Public Record Media

Public record research • Public interest publication Transparency litigation • Public affairs education

Tribute event for journalist Mike Kaszuba to be held July 26

On July 26, 2025, the family of former Public Record Media (PRM) board member and long-time journalist Mike Kaszuba will host a tribute event in his memory.  The event will be held at the Harriet Brasserie restaurant at 2724 West 43rd Street in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from 2:00-4:00pm.  

Mike Kaszuba passed away unexpectedly on June 17, 2025, after a brief illness.

Members of the family have requested that donations made in memory of Mr. Kasubza be contributed to PRM, in support of its government oversight mission.  Checks can be sent to PRM at 1539 Grand Avenue, in St. Paul, MN 55105.  On-line contributions can be made via PRM’s GiveMN link at:

https://www.givemn.org/organization/Public-Record-Media

Kaszuba joined PRM in 2015, shortly after his retirement from the Star Tribune newspaper, and served as the organization’s chief writer and editor for ten years.  He served on PRM’s board starting in 2023.

Fellow PRM board members Mark Brunswick and Matt Ehling penned the following op-ed piece, which was published by the Minnesota Star Tribune on July 23, 2025:

Minnesota has lost a stalwart of public interest journalism

On Tuesday, long-time Minnesota journalist (and former Star Tribune reporter) Mike Kaszuba died after a sudden illness.  He passed away surrounded by loving family members, and leaves behind a robust civic legacy.  Mike knew the value of probing, public interest journalism, and delivered it on deadline.

We know, because we had the pleasure of watching him do it for so many years.

A decade ago, Mike ran across references to Public Record Media (PRM), the small, scrappy, open records non-profit organization on whose board we serve, and cold-called PRM to get involved.

PRM requests government records, reports on documents, and sues government entities when lawful access to records is denied.  Mike immediately offered to help the organization as a writer and researcher.  He eventually became PRM’s primary editorial voice — submitting hundreds of data requests to Minnesota and federal government entities, and writing dozens of stories about government operations.

Mike broke stories on data center secrecy, problems with “violence interrupter” contacting in Minneapolis, mining projects in Northern Minnesota, the unusual death of Republican operative Peter Smith in Rochester, Minnesota, and many, many other facets of the state’s civic reality.

He had an encyclopedic knowledge of Minnesota’s civic life, and was constantly searching for angles left uncovered by others.  Mike had an unfailing belief that the public should be able to understand what America’s large institutions — governmental and corporate — were up to.

Mike Kaszuba worked as a news reporter for years — first in Tennessee, and then for decades in Minnesota.  He worked beats ranging from capitol politics, to the business of professional sports.

Long-time volunteer public advocate Rich Neumeister has regaled us with stories about how Mike always kept the capitol newsroom door open for him.  Rich would send him leads, and Mike would run them down.  “He would let the truth speak loudest, never seeking the spotlight for himself,” Rich has said.

We had the pleasure of watching Mike close-up for years.  He was a master at balancing muckraking journalism, civic volunteerism, and time with his devoted family.  He was loved and respected by many.

Mike’s signature e-mail line to sources was “Trying to reach you.”

You did Mike.  You reached us all.

Matt Ehling and Mark Brunswick are board member of Public Record Media, a non-profit journalism project based in Saint Paul.  Mr. Brunswick is a retired Star Tribune reporter and close friend of Mike’s, who worked with him for over thirty years.


