On August 11, 1956, Elvis Presley released his double-sided single, “Don’t Be Cruel / Hound Dog.” The two songs not only hit No.1, but remained there for a record-breaking 11 weeks. Presley would hold the record until he was surpassed in 1992, by Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road.”
In 1966, John Lennon spoke at a press conference at Chicago’s Astor Towers Hotel, where he apologized for remarks he had made days earlier that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus.” In his apology, Lennon explained that he was merely referring to fans’ intense infatuation with the band and not comparing himself or his band mates to Christ. Lennon’s original comments sparked outrage, protests, and bans against The Beatles’ music – particularly among Christian communities in the US.
In 1967, the Reading Festival (then in its seventh year) kicked off a weekend full of music. Among the performers were the Small Faces, Eric Burdon and the New Animals, Jeff Beck, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, Donovan, and Cream.
In 1979, Led Zeppelin unknowingly played their final UK show to approximately 104,000 fans at England’s Knebworth House. While the group performed several stripped-down shows in Europe the following summer, they would part ways in December 1980, following the tragic death of drummer John Bonham.
In 1999 all four original members of KISS appeared in Los Angeles to unveil their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Fans can visit it just outside of 7092 Hollywood Blvd.
…And in 2011, The Go-Go’s received their star on the Walk of Fame at 6652 Hollywood Blvd, the former location of The Masque – the legendary punk club where the all-female band got their start.
BORN ON AUGUST 11
1942: Mike Hugg (Manfred Mann)
1943: Kenneth Gamble (songwriter, producer, and co-founder of Philadelphia International Records)
1943: Dennis Payton (Dave Clark Five)
1949: Eric Carmen
1954: Joe Jackson
1976: Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie)
The 38th annual Forest City Threshers Show is this weekend – Saturday and Sunday – from 8-to-5 each day. Admission is just $5 for adults and free for children 12 and under to the show which is located about 5 miles northeast of Litchfield on Highway 24.
Dave Jutz says Oliver is the featured equipment this year so many members of the Northland Power Club will be displaying their equipment. He says the new Carlson Building will be open this year and it will contain memorabilia of the featured equipment, which will be parked nearby.
Jutz says there’s a tractor parade each day, a tractor pull following Saturday’s parade and then garden and antique tractor pulls after Sunday’s parade, and a kid’s pedal pull Sunday at 10:30 a.m. He says the Ladies Activity Building will have more items this year, and there’s a breakfast each day from 7:30-to-9:30, a roast beef dinner each day from 11-to-2, along with taco, malt and hamburger stands and a beer garden.
Butch Schulte says the show will, of course, include threshing demonstrations and corn shelling. He says there’s a tobacco grower’s exhibit, an old crank telephone display, and much more. He says more items were added to the old train depot, including a desk that came from Corvuso.
Schulte says Craig Kimmerle will be playing the piano during the roast beef dinner and there will be other musical acts around the show grounds, and if anyone else is interested in performing, they are welcome. He says, as he’s done research, the only place that he knows of that sold Oliver equipment was Kvam Implement in Litchfield. You can find a complete schedule of events on the Forest City Threshers Facebook page.
The Litchfield School Board heard reports last night from the administrators of each building – Middle School, High School and Elementary School. Staff will be returning to school on August 25th and students will start returning to school the following week.
Middle School Principal Chelsea Brown spoke to the Board about a 4-day trip to Washington, D.C. from July 17th through the 20th which included 22 students and 16 parents. She also spoke about updates to the Middle School handbook, staff development and curriculum updates.
High School Principal Jason Michels spoke about building goals and AI training to promote academic integrity and the responsible use of artificial intelligence. He says graduation next year is planned for May 29th at 11 a.m.
Elementary Principal Chris Olson addressed matters in both the Lake Ripley and Wagner buildings and said that parents are required to come into the office if they are picking their children up from school. Carrie Larson also spoke to the Board about the German-American exchange program and a 3-week trip that 9 students took to Germany earlier this summer.
Superintendent Susan Burris spoke to the Litchfield School Board about the goals she’s developing for her third year in the District and her intention to negotiate a new 3-year contract with the Litchfield School District. She says the Raising Dragons Building Futures website is up to help address questions that people may have about the two ballot questions that will be coming up in November.
The Litchfield School Board approved of a trip to Washington, D.C. for the summer of 2028 through World Classrooms; and approved of the Legislature-required Language Access Plan. The Board was unable to agree on a personnel recommendation for Community Education Director Grant Solem to take on the role of Middle School Activities Director to replace Craig McKechney. A special meeting will be held on Monday morning to revisit the matter.
For nearly 150 years, Pillsbury United Communities has worked across Minneapolis to provide everything from youth programs and employment services to food assistance and a world class theater.
Its work is rooted in a simple idea: The people who live in the neighborhood are the ones who know how to make their lives there better.
Coming up at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, MPR News host Angela Davis talks with the new president and CEO of Pillsbury United Communities about taking the helm at a time when local communities are facing so many challenges, and how she’d like to see the organization evolve.
And we want to hear from you, too.
Have you or your kids participated in a program run by a local community center, and what did you get out of it? What does your neighborhood need most right now?
Call us during the 9 a.m. hour at 651-227-6000 or 800-242-2828.
Guests:
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Signe Harriday is the new president and CEO of Pillsbury United Communities, one of the Twin Cities’ oldest and largest nonprofits. The organization runs several community centers in Minneapolis and programs aimed at uplifting communities. She previously acted, directed and taught with Pillsbury House + Theatre before becoming the organization’s artistic producing director in 2021.
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Antonio Cardona is director of advancement at Pillsbury United Communities. He was previously the vice president of career readiness at Project for Pride in Living. Before that, he worked at Pillsbury for 15 years, primarily overseeing workforce development and charter schools.
Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.
A Minnesota-based magnet maker is set to receive a $150 million federal loan through the Department of Defense.
The loan will help Niron Magnetics accelerate opening a facility north of St. Cloud in Sartell, where it will make magnets for use in cell phones, electric vehicles, wind turbines and defense weapons. And it will do so without the use of rare-earth materials.
“The goal here is to bring that facility fully on board over the course of the next year for the first phase coming on board in 2027 and the full plant by 2028,” said Mark Schramek, vice president of government affairs for Niron Magnetics. “We have secured a large portion of the funding for the full project, and this will allow us to basically move this forward to a full completion.”
Schramek said the Sartell plant, where they broke ground last year, is expected to bring in nearly 200 high-quality, full-time jobs to the area. That’s comparable to the number of employees currently at its Minneapolis-based facility.
Niron Magnetics manufactures magnets through a process that combines iron and nitrogen, which the state has an abundance of, into iron nitride. The magnetic powder is then formed into different shapes and sizes based on what it will be used for.
The method, which was developed at the University of Minnesota over a decade ago, cuts out the dependence on foreign-mined rare-earth elements needed to make traditional magnets. And it lowers environmental impacts.
According to Niron, their magnets are more powerful than ones containing rare-earth elements.
With demand for magnets increasingly spurred on by data center cooling pumps, robotics and electric vehicles, among other factors, Niron is planning to expand its operations in the near future. And some politicians want to see it happen in Minnesota.
“We actually are currently undergoing a nationwide site selection on where we are going to build our next 10,000-ton, high-volume manufacturing plant,” Schramek said. “That process is ongoing today, with a goal that we will actually select a site for that by fall of this year.”
When operational, the Sartell plant will produce 1,500 tons of rare-earth free permanent magnets annually. By comparison, the Minneapolis facility has a production capacity of over 5 tons a year.