Howie: Duluth's billion-dollar hospitals — and the neighborhoods left behind
Duluth’s health care transformation didn’t come free. It was paid for with public subsidies, neighborhood sacrifice, and long-term tax invisibility. The systems at the center of it all proudly proclaim their commitment to the community — even as the community quietly disappears around them.
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Howie: Division I rural health teaching
This isn’t science fiction; it’s how rural medicine is already evolving. Duluth could simply be the first to turn it into curriculum — a digital rural residency, training doctors to serve wider geographies with smarter tools.
Howie: The Great Scanlon Data Center caper
We headed down to the bridge for what we called a “feasibility study.” Translation: three guys staring at the water with thermoses. “Looks cold enough to me,” Dale said. “Yep,” Roger nodded. “Perfect for servers.”
Howie: Downtown Duluth embraces for another long winter
You can’t police despair. You can shuffle people from doorway to doorway, but that’s optics, not safety. The folks drifting between shelters and liquor stores aren’t statistics.
Howie: The Great Duluth Spin Parade: Everyone’s cheering, nobody’s buying it
It’s civic theater, and everyone knows their lines. The officials announce. The media nod. The television anchors beam. The advertisers clap. And the citizens — the actual audience — sit at home wondering if they’ve accidentally tuned into satire.
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Howie: Bulldogs split at North Dakota, UMD-UWS men's hoops exhibition Monday
UMD sophomore forward Max Plante continues his strong start.
Howie: Division I rural health teaching
This isn’t science fiction; it’s how rural medicine is already evolving. Duluth could simply be the first to turn it into curriculum — a digital rural residency, training doctors to serve wider geographies with smarter tools.
Howie: The Gift From the North
If the nation is wise enough to listen north, it will find the answers waiting. Because up here, health care isn’t just a profession. It’s a promise. And we keep our promises close to home.
Howie: Policy from the North
If Washington has the humility to learn from Dr. Herman and Essentia's story, it might just rediscover what leadership in health care looks like — steady, patient, and powered by people who measure progress one healed life at a time.