Pressroom Podcast: Recent Episodes
Forum Communications Co.
Tune in every Wednesday to hear Duluth News Tribune reporters Brady Slater, Christa Lawler and Tom Olsen talk with local guests about music, shipwrecks, giant ducks, politics, food and more.
Duluth News Tribune readers will now be able to hear the top stories of the day in a quick, easy-to-follow podcast.
The "Duluth News Tribune Minute" will feature the most important news from around the Northland, including weather and sports, every weekday morning. Brought to you by the reporters at the Duluth News Tribune, Superior Telegram and Cloquet Pine Journal, the podcast will provide listeners the local news they need to start their day.
The first episode will be available Monday, Feb. 1. Subscribe and listen at duluthnewstribune.com, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.
Hey Pressroom Podcast listeners. No, we aren't back with new episodes. Sorry. But we do want to let you know about a new podcast produced by the Duluth News Tribune that you might be interested in.
One hundred years ago, on June 15, 1920, three black circus workers, Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson and Isaac McGhie, were wrongfully accused of sexual assault and murdered by a mob. In this six-part series, the News Tribune will look back at one of Duluth, Minnesota’s dark moments in history, a time when an estimated 10,000 people participated in or were witness to a hate crime — then didn’t talk about it again publicly for more than 60 years.
The Duluth Lynchings is produced by the Duluth News Tribune's Christa Lawler and Samantha Erkkila, with reporting by newsroom staff. The first episode airs Thursday, May 14, but you can listen to the trailer here first.
The bad news: We're going on hiatus.
The good news: We will be back later this year with even more things Duluth.
In the meantime, if you have suggestions for guests, topics or just want to say hello, you can reach us at podcast@duluthnews.com.
Thanks for listening and we will be back soon.
She’s been coined the “landless farmer.”
Heather-Marie Bloom never set out to be a farmer, but after taking a farming course and leasing some land in Esko in 2011 she was hooked. She now operates Rising Phoenix Community Farm, a CSA (community supported agriculture) south of Floodwood where she leases 2-acres of land.
During the growing season, Bloom lives in a tiny house, which she built with the help of her father, on the farmland so she can tend to her crops more easily.
This week we are joined by a Texas native who has quickly become a go-to political authority for Northland media when it comes to analyzing national politics.
University of Minnesota Duluth political science professor, and former journalist, Cynthia Rugeley (rhymes with hugely) discusses Sen. Amy Klobuchar on the debate stage, the Democratic Debates as a whole, and her idea that President Trump’s worst sin is accusing critics of a crime.
She also talks about local politics and shares why Minnesota, a purple state in her opinion, is an interesting state to follow on a local level.
This week we have with us a writer who caught a wide audience with his recent Saturday Essay “Why Some Men Kill Women” on Perfect Duluth Day.
After a Duluth man was charged with fatally stabbing his wife not too far away from his home, Chris Godesy felt compelled to share his experiences and thoughts on men’s violence against women.
Godsey, who now works with the nonprofit Men as Peacemakers, shares what we can do to break down patterns of male dominance and how we can become more self-aware of our own behavior.
This week a pair of radio broadcasters whose voices have become a regular part of Duluth summers stop by the newsroom.
Duluth Huskies summer broadcast interns Eric Moon and Andrew Murphy, as heard on 92.1 The Fan, share how they got here, what they like best about Duluth and Wade Stadium, and what broadcasters they look up to, which leads us to an impeccable Harry Caray impersonation.
Summer is just ramping up in Duluth and with that comes a full lineup of outdoor concerts at Bayfront Festival Park.
This week, Jeff Stark, head of DECC venue operations, joins us to talk about what goes into booking big names and big community events at the waterfront park overlooking the Aerial Lift Bridge.
Stark’s first job was at the DECC at age 16 and he has been there ever since. He shares a few tales from behind-the-scenes, including a face-to-face interaction with Bob Dylan, and what secret assignment he had during the day of the Trump rally, which was around a year ago.
Being the only woman on the St. Louis County Board can be a “lonely” job.
This week County Commissioner Beth Olson, representative for West Duluth, shares what made her decide to run for a position that is predominantly male across the state of Minnesota.
She shares how she is supporting other women in leadership roles, what she is learning from her constituents and how she measure success.
And make sure you listen all the way to the end to see what Olson is into this week. She is living her best life by fulfilling a longtime dream of hers.
In the summer of 1977, an 18-year-old girl from the Iron Range who just wanted to see if she could run a marathon became the first woman to cross the finish line of a now iconic race.
On this week’s episode, Wendy (Hovland) Cregg, the first Grandma’s Marathon female champion, shares what it was like to run the inaugural race and what competitive sports were like for women in the 70s when Title IX was enacted by Congress.
He’s on cup 75 out of 100 and still going strong, just like he takes his coffee.
Last fall, Duluth City Council President Noah Hobbs started his effort to sit down and drink 100 cups of coffee with citizens of Duluth. On this week’s episode he shares his tales from the coffee shop, of which he’s been to every one in town.
Hear how he got the idea, how it’s been going so far and what he’s learned the most from making himself more accessible to his constituents.
Wedding season is upon us and this week we have a Duluth photographer who takes wedding portraits to the next level.
Derek Montgomery has been known to summon the northern lights and conjure up lightning for priceless photos in his clients wedding albums, but he also has a keen photographic eye when it comes to freelancing for area media.
Derek tells us about some of his more memorable moments as a wedding photographer, why he always keeps an extra pair of pants in his arsenal and what he likes to photograph most outside of weddings.
We also get the origin story of “Hole Boy,” an iconic News Tribune photo of a toddler in a pothole to give it scale.
This week we have with us two movie-minded guys — both filmmakers, film consumers, film curators — Matthew Dressel, a screenplay writer who has taken the lead on this year’s Duluth Superior Film Fest, and Mike Scholtz, a documentary filmmaker whose “Riplist” will open this year’s festival.
We talk about Mike’s film and how he came up with the idea to document a celebrity death pool draft. And we ask Matt how he selects movies for the festival and what makes a good movie.
The festival, now in its 10th year, runs May 29-June 2.
We also heavily debate whether or not spoilers are a good thing. Let us know if you are “Team Spoiler” or Team No Spoiler.” Email us at podcast@duluthnews.com. And while you are at it drop us a note of who you’d like to hear on an upcoming episode.
It's not the "hook and bullet" crowd it once was, says this week's guest News Tribune outdoors reporter John Myers about the outdoor scene in northern Minnesota.
While he is still out there writing stories about fishing openers and deer camp, in the first 53 weeks in his new position at the paper he has found people enjoy the outdoors in many other ways too. Such as this Sunday's story about "glamping."
Fresh off a warbler walk, Myers shares some of his favorite stories so far along with a few hidden treasures that may come in handy as you explore the Northland this summer.
“A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men,” recites this week’s guest Jim Ouray.
The artist behind one of Duluth’s quirkiest events, the Smelt Parade, Ouray joins us on the podcast this week to tell us more about how the event got started, smelting and his background in puppet making.
The parade, now in its 8th year, is Sunday, May 12 at 3:30 p.m. in Canal Park. The parade ends with a smelt fry at Zeitgeist Arts Cafe at 5 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to dress in silver.
This week Brittany Lind, creator of Ellipsis Duluth on Twitter and host of The Duluth Local Show on Minnesota Public Radio’s The Current, joins the podcast to share how she takes on Homegrown Music Festival, which is happening right now.
Not a musician herself, unless you count playing the bass clarinet in high school, we learn how music became such a big part of her life, how Ellipsis came to be, and her goal of getting local music into the ears of more Minnesotans.
This week we have with us one of Duluth’s top free agents and a trusted source in a rich history of well-regarded television news anchors who worked in Duluth.
Edward Moody, former news anchor at CBS 3 Duluth, has been out of the business for a month now but he is still in the area and he’s still consuming the news. He tells us how he digests and reacts to news now that he’s not in a newsroom and tells us about his future plans. He also recounts his favorite moments and stories from working in television news for 17 years.
Opera, UMD, Sammy’s Pizza, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”, eating lunch with Bill Paxton, there's not much we didn't talk about during this week’s episode with actor Joel McKinnon Miller.
McKinnon Miller, who stars as detective Norm Scully on the NBC sitcom and visits Duluth fairly regularly, shares snippets of life as an actor in Los Angeles and offers “deep Blu-Ray commentary” on movies and shows he has had a role in.
He also shares an epic smelting story from his college days as a Bulldog.
It’s been about a year since he retired from a long career as the News Tribune’s outdoors reporter. This week, we catch up with Sam Cook to see if he set a new record of nights slept on the ground.
Cook, who still writes a weekly column for the paper, fills us in on his retirement adventures, what (if anything) he misses about reporting, and the great mustard purge of 2018.
Hockey continues into April. For the third year in a row.
This week it’s a crossover episode between the News Tribune’s two podcasts. Sports reporter Matt Wellens, host of the Bulldogs Insider Podcast, joins fellow reporters Christa Lawler and Brady Slater along with KDAL radio guest Bruce Ciskie for a tournament primer as the UMD Bulldogs make a run in their third consecutive NCAA Frozen Four.
We talk about the four teams in the tournament, the secret to UMD and the NCHC’s success in the postseason, and what the chances are the defending champs win it all in Buffalo, N.Y.
We blame him when we get dumped on with snow and call him a liar when it rains when he said it would be sunny.
But that’s what comes with the job title says WDIO chief meteorologist Justin Liles. He’s been forecasting the Northland for 14 years and he’s learned a thing or two along the way, like how Lake Superior influences the weather in the strangest ways.
In this episode, Liles recalls some of his favorite obscure weather events, shares how he works with the big lake to provide more accurate forecasts, and lets us know if winter is indeed over.
In 2018, the St. Louis County Rescue Squad responded to over 400 emergency calls, 73 of which were missing persons cases.
“It’s very easy to get lost,” said this week’s guest, Captain Rick Slatten, about St. Louis County.
Slatten leads the 66-person volunteer squad made up of engineers, OR docs, funeral directors and college students all responding to their “inner Saint Bernard.” He shares the origin story of the squad, which was started by his father in 1958, recalls a few of his more memorable missions, and gives us a few pointers so we don’t become a person that needs rescuing.
"We are all just people," says our guest Duluth Mayor Emily Larson on this week's episode.
It's a theme she keeps referring to when talking about people's opinions about the city's search for a new flag, or their opinions about women in leadership roles, or their opinions with her end of year column.
We explore those opinions, in which we get an apology out of Brady, and get to know Mayor Larson better with some more trivial conversation, like her idea to measure the temperature only in "feels like" units.
When she first moved to the Twin Ports, Jessica McCarthy said it was really easy to find drugs. All she had to do was one loop around town and in about a half an hour she had access to opioids.
Now the opioid technician with the Duluth Police Department, McCarthy is tasked with getting overdose victims immediate interventions.
This week on the podcast, we learn more about McCarthy’s job, the opioid crisis in the Northland, and her own struggles with addiction.
