This article was originally published in the June 2006 issue of Minnesota Monthly magazine.
A corner of the Squirrel Cage Bar in Willow River still pays tribute to the town’s most infamous citizen. At the top of a collection of framed newspaper clippings is a computer printout asking a question that once appeared on hundreds of bumper stickers in the area: “Where the hell’s Cooper?”
U. S. Marshals are still trying to answer that question.
In 2007 and 2008, after an extensive public process, the At Home in Duluth Collaborative created Neighborhood Plans for each of Duluth’s five core neighborhoods. This year we will be reviewing and updating these plans. Two meetings will be held in each neighborhood. Your voice counts!
[This post originally contained an embedded video that is no longer available at its source.]
This is my first post on PDD, although I have been an avid fan and reader for quite some time.
I am posting today to inform the PDD community of an issue that concerns area nonprofits and people with disabilities. Like many of you, I have noticed these green clothing collection boxes all over town. I also wondered who was responsible for placing them and where the clothing and items donated were going. As the boxes declare, “Recycle Locally” and feature the United Cerebral Palsy foundation’s logo on one full face of the box, I assumed that the boxes were put out on behalf of a local CP nonprofit, in order to raise money for their cause. This, however, is not the case.
Academic staff at the University of Wisconsin-Superior voted today 89-5 to affiliate with the American Federation of Teachers-Wisconsin. The election turnout was 54 percent.
More at defendwisconsin.org: In a First for Wisconsin: UW-Superior Academic Staff Vote “Union Yes”
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, in a coma, or frozen from the Duluth winter, chances are you’ve heard that the face of news in the Northland, Dennis Anderson, will be retiring soon. In fact, his last newscast will be Wednesday, May 25, so you only have a few more chances to him before Darren Danielson takes over the anchor desk.
WDIO has taken the opportunity to look back at his career on its website. There was a news reunion of sorts, gathering some of the familiar faces of WDIO past to honor Denny. Also included is some archive footage from memorable events in the past four decades, such as the benzene spill and fireworks explosion. They seem to be adding new clips every day or two, so be sure to check back from time to time.
Parking meter on Lake Ave. Note the May 15 start date.
If you think that Canal Park belongs to Duluthians and not just to the tourists, you have one more day to freely utilize that right. Emphasis on the free. Paid parking goes in effect this Sunday, at least at the meters and presumably at the paid lots as well.
Stroll the piers. Gawk at a 1000-footer. Deconstruct the meaning in public art. It’s your birthright, Duluth.
For today, you don’t have to worry about the gatekeepers at the hotel parking lots and their clipboards.
You don’t yet have to worry about the eager tow companies in the private lots, who will boot, tow, or just flop upon every car whose driver heads to Coldstone before hitting Caribou Coffee.
Toss some rocks at the beach at the corner of the lake. Enjoy your city. Without a roll of quarters in your pocket.
Hooray! Duluth got a shout-out on Boing Boing today.
Boo! It was because of the ball-slasher guy.
This post originally contained a video from WCCO-TV that is no longer available.
I had been wanting to see if we could have a somewhat level-headed informed and nuanced discussion on the challenger pool for Chip Cravaack in MN 8th Congressional District. I figured I’d wait until after the homegrown fog burned off to post anything, but this morning the Duluth News Tribune has a bombshell from John Lundy saying Tarryl Clark is running for the seat. Was that a bombshell for anyone else besides me?
Before I knew about Clark’s bid, I wanted to talk about other un-announced candidates. In addition to Daniel Fanning and Jeff Anderson who appear to be in Pawlenty mode, that is, campaigning-but-not-campaigning not officially in other words. Here are the people who are not campaigning but that I think might make the race interesting: Tom Rukavina, Tom Bakk and Don Ness (Donny says he doesn’t want the job and that is fine with me, I’d like to keep him as mayor for a term or 3 more). The DNT identifies a few other candidates in the article that I did not know were considering a run, including Yvonne Prettner Solon, but most of them I don’t know so I can’t comment (but you can).
So we’ve already got a half dozen “local” candidates mulling a run and then Clark rolls in from St. Cloud and changes the entire chemistry of the race. Or does she? Banter away PDDers but please save the frothy mouthed passion for the Troll Zone thread. I’m looking for thoughts and analysis here, not bile. Thanks.
Update: I discovered that MN Brown Iron Range writer/college instructor Aaron Brown, already wrote about this a couple of months ago, including the possible Clark bid.
Also, I forgot to add Karen Diver, Chairwoman and CEO of the Fond du Lac Band to my potential candidates list. She has a great deal to recommend herself for the position and to me, she’s actually the most interesting potential candidate, although I have no idea if she or anyone else besides Tarryl Clark is actually gonna run.
Update 6/14/11
“I filed today my paperwork to seek the office of the presidency of the United States today and I very soon will be making my formal announcement.”
Michele Bachmann last night on CNN one of her classic headline stealing moves that has to have Tim Pawlenty’s stomach all tied up in knots today. But this means that Bachmann can not run for her 6th District seat and president at the same time.
So Today MinnPost is asking the same thing I want to know: Does this mean Tarryl Clark will give up her bid for the 8th District so she can run for an open seat in the 6th? She recieved 38% of the vote there vs. Bachmann’s 52% in 2010 according to those geniuses at wikipedia
May 19–Winners of the 23rd annual Northeastern Minnesota Books Awards (NEMBA) will be announced in an evening celebration on Thursday, May 19, in UMD’s Kirby Ballroom. The free community event will kick off at 5 p.m. with a book fair and dessert reception. Barton Sutter, Duluth’s first poet laureate, will emcee the formal program beginning at 6:30, featuring best-selling children’s author Mary Casanova as guest speaker. Book fair continues until 9 p.m. Free.
More info: http://www.d.umn.edu/lib/nemba/index.htm.
Mary Casanova, a best-selling children's author, will keynote the NEMBA program
The BBC Orinoco slipped out of Duluth this morning at first light. Was the Ukrainian/Filipino crew concerned about ANOTHER pirate attack? Turns out the same boat and crew were attacked just six months ago on the Arabian Sea.
Paging Johnny Depp.
It’s that time of year again, the time when we magically change the secret folder that makes random silly pictures appear at the top of the PDD page. We’re looking for your Homegrown photos! So follow the same guidelines for submitting photos, but send us Homegrown-related images. You know, people drinking beer, playing rawknroll, hanging out, scans of your long-form birth certificate, and so on. We’ll rotate homegrown images during next week’s festivities.
