By RON BROCHU
Hells Angels were cast as the good guys while cops and media were broadly disparaged during a Tuesday community meeting in Carlton.
“Harassment by law enforcement” ruined an opportunity for local firms to capitalize on the weeklong Hells Angels visit, said meeting organizer Tim Rogentine, who rented his bar to the motorcycle club during the last week of July. Making matters worse, advance news stories spread fear throughout the community, further squelching business, he added.
“Our community was wronged – that’s what I feel. We want to make sure this doesn’t happen in the future,” he told about 30 people who attended the session.
Rogentine was among the first business owners to complain about the heavy police presence, which included helicopter flights, patrols by several visiting sheriff’s departments, assistance from the Minnesota State Patrol, ATF agents and other federal officers. Even before the Angels’ visit began, squads were parked at the entrance to his establishment, The Lost Isle, and patrols were stopping club members for every minor traffic violation, Rogentine said July 28.
Although his intention Tuesday was to receive comment from other business owners, few attended. Most participants were bikers. Like Rogentine, they said police overreacted, contending they not only targeted Hells Angels, but also stopped unaffiliated motorcycle enthusiasts, often without probable cause.
“As far as I’m concerned, the police didn’t protect me – they scared me,” said resident Michael Lavoie. “The Highway Patrol was completely out of hand.”
Many people have expressed similar disbelief during the two weeks since Hells Angels departed the Northland. Proctor Speedway fans complained the presence of a few Angels July 31 prompted authorities to repeatedly circle the track with a helicopter. Lavoie said excessive patrols scared people from a weekly VFW raffle in Carlton.
“The cops left a stigma on this community. I don’t think a one of us will ever trust them again,” Lavoie said.
Some blamed Sheriff Kelly Lake, saying her deputies have a reputation for harassing bikers. One said he’s been tailgated several times by Carlton County squads.
“It ain’t only the Hells Angels they give shit to – it’s everybody. I’ve never heard of such bullshit in all my life,” he said.
“Carlton County has its own rules,” lamented another resident.
Waitress Mary Ableiter criticized Lake for comments she made in a TV interview.
The sheriff suggested overtime paid to strengthen police presence would infuse cash into the community. Ableiter contended cops scared customers away and barely spent a nickel.
“None of law enforcement came in to give me business or tips,” she said. “Local customers stayed away because patrol cars went in and out all night long” at the truck stop where she’s employed.
Rogentine criticized a federal unit called “the bar crew” that dressed in bullet-proof ninja-type bests and sometimes carried rifles. One such unit was spotted near Curly’s Bar in Duluth’s Lincoln Park.
“If the Hells Angels went into a bar, four of them would follow and stand against the wall,” he said. One area bar owner asked members of the unit for identification.
“I don’t have to show you shit,” the officer replied, according to Rogentine.
“Business was affected. Our civil rights were broke for no apparent reason,” he said.
Wisconsin biker Andrew Mathiassen agreed the problem extended beyond local deputies.
“It’s ATF and the feds. The probable cause was absent. People were being pulled over just because they were bikers. Every time I turned around, there was a cop behind me,” he said. “If we don’t write our Congressmen, next time they’ll target someone else, like snowmobilers. “
Meanwhile, Mathiassen said the media inaccurately reported one story. He said the Angel accused of stealing a motorcycle was innocent. Paperwork for the sale simply hadn’t yet been processed, he said.
Nobody from the law enforcement attended Tuesday’s meeting, although Rogentine said he did not invite them.
Although dissent was limited, one man said people are naïve if they believe Hells Angels is simply a motorcycle club, arguing that members are “very capable of doing harm.”
Rogentine admitted little can be done to reverse the economic damage he believes authorities inflicted. Lavoie, however, suggested residents voice their concerns to the Carlton County Board.
“County commissioners are the ones who have control of this county and all of the foolishness that goes on here with the Sheriff’s Department,” he said. But with just 30 people at the session – few of them from the business community – it’s hard to know whether they represent a community consensus.
This story also appeared in the Aug. 14, 2009 Reader Weekly
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Paranoia grips
Hells Angels gathering
By RON BROCHU
Squads dotted Highway 210 like flies on a turd Tuesday night in Carlton, mustering a full show of law enforcement to meet a real or imagined threat posed by the national gathering of Hells Angels.
Suddenly, the sky was filled with red and blue lights as several cars gathered at the entrance to the Lost Isle, the Carlton bar and grill where bike traffic was becoming heavy. From a distance, it was evident cops and Angels were engaged in a tense discussion. Members of the motorcycle club slowly walked closer to investigate, followed by non-members who were visiting the tavern out of habit and/or curiosity.
The scene was a classic face-off, explained one Angel, who added that law enforcement in Carlton was heavier than the group typically encounters at its national gatherings.
“It’s a waste of time and money,” he said of the massive show of force.
But it’s exactly what local authorities had planned, according to local cources with ties to police. All along, the goal was to make northern Minnesota very unattractive to Hells Angels, hoping they’d never return. Officers were forced to cancel vacations in order to maximize their numbers. Bottom line: Stop bikers whenever possible, check identifications, registrations -- anything that might discourage their return.
“It’s just driving money away from the area,” a local biker, unaffiliated with Hells Angels, lamented inside the tavern. “It sucks.”
By any analysis, the bar scene was strictly tame, if not downright lame. Despite live music, few people danced. Most Angels hovered close to the bar, joking with others who obviously were long-time friends. Unlike most bar scenes after 10 p.m., nobody was falling-down drunk or lacing every sentence with “F” bombs.
Despite the hassle outside, members of the worldwide motorcycle club declined to express disdain -- at least not for the permanent record. The club never comments to reporters, said a Minnesota member known as J.R., and Tuesday night would be no exception.
“But feel free to stay and enjoy the time you spend with us,” he added.
The same decision was passed down when The Reader sought an interview Monday night.
“Maybe somebody else will talk to you, but I won’t,” a young
Angel said at the bar, quickly walking away. A larger crowd in the parking lot
stood in unison behind a makeshift spokesman.
“We’d rather keep this private,” he said politely.
Media shizzle
Tough editors, of course, fire reporters who leave a news scene without demanding cooperation, whether it intrudes upon busy cops, grieving relatives, bleeding crime victims or, in this case, a private gathering. Newsroom bosses not only want the story, but they demand expert color commentary from professors, authors, sociologists – virtually anybody having a thousand-dollar job title.
But to what end? In droves, readers are dumping newspapers coast to coast despite 72-point headlines that beg “READ ME!” One angry subscriber once brought the issue home during a local complaint session that was impossible to forget.