This week we have with us two winter enthusiasts unafraid to take a dip in Lake Superior — even if it means cutting through the ice. Rich Narum and Troy Rogers take a leap into the big lake once a month no matter how cold the temperature.
Partaking in this ritual since 1995, Narum is a veteran jumper. Rogers on the other hand is a little more relaxed on his meetings with the big lake. But on this they both agree, each dip is a memorable one.
Back in town after living in California for awhile, Actual Wolf, aka Eric Pollard, stops by the podcast this week to talk about his new music and a wide array of other topics.
The new dad and regular sauna goer offers sound parenting advice (“just keep ‘em alive and be nice”), the theory of adulthood, his take on social media, and the best people to come out of Hibbing (sorry Kevin McHale, not you).
She’s been teaching us about the port for the better part of a decade.
This week, Adele Yorde, recently retired marketing specialist with the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, gives us an inside look at the port and the people who work on the vessels and on the docks.
Not knowing much about the shipping industry before she started the job, Yorde says it took her “about two days” to fall in love with the port and the “characters on the waterfront.”
This week’s guest calls her recent teaching experience “faith restoring” and a good reminder that “innocence still exists.”
Back from a five month stint in Belarus, Fulbright Scholar and Lake Superior College English teacher Jocelyn Pihlaja shares her experience with us. From starting a lending library with books written in English to navigating the squat toilets in fancy shoes, Pihlaja opens our minds to what life is like in the Eastern European country.
It’s been almost a year since his team took home the gold in South Korea. This week we catch up with Olympic curler John Shuster to hear how his life has changed since his team embraced their underdog story, took out the competition and climbed to the top of the podium.
The Chisholm native tells us about his whirlwind year and how he tries not to get used to the pinch-me moments, which have included a White House state dinner and celebrity golf tournaments where he is the celebrity.
We also get answers to your top questions. Will there be a movie? Is another Olympic trial in his future?
Find firewood, carry firewood back to camp, split said firewood, place firewood in stove. Repeat. Sounds like a lot of work, but for those who enjoy winter camping it’s all part of the experience.
This week we are joined by Molly and Shannon Solberg of Duluth who started winter camping years ago by digging a hole in a snowbank and crawling inside for warmth. They’ve since graduated to a tent with Thai curry simmering on a wood stove.
The Solbergs share their tips and tricks to camping in the cold. Tip: Cotton is rotten. And what’s the main draw. Think no bugs, no people, lots of fish and lots of stars. And maybe a wolf or two.
If you want to hang out with Jessica Rossing you better be up for something active.
The seven-time amateur Team USA triathlete turned boutique fitness studio owner did something she doesn’t normally do. She sat. She sat down with us this week to help us focus in on our fitness goals for 2019.
Rossing, owner of Movo Studio, which she described as a “high intensity complimented with yoga,” space in Duluth, shares some tips and tricks to hold yourself accountable in the new year.
No matter how you pronounce it, northern Minnesotans love their saunas. But if you don’t have one in your basement or at your cabin then you might be missing out on the Finnish steam bath. Until now.
This week on the podcast we meet Whitney and Kelby Sundquist, who own Duluth’s new portable sauna Hiki Hut. Hear about how their new business works, how they renovated an old ice house, and where you can find them around town.
A presidential visit, a giant refinery fire, bringing home Olympic gold, winning national titles, an historic theater reopening. The list goes on and on. 2018 was a very newsy year.
This week we discuss those top stories, how they were covered, and how they affected our readers with News Tribune executive editor Rick Lubbers and managing editor Peter Baumann.
This week we are catching up with a Pressroom Podcast veteran. Duluth musician Rachael Kilgour’s new song, “Holy Are We,” recently attracted the attention of Rolling Stone magazine.
They may have spelled her name incorrectly and used the same word twice in one sentence, but Kilgour says she is pleased with the recognition.
We talk about the song, her upcoming EP and what life has been like since we last visited with her in March of 2017.
This week we talk with an adventurer who recently drove more than 6,000 miles in 28 days visiting 14 states and flying in 11 of them.
Whitney Horky is a paramotorer — she tours the sky from something she has described as a “glorified lawn mower and a bedsheet.”
When she found herself “less employed than usual” this fall she packed up her paramotor and traveled state to state on a solo “recommended trail” flying with other pilots/hobbyists she met along the way.
Whitney tells us about her trip, what it’s like up there and what she thinks about when she is flying on this week’s episode.
Whether you paddle, pole, pedal or plod (that's hiking), Jake Boyce and his team of adventurers has you covered.
Boyce, co-owner of Day Tripper of Duluth, has turned the North Shore into his playground and takes the public along for the ride. But it’s his love of surfing on Lake Superior that he keeps all to himself.
On this week’s episode, the native Duluthian shares what it’s like to surf on the big lake and what new thrill seeking ideas he has up his sleeves.
Whether you know him as Bob King or Astro Bob, everyone’s favorite photographer is retiring in December after a 39 year career at the Duluth News Tribune.
Bob tells us how a guy from Illinois with a German major got into photography. He shares some of his favorite assignments and the great lengths he has gone to in order to get the perfect shot, including the famous grave digger photo.
Zipper merge, window tint, dogs in laps, feet on the dashboard, quotas and much more. Sgt. Neil Dickenson stops by the podcast and answers your traffic questions.
The face of the Minnesota State Patrol and one of our most read columnists, Dickenson answers your pressing questions and shares stories of what he has seen while on duty.
“I’ve seen a lot of bad crashes. I've seen the devastation out there on the roads,” he said. “Ninety-four percent of the crashes that we deal with are preventable.”
Also, Christa stumps him with a question.
The Duluth Folk School is now your one-stop shop for learning how to sharpen your chainsaw, making your own foraged tea, decorating an egg Ukrainian style, and grabbing a cup of coffee and a bite to eat at the new Dovetail Cafe and Marketplace.
Director and co-founder Bryan French tells us how his vision for the handcrafting and community building school in Lincoln Park came to fruition and what big plans he has for the future.
This week’s guest is “vaguely well-known in a small part of the country.” His words not ours.
On a visit to the big city Aaron Brown, voice of the Iron Range with his blog Minnesota Brown, talks with us about his journalism background, national media descending upon the Range during the political season, and his lifelong connection to the communities there.
We recorded this episode before the election, so there won’t be any politics on this episode. You’ll have to check out duluthnewstribune.com or his regional blog for election results.
During the month of September our guest created only a mason jar full of garbage. And it took her six days to make any trash at all.
April Hepokoski, the mind behind the Zero Waste Duluth Facebook page, shares how her journey to sustainability began, what first steps she made in eliminating plastics, and what things we can do in our own lives beyond bringing reusable bags to the grocery store.
She also offers some zero waste insight for the upcoming holidays. You know, the season full of wrapping paper, ribbon, and bubble wrap.
This week we have with us a famous face from Fox 21 News who recently landed in front of a national audience on NBC. Anchor Dan Hanger was involved with a moment of awkward banter during a newscast that caught the attention of Jimmy Fallon.
We talk about that moment, but that's just the tip of the iceberg in an episode full of insight into the television news business, Hanger's personal life and how he balances his two worlds.
Make sure you listen to the end because the "What we are into" segment goes off the rails. We're talking a total derailment and it's great.
To some she is known as "the sticker artist," but local watercolor artist Sam Nielson is much more than that. After successfully starting her business and selling her art on Etsy.com, Nielson decided to become a full-time artist last spring.
This week, Nielson shares what Duluth scenes inspire her to create new sketches, what it's been like to fully invest in her watercolor art and how her work appeals to a wide range of art lovers.
This week we have with us a natural-born talk show host who has been interviewing people in front of a live studio audience since he was in high school. Recently, WDSE has picked up his show "Twin Ports Tonight."
Andrew Kirov talks the writing process, pitching sketch ideas, what's funny and how he captures the "weirdness" of the Northland into a talk show meets Saturday Night Live type of local show.
He even gets into character for us as an Eveleth men's hockey league coach whose team is losing to Babbitt.
One of Duluth's most visible - and busiest - artists Adam Swanson recently returned from an artist residency aboard the research vessel Falkor, where he captured images of science with art.
Swanson, who recently finished a giant owl mural in Duluth's Lincoln Park neighborhood, joins Christa Lawler and Barrett Chase on the podcast this week to talk about his recent assignment at sea and how that work re-energizes him once he returns to his home studio.
It's not all ghosts and goblins, Duluth has a dark history all its own without needing to dive into stories of paranormal hauntings. Although those stories have their place, too.
During the month of October, The Duluth Experience offers a Dark History tour which explores the city's lesser-known mysteries. Dave Grandmaison and Nick Schutz stop by this week to let us know what to expect on a tour and where their favorite spooky spot is in Duluth.
Jake and Valerie Scott discovered the craft cider scene while living out east, and decided to bring it back to Duluth - where both graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Before venturing into the cider business, the couple always enjoyed making beer together, they even made their own beer for their wedding.
On this week's episode, the couple share their origin story, the history behind their taproom, and most importantly what type of cider they will be making - it's nothing like that sweet, carbonated stuff you find in the store.
Abigail Mlinar and Melissa LaTour, two of the people involved with creating Femn Fest, join us this week to discuss feminism - what common misconceptions people have about feminists - and what they have in store for year two of the festival.
Billed as "an unapologetically feminist festival," the two-day event is made up of female-identifying performers, presenters, and business owners. The second annual Femn Fest is Sept. 21-22 at Sacred Heart Music Center in Duluth.
This week we have with us Alexandera Houchin who, in early July, was the female winner of the 2,745 mile Tour Divide - a bike race from Banff, Alberta, to the Mexican border.
Alexandera, a senior at the University of Minnesota Duluth, tells us about the grueling race, which she completed in 23 days and three hours, and her anti-climatic finish.
It was never our guest's intention to own a pig farm, but things kept falling into place for him and his family to keep going. Matt Weik of YKer Acres joins Christa Lawler and Brooks Johnson on the podcast this week to talk about their recent move to a new farm in Carlton and how the farm-to-table business model best suits them and the Duluth restaurants they supply.
Weik also shares some insight on life on the farm and how tough it was when one of their very first sows, Minnie, passed away last week. "My good friend and I have talked about this a lot and he says, 'If it's not hard then you shouldn't be doing it.' And I totally agree with him on that," Weik said.
This week we have with us a local business owner who looked at a vacant liquor store and saw a good place to spend his retirement. Bob Dobrow of Zenith Bookstore - which sells new and used titles - has been operating the popular West Duluth shop for about a year. Dobrow, who accumulated over 15,000 books before opening the shop, tells us how the stars aligned to make his dreams of owning a bookstore a reality. He also shares what new books and events are coming up this month.
Long time local DJ, perhaps the longest-running FM DJ in the city limits, Christine Dean joins Christa Lawler and Barrett Chase on the podcast this week. Dean is music director, webmaster, and host of KUMD's Music Throughout the Day and Live from Studio A, which includes interviews and in-studio sessions.
