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Howie: Duluth Schools’ referendum will rise or fall on trust
Financial need alone will not carry two operating referendum questions across the finish line Nov. 3. The district must confront a trust issue that has accumulated over two decades and explain why voters should believe the next 10-year, $103 million plan be better than the plans that preceded it.
5 MIN READ
City of Duluth labor deals collide with 1% growth, squeezing the 2027 budget
All seven city employee labor agreements were approved after Mayor Roger Reinert took office in January 2024.
9 MIN READ
My latest book: Minnesota 2050
Minnesota will not stumble into the future by accident. The forces shaping the state’s next 25 years are already visible— demographics that no longer replenish evenly, an economy increasingly anchored by health care, housing that determines who can work where, climate pressure that moves people quietly, and institutions built
1 MIN READ
Duluth searches for budget ‘bloat,’ but labor costs dominate projected shortfall
The city cannot eliminate a multimillion-dollar structural deficit without confronting employee costs, service levels or taxes. That is where the money is — and where the difficult decisions will be.
3 MIN READ
Latest
Hibbing/Chisholm standout Cole Swanson commits to Western Michigan
Through his first two varsity seasons, Swanson has amassed 49 goals, 68 assists and 117 points. He will enter his junior season as a centerpiece of a Bluejackets program expected to contend for another deep postseason run.
1 MIN READ
Howie Live: Thursday, August 13
GOOD READ / The Trump Order Was Donald Trump merely a president — or did he fundamentally reorder American politics? For nearly a decade, much of the political conversation has centered on Donald Trump himself. But this book argues that the larger story is not the man. It is the movement, the
2 MIN READ
Moody’s downgrades Duluth school district’s credit rating as reserves decline
The agency lowered the Duluth's issuer rating and several debt ratings from A3 to Baa2. Moody’s also reduced the rating on the district’s annual appropriation certificates of participation from Baa1 to Baa3. The district had about $184 million in outstanding debt as of October 2025.
3 MIN READ
Howie: Minnesota’s primary map points to Klobuchar, but gives Demuth a path
"All signs, including the huge turnout in Tuesday's DFL primary, point to a strong year for Democrats in Minnesota. If that proves to be the case, then Senator Klobuchar should have a smooth path to the governor's office." -- Former Duluth city councilor Joel Sipress
5 MIN READ