“You call it a 72-point head? I call it ‘Murder Font,’ ” he barked at a group of editors who were trying to downplay his concerns. “You put the ‘Murder Font’ on a cover story that wasn’t worthy of page 12,” he said while being ignored.
In recent weeks, local media have slapped Hells Angels with the “Murder Font.” Even as a few bikers quietly gathered Monday night in Carlton, local stations reported that Superior and Douglas County cops had coached business owners on how to deal with the two-wheeled visitors.
“Call 9-1-1,” said an official-looking letter as it was panned by the camera.
That, of course, is good advice whenever there’s danger. But what constitutes danger? Is doing business with a motorcycle club more dangerous than walking behind the YMCA – a downtown murder site that some news organizations wrongly confused with Central Hillside?
Danger? What danger?
Despite official warnings, the idea of meeting the Hell’s Angels was a popular notion as this week began. People having a variety of backgrounds expressed little fear about driving to Carlton to have a beer with the group. Perhaps that’s because the warnings weren’t accompanied by evidence convincing anyone of real danger. Few took much stock in historical references to a fatal stabbing at the famous Altamont Speedway, where the Rolling Stones hired Hells Angels to provide concert security.
That event occurred in 1968. That’s NINETEEN SIXTY EIGHT, as in 41 years ago. Many current Angels weren’t even born then, and Mick Jagger didn’t need Viagara. References to a 2002 scuffle between Angels and rival group in Laughlin, Nev., also failed as a deterrent, even though two murders occurred (both of the victims were Hells Angels).
Looking at the big picture, how many murders have been perpetrated in the Duluth area since ‘02, most between people who knew each other well? People aren’t stupid. The world is a violent place, and it’s constantly getting worse. Violent crime drama is relentlessly blasted across TV screens day and night. It’s no wonder that people show little fear of living on the edge.
That desire, let’s not forget, is being fed well by the news media. Hells Angels never sent out a news release announcing their visit. They never invited reporters or anyone outside of the club to their gathering. The entire frenzy was created by the law enforcement community and editors who felt the need to ring an alarm.
Catch 22
Cops, unfortunately, are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. If no crime is linked to the bikers, people will say police overreacted. If the opposite happens, people will say they left the public ill-prepared. And if a rival club invades the gathering, such as Wisconsin’s “Outlaws,” people will complain police substantially underreacted.
Editors, however, may just be milking another overfed cow - grasping for low-hanging fruit far outside the Garden of Eden. By next week, we’ll learn if they rang a bell that didn’t need to get rung. For without the press pimping a story that lacks any real hook, few people would even know Hells Angels came within 1,000 miles of Carlton.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Like Michael Jackson,
Americans losing the battle
By RON BROCHU
We’re a sorry society. In the height of a major recession, as America inches closer to ruin each day and people lose their homes and savings, our shining achievement is to glorify a celebrity who died from an overdose of prescription dope.
Yeah – dope. Michael Jackson apparently died from legal medicine that’s no different than the prescription amphetamines (“White Cross”) or sedatives (“Reds”) that killed thousands of indescript teens in the ‘60s and 70s. He was a junkie whose doctors are no more innocent than street pushers.
Let’s concede up front that Jackson was tremendously talented. No argument that he excelled at his craft. His music and choregraphy inspired millions. Yet he was a mixed bag. Jackson said openly that sleeping with young boys was admirable adult behavior. How would any of us react if we learned our children were sleeping in the same bed with an adult hockey coach, cleric or Scout leader?
Jackson isn’t the first celeb to get away with behavior that would send the rest of us behind bars. The American justice system, despite claims to the contrary, favors the rich – those who can afford top lawyers. An average screw head from Central Hillside or North End will end up with an assembly line public defender that gets paid the same stipend win or lose and has little incentive to carry any case beyond bargaining with an overworked prosecutor.
The double standard, however, matters little to star-struck Americans, who by the millions begged to attend Jackson’s memorial service. Those same individuals don’t cross the street to demand government accountability or attend a military funeral. If life were fair, they’d be judged by their priorities. Instead, they’re judged by their collection of CDs, ATVs, snowmobiles and other meaningless junk.
Doomed generation
There’s enough blame to go around, but the tail-end baby boomers – those of us who graduated from high school in the late 60s and early 70s – fueled Jackson’s career and sired today’s self-indulgent young adults. As teens, we preached high ethics and demanded change, but soon became Rolex revolutionaries, forsaking our ideals to chase the easy money – just like our materialistic parents.
All said, we created a sad state of affairs for America, including the Twin Ports:
• On the financial front, our strongest institutions are for sale to the highest bidders – often ones from China, Europe or India – because we’ve lost our financial sensibilities. Profits that should have been reinvested into new rail lines, factories and technology have instead been handed to institutional investors whose only allegiance is to the almighty dollar – not the United States. As they redirect our lifeblood into tax-free foreign safe havens, it’s possible America could be overtaken in a bloodless coup as overseas investors gradually purchase our banks, manufacturers, even our government debt. The evidence is just up Highway 53, where foreign corporations are taking over Iron Range mines and funding future developments. Does anyone believe these absentee owners will care about our area in any responsive or charitable way?
• Big government reeks like an armpit rag and exhibits no signs of meaningful life. Congress reflects the whims and wishes of corporate, government, union and religious lobbyists. All who enter soon become millionaires brainwashed by the Beltway mentality. Meanwhile state governments – witness Wisconsin and Minnesota – are little more than partisan bickering halls where Republicans and Democrats take turns forcing failed economic strategies on weary taxpayers.
• Cities like Duluth have fallen hard. Our decades-long dependence on state and federal money made us complacent when mayors like Gary Doty played tough with inquisitive reporters while giving free reign to union reps and mediocre managers. Now, we’re paying for our apathy, driving down broken streets, dumping overflow sewage into our drinking water and paying outlandish taxes.
Where's the beef?
Mayor Don Ness, Gov. Tim Pawlenty and President Barack Obama are among a select group of politicians who are making tough decisions, yet they need help. But from where?
There was a time when strong leaders emerged from the business community. Where are they today – on the city, state or national level? For instance, who is the most civic-minded, active business leader in Duluth? In Minnesota? Nationwide? Why are you drawing a blank?
Locally, organized labor clearly has more standouts than business. Alan Netland, Craig Olson and Ken Loeffler-Kemp are far more recognizable than anyone in the business sector. And their activism has paid off for union members – whether taxpayers can afford their victories or not.
