Author: Jake Spitzack

Facing a deadly pandemic one century ago By Lois Glewwe | Contributor | May 2020 Just as today’s South St. Paul residents have experienced stay-at-home requirements and a ban on public gatherings, city residents in 1918 did the same. The first incidence of the so-called Spanish Flu or Spanish Influenza in the U.S. was diagnosed… Read more

First lock and dam on the Mississippi:Meeker Island Lock and Damwas first to harness the mighty Mississippi By Amy Johnson | Staff Writer | May 2020 Now that the Mississippi river is once again open for the shipping season, it’s fitting to remember an event that significantly altered commercial navigation on the river: the construction… Read more

Retired prof dives deep into the Mississippi river with his new book By Tim Spitzack | Editor | May 2022 Like so many, Thomas Becknell struggled in 2020, a turbulent year rife with political unrest, social injustice and a global pandemic. To make sense of the madness, he turned to two old friends: books and… Read more

Grace Patterson English: top Twin Cities executive, business owner, world traveler and community volunteer By Lois Glewwe | Contributor | January 2021 This month’s honoree joins the roster of 90 South St. Paul women whose lives are being shared with the community in tribute to the first 90 women to vote in the U.S. following… Read more