Business

Downtown Duluth snow clearing scheduled

DULUTH, Minn. – City of Duluth street maintenance crews will be removing snow from right-of-ways in the downtown business district on Thursday, February 26 and Friday, February 27, 2026.  Snow removal operations will generally occur from 7:00 AM until 3:30 PM. Some people call the clearing process “the snow train.” No parking signs will be posted in the area ahead of…

Army Corp of engineers approve permit for line 5 relocation

FILE – Pipeline used to carry crude oil sits at the Superior, Wis., terminal of Enbridge Energy, June 29, 2018. DULUTH, Minn. & MADISON, Wis. — Energy company Enbridge has finally started work on rerouting an aging oil pipeline around a tribal reservation in northern Wisconsin after seven years of legal wrangling, moving ahead despite two new lawsuits that still…

Vance says administration is pausing some Medicaid funding to Minnesota because of fraud concerns

Vice President JD Vance arrives before President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance announced Wednesday that the Trump administration would “temporarily halt” some Medicaid funding to the state of Minnesota…

The 2026 First Ship contest is live

Duluth’s Lift Bridge DULUTH, Minn. – The 43rd Annual First Ship Contest is open for guesses. The Duluth Seaway Port Authority and Visit Duluth are partnering for the First Ship Contest. The person who correctly guesses when the season’s first “saltie” sails into the seaport could win a Duluth prize package.  A “saltie” means an oceangoing vessel to complete a…

Duluth FC and Superior City FC enter new management agreements

  DULUTH, Minn. — Twin Ports soccer teams, Superior City FC and Duluth FC will now be operated under the same management company. Northland Sports Management will run operations for both clubs. The recently announced management agreement means both clubs will share the same professional leadership but will be independent from each other. The agreement is not a merger, and…

New Wisconsin film tax credit and film office hope to boost local productions

  SUPERIOR, Wis. – Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers recently announced a new tax credit for filming in Wisconsin and the creation of a Film Office. It’s been a couple of decades since Wisconsin had a film tax credit.  Wisconsin was also one of only four states that didn’t have a film office either. It’s a great opportunity for the city…

Elite Sports Cards and Collectibles Show at Miller Hill Mall

DULUTH, Minn. — It’s a big weekend for collectors at the Miller Hill Mall. The Elite Sports Cards and Collectibles show kicked off Friday (2/20). Explore sports cards, memorabilia, and other collectibles from over 50 vendors. It’s a great way to find that card you’ve been looking for, as well as make connections and learn more about the hobby. “Have…

Duluth and Superior soccer clubs entering strategic management agreements

Northland Sports Management Logo DULUTH, Minn. & SUPERIOR, Wis. – Duluth FC and Superior City FC are announcing new strategic management agreements with Northland Sports Management. They point out “this is not a merger.” Duluth FC and Superior City FC will remain distinct, independent clubs, each retaining its own governance, competitive pathways, and brand identity – preserving their full independence….

Supreme Court strikes down Trump’s sweeping tariffs

Formal group photograph of the Supreme Court as it was been comprised on June 30, 2022 after Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson joined the Court. The Justices are posed in front of red velvet drapes and arranged by seniority, with five seated and four standing.Seated from left are Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., and Justices…

Soul Asylum and Hippo Campus to headline Grandma’s Marathon concerts

Entertainment Lineup 50th Grandmas Marathon DULUTH, Minn. – Soul Asylum and Hippo Campus will headline concerts for Grandma’s Marathon weekend. Ten Minnesota-based bands will take the stage at Bayfront Festival Park in June 2026 to help celebrate 50 years of Grandma’s Marathon. “We were searching for acts that felt authentic to who we are and reflective of where we come…

Gerdau Ball Grinding Factory in Duluth shaping the mining industry

DULUTH, Minn.– In Duluth there’s a mining factory producing a one-of-a-kind steel product, that’s in high demand across the country. The Gerdau Ball Grinding Factory is a global staple for the mining industry, where rods of steel are heated to 2-thousand degrees, and forged into balls. “We get our raw material, which you can see out in our yard. This…

Wisconsin’s new Blackout and Retro license plates selling big in first month available

