Pressroom Podcast

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.