Monthly Archives: April 2010

An alternative to offshore drilling

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Sounds like a pretty good argument against offshore drilling.

Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold is making a case — perhaps indirectly — against offshore drilling as he pushes for oil and gas companies to develop the federal land they already lease to boost oil and gas production, before being given more federal leases… for, we assume, offshore drilling.

The argument comes as President Obama considers allowing more offshore drilling. And it comes as the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico spreades, threatening to become the worst environment disaster in years.

According to Feingold, oil companies lease more than 83 million acres of federal land and water but have yet to use nearly 61 million acres of it.

Feingold is pushing for greater oversight of the energy market to reduce excessive energy speculation and keep gas price hikes in check. He wants Obama to support his “Use It or Lose It” legislation to get oil companies to use lands they already lease first that often have already been explored.

Preservation wins and loses

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“It’s been a good year,” local historian Maryann Norton said last week, referring to the former St. Louis County Jail saved from demolition and the city’s purchase of NorShor Theatre and Temple Opera buildings.

To say these are victories for preservationists and those who see such landmark buildings as critical in maintaining the city’s character and history, is an understatement.

Duluth City Councilors were literally deluged with impassioned e-mails Monday from current and former residents about the proposed $2.6 million purchase. The vast majority urged councilors to approve the deal, which they did in a 6-3 vote.

“I just wonder how many people clapped and cheered with me in their living rooms when we heard the NorShor Theatre would no longer be a strip club,” wrote Cathy Wright of Duluth. “I am so grateful that what I see as ‘The Heart’ of downtown Duluth has another chance at success. My heart is singing and dancing with excitement for all the possibilities that this offers our beloved city!”

Coming off such preservation highs, the impending razing of three houses built from 1891 to 1900 in the 1100 block of East Superior and East First streets were met without a fight, though they were designed by noted architects of the day.

There isn’t anything we can do about it, Norton admitted, though she’ll be sad to see them go.

All three houses are privately owned, and the owners have agreed to sell to a developer of a new Walgreens store along 12th Avenue East between Superior and First streets. None are listed on an historic register.

The once grand neo-Greek mansion and carriage house at 1123 E. Superior St., designed by John J. Wangenstein, has clearly been neglected and is in disrepair. One of two Oliver G. Traphagen houses on First Street to be razed has been modified on the outside from its original look. And it’s unclear how much the homes have been altered inside, a critical factor in a house’s historic value.

In historic preservation, there are rules to follow. The jail’s designation as a local landmark was the basis for the fight to save it. But in the case of these three houses, there isn’t a legal basis for a fight, said Carolyn Sundquist, a member of the city’s Heritage Preservation Commission.

As for Norton, who is working on a book about the “Lost Duluth,” she’ll unfortunately have more notable homes lost to the wrecking ball to include in her book.

Duluth Culver’s opens May 24

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Get ready for another new restaurant opening in Duluth.

The new Culver’s restaurant will open Monday, May 24, near Miller Hill Mall. It’s the latest in a series of new restaurants to open in recent months in the mall area, including Buffalo Wild Wings, Texas Roadhouse and Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

“We’re really excited for our location,” said owner Kyle Mehum who also owns the Culver’s in Superior and Two Harbors. “We’ve been waiting to get into Duluth, we’ve looking for the right site.”

They found it off Central Entrance, on Mall Drive, between the Miller Hill Mall and Home Depot, a site that’s expected to draw shoppers, area workers and travelers.

Culver’s, a restaurant chain that’s considered somewhere between fast food and casual dining, will have a drive-through. It will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Construction began in October on the $1.3 million, 4,700-square-foot restaurant. About 90 percent of it is complete inside. Outside, curbs, sidewalks and patio and landscaping still need to be installed and the parking lot blacktopped.

It’ll be the same high grade fast food and prices as the other Culver’s restaurants, but it’ll look nicer and more contemporary.

“Culver’s gives you choices,” Mehum explained. “We could have done the same white building.”

Instead, he went with with Culver’s new “metro prototype” design which has nicer finishes, inside and out. Outside, it has stucco stone and cement board siding. Inside, it has light and dark maple colors, classier tables and chairs with dark blue vinyl,  dark gray slate tiles, a more spacious dining room and a more pleasant atmosphere.

“It probably fits in better up there,” Mehum said of the mall area. “Up there, there’s a nicer look with a lot more new buildings going up. I chose to make it more subtle and upscale. I think people will be pleasantly surprised when they walk in up there.”

With the opening approaches, he said Wednesday, “We’re ready to hire.”