Dean shares her favorite behind-the-scenes stories from interviewing and recording with local bands in the studio, some of which made the liner notes in Volume 1 of KUMD's Live from Studio A album.
In 2015, Jared Munch spent 50 days circumnavigating Lake Superior on a stand-up paddle board. More recently, he performed the first SUP descent of the Steel River Loop in Northern Ontario.
Jared shares what life has been like since paddling around Lake Superior, how he got interested in whitewater stand-up paddle boarding and what other adventures he has in mind.
Maybe you've seen Troy Rogers pushing his music-making robots along the Lakewalk in Duluth: silver suit, gas mask, teddy bear affixed to his torso. Rogers, who performs as Robot Riskshaw, started as a composer - then he began incorporating robots into his work.
Shamanic healer, writer, and friend of nature Sarah Bamford Seidelmann returns to the podcast this time to tell us about her new book "The Book of Beasties: Your A-to-Z Guide to the Illuminating Wisdom of Spirit Animals."
Sarah shares how her core beastie ("everything from a bumbled bee to a bear to a dragon") and guest beasties have helped her learn more about herself. She also walks us through an exercise to allow a beastie to come forward during the podcast.
News Tribune reporter Jimmy Lovrien and his college roommate recently tackled 200 miles of the Superior Hiking Trail in 10 days.
Why 10 days? That's all the PTO the young professionals could take off of work.
Jimmy tells us about the grueling task of hiking from sun up to sun down, the wildlife sighting along the way, and how long it takes for a pair of socks to crust over.
She's been called Duluth's favorite runner. Two-time Olympian and 1996 Duluth East graduate returned to her hometown earlier this month to run the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon.
She stopped by our studio a few days before the race and talked with News Tribune sports reporter Louie St. George III and features editor Beverly Godfrey about such diverse topics as body image, doping, her serious dog allergy and the fake Spotify playlist that bears her name.
Candace LaCosse’s journey to learn how to make handcrafted shoes and leather products took her from Duluth to South Korea to Grand Marais to the East Coast, and back to Duluth again. Today she is the owner and operator of Hemlocks Leatherworks, located in the Lincoln Park Craft District.
News Tribune reporter Christa Lawler and features editor Beverly Godfrey sat down with LaCosse to dig into that journey, and to discuss where our clothing comes from, the ethics of leatherworking and the re-emergence of handcrafted goods.
Grandma’s Marathon was started in 1977 by the North Shore Striders — a group known to sometimes paint their own mile markers straight onto the road. Scott Keenan was there at the beginning, when the restaurant was secured as a sponsor and the big names in a relatively young sport started spreading the word about the course that runs from near Two Harbors to Canal Park.
Keenan retired as race director five years ago, but told tales of the early days — and gave a shout out to a racer who never got her proper due — in this edition of Pressroom Podcast hosted by reporters Christa Lawler and Jon Nowacki.
It's been three years since former Minnesota Duluth hockey player-turned-strength and conditioning coach Julianne "Montana" Vasichek woke up in a hospital and was told she had a new liver.
This week, Vasichek, who suffers from several health disorders, recounts the harrowing experience that she's been able to piece together from what others have told her about the days leading up to the transplant, as well as the road to recovery that she is still walking today.
What we are into this week: the Stanley Cup, "Recovery: Addiction and its Aftermath" by Leslie Jamison, and the Calm app.
Fiddle teacher-turned NPR Tiny Desk Contest winner Gaelynn Lea has ditched the looping pedal in favor of a full band for her third full-length album, which is scheduled for release later this year.
News Tribune reporters Christa Lawler and Brady Slater talked to the musician and disability advocate, a return guest, about her upcoming shows in Iceland; the importance of accessibility for performers and audience members at venues; and the friends she’s made while touring the country — a list that includes fans and The Decemberists.
What we are into this week: Trampled By Turtles’ new album “Life is Good on the Open Road,” yoga, the Lakewalk and “The Slight Edge” by Jeff Olson.
Miriam Hanson's mind was blown when, as a teenager, she happened across John Bushey's radio program, "Highway 61 Revisited."
After Bushey's death earlier this year, Hanson took over as host of the long-running weekly show on KUMD 103.3 FM that focuses on Bob Dylan rarities. News Tribune reporters Christa Lawler and Brady Slater sat down with Hanson this week to talk about Dylan, his fans, the show and that time when she found out the iconic musician once lived in the Dinkytown apartment she was moving into.
What we are into this week: Zenith Bookstore, The Current's "essential songs" countdown and biking up Haines Road.
Jim Paine had been mayor of Superior for just over a year when a fire and series of explosions at the Husky Energy refinery forced the evacuation of a large portion of the city. This week, we sit down with Paine to discuss the events of that day in detail, what led to the decisions that were made, and whether or not he has any regrets about how things were handled.
Because of our nature, we don't look up. And because of our technology, we often are looking down. However, News Tribune photo editor and amateur stargazer Bob King believes we should spend more time looking at the night sky. And this week he joins us to talk about some of the things up above us that everyone should seek out.
King's latest book, "Wonders of the Night Sky You Must See Before You Die: The Guide to Extraordinary Curiosities of Our Universe," details more than 50 such bucket-list wonders. Get a taste of them here.
This is one rowdy episode.
Musicians Tony Bennett and Mat Milinkovich of The Dames, a band that’s older than Homegrown Music Festival, join us this week to talk about the festival and the evolution of the Duluth music scene, all the while dropping truth bombs and stabs of inappropriate humor. Oh, and get this: Milinkovich has never in his life drunk a big glass of milk.
What we’re into this week: Bob Dylan’s “Time Out Of Mind” album, training for the Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon and getting back to drumming after breaking a thumb.
Tune in every week to hear News Tribune reporters Brady Slater, Christa Lawler and Tom Olsen talk about current Duluth and Northland happenings. You can email us at podcast@duluthnews.com or follow us on Facebook. This podcast is produced by Barrett Chase.
It's his gain, but our loss. Beloved News Tribune outdoors reporter and columnist Sam Cook is retiring after 38 years at the DNT.
Sam joins us this week to look back a bit at the highlights of his career, but also to look ahead at how he's going to spend his time now that he doesn't have to fill the Sunday outdoors section of our newspaper every week.
What exactly is “affordable” housing, and what’s wrong (and right) with the housing in Duluth?
This week Jeff Corey, executive director of One Roof Community Housing, joins us to talk about Duluth’s aging housing stock, helping the homeless population and the renovation of Gateway Tower.
Oh, and here’s something you might not know: Corey is into skiing, biking and trail running — even though he is legally blind.
What we are into this week: Streaming “Broadchurch” and “Jessica Jones,” reading “The Sympathizer” by Viet Thanh Nguyen, the podcast “Time Crisis Countdown” and Louise Erdrich’s book, “The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse.”
Tune in every week to hear Duluth News Tribune reporters Brady Slater, Christa Lawler and Tom Olsen talk about current Duluth and Northland happenings. You can email us at podcast@duluthnews.com, call our podcast line at (218) 382-NEWS or follow us on Facebook. This podcast is produced by Barrett Chase.
Amy Abts has released her first solo album after a 17-year hiatus. Why the wait? Well, the two brain surgeries for starters. The deafness, the wrist tumor. And the ongoing pain associated with with trigeminal neuralgia, also known as "the suicide disease."
But this podcast is no downer. Abts is somewhat of a comedian, as well as a visual artist, an actor and, yes, a former mime. Hear her tell her story as well as perform the title track off her new album, "Fifty-Fifty."
The UMD Bulldogs are once again headed to the Frozen Four.
We sat down with senior wing and captain Karson Kuhlman of Esko and senior center Jared Thomas of Hermantown to talk about the tournament, as well as what it's like to play for the team you grew up watching.
The Frozen Four begins Thursday, April 5, 2018 in St. Paul. The Bulldogs take on Ohio State at 5 p.m.
Visit duluthnewstribune.com (or buy a newspaper!) to read daily Frozen Four coverage throughout the week.
Duluth is full of young entrepreneurs making their mark on this city. And Rachelle Rahn is no exception.
Rahn, owner of Duluth Kombucha, started making the popular fermented tea in her kitchen when buying it in the store became too expensive. She never thought it would grow into a business with big plans for the future.
Rahn give us a lesson on kombucha, its mother SCOBY and what it takes to be an entrepreneur in Duluth. She also shares some of her favorite (and least favorite) flavor combos.
Named the Rising Star of the Year at the 2018 Explore Minnesota Tourism Conference, Dan Hartman, director of Duluth's Glensheen Historic Estate, joins the podcast this week to talk about how he turned an old mansion along Lake Superior into a fun place where people want to hang out.
He and his team have taken Glensheen from 61,000 visitors a year to 141,000 and the mansion is now the number one visited house museum in the Midwest, beating out Chicago last year.
Hartman shares his ideas for the future of Duluth tourism as well as a few instances where he was spooked by unexplainable happenings at the mansion.
Shortly after being diagnosed in August, right before the school year, with an aggressive form of breast cancer, Cloquet High School art teacher Julie Deters turned to Facebook and put herself out there with her cancer journey.
"I'm a teacher. I've been teaching for 26 years and it is in me to teach people so that's why I guess I put it out there ultimately," Deters said.
The most noticeable posts where the photos her daughter Sylvie took of the various hairstyles Deters tried out while her hair started to fall out due to chemotherapy treatments. And when the maroon mohawk made its final appearance, Sylvie shaved her mother's head and covered the blank canvas with henna tattoos and makeup.
Hear Deters talk about her journey and the life lessons she has learned along the way - the most important being learning how to accept and receive help from people.
Even if you aren't a cross country skiing fan chances are you still heard Chad Salmela's famous gold medal call during the Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
While he declined to replicate the "Here comes Diggins" call for us, Duluth's Salmela did give us some behind-the-scenes info on the race that made Minnesotan Jessie Diggins and teammate Kikkan Randall the first U.S. gold medalists in the team sprint, male or female.
Salmela, cross country coach at St. Scholastica, shares what it was like to be a part of that historic race and how it feels to be compared to Al Michaels' "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" call from 1980.
Reach out to us at podcast@duluthnews.com
Another podcast first happening this week - recording in front of a live audience.
Journalism students from the University of Minnesota Duluth joined us as we recorded today's episode with artist and musician Emma Rustan, better known as Ingeborg von Agassiz.
Hear how the electronic folk singer/songwriter came up with her name, what inspires her, and what the backstories are to a few of the songs on her debut album "O, giver of Dreams," which will be released on Spotify and iTunes on March 1.
She is an activist to keep factory farms away from Lake Superior, she wrote a cookbook based from her blog and she drove all the way from Bayfield to the "big city" to tell us about her interesting life.
This week Mary Dougherty talks about her advocacy (which has now led to a career), how her family of seven ended up in the small town of Bayfield, and how her first cookbook "Life in a Northern Town," which offers a mix of essay about the south shore, along with vivid photography and lots of recipes came to be.
