Howie: The real budget story begins now as Minnesota’s hidden deals start emerging
The broad framework is never the full story at the Capitol. The spreadsheets are the story. The line items are the story. The last-minute amendments are the story.
Howie: Monsters' Aeden Johnson named AF1's best kicker at midpoint of season
Johnson drilled a 29-yard field goal in his team's first possession in overtime Saturday night, lifting the Minnesota Monsters to a dramatic 30-27 victory over Michigan in an Arena Football One game that felt exactly like the kind of chaos arena football was built to manufacture.
AF1 continues rapid digital growth
Arena Football One says it is seeing major growth in digital engagement during the 2026 season, fueled by viral highlights, expanded streaming audiences and exposure on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” The league announced Tuesday that a Week 4 game-winning play by the Kentucky Barrels generated 5.6 million views after
Howie: Monsters FB Shannon Brooks the last thing AF1 defenses want to see
Howie's daily column is sponsored by Lyric Kitchen Bar. The old arena football line — the one repeated for years by quarterbacks, coaches, and every guy selling the game as organized chaos — is that nobody really runs the football anymore. Tell that to Shannon Brooks, who is stomping through
Plante scores game-winner in World Championship exhibition
Former Hermantown standout Max Plante scored a third-period goal as Team USA defeated Germany 5-2 in its lone exhibition game ahead of the 2026 IIHF Men’s World Championship before a sellout crowd of 12,909 at SAP Arena. Plante, a sophomore forward from University of Minnesota Duluth
Howie: Trump’s China strategy is not diplomacy. It’s negotiation.
America still holds enormous leverage over China precisely because the American consumer economy remains the most important marketplace on Earth. That is why this board concept could matter.
Howie: Rebuilding the Twin Cities core
American downtowns historically reinvent themselves every generation or two. Warehouse districts become loft districts. Industrial corridors become medical corridors. Rail hubs become entertainment hubs.
Howie: The Star Tribune’s statewide gamble paid off
The Pulitzer validated more than excellent reporting. It validated the strategic vision behind what the Minnesota Star Tribune has been becoming. Not simply a city newspaper with statewide aspirations. But a statewide institution capable of helping Minnesota understand itself in real time.
Howie: Monsters riding ground game, defense during AF1 surge
At 3-1, the Monsters have positioned themselves among the early contenders in the nine-team AF1, doing so with a formula that looks noticeably different from many of the league’s more pass-heavy offenses. Minnesota has leaned into physical football, defensive pressure and ball control
AF1 Week 5 Results
Minnesota 31, Michigan 28 OT – Aiden Johnson connected on a 29-yard field goal on the Monsters' first possession in overtime at The Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan. Minnesota quarterback Ja’Vonte Johnson threw two touchdown passes and completed 17 of 32 passes for 135 yards for Minnesota
Howie: The building that holds the Northland together
There is no avoiding this conversation anymore: the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center requires significant reinvestment. Not cosmetic touch-ups designed to survive another election cycle. Genuine modernization.
Howie: Grandma's Marathon to open museum exhibit at Depot
Howie's daily column is sponsored by Lyric Kitchen Bar. The story of Grandma's Marathon has always lived in pieces scattered across the Northland — in shoeboxes filled with fading race bibs, newspaper clippings tucked into basements, volunteer jackets hanging in closets and family photo albums showing exhausted
Howie: Why independent voices are winning local media
Readers today follow trusted voices first and institutions second. That is the modern reality of local media whether legacy newsrooms fully enjoy admitting it or not. The old ecosystem was built around control of distribution. The new ecosystem revolves around control of attention.
Howie: Max Plante on preliminary U.S. world championship roster
The IIHF Men’s World Championship annually serves as the highest-profile international men’s hockey tournament outside the Winter Olympics, drawing many of the world’s top professional and amateur players after the NHL regular season concludes.
Tim Meyer: The Lester Park process is wearing Duluth out
I continue to support a balanced redevelopment model — one that includes housing, recreation, some golf opportunities and a limited amount of commercial development designed to complement businesses in Lakeside and Lester Park, not overwhelm them.
Two men arrested, linked to 13 vehicle prowls in Duluth
Two men were arrested Wednesday morning after Duluth police linked them to a series of vehicle prowls across the community, authorities said. Duluth police responded about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 6, to a report of a vehicle prowl in which a computer, wallet and checkbook were stolen. A