Secrets of the City

From the PiPress: A Duluth native is facing felony assault and attempted manslaughter charges in Greeley, Colo., for allegedly shooting a friend in the head while the two checked football scores on a home computer. …

According to the Greeley Tribune, Pollard, who told police he had about six beers and a couple of shots of alcohol at a bar and another beer when he got home, had taken the handgun and pointed it at Knorr. Pollard told police he thought the safety was on as he pulled the trigger once and it just clicked, the Greeley Tribune reported. So he pulled the trigger again, shooting Knorr.

Sometimes, when the Grey Lady takes notice of Minnesota, the news is not good: In Duluth, for instance, a $3 million investment the city made last summer through Merrill Lynch, which was sold to Bank of America last month, was liquidated and came back last week $2.25 million short  a devastating setback for a city. (Via.)

It started out as a casual Internet genealogy search, the kind millions of people undertake every day. With a little free time and a little Google, Warren Read thought he might uncover some interesting family connections, or even a little history. What he found shocked him. An article in the now-defunct Duluth alternative weekly Ripsaw recounted the infamous Duluth lynchings of 1920. Three black circus workers were accused by a white couple of rape. A mob pulled the frightened — and innocent — young men from their jail cell, beat them, and hung them in a public display of violence that was then made into a postcard. One of the three men who led the mob was Louis Dondino, Read’s great-grandfather.

LOL: “You think you’re the slickest operator in Duluth. But being the slickest operator in Duluth is like being the world’s tallest midget, if you ask me.”

How do you get a bunch of friends to show up for a sauna building session in Duluth? Fitger’s beer and some elk on the grill, of course. Hansi Johnson explains with pictures.

But, as Perfect Duluth Day points out, a bird that has started to become an urban animal; they even have their own Web page.

For a historically inaccurate viking? Never fear. The Duluth branch of the Sons of Norway are having a rummage sale on Saturday.

It’s the nation’s first trial of someone accused of illegally downloading music. And it’s in Duluth.

Duluth, of course, at least, according to Outside Magazine, who think it Minneapolis looks like IKEA designed a city. Any other Duluth fans here?

Wilco has made a high-quality recording of its July 2 concert in Duluth available for free on its website. Jeff Tweedy tells the crowd: “This has got to be one of our favorite states. Never been to Duluth before, but it lives up to all the Minnesota expectations. You guys, dare I say, are superior.”