Such is the outcome when citizens ignore civic responsibilities, focusing more on garish entertainers than real world problems. The same can be said for the news media, which spends more time investigating which drug offed Jackson than which banks are getting lavish taxpayer handouts, more time promoting hockey rinks than investigating Doty’s municipally paid health insurance.
It’s almost inconceivable. Fifty years ago, nobody could have predicted the popularity attainable by a celebrity who institutionalized the on-stage genital grope. Nor would they have seen General Motors die for lack of innovation, or Chrysler for producing crappy engines.
Have we been sold out, sold ourselves out or both?
It really doesn’t matter; nobody seems to care – not so long as the unemployment checks continue. Unfortunately, however, the stimulus package is likely to fail. Economic and moral recovery can’t be purchased like some kind of Stairway to Heaven. Times have changed. They’ve changed for the worse.
This story was originally published in the July 15 Reader Weekly.
We’re a sorry society. In the height of a major recession, as America inches closer to ruin each day and people lose their homes and savings, our shining achievement is to glorify a celebrity who died from an overdose of prescription dope.
Yeah – dope. Michael Jackson apparently died from legal medicine that’s no different than the prescription amphetamines (“White Cross”) or sedatives (“Reds”) that killed thousands of indescript teens in the ‘60s and 70s. He was a junkie whose doctors are no more innocent than street pushers.
Let’s concede up front that Jackson was tremendously talented. No argument that he excelled at his craft. His music and choregraphy inspired millions. Yet he was a mixed bag. Jackson said openly that sleeping with young boys was admirable adult behavior. How would any of us react if we learned our children were sleeping in the same bed with an adult hockey coach, cleric or Scout leader?
Jackson isn’t the first celeb to get away with behavior that would send the rest of us behind bars. The American justice system, despite claims to the contrary, favors the rich – those who can afford top lawyers. An average screw head from Central Hillside or North End will end up with an assembly line public defender that gets paid the same stipend win or lose and has little incentive to carry any case beyond bargaining with an overworked prosecutor.
The double standard, however, matters little to star-struck Americans, who by the millions begged to attend Jackson’s memorial service. Those same individuals don’t cross the street to demand government accountability or attend a military funeral. If life were fair, they’d be judged by their priorities. Instead, they’re judged by their collection of CDs, ATVs, snowmobiles and other meaningless junk.
Doomed generation
There’s enough blame to go around, but the tail-end baby boomers – those of us who graduated from high school in the late 60s and early 70s – fueled Jackson’s career and sired today’s self-indulgent young adults. As teens, we preached high ethics and demanded change, but soon became Rolex revolutionaries, forsaking our ideals to chase the easy money – just like our materialistic parents.
All said, we created a sad state of affairs for America, including the Twin Ports:
• On the financial front, our strongest institutions are for sale to the highest bidders – often ones from China, Europe or India – because we’ve lost our financial sensibilities. Profits that should have been reinvested into new rail lines, factories and technology have instead been handed to institutional investors whose only allegiance is to the almighty dollar – not the United States. As they redirect our lifeblood into tax-free foreign safe havens, it’s possible America could be overtaken in a bloodless coup as overseas investors gradually purchase our banks, manufacturers, even our government debt. The evidence is just up Highway 53, where foreign corporations are taking over Iron Range mines and funding future developments. Does anyone believe these absentee owners will care about our area in any responsive or charitable way?
• Big government reeks like an armpit rag and exhibits no signs of meaningful life. Congress reflects the whims and wishes of corporate, government, union and religious lobbyists. All who enter soon become millionaires brainwashed by the Beltway mentality. Meanwhile state governments – witness Wisconsin and Minnesota – are little more than partisan bickering halls where Republicans and Democrats take turns forcing failed economic strategies on weary taxpayers.
• Cities like Duluth have fallen hard. Our decades-long dependence on state and federal money made us complacent when mayors like Gary Doty played tough with inquisitive reporters while giving free reign to union reps and mediocre managers. Now, we’re paying for our apathy, driving down broken streets, dumping overflow sewage into our drinking water and paying outlandish taxes.
Where's the beef?
Mayor Don Ness, Gov. Tim Pawlenty and President Barack Obama are among a select group of politicians who are making tough decisions, yet they need help. But from where?
There was a time when strong leaders emerged from the business community. Where are they today – on the city, state or national level? For instance, who is the most civic-minded, active business leader in Duluth? In Minnesota? Nationwide? Why are you drawing a blank?
Locally, organized labor clearly has more standouts than business. Alan Netland, Craig Olson and Ken Loeffler-Kemp are far more recognizable than anyone in the business sector. And their activism has paid off for union members – whether taxpayers can afford their victories or not.
Such is the outcome when citizens ignore civic responsibilities, focusing more on garish entertainers than real world problems. The same can be said for the news media, which spends more time investigating which drug offed Jackson than which banks are getting lavish taxpayer handouts, more time promoting hockey rinks than investigating Doty’s municipally paid health insurance.
It’s almost inconceivable. Fifty years ago, nobody could have predicted the popularity attainable by a celebrity who institutionalized the on-stage genital grope. Nor would they have seen General Motors die for lack of innovation, or Chrysler for producing crappy engines.
Have we been sold out, sold ourselves out or both?
It really doesn’t matter; nobody seems to care – not so long as the unemployment checks continue. Unfortunately, however, the stimulus package is likely to fail. Economic and moral recovery can’t be purchased like some kind of Stairway to Heaven. Times have changed. They’ve changed for the worse.
This story was originally published in the July 15 Reader Weekly.
Dear Mr. Fantasy,
bring back our youth
By RON BROCHU
Thermometers redlined as Clapton fans flooded the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds on a sweltering 1973 Saturday afternoon. We arrived two hours late, despite a numbing southward blast down Highway 61. Fortunately, the concert was running hours late; tickets to enter the expansive outdoor field still remained available even to those who frantically fumbled with Quad Cities maps in search of the hallowed stadium.
The gruesome Davenport trip had been hastily planned after hearing a promo on Beaker Street, the famous alternative rock show broadcast nightly on clear channel KAAY. Our ride, a ’66 Mustang, wasn’t fitted to roar down the sleepy Mississippi. The pony wasn’t equipped with air conditioning, moon roof, reclining seats or tilt wheel – just a lean 289 that screamed like a ferret on speedballs. It was the quick, unrefined ticket for young Americans who wanted cheap thrills without buffed cowhide, chilled cup holders and wrap-around safety bubbles.
