DuluthCommunityNews
Issues in Duluth

By DAYNA LANGREBE
DCN Correspondent

On the corner of Sixth Avenue East and Third Street sits a large, red-brick church with flashing stained glass windows that catch the sun at the center of their arcs. In the entrance to the building a small, rainbow windsock hangs. This is the Gloria Dei church and they are an openly a gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender (GLBT)-inclusive congregation.

Continue reading "Local churches empathetic to GLBT individuals" »

Posted by krebs068 at 2:12 AM | Permalink

By VERONICA WILSON
DCN Correspondent

Just a few miles north of UMD, on the outskirts of Duluth, is where Woodland community can be found, a small neighborhood in a big town.

Continue reading "Community businesses rely on their neighbors" »

Posted by Sara Jochems at 9:20 PM | Permalink

By ALEXANDER RISSE
DCN Correspondent

Cars bumping loudly over pockmarked, crumbling roads has become a familiar scene in Duluth. Perhaps no one has a better perspective on this situation than those who see the direct effects such roads can have on vehicles: Local mechanics.

Continue reading "Lincoln Park potholes rough up cars, pocketbooks" »

Posted by David Buckner at 9:18 PM | Permalink

By ZACH OLSON
DCN Correspondent

The sound of a sharp, loud ring pierces your ear. It’s time to get up and begin your day. Groggily rolling over, you hit the snooze button to allow yourself to get a few more precious minutes of much needed rest. Before you know it, you instinctively force yourself from your peaceful sleep and realize that you’re running late... again. After quickly throwing on the first visible items of clothing, you give your teeth a once over and head for the door.

Continue reading "Changing times call for the elimination of ‘change’ with parking meters" »

Posted by enkex006 at 9:06 PM | Permalink

BY KRISTEN KREBS
DCN Correspondent

Rather than being nestled in bed with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads, some
holiday participants are seeing visions of the country’s subprime mortgage crisis,
unemployment, dwindling 401k’s and health insurance woes. The country’s current economic
status has some people reluctant for this year’s holiday season.

Continue reading "Holiday traditions different this year in the East Hillside and beyond" »

Posted by dill0169 at 9:06 PM | Permalink

By ALEX DE MARCO
DCN Correspondent

Public safety is a concern that nearly every city in the United States has in common. When asked what their main concerns are in downtown Duluth, residents and employees all echoed one response: crime. But when questioned about ways to decrease crime in the area, proposed solutions were limited.

Continue reading "Is closed circuit TV the answer to crime in Duluth?" »

Posted by Julia Davis at 9:03 PM | Permalink

By KENDRA RICHARDS
DCN Correspondent

Anne Jones has a beautiful cat named Alaska. The big, fluffy, calico cat with “the most beautiful green eyes� has been her companion for the past four years, and Anne said she has never had a more agreeable cat.

Today, however, Anne's house is strangely quiet, for it is now void of the beautiful calico. A couple of weeks ago, Anne was forced to hand Alaska over to a volunteer at the Animal Allies Humane Society, with her eyes full of tears, because she could no longer afford to feed the cat.

Continue reading "Economic downfall affects pets, too" »

Posted by claes019 at 9:01 PM | Permalink

By JORDAN HANSON
DCN Correspondent

It is 4 p.m. and the usual crowd is gathered at Mr. D’s Bar and Grill in West Duluth. At one end of the bar, Jim and Judy LeDoux sit and talk, each with a beer in hand. The couple have been going to Mr. D’s for over 40 years. As he held his wife’s hand, Jim smiled, looked around the bar, and said that the bar was its own little community.

“It’s one of the cleanest bars in Duluth,� he said. “The people are all nice and friendly and there are lots of people we know.�

Continue reading "Bars in West Duluth a center for community" »

Posted by Kathleen Grigg at 9:01 PM | Permalink

By ABEL GUSTAFSON
DCN Correspondent

In an attempt to reconcile the $6.5 million city budget deficit, the sale of three of four parcels of Park Point city land was approved in a 6-3 vote at Monday night's city council meeting. The council also voted 5-4 that the fourth and final parcel not be sold due to the environmental concerns raised by Duluthians.

