Tag Archives: City of Duluth

Ness to address political zoo

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Duluth Mayor Don Ness will return to his alma mater Tuesday night to reflect on the sorry state of American politics.

“I’ll talk about the brokenness of American politics today and what I see as some potential steps we could take to improve the situation,” he said.

The mayor concedes there’s no simple solution, but he’s encouraged to note that many like-minded voters seem fed up with partisan politics-as-usual and the toxic atmosphere they’ve produced.

“We need to focus on solving problems, rather than the zoo-like political atmosphere that continues to consume all our energies in Washington,” he said.

Ness will share his thoughts on politics and effective governing from 7-9 p.m. today at UMD’s Montague Hall, Room 80. He will appear as a guest of UMD’s Center for Ethics and Public Policy. The event is free and open to the public.

Catch a lift with a Duluth city councilor

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Here’s another unconventional way to mark Valentine’s Day: by taking a ride on a ski lift with a Duluth City Council member.

Councilors Emily Larson and Patrick Boyle will be going round and round on the chair lift at Chester Bowl from 5:30-6:15 p.m. During that time you can hop on with one of them and bend their ear without any danger of them walking away. Then you can ski or snowboard back down feeling good about your civic engagement.

Larson has the Parks and Recreation portfolio on the City Council, and Boyle represents the district that includes Chester Bowl.

If you don’t feel like skiing, Larson and Boyle will go from riding the lift at 6:15 to serving cocoa and other goodies until 8:30 p.m. in the chalet.

Thanks, Mr. Plow

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This is what you get when you mix Minnesota Nice with Duluth’s typical winter weather: a plow driver going above and beyond the call of duty.

Emily Soger, of Duluth, said she struggled unsuccessfully to get her car out of the snow on a downtown avenue Wednesday.

“After about 15 minutes of trying to get the car out, a plow driver happened to drive by,” Soger said, “and I would imagine I looked pretty crabby.”

Soger said the plow driver dumped a pile of sand next to her car, drove a half-block and pulled over.

“The next thing I know he was walking down to my car — shovel in hand,” she said. “He dug out my tires, threw sand down and pushed until my car could make it out. It was so kind of him, and I just wanted to thank him for this good deed!”

Eh? salutes you, Mr. Plow.

Hooray for food

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We’re tired of food being short-changed, and we think it’s about time it gets recognized for once. Our mayor agrees.

Mayor Don Ness declares today Duluth Food Day at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

In recognition of national Food Day, the mayor will present an official proclamation at 11:30 a.m. in the UMD Plaza Food Court. It recognizes the campus and community goals toward healthier, sustainable living.

Other events include a viewing of “Fresh Part 2” from noon to 12:45 p.m. in the UMD garden room; a farm-to-table dinner at Chester Creek Cafe/At Sara’s Table; and a talk on the importance of nutrition as it relates to cancer by Essentia Health’s Dr. Steven Kuross, from 7-8 p.m. in the Kirby Ballroom at UMD.

New York mayor gives Duluth mayor $25K

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New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg waits to speak at Britain’s Conservative Party Conference on Oct. 10 in Birmingham, England. (Jon Super / Associated Press)

New York Mayor and millionaire Michael Bloomberg has given Duluth Mayor Don Ness $25,000 to promote volunteerism, part of $1 million in grants Bloomberg is giving out to 18 cities nationwide.

The Duluth money will go to increase access to healthy, locally grown food in urban neighborhoods — food that is grown in local community gardens. The goal is to harvest 1,700 pounds of healthy food.

“As this program shows, mayors across the country are committed to using volunteers to tackle our biggest challenges,” Bloomberg said in a statement Wednesday announcing the grants. Grantee cities were selected based on the quality of their initiatives, potential for impact and implementation plans.

Duluth favors food

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It’s official. The City of Duluth supports a “vibrant, dynamic and sustainable local food system.”

Those were the words used in the official resolution passed by the City Council on Monday night.

The act follows the work of the Lake Superior Good Food Charter and network that supports locally grown and healthful foods.

According to Jamie Harvey, the executive director of the Institute for a Sustainable Future, the City Council’s approval has “set the stage for the transformation of our regional food economy so that it is a leader in the Midwest.”

Supporters of the growing trend have made many inroads in the past few years, including a food hub that began this year to match local food producers with institutions in Duluth, its hospitals and universities.

Other efforts include creating healthful food menus at local schools, community gardens, farmers market, making more food accessible in “food deserts” like Lincoln Park and encouraging new local food businesses and teaming them up with local markets.

Go to goodfoodnetwork.org for more information and to see the official charter.

Gone 50 years today

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Duluth Mayor E. Clifford Mork was in office from 1959-1962. (2002 file / News Tribune)

Tony Dierckins of zenithcity.com reminded us that today marks 50 years since the death of then-Duluth Mayor E. Clifford Mork, who died Aug. 14, 1962, at age 57.

The 1922 Duluth Central High School graduate born Emil Clifford Mork died suddenly at his home in the middle of the night. Newspaper reports gave no cause for Mork’s death, and his personal physician only said that the mayor had no history of heart ailments.

During his career, Mork appointed a committee that eventually developed the Arena Auditorium, which is known today and the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.