Recent content from Pam Louwagie
What it was like to watch the northern lights dance across the Midwestern sky
The northern lights put on spectacular show across Minnesota and Wisconsin on Friday night into Saturday.
Minnesota's large dark sky areas are unique. How can we preserve them?
Light pollution is growing worse, but every Minnesotan can take steps to curb it.
Events marking the two-year anniversary of the police killing of George Floyd
The events are going on Wednesday across Minneapolis and St. Paul
Ten years after hockey injury, 'Jabs' carves his own path
Jack Jablonski relishes his role as an insider in the sport that both shattered and helped him.
Children's Minnesota tackles racial health disparities: 'What gets measured, gets done'
Children's Minnesota is using a dashboard to show racial disparities in patient outcomes, and efforts to change them.
One dead, four wounded after shooting at Buffalo health clinic
A 67-year-old male suspect has been detained after the shooting at an Allina Health clinic. He had a history of being unhappy with health care he had received and threatening medical workers, authorities said. Police found suspicious devices as well.
Revered prep football coach gets heat for Diversity Club comments
Carl Fruechte questions whether a club at Caledonia High School in southern Minnesota will be open to differing views of homosexuality.
Grand Marais mayor's dog survives wolf attack
Wolves cornered Blue, a two-year-old Weimaraner, on a trail in the woods.
Federal stimulus will help pay internet bills, boost broadband access across Minnesota
The COVID relief bill includes $7 billion for increasing access and security.
St. Paul matriarch, 99, and family survive COVID scare
The petite 99-year-old had been in good health until early November, when she started sleeping all day and eating only a few bites.
Senators challenge Trump order banning some diversity training concepts
Smith, Klobuchar join 21 senators challenging Trump executive order.
N.J. tech firm buys Cook County News-Herald and looks to add others
The sale is a New Jersey company's first media purchase.
Surroundings make racial reckoning look different in rural Minn.
Diversity levels, social norms and politicization play a role in shaping attitudes in both big cities and small towns.
The wait over next president is agonizing, both sides in Minnesota agree
People turned to doughnuts, caffeine, yoga, wine, exercise and all other sorts of therapies — including the warm sun of a perfect autumn day — doing their best to peel themselves away from television, radio and smartphones in the name of staying sane.
![Amanda Garcia offered advice to her sister-in-law in Nevada, who had called to ask how to go about voting in today's election. ] JEFF WHEELER • jeff](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/6QT536PWDZOVHY3MWY732N7GVI.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
North Dakota trying to cope as nation's new top virus hot spot
Mask policies are popping up, a hospital is supplementing its staff with contract nurses from out of town, and the state recently asked COVID-positive residents to conduct their own contact tracing.
Defense argues to drop weapons charges against hockey star Mark Pavelich
Weapons seized at his North Shore home were found as a result of illegal searches, a defense attorney argues.
Wisconsin struggles with new surge in COVID-19 cases
New restrictions are enacted after the state becomes a hot spot.
Poll: More Minnesotans acknowledge racial inequality
Still, about half of likely voters said they feel civilian violence in cities is a bigger problem than police violence against Black people nationwide, according to a new Star Tribune/MPR News/KARE 11 Minnesota Poll.
Hockey star Mark Pavelich moves to less restrictive mental health facility
After making strides in treatment, the Miracle on Ice star will live in a facility offering more interaction as he awaits trial on assault charges.
Stunned Minneapolis picks up pieces after unrest
2 cities on curfew, officers stationed to quell violence
Curfews in Mpls., St. Paul start night calmly
Well into the evening, Nicollet Mall remained peaceful with only a few people on the streets. In Minneapolis, law enforcement arrested 30 people within the first hour, according to a police spokesman. St. Paul had reported no late arrests.
Mark Sertich, world's oldest hockey player, dies at 99 in Duluth
Mark Sertich was 99 when he died surrounded by family and friends in the Duluth house where he grew up and lived independently up until his last days. He skated until last month.
Young Black woman says she won't move back after three years of 'Minnesota Nice' racism
Emily Otiso's frustrations came pouring out after hearing co-workers discuss George Floyd's death.
