A Christmas Wish List for Duluth

I wanted to get the obvious one out of the way first. When I asked everyone around the building what their top wish for the area was, there was a pretty unanimous, socially-aware response. Everyone commented about how they would like to see a safer and healthier community. That spanned from a reduction in drug and crime problems to improvements in social justice and equality around the community.

Things don't look very December-like around the area. There's hardly any snow on the ground and there isn't enough ice on the lakes to do any ice fishing. Even though we may grumble from time to time about the cold and snow, let's face it; Northlanders make the most out of the winter season, and we're missing out on some of our favorite winter activities while the warm and rainy weather dampens our hopes to get out and do what we normally love to do in December.

Anyone that's lived in the area for any length of time knows it will take nothing short of a miracle from Santa to get the roads fixed. Please, Santa! Hook us up with some smooth, new roads!

There are a couple reasonable mini golf options in the area, but for as many tourists as Duluth attracts (along with the masses of locals that love to get out and enjoy activities like mini golf), how do we not have a super-epic outdoor course in the area? Heck, the Brainerd area has a plethora of high-caliber courses, but we're pretty limited here. C'mon, Santa! Drop a course on us! I promise I'll go several times each summer.

Sure, I know the hockey tournament doesn't roll around until March, but hockey is on the minds of so many in the area year-round. 2015 saw Superior grab a state championship in Wisconsin (hooray!), but folks on the Minnesota side of the border have been too close too many times without bringing home the big one in recent years. Duluth East made an awesome run in last year's tournament and Hermantown has made an incredible multi-year run all the way to the championship game, falling just short each time in recent memory. Here's hoping a little holiday magic can carry a team all the way to the promised land this year.

The Duluth area is seeing more businesses pop up around the area, which is good news for everyone. The more the area's economy grows, the more opportunities there are for everyone living here. Let's keep that going by supporting those new local businesses and helping the area grow.

If you want to cool off in the summer, and you don't want to leave the city, your only real option to take a swim is Lake Superior. Sure, that's a great way to quickly cool off, but not everyone likes the rush of 45 degree water for leisure swims.

Not many people disliked Don Ness. Some people point to his leadership as one of the key reasons Duluth is the growing place it is today. Even people that disagreed with his politics or initiatives had a hard time disliking the guy. After several years, we're shifting into a new era at City Hall. Here's hoping Emily Larson's coming time as mayor brings good things for Duluth.