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Jay Gabler

@jaygabler.com
830 followers 392 following 774 posts

The Local: Twin Cities newsletter co-host at The New York Times. Formerly associated with Duluth News Tribune, The Current, City Pages. Views expressed are mine alone.

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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 14/09/2026
Spotted in Minneapolis
Bumper sticker: “DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE THE LOVE OF GOD GOES WHEN THE WAVES TURN MINUTES TO HOURS (I’m hydroplaning!)”
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 03/07/2026
The latest Stranger Things publishing project has Nancy and Robin reuniting their sleuthing duo. @schneiderjamz.bsky.social knows this world inside out (and upside down), so “One Way or Another” is a welcome addition to the show’s expanding universe. Thanks Random House for the free book.
White man’s hand holds hardcover book: “One Way Or Another” by Caitlin Schneiderhan. Cover features two white teenage girls exploring with flashlight.
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 28/05/2026
The wit that made Lena Dunham “a voice of a generation” fills her new memoir, a wild ride up and down the zeitgeist roller coaster. If you’ve only read the excerpts, you’re missing the real story. Thanks Random House for the free book.
White man’s hand holds hardcover book in front of rocky lakeshore: “Famesick” by Lena Dunham, with cover image depicting woman in white tights falling backwards down stairs
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 26/05/2026
🌬️ @barrettchase.duluthnewstribune.com caught this yesterday afternoon: from atop the hill to on the lake, there was a 33-degree temperature differential within the city of Duluth.
Temperature readings for Duluth International Aiport (81º F) and Duluth Sky Harbor Airport (48º F)
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 22/05/2026
“Mando & G” would actually have been a better title
Movie ticket indicating admission to “MANDO & G”
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 03/05/2026
forever ago
Brown paper bag lying in grass, with “FOR EMMA” written in marker
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 06/04/2026
I broke AI. You're welcome.
Search result: "Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn ended their6.5-year relationship in April 2023, reportedly due to personality differences and35182991343714652251829913437146522518299134371465225182991343714652251829913437146522518299134371465225182991343714652251829913437146522518299134371465225182991343714652251829913437146522518299"
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 28/03/2026
The Secret Agent (dir. Phil Roman, 1981)
Linus Van Pelt, of “Peanuts,” speaks on a pay phone enclosed in a bright yellow shell
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 24/03/2026
Great question @ Great Lakes Aquarium
Whiteboard with “Question of the Day” handwritten: “True or False: Moon Jellies have been to space”
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 06/03/2026
Happy 156th birthday to Duluth feat. Mayor Roger Reinert and Lyric Opera of the North
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 06/03/2026
Another great reason to live in Duluth
New York Times headline: “Trader Joe’s Recalls 4 Frozen Food Products That May Contain Glass (subhed) No injuries had been confirmed, but consumers reported finding glass in their products. The announcement was part of a larger recall of nearly 37 million pounds of food product”
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 05/03/2026
Elevator winned
Sign reading ESCALATOR CLOSED with smaller sign pointing to elevator covering C
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 23/02/2026
omg they played the Water Drops On Burning Rocks orgy song in the #Olympics closing ceremony
Four people dancing provocatively toy
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 16/02/2026
Well, that’s an awkward way to structure that headline
Savannah Guthrie says 'we still have hope' in mother's search and a Winter Olympic medal record
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 16/02/2026
Intermission at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. Anyone know where you can get a drink around here?
People waiting in line for drinks behind giant sign reading, “BAR”
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 08/02/2026
The second @farawaypress.com novel set in the world of Tim Burton’s Batman is even better than the first, introducing a Riddler whose villain origin story includes being cheated out of syndication royalties on his newspaper puzzles. I get it. Thanks Random House for the free book.
White man’s hand holds hardcover book — “Batman: Resurrection” — in front of monkey habitat in snowy zoo. Book cover features oval Batman logo with green clouds exploding from behind it.
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 19/12/2025
You *can* judge this book by its cover (and its thickness): a very extra romantic drama set in the world of elite — wait for it — ICE DANCING, with Tonya and Nancy vibes. With the Winter Olympics coming, what’s not to love? Thanks Random House for the free book.