Jody Kujawa's life changed after playing a 600-pound shut-in in Renegade's production of "The Whale." He started to notice that some of his own symptoms matched those of the ailing protagonist.
Sure enough, he was diagnosed with a heart condition that has changed his life.
Hear Kujawa talk about the day he was in the emergency room with ten doctors surrounding him and the changes he has made since that day to his diet and lifestyle in order to drop over 100 pounds.
In case you missed it, there was a big football game in Minneapolis this weekend. One of our sports reporters was there to capture the fan experience.
This week, Jon Nowacki talks about the game, the fans, the overall spectacle and of course the food of Super Bowl LII at US Bank Stadium.
After the Minnesota Vikings lost the NFC Championship to the Philadelphia Eagles, local documentary filmmaker Mike Scholtz felt like he needed to cheer up his sport-loving friends with the free release of his documentary "Lost Conquest."
His documentary explores Viking culture in Minnesota and the beliefs people have about Vikings having settled here. But archaeologists say it's all folklore and none of it ever happened.
So really it has nothing to do with the Minnesota Vikings football team, but we're sure you'll find it more entertaining than that game we don't speak of.
Back from a month-long stint in Kazakhstan, we catch up with former KBJR investigative reporter and news director Barbara Reyelts to see what retirement looks like for her.
We find out what she was doing halfway around the world, whether or not she misses the news biz and what her biggest pet peeve is about journalists.
Also, Brady admits the only thing he knows about Kazakhstan is the movie "Borat."
Not sure how this happened, but for two years in a row we've started out the new year seeing what The Social Animals are up too.
Lead singer Dedric Clark, a Cloquet native, tells us what it was like to go on tour with Dashboard Confessional, The All American Rejects, and also play some shows with Blues Traveler, and The Shins. Clark also shares the story behind the band's new song "Cheer up Charlie."
The group is also gearing up to play for The Current's 13th Birthday Party on Jan. 19 at First Avenue in Minneapolis.
Nathan Holte and Alex Piazza of the Duluth band Alamode join hosts Christa Lawler and Brooks Johnson to talk about the band's debut album "Swell."
The pop/disco/dance/"Slovakian folk" band is shaking things up around the Twin Ports, which has gotten really bluegrass centric.
Have an idea for the show? Email us at podcast@duluthnews.com.
Karen Sunderman and Steve Ash of the local PBS affiliate WDSE-WRPT join us to talk about their new show "Making It Up North," which airs January 7.
The new show features entrepreneurs, musicians, artists, and many more who call the Northland home and make a living doing what they love. Sunderman and Ash talk about a few of the people they are following for this series and everyone shares what they would do for a career if they had to give everything up right now.
Have an idea for the show? Email us at podcast@duluthnews.com
This week we look back at the year's top stories with Duluth News Tribune editor Rick Lubbers.
Some of the top stories are obvious ones, like the allegations against U.S. Senator Al Franken and his resignation, or the October storm that destroyed the Lakewalk, while others are more specific to each reporter.
Hear Christa, Tom and Brady share their personal favorite, or most memorable, stories from 2017, while Rick shares the many changes the paper underwent this past year.
What stories stuck out to you? Let us know at podcast@duluthnews.com.
Katie Danielson and Stacey Achterhoff work with homeless youth in the Duluth School District every day.
Last year, Danielson said 488 youth in the school district were homeless. Achterhoff has 49 students along at Myers-Wilkins Elementary that are homeless this school year.
The two educators explain what their days look like working with homeless youth, what types of services they provide to the children and their families and how they keep the kids school lives as normal as possible.
In November, Renee Van Nett was the first female Native American elected to the Duluth City Council.
"I didn't even think about that part until somebody said it publicly in that language and I thought, 'Oh, really?' " said Van Nett. "It's an honor and I totally dig it, but I'm focused on getting things done."
We catch up with her to see how she is preparing to take her seat on the council representing Duluth's 4th District. Van Nett shares her top priorities and how her Native American culture will help her to understand the people of her district, which included Duluth Heights, Piedmont Heights, Lincoln Park and part of West Duluth.
He's been called "The straw that stirs the drink" in Duluth's music scene.
Bob Monahan, aka Duluth's Music Mayor, visits with News Tribune reporters to talk abut the Twin Ports music scene, his music venue The Red Herring and his newest hostel venture.
Not the horror movie, the trendy European way of exploring a new city without having to spend most of your money on a hotel instead of food and experiences.
Monahan describes what his hostel will look like, what it will feature and who he expects to attract as customers.
Duluth folk musician Charlie Parr, known for his guitar playing and authenticity, recently released his 14th record.
"It didn't feel good, but it was something that I needed to say. So that's exactly what this record is about," said Parr about his new album "Dog," which addresses his battle with depression and mental health.
"It's cathartic for sure. I'm glad it's out of me. ... It's not as therapeutic as I'd like it to be."
Parr shares what it's like to be a "hobo" on the road eating beans off the hood of his van and what he enjoys most about being home when he's not on tour.
Brady Slater, Tom Olsen and Christa Lawler share their favorite moments, guests and so much more from the past two years of producing this weekly podcast for listeners in the Northland and beyond.
The crew talks about what goes on behind the scenes in our makeshift studio and what plans lie ahead for year three.
Two years ago, to the date, the Pressroom Podcast was born. And today our very first guest joins us to reminisce about our venture into the unknown.
Just like we have changed and grown in the last two years, so has singer/songwriter/yogi Mary Bue. Since we last saw her, Bue moved away from Duluth, started her own yoga studio, got some new bandmates, and went on an artists retreat of a lifetime.
Birthday Bonus: After you listen to this episode be sure to check out our bonus episode where we share our favorite moments and guest from the last two years.
"Christmas City, wonderful city ..."
You know the rest.
Dave Jensch, vice president and station manager at KBJR, joins us ahead of Friday's Christmas City of the North Parade.
"You know it's like one of the duties right up there. You know, make money. Do good journalism. And make Sure the Christmas City parade happens," Jensch said about his job.
Hear the history behind the winter parade, how things work behind the scenes, and the greatest moments of the annual holiday tradition that began in the 1950s.
As always you can reach us at podcast@duluthnews.com.
We are coming up on the anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a shipwreck many people know about. But do you know about the Mataafa, or the Socrates, or the two French minesweepers that went missing after leaving port in what is now modern day Thunder Bay?
With the Gales of November upon us, Duluth News Tribune editor Andrew Krueger, who accidentally became our resident shipwreck writer and historian, joins us this week to talk about a few of the storms and wrecks you may not know about. Don't worry we also leave time to talk about ghost ships.
"All gave some, some gave all."
You may have heard these words before, especially around Veterans Day and Memorial Day. For Duluthian John Marshall, they are words he carries close to his heart every single day.
Marshall, captain of the Duluth Honor Guard, joins our podcast this week to talk about a variety of issues surrounding veterans. He shares his own own experience with PTSD, what it's like to attend so many funerals (of which he went to one right after we recorded this episode), and what he thinks about NFL players kneeling during the national anthem.
Producer's note: This episode contains a discussion related to suicide.
Employment equality, affordable housing, and making sure city services are accessible to all people are just a few of the things that keep Duluth Human Rights Officer Carl Crawford busy every day.
On this week's episode, Crawford shares what his job is like, what things he's doing to improve the city, how he measures his success and how we are doing as a community.
Have an idea or comment? Email us at podcast@duluthnews.com.
Whether you've been reading every sentence of every news story involving the sexual harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein or you are just tuning into the #MeToo conversation, we've got you covered on this week's episode.
Erin Naughton-Garrison, volunteer coordinator at PAVSA in Duluth, joins us to talk about sexual violence in a variety of its forms - victim blaming, "boys will be boys" mentality, rape culture, dress codes, etc.
She also shares what you can do if you or someone you know is in crisis and what we can all do to help support victims of sexual assault.
She was a pathologist for 20 years before shifting her focus to shamanic healing. Duluthian Sarah Seidelmann recently released her third book "Swimming with Elephants," in which she shares her experience of shifting from physician to shamanic healer.
In this episode, Seidelmann, whose sister is well-known comedian Maria Bamford, explains what Shamanism is, how she got into it and how she has found it to help others.
You've probably read a story or two of his before. And if you are like Pressroom Podcast hosts Brady and Christa then you may be wondering, "How does he do it?"
How does News Tribune outdoors reporter Sam Cook just embed himself in people's hunting shacks for a weekend every fall and come out with stories that resonate with just about everyone in the Northland?
Well this week he tells us how he does that, how it's not as easy as it may seem and how he keeps the material fresh every year even though the subject is inherently the same.
Would you get up in front of a room full of people and share some of your most personal stories? If you answered yes, then there is a platform for you to do so and it's right in downtown Duluth.
This week Adeline Wright, owner of Adeline, Inc., tells us about her new venture Gag Me With A Spoon, which is a "public storytelling platform" that happens the second Sunday of every month at Blacklist Artisan Ales.
"I feel like we are so disconnected from actual relationships these days and I wanted to create something that was in contrast to that," said Adeline, who also shared a personal story of her own as an example of something you might hear at the event.
The college hockey season begins in just nine days.
Yesterday, September 20th, was NCHC Media Day down at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens was down there and got a chance to talk with all eight coaches in the conference as well as some of the players.
At the end of the day, Wellens sat down with other college hockey beat writers to discuss their predictions for the 2017-18 season.
You may have seen his videos on Perfect Duluth Day or perhaps you've seen him in the act with his scaly-orange T-shirt diving into the big lake.
Amateur freediver and video enthusiast Jim Richardson, aka Lake Superior Aquaman, shares his origin story with the Pressroom Podcast this week.
With a GoPro and camera pole in hand, Richardson takes his viewers on a swim underneath the chilly waters of Lake Superior for a chance to see what many people will never see. Hear about his underwater experiences, which include swimming alongside a 3-foot muskie.
As always you can contact us a podcast@duluthnews.com
All the 20 Under 40 Award winners will be announced in Thursday's Duluth News Tribune, but we are going to give you a sneak peek of who made the list and how we decide who makes the cut.
Laura Mullen, one of four co-founders of Bent Paddle Brewing Company, and Nate LaCoursiere, an assistant city attorney, join reporters and two of this year's award judges Christa Lawler and Brooks Johnson to share what they do, why they love Duluth and how they want to make Duluth a better place to work, play and raise a family.
We want to hear from our listeners. Send us your feedback and comments at podcast@duluthnews.com.
He was raised here, went to Denfeld High School, and has spent the last 26 years on the Duluth Police Department.
"Yup, I grew up in Morgan Park, Minnesota, as I always say," Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken said on this week's episode.
News Tribune reporters Brady Slater and Tom Olsen pepper the chief with questions ranging from what was young Mike Tusken like as a kid growing up in Duluth to what has he learned the most in his year and a half of being the top dog in the department.
