think PDD deserves a lot of credit for consistently pointing out the good things happening around town (as well as pointing out those things that need to be improved).

News Release
Cravaack introduces bill to eliminate federal sign brightness mandate

(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Congressman Chip Cravaack (MN-8) introduced H.R. 2442, the Rural County Mandate Relief Act. The bill would eliminate the federal mandate that states and local municipalities must keep their road and street signs bright enough to meet federal government brightness standards, allowing them to decide when signs are replaced.

“State and local governments are still struggling under the weight of lower revenues brought on by the recent recession,” said Cravaack. “Any mandate from Washington forcing municipalities to unnecessarily replace perfectly adequate street signs hurts their ability to affectively spend scarce taxpayer dollars elsewhere. State and local governments are perfectly capable of deciding when their signs need to be replaced and how best to pay for any new signs.”

The bill has the support of numerous mayors and council members across the 8th District. One such legislator, Steve Biondich, an Aurora City Councilman said H.R. 2442 “is exactly what we need … getting rid of silly unfunded mandates.” Based on a conservative estimate, state and local municipalities will be forced to spend at least $37.5 million over the next ten years to meet the current federal mandate on sign brightness.

Congressman Cravaack serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee – where he is vice chair of the Aviation Subcommittee – the Homeland Security Committee, and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. The 8th Congressional District covers 18 counties in Northeast Minnesota.

Runners and their families milling about foggy Canal Park almost got a big thrill this afternoon. The BBC Orinoco nearly side-swiped the South Pier Lighthouse.

I had the best angle, and I was sure this boat was going to hit. More photos in my blog.