TCB Editors’ Favorite Stories of 2023
At the end of each year, we typically consult our web analytics to see which stories resonated the most with readers – and don’t worry, we’ve got that covered. But we also wanted to try something a little different this year and share the stories that TCB editors liked the most.
Several of our own picks correspond to readers’ favorites, as the analytics data show. But we thought this would be a good opportunity to shine a spotlight on some lesser-known stories, too.
Read on to see each editor’s choices.
Allison Kaplan, editor-in-chief
We Tried the Sun Country Fee Waiver Hack
When Thrifty Traveler exposed a $44 round trip processing fee most Sun Country passengers didn’t realize they were paying, and mentioned a potential workaround, executive editor Adam Platt said: let’s try it! Or, at least, let’s have our intern try it. So we sent Fiona Hatch to the airport to try to try to buy a plane ticket IRL and see if she could avoid the fee. The result was a fun, useful story that I’m sure will go down as her most memorable (and only slightly embarrassing) TCB experience.
Why Won’t Hennepin County Come Back to the Office?
While everyone was blaming Target for deserting downtown, Adam Platt pointed out that Hennepin County has nearly as many employees who are largely working from home. He was the first to get Hennepin County administrator David Hough on the record about it, saying that the county has “an obligation to provide service to residents….no obligation to make sure people are buying lunches in downtown Minneapolis.”
Leveraging Small-Town Minnesota Nice
Associate editor Tina Nguyen drove down to Wabasha to better understand how GrandPad is creating tech jobs in small towns, and connecting seniors around the world. Her feature, from our 2023 print issue of StartMN was heartwarming and illuminating for both workforce development and serving an aging population.
Adam Platt, executive editor
The story of how the Twin Cities ended up with two nearly identical high-end barbecue restaurants remains an intriguing headscratcher about the idiosyncratic nature of the restaurant biz.
The inside story of social media’s most viral chauffeur, Chey Eisenmann, owner of Chey Car. She’s got some opinions about how you go to the airport. Among other things.
Why is the Twin Cities the only radio market in America with a religious broadcaster at the top of the ratings heap? We took a look.
Liz Fedor, senior editor
Women Lead Many Big Minnesota Law Firms
Since the death of Sandra Day O’Connor on Dec. 1, people have remembered her historic breakthrough in 1981 as the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Lesser known is the fact that she ranked third in her Stanford Law School graduating class in 1952, but she couldn’t land a job with a private law firm. Men got the jobs at law firms. In 2023, women lawyers are serving as managing partner or president of many Minnesota law firms and offices, which TCB chronicled in April.
Darryl Strawberry Found Salvation with the St. Paul Saints
Baseball provides escapism for fans and the Saints ballpark in downtown St. Paul creates a sense of community. For Darryl Strawberry, the Saints allowed him to find professional and personal rehabilitation. In August, Strawberry, a retired Major League Baseball star, was at CHS Field to describe how the Saints gave him a second chance in life. The Saints also paid tribute to their outgoing ownership, who built the club into one of the best minor league franchises in the nation.
Dan Niepow, digital editor
Zombie Newspaper Sites Rise from the Grave
A bizarre story at the intersection of local media, artificial intelligence, and foreign-owned entities. I happened on this idea after a former colleague and Southwest Journal reporter noticed that the newspaper’s site had taken a strange turn. My report raised a lot of questions about the fate of thousands of dead newspaper sites, and the use of rapidly advancing AI programs by bad actors.
Why There’s a Fence Around the Shuttered Loring Park Speedway
Readers loved this story, and I did, too. An unsightly barrier around a closed gas station served as the basis for a compelling report by my colleague Winter Keefer.
The Curious Case of Dairy Queen’s Cherry Dip
Keefer’s smartly-reported dive into a summertime favorite was fun to read. Who knew that Dairy Queen’s original Moorhead location had a different set of rules than other stores?
Winter Keefer, associate editor
The Long and Bitter Fight Over a Burger King Drive-Thru
Personally one of my favorites from the year. Great job, Dan!
Reimagining the Suburban Corporate Campus
As hybrid and remote work prevail, the future of the corporate campus remains in question. How are employers shifting their vision of the ideal workplace and what does that mean for office buildings left behind?
The Business of Death and Dying is Changing
As a new generation contemplated mortality, businesses built around death and dying are shifting.
Why is Detergent Locked Up at Target?
Those locks barring you from easy access to toothpaste and detergent aren’t going away anytime soon. Tina explains why.
Tina Nguyen, associate editor
Troubling Vital Signs for Bright Health Group
A well-delivered story that tells the woes of a once-promising “unicorn” health insurance startup, previously valued at $11.2 billion. Excellently reported by Dan Niepow with the most magical cover to boot! (Hat tip to designers Michael Norseng and Mike Novak)
Why Finding a Startup’s First Funder is Kind of Like Dating
Only associate editor Winter Keefer can take venture capital funding and make it sound a little too relatable. Excellent coverage from a Twin Cities Startup Week panel event.
