(bright music) - Welcome to "Almanac North."

I'm Maarja Hewitt.

- And I'm Brett Scott.

Tonight, we're going to take a look at the upcoming high school hockey season right here in the Northland.

- That's coming up.

But first, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, a long-awaited recognition is finally coming to a fallen hero.

Next Wednesday, Corporal Norris Brenden, a Marine from Talmoon who gave his life in the Vietnam War, will receive the Silver Star for his acts of bravery.

Corporal Brenden, who was killed in action in Hue City, North Vietnam in 1968, saved the lives of many fellow Marines through his courageous actions.

After years of dedication, his comrades have worked to ensure his heroism is formally honored.

The ceremony will take place Wednesday, November 20th at 4:00 PM at VFW Post 1720 in Grand Rapids, where Brenden's family will receive the Silver Star presented by his comrade Frank Eversole, alongside others who served with him.

This tribute to Corporal Brenden is not only a reminder of his sacrifice, but also a testament to the commitment of his fellow Marines.

A dinner will follow the ceremony at Post 1720, located at 1212 Northwest 4th Street in Grand Rapids.

- In Virginia, Minnesota, a groundbreaking project is now underway at the St. Louis County Landfill, where garbage is now serving a new purpose, providing energy.

County leaders are celebrating the state's, they celebrated, rather, the state's first landfill geothermal field with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday.

Environmental services director Dave Fink explained that a garbage decomposes, garbage decomposes, rather, as it generates heat.

This new geothermal system captures energy to heat the landfill's future leachate treatment plant, a facility essential for processing wastewater.

The landfill's newest 10-acre cell is equipped with a special liner and coils to capture heat from the waste, which can reach up to 120 degrees.

This energy will be transferred to a treatment plant about a quarter mile away, scheduled to be operational by 2026.

The project, with a $3 million price tag, added only $33,000 for the geothermal component.

It's expected to pay for itself within the first year.

County leaders hope this will serve as a model for waste management across Minnesota, especially with a new facility planned for Canyon.

St. Louis County board chair Keith Nelson praised the project, emphasizing the county's responsibility to protect local water quality.

The new plant will help treat leachate liquid runoff from landfills, which can carry dangerous forever chemicals like PFAS.

While others question the cost of doing something, Nelson said, "We're asking what is the cost of not doing something?"

This innovative approach not only tackles waste, but also prioritizes environmental stewardship in St. Louis County.

- A local company is being recognized for its commitment to veterans.

Superior Water, Light & Power, a subsidiary of ALLETE, has received the Silver certification in the 2024 Vets Ready Employer Initiative by Wisconsin's Department of Workforce Development.

This award honors Wisconsin employers who go above and beyond to support veterans and their families.

DWD Secretary Amy Pechacek commended the company, noting that veterans bring invaluable experience to the workforce.

She praised Vets Ready Employers for their dedication to employing and supporting veterans, giving them a competitive edge in recruitment and retention.

This is the first time Superior Water, Light & Power has received this recognition.

Company President Rob Sandstrom expressed pride in the award, emphasizing that supporting veterans is a key part of the company's culture.

He highlighted the natural fit veterans have in the energy and water industries, which require 24/7 commitment and readiness.

The Vets Ready Initiative encourages employers to build support systems within their workplaces for veterans and their families.

Superior Water, Light & Power's certification in the large employer category places them among 22 honored businesses this year.

Awardees will be recognized by Wisconsin's Department of Workforce Development and their Vets Ready status will be featured on jobcenterofwisconsin.com.

Superior Water, Light & Power sister companies, ALLETE Minnesota Power and ALLETE Clean Energy, have also been recognized for the support of veterans with Yellow Ribbon status in Minnesota.

Now, before we join our first guest, we join Dennis Anderson for a special report from Denny's Desk.

Denny?

- Hello, friends, and welcome to Denny's Desk.

This past Monday, we paused as a nation to honor those who have served with bravery and dedication, and those are our veterans.

Here in the Northland, where many families have deep roots in military service, Veterans Day holds a special place in our hearts.

