The affordability we can’t afford

Americans like to argue, but seem to agree that we don’t have enough money. The median household income in St. Louis County runs just below $58,000 a year, about $30,000 for individuals. Half make less, and these folks certainly know how hard it is to cover rising expenses. Nevertheless, candidates who support publicly funded health… Read More →

Wanna hear the most annoying sound in Duluth?

Hey, wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world? That would be the sound of the fully loaded freighter Presque Isle scraping the side of the canal on its way out of the Port of Duluth this morning. Nobody was hurt. Somebody, however, has a bad case of the Mondays. Related posts: No related… Read More →

The haunting truth of human nature

For the past couple years I’ve been reading old Hibbing newspapers for my book. I find that reading every paper from every year is exhausting but still the best way to research. This method provides context about everything going on in the community, including the national and international news that shaped people’s attitudes. So I’ve… Read More →

Mayor Larson wins in Duluth while council sees changes

Mayor Emily Larson cruised to re-election over challenger David Nolle in Tuesday’s municipal elections. Larson won by more than 5,000 votes, about 63 percent to Nolle’s 36 percent. Larson heads an administration that has largely continued the progressive policies begun under former mayor Don Ness. She also inherited the challenges that have bedeviled Duluth for… Read More →

Festival of Sail enters Duluth harbor

Tens of thousands of people pile along the lakeshore as the 2019 Duluth Festival of Sail returns with vintage ships and an enormous rubber duck. Here’s some video from today’s parade of sails as vintage replica ships like the U.S.S. Niagara enter the Duluth-Superior Harbor: The family and I took in the Tall Ships festival… Read More →

In Duluth, spring returns with national champs and international shipping

After a temporary setback with last week’s winter storm, spring seems to have finally arrived … again … in Northern Minnesota. One sure sign includes the arrival of the first “saltie” into the Port of Duluth-Superior The Maltese-flagged Maria G arrived in the Port of Duluth to take on a load of grain early this… Read More →

The stunning cost of keeping what we already have

The Minnesota Department of Transportation recently announced that Duluth’s John A. Blatnik Bridge, known locally as the “High Bridge,” would need to be replaced in 2028, less than seventy years after it opened to traffic in 1961. Brady Slater of the Duluth News Tribune reported March 14 that Minnesota would be on the hook for… Read More →

Bankruptcy claims remaining ShopKo stores, including Duluth

ShopKo announced today that bankruptcy would force it to close all its remaining stores, including six in Northeastern and Central Minnesota, by June 16. Stores in Duluth, Ely, Two Harbors, Aitkin, Mora and Moose Lake are among those that will close. ShopKo’s woes are nothing new, and are in keeping with general problems in the… Read More →

Just our duck; the quack is back

You’ll just have to go to the festival yourself to see if the duck is everything it’s … QUACKED UP TO BE! Ha ha ha! Ha. ha. ha … OK, can we talk about this?

Lake Superior more than 80 percent iced over

We’ve reached the part of winter that either steels or breaks Minnesotans. No, it’s not *that* cold, but it’s cold. Yeah, we’re used to snow, but we’re *tired* of it. We don’t need a new snow blower. We need a psychologist. It’s been a colder and snowier winter than average; not the most wicked winter… Read More →