Not much is off limits, including heroin and use of deadly force. And we even learn a secret hobby of his.
This week Christa Lawler and Brady Slater catch up with Michelle Lee, former news anchor for the local NBC affiliate. In her first time back on air since her retirement 8 months ago, Lee shares what she is up to now.
"That was one part of my life and I'm really proud of it and I love the people there, but I have not been back to the newsroom," Lee said about her time at KBJR. "I do a little social media with the folks I used to work with, but I'm trying to reinvent myself."
She's finding that to be harder than she thought. The first thing she did publicly after her retirement was attend the Women's March on Washington. Lee shares that experience, what life has been like away from the newsroom, and her possible political aspirations.
You may recognize our guests' voices on this week's episode.
You've probably heard them on your computer, in your podcast queue, or perhaps in the Underground theater in the Duluth Depot.
Blake Thomas and Mary Fox with Take It With You join Christa and Brady to discuss where their idea for a live radio theater podcast came from, how they got started (one of our fav origin stories thus far) and what goes into preparing for a show.
As always you can send your questions and comments to us at podcast@duluthnews.com.
You may have heard about this solar eclipse thing that is happening in a few days. Well we just happen to have two people in the newsroom who are traveling to the middle of the country to view the moment of totality.
Photo editor Bob "Astro Bob" King and managing editor Andrew Krueger are traveling to Nebraska to view the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21. Bob shares his insight from viewing and photographing previous eclipses while Andrew shares what he hopes to see when experiencing his first total eclipse.
Have a question or comment? Email us at podcast@duluthnews.com
Her parents started Alakef Coffee Roasters in Duluth in the early 90s and for the past few years Alyza Bohbot has been adding her own flare to the company with the addition of her socially responsible City Girl Coffee Brand.
Her "unapologetically feminine" brand is sourced from women-owned or managed farms from all over the world and a portion of every sale goes back to the organizations that help support those women. Hear Alyza talk about her mission, how she got here, and what plans lie ahead for both brands.
Find us on Facebook and email us at podcast@duluthnews.com.
From her first paining on an attic window shade when she was a little girl to having her work recently featured in a New York City gallery, Duluth artist Kay Kurt joins the podcast to tell us how she got her start and how she found herself focused on painting giant pieces of candy.
"The white chocolates was for me a liberation in a sense that I had no preconception about anybody ever having painted candy," Kurt says. "And that's what I needed. I needed a fresh subject."
The Pressroom Podcast is a weekly audio program featuring News Tribune reporters interviewing guests from the community. Email us at podcast@duluthnews.com.
Whether it’s by bike, kayak, or pint glass, the way visitors (and residents) explore Duluth takes on many forms these days. And Dave Grandmaison, co-owner of The Duluth Experience has a little something to do with that.
“There was a niche to be filled,” said Grandmaison, who started the tour company in 2012 with a few friends.
On this week’s podcast, he shares with us how the Duluth Experience came to be, what types of tours they offer and what to expect when you book a tour with them.
What we are into this week: Glensheen Mansion play, bean bag toss, handkerchief, and the Beach Boys.
Located in the "cave" of the Duluth News Tribune newsroom is where you'll find today's guests.
Get to know the women behind two new community weekly newspapers. Western Weekly editor Teri Cadeau and Eastern Observer editor Elly Power share their journalism backgrounds and what they hope these print only publications will become for residents of Duluth.
Have a guest or topic idea for a future podcasts? Let us know at podcast@duluthnews.com.
The Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra begins its concert seasons this week. Artistic director Warren Friesen highlights the four concerts, including one that features Duluth-based violinist and singer/songwriter Gaelynn Lea Tressler.
Last spring, Gaelynn Lea won NPR's "Tiny Desk Concert" and gained national attention. She has traveled the world in the last year and she will be debuting a new work for the LSCO concert on July 27.
He was just 30 years old and only four years out of law school when Duluth heiress Elizabeth Congdon was discovered smothered to death in her bed at Glensheen Mansion, her night nurse Velma Pietila fatally beaten with a candlestick.
Forty years later, then chief prosecutor John DeSanto joins the podcast this week to share his firsthand experience with Duluth's most well-known murder case.
"The day of June 27, 1977, Monday. I remember it like it was yesterday," DeSanto said.
To get in touch with the Pressroom Podcast, email us at podcast@duluthnews.com.
The driving forces behind "Duluth's Duluthiest website" join the Pressroom Podcast this week.
"Another way to say it is we just do a lot of goofing off on the website, but it's all very Duluth focused," said Perfect Duluth Day president Paul Lundgren.
Lundgren and co-creator Barrett Chase, along with food and drink reporter Lissa Maki, share how Duluth's community culture website came to fruition 14 years ago in a time before Facebook and YouTube.
They also share some of their PDD posts from over the years, on of which involves "military grade lederhosen." And invite everyone out to their birthday celebration to enjoy all you can eat coleslaw. Why coleslaw? Because, why not?
Note: Barrett Chase is now the web/night editor at the Duluth News Tribune and is no longer involved with Perfect Duluth Day operations.
Holly Kostrzewski, Northeastern Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths Coordinator, joins the Pressroom Podcast this week to talk about distracted driving and how to keep your loved ones safe on the road.
She explains what Toward Zero Deaths is and how it's making drivers more aware of what they do behind the wheel. Holly has ridden in the car with state troopers and she shares some of the stories she has come across, including a lady who was playing Candy Crush on her cell while driving.
As always you can email us at podcast@duluthnews.com.
Grandma's Marathon veterans join the podcast this week to give you an inside look at what goes into covering Duluth's largest event of the summer.
Duluth News Tribune editor Rick Lubbers, who has covered around 11 races, and retired sports writer Kevin Pates, who has covered 35 of the 41 total marathons, join Christa Lawler, who has ran the race multiple times, to share some of the more memorable moments both on an off the course that follows the shore of Lake Superior.
You can follow the News Tribune's race coverage all week at duluthnewstribune.com.
Duluth is becoming a "beer-cation" destination and local brewer extraordinaire Dave Hoops is adding to the scene with his soon-to-be open Hoops Brewing in Canal Park. On this week's Pressroom Podcast, Hoops talks about his new taproom and the types of brews we can expect to find there. He also shares a list of his favorite local summer beers to get us in the "beer-cation" mindset.
Now in its 8th year, the Duluth Superior Film Festival has gained a strong following and has supplied some very memorable behind the scenes.
Festival organizer Richard Hansen joins us to talk about those unforgettable moments and this year's lineup, which includes a variety of shorts and cultural films featuring strong female and Native American leads. The free, five-day festival begins Wednesday, May 31.
Email us at podcast@duluthnews.com
They've eaten $70 cheese, touched jellyfish with their bare hands, and have even offered up their hair and skin for quick 2-minute videos.
Holly Henry and Michelle Truax with our sister publication Duluth.com join us on the podcast this week to tell us where they get their story ideas from, what they do on a daily basis and what it's like to work at a fun new online publication.
Contact us at podcast@duluthnews.com
You may have seen his most recent food review published last week about Duluth's new restaurant OMC Smokehouse.
This week we invite News Tribune sports reporter and occasional food critic Jon "Taco" Nowacki on the podcast to see what goes into writing a restaurant review, how he got his nickname, and how he decides what places to critique.
He also gave a rather blunt review of OMC Smokehouse's duck fat fries. We find out where Taco thinks the best fries are in town.
Are you still nursing a Homegrown hangover?
Well, we've got your cure on this week's episode.
News Tribune reporters Christa Lawler and Samantha Erkkila were out and about in Sup Town last Thursday and we asked fans, musicians and artists what they love most about Homegrown Music Festival. Hear their stories as of midway through the 8-day celebration of music in the Twin Ports.
His newest Jonathan Stride novel "Marathon" just hit shelves yesterday and yet best-selling author Brian Freeman still had time to join us on this week's podcast for a candid chat.
Duluth News Tribune reporters Brady Slater, Tom Olsen and editorial editor Chuck Frederick, who has a long history with Freeman and is even mentioned in some of this novels, pick Freeman's brain to find out why he picked Duluth as the focus for his popular mystery-thriller series, where his ideas come from and if he would ever kill off a beloved character.
This week on Pressroom Podcast we have the 2017 Homegrown Music Festival closer, who also happens to be the man who survived driving off Duluth's Blatnik Bridge last winter.
Duluth News Tribune reporters Christa Lawler, Brady Slater and Tom Olsen interview Mark Anderson of the Mark Anderson Trio. The jazz trio closes the week-long music festival Sunday, May 7.
Duluth musician, columnist, and podcaster Teague Alexy visits the podcast this week to prepare us for the upcoming Homegrown Music Festival, which kicks off Sunday, April 30.
Alexy also shares his new record Circuit Sessions which comes out soon and his new podcast venture titled Wisecracks and Roadside Flats.
Last week, the Duluth News Tribune sent a crew of four to cover the NCAA Frozen Four at United Center in Chicago to cover the University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team's run at a national championship.
Even though the hometown team lost, the college hockey action did not disappoint last week. From practices, to the fan events, to the emotional post-game interviews, sports reporters Matt Wellens and Jon Nowacki, photographer Clint Austin and multimedia reporter Samantha Erkkila were there for it all.
Hear what goes on behind the scenes when covering college hockey's biggest event and what the future of the Bulldogs team look like for next season. The DNT crew also highlights their favorite hockey-related experience and their favorite Chicago tourist experiences from their six-day assignment on the road.
The University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team is headed to the NCAA Frozen Four in Chicago. Well, technically they are already there but they take the ice against Harvard tomorrow, April 6 at 5 p.m. at United Center.
We caught up with UMD head coach Scott Sandelin in his office at Amsoil Arena before the team hit the road for Chicago. Hear what he had to say about this year's team, their recent bout with nail-biting overtime periods, and what his approach is going into the Frozen Four.
For all your Frozen Four coverage visit duluthnewstribune.com the week of April 2-9.
We did something a bit different this week. We took the podcast on the road.
While heading out to cover a northern Wisconsin spring tradition, three News Tribune staff who've reported on this event in the past highlight what makes this place, these people and what they are doing so great.
Tune it to see where we went.
If you'd like to hear us take more podcasts on the road email us at podcast@duluthnews.com with ideas on where we should go next.
Duluth author, playwright and professor Tom Isbell joins us this week to talk about the release of the final book of his dystopian trilogy "The Prey."
Find out how he go the idea for the series, how it feels to bring those characters to a close and if the books have a future in being adapted for the big screen.
Have an idea for a future podcast, find us on Facebook at Pressroom Podcast or email us at podcast@duluthnews.com
Singer, songwriter Rachael Kilgour, of Duluth, recently released her newest album Rabbit in the Road, which is made up of pieces following her 2014 divorce.
Kilgour shares her creative process, how music and songwriting has been therapeutic for her, and how she now sees her very personal and confessional album in a new light and perhaps a bit of a political statement.
