Recent Articles

I would like to thank the Reader and your columnists Ramos and Martell for their investigative excellence in reporting on the local issues of corruption and exposing undemocratic activities of the governments in our fair city.   These reporters are doing what every journalist should be doing.  But such journalism is rare in the corporate/government/fourth estate cronyism that is rampant in Duluth and in most of Minnesota.  Small papers like the Reader Weekly, the Zentih, and the Timber Jay in Tower are now doing the only investigative journalism.  It is only you small independent papers tha

The enrollment at the Duluth Public Schools continues to drop. This year’s September enrollment was 228 lower than last year’s.  This is a continuation of the steady drop in enrollment in the schools that has continued non-stop from the 1970’s when there were 25,000 students in the public schools.  But this drop isn’t happening in other area schools.

The following article was written in response to an article by the Minnsesota School Board Association advocating to remove the right of citizens to vote on large school building projects.

I'm a school board member in Duluth.  I respectfully disagree that schools or school boards should be able levy for building projects without a referendum.  In a perfect world, maybe I would be inclined to agree.  But I think that having referendums on building projects are more important now than ever.   Here's my reasons:

The New Year is almost here.  The Duluth school’s Red Plan construction is completed.  The public has given us a financial reprise by passing a small increase in local support for education (but not buildings), and state funding is increasing. We have three new members on the school board.  Change is in the air.  It is time for some soul searching: what have we done right, what have we done wrong, how can we move from the past into a positive future?    It is time for new-year resolutions and a new era.