Continue reading "Park Point land for sale amidst controversy" »

Posted by David Buckner at 8:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By RYAN SWANSON
DCN Correspondent

It’s Friday night and people are getting ready for the weekend. A customer strolls through the liquor store until he finds the beer of his liking and brings it to the counter. “It comes to $15.98,� says the cashier. “Oh, and can I see your ID too.�

On most occasions that question does not pose a problem, but an issue has emerged recently. The problem is when underage consumers try to use false identification to purchase alcohol.

Continue reading "Underage drinking catalyzes fake ID production." »

Posted by dill0169 at 8:56 PM | Permalink

By CORY CLAESON
DCN Correspondent

The youth of Duluth may be losing some extracurricular programs in the near future, but a solution could be for a child to obtain a mentor.

In the recent election only one of the three operational levies passed, leaving the school district receiving the same amount of tax dollars as in previous years. The district needed a bump to at least the second levy to have enough money to keep class sizes down and keep extracurricular activities. But now some of those will more than likely be cut.

Continue reading "Mentor programs offer guidance to kids amidst activity cuts" »

Posted by Zach Olson at 8:56 PM | Permalink

By LIZ ENKE
DCN Correspondent

Drugs, muggings, troubled teens, homeless bums and crime—lots of crime. These are words that are used as preconceived notions to describe Duluth’s Central Hillside. Many think these words truly describe the area, but if you ask a resident of the Central Hillside and you should be prepared for a pleasant surprise.

Continue reading "Central Hillsiders remain loyal to area" »

Posted by claes019 at 8:45 PM | Permalink

By MARK WARNER
DCN Correspondent

It’s 8 p.m. on a November Wednesday. With autumn’s darkness in full force, there is scarce natural lighting to be found on Third Street in Duluth’s Central Hillside. In fact, besides the single streetlights situated on the intersections of Third and Fourth Avenue West, nothing illuminates the area at all. The sidewalks are near black between the poles. On this night, it is the flashing red lights of two Duluth police cars on traffic stop that provide a lighting. There are no pedestrians in sight.

Continue reading "Streetlights are not solving safety issues" »

Posted by enkex006 at 8:42 PM | Permalink

By TRAVIS DILL
DCN Correspondent

Recent clashes between residential and academic communities in the city of Duluth have created an environment of tension that is not uncommon in cities which host universities.

“It’s an issue of town and gown,� said Adam Pine, Professor of Geography and Urban Studies at UMD.

Continue reading "Separation of students and residents is a town and gown affair" »

Posted by krebs068 at 8:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By BECKY EDWARDS
DCN Correspondent

Pursuing the pest control section at the Ace Hardware in Woodland, it’s easy to see from the wide array of products available, that people are willing to try almost anything to prevent animals from getting into their plants and flowers.

Continue reading "Some of nature's creatures are anything but loveable" »

Posted by Sara Jochems at 8:38 PM | Permalink

By ASHLEE HARTWIG
DCN Correspondent

It’s a chilly evening, and since it's a school night, it’s time for kids to head home. The park begins to clear out as the sunlight fades. Once home, a cooked meal, warm bed, and a mommy and daddy to hug goodnight awaits them.

Sometimes there isn’t both a mommy and a daddy to hug.

Continue reading "When the world comes crashing down; single mother's in Duluth" »

Posted by Elizabeth Strawn at 8:37 PM | Permalink

By CORY BELLAMY
DCN Correspondent

If you’ve visited Duluth’s famous Park Point neighborhood in the past year, you’ve probably noticed a large, fancy white building sandwiched among all of the more traditionally styled homes. This giant complex, known as South Pier Shores, has stirred up controversy and piqued the curiosity of many residents throughout Duluth and Park Point. Not only that, this development seems to be part of a trend happening across the community, perhaps altering the feel of old-fashioned Duluth.