Wisconsin Retro & Black Out License Plates SUPERIOR, Wis. – In the first month since their debut, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation has issued more than 10,000 of new plate options – Blackout and Retro license plates. The clean design of the Blackout plate has a black background with white lettering and edge. The Retro yellow or butter license plate…

Minnesota Power customers to receive one time bill credit

DULUTH, Minn. — Minnesota Power sold lands surrounding many of its hydroelectric reservoirs, resulting in a one-time bill credit for customers. Through 2025, those land sales totaled $72 million, which is expected to be about $109 for the average residential customer. The credit will appear on bills later this year. Minnesota Power also announced its CARE program expansion, which provides…

Positively 3rd Street Bakery raises $17,000 for Minnesota Mutual Aid

DULUTH, Minn.– For a little over a week, Positively 3rd street bakery dedicated 100 percent of proceeds to helping out Minnesota Mutual Aid, to help families and refugees affected by the ICE occupation. Bakery staff says, they were blown away at the community support, following the decision to fundraise. They anticipated a goal of 5-7 thousand dollars but raised over…

Spirit Mountain celebrates opening of Highline chair lift

DULUTH, Minn. — Spirit Mountain celebrated the opening of its new Highline Chair lift on Thursday. The lift was a 4.4-million-dollar project, which was a smaller part of the larger $26 million dollar Spirit Mountain Restoration Project. “We are so fortunate to have owners who are willing to make these kinds of investments, and we know we have to perform,…

Duluth Chamber of Commerce and LSC hold Diversity Equity and Inclusion Summit

DULUTH, Minn.  — The topic of equity and inclusion took center stage Thursday in Duluth for business leaders, educators, and people in the community. The Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce and Lake Superior College put on the summit. Experts talked about how noticing, listening, and engaging can create more value and inclusive workplaces and communities. Several speakers and panels went…

Tanner’s Car Wash celebrates opening with free washes

DULUTH, Minn. — After months of construction, Tanner’s Express Car Wash in Duluth is finally open, and they’re celebrating by giving back to the community. The new car wash, which broke ground back in June, is named for its founder Tanner Stokes, and features different wash options named for the city of Duluth. Stokes, alongside co-founder Sandy Hoff, made it…

With caviar McNuggets and heart-shaped pizza, fast food chains hope to win Valentine’s diners

McNugget® Caviar (AP) – It’s a tale as old as time, or at least as old as TikTok: chicken nuggets lovingly topped with a dab of caviar. McDonald’s is embracing the trend this Valentine’s Day with a limited-time McNugget Caviar kit. The free kit, which will be available on McNuggetCaviar.com on Feb. 10, pairs a one-ounce tin of Paramount’s Siberian…

Minnesota to inspect 5,800 Medicaid providers; asking for state workers from other departments to help

Minnesota Department of Human Services Logo ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Human Services announced they will begin a “massive statewide push to ensure Medicaid providers in 13 high-risk services have the qualifications required by law.” The Minnesota Department of Human Services is putting out a call across all state agencies asking them to transfer 168 qualified workers…

Trump names former Federal Reserve official Warsh as the next Fed chair to replace Powell

FILE – Kevin Warsh speaks to the media about his report on transparency at the Bank of England, in London, Dec., 11, 2014. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool, File) WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday that he will nominate former Federal Reserve official Kevin Warsh to be the next chair of the Fed, a decision likely to result in…

Pipe fractured in Pine County explosion was ‘susceptible to integrity issues’

PINE COUNTY, Minn. – The United States Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is overseeing the investigation into the natural gas pipeline explosion that happened in Pine County.  Following the January 16, 2026 pipeline failure near Willow River, Minnesota, the federal agency issued a “Corrective Action Order”.  The order was sent on the day following the explosion. Willow River…

Lawsuit claim: Duluth illegally charging millions in building permit-related fees

DULUTH, Min. – A lawsuit is claiming Duluth has illegally high building permit-related fees.  The Duluth lawsuits is similar to others filled against Minneapolis and St. Paul. The man suing is in Duluth is Joe Kovich.  His lawyer Shawn M. Raiter tells FOX 21,. “Certain cities in Minnesota—including Duluth—have unlawfully overcharged property owners well over $100 million for building permit…