Our region has a rich and a proud military history, spanning from the Civil War to present-day conflicts.

On Monday, Duluth held its annual Veterans Day ceremony at the St. Louis County Depot's Great Hall.

Community members gathered for patriotic music, inspiring words from Mayor Roger Reinert, and a screening of upcoming PBS North documentary, "Cold War Secrets of Northern Minnesota."

It was a reminder of the sacrifices that veterans have made and continue to make for our freedoms, but honoring our veterans extends beyond one day a year.

Here in the Northland, we are fortunate to have organizations working year round to support them.

The Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans is focused on ending veteran homelessness by providing housing and support services.

And of course, then there's a nonprofit, 23rd Veteran, helping returning service members ease back into civilian life with a focus on mental health and community building.

And the Disabled American Veterans of Minnesota offers transportation and advocacy services, ensuring that disabled vets stay connected to the care they need.

And so as we reflect around Veterans Day, let's keep in mind that honoring our veterans is about more than a single day.

It's about an ongoing commitment to those who have served and sacrificed.

Now, this weekend, as you go about your plans, consider taking a moment to thank a veteran in your life or in your community.

Their resilience, dedication, and service are part of what makes the Northland so special.

And this has been Denny's Desk.

Thank you for joining me and back to you, Maarja and Brett.

- Thank you, Denny.

Our first guest is Nils Anderson, the owner of Duluth Gear Exchange.

We join him and Brett in the conversation area.

Brett?

- Thank you, Maarja.

Nils, thank you for joining us today.

Nils Anderson from the Duluth Gear Exchange.

We appreciate it.

- Happy to be here.

- Yes, so we're talking winter sports.

We're excited for 'em.

Let's hope we get more snow this year.

- No kidding.

We all want that, right?

- Yes.

Last year you said you talked countless times on TV.

There was a lack of snow.

This year, how are things looking for you?

- Yeah, still optimistic.

I think, you know, stuff's still moving even without the snow.

A lot of inventory going in and out the door and we just need that weather to switch.

- For folks who don't know, what is the Duluth Gear Exchange all about?

What do you guys offer?

- Yeah, so we are an outdoor gear and clothing consignment store.

So we sell used outdoor gear and clothing and we have a wide variety of winter sports activity gear and apparel.

So it's a great place to suit up the whole family.

- Sure.

And specifically tonight, we're talking a lot about hockey, but you said you're more into the silent sports, correct?

- Yeah.

- Explain what that is.

- Right.

So we don't do quote, unquote "court sports activities."

There's a limited number of amount of space in our shop.

However, there are other good options in town like Play It Again Sports that does hockey skates, hockey sticks.

We do a lot of apparel, a lot of clothing and that's well-suited for outdoor activities.

So Merino wool base layers, warm jackets, and then we do a lot of skis, snow shoes, snowboards, that type of thing.

- Sure, definitely.

You mentioned pond hockey as well.

- Yeah, absolutely.

- It's getting colder, so hopefully we can enjoy that ice time a little bit more.

What is the importance of the Duluth Gear Exchange here in the community?

- Yeah, it's really become quite the community hub.

We have over 3,600 folks consigning with us, so dropping their items, used items off.

We process them, put 'em out on the floor, and then split the profit.

And so as a result, a lot of folks consign and then also shop at our store.

And it has become a great space, community space for people to come through.

And especially if you have kids that are growing all the time, it's a great place to stop and drop off last year's clothing and gear and then suit them up for next year.

- Right.

So you have everything from probably babies up to adults.

- Absolutely.

Yep.

- That's great.

- A little bit of everything.

- Sure.

So you're celebrating an anniversary coming up, correct?

- Yeah.

Next week is five years that we've been open, which is a milestone, so we're really excited about that.

- Yeah, that's wonderful.

Five years in business.

What are you excited for for the future of the Duluth Gear Exchange?

- Well, the immediate future, snow would be awesome.

Our kind of bread and butter in the winter months is cross country skis.

We do alpine skis as well, but a lot of people are just trying to get outside, right?

