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DULUTH, MINNESOTA
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Howie

Duluth's homegrown columnist. Since 1971.

Pen-and-ink portrait of Howie Hanson

Howie Hanson

Editor & Publisher of HowieHanson.com

What I Cover

I write about power, business, sports and civic life in Duluth and across Minnesota. My columns examine the people making decisions, the organizations behind those decisions and what their choices mean for the communities they serve.

My Background

My journalism career began in 1971 at the Cloquet Pine Knot. More than five decades later, I'm still reporting and writing from Duluth. I publish HowieHanson.com, an independent site built around original columns, local reporting and Minnesota sports coverage.

My Approach

My work combines reporting, analysis and commentary. I believe in checking facts, asking direct questions and giving readers enough information to make up their own minds. My reporting and opinions are mine, and I stand behind the words I publish.

Contact Me

I welcome story ideas, questions, corrections and tips from readers. Email is the best way to reach me.

Email: GuyHowieHanson@gmail.com

Latest

Howie: Vikings fire general manager Adofo-Mensah, sources say

The firing comes nearly four weeks after the Vikings finished the 2025 season with a 9-8 record, missing the playoffs. Minnesota’s front office and coaching staff have faced scrutiny over roster decisions, including the team’s quarterback situation and free-agency moves.

My legacy media book debuts

Blunt, funny, reflective and unapologetically human, Stop Managing Media Decline: How Legacy Media Gave Up Its Communities will resonate with journalists, media skeptics, civic leaders and anyone who has ever wondered who’s watching anymore.

Howie: Clark building Monsters to make a deep run in the AF1

A veteran emphasis may define the Monsters’ identity more than anything else. Clark said he deliberately avoided inexperienced arena players, opting instead to load camp with proven winners. At least 16 players on the current roster, he said, have won arena championships.

Howie: A photography studio that feels like a front porch

In a mall storefront shaped by unplanned visits and unhurried conversations, Amy Louhela has built something increasingly uncommon in modern retail: a business grounded in patience, trust and human connection. Finding beauty, she insists, remains worth the time.

Howie: Hermantown sets the standard for public education in Minnesota

In public education, trust is built through repetition — of performance, transparency and follow-through. Wayne Whitwam’s style reflects that understanding. He has avoided the temptation to overpromise, resisted reactionary pivots, and kept the district’s focus on instruction, people and systems.

Obit: Carol Fryberger

Carol Nicholson Fryberger lived her life with generosity, humility, empathy, selflessness, clarity of thought, courage, and a strong sense of purpose. Her 86 years

Howie: 'You just can’t Google that.'

TEDxDuluth, like all TEDx events, is built around the idea that small ideas can have outsized impact. That a single story, told honestly, can reroute someone else’s thinking. It’s not about celebrity. It’s about resonance.

Howie: Bulldogs fighting for home ice in the playoffs

Home ice is there for the taking. The Bulldogs will either take points from Denver, survive North Dakota, and handle their business against Miami and Colorado College — or they’ll finish fifth, look back at a missed weekend or two, and tell themselves they were close.

Plante brothers, Hanson on Hobey Baker fan ballot

For Hermantown, the impact is already unmistakable. A high school program in northern Minnesota placed three of its own among the nation’s best college hockey players — simultaneously, on the sport’s biggest individual stage — reinforcing a legacy that now stretches far beyond state lines.

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.

Meadow Lemon: Chasing the same dream, now in Duluth

As the Minnesota Monsters prepare for their Arena Football One debut, our goal is simple: deliver elite football, unforgettable live entertainment and a welcoming environment where fans of all ages feel connected to the team on the field.

Howie: Hockey Notebook

Hermantown boys hockey team has once again chosen the hard road. The Hawks entered the season playing one of the most demanding regular-season

Howie: Minnesota at the edge of authority

Minnesota’s strength, historically, has been its preference for problem-solving over posturing. That tradition is being tested now. This is not the moment for reflexive outrage or performative reassurance. It is the moment for clarity.

Howie: Minnesota has outgrown its stories

Minnesota does not need more outrage. It needs clearer accounting. It needs fewer slogans and more follow-through. It needs to revisit old assumptions with open eyes and accept that a reputation earned decades ago does not guarantee results today.

Howie: Something is breaking inside Minnesota’s justice system

Something significant is being examined, something consequential has gone wrong inside the process, and the people most familiar with that process decided they could not continue as if nothing had changed. In federal law enforcement, that is as close to an alarm bell as it gets.

Howie: Minnesota Monsters, AF1 in the news

“Meadow Lemon represents exactly what we want this franchise to stand for. He understands leadership, brand, and community. This is not just about football. This is about building something that lasts." -- Monsters owner Jake Lambert