Continue reading "Condos create controversy on peaceful Park Point peninsula" »

Posted by Julia Davis at 8:37 PM | Permalink

By FATIMA JAWAID
DCN Correspondent

For six months, 21-year-old Elizabeth Kreigh didn’t have a place she could call her own. She lived out of a bag, lugging it from one friend’s house to another, never sure where she was going to be beyond than that night.

“For the longest time, all I felt was anger at the situation...at myself,� said Kreigh.

In Duluth, people like Kreigh total over 13,000 according to the Duluth Housing Coalition’s Web site, and the number is steadily increasing.

Continue reading "Amount of housing decreases, as number of area Duluth reasidents looking for housing increases" »

Posted by Elizabeth Strawn at 8:36 PM | Permalink

By PAUL BUDD
DCN Correspondent

Family based neighborhoods, beautiful parks, and small, locally owned businesses are all things that are associated with Duluth’s Lakeside district.

Alcohol and crime are two things that are not.

Continue reading "Some Lakeside residents fear bars would be accompanied by crime" »

Posted by Brittney Silewski at 8:19 PM | Permalink

By APRIL HANSEN
DCN Correspondent

School’s out at 2:45 p.m.

The bell rings and the students of Congdon Elementary run out of the front doors into the lightly falling snow. Buses, cars and parents storm the school grounds, where the line of traffic is backed up down the street.

Students, with yellow florescent vests covering their winter gear, run to their posts at the main intersection in front of the school. The stop lights turn red and two of the patrols walk out onto the road with their red flags waving.

Continue reading "Lakeside-Congdon students keep each other safe" »

Posted by Brittney Silewski at 8:14 PM | Permalink

By VENESSA OSTERGAARD
DCN Correspondent

At ten to the hour, almost every hour, a line drifts out of the coffee shop on UMD’s campus. The need for a caffeine buzz has hit the majority of the student population.

The vision of a packed coffee house with the inhabitants of UMD shoulder-to-shoulder, waiting for tables with books and a computer is becoming less of an assumption and more of a reality everywhere we turn.

Continue reading "Lack of coffee shops evident in the Central Hillside" »

Posted by Zach Olson at 8:08 PM | Permalink

By JEREMY PIEPER
DCN Reporter

Although it may not be obvious at first glance, the city of Duluth has a definite need for volunteers to lend a helping hand in many unexpected ways.

Continue reading "The Central Hillside has a need for volunteers" »

Posted by Aaron Swanum at 1:15 AM | Permalink

By ERIC SIMON
DCN Repoter

Racism. Although it has been decades since segregation ended and well over a century since the emancipation proclamation, racism still exists in Duluth. The 2000 census for the state of Minnesota reports that less than 1 percent of the population identified themselves as African-American while almost 95 percent identified themselves as Caucasian. I sat down with two African-American mothers to talk to them about their experiences in Duluth.

Tamika Robinson is a 30-year-old mother of three. She has lived in Duluth for almost eight years; she is originally from St. Paul.

Listen to Tamika's story

Denise Lewis is a 47-year-old single mother of three. She has lived in Duluth for 14 years; she was originally from Providence, Rhode Island.

Listen to Denise's story

Posted by Theodore Norgaard at 7:44 PM | Permalink

By RACHEL BREWSTER
DCN Reporter

The relationship between colors and emotions exists on a subconscious level. Colors can excite, impassion and encourage, or they can ease, soothe and console. Because of this power, businesses use colors to achieve the desired effect from consumers.

“When you start studying colors, it’s absolutely magnificent,� said Ardith Beveridge, a member of the American Institute of Floral Designers and an instructor at the Koehler and Dramm Institute of Floristry in Minneapolis.

Continue reading "Popular colors vary over time due to situations, consumers' feelings" »

Posted by Sarah Hasselquist at 4:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By TYLER KORBY
DCN Reporter

Neighborhoods are protected by the police; however, over the years in the Central Hillside neighborhood, police have been lent a set of helping hands.

