President Biden Returns To Superior — Plus: It’s Ice Festival Time, And Mark Joseph Plays The Blues

Two years after he last visited Superior following the 2022 State of the Union Address, President Joe Biden has scheduled a return trip to the city. The planned visit, which follows the administration’s announcement this week of $1 billion in federal aid to replace the Blatnik Bridge linking Duluth and Superior, will be highlighted on WPR’s “Simply Superior” at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 26.

Also from the nation’s capitol, Tom Perez, the senior advisor and assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, speaks with “Simply Superior” host Robin Washington about the significance of the bridge, as well as his family’s long history with it.

The program also features the Lake Superior Ice Festival, an annual celebration primarily on Barker’s Island featuring ice sculptures, snow sledding, and competitions by the Midwest Ice Racing Association, among other family activities. Giving the rundown to “Simply Superior” host Robin Washington is Superior’s Parks, Recreation and Forestry Director Linda Cadotte.

Rounding out the show is Minnesota bluesman Mark Joseph, who shares his work with Washington ahead of his Feb. 1 concert at The West Theatre in Duluth.