Author: Alexandra Burnley

Sled Dog Racing Community Helps Evacuate Almost 250 Dogs From Path Of Greenwood Fire

ISABELLA, Minn. — As the Greenwood Fire grows to 4,750 acres, members of the sled dog racing community rushed to help others who love the sport evacuate their sled dogs this week. Dr. Jen Freking, a veterinarian and Beargrease competitor who has trained and raised sled dogs for more than 30 years, knew that there wasn’t much time to evacuate…

Local Agencies Discuss Coast Guard’s Maritime Security Plan

This year's scenario went over the coast guard's plan of handling a bomb going off on a cruise ship.

DULUTH, Minn. — 37 organizations and agencies met in Duluth on Tuesday to go over what their roles would be in a mass disaster situation. This year’s scenario went over the Coast Guard’s plan of handling a bomb going off on a cruise ship. Each agency, such as police, fire, the sheriff’s office, and more went over how roles would…

Third Suspect Charged In St. Paul Man’s Murder After Body Found At Bottom Of Lake

COOK COUNTY, Minn. — A third person has been charged in connection to the murder of a St. Paul man whose body was found dismembered at the bottom of Lake Superior this summer. Jacob Colt Johnson, a 35-year-old from Superior, was charged with intentional but not premeditated second-degree murder in the Cook County district court on Monday. Two other suspects…

Section Of Burning Tree Road Closing Monday For Month-Long Construction

DULUTH, Minn. — A section of Burning Tree Road is closing on Monday for the next month. The plans include pavement milling and a stormwater project. The section that will shut down runs from Maple Grove Road to Mountain Shadow Drive. There will be a detour, but crews will try to keep access open to businesses when possible. The project…

“The Great Twin Ports Get Together” Scheduled for August 15th

DULUTH, Minn. — “The Great Twin Ports Get Together” is coming to Wade Stadium in Duluth on August 15th, according to a press release from the organizer. It will include live music featuring five bands playing throughout the day and fun activities for kids, such as bouncy houses and games with prizes. The event will also have beer, popcorn, and…

Main Lodge Of Camp Burns Down In Fire

LAKE ESQUAGAMA, Minn. — The main lodge of a camp on Lake Esquagama has been wiped out by a fire. According to the Northland FireWire, the blaze happened on Friday afternoon shortly before 1 p.m. at Camp Sigel, which offers Bible study camps. When firefighters got to the scene, the lodge was already fully engulfed, with the flames spreading to…

Majority Of Duluth’s Central High School Sold To Property Developer

DULUTH, Minn. — The Duluth School Board approved the sale of Central High School to Saturday Central Heights, LLC on Tuesday for $7.4 million. During a special meeting, the board unanimously signed off of selling 52 or more acres to the developer. The school district has been trying to sell the property for the past 11 years after the school…

Man Charged For Shooting At Stabbing Suspect In Babbitt

BABBITT, Minn. — A Babbitt man has been charged with three felonies after he was accused of shooting at a stabbing suspect last Saturday. 38-year-old Joel Earl Vandervest had a court appearance on Tuesday morning for second-degree assault, intentional discharge of a firearm that endangers safety, and reckless discharge of a firearm. According to the criminal complaint, he shot at…

Uber And Lyft Drivers Disappear In Duluth, While Taxis Make A Comeback

DULUTH, Minn. — If you’ve tried ordering an Uber or Lyft in Duluth recently, you may have noticed the “few drivers available” warning on the apps. It’s a national problem Americans are dealing with after the country has reopened for business, and there’s no telling how much longer it’s going to continue. Some college seniors in Duluth say that when…

Bayfield Authorities Looking For Driver Of SUV Possibly Involved In Fatal Motorcycle Accident

BAYFIELD CO., Wis. — The Bayfield County Sheriff’s Office needs help finding the driver of an SUV that may have been involved in a fatal motorcycle accident. The collision happened just after 1 p.m. on Thursday on Highway 2 in the Township of Eileen, over in Bayfield County. When first responders arrived, they found the man who had been on…

Sen. Tina Smith Introduces Mental Health Legislation As Demand For Therapists Skyrockets

WASHINGTON, D.C./DULUTH, Minn. — U.S. Senator Tina Smith, a Democrat representing Minnesota, wants to expand and support mental health resources with several proposals in Congress as clinics are seeing their patient lists fill up like never before. For Mental Health Awareness Month, Senator Smith posted several tweets on her Twitter page about her own journey with depression. “Having that opportunity…

