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Prominent indy TV festival coming to Duluth
Next October Duluth will host the Independent TV Festival. This gathering of independent television producers, directors and writers routinely connects major TV and streaming distributors with new projects. On Monday, the ITV Festival announced it would move from Vermont to Northern Minnesota. It’s a major coup for the arts scene in our region. The Oct…
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Jim and Silent Bob pitch whiskey on Tonight Show
Bob Dylan’s hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota, marks the changes in his sprawling career with bemused resignation. Nevertheless, some folks still wonder what the boy they knew as Robert Zimmerman is up to. Earlier this year Dylan announced his new whiskey label, dubbed Heaven’s Door. And while his “never-ending” concern tour keeps rolling, Dylan has adopted the…
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Domino’s picks Duluth for pothole marketing scheme
Tonight, the Duluth City Council is poised to accept $5,000 from Domino’s Pizza to repair some of the city’s legendary potholes. You might have seen Domino’s “Paving for Pizza” nationwide television ad campaign that ran over the last several months. The premise is that potholes cause pizzas in the backseat of cars to go flying…
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Oral history of this blog with notes
Earlier this week I appeared on the Duluth News Tribune Pressroom Podcast with co-hosts Christa Lawler and Brady Slater, produced by Samantha Erkkila. The podcast team and I had been trying for years to figure out when I’d be in Duluth on a weekday with time to spare. We finally found a moment after my appearance…
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NPR coverage of Minnesota’s 8th District
National Public Radio’s Morning Edition broadcast live from Duluth, Minnesota this morning. A team of NPR journalists was covering Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District with an eye toward the people who will be making the decision in next Tuesday’s election. I was honored to join the broadcast as a contributor. If you missed the show, here…
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National Public Radio to broadcast live from MN’s 8th District
This Friday morning a team of journalists will broadcast live from Duluth, Minnesota, as part of National Public Radio’s Morning Edition. I’ll join the program as a local analyst. Host Noel King and fellow reporters toured Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District all week. They’re not following the candidates. Rather, they’ve been talking to voters and learning…
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Angry Lake Superior shuts down Duluth’s lakefront
An autumn storm infuriated Lake Superior today, sending large, dangerous waves into Canal Park and forcing the evacuation of much of the lakefront area. A gale warning remains in effect until midnight tonight. The Duluth News Tribune reported on the power outages, damage and flooding found along the shores of Lake Superior. Duluth photographer Andrew…
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Lake Superior generates cold wind, clean beer
Duluth brags about its local beer. Maybe too much. But brewers and scientists alike suggest that Lake Superior water really does aid the process of beermaking. Dan Kraker recently filed a story on this topic for Minnesota Public Radio. He talks to several local brewers who swear by the pure water available to them in…
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LIVE: First major debate in Minnesota’s 8th District
This morning the three candidates in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District face off in their first major debate. Democrat Joe Radinovich, Republican Pete Stauber and independent Ray “Skip” Sandman will talk issues. This brings welcome relief from a campaign marked by negative ads and low name identification. At 10 a.m., the Duluth Chamber of Commerce and…
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Iconic ship slips past Duluth bridge
The retired iron ore ship William A. Irvin has been docked near Canal Park in downtown Duluth so long that it’s become part of the permanent landscape. Perhaps that’s why so many people stayed up practically overnight Friday into Saturday morning to see the immobilized ship move once again. This YouTube video by photographer Dennis…
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Northeastern Minnesota celebrates its Labor roots
Maybe it’s just because I’m practically drowning in Iron Range history research these days, but Labor Day seems a significant holiday to mark this year. After all, we see workers standing for fair pay across the Mesabi Iron Range this week. Lately I’ve been writing a lot about the transition of the region’s economy, on…
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‘Saving Brinton’ in Duluth this week
I had my 20th class reunion this past Saturday. It was a lovely day of telling stories about the past. One of the scheduled events was a stop at our old high school. The plan was to watch a video my friends and I made my senior year. This short film, shot and edited on…
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Last look at Minnesota’s 8th District DFL primary
Next Tuesday, Minnesota voters head to the polls for the state’s primary election. Here in Northern Minnesota, both Republicans and DFlers face a choice for the 8th District Congressional District. The winners will face each other and independent Skip Sandman in the Nov. 6 general election. Today I’ll re-introduce those candidates and share notes from…
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U rejects, rejoice! Rural Minnesota is probably fine
The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that the University of Minnesota system is exploring strategies to build enrollment statewide. The main University of Minnesota campus in the Twin Cities remains popular, constituting 71 percent of the system’s enrollment. They even have to turn away students from elite programs. But to reach its goals, the Board…
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Build steel bridges, not steel cages
We’ve outlived our immigrant ancestors. Imprints of hungrier times remain etched on our communities, but they are easy to ignore. The fight for workplace safety and fair pay. The demand for free public education. The streets and amenities built to last beyond the mines on the edge of town. The shared humanity of the many…