Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I hope you enjoy and the time with family.

SMDC contract or lack there of.

St.Mary's and the Duluth Clinic along with many of it's employees are in contract talks. Today the union workers went to vote on a contract that SMDC I am sure hopes passes. I am sure it will not.

The deal set out by SMDC was basically an extension of the current contract. No pay increase or any help to benefit packages by the hospital. The contract gives the employees little to no benefit it passed. It sounds like a clear defeat to the first offer by SMDC.

As expected Snocross will be held at a later date.

Much I like I did with Fourth Street market opening I was going to beat the DNT on the snocross announcement. I however went to bed instead after working overnight. At any rate many people knew that there was a chance the snocross would be canceled or re-scheduled do to lack of snow and warm temperatures in the Duluth area.

As temps have been in the 40's during the day and no snow it has called on the promoters to postpone snocross. Even with cooler temps and maybe some snow coming later in the week. It is just to late to hope on the snow fall and Sprite mountain may not be able to make enough in time for the event this weekend.

Snocross at Spirit mountain has been the first race of the season for a long time, it also is the first qualifying event for the winter x-games. The event traditionally takes place the weekend after the Thanksgiving holiday and draws thousands of people every year.

This years event has been moved to December 11-13th it will still take place at Sprit Mountain.

Update on Breakfast with Santa.

The event at OCB starts at 8 am and goes till 10 am. Kids under 12 eat free with paid adult.

Again it is a great time for the kids, plus you get a pretty good meal out of the whole thing.

Country Crossroads Craft Sale.

The Country Crossroads Craft and Bake sale will be held at Lakeview Christian Academy.It has more than 50 vendors from across the upper midwest.

It offers everything from fry bread tacos to olive wood coasters from Jordan to designer purses to handmade butcher block tables.

The event runs from 9-6 Friday and 9-7 on Saturday at Lakeview Christian Academy 155 W Central Entrance. Admission is free and all procedes go to LCA's scholarship fund.

I am thinking of hitting this up this weekend my self. I have always been a community event blog as well as politics. I am happy to promote this event.

First swine flu death in Northland?

As you know the H1N1 has been a big deal this year. There has been a lot more cases this year in the northland then last year.

Now it seems as if the first possible death has occuered from the swine flu. A 58 year old man who has been ill for the past two weeks before passing away in a Duluth Hospital on Sunday. Test are being done to see if the death was a resuld of the H1N1.

The man is from the the Bayfield Wis. area.

More at www.duluthnewstribune.com

Hartman for Mayor?

There has already been rumours abound that he will run for Mayor. Keep in mind he is not even on the council as of yet. He seems to of the same mold of current Mayor Don Ness.

If he does run at some point I am not sure he will run against Mayor Ness. I would expect him to run at some point.

Dan Hartman I believe is groomed to run for the Mayor spot.

The 4th district recount.

The fourth district recount that was requested by Gordon Grant happens today. If I get any information on it as it happens today I will post it.

As I said before I don't really see why he requested this recount, I don't see much changing. It may change a few votes one way or the other. I don't however see it changing by over 135 votes.

Christmas events this weekend.

Of course Friday is the big parade. The Christmas City of the North parade. The parade starts about 6:20 pm.

Once again the Old Country Buffet up at the mall will be hosting breakfast with Santa. Santa starts his time at the Mall on Saturday. The kickoff for the last few years has been the breakfast event at O.C.B.

That event starts at 8am and I think goes till 10 am. It is busy but a lot of fun for the kids plus you get a decent meal out of it. They have also dropped the price in there breakfast. I believe it is $5.99.

Hey Minnesota Power. What is that in your court yard?

Minnesota Power has a tree every winter in it's court yard out side of it's building in Down Town Duluth. Up till about three years ago the tree was known as a Christmas tree for the Christmas season. For the last two years it has been a holiday tree. 

Well this year they are called it a holiday tree at the open ceremony Wednesday night. This year however they have said the tree has no real name and people are free to call it what they wish. I am sorry Minnesota Power but it is a Christmas tree, it is not a holiday tree or anything else. 

Substituting the word holiday for Christmas pisses me off. I think the world of political correctness has gone way to far. The word holiday means what as far as the tree goes? By the word holiday instead of Christmas to me means I could leave a tree up in my house almost all year long. 