The aging beast had seen its best days but still offered enough juice for a couple teen freaks aimlessly searching for the American dream. In fact, guilt pangs emerged when we parked her in a farm field way outside the concert grounds, carefully avoiding lumps of hay that might ignite under sizzling header mufflers. Yet the desire to secure Clapton tickets trumped all else as we rushed the gate in ripped jeans and surplus Army shirts. The $9 cost seemed expensive, but British legends didn’t often pass through the bloody Midwest.
When tickets eventually sold out, the mood turned ugly. Angry kids climbed the fence and were met by paid guests swinging broken fifths of Annie Green Springs and Mad Dog 20/20. Such was the talk -- perhaps true, perhaps false – that quickly spread through the crowd, which was packed shoulder-to-shoulder in this far-away field.
Musically, it was a strange time. Paul McCartney had just formed Wings, and Clapton’s latest release was 461 Ocean Boulevard. Rock was morphing into pop, and pot-heads disliked it almost as much as disco.
When Clapton finally took the stage, he was accompanied by Yvonne Elliman – a far cry from earlier legends including Jack Bruce, Duane Allman and Steve Winwood. Preferably, he would have performed hits from the Cream era, but he disappointed the gaggle of stoners. Yet the concert was unforgettable, if only because it featured Slowhand.
Old geeks and wrinkle freaks
Those dusty memories surfaced last week before Clapton and Winwood took stage in St. Paul. It wasn’t dubbed a reunion concert, but the pair previously collaborated as Blind Faith, an unforgettable one-album supergroup that also included Cream drummer Ginger Baker and talented bassist Rick Grech.
Unlike the Davenport gig, where the outdoor venue overflowed with life, Xcel Center had a country club aura, with overstuffed, hair-challenged throwbacks carefully navigating steep stairways in their $50 polos and $80 chinos.
The pairing of Clapton and Winwood proved exciting, but didn’t thrust 50- and 60-somethings into mosh pits. Quoting Winwood’s Rock and Roll Stew, youth and zeal were “Gone, Gone, Gone.” Like the aging performers, we had become senior citizens or, in hippy lingo, wrinkle freaks.
The dream is dead
During their interpretation of Voodoo Chile, the British pair clearly demonstrated the difference between true musicians and Top 10 artists, although some fans didn’t seem to connect with the underground Hendrix piece. It presents more raw emotion than typically flows from the speakers of their Infinity and Lexus SUVs.
The concert was fabulous, exceeding expectations, but the spectacle of 10,000 aging rockers feebly trying to be hip was, quoting a Cream hit, quite the Bring Down. It demonstrated that the entire rock generation lost its direction and sold out to the highest bidder.
Music that one promted an generation to seek a higher plane became simply entertainment. Clapton and Winwood are alive and well, but the child is gone; the dream is dead.
This story was first published in the June 26 Reader Weekly.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Let’s MoveOn beyond
faceless hucksters
By RON BROCHU
Put the squeeze on Rep. Jim Oberstar, the e-mail says; pressure him to strengthen the energy bill. Why?
“Because Big Oil and Coal have teamed up with conservatives in both parties, and they've been successful in weakening the bill,” said the message, which was selectively e-mailed to his constituents by MoveOn.Org, a political action group that considers 4 million Americans to be members.
“Can you sign this petition to Representative James Oberstar today? Eighty thousand MoveOn members have already signed. We need to double the number of signatures by Wednesday — that means we need 25 more signatures in Duluth. MoveOn members will personally deliver this petition to many congressional offices the next day. Click here to add your name,” said the author, Anna Galland, which may or may not be her real name, if indeed she is a real person.
With the presidential election now part of history, MoveOn sends similar e-mails addressing virtually every issue bound for Congress. Hardly a day passes when the group isn’t urging faceless recipients to hit some hot button, adding their name to an impassioned plea that will be hand delivered throughout the Congressional Office Building.
But MoveOn e-mails more than just a plea for political support. The group’s hot button sends recipients to a pop-up window that unveils its real message: “Thanks for signing. Now can you donate to help save Obama’s plan from Big Oil and Coal?”
Give us your money
That was MoveOn’s message throughout the presidential campaign. Donate by Tuesday and we can out-gun the Conservative Bastards! We can change America! And even before Tuesday arrived, MoveOn was pimping another money plea – because screwing the Filthy Republicans was getting more expensive every day.
One can only guess about these things, but MoveOn seemed to find my personal mailbox soon after I clicked a hot button to receive a free Obama campaign button.
Not sure where the offer originated, but the crappy little button didn’t arrive until long after election day. But it didn’t take nearly that long for MoveOn to adopt me like a long-lost brother – a long-lost brother who was anxious to send his hard-earned money to a liberal fundraising machine that would flood my mailbox with constant propaganda. To hear them tell it, President Barack Obama cannot succeed without an ongoing cash tsunami – not in an era when Big Oil, Big Banks and Big Business in General manipulate every Republican.
Quite a scenario, but it must be true. After all, MoveOn has 4 million members. Or does it? Can’t help but wonder how many of its “members” just thought they were getting an Obama campaign button.
Be that as it may, it spotlights how money and special interests have twisted the American political process. We elect a president. We elect senators. We elect representatives. Theoretically, they represent their constituents. They read our letters. They respond to our needs.
But MoveOn and its conservative counterparts take the process a step further. They want to be an unelected middle man. Bad enough we have to pay elected officials; now, we have to pay intermediaries to represent our interests to the very people who should already be well versed in our needs.
It’s a great scam if you can pull it off. Political action groups, no doubt, employ thousands of parasites who otherwise would be lunching off their parents or peddling religion.
A weird scene
So imagine this – you are Jim Oberstar, sitting in your office one fine morning reading La Monde and eating French toast. Suddenly, an emissary from MoveOn.org walks in with a petition that says:
“We need a stronger energy bill to fulfill Obama's vision of a clean energy economy. Congress should strengthen the clean energy standards and restore Obama's authority to crack down on dirty coal plants."
In the first place, they would never get beyond your handlers, but that’s another story. So we’ll have to pretend. What would Minnesota’s senior Congressman be thinking:
A) To hell with Minnesota Power. I won’t be duped by Big Coal, Big Energy and Big Business or
B) To hell with MoveOn.org. They don’t sign anyone’s paycheck in northern Minnesota, and they don’t have to seek reelection every two years.
And that’s that, so let’s MoveOn to another topic.
When the music's over
Bad enough that Duluth has lousy weather – it also has lousy radio.
What’s the deal when every rock station plays and replays the same 50 songs by Bob Seeger, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, CSN and Alice in Chains? Over and over and over.
Sometimes, they don’t even play the whole song. Chunks are hacked out with the precision of Josef Mengele. Funnier yet is the lame attempt to disguise obvious bad language. Take a listen to “Man in a box” as Layne Staley sings “Shove my nose in schlipxtc.”
