Paul Brown has been named news director at Northern News Now, the umbrella organization for the NBC, CBS, CW and My Network local television affiliates. “Paul’s resume reads like the perfect news leader and the perfect news director," Northern News Now General Manager Todd Wentworth said in a press release. "He’s done everything there is to do in a newsroom. And on top of that I just think that he is the epitome of a coach, and a teacher, and a professor.”
Great newspaper columnists don't simply report the news. They become part of their readers' lives. They greet us over breakfast. They spark conversations at coffee shops. They give us confidence that someone has done the reporting, made the calls and knows what really matters. Their bylines become
More than five decades later, I am still chasing the same goal I had as a 15-year-old sports reporter in Cloquet. Earn the reader's trust. Everything else is just ink.
This project is rooted in a belief that local prep sports matter. They matter because they teach discipline, resilience, teamwork and leadership. They matter because generations of families share experiences together. Most importantly, they matter because they help define who we are as communities.
The awards, judged by journalists from outside Minnesota, recognize outstanding work published during 2025. The Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists, founded in 1956, advocates for press freedom, journalism ethics and professional development throughout the state.
The lesson for Minnesota and Midwestern states trying to revive downtowns, strengthen universities and create reasons for young people to stay: progress requires more than announcing a vision. It requires choosing priorities, committing resources and completing projects that people can see and use.
Mayor Reinert is an experienced and politically skilled communicator. He regularly uses video to promote city projects, explain policy and shape his administration’s message. That makes his reluctance to participate in unscripted questioning during a public-safety scare more conspicuous, not less.
If replacement ice could not be secured at Amsoil Arena or another regional rink, the tournament might have to eliminate teams, reduce divisions or reconsider its four-game guarantee. Any of those outcomes would weaken one of the event’s greatest selling points.
This autumn, northeastern Minnesota won't simply be watching one of the state's best running backs. It may be witnessing the final high school season of the greatest running back Hermantown has ever produced.