It's hard to enjoy the winter if you can't get outside.

If you're stuck inside all winter, that's not great.

So cross country skiing is one activity of many that's really fun and anyone can do it and we're a great affordable option.

We do ski sizing, a camber test to make sure they're a good fit, and yeah, it's just fun to be a resource.

- I was just gonna ask about advice for someone who maybe hasn't cross country skied before or snow shoed or even played pond hockey.

Is that available at your shop?

- Yeah.

I mean, I wouldn't say I'm an expert in any one thing, but we have a collection of folks on staff who have their varied interests and kind of resident experts in certain activities.

And so yeah, I think we're a great resource among many in the community.

We have some great ski shops in town and bike shops and folks that if we don't know the answer, we can point you to the right direction.

- What is that community of businesses like in the region?

Are you all working together for one mission?

- That's certainly how it feels.

I mean, we don't have everything at the Gear Exchange.

Of course, if you're looking for a specific model of ski or jacket, it might not be the spot, right?

We can't predict what will come in the door on consignment.

However, what we have to offer, of course, is great prices.

If you're prioritizing buying used, we're an excellent option for that.

Keep things in a cyclical economy.

But then Continental, Ski Hut, these are great options if you're looking for a specific ski or model of product, Trailfitters if you're looking for camping gear, specific clothing.

So, yeah, we have a great community of options and I think we all are working together, referencing each other and sending folks to the right space.

- That's great to hear.

So many people may be cleaning out their closets right now or going to the garage, getting ready for winter.

What if they're kind of on the edge of donating something or consigning something?

What would you say?

- I would say you can always give us a call or shoot us an email and we can pretty quickly tell you if it's something that has value in our space or not.

Of course, because we haven't had snow and really cold weather quite yet, stuff isn't moving like it would if those conditions were just right.

So we have a full store at the moment, but that being said, there's always gaps.

Once there's snow on the ground, the snow shoes will fly out the door, so it can't hurt to give us a call.

- Sure.

And you also mentioned zipper repair.

- [Nils] Yeah.

- Tell us a little bit about that.

It's hard to find.

- Yeah.

So it's kind of two operations in one.

I go by zipper fixer and I have a lofted sewing area in the back of the shop.

Oftentimes what I find fails first is the slider, the part that goes up and down, and that's often a quick fix, especially on a jacket.

I can usually get it back to you in a couple minutes if that's all that's going on.

I also sew zippers into jackets and backpacks and tents.

So, yeah, I find people are very excited to get their zipper fixed and get it back in action.

Jackets in particular this time of year, it's not super functional if it doesn't have a working zipper, so.

- Right.

Exactly.

That can ruin your winter.

- Yeah.

Often I hear it's been sitting in the closet for two years and hopefully I can get it back to you pretty quick.

- Yeah.

I think I've outgrown a few of my jackets.

Can you make 'em bigger?

- Yeah.

- Is that a possibility?

- I'm not your guy.

- No?

So your main goal for this winter, what is it?

- To get outside.

Yeah, someone recently mentioned, you know, don't put the bikes away until there's snow on the ground.

Or even then, if you have a fat bike, you can keep on biking.

But my goal is to just keep getting outside, no matter the conditions.

We live in Duluth despite the weather, right?

- [Brett] Yeah.

- And so getting outside is my goal and I'm sure I'm not alone.

- Nope.

We want to be outdoors, with some snow this year.

- Yeah, hopefully.

- Nils Anderson, thank you so much for being with us.

- Thanks so much for having me.

- Yeah.

Up next is Maarja with Duluth Denfeld East Icebreakers girls' head coach Alicia Randall, joined by Mae McCall.

(soft music) - Thank you, Brett.

Ali, Mae, thank you for joining us.

- Thanks for having us.

- Ali, maybe you could start with giving us a little background about the Duluth Girls Hockey Association.

- Yeah.

We have a youth girls hockey program that covers 15 and under hockey all the way down to eight and under hockey, all girls, all citywide.

And then once they move to Duluth East or Denfeld for high school, most of them will head up to the Duluth Northern Stars, which is our high school program.

