Politics Posts

Video Archive: Al Franken’s first run for U.S. Senate

Feb 13, 2017 No Comments

Al_Franken,_official_portrait,_114th_CongressTen years ago today, Feb. 13, 2007, Al Franken published the above video announcing his candidacy for U.S. Senate representing Minnesota.

He won the DFL nomination with 65 percent of the vote, but in November 2008 appeared to have lost the the General Election by 215 votes to Republican Norm Coleman. On Jan. 5, 2009, the Minnesota State Canvassing Board certified the recounted vote totals, with Franken winning by 225 votes. Subsequent challenges prevented him from taking his senate seat until July 7, 2009.

Franken was reelected in 2014, defeating Republican Mike McFadden with 54 percent of the vote. His second term ends Jan. 3, 2021.


Politics, Videos

Klobuchar votes to comfirm Pompeo as CIA director

Jan 25, 2017 No Comments

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar was one of 14 Democrats who sided with Republicans on Monday in voting to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee for CIA director, Mike Pompeo.

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News and Current Affairs, Politics

Selective Focus: Gallery of Duluth Mayor Portraits

Jan 20, 2017 9 Comments

SF-TeaserMayors

Happy Inauguration Day. Let’s celebrate peaceful transfers of power with a retrospective view of the portraits of Duluth’s Mayors. For many years, these portraits hung in the hallways of City Hall, but were recently taken down to be cleaned, maintained, digitized and cataloged. The images used here are taken from the Minnesota Digital Library. More information about each mayor is available at the site.

Don Ness says portraits are traditionally done 2-3 years after a mayor leaves office, and he anticipates his portrait will be added to the collection some time this year. So scroll backward through time with us and enjoy the virtual gallery of Duluth mayors.

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Art, Photos, Politics

HF 41: Student Physical Privacy Act

Jan 10, 2017 5 Comments

Posted without comment:

1.1 A bill for an act
1.2 relating to education; establishing the Student Physical Privacy Act; proposing
1.3 coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 121A.
1.4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1.5 Section 1. [121A.35] STUDENT PHYSICAL PRIVACY ACT.

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News and Current Affairs, Politics

To the Battlements, Wherever and Whatever They Are

Jan 07, 2017 1 Comment

Anna Tennis Saturday EssayI think about September 11th a lot. More, lately.

I was working at Duluth’s now-defunct Ripsaw newspaper at the time, and we were confounded for the first hours. Do you remember the world in which an attack on U.S. shores was impossible? The idle impenetrability of the United States? We invaded. The world was our bully pulpit. But that day, the paradigm shifted as surely and as immediately as that of a new mother, who, in the second her child leaves her body finds her heart, her worst fears, vulnerable and exposed to the worst the world has to offer. You could almost hear it, the snap of collective consciousness as the reality became apparent, over the day. One hour at a time, our perceived security, the luxury of our superiority, rolled away like so many layers of fog.

My sister came and picked me up. We drove around, listening to the soundtrack from the Coen Brothers’ masterpiece, O Brother, Where Art Thou? and tuning in to the news for updates. We smoked a million American Spirit cigarettes. We felt scared.

Later, I stood on the balcony of my third-floor apartment, on the phone with my best friend. “We’re going to war,” he said.

“Definitely,” I replied.

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Politics

Historical Trauma and Standing Rock

Dec 03, 2016 4 Comments

DavidBeard_SEWhen I was young and more exciting than I am now, I started teaching Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel Maus. One of the reasons Maus made its way into classrooms was that it was an immensely accessible introduction to the Holocaust.

But about halfway through the second time I taught the book, I realized that its special genius is not the way it tells the story of Vladek, a Holocaust survivor, but the way it tells the story of Artie, the son of a Holocaust survivor.

Perhaps this is clearest in the scene where Artie and his wife, Francoise, take Vladek to the grocery store so that Vladek can return a half-eaten box of cereal.

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News and Current Affairs, Politics, Random ,

Making America Great Again

Nov 18, 2016 10 Comments

It wearies me to see hordes of people so downcast from something as small as a presidential election. Your time and energy can be put to better use where you may be of real influence: your neighbors and community.

I’m taking a two-pronged whack at getting some of you folks out of your funk. I wrote this column in the Duluth Budgeteer for you, because What this country needs most is you.

imgresFinally, I made a nice circuit through the surrounding countryside yesterday, and believe that many of our country’s problems can be fixed if we’ll simply focus on feeding and entertaining ourselves as a community. Our city and surrounding rural area need one another to thrive. Read more about Making America Great Again at Ed’s Big Adventure.


