Barrett Chase
@barrettchase.duluthnewstribune.com
Digital editor at Duluth News Tribune. (That's in Minnesota, not Georgia.) Frequenter of the public library's local history center. Lover of data. Anti-dis/misinformation.
Today I learned that there was once a proposal to construct a sixth Great Lake. The idea was that it would make construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway easier, reduce dredging costs and provide more water to Chicago.
November 17, 2025 at 12:41 AM
Today I learned that there was once a proposal to construct a sixth Great Lake. The idea was that it would make construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway easier, reduce dredging costs and provide more water to Chicago.
I'm not picking on this question in particular. In my experience all ballot questions read like this.
October 28, 2025 at 1:41 PM
I'm not picking on this question in particular. In my experience all ballot questions read like this.
Be careful of which hat you buy for your kid, lest they look FREAKISH.
October 26, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Be careful of which hat you buy for your kid, lest they look FREAKISH.
This 1955 wire story that ran in the DNT, touting how a 14-year-old killed 300 animals while on safari in Africa, should leave no doubt as to why certain animals are endangered.
August 24, 2025 at 4:23 PM
This 1955 wire story that ran in the DNT, touting how a 14-year-old killed 300 animals while on safari in Africa, should leave no doubt as to why certain animals are endangered.
I feel like we used to celebrate, or at least be a bit more OK with, misfits and standouts in public. Today, people seem to be way more isolated and afraid of anything outside a very narrow norm.
August 6, 2025 at 4:39 PM
I feel like we used to celebrate, or at least be a bit more OK with, misfits and standouts in public. Today, people seem to be way more isolated and afraid of anything outside a very narrow norm.
You may know that Garry Bjorklund was the first winner of Grandma's Marathon, but who was the first person to come in last? Well, here you go.
Bonus in this story: A guy who decided to run after downing a bunch of beers the night before, and finished in the middle of the pack.
Bonus in this story: A guy who decided to run after downing a bunch of beers the night before, and finished in the middle of the pack.
June 21, 2025 at 12:03 PM
You may know that Garry Bjorklund was the first winner of Grandma's Marathon, but who was the first person to come in last? Well, here you go.
Bonus in this story: A guy who decided to run after downing a bunch of beers the night before, and finished in the middle of the pack.
Bonus in this story: A guy who decided to run after downing a bunch of beers the night before, and finished in the middle of the pack.
I wish people who comment on crime stories understood this.
June 10, 2025 at 3:35 PM
I wish people who comment on crime stories understood this.
From a Dear Abby letter:
June 2, 2025 at 2:39 AM
From a Dear Abby letter:
On this Easter Sunday, please enjoy this DNT photo from 1999, when feral domestic rabbits overtook Park Point.
April 20, 2025 at 3:43 PM
On this Easter Sunday, please enjoy this DNT photo from 1999, when feral domestic rabbits overtook Park Point.
The world needs more photos like this 1998 shot from the DNT's Renee Knoeber at Ray's Place, a burger joint formerly at 5231 E. Superior St.
March 30, 2025 at 5:48 PM
The world needs more photos like this 1998 shot from the DNT's Renee Knoeber at Ray's Place, a burger joint formerly at 5231 E. Superior St.
Minnesota Avenue on March 5, 1985. Imagine the social media frenzy that would occur if city crews plowed a street like this today, no matter how bad the storm was. People forget the way things used to be. The storm was on March 4, and Minnesota Avenue wasn't restored to two lanes until March 7.
March 11, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Minnesota Avenue on March 5, 1985. Imagine the social media frenzy that would occur if city crews plowed a street like this today, no matter how bad the storm was. People forget the way things used to be. The storm was on March 4, and Minnesota Avenue wasn't restored to two lanes until March 7.
Imagine the public reaction in 2025 if a city pipe was dumping 100 gallons of raw sewage a minute, and officials were trying to figure out if they should fix it right away or apply stopgap measures and wait five months until it's more convenient.
That happened on this date in West Duluth in 1989.
That happened on this date in West Duluth in 1989.
February 18, 2025 at 12:56 AM
Imagine the public reaction in 2025 if a city pipe was dumping 100 gallons of raw sewage a minute, and officials were trying to figure out if they should fix it right away or apply stopgap measures and wait five months until it's more convenient.
That happened on this date in West Duluth in 1989.
That happened on this date in West Duluth in 1989.
People just make stuff up, believe it, and post it with their whole heart and their real name. I would bet that for every one who posts, there are hundreds more who trust their own inventions above what is proven and factual.