Black-gloved hand holds paperback book in front of ice arena: “The Favorites” by Layne Fargo
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 18/12/2025
"Glad you're okay! And we won't be filing any charges." "Oh...thanks." "We will, however, be filing a press release."
Screenshot of St. Louis County Sheriff's Office news release: "County plow in ditch: At approximately 5AM on 12/18/2025 a county plow truck slid off the slippery road into the ditch on Hwy 44 in Northstar Township.  There were no injuries resulting from this incident.  The Sheriff's Office would like to use this as a reminder to pay extra attention to the road conditions during our winter months."
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 14/12/2025
Manifesting
Text exchange: "Imagine Allison Williams acting w Muppets..." "She would be the human in the Muppet Movie" "Or the only Real Girl in Muppet Girls" "I just triple LOL'd" "With Miss Piggy, Janice, and a chicken who's dating Gonzo"
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 13/12/2025
Even if you live in Duluth, Minnesota, it’s worth picking up @jonathanmahler.bsky.social’s fascinating book on the pivotal late ‘80s in NYC. It’s a study in leadership — or the lack thereof. Thanks Random House for the free book.
Black-gloved hand holds hardcover book, “The Gods of New York” by Jonathan Mahler, in front of snowy harbor with aerial lift bridge
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 22/11/2025
Signing at The Bookstore at Fitger’s today and they set me up with a really optimistic number of pens
White man of 50 smiles while holding pens near stacks of books
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 14/11/2025
The movie is better than the book, but Peter Benchley deserves credit for solving the problem: how do you tell a really scary story about a creature that can’t leave the water? If you love the movie, you should check out this luxe new edition of the novel. Thanks Random House for the free book.
White man’s hand holds hardcover book: “Jaws,” by Peter Benchley. Cover features giant shark lunging for naked woman.
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 24/10/2025
RIP the White House screening room, demolished with the East Wing: where Ronald Reagan told Steven Spielberg the ending credits of E.T. were too long. (source: “Movie Nights with the Reagans,” Mark Weinberg)
“I only have one criticism of your movie,” he said. “How long were the end credits?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Spielberg replied. “Maybe three, three and a half minutes.”
Reagan was unimpressed. “In my day, when I was an actor, our end credits were maybe fifteen seconds long. Three and a”
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 23/10/2025
Never have I seen a more explicit warning to avoid a book
Advertisement promising “a world of metafictional chaos” with book cover; only title words “the great” are visible
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 10/10/2025
Me when an artist's bio describes them as "based in Minnesota"
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 09/10/2025
The deadpan punctuation really drives this home
Screenshot of email: Jay The world is talking. Can we really hear from our loved ones after they pass. Celebrity Mayim Bialik recently spotlighted this question on her Substack, featuring an MIT neuroscientist who shared her own story of receiving messages after loss. Author Ann Bolinger McQuade has been exploring this very subject for decades. In Everyday Oracles she shows how dreams, synchronicities, and everyday signs can bring comfort and healing.
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 07/10/2025
Hear me out: THE BRUTALIST but it's about the Sault Ste. Marie Tower of History
210-foot Brutalist tower rises above riverside city
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 04/10/2025
Come through! I’m at @glensheen.bsky.social until 2 p.m.
White man in his 50s holds sign reading, “book signing today”
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 03/10/2025
Web editor @barrettchase.duluthnewstribune.com found this amazing @duluthnewstribune.com ad from 1975. www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/b...
London Road Liquor Store advertisement showing images of smiling young people, with the headline, "Welcome college students — drop in soon!"
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 25/09/2025
An amateur sleuth gets tapped to join the cast of a reality dating show after the leading man gets offed in this lighthearted, very fast read. And to learn the author’s follow-up will be titled “Sex on Murder Island”? Absolutely perfect. No notes. Thanks Random House for the free book.
White man’s hand holds paperback book: “Murder on Sex Island” by Jo Firestone. Mariner statue in background.
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 23/09/2025
One would perhaps not guess from the cover that this songbook includes Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."
Book cover: "The Great Family Songbook," with cover illustration of happily dancing couples
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 23/09/2025
No one is going to have a more horrifying Halloween than the Duluth City Council. www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/d...
Screenshot of text:

