Howie: Can Duluth finally execute?
The Imagine Downtown Duluth plan admits that downtowns are not guaranteed. Across the Midwest, cities are racing to reinvent themselves, and Duluth risks falling behind.
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Howie: New PAL boxing club builds discipline, trust in Duluth
“I was raised in Duluth. This community made me who I am. Now I get to give back — not just as a police officer, but here with these kids.” -- St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office Police Athletic League (PAL) Boxing Club Coach Amy Lemenager, a Duluth police officer and professional boxer.
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.
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Howie: MCCU puts real money behind mental health
“Members’ commitment through Project Horizon will change the landscape of the Northland’s mental health by supporting organizations like ours.” -- Brightwater CEO Benjamin Hatfield
Howie: Reinert has failed Downtown Duluth
The library debate generated plenty of noise and no resolution. Skywalk conversations took up oxygen without producing a clear direction. The broader Imagine Downtown Duluth effort exists, but still feels like a $300,000 plan waiting for a moment when it becomes real in ways people can’t miss.
Howie: Forsman the best choice for Duluth’s next mayor
Arik Forsman doesn’t posture. He doesn’t spend his time trying to win the internet for a day. He leans into the unglamorous mechanics of governing — budgets, policy detail, stakeholder conversations — and does it with a steadiness that’s easy to overlook if you’re chasing noise instead of results.