Filter by Topic

  • All
  • 2016 election (3)
  • 2020 election (2)
  • Abortion (1)
  • Alan Page (3)
  • Amazon (6)
  • Anoka County (3)
  • BCA (2)
  • Barack Obama (3)
  • Bill McGuire (2)
  • Bob Dylan (1)
  • Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (3)
  • COVID (6)
  • Cargill (2)
  • Chanhassen (2)
  • Check Topics (3)
  • Congress (1)
  • Council on American-Islamic Relations (1)
  • DEED (9)
  • Dakota Access Pipeline (2)
  • Dakota County (1)
  • Domestic military operations (1)
  • Donald Trump (21)
  • Drones (5)
  • Eagan (2)
  • Edina (1)
  • Edward Snowden (1)
  • Espionage Act (1)
  • FBI (10)
  • Federal Aviation Administration (3)
  • Federal Communications Commision (1)
  • Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis (3)
  • Federal Transit Administration (1)
  • Federal prison (1)
  • Financial Services Roundtable (1)
  • FoxConn (1)
  • George Floyd (7)
  • Glen Taylor (1)
  • Google (2)
  • Gov. Arne Carlson (3)
  • Gov. Mark Dayton (8)
  • Gov. Scott Walker (1)
  • Gov. Tim Pawlenty (1)
  • Gov. Tim Walz (9)
  • Greater MSP (9)
  • Harold LeVander (1)
  • Health Partners (1)
  • Hennepin County (2)
  • Hennepin County Attorney's Office (1)
  • Hennepin County Sheriff's Office (6)
  • Hillary Clinton (2)
  • Huawei (1)
  • Hubbard family (1)
  • Immigration (3)
  • InfraGard (2)
  • Insurrection Act (1)
  • J. Edgar Hoover (1)
  • Jamar Clark (1)
  • James Binger (1)
  • Jerry Kill (1)
  • Joan Gabel (1)
  • Joe Biden (4)
  • Justice Antonin Scalia (1)
  • KSTP-TV (1)
  • Kenneth Dahlberg (2)
  • Lino Lakes (1)
  • Marv Davidov (2)
  • Medtronic (1)
  • Met Council (2)
  • Meta (1)
  • Metro Transit (3)
  • Mike Kaszuba (1)
  • Miles Lord (1)
  • Minneapolis (10)
  • Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (4)
  • Minneapolis rally (2)
  • Minnesota (15)
  • Minnesota Attorney General (3)
  • Minnesota Council of Health Plans (1)
  • Minnesota Department of Health (2)
  • Minnesota Department of Human Services (2)
  • Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (2)
  • Minnesota Department of Public Safety (1)
  • Minnesota Department of Transportation (3)
  • Minnesota Management and Budget (1)
  • Minnesota State Fair (1)
  • Minnesota State Patrol (1)
  • Minnesota United FC (3)
  • Minnesota Vikings (9)
  • Minnesota state auditor (1)
  • Muslim (1)
  • Myron Frans (2)
  • National Football League (3)
  • National Guard (2)
  • National Transportation Safety Board (1)
  • Neel Kashkari (4)
  • PJ Fleck (1)
  • Page Amendent (3)
  • Peter Smith (2)
  • Pine County (1)
  • Pohlad family (1)
  • PolyMet (3)
  • Posse Comitatus Act (1)
  • Prince (1)
  • Prinsburg (1)
  • Public Record Media (9)
  • Public Records (1)
  • Ramsey County (1)
  • Ramsey County Sheriff's Office (2)
  • Richard Nixon (1)
  • Richard Painter (2)
  • Robert Mueller III (2)
  • Rochester (1)
  • Rosemount (1)
  • Row The Boat (1)
  • Sandstone (1)
  • Scott County (3)
  • Securian Financial (1)
  • Securities and Exchange Commission (1)
  • Sen. Rod Grams (1)
  • Sherburne County (1)
  • Sierra Nevada Corporation (1)
  • St. Louis Park (1)
  • St. Paul (9)
  • St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman (1)
  • Sterling Medical Associates (1)
  • Stillwater Bridge (1)
  • Super Bowl (5)
  • TCF Bank Stadium (1)
  • Tesla (1)
  • Texas (1)
  • Third Precinct (1)
  • Twin Metals (2)
  • U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (1)
  • U.S. Marshal's Office (1)
  • U.S. Supreme Court (2)
  • US Bank (2)
  • US Bank Stadium (6)
  • US Bureau of Land Management (2)
  • US Department of Defense (5)
  • US Department of Justice (3)
  • US Forest Service (2)
  • United Health Group (1)
  • University of Minnesota (13)
  • Walter Mondale (1)
  • Washington County (1)
  • Watergate (1)
  • Wayzata (1)
  • White Bear Lake (1)
  • Wisconsin (2)
  • Wisconsin TV station (1)
  • crime (1)
  • data centers (1)
  • farmington (1)
  • firearm background checks (1)
  • health management organizations (1)
  • homelessness (1)
  • ilhan omar (1)
  • libraries (1)
  • non-disclosure agreement (3)
  • non-medical exemptions (1)
  • public records (15)
  • schools (1)
  • vaccine skepticism (1)