"At large Councilor Azrin Awal offered an amendment to boost that maximum levy by another 2% Monday, explaining that she would appreciate more time to finesse the city budget, as additional details become available.

“The max levy we set today does not necessarily have to be the levy we vote on come December,” she said. “We have the potential to give ourselves a little bit of wiggle room to really dive into the budget on Oct. 31, during our all-day budget retreat.”
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 22/09/2025
Anne McCaffrey’s storytelling took a leap (flight?) forward with the third Pern book, an absorbing narrative about a young man caught between two worlds and riding a dragon with unique powers. A bold story, but also unafraid to be cute and cozy. Thanks Random House for the free book.
White man’s hand holding paperback book: “The White Dragon” by Anne McCaffrey, featuring stylized white dragon cover illustration, in front of picnic shelter background
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 16/09/2025
Is it just me, or does this sibling relationship have some strange Folgers energy? #AlienEarth
White man talks with white woman, their faces close
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 03/09/2025
When I see a tag like this, I'm like...what, you mean more than I usually keep my toddler away from fire?
Clothing tag reading, "KEEP AWAY FROM FIRE / TENIR LOIN DU FEU"
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 03/09/2025
Jesse presents the rings and Neil Lane’s name isn’t even on the boxes?! The most radical #BachelorInParadise rebrand yet.
Man’s hand holding diamond ring in black box
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 02/09/2025
The first sequel to Anne McCaffrey’s “Dragonflight” sees Pern getting real petty (interweyr drama! fire lizard envy!), but builds to a couple striking scenes that had me ready to jump into book three. This world is a remarkable creative achievement. Thanks Random House for the free book.
White man’s hand holds paperback book: “Dragonquest” by Anne McCaffrey, with stylized dragon on cover. Road and estuary view out of focus in background.
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 19/08/2025
Absolutely savage how when you search for Duluth's population, Google throws a line for Rochester in there just to troll us.
Screenshot of Google result showing Duluth with estimated population of 87,986 — though line is approximately flat, contrasted with rising Rochester line.
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 07/08/2025
1. I say them both the same 2. Love the theater, but F. Scott Fitzgerald would absolutely hate having his name on anything in St. Paul, which he called a "hell-hole of life and time" 3. A guy running Grandma's half-marathon this year offered me $100 to buy this Fitz Theater merch off my back
Brown t-shirt with image of F. Scott Fitzgerald
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 25/07/2025
Nice to see the Pern novels out in attractive new editions (though I miss the classic Michael Whelan art). DRAGONFLIGHT made a great summer read, and I was struck by how kin this saga is to DUNE: same era, same SF-fantasy hybrid, same vibes. Thanks Random House for the free book.
White man’s hand holding paperback book: “Dragonflight” by Anne McCaffrey. Large gate-like sculpture is visible in background.
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 07/07/2025
No lies here, those are indeed some innovative baskets.
TEXTILE CENTER PRESENTS

Basketry Now 2025

 

A juried exhibition highlighting innovation and artistry in contemporary basketry



On view July 29 – October 18, 2025

Artist Reception: August 7, 5:30 – 7 pm

With photos of two baskets that seemingly could not hold anything due to their unusual shapes.
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 30/06/2025
Taylor Jenkins Reid's novel "Atmosphere" is a love story involving Space Shuttle astronauts, with appealing characters it's easy to root for and a big apotheosis at the end. It's a sweet summer listen, with two narrators. Thanks Penguin Random House Audio for the free audiobook.
White man in his 40s stands near trainer jet mounted above a parking lot, with "Atmosphere" audiobook cover superimposed
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 29/06/2025
It was honor enough to interview Steve Solkela — in a Finnish one-room schoolhouse, no less. To win an award for it? Kyllä kiitos! Thanks @duluthnewstribune.com for the opportunity. www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/n...
White man in his 40s holds an award plaque in front of NEWS TRIBUNE lettering
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 27/06/2025
Hello from Zenith Adventure! I’ll be here until 1 p.m., signing copies of “100 Things To Do In Duluth Before You Die.”
White man in his 40s holding sign reading, “BOOK SIGNING TODAY”
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 20/06/2025
Thanks Random House for the free book. The foundational novels of the Dragonlance world have just been republished in a gorgeous new edition. Not a page-turner, but a truly epic creation with detailed descriptions of fantastic worlds — kind of a cozy read, as high fantasy tomes go.
White man’s hand holds hardcover book: “Classic Dragonlance Chronicles” by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Book cover features stylized gold dragon. Brick coffee shop is in background.
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 12/06/2025
Duluth man has new experience www.duluthnewstribune.com/lifestyle/fr...
Image of white man in his 40s standing on a grassy lawn with caption, "JAY GABLER / FIRST TIME IN A HELICOPTER"
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 06/06/2025
Democracy dies in darkness! @mattwellens.bsky.social of @duluthnewstribune.com obtained video of the three New Champ (Pooh Champ?) costumes that UMD fans hated so much, they had to be returned to the manufacturer with no refund. www.duluthnewstribune.com/sports/bulld...
Screenshot of video featuring three yellow dog mascot costumes wearing maroon shirts
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 02/05/2025
Seems insane now that Luke on Dagobah doesn’t even get a Nalgene
White man in his 20s in jungle setting carrying green alien creature in his back
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 26/04/2025
POV: signing at Zenith Bookstore #IndependentBookstoreDay
Table in bookstore with stacks of copies of “100 Things to Do in Duluth Before You Die”
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Jay Gabler @jaygabler.com · 24/04/2025
Things you Google when you're a newspaper reporter in Duluth
search for "ap style ship pronouns," producing result that "it" should be used
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