Rachel Vrudny, an educator who battled adversity with optimism, dies of COVID-19 complications at 60
Vrudny, of Brainerd, was adventurous and tough despite a lifetime of health problems, her father said.
Caught in storm, Boundary Waters campers thankful to be alive
Nine wilderness campers from St. Paul are happy to be alive and healthy after a storm's swirling winds uprooted trees all around them in their Boundary Waters campsite Wednesday evening.
Superior Hiking Trail group gets new leader
Lisa Luokkala last worked as a senior parks planner for the city of Duluth.
![Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken spoke at the press conference discussing the measures the city would be taking to slow the spread of COVID-19. ] ALEX](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/6YMO5Z3ACXBP2A2CWEPE5EG2FY.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Duluth police tactics during arrest called consistent with department policies
Three officers struggled to contain a man on the ground with one officer delivering knee strikes, chief said.
Northeast Minnesota casinos set to reopen
The casinos are following the lead of others in Minnesota which opened at the end of May.
Duluth playgrounds opening, but not athletic fields
Budget woes mean not enough staff to maintain some facilities, city leaders said.
Outdoor spaces reopening at Duluth attractions, including Lake Superior Zoo and Glensheen
The zoo will reopen Friday.
Rousing memorial for George Floyd looks ahead to what's next
Politicians, civil rights legends and pro athletes joined family members at a Minneapolis memorial to mourn George Floyd, the man whose death after being pinned to the ground by Minneapolis police last week sparked global outrage.
Tensions on streets ebb in wake of George Floyd's death
Gov. Tim Walz talked of pulling back a portion of more than 7,000 National Guard members that had been called in to help quell violence in the metro area. Hours were reduced on a Twin Cities curfew, and officials planned to leave freeways open.
Minnesota resorts reinventing hospitality for COVID-19 era
"Maximum service with a minimum interface" was how one resort's general manager described the way forward with summer about to kick off.
Minnesota retail shops are open again, but foot traffic is light
The state is allowing all stores to open as long as they file safety plans and limit capacity to 50%.
Bad news, bear: This Duluth mall is closed
With nearby Miller Creek and a forest bordering the parking lot, the mall has seen visits from beavers, fox, rabbits and even coyotes over the years.
![Governor Tim Walz announced at a press conference Tuesday that he was lifting a suspension on elective surgeries in Minnesota.. ] GLEN STUBBE •](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/RTGXZMFAN3LANUEJOFYPFJNQNE.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
COVID-19 puts some Minnesota rural hospitals on life support
Without elective procedures or COVID surges, already-stressed rural health care systems are taking an extra financial hit.
South Dakota under fire for stance on fighting COVID-19
Despite an explosion of cases at a Sioux Falls pork plant, the state is one of the few that has yet to impose a statewide stay-at-home order.
Popular eatery in downtown Grand Marais engulfed in flames
Crooked Spoon restaurant, two gift shops destroyed in downtown fire.
Spotty internet access is leaving many rural Minnesotans behind
As Minnesotans work and study from home amid the pandemic, access to high-speed internet has become more important than ever. For the rural households without high-speed internet or reliable connections, keeping up has been a struggle.
Rural Martin County becomes unlikely hotbed for coronavirus
As of Monday, two county residents had died from the virus out of 23 who had tested positive — including nine from a local church congregation, according to the pastor.
Social distancing doesn't come easy to small-town Minnesota
In towns across the state, where neighbors rely neighbors, social distancing doesn't come easy.
In Minnesota's small tourist towns, there's trepidation over visitors
Northern Minnesota's Cook County usually welcomes visitors, but now wants to keep COVID-19 at bay.
As icebreaker preps for Great Lakes shipping, shippers hope for more
Mild temps and thin ice make shippers' pitch for better ice breaking equipment a tougher sell.
A little opera in Minnesota's big North Woods
Duluth opera company brings cultural experience to young students in northern Minnesota.
Ice cave formations draw curious to Lake Superior: 'It's so quiet out here'
Intrepid trekkers get their ice cave fix, sans crowds, on the world's largest freshwater lake.