Huh?
TV networks at least offer a disclaimer when they hack a piece of art by squeezing it into a square screen or remove offensive material. On radio, they just let some pencil-necked geek hack at the art on a software screen, neutering it like an overworked veterinarian.
This article first appeared in the June 12, 2009 Reader Weekly.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Forum’s new strategy:
slash, burn & panic?
By RON BROCHU
The forced exit of Superior Telegram publisher Leslee LeRoux has enhanced speculation that the community newspaper is destined to be absorbed by the Duluth News Tribune (DNT), despite official denials.
LeRoux, a Superior native, had no inkling of her fate when she strolled into the Telegram's downtown office May 21. Ad sales for the twice-weekly broadsheet exceeded budget, allowing the upcoming Friday edition to be larger than usual 24 pages in addition to a 20-page TV tab. Despite industry trends, advertisers were showing faith in the 118-year-old publication, which until last year was published daily, excluding Sundays.
LeRoux's only peeve was an afternoon meeting with Duluth News Tribune Executive Editor Rob Karwath. He had dropped the appointment into her calendar without explanation and declined to reschedule even though his timing would interrupt the Telegram's layout. In most cases, however, that would only suggest DNT arrogance again had reared its head. News Tribune execs care little about inconveniencing colleagues at affiliated publications, all of which they consider inferior.
Only later did LeRoux discover why Karwath wouldn't modify his plans. He intended to permanently erase her name from the masthead. Karwath told LeRoux that Forum Communications, owner of both the Telegram and DNT, no longer employs publishers a corporate cost-cutting move. He asked LeRoux to pack her belongings and vacate her office without saying goodbye to co-workers a policy usually employed by large companies that fear the outgoing employee will stage a scene or sabotage their computers.
"They treated her like an embezzler," said Wisconsin Public Radio reporter Mike Simonson, who has known LeRoux for two decades. "She did not deserve that at all. She should have been given two weeks notice to say goodbye to her staff and her readers. She would have been classy about it."
As LeRoux exited the building with her makeshift cardboard luggage, employees stared in disbelief. For the second time in two weeks, a top-level exec was leaving. Just days earlier, Forum had moved advertising director Randy Johnson to the Duluth News Tribune office, where he was given a new assignment managing the automobile advertising sales effort. Telegram employees were yet to digest that decision when their publisher was eliminated.
In a DNT story, Karwath said "We certainly have every intention to keep the Telegram strong in print and online." Some didn't find his comment very convincing, especially those who witnessed the staff drop from about 40 a year ago to less than 20 today. Said one disheartened staffer: "It's just a matter of time before they get rid of each of us."
The ugly side of bliss
On Fox 21 News, Karwath reports for the DNT as the affable news partner, the soft-spoken boyish editor who reads stories generated by underlings who shun TV. But inside the organization, he's become the Hand of Caesar, doling out disciplinary actions and cutting jobs inside and outside of the newsroom.
Earlier this month, he descended upon the Lake County News-Chronicle in Two Harbors to sack long-time editor Forrest Johnson. Simple math would say Johnson's demise left the newspaper with just 3.5 positions. But in reality, the loss was much greater. Like all small-town newspaper editors, Johnson clocked far more than 40 hours each week.
In protest, 65 people gathered outside the News-Chronicle to support Johnson, who had been with the newspaper for nearly 20 years. But he wasn't universally popular. Some in the local business community felt Johnson was too negative about a waterfront housing plan proposed by developer Sam Cave, and they took their concerns all the way to Forum board chair Bill Marcil. The controversy seemed to die down, but once under the corporate microscope, Johnson was unable to escape.
Forum has not revealed the reason for his release, and Johnson has not been available for comment. But Karwath clearly felt the action was insignificant. Unlike the News Tribune's three front page stories about Lew Latto¹s radio plight, Johnson¹s turn of fortune generated no buzz in the Duluth paper, although the Lake County weekly ran a photo of the protest.
Last September, Karwath also was the messenger who axed DNT managing editor Andrea Novel Buck, a 19-year DNT employee. Facing orders to chop about $300,000 from his newsroom budget, Karwath and other DNT execs decided Buck was among editors who were expendable. Most of them were women. Once the managing editor was axed, opinion page editor Robin Washington was promoted to the newly created position of news director a highly unusual title in the print world.
Clearly, however, cuts by the Fargo-based publisher extend beyond the Northland and may even suggest a degree of panic has gripped the organization. In recent months, Forum has eliminated veteran employees at numerous properties, including:
· Mike Burke, who was general manager at the New Richmond News. He had 28 years of experience
· Michael Kuehn, general manager at the Red Wing Republican Eagle, eight years
· Brady Bautch, Internet Publisher of Forum's RiverTown Newspaper Group in southwest Wisconsin, eight years
· Robin Kruse, Pierce County Herald advertising sales rep for 26 years
· Sandy Burdine, Hastings Star Gazette sales clerk for 28 years
· Melissa Kinneman, classified sales rep at the RiverTown Newspaper
Group
· Jo Erickson, advertising assistant and receptionist, Red Wing Republican Eagle
Why would any organization boot so much experience out the door? Some believe it's not Forum's decision at all. Instead, they suspect some shots are being called by the consortium of banks that borrowed Forum enough money to buy the Duluth and Grand Forks newspaper groups at a price said to exceed $100 million.
Times are changing
When Forum purchased the DNT, Telegram, News-Chronicle and Cloquet Pine Journal, Marcil assured employees that his family-owned company has never shuttered an acquired newspaper. That¹s no longer the case. On May 7, Forum closed the Stillwater Courier and one of its rare startup properties, the Lake Elmo Leader. Employees received two days' notice, according to a story published in the competing Stillwater Gazette.
Lake Elmo suffered a slow, painful death. In 2006, the paper closed its Lake
Elmo office and operated from the Courier's Stillwater office. Then in April 2008, Forum cut its only Lake Elmo reporter and stretched its Stillwater Courier staff to cover both communities.
In closing the two newspapers, Forum eliminated Yvonne Klinnert, who was editor of the Stillwater Courier and Lake Elmo Leader; Mark Brower, a Stillwater Courier/Lake Elmo Leader reporter, and Andy Blenkenship, reporter/photographer at the two publications.
Cuts continued last week, when Forum closed its North Dakota capitol bureau and released Scott Wente from the staff of its Minnesota capitol bureau.
Not important?
By eliminating veteran employees, Forum also is losing institutional memory and community relationships that most newspapers strive to develop.
