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.