Summer of Voyageur National Park wolf research reveals a berry surprise
Using real-time data from GPS collars to set up trail cameras, researchers found that blueberries may play a more important role in the canines' diet than researchers had known.
St. Louis County launches Safe Babies Court
Legal system teams with social services in a new St. Louis County initiative.
Three charged with aiding murder in Duluth woman's overdose death
One of the victim's children called 911 after finding her passed out in the bathroom of their apartment.
Family hopes Olympic hockey player Pavelich's story helps others
He was once an American sports hero, a high-flying playmaker from Minnesota's Iron Range who competed with the best hockey players in the world. Now, his fall has been heartbreaking for his family and friends to see.
Alaska musher wins Beargrease for second time in three years
Alaska's Ryan Redington wins Beargrease for the second time in three years
Dogs unleash pent-up energy at start of Beargrease
Beargrease mushers say they admire the sport, love the dogs
Higher tax bills for Minnesota cabins rented part time raises fears Up North
Assessors are re-examining vacation properties rented out for part of the year.
Popular light display moves to Glensheen
The Spirit of the Lights has moved from its Park Point home.
Judge rules former 'Miracle on Ice' star mentally ill, dangerous
Former U.S. Olympic hockey player Mark Pavelich was ordered committed to a secure treatment facility.
Used-gear store in Duluth aims to get people outdoors
Duluth shop wants to offer a sustainable way to try activities.
Popular North Shore sea stack falls victim to powerful winter storm
The rock had been slowly eroding, losing an arch in 2010, before it became a casualty of a powerful storm over the weekend.
Judge considers commitment decision on 'Miracle on Ice' player Mark Pavelich
Former hockey player Mark Pavelich awaits civil commitment decision.
![Erosion on the coastline of Park Point in Duluth, MN as seen from an airplane on October 30, 2019.]
ALEX KORMANN • alex.kormann@startribune.com](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/G3NNMWWI5QAAIA2I5ZM6DOGR4Q.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Duluth's Park Point may be gradually crumbling away
The future is important to the more than 300 residential structures, hotels and other businesses that call it home, as well as the bustling shipping industry
Larvae of zebra mussels found in Lake of the Woods, Minnesota DNR says
The Minnesota DNR added the Minnesota portion of the lake to the state's zebra mussel infested waters list.
Duluth's recreational trails are helping city remake its image
The pathways have become real estate selling points, a sign that Duluth's investments in rebranding itself as an outdoors haven are paying off.
'Miracle on Ice' player Pavelich found incompetent to stand trial
A judge suspended the assault case against the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" hockey star.
Judge approves $40 million settlement with Duluth Diocese
Diocese must also open files on priests and develop plan to protect children.
Minneapolis man arrested after shooting during Fond du Lac funeral
Mourners helped restrain the suspect until police could arrive
William A. Irvin museum ship is back in its Duluth slip
The masterful maneuver took place with just over a foot of clearance.
Duluth's famous Irvin museum ship ready to come home as soon as Wednesday
Officials need a calm day to tow it through the pedestrian bridge.
Jayme Closs, who freed herself from her captor, feels 'stronger every day'
Year after her kidnapping, parents' killings, teen is "reclaiming her life."
![Lake Superior kicked up some spray in front of the peak foliage along the North Shore by the Split Rock Lighthouse in Two Harbors, MN. ]
ALEX KORMANN](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/GNXFEQUV2SSG762KL3HX7I2BIA.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
You're hired! Split Rock Lighthouse gets new resident keeper
Hayes Scriven, who now directs a veterans historical museum in Superior, Wis., starts Nov. 1.
Too many moose? Michigan lawmakers push for hunt on Isle Royale
The proposal comes about a year after the Park Service began the controversial move of introducing more wolves to the island, bringing the wild canines in from Minnesota, Canada and the park's home state of Michigan.
Minnesota town of Two Harbors struggles with saving beloved tug
Historic Edna G. tugboat needs costly repairs and maintenance
Homeless man charged in Duluth synagogue fire
Homeless Duluth man not charged with arson but with felony negligence.
