Toddler sitting behind me, looking out the window during the descent to MSP: “Where’s Minnesota? I can’t see it!”
Jay Gabler
@jaygabler.com
The Local: Twin Cities newsletter co-host at The New York Times. Formerly associated with Duluth News Tribune, The Current, City Pages. Views expressed are mine alone.
You know you’re a Minnesotan in New York when you find yourself thinking, “I should wait for that person to finish using the revolving door before I get into the revolving door.”
Duluth mover: “I knew I shouldn’t have spent 12 hours last night tilling that guy’s land.”
The family next to us at the brewery abandoned their table, and the answer sheet their ~9yo was using for trivia. For “What year did crew members first arrive on the International Space Station?” she guessed 1902.
Even after four years living in Duluth, I’m rarely 100% certain whether any given band I’m watching includes a member of Trampled by Turtles.
I'm excited to share that I've joined @nytimes.com as part of a new initiative.
The New York Times to Launch Local Newsletter in the Twin Cities | The New York Times Company
nytco.com
The latest Stranger Things publishing project has Nancy and Robin reuniting their sleuthing duo. @schneiderjamz.bsky.social knows this world inside out (and upside down), so “One Way or Another” is a welcome addition to the show’s expanding universe. Thanks Random House for the free book.
"Ever since coming to Duluth three years ago, I'd thought that something musical should be done in the summer. In talking to the musicians, I found out I wasn't the only one who felt that way." - Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra founder Warren Friesen, speaking with @duluthnews.bsky.social in 1987
Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra marks 40 years
The performers are presenting July concerts in both Duluth and Superior. The programs will include both classic touchstones and new music, with young musicians included as always.
duluthnewstribune.com
When the Park Point Art Fair started in 1971, organizers quickly learned that drunk smelters weren't the best art buyers.
Duluth's two summer art fairs: one new, one returning
While Art in Bayfront Park is gone, Flock ArtFest aims to bring a new energy to the harborside venue. But first, the Park Point Art Fair returns for a 54th year.
duluthnewstribune.com
Who knows where All Pints will land, but it's hard to imagine anywhere more epic than Bayfront.
All Pints North to leave Duluth after 2026
The popular beer festival will continue, but in another location yet to be announced.
duluthnewstribune.com
This review feature may have more euphemisms per column inch than anything I've previously written for the @duluthnews.bsky.social.
New Duluth-linked romance novels to warm your summer days
Duluth authors Cassandra Medcalf and Gia Stevens have new books on the shelves, as does hockey romance specialist (and spouse of a former Bulldog) Lexi LaFleur Brown.
duluthnewstribune.com
"We're not a band that (is) rushing. We're seeing where the chips fall, and then acting from there. We've got time."
Willem Dafoe Fan Club keeps tempos low, emotions high
The group includes Hollis Sparhawk, daughter of Low's Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk. "I'm always drawn to slowing it down," she said.
duluthnewstribune.com
Few moments in popular music are as unsettling as when, in the Chordettes’ “Mr. Sandman,” the sandman answers back. “YESSSSS?”
Duluth audiences had a rare opportunity: Désirée, Fredrik, and Frederika were played by members of a real-life family.
Review: LOON's 'Little Night Music' hit warm notes
Lyric Opera of the North's production of Stephen Sondheim's classic musical had a special resonance given its real-life family casting, and Sunday's audience was clearly moved.
duluthnewstribune.com
Maybe my favorite thing about writing for @duluthnews.bsky.social is that every time I mention Bob Dylan, I have not only an excuse but an imperative to point out that he was born in Duluth.
"I don't want Big Tech to know about the origins of Obleek!"
'The Sturgeon Sound': DIY documentation of Twin Ports' DIY music scene
Ellie Adams, Oliver Heck and Gavin Weiers see their zine as an "ongoing documentary" of the independent musicians making their way through the densely interconnected scene in Duluth and Superior.
duluthnewstribune.com
Even after living in Duluth for years, it’s still crazy to look out the window and see clouds of fog floating up the hill like they’re making a Target run.
Don't worry, "talk Duluthy to me" isn't going anywhere.
Visit Duluth looks beyond 'heads in beds and people in seats'
The organization is preparing to develop a master plan that will answer the question, "What kind of destination do we want Duluth to be?"
duluthnewstribune.com
You have to love a story that includes the phrases "newly armored shoreline," "powerful wave action," and "a mile-high sheet of ice."
'Duluth's front yard' reopens after $3 million renovation
The grounds of the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center have not been so significantly improved since the attraction opened in 1973. The visitor center has also returned to daily opening hours.
duluthnewstribune.com
I’m not one to wring my hands over kids’ TV, but I have to say I’m concerned with the degree to which it misleads viewers regarding the prevalence of surprise birthday parties.
I did the math, and this equates to over 13 books published *every day* in the @duluthnews.bsky.social coverage area alone.
Book Output Topped Four Million in 2025
The total number of books published in the U.S. in 2025 jumped 32.5% over 2024, according to statistics compiled by Bowker, led by a boom in self-published titles. The number of traditionally publishe...
publishersweekly.com
Journalist Robin Washington is working to bring his mother's work to wider attention.
Duluth exhibit marks centennial of artist-activist Jean Birkenstein Washington
The artist, a peer of Joan Mitchell and Edward Gorey, was mother to journalist Robin Washington. Her work is on display at a Chicago arts center and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Duluth.
duluthnewstribune.com
You know it's summertime in Duluth when you step out your door and realize it finally feels like spring.
Duluth built what might be the country's longest intracity municipal bus route — and it's been a massive success.
Northlandia: Duluth's extraordinarily long bus route
The 103 travels over 23 miles, all without leaving the city limits, as it winds its way from UMD to Gary-New Duluth. That outstrips the longest intracity routes in places like New York and Chicago.
duluthnewstribune.com
The wit that made Lena Dunham “a voice of a generation” fills her new memoir, a wild ride up and down the zeitgeist roller coaster. If you’ve only read the excerpts, you’re missing the real story. Thanks Random House for the free book.
When you saw Meryl Streep's sofa in "The Devil Wears Prada 2," did you yell out that it was designed by a guy from Duluth? YOU SHOULD HAVE.
Designer from Duluth has Hollywood moment
Several pieces by Misha Kahn appear in "The Devil Wears Prada 2." That's just the latest in a string of international successes Kahn has achieved since graduating from Marshall School in 2007.
duluthnewstribune.com
"It is a starter market for a lot of people," said Maria Vollom. A benefit of working in a smaller market, she continued, is that "you get to do everything. You get to learn how to do it all, and hopefully do it all pretty well."
News anchors you knew before they even graduated
Recent University of Minnesota Duluth alumnae Maria Vollom (Fox 21) and Ella Schoeberl (Northern News Now) landed behind anchor desks prior to picking up their diplomas.
duluthnewstribune.com
🌬️ @barrettchase.duluthnewstribune.com caught this yesterday afternoon: from atop the hill to on the lake, there was a 33-degree temperature differential within the city of Duluth.