February 4, 2025 at 2:21 PM
People just make stuff up, believe it, and post it with their whole heart and their real name. I would bet that for every one who posts, there are hundreds more who trust their own inventions above what is proven and factual.
And yes, the Human Buffet was real.
February 3, 2025 at 10:57 PM
And yes, the Human Buffet was real.
In 1975, a serial killer operated in Los Angeles' Skid Row neighborhood, preying on the city's most vulnerable population. The press handled this with as much empathy and tact one would expect from that time period.
January 22, 2025 at 11:19 PM
In 1975, a serial killer operated in Los Angeles' Skid Row neighborhood, preying on the city's most vulnerable population. The press handled this with as much empathy and tact one would expect from that time period.
RIP David Lynch. I have no words for what you gave this world.
January 17, 2025 at 2:07 AM
RIP David Lynch. I have no words for what you gave this world.
Thanks, I'm cured.
January 14, 2025 at 3:28 AM
Thanks, I'm cured.
To become a Duluth police officer in 1915, you needed to be able to lift a 78-pound barbell over your head 12 times, chin yourself 10 times, run 100 yards in 17 seconds, raise 110 pounds with your legs while lying on your back and broad jump 6-1/2 feet.
January 5, 2025 at 6:15 PM
To become a Duluth police officer in 1915, you needed to be able to lift a 78-pound barbell over your head 12 times, chin yourself 10 times, run 100 yards in 17 seconds, raise 110 pounds with your legs while lying on your back and broad jump 6-1/2 feet.
Bonus: Here's a photo I took of Paul Roen leading a tour of Duluth's former library building in 2006.
January 4, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Bonus: Here's a photo I took of Paul Roen leading a tour of Duluth's former library building in 2006.
I didn't know this! When porn star John C. Holmes was arraigned for a quadruple homicide in Los Angeles in 1981, he showed up to court wearing a shirt from Duluth's Dave's Pizza. Eventually, he was acquitted, and the crime is still unsolved.
January 2, 2025 at 3:29 PM
I didn't know this! When porn star John C. Holmes was arraigned for a quadruple homicide in Los Angeles in 1981, he showed up to court wearing a shirt from Duluth's Dave's Pizza. Eventually, he was acquitted, and the crime is still unsolved.
Out of curiosity, I looked up the first time the Last Place on Earth was ever mentioned in the DNT. Here you go: Dec. 19, 1981.
December 15, 2024 at 11:32 PM
Out of curiosity, I looked up the first time the Last Place on Earth was ever mentioned in the DNT. Here you go: Dec. 19, 1981.
I’ve seen this error about five times today and it drives me nuts.
December 11, 2024 at 8:47 PM
I’ve seen this error about five times today and it drives me nuts.
In a News Tribune column published on this day in 1960, Burton H. Fern M.D. had this advice for insomnia:
- A cup of tea
- A stiff drink
- A relaxing cigarette
- Hot baths
- Warm milk
- Self hypnosis
- Reading (but not too much!)
- Sleeping pills, followed by "pep pills" in the morning
- A cup of tea
- A stiff drink
- A relaxing cigarette
- Hot baths
- Warm milk
- Self hypnosis
- Reading (but not too much!)
- Sleeping pills, followed by "pep pills" in the morning
December 10, 2024 at 5:04 PM
In a News Tribune column published on this day in 1960, Burton H. Fern M.D. had this advice for insomnia:
- A cup of tea
- A stiff drink
- A relaxing cigarette
- Hot baths
- Warm milk
- Self hypnosis
- Reading (but not too much!)
- Sleeping pills, followed by "pep pills" in the morning
- A cup of tea
- A stiff drink
- A relaxing cigarette
- Hot baths
- Warm milk
- Self hypnosis
- Reading (but not too much!)
- Sleeping pills, followed by "pep pills" in the morning
Oh just realizing in the middle of Costco that I forgot to eat today.
December 5, 2024 at 4:26 PM
Oh just realizing in the middle of Costco that I forgot to eat today.
Here's a heckuva deal at duluthnewstribune.com/subscribe! Note: A subscription to one Forum Communications news site is a subscription to all. Your DNT login works with the Superior Telegram, Cloquet Pine Journal, Bemidji Pioneer and many other local newspapers throughout the region.
November 27, 2024 at 5:48 PM
Here's a heckuva deal at duluthnewstribune.com/subscribe! Note: A subscription to one Forum Communications news site is a subscription to all. Your DNT login works with the Superior Telegram, Cloquet Pine Journal, Bemidji Pioneer and many other local newspapers throughout the region.