Kilgour will be back in Duluth on Sunday, March 19, for her album release at Teatro Zuccone at 7 p.m.
You can watch and listen to her playing her title track at duluthnewstribune.com.
A new BBQ restaurant, a popular brewery, a well-respected bakery and much more.
Fun, exciting and delicious things are happening in a neighborhood of Duluth that hasn't always been known for being an inviting place to hang out.
Shannon Laing with Ecolibrium3 visits the podcast this week to talk about the revitalization of Lincoln Park.
What we are into this week: Journalism race between the New York Times and the Washington Post, waking up earlier, secret salad Facebook groups, and knitting protest hats.
It's the most wonderful time of the year in Minnesota - prep hockey playoffs.
Section 7A and 7AA finals are today, Wednesday, March 1, and Thursday, March 2, respectively. Designated newsroom hockey fanatic John Myers and prep sports reporter Louie St. George III join us on this week's podcast to talk about those games and the possible outcomes of this year's state tournament.
Even if you aren't a hockey superfan, you can't deny getting wrapped up in the excitement at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. At the very least you tune into the starting lineups to see the hockey hair flowing from underneath the players helmets.
We want to hear from you. Email us your feedback at podcast@duluthnews.com.
It's been a whirlwind year for Lucie Amundsen, local egg farmer and author of the popular book "Locally Laid: How We Built a Plucky, Industry-Changing Egg Farm-From Scratch."
Her book, which comes out in a paperback version on Feb. 28, has landed on numerous must-read lists. Hear what inspired her to not only get into egg farming but to write a book about it. Lucie also shares the unforgettable story about the day their birds first arrived at the farm and how the essentially had to "teach the chickens how to be chickens."
Is there a local guest you'd like to hear on the podcast? Let us know at podcast@duluthnews.com.
He was former Duluth Mayor Don Ness' right-hand man, then we went across the bridge to UW-Superior and now he is back in Duluth at Lake Superior College. This week on Pressroom Podcast we catch up with Daniel Fanning and see what he's up to these days.
We grill the father-to-be of three about his future political aspirations and see what passion projects he is still involved in around the Twin Ports.
Follow us on Facebook at Pressroom Podcast and email us at podcast@duluthnews.com.
An article was recently published in the Duluth News Tribune about a Minnesota couple that was caught driving to Duluth with plans to sexually exploit a teenage girl.
In light of this article, we sought out Shunu Shrestha, trafficking program coordinator at PAVSA in Duluth, to help us become more aware of the issue of sex trafficking in the Twin Ports.
Shrestha shares what PAVSA does, how they help victims and how they can support victims' parents and family members.
Have a question for us or a suggestion on a future episode? Email us at podcast@duluthnews.com.
You've stolen a University of Minnesota Duluth NCAA trophy. You don't stand a chance at a fair trial, so you must break out of prison.
You have one hour. Go!
The Pressroom Podcast crew recently experienced the popular new realm of escape rooms at Duluth's very own Zero Hour Escape Room.
Tune in to see if we solved all the puzzles and made it out in time. Also hear from Zero Hour co-owner Justin Pohlman to see what inspired him and his friend to start their own escape room and how they got their ideas for the three games they've created.
I case you missed it, there was a march in Washington, D.C., over the weekend.
Duluth resident Abigail Mlinar was one of those in attendance. Mlinar, who also is the founder of the Feminist Action Collective in Duluth, shares her experience at the Women's March on Washington and the journey it took to get out there and back to Minnesota.
We now have a Facebook page. Follow us at Pressroom Podcast to keep up to date with podcast happenings and to chat and interact with us. We want to hear from our listeners.
You asked and our publisher answered.
Duluth News Tribune publisher Neal Ronquist answers reader submitted questions about the newspaper industry, our use of social media, the future of journalism and the buzzwords that are "fake news".
This week we are throwing it back to one of our all-time favorite Pressroom Podcast episodes.
In October, during the University of Minnesota Duluth's homecoming week we talked with the man underneath the giant Bulldog head.
Taylor Korum, aka Champ, has been the UMD mascot for the past five years. This hockey season is his last as Champ. You can see him this weekend when the Bulldogs take on St. Cloud State at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.
This episode also happens to be the episode when we first aired former intern Kim's introduction music for the podcast.
We are starting off the new year by getting social with local indie-rock band The Social Animals.
Dedric Clark and Tony Petersen, half of the Cloquet-bred band, stops by to talk about the band's promising outlook for 2017. A new album is expected to drop, more touring and more shows, which all leads to more CLIF Bars and gas station hard-boiled eggs being eaten out of a gold van with a clever name.
Everyone shares their New Year's resolutions and Dedric and Tony let us close out the podcast with their song "Cold," which has a spontaneous backstory.
What is your favorite song by The Social Animals? Let us know by emailing us at podcast@duluthnews.com.
Widespread devastation from summer storms, Bob Dylan's Nobel Prize, Duluth elects its first female mayor.
It's been a busy year full of breaking news. You may have seen our top stories of 2016 list in Sunday's paper, but in case you missed it we are going through them in our own words and also adding a few of our favorites that didn't make the list.
Duluth News Tribune executive editor Rick Lubbers joins the podcast crew as we highlight the Northland's top moments in the last 12 months.
What do you remember from last year? What stories stuck out to you the most? Share your memories with us at podcast@duluthnews.com.
Last week when we recorded this episode, the Northland was experiencing continuous days of temps well into the negative teens. Add the windchill to that and it was around 30 below outside. But that didn't stop this week's guest from enjoying winter activities in the snow.
Because of his job, Duluth News Tribune photographer Clint Austin is regularly outside taking photos for the newspaper. But even before he gets to the newsroom, he is outside on his fat bike, or making snow at Chester Park.
Hear what Clint has to say about making the most of living in Duluth and the Northland during the winter. He also shares some tips on the best clothing and how to take the best winter photos.
What is your favorite part of winter in the Northland? Do you have any tips on how to enjoy the cold and snow for those who don't especially like it? Let us know at podcast@duluthnews.com
In a relatively short amount of time Duluth's Vikre Distillery has made its mark in the craft spirits industry.
Emily Vikre, co-founder of the distillery by the Aerial Lift Bridge in Canal Park with her husband Joel, joins us this week to talk about what inspires her to make the tasty cocktails featured in their cocktail room.
Learn more about how the couple with very little experience in spirits started this big venture and how they decided on a name. Hint: there is more to it than just their last name.
Have you been to Vikre Distillery before or tried their products? Let us know what you thought at podcast@duluthnews.com
Bob Dylan, if you are listening to this, know that there is a seat reserved for you at the Rubber Chicken Theater's 9th annual Holiday Sketch Comedy Revue in Duluth this month.
Director Cathy Podeszwa and actor Anders Hultstrom preview this year's show "The Cursed Nobel, or I Saw Dylan Dissing Santa Claus," which includes the great Duck, Duck, Gray Duck / Goose debate. They also talk about a few of the sketches that didn't make the show.
Have any comments or suggestions? Email us at podcast@duluthnews.com
Quality, holistic and local. That's what Duluth chef Nyanyika Banda is all about.
The owner of Marita Pop Up Restaurant, stops by the podcast this week to talk about the growing local food scene in Duluth, what inspires her dishes and what propelled her to start her newest endeavor Duluth Supper Club.
Banda, who is also a food columnist for the News Tribune, shares her favorite food, her guilty pleasure late night snack and her
What we are into this week: Vi's Pizza in Biwabik, true crime podcast "The Vanished Podcast" and season five of the Bravo series "Vanderpump Rules."
We did it! We made our goal of publishing a podcast once a week for an entire year.
We've changed studio spaces, added new voices, recruited more local guests and even added a few new segments to keep things fresh.
This week we take a walk down memory lane and highlight some of our favorite guests/topics, share behind the scenes insider info and discuss where we want to go from here.
Tell us what you think of the podcast and how we can improve it by sending us an email at podcast@duluthnews.com.
This week on Pressroom Podcast meet the guy who does Christmas bigger and grander than anyone else this side of the North Pole.
Nathan Bentley, the man behind Duluth's popular holiday light display Benteyville, highlights what new and exciting things are happening in Bayfront Festival Park this holiday season. And as a special treat to our listeners, Bentley offers his top secret tips on how to avoid the huge crowds and what time is the best time to see Santa.
Bentleyville Tour of Lights opens this Saturday, Nov. 19 in Bayfront Festival Park along Duluth's waterfront.
As always you can reach us at podcast@duluthnews.com.
Our very own photographer and the creator of the News tribune's longest standing blog "Astro Bob" recently added published author to his list of accomplishments.
Bob King tells us about his new book "Night Sky with the Naked Eye" on this week's podcast.
If you have a question for Bob or for the podcast crew email us at podcast@duluthnews.com.
He was your mayor for eight years. He's a published author. And most recently he added political science teacher to his resume. Former Duluth Mayor Don Ness joins us on the podcast this week to talk about the craziness of this election season.
We talk approval ratings, political strategies - what works and what doesn't, the future of politics, and we even get some insider info on the recent Trampled by Turtles hiatus.
This week you will also notice our new segment called "On the Record" where we will share something interesting that happened during the week while we were out reporting on stories. Sticking with the political theme, Brady starts us off with something he encountered while dealing with an unnamed source.
As always you can reach us at podcast@duluthnews.com.
Duluth Budgeteer reporter and huge Shakespeare nerd Teri Cadeau joins us to talk about the First Folio, which has called Duluth home this fall.
The 1623 First Folio is the first printed collection of all of Shakespeare's plays and was on display at the Tweed Museum of Art for the month of October. Today, Oct. 26, is the final day to see it on the University of Minnesota Duluth campus.
Hear about Teri's relationship with Shakespeare, which wasn't love at first sight, and how she felt when she was in the same room as the First Folio. She also explains to Brady that you can't simply just "flip" through it.
Have a question or suggestion for us? Send us a note at podcast@duluthnews.com.
What do the William A. Irvin, Nopeming and Sir Benedict's all have in common?
They are all places the Duluth Paranormal Society has concluded to have paranormal activity.
This week, the founders of the society Amanda and Andy Paszak share what their team does, how they do it and what they've found during recent investigations. Amanda also shares her personal encounter with the paranormal from when she was a little girl.
Have you had a paranormal experience in the Duluth area. We'd love to hear your story. Email us at podcast@duluthnews.com
"It's not a costume. It's a lifestyle."
University of Minnesota Duluth mascot Champ takes a quick break from homecoming festivities to chat with us this week.
Taylor Korum, aka Champ, has been donning a giant gray Bulldog head at UMD football and hockey games, homecoming parades, alumni gatherings and other school sponsored events for the past five years.
Find out how he got the gig, what his favorite thing about being Champ is and what's next for him after graduation.
What we are into this week: Our new intro music courtesy of Kim the eternal intern, horror film on Netflix titled "Hush", MLB playoffs, the Minnesota Lynx, and the upcoming Netflix show "Mascots".
