Archive for the ‘Duluth’ Category

“Kind of Random” Duluth history

Saturday, January 5th, 2013

Woke up early. Laid in bed thinking about things from my past: specificially the 1960′s, Junior High, a friend’s sexual indiscretions. After an hour and a half decided I should find out what time on Saturday the Miller Dwan Fitness Center would open. Got out of bedroom and ignored cat that was pestering me for breakfast an hour before scheduled feeding – Still meowing at my feet. Hush up cat.

Googled fitness center hours. Found a website on “city’s” One post suggested 7AM. Will have to wait and see if I still feel like swimming an hour from now. Took quick look before going on at the Website’s stem on Duluth.

Found this unknown historical tidbit from someone inquiring about a murder at Central High in 1966. Did a google search of Otter Creek later.

As someone remarked. Times were different then.

A girl I met in junior high disappeared after graduating from high school in Mankato, Minnesota. Her skull was found in a farm field a few years later by kids who played with it a little while before it occurred to anyone to alert the police.

Who without fanfare or celebration x’s 2

Thursday, January 3rd, 2013

My wife noticed a new free magazine the other day, The Duluth Quarterly” and squinted at it hard before turning up her nose at it. Not me. I picked it up and brought it home.

Its a thin little publication (found here) with even thinner stories having to do with city staff and projects. Its paid for by ads and put out four times a year by the publishers of the Lake Superior Magazine. Mayor Ness, who gets to pen a message at the beginning of the Winter issue and perhaps future ones, sums up the magazines mission:

“While the media puts focus on the hot button issues of the day and the actions of elected officials, it is our city employees who, without fanfare or celebration, work every day to make Duluth a better place to live and work. It is our city employees who, without fanfare or celebration, work every day to make Duluth a better place to live and work.(my italics)”

I was quite interested in the first story about the future of the Duluth Steam Plant. It has been the subject of some controversy which I was always happy to point out when Johnson Controls conned the City into paying them to improve the plant only to have the city take them to court for unfulfilled promises. The story mentions a new company, Ever-Green Energy, that will continue Johnson Controls work. We are assured good things will happen probably with little fanfare.

I was disappointed by the brief, nonexistant, “history” that was given (by my quick count) 57 words. Apparently the plant was successfully run by the “Duluth Steam Cooperative for many years.” Fini.

When I was on the School Board I had the facilities manager Kerry Leider give me a grand tour of Old Central which included the basement and we spent a lot of time looking at the pipes in the basement that brought the Steam Plant’s heat to the school. The downtown has been heated by the plant for decades. The history deserved more highlighting.

The story assures the reader that the new managers offer Duluth a “win win” and concludes by saying “That’s change we can all welcome.”
There are similar stories about the new transportation hub and the City’s parks post June flooding.

A brief google search led me to Perfect Duluth Day and Paul Lundgren’s 2010 announcement, based on a City press release, that the first issue would be made available on December tenth (my birthday).

The magazine seems like harmless if not very useful puffery for the City of Duluth. That its been out there for two years and I’ve failed to notice it says something. I wouldn’t be surprised if I’d even picked up previous issues without giving them much thought. I wouldn’t be surprised if I’d even picked up previous issues without giving them much thought.

No Republicans in Duluth’s legislative future

Wednesday, September 26th, 2012

Get ready for Representative Simonson……a great employee

“He will be missed as our union president.”

and daughter abandoner.

Its only fair. The State Supreme Court let the GOP add Arne Calson to the gubenatorial ballot after their nominee disgraced himself.

After the Democratic Party’s opening convention night….

Wednesday, September 5th, 2012

…there is no way the local DFL could nominate Assistant Fire Chief Simonson to replace Kerry Gauthier in good conscience:

Erik Simonson’s mother, Beatrice Simonson, said she, her husband and their daughter haven’t had contact with their son and brother since he stopped seeing his daughter. She said she and her husband wanted to maintain a relationship with their granddaughter.

“It’s sad. It’s a heartache,” she said. “But there’s nothing you can do.”

Erik Simonson said he has spoken with his brother several times but that he hasn’t spoken with his parents or a sister for about 18 years.

Unless all that messaging about women was just rhetoric.

Hockey ain’t everyone’s cup of tea

Monday, March 5th, 2012

Forget the recent articles about hyped up kids checking the legs out from other kids on Minnesota rinks. Not everyone is a hockey fan.

I didn’t read the two large opinion pieces on hockey in the DNT over the weekend. I started but then I realized I had a ton of snow shoveling ahead of me.

