Temporary closure and traffic control change for St. Mary's Essentia demolition project
Related
Howie: The verdict on Reinert will be about direction, not personality
The question is no longer simply whether Roger Reinert deserves another term. The question is whether Duluth believes it is on the path it wants — and if not, who has the discipline, clarity and courage to alter it. November 2027 will deliver the verdict. The work of deciding it begins now.
Howie: The library isn’t the story. It never was.
This time, the leverage isn’t casino revenue. It’s downtown frustration — visible poverty, safety complaints, business dissatisfaction and the persistent sense that downtown Duluth has not lived up to decades of promises.
Howie: How the City of Duluth learned to live on borrowed time
The City of Duluth now spends roughly $1 of every $7 in the general fund on debt service. That’s money that can’t pave streets, fund libraries, or expand housing programs. And yet the answer to each new challenge is the same: another bond.
Mountain Lion spotted in Duluth
"As with any wild animal, we want to remind the community that you should exercise caution in their presence and never approach them." -- Duluth Police Department
Latest
Howie: Duluth moved $695,000 in tourism decisions out of City Hall. Now the public deserves to see the scorecard.
If tourism funding is now driven by measurable return, then measurement should not stop at the application stage. Duluth should see which organizations applied, which received funding, how proposals scored against criteria, what outcomes were promised and what results were delivered one year later.
Howie: Why Pete Stauber keeps winning — and what it would actually take to beat him
For now, the political formula in Minnesota’s 8th District remains remarkably consistent. Duluth votes. The Iron Range votes. Then the rest of northern Minnesota votes. And the rest of northern Minnesota is usually enough.
Howie: The Wild found a bouncer. Now they need a sniper like Boeser.
If Kirill Kaprizov ever gets a true sniper riding shotgun -- Brock Boeser? -- the rest of the Western Conference might suddenly discover something Minnesota fans have suspected for a while now. The Wild are closer than they look.
Howie: What Duluth is really asking for in St. Paul this year
Duluth and St. Louis County are not asking for luxury investments. They are asking for help maintaining systems — water treatment plants, shoreline protection, waste management infrastructure — whose costs exceed what local taxpayers alone can reasonably sustain.