It’s said that one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, but expecting a different result. Regardless, this will be my last “Harry’s Gang” column for a while, because I have... Full story

My office is in the old Cloquet Co-op building in Esko, and it carries a lot of history. The thing is built solid. Those Finlanders obviously expected the building to be around for a hundred years or... Full story

The holidays were fun, with so many relatives at our house that no one really wanted it to end. So, after Christmas, my sisters invited Tommy, 16, to drive back to the Cities with them. He jumped at... Full story

Years ago, the United Way of Carlton County was in a bit of a pickle. Potlatch had just been sold to Sappi; there were layoffs and uncertainty, and the annual United Way campaign was in jeopardy. A... Full story

Opinions are as unique as fingerprints. Everybody has one, and every one is different, even if only slightly. In politics, we gather together based on our opinions, much like metal shavings around a... Full story

I recently had the fun of chatting with some members of the local Rotary Club. Rotary, for those of you who don’t know, is a service club of local professionals and business people, whose mission seem... Full story

There seems to be a cultural crisis facing Barnum that threatens the very existence of the city and its high school. The crisis? Kids at the school this fall elected two boys as the top homecoming... Full story

There’s a real need for housing in Cloquet. It seems to me, slowly but surely, the central part of the city is deteriorating as more and more people move out to the larger lots available on the c... Full story

It won’t be long before I can relax during the last few weeks of October, maybe get some yardwork done before the snow flies, clean the car, take a leisurely walk in the woods in our neighborhood. B... Full story

People keep asking me what I’m doing with my building in the West End. It’s the original Barr Brothers funeral parlor on the corner of Avenue C and Vine Street. Most recently, it was the home of Car... Full story

I learned about monks during my time at Saint John’s University, a college near St. Cloud run by a Benedictine monastery. Being a monk is fascinating. They live a communal life, a true socialist s...

The Court of Appeals met in Duluth recently, and I was lucky to watch it and attend a reception afterwards, meeting all three of the Court of Appeal judges hearing the cases. One of the cases... Full story

I’m disturbed by the attorney general in Texas. Recently, he was acquitted by the Texas legislature on corruption charges, even though every Texan who cares knows the man is corrupt. In fact, even t... Full story

School kids seem to always create a language of their own, mostly, I assume, so they can communicate with each other without their parents knowing what they are talking about. But when a kid goes to... Full story

They’re called “homes” for a reason. It’s where we live. Eat. Sleep. It’s where we keep our most precious possessions; it’s where we raise our kids. No one wants to leave their homes. Even after... Full story

One of the best experiences I had running for office last year was traveling throughout Carlton County, meeting people in their homes and discussing politics. It’s true that a few people were a... Full story

I heard Ricard Puumala passed away last week. The funeral is tomorrow and I'm planning to go, out of deep respect for my old friend. Doc Puumala seemed old when I met him, back in 1999 when I first... Full story

When Esko kids want safer crosswalks, they get safer crosswalks, even if it means they have to make some noise to get it done. There’s a wide, paved trail running from the high school to the p... Full story

I try to keep my parking lot tidy, but there’s a stubborn cigarette butt that keeps lodging itself in the sidewalk crack right in front of my office door. I pick it up, but it keeps appearing. S... Full story

Sydney J. Harris was a columnist I read as a kid in the Duluth News Tribune. One of my favorite recurring columns was his “Things I Learned En Route to Looking Up Other Things.” I suppose a new...

Practicing family law can be far more difficult than expected. “This should be an easy one,” potential divorce clients tell me all the time. “We pretty much agree on everything.” Of course, that mi... Full story

In town for a family reunion, and to help her grandparents Jim and Ann Mosack of Esko move to assisted living, Roz Chromy tracked me down to give me an update on her life since she left in 2009, a... Full story

I’m disappointed in the recent Supreme Court rulings, but not for the reasons you probably think I am. Sure, I would like to have seen President Biden carry out his plan to reduce student loan d... Full story

I sure learned a lot at the two town hall meetings I held in Moose Lake and Scanlon earlier this month. The big issues, such as abortion rights, gun restrictions and taxes were not the top priority fo... Full story

I hope some of you can join us at the “town hall” meetings we’re holding around Carlton County next week. The first is Tuesday, June 6 at the Moose Lake Brewing conference room, and the other is Th... Full story