Bentleyville Building “World’s Largest Lit-Up Iron Snowman” For 2021 Season

DULUTH, Minn. — On Tuesday, the founder of Bentleyville announced that the organization and its partners are building the “world’s largest lit-up iron snowman” that will be a part of the 2021 Bentleyville Tour Of Lights. Founder Nathan Bentley says the lighted snowman will stand at 120-feet-tall with a 50-foot diameter. Bentleyville is partnering with LHB, Braun Intertech, and the…

The Grumpy Goose: A New Vegan Food Truck Rolling Through Duluth

DULUTH, Minn. — A new vegan food truck just opened in Duluth, offering comfort food so those with plant-based diets don’t have to miss out. It’s called The Grumpy Goose, and it’s run by owner Josh Gosar and his family. “Through the pandemic, I spent a lot of time sitting at home, working through recipes and things to make,” Gosar…

Duluth’s Authentic Art Deco West Theatre Adding More Concerts, Blockbuster Movies This Summer

DULUTH, Minn. — The West Theatre in Duluth is welcoming back more musical acts this summer. The restored Art Deco theatre from the 1930s, which underwent a $1.5 million renovation in recent years, shut down for awhile during the pandemic, but then re-opened with movies and concerts. This Thursday, a John Denver cover band will be playing there, and then…

BWCA Fire Now Down To 782 Acres

BWCA – Firefighters are making progress controlling the raging flames in the BWCA, saying that while it’s not out yet, it’s “100% contained.” Right now, firefighters on the ground and in aircrafts are working to fight back the edges of the fire, and bringing down the pockets of heat to cooler temperatures. The headway is showing with the number of…

Fishing Tournament Fighting For ALS Patients: “We don’t believe that enough progress has been made”

DULUTH, Minn. — If you want to go fishing while supporting a great cause, you can head out to Island Lake on the first weekend of June. Kolar Toyota is hosting its 26th annual ALS Fishing Tournament on June 5th. For the past 25 years, this tournament alone has raised more than $3.5 million to fight for those diagnosed by…

Fishing Tournament Fighting For Those With ALS: “We don’t believe that enough progress has been made”

DULUTH, Minn. — If you want to go fishing while supporting a great cause, you can head out to Island Lake on the first weekend of June. Kolar Toyota is hosting its 26th annual ALS Fishing Tournament on June 5th. For the past 25 years, this tournament alone has raised more than $3.5 million to fight for those diagnosed by…

NorthlandAlert Used For First Time To Alert Public Of Loose NERCC Inmate

ST. LOUIS CO., Minn. — If you ever want to be aware of emergency situations unfolding in St. Louis County as they happen, you can sign up for NorthlandAlert. It’s a free warning service you can subscribe to and get alerts through emails, texts, and phone calls. It covers many types of emergency situations in the county, and was used…

Wildwoods Sees More Orphaned Animals Coming In, Starts Amazon Registry For Supplies

Click here to buy items from Wildwoods’ Amazon registry, and click here to make a financial donation to the nonprofit.  DULUTH, Minn. — The Wildwoods Rehabilitation Center in Duluth is seeing more orphaned baby squirrels, bunnies, and other animals brought in as the weather warms up, and now the team there has launched an Amazon registry to help collect essential…

National Volunteer Week: St. Luke’s Happy To Welcome Back Volunteers

DULUTH, Minn. – It’s National Volunteer Week, and one healthcare clinic is happy it has its volunteers back in action. St. Luke’s Hospital had to say goodbye to its volunteers who work in the hospital for almost a year after the pandemic hit, but now they’re allowed to return. Volunteers are placed in areas they may want to work. They…

Fisherman’s Corner Under New Ownership

PIKE LAKE, Minn. –The owner of a popular bait and hunting shop in Pike Lake is handing the keys over to someone new. Scott VanValkenburg opened Fisherman’s Corner off Highway 53 in 1985, and now he’s ready to retire. The new owner, Matt King, officially bought the store on Thursday morning. King said owning a shop like this has been…

MN Legislature May Offer $3 Million In Forgivable Loan To Help Restart And Convert Duluth Paper Mill

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota state lawmakers are working on a bill that would bring 80 or more jobs back to Duluth’s Verso paper mill. The mill shut down indefinitely last summer, where 240 employees worked. Verso may also be looking to sell the Duluth mill to another company. This new measure would give the current or future operator up…

Vaccines May Offer Good Protection Against Certain COVID Variants, Not Others

DULUTH, Minn. — The COVID-19 vaccines were all designed to protect people against the virus, but they may not be as effective against some of the variants spreading throughout the world right now. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the vaccines may offer less protection against certain variants such as B.1.351, the variant first discovered in South Africa,…

