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| The Twin Ports are spread over two cities in two states. The people who operate the port work in a wide variety of occupations from stevedores and tug operators to guards and accountants. There are only two people who know everyone in the port. That would be Meredith Karasti (left) and Brenda Hennessey (right). They work for the Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Worker Identification Credential Program, TWIC for short. Soon, anyone who works within, or needs access to, the port’s secure areas will need to have an id card, commonly called a TWIC card. Meredith and Brenda, both from Duluth, have been interviewing, finger printing and photographing those many, many people since late December. Above, they are working with Julie Danula (right), senior accounting analyst at Midwest Energy Resources in Superior. |
| *submitted to the Duluth News Tribune for publication on 04-24-2008 |
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| The border between Canada and the United States is getting more restricted every day. Canadian boats such as the Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin still come into port, as it did this morning, with the same regularity and US boats still call at Canadian ports. The local customs officials board Canadian boats when they arrive. Add to that the additional security that is in place both around the port and on all the vessels that come into the port. I went over to talk with Julie Fletcher, the second cook on the Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin yesterday. She has been on the Martin for over a month. She lives in Thorold, Ontario, right next to the Welland Canal.
In the never land between customs and security, there was a brief moment when I was not allowed to come on the boat and she was not allowed to get off; we had our own little version of a US Canadian border conflict. We began to talk, I mean yell, at each other but shortly, perhaps because we were making so much noise, it was finally decided that she could get off the boat to visit with me. I of course was hoping I could get a nice meal on the boat but I didn’t ask her to deliver any take out, or take down, as you can see above. She finally descended the gang way (above), we visited for a while, she went back on board, the boat went over to the CN dock to load iron ore pellets and they probably departed the port early this morning. |
| *submitted to the Duluth News Tribune for publication on 04-02-2008 |
