Duluth mayor gives big speech from nasty snowbank

Peppy longshoreman Duluth, Minn., Mayor Don Ness is trying something new this year, delivering his annual state of the city address by cable access video instead of in a glitzy ceremony. Doing it this way will cost less and allow more people to see the speech, Ness argues.

The speech, which was recorded this week, will be released on March 4.

Ness, always the showman, gave his last inaugural address at a podium carved from ice. While there was no such aesthetic feature this time, Ness tweeted a picture of him recording part of the speech from a nasty-looking snowbank overlooking the city.

Duluth might be more economically vibrant and poised for growth, but it's still Duluth. Nasty barf-colored snowbanks are unavoidable. (They do go away around May or so).