Scary movie marathons, people decorating their yards with tombstones of weird people in history, and candy, candy, candy.
"Halloween has become a season, not just a day," Duluth News Tribune reporter Brady Slater says. "It's a month long or more now."
We loaded the podcast studio this week to bring you everyone's opinion on Halloween and the never ending holiday it has become. We cover everything from pumpkin carving to our favorite horror movies and our best ever costumes.
Tell us what your favorite part of Halloween is a podcast@duluthnews.com.
What we are into this week (rapid fire round): "Exile on Main St." by the Rolling Stones, commuting to work by foot, Plant Nanny app, two-week vacations, and all things fall (sweaters, blankets, new TV series, etc.).
Duluth News Tribune outdoors reporter and columnist Sam Cook stops by the podcast studio again, this time to talk about the best hikes in the area to enjoy the fall colors.
Aside from the obvious Superior Hiking Trail, Oberg Mountain overlook and Ely's Peak, Cook offers some of his favorite trails, best places to stop and eat along the way, photo tips and other tricks so that you can spend less time in traffic and more time on the trails.
What are some of your favorite fall color hikes in the Twin Ports area? Let us know at podcast@duluthnews.com.
What we are into this week: Grouse hunting in Montana, the Nolan-Mills race, and Amazon's six-part comedy series "Fleabag".
We recently all watched the thriller "I Am Not a Serial Killer", which played in the Duluth Superior Film Festival this year and earlier this month was showed at the Zinema.
Parts of the film, which stars Christopher Lloyd and Laura Fraser, were shot in Virginia, Minn., and to our podcast crew turned movie critics the winter scenes from the movie were unmistakably the Iron Range.
While trying to avoid the "spoiler zone," our critics explain what they liked, what they didn't like and whether or not they would watch it again.
If you've seen the movie let us know what you think by emailing us at podcast@duluthnews.com.
What we are into this week: Beyonce's VMA performance, Positively Third Street Bakery and the book with the longest name ever "American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst".
Professional brewer, beer judge and News Tribune columnist Dave Hoops joins us in the studio to talk about the craft brewery scene in Duluth, the role Lake Superior plays in our local beers and what he looks for when he judges suds.
He also shares some of his favorite seasonal varieties, including Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest and Castle Danger's Mosaic Fresh Hop IPA.
What we are into this week: The recent findings in the Jacob Wetterling case, history documentaries, professional tennis, and the FX sitcom "You're the Worst."
Duluth area business owners, entrepreneurs, employees, and consumers meet our newest reporter Brooks Johnson.
Born and raised in Fargo and educated at the University of Montana School of Journalism, Brooks comes to us from Vancouver, Wash., a suburb of Portland, Ore., where he covered business and ports for about a year.
In his first week, Brooks has already hit the ground running and broken some interesting Duluth and Iron Range business stories. Listen here to see what he is most interested in covering in the Twin Ports and why.
If you have a story idea for Brooks or would just like to say hi, you can email us at podcast@duluthnews.com and we will relay the message.
What we are into this week: The new Band of Horses record, the new home of the Minnesota Vikings and website analytics.
What do you have to do, see, eat, wear, and keep in your car to be considered a "true" Duluthian?
The Duluth News Tribune's "humanoid reporting algorithms" try to answer this question in this week's podcast. Christa Lawler, our laugh and giggle beat reporter, put a call out to her Facebook friends and the response was overwhelming.
What do you think it takes to be a "true" Duluthian? Did we miss something? Let us know at podcast@duluthnews.com
What we are into this week: College football, the restaurant Tavern on the Hill, night walks, and lemonade - the beverage not the Beyonce album.
Intern Kim Schneider is our Justin Timberlake to our Jimmy Fallon. In other words, she is one of our most requested (and favorite) guests to have on the show.
As the summer comes to a close, Kim shares her favorite newsroom stories and her favorite Duluth experiences. Some of which may surprise you or make you question whether or not she is more Duluthian than you.
Hear about her new rock collection, her most "Duluth" moment and her local karaoke career. If you have additional suggestions of places she should visit before she leaves you can email us at podcast@duluthnews.com and we will make sure she gets those.
What we are into this week: the television drama series "Sons of Anarchy", the novel "In the Woods" by Tana French, ice cream and public radio.
Tall Ship season is duck season for Duluth native Bob Hom.
As the wrangler of the World's Largest Rubber Duck, Hom's summers are busy spent traveling to various ports around the country and inflating the 61 foot tall, 12 ton bright yellow duck.
In preparation for Tall Ships Duluth, which begins tomorrow, Hom stops by the studio to tell us about his odd job (not his strangest job of all time though he must admit) and what people can expect to see this weekend.
Just so you know, there is a lot of talk about duck butts in this episode. Can't say you weren't warned.
What we are into this week: They Olympics (obviously), and reruns of "The OC" and "Seinfeld".
As always if you have a question for a reporter you can email us at podcast@duluthnews.com
Why do we live and/or work in Duluth? What keeps us here? How can we make our city better?
These are a few of the questions a new city survey asks us to think about. This week take a look into the future and describe what we think Duluth will look like in 19 years.
You can take the survey for yourself at Imagine Duluth 2035 or tell us what you like most about Duluth or what needs to change at podcast@duluthnews.com
What we are into this week: late night television, childhood memories, and the Netflix-original series "Stranger Things." Also Brady calls Christa Chrissy. Not sure where that came from.
Summer is the perfect time to get outside and experience all that Lake Superior has to offer.
Some prefer to take a quick dip in the lake from the sandy beaches of Duluth's Park Point or watch a stunning sunset in the Apostle Islands. While others get super ambitious and take a road trip driving around the world's largest freshwater lake.
Duluth News Tribune reporter Lisa Kazcke (pronounced "cats ski") recently completed the Lake Superior Circle Tour, driving a total of 1,536 miles in eight days around the big lake through Minnesota, Canada, Michigan and Wisconsin. Kazcke shares her highlights from the trip, including the giant goose in Wawa, Ontario, the Soo Locks, and eating poutine for the first time.
Have you been wanting to complete the Lake Superior Circle Tour? Have you already checked this trip off your bucket list? Let us know at podcast@duluthnews.com
What we are into this week: the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, Little League Baseball, "Sweetbitter" by Stephanie Danler and salad dressings.
Everyone is talking about it so why wouldn't we?
Find out who has played the new virtual reality game and who is a curmudgeon about it. Where are the best places to catch rare Pokemon around Duluth and the Twin Ports? What we like most about the new game and what we don't like so much. Is it good for society? Why or why not?
What has been your experience with Pokemon Go? Let us know at podcast@duluthnews.com.
What we are into this week: "Documentary Now" on Netflix, Amazing Grace Bakery and Cafe in Canal Park, color runs, and "The Girls" by Emma Cline.
Concerts, robotics competitions, Thanksgiving dinner, hockey games, dog shows, etc. The list goes on and on.
The Duluth Entertainment Convention Center has seen it all in the last 50 years. Dan Russell, executive director of the DECC, shares some of his favorite memories from over the years, including one about golfing with Alice Cooper at Ridgeview Country Club. He also gives us the inside scoop on how they got the Beach Boys to come to Duluth.
What is your favorite memory of the DECC? Did you go to your first concert there? Maybe you've never missed a UMD hockey game. Or maybe you find yourself there every Thanksgiving Day sharing a meal with your neighbors. Let us know your DECC story by emailing us at podcast@duluthnews.com
What we are into this week: We were so into talking about the DECC that we never shared what we are into this week. So I guess we are into the DECC.
The man, the myth, the living legend.
Duluth News Tribune outdoors writer and columnist Sam Cook shares his words of wisdom, outdoor expertise and the story behind yellow dog on this week's Pressroom Podcast.
Cook recently hiked the entire Duluth portion of the Superior Hiking Trail, 32.5 miles, in one day with two other guys. He tells us his favorite parts of the trail, what he ate throughout the hike and whether or not he will do it again.
"It was everything I wanted it to be," Cook said about the daylong hike. "It's just walking but it ain't walking on the Lakewalk."
What we are into this week: Learning from our children, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and exploring the Northland trails. Can you guess who said what?
We also respond to your best burger submissions. Thank you to all who responded and as always if you have a question or comment please email us at podcast@duluthnews.com.
Over a month ago, we declared our love for our favorite pizza pies in the Twin Ports. Now with grilling season in full swing, our mouths are watering over juicy, greasy, delicious burgers.
"I just had a BBQ bacon cheddar burger and it's just really good," said Christa about the new burgers being offered at Toasty's in downtown Duluth. "I don't even feel bad about eating it. I could eat one every day and I'd never get the burger guilts."
Putting all of their burger "guilts" aside Christa, Brady and Tom highlight their favorite go-to burgers around town, what toppings are acceptable and whether or not "craft" burgers, such as ones made with wild rice patties or served bunless, should be classified as actual burgers.
What is your favorite burgers in the Twin Ports? Email us at podcast@duluthnews.com
What we are into this week: Brady is challenging his kids on the tennis courts, Christa dives head first into the Snapchat world, and Tom throws us a curveball.
Well, we did it.
We got Duluth Mayor Emily Larson to agree to be on our podcast and answer all our questions - less policy and more personality - sight unseen.
Mayor Larson describes the moment when she officially felt like a Duluthian, what her favorite attractions are in the city and why she makes her guests jump in Lake Superior when they come to visit.
Also back by popular demand, newsroom interns Kier Zimmerman and Kim Schneider get the Mayor's opinion on Millennials, her favorite female role models and Beyonce's new album Lemonade.
What we are into this week: Cavs winning the NBA Finals, the lively city of New Orleans, sitting on floors, Rock the Garden, Dolly Parton, and the Minnesota Lynx. Can you guess which one(s) Mayor Larson said?
As always you can reach us at podcast@duluthnews.com with any questions, comments or topics you'd like to see covered.
Meet our summer newsroom interns Kier Zimmerman and Kim Schneider as they offer their fresh, Millennial perspective of Duluth and its residents.
Kier is a Duluth East grad who wrote for the Greyhound student newspaper, enjoys James Corden videos and hopes to teach Brady Slater a thing or two about pop culture. Kim is from the Twin Cities suburbs, has a passion for hula hooping and hopes to cover stories that focus on successful women leaders in the area.
Already the two of them have written some of our most popular news stories in June. If you have a question for our interns email us at podcast@duluthnews.com and we will invite them back for another show.
Happy Grandma's Marathon week!
Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Louie St. George III, a marathon runner himself, joins us in this week's Pressroom Podcast to talk about one of Duluth's biggest events of the year.
Grandma's Marathon is the 11th largest marathon in the country. The marathon, which celebrates its 40th year running Saturday, and its other races will bring over 20,000 runners to the Duluth and the shores of Lake Superior.
Have you run Grandma's Marathon before? Will you be running it this year? We want to hear from you. Email us at podcast@duluthnews.com.
What we are into this week: Murder mystery (x2), the new family dog, and vegetarianism. How is that for variety?
