Local stories, told by locals.
We are a small but mighty crew spread across the region, driven by a simple idea: our communities deserve good news, told honestly. We are the people living down the street, casting lines in the same lakes, and eating at the same local spots. Here is the team making it happen.
The Desk
The team keeping the lights on and the facts straight.
The guy who keeps the whole ship afloat. Gregory founded Minnesota Nice News. He sells the ads, edits, writes articles and runs the management systems behind the scenes, installed the same way he installed them on projects throughout his career.
He grew up in western Oklahoma, was named a high school all-American, and played football at the University of Oklahoma on a scholarship from 1994 to 1999, lettering in 1996 and 1997. He earned a geography degree there in the geosciences, and in 2010 a Master of Science in safety, security and emergency management from Eastern Kentucky University, with a concentration in occupational safety and risk management.
He has worked as an enumerator and statistician for the state of Oklahoma and the federal government, as a city planner, and across environmental health and safety and risk management on energy sites onshore and offshore, from the Gulf of Mexico to North Dakota.
Off the clock: Baseball, and a record collection that runs from Sinatra to 8Ball & MJG to Carlos Vives, with “I Wanna Be Sedated” somewhere in the middle. Ginger gets the rest of the time.
Our eagle-eyed editor. Jodi reads every single word before it reaches your screen. She checks the facts, smooths out the rough edges, and sends stories back if they don’t sing.
She is a criminal defense attorney whose work turns on negotiation, which is useful training for editing. She also trains service and protection animals.
Off the clock: Big baseball fan, avid knitter, and loves getting out on the water in her kayak. Her dogs are Ginger, a Fila Brasileiro, and Justice, a cocker spaniel.
The Writers
The folks out on the beat.
Our resident river guide. Robbie covers what the water is doing and who is catching what. If there is a tournament, a trophy catch, or just a debate over whether the ice is safe, he will tell you if it is worth the drive.
Off the clock: Wade fishing for trout, usually somewhere with a current.
Our culinary compass. Cafes, supper clubs, church basements. She knows them all, and she writes up the ones worth pulling over for.
Off the clock: Always trying somewhere new, and always ordering the thing she has never had.
The ultimate local hype man. Concerts, karaoke nights, county fairs, or just whoever is playing acoustic guitar outside the hardware store on a Saturday. Mark tracks what is happening so you can find it.
Off the clock: Outdoor music enthusiast and always hunting down the best live acoustics in the area.
Trailblazer and business buff. Pete tells the stories of new businesses and the risk-takers who open them. He is also our go-to for conservation work and the volunteers who keep this area what it is.
Off the clock: Chasing the North Shore. Voyageurs National Park for the long weekends, the Duluth skyline for everything shorter.
The social butterfly. Stacey runs our Facebook and writes the stories about the heartbeat of the town: reunions, homecomings, and the folks who finally moved back home.
Off the clock: Never misses an appetizer night out, and considers it a full meal.
Reach the newsroom
Pick a name from the list and your message gets to them. If you are not sure whose beat it is, leave it on the newsroom and we will point it the right direction.
Pull up a chair.
We are always looking for somebody who knows a town we do not cover well enough. Around here, local knowledge and a good ear count for way more than a journalism degree. Send us a pitch, a couple of writing clips, and tell us what beat you would like to take on.
