DULUTH, Minn. – A family of four can’t return home after their house caught fire in West Duluth Sunday. The fire broke out around 1:30 p.m. in a home on the 200 block of South 70th Avenue West. Three people and a dog inside the home safely escaped. The fire started in the kitchen. Damage is estimated at $35,000. The…
DULUTH, Minn. – One year after fire shut down the popular Beijing Restaurant in Duluth, the owner is close to reopening. Construction crews and the fencing surrounding the property on London Road are now gone. Beijing’s longtime owner Cindy Lee said Sunday that repairs are complete and she’s waiting on final permits to be signed off by the city to start…
SUPERIOR, Wis. — A new study has been released about the city of Superior’s operations at city hall and how it can improve to be more efficient and effective. The study was initiated by Mayor Jim Paine and the city council, and conducted by RW Management Group, Inc. The consultant group assessed things like current staffing, workflow, workloads and management…
DULUTH, Minn. — Former Minnesota State Sen. and former Duluth city council president Roger Reinert was in studio for FOX 21 News at 9 as election results were coming in during Tuesday’s election. Reinert gave analysis on the Duluth mayoral race and council races as results came in. Categories: News, News – Latest News, Political
DULUTH, Minn. – The Sheraton Hotel in downtown Duluth is undergoing a multi-million dollar transformation. It’s the first time the hotel is going through such a renovation since opening in 2007 that’ll strip down every piece of what the public sees, as FOX 21’s Dan Hanger reports. The final phase of the $31 million Superior Street reconstruction project is well…
NORTH BRANCH, Minn. – A 63-year-old Moose Lake man died Friday after he was rear-ended by a drunken driver on Interstate 35 in North Branch, Minnesota. According to the Minnesota State Patrol, at about 5 a.m., the 63-year-old man was driving his Buick on I-35 when a Toyota Tundra, traveling at a high rate of speed, rear-ended him. The Buick then…
DULUTH, Minn. – The suspect accused of shooting and killing a Duluth man outside of a downtown bar in 2018 has been found guilty of murder. On Tuesday afternoon, a jury of six men and six women found 27-year-old Jamal Jackson guilty of second-degree intentional murder for the fatal shooting of 31-year-old Scott Pennington. St. Louis County prosecutor Jon Holets…
LAKE COUNTY, Minn. – Authorities are asking for the public’s help after a missing Indiana man’s truck was found just north of Two Harbors. James Runkle, 56, went missing from North Judson, Indiana, Sept. 20. He told his wife he planned to go fishing locally before going to a doctor’s appointment and then coming home. Lake County Sheriff Carey Johnson…
The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office is investigation a suspicious death. Details were very limited Tuesday night, other than that the death happened in the Makinen area, which is about 15 miles southeast of Virginia. Officials say there is no threat to the public, and there was no word on any immediate arrests. Categories: Crime, News, News – Latest News
DULUTH, Minn. – United Healthcare in Duluth has laid off some of its workers, but the company would not confirm how many employees are affected. United Healthcare released the following statement Thursday: “UnitedHealthcare works every day to help make health care more affordable, while ensuring the business remains well-positioned for continued growth. As part of that commitment, we regularly review…
DULUTH, Minn. — Duluth police have made what they are calling a “significant” burglary arrest of a Duluth man already charged with four other burglaries from earlier this year. Kyle Carl, 25, was arrested Wednesday for one of three September burglaries at Duluth Cider brewery on West Superior Street in Lincoln Park. This comes as Duluth police continue investigating burglaries…
DULUTH, Minn. – A lawsuit has been avoided between a pro-business political action group in Duluth known as BizPac and the Duluth Transit Authority over banner ads on the city buses. Three BizPac ads were pulled from the buses in April by the DTA after a complaint from city staff. The DTA said the ads about housing needs, questionable priorities…
DULUTH, Minn. — Several businesses in and around the Burning Tree Plaza in Duluth were evacuated Monday evening after a gas line break, according to a city spokesperson. Haines Road was shut down, along with parts of Matterhorn Drive and Maple Grove Road as fire officials handled the scene. No injuries had been reported as of 7 p.m. Comfort Systems…
TWO HARBORS, Minn. – Growler sales are about to come to an end for the rest of the year at Castle Danger Brewery in Two Harbors and may even result in cutting back positions. It’s all because of a Minnesota state law that says once a brewery produces more than 20,000 barrels in a year, those breweries are prohibited from…
