Star Tribune
PBS North President Patricia Mester wants ‘Antiques Roadshow’ in Duluth
PBS North President Patricia Mester has plenty of reasons to throw a party.
Her station is marking its 60th anniversary Saturday afternoon in Duluth’s Chester Park with free performances from the Okee Dokee Brothers and Nicholas David. She also can revel in the fact that her fiefdom, which includes Duluth’s WDSE and Hibbing’s WRPT, has consistently been a shining example of how public television can make a mark without being based in a major metropolitan area.
“For six decades, PBS North has been serving the people of Minnesota with media that educates, engages and inspires,” said PBS president Paula Kerger, who will fly in to be part of this weekend’s festivities. “This rich legacy is stronger than ever thanks to the stewardship of Patty Mester.”
Mester, who joined the organization seven years ago, talked about her station’s greatest hits and what she watches when she’s not on the clock.
Q: Looking back, what would you say have been the station’s highlights?
A: Most recently, we had “Northern Nights, Starry Skies,” which came along with lesson plans from Hamline University that are being used in classrooms in all 50 states. “Doctors on Call” has been on for 42 seasons. It’s an old-fashioned call-in show, but it gives our community the chance to talk to local doctors. During the pandemic, we extended the season by nine weeks. “Almanac North” is in its 32nd season and “Native Report” has been on for 20 seasons. That program airs on over 100 stations across the nation. One of our newer productions, “Minnesota Historia,” is a digital series focusing on little known historical stories. Last year the team won three Midwest Emmys.
Q: What PBS shows did you watch as a kid?
A: “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” was probably my favorite show. If I wasn’t watching Mister Rogers, then I had to go do homework. I still watch videos of him from time to time. He’s been such a great friend, and his message of kindness and inclusiveness continues with “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.” My parents would have “Masterpiece Theater” on. The host, Alistair Cooke, was a little scary. I think it was his delivery and his voice.
LAFAYETTE, Wis. — About 25 children and adults were injured Wednesday when a wagon carrying them overturned at a western Wisconsin apple orchard.
The children, parents and chaperones were on a field trip to the orchard in Lafayette when one of two wagons being pulled by a tractor turned sideways and rolled over, Chippewa County Sheriff Travis Hakes told reporters. Hakes said the tractor was traveling at a low speed when the wagon rolled over while going downhill.
Three people suffered critical injuries, while injuries to five others were considered serious. Authorities didn’t say how many of the injured were children.
The elementary school-age children attend a school in Eau Claire. Lafayette is northeast of Eau Claire.
After about five minutes and several warnings that students participating in the protest would be suspended,, the protesters exited Northrop and Cunningham continued her speech. They later gathered outside on the mall afterwards to shout, “Cunningham, you will see, Palestine will be free.”
Cunningham recounted the story of Norman Borlaug, the U alumnus and agronomist whose research in wheat saved millions from starvation, and said she would prioritize keeping a college education affordable for students.
Cunningham actually took over presidential duties on July 1, replacing Interim President Jeff Ettinger. She oversees a budget of more than $4 billion to run the university’s five campuses, which enrolled more than 68,000 students and employed 27,000 people during the last academic year.
She was chosen for the job last winter over two other candidates: Laura Bloomberg, president of Cleveland State University and former dean of the U’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs, and James Holloway, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of New Mexico. She is the U’s second woman president, following Joan Gabel who held the office from 2019 to 2023.
Cunningham will be paid more than $1 million per year — about $975,000 in base pay and an additional $120,000 in retirement contributions. The compensation puts her in the top quarter of Big Ten university presidents.
Sgt. Gordon Blackey, once a security guard to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, allegedly admitted to tracking the woman’s movements in her vehicle, according to a criminal complaint.
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