Duluth Mayor Emily Larson on Thursday is expected to announce the Love Your Block mini-grant recipients for the remainder of 2023.
The Love Your Block program supplies small mini-grants to support resident-led projects that reduce blight in the Lincoln Park and Central Hillside Neighborhoods.
Love Your Block is part of a rich tapestry of current efforts by agencies, organizations and individuals to improve the health, safety, and quality of life for all Duluthians.
This time, the leverage isn’t casino revenue. It’s downtown frustration — visible poverty, safety complaints, business dissatisfaction and the persistent sense that downtown Duluth has not lived up to decades of promises.
The City of Duluth now spends roughly $1 of every $7 in the general fund on debt service. That’s money that can’t pave streets, fund libraries, or expand housing programs. And yet the answer to each new challenge is the same: another bond.
"As with any wild animal, we want to remind the community that you should exercise caution in their presence and never approach them." -- Duluth Police Department
She most recently served as chief administrative officer for the City of San Antonio’s Council District 6, overseeing constituent services, zoning, public works and community outreach. She supported the district’s review of the city’s $4 billion annual budget and worked across multiple departments.
If you care about where Minnesota is actually headed — if you work in government, health care, business, education, media, development or civic leadership — this is essential reading. The forces outlined here will shape budgets, careers, housing markets, school systems and regional stability.
The campaign will now test whether voters see her as the experienced hand who can “fix what’s wrong” — or as part of the same governing class they are increasingly skeptical of. It is a seasoned politician reading the room and deciding the room needs her.
Matt, Helen and Eddie have all passed. Helen’s funeral at St. Michael’s Church was the largest ever held there — before or since. I still miss Matt’s smile and his wave. Those of us who lived in the neighborhood carry their images with us — and the feeling of community they created.
Following Tuesday’s game, Hermantown travels to Rock Ridge on Thursday and to Superior on Friday before closing the regular season with home games against North Branch on Feb. 26 and a road game at Duluth East on Feb. 27.