Continue reading "Hillside volunteers help fighting against crime" »

Posted by Phoebe Yuen at 3:02 PM | Permalink

By JOEL RUNCK
DCN Reporter

With the winter season around the corner in the Northland, many have already kicked-in their furnaces to keep out the cold.But for those who don’t have a place to stay, this is a time of uncertainty and a time when the homeless rely on the mercy of others for help.

Continue reading "From the streets to sanctuary: a Central Hillside man finds solace through a local church" »

Posted by Anna Woodwick at 2:49 PM | Permalink

By RYAN HANSON
DCN Reporter

As Duluth Police officer Ron Tinsley pulls his large frame from his squad car, his long strides move him confidently to a shattered store window. He bends over slowly, and with a knowing eye, looks at the glass.

“That’s definitely not a bullet hole,� says Tinsley, shaking his head, as he looks back over his police report.

Continue reading "While crime rates haven't risen, robberies are still an issue for local businesses" »

Posted by Carissa Mikkelsen at 2:39 PM | Permalink

By Ali Draves
DCN Reporter

As the winter months creep closer, the Duluth community is struggling to keep the tradition of the popular Grant Recreation skating rink alive.

Continue reading "Budget cuts may keep Central Hillside's ice rink out of commission" »

Posted by Anna Woodwick at 2:32 PM | Permalink

By JARED JACOBSON
DCN Reporter

Volunteers and employees busy themselves around the office with the sorts of tasks that might seem tedious to some, but have a much greater purpose for those involved.

Continue reading "Hillside Community Church welcomes all" »

Posted by Aaron Swanum at 2:29 PM | Permalink

By KEVIN SKALICKY
DCN Reporter

While large corporations donate millions of dollars to national charities, one Duluth coffee shop contributes to the community in a different way. Jitters coffee shop in downtown Duluth chooses to help local artists.

Continue reading "Jitters coffee shop energizes fine arts" »

Posted by Sarah Hasselquist at 2:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By ZACH GRILL
DCN Reporter

With the opening of Spirit Mountain still more than a month away, a group of friends take it upon themselves to get some snowboarding practice in before the first snowflake hits the slopes.

Continue reading "Duluth snowboarders find unique ways to practice out of season" »

Posted by Anna Woodwick at 2:17 PM | Permalink

By DAVID BUCKNER
DCN Reporter

Steel beams and a large crane stand surrounded by mounds of dirt and blocks of concrete. A cement truck rumbles by, overpowering the sound of nail guns and backhoes.

The Lakewalk Center on London Road is in the middle of an expansion that will make room for more offices, but not everyone is happy about it.

Continue reading "Lakewalk Center construction inconviences some, but benefits many" »

Posted by Carissa Mikkelsen at 2:14 PM | Permalink

By CHRIS OLWELL
DCN Reporter

Alright. So there are exactly 50 million organizations in or near Duluth dedicated to attracting and retaining a young population by combating the notion that Duluth has no jobs. That’s right. 50 million.

Continue reading "Economic opportunities on the rise in the Duluth area" »

Posted by Theodore Norgaard at 2:13 PM | Permalink

By TYLER DOMAAS
DCN Reporter

Pat Alvar is a grandmother of nine who runs the “Kid Patch� daycare center out of her home on 5th Avenue and 6th Street in Duluth’s Central Hillside. She is licensed for 14 children and works alone.

Continue reading "Local grandmother operates neighborhood daycare center" »

Posted by Aaron Swanum at 2:13 PM | Permalink

By CLAIRE CHOCK
DCN Reporter

Tattoos are seen by many as an art form, the body being a blank canvas. Others feel uncomfortable around people with pierced body parts and tattoos. A Pew Research survey done in January 2007 said that over one-third of Generation Nexters (people ages 18-25) have tattoos, while another survey done by Vault said 67 percent of people concealed their tattoos at work. It seems tattoos still have a stigma attached to them that may affect the job opportunities Generation Nexters have. If this is the case, then why are so many people getting tattoos?

Continue reading "Is tattoo for you? A question for the Gen Nexters" »

Posted by Sarah Hasselquist at 2:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)