I hadn’t bothered to post my letter-to-the-editor which Mimi criticized for its error regarding Pasek Drugs.
Here is my letter in full. I’ve bolded the items Mimi doesn’t bother refuting. This is nothing new. When people have asked Mimi questions about the Red Plan in the past she has always referred them to the School District which rarely gives complete info and never shares damaging info. But I’ll have to admit Mimi sure got me on Pasek’s death which I greatly exaggerated. The new owner of Pasek’s Mr. Korsch is probably very pleased with all the free publicity he’s getting. That’s probably why he personally delivered a Pasek Bear to my house after my letter appeared.
“So, the Duluth News Tribune thinks Falk’s Pharmacy can compete with Duluth’s fourth Walgreen’s Store. Golly, the Trib just ran a story about the closing of Pasek Drugs. If the Trib doesn’t bother reading the Trib why should Duluthians? Without the Associated Press the Trib would have less to report than Fargo Communication’s other Duluth acquisition the Budgeteer.
Certainly, the Trib’s call to help a Fortune 100 giant like Walgreen’s eat another piece of Duluth ranks up there with its nonexistent examination of Johnson Controls stranglehold over Duluth’s City and School Administrations.
If the Trib practiced journalism it might have discovered some interesting news about JCI. For instance, the energy savings that School Board Chair Nilsen insists will make the Red Plan pay for itself isn’t backed by a performance contract. Johnson Controls is not obliged to save any of the energy Nancy Nilsen promises. It never even measured the energy consumption of our existing schools. Ironically, because it is installing air conditioning our schools energy consumption is likely to increase. None of this has been easy to learn because the School Board signed a contract with JCI allowing the corporation to keep the public data it’s gotten from the District secret. Another newspaper might have considered this censorship an even bigger story than the City’s blacking out the employment history of people applying to fill Roger Reinert’s city council vacancy.
Because of its indifference to complaints about the Red Plan the Trib seemed genuinely startled to report the plans for an Ordean Stadium for “equity’s” sake. Equity means West Duluth gets most of our poor and minority students [Where will school plan put your kids? 12-8-2008] while East Duluth gets a new stadium. So much for news gathering. Thank goodness, the Trib still gets to write its own endorsements.”