"It's a great loss to the community to the newspaper," Simonson noted.
That loss is particularly difficult for the Telegram, where the newsroom and advertising sales staff have seen several cuts. When LeRoux took over approximately nine months ago, most considered her a breath of fresh air. Ken Browall, her predecessor, spent much of his time analyzing spreadsheets and union contracts. Unlike most publishers, he seldom ventured into the community, and during his tenure, Browall began to spend more time at the DNT than at the Telegram, even though he claimed to dislike the DNT's culture, particularly in the newsroom.
LeRoux, however, was an extrovert who loved Superior and enjoyed community relations.
Her Telegram tenure began in 1983 as a reporter. After a stint reporting in Galveston, Texas, she returned home and became Telegram editor, then was transferred by Murphy McGinnis Media to expand the Duluth Budgeteer, raising distribution to twice-weekly. During that time, she hired Rick Lubbers, who went on to become DNT sports editor, and Kyle Eller, now editor of The Northern Cross, published by the Duluth Catholic Diocese. Eventually, she was given editorial oversight for all Murphy McGinnis properties.
After an ownership change, Forum hired her in a marketing capacity at Living North Magazine. Then she advanced to become Telegram publisher. In addition to her PR role, LeRoux also worked side-by-side with newsroom staffers, coaching writers and assisting with pagination.
"Her loss will not only be felt by the newspaper and the city of Superior, but by the talented, emerging reporters throughout the region," said freelance writer Joan Farnam, a former colleague at the Budgeteer. "By firing her, they've clearly shown that they are not interested in owning a newspaper that communicates well and is a lively 'forum' for the community. Instead, their focus seems to be their profit margin, which is undoubtedly shrinking because of decisions like these."
In his own story about LeRoux, Simonson also used the term "firing." Karwath objected and sought a correction, saying the term unfairly besmirched his former colleague. Pointing to the way LeRoux was ushered out the door, Simonson refused, then asked Karwath why he employed the tactic. The DNT newsroom exec took a corporate stance, refusing to answer.
While Forum's growing list of terminations is reducing corporate costs, it's also flooding the market with a wide array of talented journalists and sales people. At least three Northland organizations currently are discussing plans to launch an internet alternative to the News Tribune, similar to the MinnPost.com venture launched by former Twin Cities mainstream journalists. So far, however, none of the local efforts have gone into publication. And even tenured start-ups like MinnPost are yet to turn a profit.
Ron Brochu formerly was Telegram executive editor.
This article first appeared in the May 29, 2009 Reader Weekly.
The forced exit of Superior Telegram publisher Leslee LeRoux has enhanced speculation that the community newspaper is destined to be absorbed by the Duluth News Tribune (DNT), despite official denials.
LeRoux, a Superior native, had no inkling of her fate when she strolled into the Telegram's downtown office May 21. Ad sales for the twice-weekly broadsheet exceeded budget, allowing the upcoming Friday edition to be larger than usual 24 pages in addition to a 20-page TV tab. Despite industry trends, advertisers were showing faith in the 118-year-old publication, which until last year was published daily, excluding Sundays.
LeRoux's only peeve was an afternoon meeting with Duluth News Tribune Executive Editor Rob Karwath. He had dropped the appointment into her calendar without explanation and declined to reschedule even though his timing would interrupt the Telegram's layout. In most cases, however, that would only suggest DNT arrogance again had reared its head. News Tribune execs care little about inconveniencing colleagues at affiliated publications, all of which they consider inferior.
Only later did LeRoux discover why Karwath wouldn't modify his plans. He intended to permanently erase her name from the masthead. Karwath told LeRoux that Forum Communications, owner of both the Telegram and DNT, no longer employs publishers a corporate cost-cutting move. He asked LeRoux to pack her belongings and vacate her office without saying goodbye to co-workers a policy usually employed by large companies that fear the outgoing employee will stage a scene or sabotage their computers.
"They treated her like an embezzler," said Wisconsin Public Radio reporter Mike Simonson, who has known LeRoux for two decades. "She did not deserve that at all. She should have been given two weeks notice to say goodbye to her staff and her readers. She would have been classy about it."
As LeRoux exited the building with her makeshift cardboard luggage, employees stared in disbelief. For the second time in two weeks, a top-level exec was leaving. Just days earlier, Forum had moved advertising director Randy Johnson to the Duluth News Tribune office, where he was given a new assignment managing the automobile advertising sales effort. Telegram employees were yet to digest that decision when their publisher was eliminated.
In a DNT story, Karwath said "We certainly have every intention to keep the Telegram strong in print and online." Some didn't find his comment very convincing, especially those who witnessed the staff drop from about 40 a year ago to less than 20 today. Said one disheartened staffer: "It's just a matter of time before they get rid of each of us."
The ugly side of bliss
On Fox 21 News, Karwath reports for the DNT as the affable news partner, the soft-spoken boyish editor who reads stories generated by underlings who shun TV. But inside the organization, he's become the Hand of Caesar, doling out disciplinary actions and cutting jobs inside and outside of the newsroom.
Earlier this month, he descended upon the Lake County News-Chronicle in Two Harbors to sack long-time editor Forrest Johnson. Simple math would say Johnson's demise left the newspaper with just 3.5 positions. But in reality, the loss was much greater. Like all small-town newspaper editors, Johnson clocked far more than 40 hours each week.
In protest, 65 people gathered outside the News-Chronicle to support Johnson, who had been with the newspaper for nearly 20 years. But he wasn't universally popular. Some in the local business community felt Johnson was too negative about a waterfront housing plan proposed by developer Sam Cave, and they took their concerns all the way to Forum board chair Bill Marcil. The controversy seemed to die down, but once under the corporate microscope, Johnson was unable to escape.
Forum has not revealed the reason for his release, and Johnson has not been available for comment. But Karwath clearly felt the action was insignificant. Unlike the News Tribune's three front page stories about Lew Latto¹s radio plight, Johnson¹s turn of fortune generated no buzz in the Duluth paper, although the Lake County weekly ran a photo of the protest.
Last September, Karwath also was the messenger who axed DNT managing editor Andrea Novel Buck, a 19-year DNT employee. Facing orders to chop about $300,000 from his newsroom budget, Karwath and other DNT execs decided Buck was among editors who were expendable. Most of them were women. Once the managing editor was axed, opinion page editor Robin Washington was promoted to the newly created position of news director a highly unusual title in the print world.