So we have two teams at each level at the youth program and then a junior varsity and varsity program at the high school.

- So how did you get involved in hockey and ultimately coaching?

- Yeah.

I grew up down in the Twin Cities and started playing hockey when I was around 11, then moved up here after college and they needed a head coach at the Youth 12U level and I took that position and now five years later I took the high school position.

So that's kind of how it translated.

And we have players like Mae, who I've coached for about five years now, so.

- Oh, yeah.

So, Mae, you play on the high school team now.

Tell us a little bit about how you got involved in hockey and where you're playing now.

- I started playing when I was like four, so I played boys up until I was a U12 with Ali.

She was my coach for three years at U12 and then I started playing for high school as a freshman and it's my third year of the season.

- So what has it been like going, you know, starting play with boys and going to an all girls team and now high school?

What has that transition been like?

- I think it was a lot different from boys and girls, but I liked girls.

I think it was more fun because the team dynamic is better and everyone's like closer and all friends.

- Yeah.

And the girls, Duluth Girls Hockey Association is celebrating 30 years this year.

- Yes.

- The Icebreakers.

- Yes.

Big anniversary.

A lot of reasons to celebrate.

We've come a long way since the creation of Duluth Girls Hockey.

Then throughout the years, you've seen expansion into the high school realm, college realm, and now the professional women's league.

So women's and girls' hockey in general has grown, but then specifically here in Duluth, you've seen a lot of growth from our youth program all the way up to our collegiate level, so.

- Well, and it's cool to see like the growth nationally too- - Yeah.

- For girls' hockey.

- Were you guys watching the professional league this year?

- Yeah.

Yeah.

I'd say we would put it on in the locker room at times, which is really cool to able to have them get ready for their high school practice and then watch Team Minnesota.

- Yeah.

Super cool.

How would you describe the overall chemistry?

Mae, maybe this is a good question for you.

How would you describe, you mentioned the atmosphere and the team culture is really great on the team.

How would you describe the team chemistry?

- I think everyone's always looking forward to coming to the rink and everyone, it's a really competitive team and everyone always wants to get better and just really fun.

- Yeah.

What about you, Ali?

- I would say from the outside of the locker room, from the coaches' room, we hear a lot of Taylor Swift and laughter and dance parties and that's what you want to hear as a coach.

And then also on the ice, we just really keep a positive mindset and a growth mentality and it kind of comes just from the girls naturally, which is really exciting as a coach.

- Yeah.

Mae, what's the go-to song before the game?

- Anything Taylor Swift.

We always have a dance party.

If it's a home game, we turn off the lights and we have a disco ball and everyone gets in the middle and makes a circle.

- Oh, that sounds awesome.

What is your coaching philosophy like, Ali?

You know, you've been a coach for several years now and you've gone from U12 up to high school.

How has that kind of changed as you've changed the age that you're coaching?

- Yeah, that's a great question.

I would say still at the root of it all is making sure that they have a love for the game and want to come to the rink and enjoy their teammates and they feel supported and feel free to fail and try their best.

But then throughout the years, definitely skill development moves pretty quickly into systems once you get to a high school level.

But regardless, the positive mindset has really stuck with my coaching philosophy, making sure they know that they're cared for and supported on and off the ice as a player.

And then we love them as a person too, right?

There's more than just a player under the helmet.

So that's my philosophy.

- Mae, you're a multi-sport athlete.

What do you enjoy about hockey specifically?

- I just like coming to the rink because I think it's different than, like tennis and track are my other two sports and I think they're more individual, but hockey's more of a team sport, so I just like having the team dynamic of it.

- Yeah.

How do you guys make sure that team dynamic is strong and stays cohesive through the whole season?

- Oh, are you asking me?

Oh, can you repeat it?

I thought you were answering.

- How do you make sure that team dynamic stays strong through the whole season?

Taylor Swift obviously helps, right?

- I think like a lot of times we like to after practice, do some like more games that aren't as serious, and before games if anyone has nerves, all of our dance parties always help, and yeah.

- It is helpful.

