Weekly Wave: Duluth beats the heat … always

DULUTH Earlier this month, Gregory Garmer of Duluth had a letter published in the DNT that asked why the local media hadn’t acknowledged how our fair city’s summer has been very pleasant this year, while much of the rest of the state and nation have baked in unrelenting heat and humidity.

“When most of the rest of Minnesota is experiencing multiple 90-degree days and most of the Southern and Western parts of the U.S. are sweltering in triple digits, Duluth’s ‘tolerable’ summer temperatures would seem to be a blessing worthy of acknowledgement in the news media. Yet I have seen no stories about this, save one brief mention on TV,” Garmer wrote.

Point well taken, Mr. Garmer.

While big weather events like hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, cold snaps, thunderstorms and heat waves often garner headlines and much ink due to their devastating effects, we don’t often write stories about how a particular stretch of weather is enjoyable. We typically leave those observations for the water cooler at work or line at the grocery store. Brief sidewalk encounters.

So, consider this Weekly Wave’s small media contribution to acknowledging the pleasantness of Duluth’s 2023 summer (though this week has felt a little too much like autumn at times) and pretty much every Northland summer at that. Our summers are almost always worthy of a chamber of commerce slogan like: “Beat the heat, trek to Duluth.”

Thanks to the 24/7 air-conditioning coming from Lake Superior, anyone residing safely inside its sphere of weather influence will likely have a more “tolerable” summer than our neighbors living far away from the crown jewel of the Great Lakes.

I just wish that air-conditioning could be shut off from November until May. Then we could write stories about Duluth having a “tolerable” winter.

I hope you have a great weekend and find time to enjoy the waning days of another postcard-worthy summer in Duluth.

Here are some DNT highlights from the past week:

Bookish plans

DNT city beat reporter Peter Passi has kept a close eye on plans for the Duluth Public Library and gave readers an exclusive this week: “If the city can garner sufficient state and federal support, it looks like the existing downtown library at 520 W. Superior St. will likely face demolition, with a new multipurpose structure to be rebuilt in its place,” Passi wrote.

Since the city of Duluth doesn’t have $72 million sitting around, that state and federal support will be vital for the project.

You can read the rest of Passi’s reporting about the library here, including what other agencies may occupy the new space and the rough timeline.

Leader of the pack

One of the most popular stories on the DNT website this week was the fascinating tale of how one wolf brought about the rise and fall of the wolf population on Michigan’s Isle Royale.

DNT outdoors reporter John Myers has covered the furry denizens of that special island for several years, and written about the delicate balance between the wolves and moose there.

This story centers on a wolf named “M93” that strode onto the island in 1997 via a winter ice bridge and singlehandedly changed its ecosystem.

It’s an intriguing story, but couldn’t researchers have come up with a better name for this alpha male wolf? M93 sounds like a rejected “Star Wars” droid.

Big cat sighting

A bit closer to home, a cougar has been sighted by several folks in the northern part of Duluth.

Well, that certainly spices up the more typical Northland critter sightings of black bears, moose, coyotes, wolves and bobcats.

DNT outdoors reporter John Myers shared the sighting with readers, explained the significance, recounted past cougar appearances and even a few do’s and don’ts … such as resisting the urge to attempt petting the beautiful cats.

Catch a wave

Here are a few more stories from the past week to check out:

2024 budget: Duluth mayor says plan would lead to lower taxes Teammate support: Bulldogs rally to support Francis in second battle with cancer Innovative development: Fairmount Cottages bring new type of housing to Duluth ‘Still hard to believe’: Moorhead teen hooks a billfold full of money on Lake of the Woods Good grief! Duluth scarecrow maker sets sights on State Fair win (members-only story)

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