That begins in earnest Saturday with a job fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the restaurant. About 80 positions will be filled, including management, cashiers, kitchen and maintenance positions, both full time and part time. Many jobs will start at minimum wage, $7.25 an hour, but experience also is a factor, he said.

He’s expecting a big turnout Saturday, perhaps up to 200 applicants, including many students looking for summer jobs. People can also apply online at www.culvers.com. Training will start the week of May 17.

 

Avoiding directory assistance charges

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I admit I was a little miffed when I got my Qwest bill this week for my land-line phone and saw a $1.99 charge for a directory assistance call.

I thought we were allowed a few free calls a month. It’s not the $2, it’s the principle of the thing.

For once, I had the time, so I called to check it out, ready for a fight.

Before long I was talking to an ACTUAL person who was ACTUALLY helpful. He explained that the allowance used to exist but was eliminated years ago.

(I guess I was busy and missed it).

Turns out, every Qwest directory asistance call in Minnesota — whether one is seeking a local number or a long distance number — is charged $1.99. Some states served by Qwest still allow an allowance of free directory assistance calls, but Minnesota isn’t one of them, he said. Qwest doesn’t serve Wisconsin.

At this point, the rep’s help escalated to extra credit. He clued me in on what HE does when he’s looking for a number. He calls 1-800-373-3411, a free directory assistance service. You just have to listen to a short recorded advertisement first, he said. He stumbled on this voice automated service called FREE411 on the Internet.

Of course, if you have access to the Internet at the time you need a number, you might find your number that way.

 

Businesses you can trust

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Know a business that you can trust, one run by people with outstanding ethics in dealing with customers, employees, vendors and the communty?

Well, here’s your chance to help that business get the recognition it deserves. If you hurry, you can still nominate it for an Integrity Award from the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota. The organization is seeking nominations by Friday.

So who’s eligible?

For-profit businesses of any size, owned or operated in Minnesota or North Dakota. They don’t have to be a member of the Better Business Bureau but should be in good standing.

They’ll be judged in four areas: management practices; customer/vendor relations; marketing/sales practices; and reputation in their industry and community.

You can nominate a business by visiting www.thefirstbbb.org or by sending the company’s name, contact person’s name, address, phone number and e-mail address to BBB, Attention: Mackenzie Kelley, 2706 Gannon Rd., St. Paul, MN, 55116, or fax the information to (651) 699-7665. As the nominator, include your name and telephone number, as well.

Once nominated, the company will receive an official entry form from the BBB. Winners will be announce Oct. 20 at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul and be eligible to compete for a national award.

 

Making the rent

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If you rent a modest two-bedroom apartment in Duluth and earn less than $12.10 an hour, you can’t afford it.

That’s according to local data in a recent national report that found rents on simple two-bedroom apartments have become unaffordable for a lot of working stiffs, people on fixed income and other low income folks. For families struggling from the recession, higher rents are making their plight much more difficult.

Since 2000, rents in Duluth have increased at least 32 percent, the same as St. Cloud, Fargo-Moorhead and Rochester. Compare that with the Twin Cities, where rents increased 26 percent and where renters need to earn at least $17.29 an hour to afford a no-frills two-bedroom apartment.

The report, “Out of Reach 2010,” was released by the Minnesota Housing Partnership this week. In general, rural areas in Minnesota saw the fastest rent increases — 37 percent since 2000. Some remote areas had rents go up more than 50 percent.

In nearly every county in Minnesota, those earning the average wage for renters (in the Twin Cities, that’s $36,000; in Duluth, it would be less), need to work overtime to pay the rent on a two-bedroom apartment.

Of course, another option for some is to get a roommate who will share in the rental costs.

 

More “Shark Tank” than “American Idol”

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Ever see “Shark Tank,” that reality ABC TV series where aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their ideas before a panel of rich, shrewd business tycoons (aka "the sharks")?

The contestants’ goal are to get a shark or two to invest in their ideas and, as shareholders steer the ideas to business success. Sometimes the sharks steal the idea right out from under the contestants, so they need to watch out.

A fitness machine that makes push-ups easier. A website that buys and sells college notes. A device, shaped like an elephant, that helps children take oral medicine. All are ideas that got the sharks to plop down their money.

Among the rejected ideas are a golf ball cleaner, liquid llama fertilizer and a guitar that folds up to become a backpack.

That’s similar to the idea behind a competition coming up among business students at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth. Five teams of seniors in the management policies and strategies course will go before a panel of local business experts and present their small business ideas.

One team will present their plan for a new water bottling company. Another has ideas for a new preschool facility. Other teams have ideas for developing vacant commons area on St. Scholastica’s St. Paul campus into a restaurant, pub or space for musical performances.

