Howie: Downtown Duluth’s longtime concrete embarrassment finally meets its fate
For now, give Reinert his due. The Auto Shoppers Ramp is finally going away, brick by stubborn brick, because he made it a priority. And if you squint past the dust, you can almost see a downtown Duluth that isn’t held together by plywood, nostalgia, and wishful thinking. Almost.
Related
Howie: When downtown’s believers start dreaming of leaving
Whether every fear about downtown is fully borne out by hard crime numbers is, in one sense, beside the point. Perception drives behavior. Customers act on what they feel. Employees act on what they experience walking to a car. Owners act on what they hear from both.
Howie: The skywalk once symbolized ambition. Today it symbolizes hesitation.
The skywalk was engineered for a different downtown — one built around banks, utilities and insurance headquarters moving employees between ramps and desks without touching Superior Street. That downtown is gone.
Tim Meyer: Use the 'Fargo Formula' for downtown redevelopment
It is time to bring major community stakeholders and economic drivers — such as UMD and the College of St. Scholastica — downtown. With them would come students, faculty and staff, along with parents, friends and visitors, fueling a historic rebirth of downtown Duluth.
Howie: Tim Meyer begins column on Duluth’s future
Tim’s column will dive into the issues that shape this city in real time: housing, community development, downtown reinvestment, sports, politics, business decisions that ripple through neighborhoods, and the constant tug-of-war between nostalgia and progress.
Latest
Howie: Indoor Football League Notebook
Howie is editor & publisher of 50-Yard Football The Indoor Football League, founded in 2009, enters its 18th consecutive season in 2026 as the longest continuously operating indoor football league in the United States and the sport’s de facto major league. With 14 teams across eight top-50 media markets,
Howie: Davis an ultra-elite Minnesota Monsters player to watch
“I want to be the greatest D lineman to play arena football. So that's why I'm still out here crafting and getting better every day because that's my goal, to be the best ever.” -- AF1 veteran defensive end Claude Davis
Howie: IFL Notebook
Arizona makes its season debut behind quarterback Max Meylor, the league’s reigning MVP. The offense includes receivers Arland Bruce, Isaiah Huston and Corey Reed Jr., with Ron Brown Jr. at running back.