Pressroom Podcast

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 

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 d

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.