May 11, 2009

Is the Grand Casino in Hinckley a more popular destination than Duluth? That's what planners are saying in ridership projections for the proposed Northern Lights Express rail line, according to the Duluth News Tribune.

A new arts center in downtown Duluth is progressing - though it has had to deal with the negative affects of the poor economy. The Duluth News Tribune has an update.

It may seem like a thing of the past in these days of satellites and GPS, but the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a story about a spotter working at a fire tower near Park Falls - one of 86 manned towers in the state.

North Shore  / Gunflint Trail blog roundup: As usual, some lakes were barely open in time for last weekend's fishing opener - and some parts of the state saw snow on Saturday morning. The cold didn't stop one other weekend tradition at the Sawbill Canoe Outfitters.

April 27, 2009

From the Iron Range to Hollywood: A Gilbert woman has her name in the credits of the new movie "State of Play" for a behind-the-scenes job, according to the Mesabi Daily News (log-in required).

Local health officials talked to the Duluth News Tribune about preparing - but not panicking - for a potential pandemic of swine flu.

Commenters rightly jumped on the Northland's News Center for an article that appeared on the TV news operation's Web site Sunday that said that someone in Minnesota had tested positive for the new swine flu strain. That's false - and the station gave no source for its incorrect information. The article also was accompanied by an uncaptioned photo of people in hazmat suits. Scroll down the page to see what readers thought of it.

Sunday's News Tribune featured a story on an Indian burial ground in Superior that is eroding into the Nemadji River - and no one seems to be responsible, or have a clear answer, for what should be done about it. It's adding insult to injury for Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, as the eroding grave site was created when remains were removed from Wisconsin Point nearly a century ago, after the band lost land on the point.

Kids up the Gunflint Trail are enjoying a short-lived spring sport, as seen on the Tuscarora Lodge blog. Some lakes are still solidly encased in ice, though - on Friday, the ice thickness was nearly two feet on Sawbill Lake.

Useful news from north of the border: How do you rescue an angry beaver from an eight-foot-deep hole in the ground? Thunder Bay firefighters found a way, according to the Chronicle Journal.

April 25, 2009

The 11th annual Homegrown Music Festival begins Sunday in Duluth, with more than 100 bands of all musical genres set to perform at venues around town. Here is coverage from the Duluth News Tribune and Fox 21.

She left the paper earlier this month, but News Tribune reporter Janna Goerdt left readers one more well-written tale of a unique, largely lost Northland tradition - digging graves by hand in Toivola.

School districts across the state are facing tough financial situations, and there is talk of consolidating schools in the St. Louis County school district. The district is the largest, by area, in the state, and includes seven K-12 schools scattered across the county. The Timberjay has coverage of public meetings here, here and here.

Education woes aren't limited to this side of the international border. A planned four-day shutdown at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay is causing controversy, according to the Chronicle Journal.

On Wednesday, fire destroyed the historic main lodge building at the Trout Lake Resort north of Grand Marais. The Cook County Star has photos and a story.

Bemidji State University - home of the Cinderella team of this year's NCAA Division I men's hockey tournament - will make its pitch Monday to have that team join the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, according to the Bemidji Pioneer. The men's team currently is part of College Hockey America, which will fold after next season.

Minnesota-Duluth football player Jim Johnson is hoping to land with an NFL team this off-season - probably not through this weekend's draft, but possibly as a free agent signee. His hometown paper, the Appleton (Wis.) Post-Crescent, has a column about Johnson.

Have YOU ever seen the miniature village of Madeline Island? Join the discussion at Perfect Duluth Day.

April 21, 2009

Just when spring seemed to be here for good.... parts of the Arrowhead got socked with 6 inches of snow (or more) the past few days. Blogs from the Gunflint Trail and North Shore have some first-hand accounts, including these from Hungry Jack Outfitters, Clearwater Lodge and Black Magic Kennels.

A Duluth city councilor has proposed that the city create a domestic partner registry - like one that has been on the books for years in Minneapolis - to assist couples in receiving benefits, according to the News Tribune. More coverage on the Buzz Duluth blog.

Duluth native Kara Goucher had the lead with less than a mile to go, but slipped to a still-very-respectable third in Monday's Boston Marathon, according to Kevin Pates' Rink and Run blog.

A Carlton man was sentenced to 39 months in prison for dragging a Carlton Country sheriff's deputy 40 feet after a traffic stop and leading authorities on a car chase last December. Fox 21 has the story - and dash-cam video of the dragging and chase.

Umemployment in the Northland continues to go up and now is in double-digits, according to the News Tribune.

For all those who had marked it on their calendars, there won't be any bikini oil wrestling at Liquor Pigz Sports Bar in Brainerd this weekend, according to the Dispatch.

Car meets building in Moose Lake, as shown in this Star-Gazette photo. 

A group of Esko teens won last weekend's 3rd annual Battle of the Bands event in Duluth, which featured 14 bands from high schools across the region. Coverage and video from Fox 21, and more coverage from the Duluth News Tribune.

April 17, 2009

Summer youth programs are among the many "non-essential" Duluth city services have been axed in the past year as the city faces big budget deficits. But the local YMCA is close to a deal that would preserve at least some of those youth programs, according to the Duluth News Tribune.

The DNT also has a story on a man from Ashland, Wis., who is one of the contestants on the Discovery Channel reality show "The Alaska Experience."

Hedstrom Lumber Company in Grand Marais is shutting down for two weeks to lower its unsold inventory, then will reopen at two-thirds capacity, according to the Cook County Star. That will mean the loss of 10 jobs, at least until the mill returns to full capacity.

If you haven't caught it yet, there has been an interesting discussion on development in Duluth - namely, a house being built on a previously empty, highly visible hillside - at Perfect Duluth Day.

WDIO reports that six Duluthians will travel to Iraq next month - to a Kurdish city in the northern part of the country - in an effort to develop a sister-city-like relationship.

It appears that someone is poisoning pets with antifreeze in Babbitt, according to the Timberjay - including one dog that was poisoned within its own yard.

The Timberjay also reports that workers renovating the hospital in Ely made an interesting discovery earlier this month.

And finally, after all the drama of the rogue student pilot leading the Air Force on a wild-goose chase from Ontario to Missouri earlier this month, here's an angle I hadn't thought of before: Whatever happened to the plane? Well, the Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal has the answer.

April 16, 2009

Get ready for some traffic headaches on Duluth's Central Entrance starting later this week, according to Fox 21.

Attention blues fans! The 10th annual Boundary Waters Blues Festival will have a new home this summer, according to the Mesabi Daily News. (log-in required) While the Ely City Council approved the new location earlier this week, there initially had been some opposition to the site, according to the Timberjay.

Nice catch! Anglers in search of suckers brought up something a bit bigger in Moose Lake recently, according to the Moose Lake Star Gazette.

There's a tussle over open-meeting laws in Tower, according to the Timberjay. Here's the paper's editorial on the situation.

April 10, 1009

The Bemidji State men's hockey team's magical postseason run ended yesterday in the national semifinals, but not before it allowed the hamlets of Warba, Wawina and Floodwood to get a taste of the media spotlight.

Do you remember the band "Small Town Sleeper," which played in Duluth last summer? Well, the Urbana, Ill., group has run into some troubles getting its records out - thanks to a real estate crisis in Great Britain.

Larry Saur of Two Harbors has retired as the senior court administrator in Minnesota, after 36 years of service in his hometown.