Duluth's homegrown columnist. Since 1971.
Editor & Publisher of HowieHanson.com
I write about power, business, sports and civic life in Duluth and across Minnesota. My columns examine the people making decisions, the organizations behind those decisions and what their choices mean for the communities they serve.
My journalism career began in 1971 at the Cloquet Pine Knot. More than five decades later, I'm still reporting and writing from Duluth. I publish HowieHanson.com, an independent site built around original columns, local reporting and Minnesota sports coverage.
My work combines reporting, analysis and commentary. I believe in checking facts, asking direct questions and giving readers enough information to make up their own minds. My reporting and opinions are mine, and I stand behind the words I publish.
I welcome story ideas, questions, corrections and tips from readers. Email is the best way to reach me.
Email: GuyHowieHanson@gmail.com
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.
Championship opportunities are temporary, particularly now. Max Plante will not remain at UMD forever. Neither will Zam Plante, Shaugabay or Hanson. Professional hockey will come calling, and the roster eventually will be pulled apart by the realities of the sport.
Through his first two varsity seasons, Swanson has amassed 49 goals, 68 assists and 117 points. He will enter his junior season as a centerpiece of a Bluejackets program expected to contend for another deep postseason run.
GOOD READ / The Trump Order Was Donald Trump merely a president — or did he fundamentally reorder American politics? For nearly a decade, much of
The agency lowered the Duluth's issuer rating and several debt ratings from A3 to Baa2. Moody’s also reduced the rating on the district’s annual appropriation certificates of participation from Baa1 to Baa3. The district had about $184 million in outstanding debt as of October 2025.
"All signs, including the huge turnout in Tuesday's DFL primary, point to a strong year for Democrats in Minnesota. If that proves to be the case, then Senator Klobuchar should have a smooth path to the governor's office." -- Former Duluth city councilor Joel Sipress
Murray, who turned 29 on Friday, signed a one-year contract with Minnesota in March after spending his first seven NFL seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft.
GOOD WATCH: Duke Skorich's Personal Meeting Room, talking regional politics. . . . BREAKING SPORTS: St. Scholastica athletics director Jessica Cherry announced Kyle Yost as
Jim Oberstar understood that roads connected workers to jobs, airports connected employers to markets, ports connected Minnesota resources to the world and research connected traditional industries to new possibilities -- that northern Minnesota could remain strong only if it remained connected.
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.
With Minnesota currently importing 100% of its fossil fuels, solar power adds “homegrown” renewable sources of energy to the building and the state’s electrical grid.
That is the broad Hermantown picture entering training camp starting Aug. 17. Football and girls cross-country should expect to contend for section championships. Boys soccer and volleyball return enough proven talent to make deep playoff runs realistic.
The council is not an advisory committee to the mayor. It is a separate branch of city government, obligated to scrutinize administrative proposals, protect public money and represent residents whose voices cannot be heard from behind the closed doors of City Hall.
Duluth Public Schools is not asking voters to finance a cure-all. It is asking for enough stability to protect student learning while the district continues the harder work of controlling costs, correcting financial procedures and reshaping operations.
The Sentinels now have returning captains, increasing roster depth and a championship-tested young core. The next objective is to prove that last spring’s breakthrough in Alexandria was the beginning of something sustainable.
The tournament has carried Anderson's legacy forward by bringing together many of the people he influenced as a coach, golf professional, teammate, competitor and friend. His wife, Nancy, and children Aaron, Jennifer and Julie are included in the first group on this year’s pairing sheet.
DULUTH, Minn. — The Duluth Entertainment Convention Center will celebrate its 60th anniversary by opening its waterfront campus for free public tours from 5 to
Individual awards, including most valuable player and offensive and defensive player honors, are scheduled to be announced Friday at the AF1 Awards Banquet in Clarksville.
Hermantown’s final record will depend less on finding one player capable of replacing everything that left and more on whether its senior class can make the game easier for one another. The Hawks have experience, numbers and a realistic opportunity in Section 7AAA.
Wilf also addressed the family’s long-term commitment to the franchise amid soaring NFL team values and recent ownership sales. The Vikings are not being positioned for an exit. The next generation of the Wilf family is becoming involved, and ownership intends to remain in place.
Tim Meyer is a Duluth architect and community builder. Reach him at tim.meyer@meyergroupduluth.com Robotics and artificial intelligence are not distant possibilities.
Hanson is a No. 1 college defenseman entering his prime, and UMD’s championship ceiling will be tied directly to how completely he controls the back end.
The Arena continues to work because it has never depended on being the newest or largest venue. Its appeal is rooted in permanence: the steep rows, the compact concert setting, the proximity to the lake and the accumulated memories of everyone who has passed through its doors.
Monsters finish 9-5 after winning seven of their final nine games.