At least this cold weather could come in handy for something.
Duluth and other Midwest cities have a chance to go all the way this year in the Toughest Weather City Tournament on weather.com.
Minnesota boasts Duluth, International Falls and Minneapolis as its heavyweights. Green Bay, Wis., and Fargo, N.D., also are in the tournament. All of the aforementioned cities had healthy first-round leads as of Tuesday afternoon. Voting for the opening round ended at 3 a.m. today.
This is not an endorsement, but we were asked to mention that Minnesota United in Duluth is hosting a fundraiser Saturday to help build momentum to pass the Freedom to Marry bill into law.
Chester Creek Café, Duluth Grill, Lake Avenue Restaurant & Bar, New Scenic Café and Savories Catering will provide finger food, and local artists have donated work for a silent auction.
The free and public event is 7-9:30 p.m. at Zeitgeist Arts Café, 222 E. Superior St.
As we’ve reported several times, the Northland is seeing an influx of owls from Canada this winter. They’ve moved south in search of food, such as mice and voles.
While many owls are finding good pickings in our area, some owls, inevitably, will perish here. But some good may come of that. The Duluth Audubon Society reports the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is collecting dead boreal or saw-whet owls this winter for use in research.
If you find a dead owl, place it in a plastic bag with the date and general location where it was found, and take it to the nearest Minnesota DNR wildlife office — in Duluth, Cloquet, Two Harbors, Tower or wherever you may be.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but, no, you are not the rightful heir of Andrew Novak and his lost millions.
It’s a scam, and a weird one, according to the Minnesota Department of Commerce. Apparently someone’s been sending e-mails telling people that the Commerce Department has money for them in the Unclaimed Property Program. The weird part is the e-mails aren’t even in English.
“The e-mails reported to the Commerce Department use the subject line ‘Heritage’ and are written in Slovenian,” the department said in a news release.
The e-mails urge relatives of “Andrew Novak” to claim their inheritance and, of course, to provide personal information that you’ll regret sending.
Just remember, government agencies don’t send e-mails out of the blue requesting personal info. If you get something like that, be very suspicious.
Three Northland teachers are among the 134 candidates for the 2013 Minnesota Teacher of the Year.
Luanne Ellingsen of Lake Superior, Julie Stauber of Proctor and Mary Warner of Hibbing school districts were named this week. The winner will be announced May 5.
The state flag outside of the Capitol flies upside down Tuesday in St. Paul. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Papas)
Eh? knows that Minnesota faces a budget deficit, but are things really that bad?
The state flag flying outside of the Capitol in St. Paul on Tuesday was upside down. A flag flown upside down can be interpreted as a sign of distress.
Northland jack of all trades Jeff Papas, while visiting the Capitol, snapped a photo and brought it to the attention of the Eh? desk.
While things might not exactly be golden in the Minnesota Legislature, we think it’s more likely an oversight than a cry for help.
Photographer and Minnesota native Doug Ohman will be at the Duluth Public Library sharing pictures and stories about the state’s most elegant homes. “Living the Dream: Historic Homes of Minnesota” is 10:30 a.m. Saturday in the library’s Green Room at 520 W. Superior St. Get a firsthand look at Ohman’s photos, which have been published in magazines, calendars and books.
Call (218) 730-4240 for more information.
Who wants to be a millionaire? We know at least the holders of the 600,000 Minnesota Millionaire Raffle tickets do.
Tickets for the Jan. 1 drawings for $1 million and others prizes sold out Dec. 19, nearly two weeks ahead of the Dec. 31 deadline. The drawing includes 112 cash prizes and 38 bonus prizes.
Drawings will be televised on the Minnesota State Lottery’s official drawing stations at 7:59 p.m., 8:59 p.m. and 9:59 p.m. All winning numbers will be revealed at mnlottery.com by 10:15 p.m. Go there for more information, too.
If you intend to celebrate the holidays using alcohol while away from home, plan ahead for a safe and sober ride home, the Minnesota Patrol advises.
Law enforcement agencies around the state are beefing up their enforcement of drunken-driving laws in December.
The State Patrol, with the help of about 400 state police officers and deputies, will patrol the highways with the goal of keeping drunken drivers off the road.
“We all need to work together to make a strong traffic-safety culture in Minnesota,” State Patrol information officer Sgt. Curt Mowers said. “One way to do that is to make impaired driving socially unacceptable.”
Holiday parties and special local events in regions around the state will be targeted. Specific dates and times for the project will be ongoing during the month of December, Mowers said.
In 2011, Minnesota recorded 136 alcohol-related traffic deaths — accounting for 37 percent of all traffic deaths. Overall, males and young adults are overrepresented in alcohol-related crashes and account for a disproportionate share of fatalities. Along with the risk of injuries and deaths, penalties for drunken driving can include fines of hundreds or thousands of dollars and loss of driver license, license plates and even your vehicle.
Nobody is sure why, but gas prices are falling across Minnesota faster than October temperatures. According to minnesotagasprices.com, on Tuesday the average statewide price of a gallon of unleaded regular was $3.47. That’s down 20 cents since last week and 40 cents from a month ago.
Gas prices were as low as $3.15 in St. Cloud on Tuesday and as high as $3.75 in Baudette. In Duluth, the lowest reported price Tuesday was $3.49. All of those prices are well below the national average of $3.64, the website reports.
