2025 Howie Hanson Best of Local Media Awards
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Howie: The great AI panic is about power, not journalism
The loudest voices warning that artificial intelligence will “destroy journalism” are almost never talking about journalism. They’re talking about control. Newsrooms are entering a period they’ve avoided for two decades: a genuine reckoning with what readers actually value. And the uncomfortable truth is this — readers do not care
Howie: Minnesota Star Tribune often first and only in the Twin Ports
Veteran print journalists Jana Hollingsworth and Christa Lawler, elite writers formerly with the legacy local newspaper, don’t parachute in. They don’t rewrite press releases. They don’t treat northern Minnesota as an afterthought or a curiosity.
Howie: The Minnesota Star Tribune sues Minneapolis Police Department over public records access
Public records aren’t optional. They’re not favors. And they’re not something a police department gets to release once the inconvenience wears off. The law is clear — even if compliance apparently isn’t.
Swim Creative wins 2025 w3 Award for website
Swim Creative delivered a fully custom site featuring rich visuals, storytelling rooted in Minnesota’s folklore, and an interface designed for both exploration and ease of use. The project also emphasized mobile-first design, search optimization, and user accessibility.
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Howie on local prep hockey
I’m not handing Hermantown a boys hockey state trophy in January. I’ve been around too long for that. But when the Section 7A tournament begins and the pressure turns real, I know who I’m riding with. I’ve seen this movie before. It usually ends with everyone else wondering how they missed it.
Howie: Tryon and the quiet power of continuity in the Indoor Football League
Tryon oversees America’s longest-running indoor football league, and that detail matters. Longevity in this sport is not accidental. It is earned. The IFL’s continued stability under his watch has come from a narrow but demanding focus: franchise health, controllable growth and revenue.
Howie: The Indoor Football League finally becomes visible
Under the agreement, select league games — including playoff contests and the championship — will be carried on FanDuel Sports Network, while a broader slate of regular-season and postseason games will stream nationally on Yahoo Sports Network.
Howie: In arena football’s cycle of hope, the IFL chooses reality
The IFL has also benefited from institutional memory. Arena football has lived through enough boom-and-bust cycles to fill a bookshelf. Many leagues fail not because they’re poorly run, but because they convince themselves they’ve outgrown the fundamentals.