Beran, St. Paul biz reporter, dies at 86

George Beran, a former business reporter for the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Dispatch, died Wednesday at the age of 86.

An obituary states, “Beran started his career as a newsman at the Sun newspaper chain, covering South St. Paul. He soon was hired by the St. Paul newspaper. During his 35-plus years at the paper, he covered many beats, including the Metropolitan Council, St. Paul City Hall and Ramsey County government, and later, business with an emphasis on small business. An avid gardener, he also wrote a gardening column in the 1990s for the newspaper and developed an onion variety he informally named ‘Maplewood Sweets.’

“Perhaps his most famous story was the time he hid in a broom closet at the former St. Paul Athletic Club after receiving a tip that a number of civic bigwigs and public officials were planning a secret meeting to discuss building a professional sports stadium in the midway area. Through a crack in the closet door, he managed to have enough light to take detailed notes about the plan. The story ran in the next day’s Pioneer Press, embarrassing many attendees, including the editor of the paper’s editorial page at the time, who promptly submitted his resignation (which was declined).

“He also was known for breaking the story in 1968 that a secret deal had been reached by the city to sell the Old Federal Courts Building (now Landmark Center) to a real estate developer in exchange for land for a parking facility in Lowertown. The deal likely would have resulted in the demolition of the beloved Old Federal Courts Building. Beran’s story galvanized readers and civic leaders to come together to save and restore the building for future generations.”

Read more here.