Clearly, however, cuts by the Fargo-based publisher extend beyond the Northland and may even suggest a degree of panic has gripped the organization. In recent months, Forum has eliminated veteran employees at numerous properties, including:
· Mike Burke, who was general manager at the New Richmond News. He had 28 years of experience
· Michael Kuehn, general manager at the Red Wing Republican Eagle, eight years
· Brady Bautch, Internet Publisher of Forum's RiverTown Newspaper Group in southwest Wisconsin, eight years
· Robin Kruse, Pierce County Herald advertising sales rep for 26 years
· Sandy Burdine, Hastings Star Gazette sales clerk for 28 years
· Melissa Kinneman, classified sales rep at the RiverTown Newspaper
Group
· Jo Erickson, advertising assistant and receptionist, Red Wing Republican Eagle
Why would any organization boot so much experience out the door? Some believe it's not Forum's decision at all. Instead, they suspect some shots are being called by the consortium of banks that borrowed Forum enough money to buy the Duluth and Grand Forks newspaper groups at a price said to exceed $100 million.
Times are changing
When Forum purchased the DNT, Telegram, News-Chronicle and Cloquet Pine Journal, Marcil assured employees that his family-owned company has never shuttered an acquired newspaper. That¹s no longer the case. On May 7, Forum closed the Stillwater Courier and one of its rare startup properties, the Lake Elmo Leader. Employees received two days' notice, according to a story published in the competing Stillwater Gazette.
Lake Elmo suffered a slow, painful death. In 2006, the paper closed its Lake
Elmo office and operated from the Courier's Stillwater office. Then in April 2008, Forum cut its only Lake Elmo reporter and stretched its Stillwater Courier staff to cover both communities.
In closing the two newspapers, Forum eliminated Yvonne Klinnert, who was editor of the Stillwater Courier and Lake Elmo Leader; Mark Brower, a Stillwater Courier/Lake Elmo Leader reporter, and Andy Blenkenship, reporter/photographer at the two publications.
Cuts continued last week, when Forum closed its North Dakota capitol bureau and released Scott Wente from the staff of its Minnesota capitol bureau.
Not important?
By eliminating veteran employees, Forum also is losing institutional memory and community relationships that most newspapers strive to develop.
"It's a great loss to the community to the newspaper," Simonson noted.
That loss is particularly difficult for the Telegram, where the newsroom and advertising sales staff have seen several cuts. When LeRoux took over approximately nine months ago, most considered her a breath of fresh air. Ken Browall, her predecessor, spent much of his time analyzing spreadsheets and union contracts. Unlike most publishers, he seldom ventured into the community, and during his tenure, Browall began to spend more time at the DNT than at the Telegram, even though he claimed to dislike the DNT's culture, particularly in the newsroom.
LeRoux, however, was an extrovert who loved Superior and enjoyed community relations.
Her Telegram tenure began in 1983 as a reporter. After a stint reporting in Galveston, Texas, she returned home and became Telegram editor, then was transferred by Murphy McGinnis Media to expand the Duluth Budgeteer, raising distribution to twice-weekly. During that time, she hired Rick Lubbers, who went on to become DNT sports editor, and Kyle Eller, now editor of The Northern Cross, published by the Duluth Catholic Diocese. Eventually, she was given editorial oversight for all Murphy McGinnis properties.
After an ownership change, Forum hired her in a marketing capacity at Living North Magazine. Then she advanced to become Telegram publisher. In addition to her PR role, LeRoux also worked side-by-side with newsroom staffers, coaching writers and assisting with pagination.
"Her loss will not only be felt by the newspaper and the city of Superior, but by the talented, emerging reporters throughout the region," said freelance writer Joan Farnam, a former colleague at the Budgeteer. "By firing her, they've clearly shown that they are not interested in owning a newspaper that communicates well and is a lively 'forum' for the community. Instead, their focus seems to be their profit margin, which is undoubtedly shrinking because of decisions like these."
In his own story about LeRoux, Simonson also used the term "firing." Karwath objected and sought a correction, saying the term unfairly besmirched his former colleague. Pointing to the way LeRoux was ushered out the door, Simonson refused, then asked Karwath why he employed the tactic. The DNT newsroom exec took a corporate stance, refusing to answer.
While Forum's growing list of terminations is reducing corporate costs, it's also flooding the market with a wide array of talented journalists and sales people. At least three Northland organizations currently are discussing plans to launch an internet alternative to the News Tribune, similar to the MinnPost.com venture launched by former Twin Cities mainstream journalists. So far, however, none of the local efforts have gone into publication. And even tenured start-ups like MinnPost are yet to turn a profit.
Ron Brochu formerly was Telegram executive editor.
This article first appeared in the May 29, 2009 Reader Weekly.
Friday, May 15, 2009
School board aims shovels at pristine green field
By RON BROCHU
The destruction of green space once elicited angry cries in Duluth, but a new plan that will uproot a square mile of undisturbed land is barely raising eyebrows.
Why? The parcel is hidden in a far corner of West End, where residents lack the political clout and financial resources to fight the massive development.
The project, known as Wheeler North, would position a middle school just above the DM&IR corridor on a green field that runs from Chestnut to Wellington Streets. Just a few blocks uphill from the A& Dubbs drive-in restaurant lies a pristine site where backhoes soon could rip up wild strawberry fields and former pastures that helped feed generations of Germans, Poles and Italians who settled the neighborhood a hundred years ago.
Most of those families – such as the Stammens, Gimples, Scheers and Stockmans – are long gone. The neighborhood and its old houses have largely morphed into transient housing for low-income renters who’ve managed to escape the Central Hillside. These aren’t monied socialites who can afford to sue the Duluth School District every time an eagle craps on their porch.
That dubious tale generated headlines when the School Board proposed to stuff East High onto the Ordean site. Unhappy neighbors managed to pull an eagle’s nest out of their pocket with hopes of milking the rare bird.
Those who reside near Wheeler North, however, haven’t been nearly as clever. So far, raping the western hillside has generated neither discussion nor lawsuits. Beyond the crumbling pavement on Chestnut Street, where the school district hopes to demolish several homes to accommodate a newly paved entrance road, the ambitious West End school plan is nearly a secret.
The lack of news coverage is troubling but not unexpected. Few local reporters reside east of Lake Avenue, so they’re seldom familiar with western neighborhoods or their problems. Many are simply incapable of preparing a story that’s not spoon fed at a news conference or public meeting.
For sure, the lack of media scrutiny is helping to squelch discussion about alternative school sites, such as the existing Central High or Lincoln properties. Assisted by this knowledge vacuum, the School Board can spew nonsense about the high cost of rebuilding Central without anyone questioning the high cost of extending utilities and building roads into the Wheeler North site, where the dominant geological feature is solid rock.