Owner of Lutsen Lodge suing insurance company for non-payment

DULUTH, Minn – North Shore Resort Company, the company that owns Lutsen Lodge, is suing Owners Insurance Company for not paying insurance claims from the fire that destroyed the historic resort. Lutsen Lodge Fire The suit, filed in federal court on January 23, 2026 says, “Plaintiff timely made a claim to Defendant for coverage under the Policy’s Building, Personal Property,…

Publishers Clearing House scams making rounds in Northern Minnesota

Publishers Clearing House Logo DULUTH, Minn. –  The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office says there have been numerous reports of scammers calling people claiming they had won a Publishers Clearing House prize. The calls have been made within the past week. Scammers are claiming the person won a cash sum and often a brand-new vehicle.  The caller then requests that they…

Positively 3rd Street Bakery to donate profits to Minneapolis families affected by ICE activity

DULUTH, Minn. — Positively 3rd Street Bakery announced a new campaign to raise donations for Minneapolis residents affected by ICE. The bakery announced that all profits until Feb. 1, will be donated to the International Institute of Minnesota, which will use the funds to buy groceries or provide rent relief for families affected by the ongoing ICE-related activity. The small…

Sixty CEOs of Minneapolis-based companies call for ‘immediate deescalation of tensions’

Logos of Minneapolis-bases companies who signed letter The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce released a letter Sunday on behalf of more than 60 CEOs of Minnesota-based companies after the second death of a Minneapolis resident involving federal agents. The full text of the letter: The business community in Minnesota prides itself in providing leadership and solving problems to ensure a strong…

SWL&P plans to replace water filters

SUPERIOR, Wis. — Superior Water Light and Power is hoping to make some upgrades. They filed an application with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to replace their water filters. 2.5 million gallons of water go through their four filters daily before being sent throughout the city. If the project is approved, they’ll replace two at a time, so it…

Minnesota Attorney General warning of crowdfunding scams tied to ICE activity in Minnesota

Keith Ellison at news conference announcingMinnesota and Twin Citiesare suing Trump administration over widespread immigration operations ST. PAUL, Min. – Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is warning people of crowdfunding scams purporting to help those impacted by immigration enforcement activity in Minnesota. The Attorney General’s Office is saying “bad actors” are taking advantage of people’s generosity.  The Attorney General’s Office…

Customers back to normal after gas pipeline explosion; temporary repairs on going

PINE COUNTY, Min. – Minnesota Energy Resources says all of their customers impacted by the recent pipeline explosion can get back to regular usage. Some customers in Willow River, Sturgeon Lake and Finlayson lost service on the afternoon of January 16, 2026. Willow River Pipeline Explosion(Carlton County Fire News) Customers were asked to reduce their heating levels now for four…

Maria Vollom joining FOX 21 evening team

DULUTH, Minn. – An exciting new chapter has begun at FOX 21 Local News. Morning anchor Maria Vollom has been promoted to evening co-anchor with Dan Hanger, Rusty Mehlberg on weather and Neil Vierzba on sports at 5:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. on the evening newscasts. After waking-up early for FOX 21 Local News from 7 a.m. until 9 a.m….

Work continues to fix natural gas pipeline damaged from explosion

PINE COUNTY, Minn. – Crews with Northern Natural Gas Company on Monday (1/19/26) told FOX21 they are still working on the north and south ends of the pipeline segment that exploded on January 16, 2025. They did not give an estimated timeline for the repairs. Willow River Pipeline Explosion(Carlton County Fire News) Northern Natural Gas is supplying compressed natural gas…

Loll Designs surpasses $100K in donations to Chester Bowl with check presentation

DULUTH, Minn. — Chester Bowl received a large donation, in the form of thousands of dollars from a local furniture company. Loll Designs donated the check of over $9,000 to Chester, as part of a six-year donation cycle from the furniture company, which surpassed $100,000 in 2025. The continued support from Loll has helped Chester get the point of renovating…

Following explosion some customers could be without natural gas for days

Willow River Pipeline Explosion(Carlton County Fire News) PINE COUNTY, Min. – Minnesota Energy Resources says some of their customers in and around Willow River and Sturgeon Lake could be without natural gas for days following a pipeline explosion in Pine County.  Minnesota Energy Resources say about 500 customers will be affected by the outage. The explosion happened around 1:45pm on January…

