Duluth has a new and growing Cottage Industry- Yurts for the Homeless Population. On March 31, 2021, ran a news story promoting the construction of yurts on private property for the housing of homeless people. Here is a link to the cited article: https://kbjr6.com/2021/03/31/yurt-program-offers-new-solutions-to-housing-for-the-homeless/#.YJAY8izSXn4 In the above-referenced article the City of Duluth spokesperson states the…
Fixing Duluth: Step 1 – Fortifying the Police Department
It was a typical spring day in Duluth when a delivery driver rang the doorbell of a home on the west end to drop off an order. Before they could turn and leave the steps, their vehicle had been stolen. The shocked driver reports the incident to the Duluth Police Department only to be told…
Duluth Human Rights Commission Oppresses with Light-skinned Spokesperson
Over the last year, Minnesota has been splashed across international headlines for use-of-force police calls that have ended in death, most recognizably the death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis Police Officer, and most recently the accidental shooting of Daunte Wright by a Brooklyn Center Officer. Both of these deaths sparked protests that turned into…
When Help for the Homeless Hurts
For the past year, we’ve brought attention to Duluth’s homeless crisis, and the detriment it is to the city, residents, and businesses. We’ve asked repeatedly for action and we’ve waited for a leader to immerge. In the last few weeks, stories of Duluth’s homeless population have been consistent in the local news and several ideas…
State of City Address: Emily hands out Immoral Award
During her State of the City address this week, Mayor Emily Larson, decided it was appropriate to call out a longtime local business and large employer, Spectrum (Charter), for “holding the community hostage” during the pandemic. Larson said “Spectrum even raised prices in a pandemic – and this community, held hostage, had no choice but…
Anything Goes at Camp Larson
This past week a few photos of a homeless encampment near the Fitger’s Complex created a stir on social media. In the photos, you see the small grassy area surrounded by concrete littered with tarps, cardboard boxes, blankets, garbage, and a pretty official-looking sign that says “Camp Larson”. The sign, a joke, calling out the…
McEwen’s Minimum Wage Murders Business
Earlier this month, Duluth area State Senator for District 7, Jen McEwen introduced Bill SF 2031 to the Minnesota House. The bill is a reworked version of the bill that was used to increase Minnesota’s minimum wage to $9.50 a few years back. McEwen’s version of the bill states that large employees with an annual…
Words to Fight for
The other day the national news reported that a private school in New York City presented an 18-page list of words that are no longer acceptable in their school. Of course, there were also replacement words included in the listing. Among the no longer acceptable words were gender-specific words like MOTHER, FATHER, SON, DAUGHTER, GRANDFATHER,…
Cuomo: Oops! Time for [Another] Scandal
The consistent presence of Andrew Cuomo on the news throughout the pandemic and especially in the last few months might give the impression that he is more than “just” the Governor of New York. An interesting side effect of the pandemic and Trump Administration is that so many barely known political names are now prominent…
Danger Downtown
Last Friday, a Duluth woman experienced an all too common close call at Fond-Du-Luth Casino in Downtown Duluth. As she was leaving the casino around 10 pm, she shared that she “was nearly robbed of [her] purse” in the parking lot on the 2nd-floor ramp, adjacent to the building. She explained in a Facebook post,…