Francisco's greatest investment may have been in the future of his own community. The finest evidence of that investment is not found in an old hockey record book, a client portfolio or a Hall of Fame plaque. It can be heard inside the Heritage Sports Center on a winter afternoon.
UMD is closer to the championship standard than it has been in years. It possesses the scoring, experience, coaching and roster depth required to win nationally. The 2026-27 team has earned the right to be measured against UMD’s champions. It has not earned the right to stand beside them.
The advice columns differ from Strib Voices’ opinion commentary, but both initiatives reflect the Star Tribune’s increasing use of contributors with strong individual identities and defined areas of expertise.
Raghu arrives as the Playhouse prepares to open its 2026-27 season with “A Chorus Line,” scheduled for Sept. 11-27 at the NorShor Theatre. Other upcoming productions include “Disney’s Descendants: The Musical,” “Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom” and “A Christmas Story: The Musical.”
The fund balance declined by roughly $11.5 million, an outcome almost $8.8 million worse than projected. A district that misses its own financial target by that margin cannot reasonably expect voters to accept a 10-year financial plan without examining the assumptions behind it.
Mike Zagelmeyer has coached enough football to recognize the difference between a productive August and a successful November. He likes what he has seen from Hermantown through the opening week of preseason practice, but he also understands that effort, conditioning and enthusiasm have yet to win the Hawks a game.
Hermantown’s girls soccer team opens its season Thursday at home against North Branch with a rebuilt defense, an experienced group of attackers and the lingering memory of an overtime loss that ended last season one victory short of the state tournament. The Hawks finished 7-9-2 last fall
The Bulldogs’ championship window is open because they have Max Plante, high-end talent and unusual roster continuity. It is believable because Sandelin is still standing behind the bench.
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.
All seven city employee labor agreements were approved after Mayor Roger Reinert took office in January 2024.
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
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.
Willie Howard, the former NFL linebacker recently named the Monsters’ senior consultant, understands that the AF1 carries responsibilities beyond winning. Most of its players are still chasing something. They need film, exposure and an opportunity to demonstrate that they can play professionally.
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.
Each innovation sparked debate. Each was accused, at one time or another, of making journalism less authentic. Yet journalism endured because the profession was never about the equipment. It was about the work.
The first step is honesty. Residents already know homelessness, addiction and mental illness exist. They also know downtown remains home to exceptional restaurants, successful small businesses, major employers, recognized attractions, a spectacular Lake Superior shoreline and people who work there.