I do recall a very knowledgeable neighbor explaining to me a couple years ago how hockey had gotten so expensive that West Duluth youth hockey was going extinct.

Here’s another critic who emailed me on the subject this morning:

The two hockey booster articles were perfect metaphors for what is happening in Duluth.
Over sold projects based on the old-timers view of the world.

That Heritage Center was supposed to be an $11mil project but they kept adding on to make it $19 mil.

All kids want is a good rink. They don’t need the inlaid floors and murals and bricks.

Peterson should have been rebuilt.A better facility yes, but along those lines. Remember the Kroc? That would have been a huge community asset. And when the community was polled for what they would like to have available there, hockey came in last.

Hockey is a dwindling sport. The numbers have dropped continuously since 2000. There have been over 100 youth games less this year than last.

He skips over the financials,doesn’t he?
City and school district each gave over a million dollars. They got insurance money from Peterson.

And as far as the savior of West Duluth, Guilliani, he sold a pretty plan and never did any of it except his restaurant. Can’t forget he needed a “bridge” loan from DEDA to stay afloat. And when he has events, he has free use of that city parking lot.

The Heritage is in debt. They built for the “wow” factor instead of building something that Duluth could support and sustain. And it really falls shy of being a good hockey facility, many design flaws.

So Wheeler can live off his glory days but that is not reality for people now. Youth hockey should be seen as any another sport. Fun, discipline, teamwork but not as a way to get a Triumph Spitfire while playing in Europe.

Chuck Frederick sticks up for Roger Reinert’s…

Friday, February 17th, 2012

…attention seeking proposal for a Duluth based Viking’s stadium. Who better to defend Duluth’s honor from the sophisticates at the Strib than the author of the book, Leatherheads of the North: The True Story of Ernie Nevers and the Duluth Eskimos.

Take it away Chuck:

Duluth became an NFL city in 1923 when Kelley Hardware — then at Lake Avenue and Superior Street and now long gone — put up a bit of financing and came up with red-and-white jerseys. Kelley-Duluth played three seasons, racking up a 9-7 record behind Wally Gilbert, one of Denfeld High School’s greatest ever athletes.

The victories included a stunning 6-3 triumph over the heavily favored Packers on Sept. 28, 1924. That game was played at Athletic Park, in the shadows of Duluth’s ore docks, not far from where Wade Stadium now stands.

The Packers’ Curly Lambeau reportedly was so incensed at losing to lowly Duluth he vowed never to return to our city. And he never did.

As one published author to another, I hope this sells a few books.

Roger’s Viking Stadium

Friday, February 17th, 2012

I’m not the only one who rolled their eyes when I saw our Senator Reinert pitch a Vikings Stadium in Duluth. I guess like Dr. Dixon Roger likes to dream big. My eyes weren’t the only ones rolling. I got the following email about Roger’s repitch today in the Trib:

On Fri, Feb 17, 2012 at 5:31 AM, ********** wrote:

“C’mon, man! My sides are aching, you have to knock it off, you are killing me! Best one I have heard in a long, long time.”

“So, instead of having 5,000 people in the state that have to drive 2 1/2 hours to the game, we have 62,000 people that have to drive 2 1/2 hours to the game….OK.”

There were some positive comments but even most of those ended with a “won’t happen but its fun to dream.” Best comment was from someone who asked what would they do with the stadium when not used for the few home football games?

Ever notice how Roger drops his service in the Reserve every chance he gets?

To which I replied:

I saw the graphical illustration of how the Arena would look out at Morgan Park in the DNT and it showed a train station with tracks leading to it. That’s when I realized your 62,000 Minneapolitans were supposed to head on up to Duluth on the Northstar. That’d be one hell of a long train.

Harry

Why the Hell didn’t I think of that?

Thursday, February 9th, 2012

We’re talking some serious gravy train here.

Oh yeah. Now I remember. Roger supported the Red Plan too when he could have guaranteed a referendum on the monstrosity and saved our elementary children from classes with 36 children.

And I forgot. I’m caucusing with the DFL now. I shouldn’t criticize my buddies in the party.

And here’s how he can get “Duluth’s share” of the 1 billion to the Vikings. Tap the Red Plan. The School Board has already given 1 million of it for a hockey rink. (Not the Congdon Rink but the one out at the old Clyde Iron plant)

Fifty kids to a classroom would be a small price to pay to put all those Twin City’s builders to work up here when they outbid the locals for the jobs just like they did on the Red Plan.

and just who brung the Mayor?