Politics ,

Duluth native Nides in New Yorker

Nov 17, 2016 No Comments

tom-nidesThe Nov. 14 issue of The New Yorker magazine features an article (clearly written before Election Day) on “the Democrats’ fight over finance.” The focus of the piece is on Thomas R. Nides, “who is seen as a contender for a prominent position in a Clinton Administration.”

Nides is a Duluth native and 1979 graduate of East High School. From 2011 to 2013, he served under Hillary Clinton as deputy U.S. secretary of state for management and resources.


News and Current Affairs, Politics

Duluth 2016 General Election Results

Nov 08, 2016 2 Comments

election-2016

Donald Trump wins the presidency nationwide. Hillary Clinton takes Minnesota, barely; in Duluth she nearly doubles Trump’s vote total.

Rick Nolan holds his congressional seat by just over 1,000 votes. Democrats and incumbents fare well in Duluth overall.

With 4,120 of 4,120 Minnesota precincts reporting, below are the unofficial statewide results in races relevant to Duluth.

President and Vice President of the United States
Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine – 1,363,704 | 46.41%
Donald J. Trump and Michael R. Pence – 1,320,895 | 44.96%
Gary Johnson and William Weld – 112,767 | 3.84%
Evan McMullin and Nathan Johnson – 53,021 | 1.8%
Jill Stein and Howie Hawkins – 36,916 | 1.26%
Write in – 27,095 | 0.92%
Dan R. Vacek and Mark Elworth, Jr. – 11,275 | 0.38%
Darrell Castle and Scott Bradley – 9,454 | 0.32%
Alyson Kennedy and Osborne Hart – 1,668 | 0.06%
“Rocky” Roque De La Fuente and Mic – 1,428 | 0.05%

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News and Current Affairs, Politics

Collecting Stories for a Community Forum on Police at UMD

Nov 02, 2016 No Comments

I’m unofficially writing to ask for stories to share for the “Hands Up: Police/Community Relations in Duluth” on Election night, Tuesday, Nov. 8.

This event is a forum for conversation about police and community interactions in the city of Duluth. Duluth Mayor Emily Larson, Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken, Jeremy Nevilles-Sorrell (Mending the Sacred Hoop), and Civil Rights Activist Kym Young will kick off the event with brief statements. We invite UMD students, faculty and staff to share their experiences about police encounters with our guests. Our goal is to generate action steps to keep police/community relations healthy and proactive.

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Events, Politics

Duluth 2016 General Election Sample Ballot

Sep 29, 2016 3 Comments

2016duluthgeneralelectionballot1

This ballot shows races on the western side of Duluth. Depending on where you live you might see:

State Representative District 3B
Timothy Brandon, Republican
Mary Murphy, Democratic-Farmer-Labor

State Representative District 7A
Dylan C. Raddant, Republican
Jennifer Schultz, Democratic-Farmer-Labor

County Commissioner District 2
Patrick Boyle
Linda Ross Sellner

… and then of course the back side has the judicial races.

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News and Current Affairs, Politics

League of Women Voters Duluth 2016 Voter Guide

Sep 28, 2016 No Comments

2016lwvvoterguideWith the election cycle now in full swing, the League of Women Voters Duluth has published an online Voter Guide — a tool for voters to know who their regional and local candidates are and where they stand on issues.

This is the first time the LWV of Duluth has offered its Voter Guide electronically. The 76-page PDF offers perspectives from candidates in 10 races on the Nov. 8 General Election ballot:

United States Representative District 8
State Senate District 7
State Representative District 3B
State Representative District 7A
State Representative District 7B
County Commissioner District 2
County Commissioner District 3
Minnesota Supreme Court Associate Justice
Sixth Judicial District Court 13
Sixth Judicial District Court 15


News and Current Affairs, Politics ,

EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Deadly Tall Ships Incident

Aug 18, 2016 No Comments

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Photos, Politics , ,

Duluth Alligator Attacks: The Opera

Aug 18, 2016 No Comments

Politics, Videos

Any German Speakers???

Aug 12, 2016 1 Comment

IMG_6512

I found this old inscription in a 1930s book. Can anyone help me understand it? It looks to be German or Norwegian and based on what I can figure out it references alligators and Lake Superior.


History, Outdoors, Politics