Mae is a captain along with Kara Strard and Grayson Shipper, so we have three captains this year.

Each of them lead in different ways, so one of 'em is maybe more introverted and leads quietly.

Mae happens to be kind of the loud one that's always cracking the jokes and keeping it light.

So each of the captains bring their own leadership dynamic, which this year has been really cool to see bring our new incoming players and returners as well come together.

So I've been really appreciative of that and their leadership.

- What does the team feel like this year?

Like do you have specific goals going into this year, into the season?

- Yeah.

Do you wanna speak to like our big goals at the end of the season where we wanna end up or- - Our biggest goal is to make it to state.

- Yes.

- Yeah.

The state tournament is always on every high school team's door, right?

Make it down to the XL Energy Center.

But at the end of the day, for us it's giving them a positive experience and having them experience growth as a player on and off the ice and make those lifelong friendships that I look back fondly on and give them that opportunity to do so.

- What's the competition like for girls' high school hockey?

Do you have to travel pretty far to find teams?

- I'd say we have a really Great Lake conference setting, so we play teams like Moose Lake, Cloquet, the surrounding Silver Bay, but then beyond that, we have a section.

We're in 7AA and we play teams like Elk River and Andover, which are very, very strong teams in our section.

So that's our biggest hurdle to get over to that state tournament that we mentioned earlier.

- So are those the teams to beat to make it to the state tournament and bring it home, right?

- Yeah.

Yep.

We have a few big rivals.

I'd say those are a few of 'em, so.

- You know, going into the season, how do you look at like choosing captains or choosing lineups and bringing the team together that way?

- Yeah, captains come down to a little bit of a vote, team vote and then also coaches, what our needs are for the leadership.

For example, Mae brings a lot of energy in the locker room and on the bench and on the ice.

So that was something we really wanted to keep from previous leaders that we've had.

But as far as lines, we're a fairly young team, so we're still kicking those all out.

But yeah, we kind of trial by error at times.

- Mae, so you were with the Icebreakers, the younger team, right?

And now you're with the Northern Stars.

What do you think makes those teams and the Duluth Hockey Association, the Girls Hockey Association special or unique?

- I think it's special because they're all kind of connected.

Like we do a lot of volunteering and like I'll go help out with an 8U practice.

I think that's really cool 'cause then they can see like what they want to be when they're older.

- And Ali, do you have some hopes for the growth of the association and girls' hockey regionally and locally?

- Yeah, I'd say my hope, just like watching Mae come up from boys to girls and then stick with it through high school, that retention, so making sure that they stay in the game, but then also at our 8U level, seeing more numbers.

So more girls start earlier.

You know, we see a ton of their brothers out there on the rink, so why not let them give it a try?

And my hope is just to see Duluth not only dominate on the ice, but then also as female leaders in our community, so.

- That's awesome.

Mae, good luck this season.

Good luck to you too, coach.

- Yeah.

- And thank you for joining us.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

(soft music) - Before we go, let's take a look at what you might be up to this weekend.

On Saturday from 5:00 to 8:30 PM, University of Wisconsin Superior students prepare various international dishes at the World Kitchen Cooking demonstration.

Attendees can enjoy international foods and meet others from different countries while learning how various dishes are prepared.

The event is held at the Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Superior.

Tickets are available at the door, $10 for adults and $5 for children 6 to 12.

- And in Hayward, get ready for winter with the Hayward United Soccer Club.

The club is hosting a ski and equipment swap at the Hayward Wesleyan Church from 7:30 AM until noon.

You can buy or sell equipment to get ready for the snow this season.

More information about the swap is available online.

- And finally, the Festival of Trees is at the DECC.

The festival is 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM on Saturday and 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Sunday.

With over 150 gift vendors, food and beverages, pictures with Santa, and auction and live music, there's something for everyone.

More information is available online.

That's it for this week's show.

Make sure you go and enjoy your weekend.

- For everyone here at "Almanac North," I'm Brett Scott.

- And I'm Maarja Hewitt.

Thank you for joining us.

Good night.

(bright music)