Anyone have any recommendation for a local photographer? My wife would like a family portrait for Christmas, and I’d like to make her a happy woman.

With all this discussion of rental ordinances, I thought I’d offer my experience with the 300-foot rule. We were denied a rental license when we first applied, due to the 300-foot rule, but were granted a license upon appeal due to economic hardship. The appeals board seemed thoughtful and open-minded, and had clear criteria outlined for when they should grant a variance. While the 300-foot rule has been a difficulty for some, I observed 6 appeals the day I testified, and 5/6 were granted for what seemed to me to be good financial hardship cause. The 6th was denied for what appeared to be valid cause, too. Perhaps the rule is imperfect, but even though it did cost me some money and time and effort, I do believe our local government is being receptive to community needs. I’m glad the council and the mayor’s office is considering new rules to supplant the rule.

So, now that I have had the city inspection of the house, I am ready to offer it for rent. So, the house I have for rent: nice 3-bedroom, 1.5 bath house for rent not far from UMD/Scholastica–close to Chester Creek Park, great neighbors, walking distance to cafe/bookstore, two buslines close by–really an ideal location for the best of Duluth urban life. Off-street parking. Great deck. Hot water radiant heat, newer fuel oil furnace, new hot water heater. Looking to rent to a family, if possible. $900 month plus you pay utilities. If interested e-mail me for more details: [email protected].

First of all, you can find the full summary and the proposed ordinance here.

The primary purpose of this ordinance is to acknowledge that it has become a business to convert single family homes into multi-tenant boarding homes in a way that maximizes income for the business owner.  That business model also puts stress onto the neighborhood because these homes and these lots were (in many cases) not designed to hold 5 or 6 college students each with their own car.  This business model is at the core of the student / resident conflicts.

The problem is not students, rentals, or renters.  I personally believe that we should have more of each in Duluth.  The problem is that when a person converts a 3-br single family home into a 5-br apartment building, they are maximizing income and externalizing the costs onto the rest of the neighborhood.

The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre  is the greatest producer of comedic talent in America today and the Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company brings the very best of our theatres in NYC and LA directly to you.

The Upright Citizens Brigade Touring company will be in Duluth on Sunday November 14, 2010 at the Teatro Zuccone in Downtown Duluth. Show is at 7pm with a special opening performance by the Renegade improv team at 6:30pm. Tickets are $12/advance or $15/door.

The Upright Citizens Brigade will be hosting a workshop from 2-5PM on Sunday Nov. 14 and there are a limited number of spots open. The workshop is $30.00. Please contact Crystal at 218-336-1416 if you are interested in this workshop opportunity.

The Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial folks and the various offices and commissions on diversity at UMD co-sponsored a day on “truth and reconciliation” on Nov. 4. The Griggs Center (a large multimedia-capable meet space seating 200, I’d guess) was filled with students, faculty and staff. Julia and Dick of CJMM walked the audience through the history of the lynching, the history of the memorial, and through some basic reflections on racism as personally experienced and as structurally defined.

The day included showing videos and a reading by Michael Fedo, as well as a tour of the Memorial.

https://events.d.umn.edu/008814

I’m grateful that this resource was available to the UMD community. The day was a success.

This morning I miss my local credit union. Grocery store gone, hardware store gone, bank gone. It makes a difference to me.

I’d really like to hear people’s honest response to how they are affected by the criticism of others.

My daughter, aged 12, loves Halloween. It’s always been her favorite holiday. Since she was a toddler, we’ve decorated our front porch and front yard for Halloween. This year, we went all out: we bought a larger-than- life-sized plastic skeleton for $40 from Target and hung it from a tree in our front yard, half a block up the hill from Chester Creek Cafe. This morning, my daughter and her father prepared to set up the coup de grace for our very cool front yard Halloween display: strobe lights.But they discovered that the skeleton had been stolen overnight. Who would be so low as to steal from a child, and destroy her Halloween display? My daughter is devastated, that someone would actually enter her yard and steal the skeleton she put up to celebrate the holiday. It was also something that would take some work to do, as it was hung from a tree pretty high up from the ground. How can such a thief live with himself or herself, knowing that they stole the skeleton they now own and are probably displaying in their dorm room or off-campus housing? This is the kind of vicious stunt perpetuated on local families that gives — rightly or wrongly — the students living in the neighborhoods near UMD a bad rap.

UPDATE: I closed the comments to this thread — and accidentally deleted an OP comment in doing so, but it was made by a troll so I’m not too bent out of shape about my inadvertent act of censorship. While many who both supported me *and* disagreed with me had intelligent and thoughtful things to say, it was obvious that the thread was being hijacked.

This Saturday October 30 from 7am-Noon is the last day of the season for the Duluth Farmers Market. Bring the kids in costume and stop by, thank your local farmers for providing great fresh fruits and veggies over the summer. While your there support your local farmer and buy some squash, a pumpkin, or any other veggie still available….and dont forget the chocolate, maplesyrup, wild rice, and fish! 14th Ave E. and 3rd St.

If you are a member of Members Cooperative Credit Union, please Facebook, call, or email them and ask to keep an office presence in the Duluth Hillside area. They have closed their Hillside office, due to building structural issues but have not mentioned any plans to relocate anywhere nearby.

memberservices @ membersccu.org or 1-218-625-8500
Please spread the word!