After watching a handful of episodes, or the entire 13-episode show, the Pressroom Podcast crew sits down to critique the new Netflix Original Series "Lady Dynamite" starring Duluth-raised actor-comedian Maria Bamford.
Whether it's your introduction to Bamford's work like Brady Slater or you've been following her whole life's work like Christa Lawler, the Pressroom Podcast crew agrees Bamford's new show has something to offer everyone.
Have you watched the show? Tell us what you think at podcast@duluthnews.com.
Duluth News Tribune's most read blogger Bob King, a.k.a Astro Bob, stops by the studio for a little astronomy lesson.
King, who is also the photography editor at the New Tribune, shares the story of when he first got interested in space, offers a little teaser to his new book to be published this fall and what to look for in the night sky right now.
"The best thing right now is to just go out and face the southeast at night, just right over Lake Superior, and you will see this fiery bright star and that's the planet Mars," King said. "And you're like 'Wow, how did that show up in my life?' And it's just because you took a moment to look up. And a lot of people don't."
Visit his blog here for up to date "celestial happenings you can see from your own backyard."
If you have a question for Astro Bob or the podcast crew, email us at podcast@duluthnews.com
Duluth's native son Bob Dylan turned 75 Tuesday. To celebrate the musician's milestone birthday, Duluth News Tribune reporters Christa Lawler, Brady Slater and Tom Olsen share their favorite Dylan songs, memories and find out who is the biggest fan among the three of them.
Although, after this response we'd say it's a pretty lopsided contest.
"If I'm in my care I've got Dylan. If I'm in my garage I've got Dylan. I've got the 'Freewheelin'' Dylan in my garage and I listen to that maybe once a week," Slater said. "I listen to '61 Revisited' while I'm in my kitchen once or twice a week. But like I said, I don't have the encyclopedic understanding of his career."
Do you have a favorite Bob Dylan song or memory? Share with us at podcast@duluthnews.com.
Thin crust or deep dish? Tomato sauce or white garlic sauce? Veggie or meat lovers? Olives or no olives?
"You know how they talk about how a person sort of changes every seven years? I have gone through phases of being into sauce. Phases of being a cheese guy. But right now, I'm in a seven-year crust phase," newsroom pizza expert Brady Slater said. "And the crust matters to me."
From the best places in town to get a slice, to the best/most unusual toppings and the best finds in the freezer section at the grocery store, Slater along with Duluth News Tribune's trusted za experts Christa Lawler and Tom Olsen weigh in on the popular pie.
This week we bring you the first ever Podcast Potluck - a mix of the recent Twin Ports happenings that we've been wanting to talk about.
Topics range from the notorious Minnesota fishing opener weather to the new Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken. We put a few of these topics in a hat, a fedora to be specific, and Duluth News Tribune reporters Brady Slater and Tom Olsen offer their two cents on the matter. Other topics include the new Maurices headquarters in downtown Duluth and new happenings in Superior as requested by one of our loyal listeners.
As always if you have a topic idea or comment, please email us at podcast@duluthnews.com
For some the Duluth tourism season begins when the first Saltie passes underneath the Aerial Lift Bridge. For others it's when the Portland Malt Shoppe opens up along the Lakewalk.
Duluth News Tribune reporters Brady Slater, Christa Lawler and Tom Olsen share what they love about tourism in Duluth and whether or not they take part in the larger events such as Grandma's Marathon or the Tall Ships Festival.
What is your favorite thing about tourism in Duluth? Do participate in the larger weekend events or do you tend to walk in the opposite direction? Let us know at podcast@duluthnews.com.
Founder of Duluth's Homegrown Music Festival Scott "Starfire" Lunt joins us in the studio this week to talk about how the week-long festival started, how the local music scene has grown since and how he got his nickname.
As Duluth News Tribune's arts and entertainment reporter Christa Lawler gears up for her "Super Bowl" event, which begins Sunday, May 1, she gives Homegrown newbies Tom Olsen and Brady Slater a lesson on the annual music event.
Lunt also announce that his band, Father Hennepin, will be performing with a famous person during Homegrown. As a bonus, you can hear Father Hennepin's song "Grace and Despair" in our intro and outro this week.
Side note: if you've seen Lunt's green Guild Starfire guitar you are encouraged to return it to its rightful owner.
"There is more space to let your freak flag fly. You are more willing to be yourself. Like, there's other people like you somewhere. I just think it's a really accepting group."
Yeah, the Millennial producer hand-picked that quote. But Christa Lawler, a proud Gen-Xer, did actually say it. So that should count for something, right?
This week Duluth News Tribune reporters Brady Slater, Christa Lawler and Tom Olsen join the hundreds of thousands of other people talking about the 20-30 somethings who grew up with the world at their fingertips.
What do you think about the Millennial generation? Let us know at podcast@duluthnews.com
Slow news day? You are a mouthpiece for the city. You're just trying to sell papers.
Here it is folks. Popular misconceptions about the newspaper industry.
Duluth News Tribune reporters Brady Slater, Christa Lawler and Tom Olsen discuss some of the more popular newspaper misconceptions they hear from readers or see in comments on Facebook posts.
Did we miss any? Do you agree/disagree with these misconceptions? Let us know at podcast@duluthnews.com
Mystery, drama and a superhero movie. Duluth News Tribune reporters Brady Slater, Christa Lawler and Tom Olsen checked out a few new movies recently and here is what they had to say. Everything you need to know from Siskel, Ebert and the other guy.
New to the podcast, find out what the gang is up to on their regular assignment beats with our inside the newsroom segment "Your beat, my beat."
After the recent news about Silver Bay pulling Bent Paddle beer from its liquor store, Duluth News Tribune reporters Brady Slater, Tom Olsen and Christa Lawler share their thoughts on the situation and the formation of the Downstream Business Coalition, of which Bent Paddle is a part of.
The coalition is made up of "small business owners who understand that a sustainable economy in Minnesota's North is dependent on a healthy ecosystem and clean water."
"I have to admit, I thought I would be basically off this week working on projects around the house I bought last summer. ... But nope, the Bulldogs are in the NCAA tournament, which is cool. It's fun. It makes my job more interesting yet."
Duluth News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens wakes up early to join Christa Lawler and Tom Olsen on the Pressroom Podcast and talk about the University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team, which is headed for the NCAA tournament this week in Worcester, Mass. Wellens briefs us on the Bulldogs' road to the tourney, their performance in the Frozen Faceoff and how they match up against Friday's opponent, defending national champion Providence.
Not too long ago Subway was the only lunch option near our downtown Duluth office. Now there is more variety and more appeal to eating out for lunch. Duluth News Tribune arts and entertainment reporter Christa Lawler joins Tom Olsen this week to talk about a few of the new lunch choices they are making these days. Both Olsen and Lawler eat out for lunch everyday so one could say they are experts in the field.
In the wake of a powerful obituary that was published in the Duluth News Tribune last week, reporters Brady Slater and Tom Olsen honor the family's wishes by breaking the "destructive silence on the stigma surrounding mental illness and suicide."
Story: Powerful obituary seeks talk about depression, suicide
Obituary: Aletha Meyer Pinnow
"I come away pretty proud that (this movie) sheds a really good light on reporting. So this is a good moment for our kind," Duluth News Tribune reporter Brady Slater said about Academy Awards Best Picture winner "Spotlight."
This week Slater and Tom Olsen talk about the film (small spoilers, but nothing Earth shattering), why they think it deserved the award and what it means to journalists today and how they cover tough stories. Olsen has reported on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and offers his experience in covering these controversial cases.
Let us know what you thought of the film. Send us your comments or thoughts to podcast@duluthnews.com
The 2016 presidential race has proven to be full of surprises from the candidate field to the primary elections. With Super Tuesday approaching, Duluth News Tribune reporters Brady Slater and Tom Olsen talk politics, as they often do from their adjoining cubicles in the newsroom.
Last week, Fargo police officer Jason Moszer was killed in action after an eight-hour standoff in North Fargo. Duluth News Tribune reporters Brady Slater and Tom Olsen felt compelled to honor Moszer's life by talking about the critical role police officers play in our daily lives.
"This situation really makes me think of police in a new light. I've been critical of police in the past, maybe conversationally, ... I'm going to come clean and say, what a profession where you would have all this brotherhood and where you would have all this camaraderie to come out and support this (Moszer's life and family)."
This week on Pressroom Podcast, Duluth News Tribune reporters Brady Slater and Tom Olsen talk Minnesota winters. Whether it's driving in snow and ice, participating in winter activities or just surviving the cold temperatures, the winter season affects us all in the Northland.
Let the Hockey Day Minnesota festivities begin. The rink in Duluth's Bayfront Festival Park is all set for Saturday's games. This week, Duluth News Tribune reporters Brady Slater and Tom Olsen invite prep sports reporter Louie St. George III to talk about the big outdoor prep hockey games this weekend and what it means to have Hockey Day Minnesota staged in Duluth this year.
There are some new and exciting things happening around Duluth these days. Duluth News Tribune reporters Brady Slater and Tom Olsen talk us through the changes happening around the city and the excitement leading up to the annual John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon.
This week on Pressroom Podcast, Duluth News Tribune reporters Brady Slater and Tom Olsen give their two cents about the much talked about Netflix series "Making a Murderer."
This week Duluth News Tribune reporters Brady Slater and Tom Olsen talk with photographer Bob King about cameras being allowed in a Duluth courtroom for the first time as part of a state pilot program.
This week, Duluth News Tribune reporters Brady Slater and Tom Olsen discuss Emily Larson's inauguration as mayor of Duluth, Don Ness' new career and Superior Mayor Bruce Hagen telling Wisconsin Public Radio that he is pushing for his own recall.
Duluth News Tribune reporters Brady Slater and Tom Olsen discuss the Top 10 stories of 2015 as voted on by News Tribune staff. Listen to them as the recall how that story affected them, where they were that particular day and where they see these stories going as we head into the new year.
This week reporter Brady Slater hosts Duluth Budgeteer reporter Teri Cadeau to discuss book clubs, including one Duluth book club that has been around for 100 years.
This week on Pressroom Podcast, reporter Brady Slater hosts sci-fi aficionado Meghan Callahan to talk about all things "Star Wars" in preparation for Friday's release of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens".
This week reporter Brady Slater hosts comedian/retired letter carrier John Peterman to talk about odd jobs, Seinfeld and what things are funny about Duluth.
This week, reporter Brady Slater talks with local musician Mary Bue about her record "Holy Bones" and destroying pianos in her dreams.
Duluth News Tribune reporter Brady Slater hosts fellow reporter Tom Olsen in this pilot episode of the Pressroom Podcast. Listen as they discuss their experiences covering crime stories and the overall atmosphere of working in the newsroom together. And the World Series. These avid baseball fans couldn’t leave that out of the first podcast. Check back here every Wednesday to hear local guests talk about music, shipping history, the new Star Wars movie and much more.