Wednesday, February 8th, 2012

My inbox today has one email from an unimpressed observer:

Well, that mayor who insisted he couldn’t be involved in the Red Plan while neighborhoods were being destroyed, schools lost forever city divided has decided its time.

And what brings him to the dance? – The Congdon hockey rinks.

The waste of a school with baseball, softball, football, tennis courts wasn’t enough. The loss of a school that was successful in the mix of socio-economic and race couldn’t do it. But here goes that special tax money to save the Congdon rinks.

Well, gotta dance with them that brung ya.

Hind tit

Saturday, January 21st, 2012

I take some satisfaction in knowing that the richest school community, Congdon, had to wait as long as the poorest school community, Grant/Nettleton to be dealt with by the Red Planners. I worry that the many unplanned extragavances poured into earlier projects will impoverish what can be done for the Central Hillside schools now that the Red Plan seems to be spluttering and sucking up so much more of our classroom money.

Principal Stephanie Heilig is absolutely right about the teachers at her school being either one year types or lifers. God Bless the lifers who take especial pride in helping the kids who most need their teacher’s dedication to succeed.

I’m still left with nothing but contempt for the actions of the Duluth School Boards who have once again dealt the Central Hillside a bad hand.

The Mayor speaks

Thursday, December 15th, 2011

Bout time:

Because of the negative impact of the Red Plan on the central part of the city with the closing of Central High School, Ness said the school district needs to do a better job of representing those residents.

“Grant is the only significant project in the center part of the city,” he said. “Yet it’s going to be the last project completed. The renaming of Grant without even a hint of discussion with the neighborhood was yet another indication of an apparent lack of consideration for folks living in the Hillside.”

Suddenly the City is all over Central High School

Friday, November 18th, 2011

A bitter emailer comments on the City’s plans for the Duluth School District’s excess property:

The city stood quietly by when the school district was changing the face of Duluth forever with the rationalization that they were two separate entities and so could not intrude on each other, so why now is the city taking the lead to find a use for Central?

Did they perhaps have hopes for some commercial use of this property and so did nothing when citizens asked for their help?

Are they taking a page from the JCI/Dixon play book and holding community meetings so they can turn around and say “you had your chance for input”?

Nobodies talking about it

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

Only about twenty people went to last night’s school board forum. That’s a bit of a rebuttal to the notion of building something so that people will come.

As of now nobody has felt moved to comment on Trib’s story about the forum or the candidates. I learned that only one candidate opposes the operational levy. Most have their doubts that any level of funding increase will pass.

I also learned in today’s Trib details about a levy referendum being offered by the City for Parks and Recreation and also that fewer and fewer of us residents will be left holding the property tax burden bag as the County takes in more tax forfeit houses. There will be something like a ten fold increase. Think regressive taxes – that put a heavier burden on the poor. Quick, go out and pass some more local levies.

Also another Democrat has thrown his hat in the ring to challenge Chip Craavack. He wants to bring the troops home.

While Duluth’s public school enrollment declines college enrollment grows

Thursday, September 29th, 2011

The DNT did include a graphic from today’s newsprint story on the increase in enrollment numbers at local colleges. Its funny but when the Trib reported on this year’s public school enrollment they trumpeted a growth in public school students when there was really a small decrease. But this graphic does seem to show that there has been another increase in enrollment in our three Duluth colleges up to 20,326. If the graphic is right then last year’s enrollment for UMD, LSC and Scholastica was 20,052. Granted this is only an increase of 274 students but the headline is sure a lot more restrained than the one about the public school enrollment: “Area colleges show little change in student numbers.” The Trib could honestly written a headline more like: “Despite tough economy area colleges see enrollment growth.”

Its not clear to me from the story or the graphic if all the students listed are students living in Duluth or all students including disembodied online students. It would make a big difference for Duluth because higher education continues to be a major if not the major cause of growth in our area. 20,000 students. Heck that would be one in five Duluthians if they lived in the City. They may live cheap, ten to a rental, but they are pouring money into Duluth. Sure, they party on nice weekends around my neighborhood, curse them, but their spending powers Duluth.

The government payroll [BIGOT ALERT]

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

I’m kicking myself for letting an old habit lapse. I used to clip or hang onto old DNT’s that had info I was interested in. Much of it was Duluth School related and I’m getting tired of beating that dead old horse. One reason I’m a little less concerned about keeping up with this has to do with my linking blog posts to so many DNT online stories. As long as I keep paying for the Domain name to my blog and for its space on a server I can theoretically find all these stories again by date. That might mean going to the Duluth library and reading them on microfilm but its better than losing things in a complete void.

