The Aerial Lift Bridge allows the Presque Isle ship to pass through on Lake Superior in Duluth, Minn. (Minnesota Star Tribune)
The Upper Midwest takes center stage.
This past year was a roller coaster.
My 2024 began with intensive coverage of a random act of gun violence resulting in a double homicide that shook a small city in northern Minnesota. It didn’t stop from there.
As political season ramped up, I spent days driving across Minnesota and Wisconsin documenting early voting and campaign rallies.
Once spring came around, flooding wreaked havoc on smaller cities and towns in my region that haven’t seen water like that in decades.
In early August, the governor of my state, Tim Walz, became the Democratic vice presidential pick for the Kamala Harris campaign. I documented one of his first national appearances in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Minnesota and Wisconsin headlined national outlets for months. It was surreal.
The Upper Midwest is rich and varied as are the people and culture. The climate is harsh and the people are tough. There is an abundance of opportunity for impactful storytelling. I’m proud to live and work in northern Minnesota. It’s been a privilege to serve my community this past year.
If there’s one thing 2024 taught me, never underestimate a midwesterner.
A moment from a vice presidential debate watch party held in St. Paul, Minn. was selected for CNN’s 2024: Year in Pictures.
Culture & Social Issues
Kirsten Papas, 21, left, and Azrael Dusek, 22, both of Cloquet, Minn. with Amber Feig, 21, of Duluth, Minn. share an emotional moment together during a vigil held for 22-year-old Shellby Marie Trettel, who worked as hotel clerk and was one of the two victims of a shooting at the Super 8 motel, in Cloquet, Minn. (Minnesota Public Radio)
Campers enjoy a bonfire during the CampOut weekend at West Forty RV Park and Campground in Gilbert, Minn. The CampOut weekend was created to provide a safe, judgment-free space for LGBTQ campers. (Minnesota Star Tribune)
Florence Hervey, mother to Samuel Hervey, poses for a portrait at her home in International Falls, Minn. “The circumstances leading to Samuel Hervey’s self-immolation remained mostly a mystery to family, friends and law enforcement. The Post traced the suicide to 764 — a group the FBI has said meets the definition of a domestic terror organization.” (The Washington Post)
Educator, podcaster and Instagram star Sharon McMahon tells the stories of unsung Americans in her new book, "The Small and the Mighty.” (Minnesota Star Tribune)
Jade Jackson-Strong is seen during the 9th annual memorial march for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives in downtown Duluth, Minn. The march was held to honor lost loved ones in solidarity with the MMIWR movement. It was sponsored by the Native Lives Matter Coalition - No More MMIWR Great Lakes campaign. (Minnesota Public Radio)
Climate & Environment
A person braves the storm in Canal Park in Duluth, Minn. Duluth was under a winter storm warning experiencing record-level snowfall of around 15 inches. (Minnesota Public Radio)
A kayaker moves through the flooded intersection of South River Street and Second Avenue Southeast in Cook, Minn. (Minnesota Public Radio)
Rockwood Lodge co-owner Carl Madsen, moves canoes out of a bunkhouse to prepare for guests along the Gunflint Trail near Grand Marais, Minn. (Paddle and Portage)
A crew member drops a collection device into Lake Superior on the University of Minnesota-Duluth’s research vessel, Blue Heron. (Personal)
Election 2024
Four-year-old Margaret Jagdfeld covers her ears while Alumni of Mankato West High School, where Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Governor Tim Walz formerly taught, cheer before the Vice Presidential debate between Walz and Republican vice presidential nominee U.S. Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) begins at a watch party event coordinated by the state Democratic party and the Harris-Walz campaign in St. Paul, Minn. (Reuters)
LEFT: The crowd cheers during a campaign event for U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz in Eau Claire, Wis. (Reuters) RIGHT: Minnesota Govenor Tim Walz speaks during the state's Democratic party convention held at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center in Duluth, Minn. (Minnesota Public Radio)
People cast their votes in the U.S. presidential election on Election Day at Bayfield County's Cable Community Center polling location in Cable, Wis. (Reuters)
If you’ve made it to the end…
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Twin Ports of Duluth, Minn. and Superior, Wis. at night. (Personal)