City of Duluth holds open house to introduce 4th Street reconstruction project

DULUTH, Minn. — The City of Duluth welcomed community members to an open house as the city introduced its upcoming reconstruction of 4th St. The project will involve the complete reconstruction of 4th St. from 6th Ave E to Mesaba Ave. The main goal of the project is to replace an aging water main under the road, though the city…

Hemp business owner sheds light on proposed bills in response to potential Wisconsin hemp ban

SUPERIOR, Wis.– With a federal ban on hemp-derived products taking effect in November across the country, a CBD and hemp business owner in Superior is feeling some sense of relief with new legislation in the works from Wisconsin lawmakers. Craig Sutherland with “Sutherland CBD” said, there are two competing republican-led bills that determines the future of hemp, including products such…

Super One Foods presents over $162,000 to The Salvation Army

DULUTH, Minn.– On Wednesday, Super One Foods presented The Salvation Army with two check donations. During the Christmas season Miners Inc. conducted its annual register campaign across Super One’s 45 locations. Shoppers could donate by rounding up during checkout, this season raising over $112,000. Through Miner’s Match, an additional check of $50,000 was presented to The Salvation Army. “The Miner’s match…

First Look: The state’s Quality Improvement Plan draft to Community Action Duluth

Community Action Duluth Logo DULUTH, Min. – FOX21 has obtained an initial draft of the Quality Improvement Plan given to Community Action Duluth (CAD) by the Minnesota Department of Children Youth and Families (DCYF).  The plan is a roadmap the state believes CAD needs to use to improve operations. The document lists 15 “identified deficiencies” within Community Action Duluth.  These…

Treasure Chest Games opens shop in Cloquet

CLOQUET, Minn. — Treasure Chest Games has been open for just over a week, and business has been promising. They opened with a bang on New Year’s Eve with a tournament with some very lucky gamers getting some valuable cards. Previously operating as an online storefront, the brick-and-mortar storefront provides space for in-person play and the ability to browse the…

Minnesota Department of Human Services pausing provider enrollment for 13 Medicaid services

Minnesota Department of Human Services Logo DULUTH, Minn. — The Minnesota Department of Human Services have announced in a press release that it is set begin a freeze on new provider enrollments in 13 categories of Medicaid services which it deems at a high risk for fraud. A start date for the freeze is not yet determined, with the pause…

New Blackout and Retro license plates now available in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Retro & Black Out License Plates MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin’s newest state license plates, a Blackout design and a Retro butter yellow design, are now available for purchase at most DMVs. In making the announcement Gov. Tony Evers said, “I’m really jazzed folks will start seeing these new plates out on our roads that really showcase our proud Wisconsin…

Grinch spotted picking up trees with Twin Ports Trailer Trash

DULUTH, Minn. — The Grinch has been spotted around town taking Christmas Trees, but this time it’s to benefit the community. For 8 years now, Twin Ports Trailer Trash has been collecting Christmas Trees after the holidays. They ensure the trees are disposed of correctly rather than becoming hazards or ending up in the landfill. It also gives them a…

Cloquet Antique Marketplace opens new location

CLOQUET, Minn. — The Cloquet Antique Marketplace has officially reopened in a new and larger location. Just a few blocks from its old location, the new space holds more vendors and more items. The new space can hold 25 vendors, while the previous location only held five. Unlike typical antique stores, the marketplace showcases local artists and businesses, offering a…

MiigWitches Brew opens second location at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College

CLOQUET, Minn.– A familiar cup of coffee is being brewed up at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. MiigWitches Brew has opened a second location, this time serving up students and staff at the local college. The coffee shop gained popularity in 2024 when a husband and wife team opened a drive-up stand on the Fond du Lac Reservation….

“The Iron Exchange at 400” Hibbing housing development officially underway

HIBBING, Minn.– Since 2018, the city of Hibbing has been navigating new changes for a potential housing development downtown. And finally, they’re starting to see those plans come into fruition. The historic 400 block on Howard Street has seen quite a bit over the years. Developed in the 1920s, singer Bob Dylan once lived there, and a fire broke out…