The tree's that go up in peoples houses and around downtown's in this country have for long been a Christmas tree and they will always be that way to me. The trees for the most part go up any where between the month of November and December 25th which is Christmas day. 

The attack on the Christmas tree and the word Christmas needs to stop. It is a fight I have taken on here for the past few years. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS  EVERYONE

Not much going on.

Not a lot going on, just a quick up date on a store re-opening.

The 4th street market is now set to open December 9th about a week later then thought. As you can imagine there is a lot going on in to the store and it 's re-opening.

The store will be under new management when it does re-open in December. The Potters who own the ICO on 6th ave east have bought the market. I am hoping to get to have a conversation with one of them soon.

Recount on in district 4?

It seems as if the 4th district race is not yet over. The Gordon Grant campaign has asked for a recount.

Grant lost by 153 votes to Kerry Gauthier. The Grant camp did not lay out an specifics as to why they have asked for the recount. They are just saying they think it is important.

I don't really like this, I am not sure it needs to be done. There is little information as the why they want it. 153 votes is a lot to over come. Yes no one will deny the race it was close. In fact closer then most thought it would be. At this point with out specifics I don't see the point of a recount.

Burgers and Chicken.

There are two new restaurants at the Miller Hill Mall. One has not yet opened another has been open for a short time.

Five Guys burgers is set to open November 16th. They are a franchise http://www.fiveguys.com/home.aspx.

It seems to be a simple sit down and take out place. It looks good and I know I will try it. If I like them I will keep going.

The only problem I see for them is them is they don't appear to have a mall entrance. They only have an out side entrance. There is only one other restraint that does this at the mall. It should be a concern to the owners. I don't know how many people will take the time to go back out side of the mall to eat there. If they had an entrance from in side the mall they would do better business it would seem.

I hope it goes well for them. I sure will try it and I hope you do to.

The other place I want to talk about is a place called chicken now. It opened a bit ago where the old burger king was at the mall.

It never seems busy, it is also pricey I think. Has anyone tried it yet? What did you think. The people that run are pushy I waled by and they kept saying come eat come eat you look hungry. I am not the only person that has said this a number of friends have told me they have been approached as well. It is a place I don't expect to last long.

Why Dan Hartman got the top spot Tuesday.

It was not much of a shock to me that Hartman got the top spot on Tuesday. Well a lot of people thought Beth Olson would get it, I did not. Olson finished first in the primaries.

I knew the people voting in the primaries where for the most part big time supporters of a candidate and or special interest groups. These are the people that always go out and vote in a primary. Well most of the general public stays home. Something I have never understood. People always say I wish I had a chose. The fact is you do. A lot of good candidates get knocked out in the primary because people don't go vote.

Anyway Hartman got a lot of support from moderate republicans in the general election. I hope he see this and stays in the middle of the road on his decisions. I hope he does not become a puppet for one side or the other.

I know he is a democrat but as I have said many times he is a more center candidates then was Olson or Hall. I believe Dan will look at both sides of the issue before making his decision.

That close....

Well the school board race went the way I thought it would. It split between the red plan foes and the current board members. Cameron and Wasson both won there seats back. Well Kasper and Johnston both beat the incumbents.

What it means is little will change. The red plan votes will now be closer as 4-3 but the plan will still move forward. The people against the red plan needed to get three candidates elected. They came close with two but fell just short.

It will however mean that the conversation of the red plan will be more balanced. It may also mean the plan could see some changes. They however would not be significant I don't think.

More center candidates please.......

The election last night showed that Duluth would prefer to have more center candidates run. Beth Olson and Becky Hall (both seem to be very nice people.) lean to far one way or the other. Well the two candidates that did win Jim Stauber and Dan Hartman are more center candidates.

The closeness of the 4th district race only shows that people where split. If one of the two candidates in that race would have been more center they would have easily won. The race was less then two hundred votes in a win for Kerry Guithier.

I think both Hall and Olson could have done some things different to better represent them self's. Olson needed to be more aggressive against people that railed her for being arrested and having an alternative life style. Olson instead just wanted to sweep the issue's under the rug. Unfortunately for her it did not work out. A more aggressive approach could have put her in office.

