Soaring lumber prices, material shortages challenge Duluth builders
With a two-by-four costing about four times the normal rate, major developers and average customers alike are being forced to reconsider projects amid a pandemic-related building boom. 6:00 am, May 19, 2021 ×
Mark Akeson hands a two-by-four up to George Larson as Chad Follmer helps hold a roof truss Monday, May 17, 2021. The three are working on Alvin Berg’s new house on Swan Lake Road. Berg estimates the house will cost 30% more than it would have last year because of the rising price of building supplies. (Steve Kuchera / skuchera@duluthnews.com)
Tired of dealing with slippery hills in the winter and looking for a more comfortable place to retire, Alvin Berg decided to list his house near Skyline Parkway in western Duluth last year.
Second helping of Love in Lockdown will be served later this month
Reporter: );
);
Lockdown has placed restrictions on most aspects of people’s lives, but Barnstorm Theatre Company and Barn Owl Players continue to prove that even the most ardent of lockdowns has not put a barrier on the arts.
Beginning with their successful monologue virtual production, Zoom BOP: Confinement, last September, the two companies set out to up the stakes by producing, Love in Lockdown, a series of newly written short plays.
The plan was to produce five new works, but when the call went out for submissions, the calibre was high, and Love In Lockdown became a two-part event with five new short plays in each show.
-Messenger photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
While Diane Sommerfeld wanted to transform a small grain bin into a playhouse for her grandkids, the project grew to include a series of images that local artist Noel Blair painted around the 1,100-bushel bin. -Messenger photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
Artwork on the southwest side of the bin connects the past and present for the Sommerfeld family. The yellow airplane represents the Piper Cub flown by Sommerfeldâs father, Don OâConnor. Iowa State Universityâs famous mascot, Cy, symbolizes the high-quality education that family members received at ISU. The American flag reflects the OâConnor and Sommerfeld familyâs patriotism.
Hydra Energy partners with Chemtrade to provide commercial truck fleets with green hydrogen below the cost of diesel greencarcongress.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from greencarcongress.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Somewhere Clark Griswold is smiling.
Live Christmas tree sales are reportedly up, according to industry experts. Part of the demand is for the cut-your-own experience, bringing to mind the âGriswold Family Christmasâ scene that opens the popular holiday movie âChristmas Vacation.â
Itâs partly because of the pandemic forcing more families to hold individual holiday celebrations in their own homes, instead of traveling to gather together at one location. Families are also trying to find ways to enjoy a âgood old-fashioned family Christmasâ while dealing with COVID-19.
âThey are staying home and having a bunch of small Christmases â and everyone has their own tree,â Tim OâConnor, executive director of the National Christmas Tree Association, said. The association is based near Denver, Colorado, and monitors the industry nationwide.