Environmentally unsound?
Unearthing wild raspberries, strawberries and lichen-covered boulders is merely one concern about the Wheeler North site. It doesn’t take a passel of clever attorneys to uproot others. Simple observation from hillside outcroppings provide a quick education.
The DM&IR rail corridor, where taconite-filled trains speed from Iron Range mines to the Ore Docks, is located between the proposed school and Wheeler Field.
There’s only one way to quickly walk from the proposed school site to the athletic complex and West Duluth residential area: Dart across a dozen railroad tracks like an overcharged bunny.
But that’s not the only safety issue. The other is air pollution.
Sixty years ago, nearby residents pulled clean linens off their clothes line each time a steam locomotive flew down the tracks, spewing coal soot in every direction. Those days are long gone, but airborne dust particles continue to be a concern, and prevailing winds blow toward the school site.
On numerous occasions, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has fined DM&IR for dust emissions created when taconite pellets are moved and stockpiled. Although most of the emissions occur near the Ore Docks, a quick walk along the rail corridor unveils a virtual treasure trove of pellets that have dropped from speeding rail cars. In addition to fueling local slingshots, the pellets create dust as they bounce along the tracks.
Those who reside in the neighborhood also are familiar with blue clouds that billow from brake pads as locomotive engineers slow their trains during the quick descent between Proctor and the working waterfront. The smell of hot brakes, which is evident for blocks, and particulates from the brake pads will heighten the sickly ambiance at the Wheeler North outdoor athletic field, recess field and hiking trail.
How can this be?
Superintendent of Schools Keith Dixon has suggested the Red Plan arose from discussions held at numerous public meetings. Citizens who participated in those sessions, however, say they were poorly attended, often by fewer than two dozen people, and certainly didn’t generate a community-wide consensus. In any event, it’s hard to imagine that a local participant suggested bulldozing an undisturbed green field instead of reusing convenient sites that already are equipped with water, sewer and power lines.
Unfortunately, Dixon and his heavy-handed minions are hell-bent on initiating every aspect of the plan before the fall school board elections, when voters will tell board members what they really think. By then, however, it will be far too late to halt the expensive madness; the environmental damage will be irreversible.
Author Ron Brochu refuses to lighten up and hopes more Duluthians will do the same.
This story was first published in the May 15 Reader Weekly
The destruction of green space once elicited angry cries in Duluth, but a new plan that will uproot a square mile of undisturbed land is barely raising eyebrows.
Why? The parcel is hidden in a far corner of West End, where residents lack the political clout and financial resources to fight the massive development.
The project, known as Wheeler North, would position a middle school just above the DM&IR corridor on a green field that runs from Chestnut to Wellington Streets. Just a few blocks uphill from the A& Dubbs drive-in restaurant lies a pristine site where backhoes soon could rip up wild strawberry fields and former pastures that helped feed generations of Germans, Poles and Italians who settled the neighborhood a hundred years ago.
Most of those families – such as the Stammens, Gimples, Scheers and Stockmans – are long gone. The neighborhood and its old houses have largely morphed into transient housing for low-income renters who’ve managed to escape the Central Hillside. These aren’t monied socialites who can afford to sue the Duluth School District every time an eagle craps on their porch.
That dubious tale generated headlines when the School Board proposed to stuff East High onto the Ordean site. Unhappy neighbors managed to pull an eagle’s nest out of their pocket with hopes of milking the rare bird.
Those who reside near Wheeler North, however, haven’t been nearly as clever. So far, raping the western hillside has generated neither discussion nor lawsuits. Beyond the crumbling pavement on Chestnut Street, where the school district hopes to demolish several homes to accommodate a newly paved entrance road, the ambitious West End school plan is nearly a secret.
The lack of news coverage is troubling but not unexpected. Few local reporters reside east of Lake Avenue, so they’re seldom familiar with western neighborhoods or their problems. Many are simply incapable of preparing a story that’s not spoon fed at a news conference or public meeting.
For sure, the lack of media scrutiny is helping to squelch discussion about alternative school sites, such as the existing Central High or Lincoln properties. Assisted by this knowledge vacuum, the School Board can spew nonsense about the high cost of rebuilding Central without anyone questioning the high cost of extending utilities and building roads into the Wheeler North site, where the dominant geological feature is solid rock.
Environmentally unsound?
Unearthing wild raspberries, strawberries and lichen-covered boulders is merely one concern about the Wheeler North site. It doesn’t take a passel of clever attorneys to uproot others. Simple observation from hillside outcroppings provide a quick education.
The DM&IR rail corridor, where taconite-filled trains speed from Iron Range mines to the Ore Docks, is located between the proposed school and Wheeler Field.
There’s only one way to quickly walk from the proposed school site to the athletic complex and West Duluth residential area: Dart across a dozen railroad tracks like an overcharged bunny.
But that’s not the only safety issue. The other is air pollution.
Sixty years ago, nearby residents pulled clean linens off their clothes line each time a steam locomotive flew down the tracks, spewing coal soot in every direction. Those days are long gone, but airborne dust particles continue to be a concern, and prevailing winds blow toward the school site.
On numerous occasions, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has fined DM&IR for dust emissions created when taconite pellets are moved and stockpiled. Although most of the emissions occur near the Ore Docks, a quick walk along the rail corridor unveils a virtual treasure trove of pellets that have dropped from speeding rail cars. In addition to fueling local slingshots, the pellets create dust as they bounce along the tracks.
Those who reside in the neighborhood also are familiar with blue clouds that billow from brake pads as locomotive engineers slow their trains during the quick descent between Proctor and the working waterfront. The smell of hot brakes, which is evident for blocks, and particulates from the brake pads will heighten the sickly ambiance at the Wheeler North outdoor athletic field, recess field and hiking trail.
How can this be?
Superintendent of Schools Keith Dixon has suggested the Red Plan arose from discussions held at numerous public meetings. Citizens who participated in those sessions, however, say they were poorly attended, often by fewer than two dozen people, and certainly didn’t generate a community-wide consensus. In any event, it’s hard to imagine that a local participant suggested bulldozing an undisturbed green field instead of reusing convenient sites that already are equipped with water, sewer and power lines.
Unfortunately, Dixon and his heavy-handed minions are hell-bent on initiating every aspect of the plan before the fall school board elections, when voters will tell board members what they really think. By then, however, it will be far too late to halt the expensive madness; the environmental damage will be irreversible.
Author Ron Brochu refuses to lighten up and hopes more Duluthians will do the same.
This story was first published in the May 15 Reader Weekly
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