The Good News Is: Those who love skiing and snowboarding get an early start this year thanks to the chilled temperatures allowing ski hills to make snow. Mont du Lac Resort (in photo) in Superior opened its ski hill and tubing park Thursday – its earliest start ever. Here's a cool video of snowmaking there, too. Other open hills in Minnesota are Lutsen Mountains, opening Saturday, and Duluth's Spirit Mountain has opened cross-country skiing, but downhill and snowboards must wait until next weekend. Hills elsewhere around the Lake seem on track for their usual opening dates, starting next weekend and into December.
Way Has Opened: Two openings were celebrated in Duluth this week as traversing both the Lakewalk and the city's main street got a lot easier. On Tuesday, a little ribbon-cutting gathering (in photo) formally opened a portion of the Lakewalk damaged by storms. "After months and months of planning and hard work on phases 1 & 2, we are happy to announce the reopening of the Lakewalk! It was great to see so many people running, walking and yes even rollerblading today!" the city announced on its Facebook page. Then this morning, the long-anticipated reopening of four eastern downtown blocks of Superior Street was celebrated with a larger ceremony and gathering. The four blocks represented Year 2 of a massive three-year undertaking to completely dig up 12 blocks of Superior Street to replace and repair underground infrastructure (some a century old). Above ground, the redesigned street allows for parallel and diagonal parking, plus much wider sidewalks to accommodate pedestrian traffic and to create more inviting stopping spots. Time and temperatures ran out on portions of this year's construction and concrete laying, requiring some asphalt laid for this winter even along expanded sidewalks (in photo). This occurred mainly on construction between Third and Fourth Avenues East, the work on which was delayed until after Grandma's Marathon. That delay shortened the time available to do work, which was exacerbated by late-summer wet weather. The asphalt will be replaced over about six weeks in late spring next year when concrete can be placed. Meanwhile, the retail and entertainment businesses, lodgings, restaurants and pubs within the Hart District are happy to get their street back in time for holiday shopping. Before the construction, we introduced you to several of the businesses on the block on our YouTube channel.
Need a Used RV?: If you're in the RV market (that's "research vessel"), the Wisconsin DNR is selling the Gaylord Nelson, built in 1992 in Prince Edward Island. It originally harvested lobster in the Atlantic Ocean until the DNR bought it in 1999. It has been retrofitted with a Crossley gillnet lifter, trawl wheel, trawl winches and a new engine. In 2011, the DNR built a new fisheries research boat, the RV Coregonus, capable of all the functions of the Gaylord Nelson. Between 2011 and 2018, Gaylord Nelson, based in Sturgeon Bay, was used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In case you're looking for details, the RV Gaylord Nelson is aluminum hulled, 45 feet long, a beam of 15 feet, a draft of 5 feet, and a displacement of 12 tons. The spacious work deck encompasses most of the boat behind the pilot house. The boat is powered by a 350 hp Cummins diesel engine 6CTA8.3-M1 with Twin Disk MG-507-1 that was installed in 2002. An earlier deal for the boat apparently fell through, putting it back on the market. If this sounds like the RV for you, contact Bradley.Eggold@Wisconsin.gov.
New President for Northland: Karl Solibakke (in photo) was named the 15th president of Northland College in Ashland this week along with the announcement that Marvin Suomi, after just 18 months as the college president, has had to resign because of health issues, reports BusinessNorth. “While my tenure is shorter than I’d hoped," Marvin said in a press release, "I’m thrilled to be succeeded by Karl and look forward to watching Northland’s success in the years to come.” Karl, previously the college's CEO, came to Northland about a year ago, having grown up in Annapolis, Md., He received his undergraduate degree magna cum laude from the University of Maryland and his master’s degree in German literature and culture from Heinrich-Heine-Universität. “It’s an extraordinary privilege to help lead this institution,” Karl said in the announcement. “My year on campus has given me a chance to work with a remarkable faculty and staff and to meet a group of students — learners, creators, explorers, do-ers — who have a vision for themselves and for the world around us.”
Three-pronged Approach: A chance encounter in Michigan's Upper Peninsula went viral this week after Steve Lindberg's photo of a three-antlered – that's three antlers, not three points – whitetail deer was featured in a Detroit Free Press story by Frank Witsil. "An amateur photographer who lives in Marquette," Frank writes, "Lindberg said he decided after a lifetime of hunting, he'd rather shoot deer with a camera than a gun. The 75-year-old posts a photo a day to social media, and it's usually something from nature because it's a lot like hunting." Indeed, as Steve noted in his own post, "Five days before rifle season for Whitetail Deer and look who I get to see, along with his girlfriend. A three antlered, nine- or twelve-point buck (depending if you want to count the two little tines on the right antler, and the small tine on the left antler). I don't recall ever seeing a three-antlered deer before." The story got picked up by the Washington Post, USA Today and several national news channels. Steve is a former state representative for the U.P. and also a heck of a wildlife photographer. He posted several shots of this buck to dispel the myth that the photo was altered. If you want to see more of Steve's work – and maybe purchase a print – he will be at the Holiday Art Sale on 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday at the Marquette Regional History Center.
Lower-flying Tax?: The Ontario provincial government announced it will lower the aviation fuel tax from 6.7 cents a litre of fuel to 2.7 cents per litre in January to aid those living in Northern Ontario. Provincial Finance Minister Rod Phillips and Ross Romano, minister of Colleges and Universities and MPP for Sault Ste. Marie, made the announcement this week at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre in the Sault. "Living in Northern Ontario can bring with it a higher cost of living," Rod is quoted in a press release, "in part because of greater reliance on air travel and air freight. That is why we are helping reduce costs in this region by cutting the aviation fuel tax rate." A day later, Greg Rickford, minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, also talked about the change at the Thunder Bay International Airport. Among the facts noted in the press release: The reduced aviation fuel tax rate would apply to the districts of Algoma, Cochrane, Kenora, Manitoulin, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Rainy River, Sudbury, Thunder Bay and Timiskaming. The reduced tax could save a family of four in the North about $230 per year on the cost of groceries.
Where's Phil Wintering?: The tribute statue in Marquette to Phil Niemisto will be removed from its home in the downtown Phil Niemisto Pocket Park this winter for repairs by artist Earl Senchuk, the Marquette Downtown Development Authority announced this week. The statue will be returned in the spring of 2020. Concerns were raised because the statue has fallen victim at least three times to vandals. That is not the case this time. "To clear things up," Earl noted on the authority's Facebook page, "'Phil' was not damaged by anyone. His face and head developed a couple tiny cracks that could use some filling in. … Other than these few minor issues, 'Phil' will be good to go and better than ever for many more years to come. Thanks to all for your concern and appreciation." The longtime downtown icon and unofficial "mayor" of Marquette earned the statue and park-naming tributes because of his 35+ years service window washing, snow shoveling and flower tending downtown. When he became ill early last year, a list of 50 friends volunteered to be with him around the clock. He died Feb. 25, 2018, but his memory in downtown lives on.
Photo & graphic credits: Mont du Lac Resort; Konnie LeMay; City of Duluth; Wisconsin DNR; Northland College; Steve Lindberg; Earl Senchuk; Marquette Downtown Development Authority