I can’t find the recent editorial I meant to comment on a week or more ago. It had, if I’m remembering correctly, two things of interest to me. For one thing it made a fleeting jab at folks like me by saying something to the effect that in Duluth no happy story can avoid some dark cloud. Those weren’t the words but there’s no doubt the Trib’s editors always think I’m about to rain.

The other more interesting thing was another bit of statistics which may have been in the same editorial. The Trib’s editors pointed out that a few decades ago Duluth’s working population was composed of something like 21% government employees but now that rate is down by a lot – perhaps half that rate.

Wish I could find this because it truly is good news in terms of productivity and leaving us a healthy economy. I’d especially like to point out that this drop in an unhealthy level of government excess was accomplished long before the Tea Party rose up to help Grover Norquist shrink government down to the size of something he could strangle in the bathtub. Reasonable people got this done not slogan-spouting, No Nothings.

Damn, Looks like I’ll have to put another [BIGOT ALERT] on this blog post to placate my buddy.

Virgil’s swing…

Saturday, September 3rd, 2011

…is not a miss. Only his Budgeteer column is missing from the DNT’s online site. That’s too bad.

He points out that the public employee union is pushing hard for City Council candidates. Once seated the councilors will determine how much union members are paid. At a time of diminishing Government services this is troubling.

Coincidentally I got a call a week ago from a surveyer not identifying himself asking me if I had decided upon any city council candidates. When I identified the one I Considering the source the suggestion might have cost both candidates votes from our household.

Like Mr. Swing I have no use for Wisconsin Governor Walker’s heavy handedness. That doesn’t mean that public employee’s political power is not excessive. It is, and it will probably continue to cripple Duluth.

Happy Labor Day!

American Spring?

Sunday, August 21st, 2011

I just watched a few minutes of the television coverage of what seems to be the imminent fall of Colonel Khadafi. Couldn’t happen to a nicer fellow. Poor Fox News has been rooting for him. What will they say about this? Probably that Obama has violated the Constitution to help dump him.

Oh, and while changing channels I stopped to see photographs of all our new Red Plan schools. There will soon be tours. The architects all like primary colors for the elementary schools. There was a lot of blue but not so much red for “stop” or yellow for “caution.”

All this leads me to wonder when we will have our own revolution. An American Spring anyone? Fox would overthrow Obama but I’d overthrow the Tea Party. Even in Duluth. The local Tea Partiers were more interested in getting rid of a black President than a Red Plan.

A City Council candidate against the Red Plan

Wednesday, July 27th, 2011

And I almost didn’t read this:

All of us are going to be on welfare soon because of this Red Plan. You people who wanted this Red Plan: Open up your checkbooks and pay for it. You got took; now pay your dues.

Its too bad Mr. Newquist wasn’t on the Council a few years back.

Duluth gets a little unwitting attention on the Daily Dish

Sunday, June 5th, 2011

Its in the poem: Reverse a lynching by Ansel Elkins. I doubt if Sullivan knew in which city his photo was taken.

You have a stake – (in your heart?)

Monday, April 11th, 2011

From today’s Trib:

No matter how you feel — whether it’s that retiring Superintendent Keith Dixon did a whale of a job leading the school district through a long-overdue facilities upgrade or that Dixon was a tyrant who rammed through an expensive and unnecessary construction agenda — you have a stake in the picking of Duluth’s next school superintendent.
An enormous stake.

Meaning you’’ll want to start paying extra close attention this week. And that begins today when the Duluth School Board is scheduled to review and select semi-finalist candidates at a meeting at 5:45 p.m. Tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. And continuing on Wednesday at 5 p.m. The School Board members will interview those semi-finalists. The board is then expected on Wednesday to hold discussions and select finalists to interview to replace Dixon, who’s retiring.

Looking ahead, those finalists will be interviewed over three days, from April 27 through April 29. The process will include open public forums, with times to be announced. The School Board is expected to make its final pick on April 29. On May 17, the board is scheduled to act on the new superintendent’s contract and on July 1 the new school superintendent is expected to take office.

Before we get too far ahead, though, note that this week’s meetings and interviews all are at Historic Old Central High School, 215 N. First Ave. E., and all are open to the public — just as they should be to assure transparency, openness and a true public process.

Government accessibility, including to a process as critical as this one, means little, however, if the public doesn’t take advantage by participating. Or at least by paying attention, something every Duluth district resident should want to do — whether they feel the good work of the current administration must continue and be built upon or whether they want to make sure the new superintendent is nothing like the old one.

Too bad the old majority will make the decision.