Hall only needed to do two things and she would have been a shoe in. One is instead of just saying she will brings jobs to Duluth she needed to tell us how. She did not do so. Her background in business is well known however she just said she has the experience to bring business. If Hall would have taken the time and effort to explain her plan she also could be sitting on the council come next year.


The other thing I think hurt her is that she did not ridicule a message board more. DCB a right leaning board that has talked up Hall. I think that is okay however some of the things said on the board were down right uncalled for. I think Hall needed to come out and say. People have a right to voice there thoughts. I However don't agree with name calling and attacks on other candidates.

Did the board play that much of a role in her lose? I don't think so however it may have had some factor. The board has been under new ownership for a while now and sense then has gotten out of control.

Would these suggestions have changes the out come of the race I don't know. As I said Olson and Hall both lean further to the right or left then both Hartman and Stauber. The race was very close. So I don't know if these would have helped either of them but it is a thought.

That said I am okay with the results in this race.

It's election day coverage.

I will have much more either later tonight or tomorrow but now the wife needs the computer.

10pm: Some reaction to the results. Jeff Anderson ( current councilor). Said he was a bit shocked at the results. He thought Beth Olson would have came out on top. That Olson and Hartman both would have won a seat. He said he was pleased with Hartman getting elected and the he worked very hard for a full year.

Hartman was thrilled and all he could say was awesome. He had worked hard for a year to get the spot.

Beth Olson did not bother to show to party.

Stauber was delighted he won a fourth term. He is looking forward to continuing his projects and move Duluth Forward.


9:50pm: Just returned home for being out at campaign parties. I did not want to take the computer in case I left it some where. knowing me I would have.

Three out of four people I voted for won tonight. That is the best in a long time for me. I am okay with the results. Well I would have hoped that Grant would have won I did think it would be tought for him to do so. It was much closer then most thought.

Stauber and Hartman are the top two in the the at-large seat. The women are left out. Well it was a very close race between the four.

I must say the two hardest working candidates won in this election. After the primary results Stauber and his crew worked hard to come in either first or second. They where not going to be denied. I think Olson was a bit lacking her attempt to derail criticism of her. Hartman worked hard all year long.

The Boyle Wagner race not much to say other then I told you so.

6pm: Polls close in two hours. If you have not got out and voted yet do so. The numbers in most polling places have really shot up. It seems we will have a good turn out. That is not much of a surprise for Duluth.

5pm: The sign waving is fast and furious.

Just a note if you don't see any updates at any point today it is because I am and about at party's. I will still have updates for a while. If I do go out tonight check back for updates later.

3:42pm: Setting up interviews for tonight.

3:02pm: I have noticed some sign waving has started again at busy street corners. You can expect that to go on till as late as 7 tonight. This election is very important.

The numbers are on the increase at the polls. This is a good thing. It means for more interesting races. I think a higher turn out could mean different results then some are thinking. As I said before however only time will tell.

1:01pm: The lunch rush should be over for the most party now. I checked out four polling places. Three of them where busy and one was dead only about four people there. I think the voter turn out will be just fine. A slow start but I expect a good rush after work.

Reports I have heard from my sources also report that voting is starting to pick up. Thanks to all that are giving me updates by phone and here at the blog. It is a huge help.

East Duluth and West Duluth polling places where fairly busy over the lunch hour.

11:50am: Where will you be watching the results come in? Are you going to a candidates party? Where, when and who's?

10:45 am: This is the first of many post coming today. Newest updates will appear at the top. To read older updates scroll down.

At any rate, my sources are telling me that voter turnout is low to this point. The morning rush was not that big. In fact at my polling place I was only voter number 35 at 8am. We normally have any were between 60-75 by that time. It seems to be slow almost every were. I have talked with a number of people and the numbers seem to be about the same.

Now there will be another rush where voting is heavier at lunch time and the again after work. Lets home that people get out and vote.

If it is a lower turn out who does it favor do you think?

What are your thoughts on the election tomorrow?

Post your thoughts here on the election tomorrow. All post will be approved as long as they are clean and respectful.

Vote tomorrow.

Well I feel like shit today. That said tomorrow is election day in Duluth. You can bet I will drake my butt to my polling place if I have to. There is no way I am missing out on voting. This election is to important.

Get out and vote tomorrow. I don't care who you vote for just VOTE.

I will also have election coverage tomorrow. Depending on how I feel will determine how much time I put in to it.