Eh?: Big, white US plane parked in Duluth

A shiny white airplane with the words United States of America on the side flew into Duluth International Airport and was parked in a quiet area along the runway Friday night well away from the main terminal or Air

National Guard base.

The airplane, seen at a distance at night by a reporter, is definitely not the Boeing 747 usually used as Air Force 1, but appeared to fit the description of the Boeing C-40 Clipper, a military version of the Boeing 737, or a military version of the 757. That type of plane is sometimes used as Air Force 2 to transport the vice president, but is also used, according to aviation websites, to transport other government officials.

Was it Vice President Joe Biden on his way back from China? Or were they stashing jets out of Washington ahead of Hurricane Irene?

If you know why the shiny white plane was parked in Duluth, drop us a line at news@duluthnews.com or call (218) 723-5300.

Duluth is going digital

Today marks the beginning of the end of the film age at the Marcus movie theaters in Duluth and Hermantown.

Marcus Theatres says it is deploying digital cinema systems in all screens at its Duluth and Hermantown theaters. When the switch-over is done next week, the new technology will offer better pictures and will open up more

opportunities for live and recorded sporting events, concerts and Broadway plays, according to a company announcement.

The new digital technology also allows closed

captioning for movie fans with impaired hearing and audio descriptions for

people with visual impairments.

Local food at the fair

If you're headed to the Minnesota State Fair this weekend, you'll get the chance to see some familiar Duluth cooks in action.

Tom and Jaima Hanson of Duluth Grill will participate in the Minnesota Cooks program at noon Sunday, according to the Minnesota Farmers Union. They'll appear with Mark and Terri Thell of 4 Quarters Holdings in Wrenshall to demonstrate how they use locally grown products at their restaurant. Fair-goers will get to sample the dishes they create on stage.

Word is they're making meatloaf.

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