Although very “Shark Tank”-like, they’re calling the competition “American Idol: Small Business Entrepreneurs Edition.”

In this Duluth version, the sharks — ah, I mean the judges — will be Elaine Hansen, director of UMD Center for Economic Development; Mary Mathews, president and CEO of Northeast Entrepreneur Fund; Phil Rolle, consultant and retired Wells Fargo executive; and Scott Graden, owner of the New Scenic Café.

But don’t expect any millionaire investments happening with this version. The judges will, however, tell the students what they think and whether they ideas could fly.

The competition begins at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, May 4, in Mitchell Auditorium on campus. It’s free and open to the public.

Mexico Lindo’s “official” opening is Thursday

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The key word is “official.”

Officially, Mexico Lindo opens at Fitger’s Brewery Complex on Thursday in the space formerly occupied by Baja Billy’s and Chi-Chi’s. So the site’s quarter-century tradition of Mexican food continues.

“Thursday I’ll be ready,” said co-owner Pedro Aranda as he worked in the kitchen Tuesday afternoon, showing cooks the ropes.

Manager Jose Hernandez had been less committal about the official opening, at one point Tuesday, saying the restaurant would open Monday.

“We don’t want to be overwhelmed, “ he explained. “We want to make sure people aren’t upset.”

He has reason to fret. Duluthians are known for descending in droves on new destination restaurants like Mexico Lindo as soon as the doors are open. And that’s a lot for a new restaurant staff to handle.

Aranda and business partner, Felipe Mata. have operated Mexico Lindo in Cloquet for about five years. Successful there, they were looking to expand to Duluth when the space opened up in Fitger’s Brewery Complex.

Despite the official Thursday opening, a handful of people who wandered in Tuesday afternoon were being served in the leisurely, "soft opening" Hernandez wanted.

“I absolutely like the food,” said Larry Fagan of Duluth as sat in a booth, happily working on his order of chicken fajitas.

For years, he’s traveled to Cloquet about once a week to eat authentic Mexican food at the other Mexico Lindo restaurant. Now he doesn’t have to go that far.

“The other place is too busy,” Fagan said, adding that it’s hard to get a table there.

Leo Zuniga, a native of Monterrey, Mexico, thought the restaurant was already open when he walked in about 12:30 p.m., 15 minutes after the first patron was seated.

“I had heard rumors they were coming here,” he said. “I couldn’t wait to be here.”

Soon Zuniga was sitting at the bar having a Dos Equis Mexican lager with chips and ranchero salsa.

“Wow,” he said, confirming its authenticity. “I makes me feel I’m in Mexico on the border with my mother.”

The 8,600-square-foot restaurant overlooking Lake Superior on Fitger’s second floor has been remodeled and painted in black, terra-cotta and Robin’s egg blue. it has new custom-made seating, three-dimensional metal art on the walls and seven big screen TVs. It offers a full menu with average lunches costing $5.25 to $7.95 and dinners, $9 to $13.
 

Money savvy… not!

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Many Americans aren’t any more more savvy about money than before the Recession.

But at least they admit it.

A survey by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling had 34 percent of the more than 2,000 Americans surveyed grading themselves a C, D or F on their knowledge of personal finance. They included both people in financial trouble and those who weren’t.

More than half didn’t have a budget.

Thirty percent had no savings.

Two-thirds haven’t sought their credit reports, though they’re free.

Before the Recession, the flood of easy credit covered up America’s poor financial habits. But with the easy credit dried up now, people are waking up and admitting they don’t know where their money goes, the survey found.

 

Reprieve for late filers… but hurry!

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The race is on to get those taxes filed by midnight tonight. If you’re a procrastinator and can’t make the deadline or don’t have the money to pay what you owe, don’t just not file. You will face big penalties for not filing, especially for not paying taxes owed.

You can stay out of trouble with the IRS by filing for an extension. That’s Form 4868, Automatic Extension of Time to File, available at www.IRS.gov. It’s free and easy.

But while an extension gives you until Oct. 15 to file, it’s not an extension of time to pay. The meter will be running, beginning today, charging you with interest on taxes owed plus non-payment penalties.

So if you owe taxes, estimate what you owe and pay TODAY. If you can’t pay it all, pay as much as you can. You will be charged 4 percent interest and a late payment penalty on unpaid taxes each month until the tax is paid.

If you owe less than $25,000, the IRS will likely work with you on a payment plan. You can reduce your penalty by setting up a monthly payment plan with Form 9465, Online Payment Agreement application, available at www.IRS.gov.