Essentia Health Donates To CHUM Food Shelf’s Produce Partnership With Local Farmers

DULUTH, Minn. — Essentia Health donated $7,500 to the CHUM Food Shelf in Duluth on Monday. CHUM partners with the Community-Supported Agriculture Guild by buying fresh produce from local farmers, which is then distributed to people in need through the food shelf. Essentia’s donation will go toward that program, with the locally-grown fruits and vegetables adding more nutritional value to…

Two Harbors Dealing With February Natural Gas Price Surge, But Not The Only City With Problem

TWO HARBORS, Minn. — Back in mid-February, many natural gas customers across America were slammed with surging prices as southern states like Texas and Oklahoma were hit with a historic winter storm. That temporary surge in natural gas demand just became clear to residents in Two Harbors opening their utility bills this month. It’s also happening to other natural gas…

Family-Owned Business Expanding To Former Shopko Location In Two Harbors

TWO HARBORS, Minn. — A family-owned Two Harbors business is opening a new location in the city’s former Shopko building, which has been sitting empty since the summer of 2019. The husband-and-wife owners of Seagren’s True Value in downtown Two Harbors will transform the old Shopko into Seagren’s Home, Hardware, and Outdoors. They say they’re going to offer virtually all…

“Finding Answers” COVID-19 Vaccine Special: FOX21 Talks With The Experts

DULUTH, Minn. — FOX21 and other news media outlets in the Northland came together at the DECC on Wednesday to interview experts and community organizers about the vaccine and distributing it to the current priority groups in our community. We spoke with St. Louis County Public Health Division Director Amy Westbrook. Westbrook says that St. Louis County hasn’t lost a…

WI State Superintendent Primary: Underly And Kerr Advance To General Election

WISCONSIN — The field of seven candidates for Wisconsin’s Superintendent of Public Instruction race has been narrowed down to two. With 95% of precincts reporting at 10 p.m. on Wednesday, the AP has called the race for Jill Underly and Deborah Kerr. At this hour, Underly has 88,074 votes, or 27.4% of the vote, with Kerr trailing close behind with…

Duluth Hits New Record With Opioid Deaths; Police Working On Treatment Efforts

DULUTH, Minn. — Duluth Police say the city had its highest number of deaths from opioid overdoses in 2020, ever since they began tracking the numbers back in 2013. 20 people died from suspected overdoses, with some deaths still needing to be confirmed with toxicology reports. Duluth had a total of 213 overdoses in 2020, which is actually more than…

Duluthian Uses Big Instagram Following to Teach Government Studies And Give Back

DULUTH, Minn.  – A Duluth woman is using her background as a former U.S. government studies teacher to not only educate her large Instagram following, but to do some good as well. Sharon McMahon spent years teaching U.S. government studies in different corners of the country and now runs a photography business in Duluth. This past fall, her passion for…

Sen. Amy Klobuchar To Speak At Presidential Inauguration She Helped Plan

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Amy Klobuchar will play a big role in Wednesday’s presidential inauguration. The senator from Minnesota is on the Senate Rules Committee as the lead Democrat, and a member of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. She will be joining President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris at a small church service in the morning,…

Facebook Group “Duluth Does Veganuary!” Challenges Locals To Try Plant-Based Diets

DULUTH, Minn. — A Facebook group called “Duluth Does Veganuary!” is challenging Northlanders to try giving up meat and dairy for the month of January. The group, now in its second year, has more than 650 members and encourages everyone to try going vegan for the full month, but also helps motivate those who are curious about the diet, and…

Gov. Walz Visiting Duluth On Thursday To Call For Civility After U.S. Capitol Riot

DULUTH, Minn. — Governor Tim Walz will be in Duluth on Thursday “to call for reflection, civility, and peace” after the riot at the U.S. Capitol last week, according to a press release from his office. The FBI has warned the country to plan for “armed protests” at all 50 state capitols and Washington, D.C. ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s…

Aunt Gives Update On Jayme Closs On Two-Year Anniversary Of Teenager’s Escape From Kidnapper

WISCONSIN – On the two-year anniversary of the day Jayme Closs escaped her kidnapper and her parents’ murderer, Jayme’s aunt is giving an update on how the courageous teenage girl is doing now. Jennifer Smith, who is also Jayme’s guardian, posted this update on the Healing For Jayme Facebook page, which also shares updates on other children who are missing:…