DULUTH, Minn. — People in West Duluth can sleep a little easier knowing two men have been arrested in connection to a weekend homicide in that part of town that took the life of 33-year-old Timothy Nelson. The news of the arrests came as a small memorial began to form where the fatal shooting went down. Click here to donate…
DULUTH, Minn. – Timothy Nelson, 33, of Duluth — a father of five children between the ages four and seven — has been identified as the victim of homicide after being shot in his vehicle over the weekend in West Duluth. Nelson and family There was no word from Duluth police Monday on any possible suspects or arrests involving this…
DULUTH, Minn. — Duluth police are investigating the shooting death of a man in West Duluth. The call for help came in around 1:47 a.m. Sunday to the 300 block of North 62nd Avenue West on a report of shots fired. When police arrived, they located a 33-year-old male inside a vehicle with a gunshot would to “his midsection,” according…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth police have increased patrols in the Lincoln Park neighborhood after recent break-ins at a business there. The business is on the 2300 block of West Superior Street and has been a target three times, which is why FOX 21 is not naming it. No arrests were made as of Thursday night. Police believe the crimes involve…
On Wednesday afternoon, the Minnesota Court of Appeals suspended Polymet’s permit to mine and dam safety permits for its proposed $1 billion copper-nickel mine near Babbitt. The permits will be discussed at an Oct. 23 hearing. That’s when the “DNR shall be prepared to advise the court on the status of post-permit developments, including its evaluation of the Brumadinho dam…
DULUTH, Minn. – The search to hire a new Duluth school superintendent to replace Bill Gronseth when he leaves in June is already being called into question. Board members like Nora Sandstad say there’s still a serious lack of transparency between Board Chair Rosie Loeffler-Kemp and the administration. And this comes even after FOX 21’s Dan Hanger broke the story…
DULUTH, Minn. – Through a data request with the Duluth School District at a cost of 75 cents to obtain, FOX 21 was given the termination letter Wednesday of now-former Denfeld High School Principal Tonya Sconiers. It’s the first time we’re getting a sense of the reasons the school board fired Sconiers after 19 years with the district. A summary…
DULUTH, Minn. – Former Duluth Denfeld High School principal Tonya Sconiers — who the school board voted to fire back in July — has filed a federal lawsuit against ISD 709, Superintendent Bill Gronseth and Asst. Superintendent Jeffrey Horton. The lawsuit claims Sconiers was retaliated and discriminated against for speaking out against district leadership about policies and practices violating her…
TOWN OF RED CEDAR, Wis. (AP) – Authorities in western Wisconsin say a 60-year-old man was accidentally shot while bird hunting with family members at a game farm. Dunn County sheriff’s authorities say the four family members were hunting together in the Town of Red Cedar on Sunday morning when one member set a shotgun down against some brush to…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Public Schools Superintendent Bill Gronseth released a statement Friday one day after a FOX 21 report about Asst. Superintendent Jeffrey Horton’s past criminal record of three DWI cases, which was never shared with the school board — except to the previous Board Chair David Kirby — before they signed off on the new hire in June…
DULUTH, Minn. – FOX 21 has learned Duluth School District Assistant Superintendent Jeffrey Horton is on probation through 2022 for a third DWI offense he was sentenced for just months before being hired for the No. 2 job in the school district in July of last 2018. And while DWIs are not a deal breaker for hiring administrators in the…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth police are investigating an attempted robbery that left a man seriously injured. Police say the 26-year-old victim fell into the creek near the 500 block of Lincoln Park Drive while running away from the suspects. Investigators believe the suspects are known to the victim. No arrests had been made Sunday. The victim’s injuries are not life…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth police have made an arrest in a home invasion, robbery and auto theft. The suspect is a 32-year-old man from Duluth who was in jail Sunday held on preliminary charges of burglary, kidnapping, robbery and auto theft. His name will be released when formal charges are filed. The crime happened Aug. 22 around 10 p.m. on…
DULUTH, Minn. – Alcohol is believed to be a factor in a crash involving a vehicle and a train with the North Shore Scenic Railroad. It happened around 7 p.m. on McQuade Road just outside of Duluth in Lakewood Township. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office says the driver, Kurt Vanhala, 67, of Duluth failed to yield to all warning…
DULUTH, Minn. — One day after Essentia Health and St. Luke’s nurses hit the streets of Duluth for an informational picket over failed contract negotiations that call for “safe” staffing levels, Essentia announced a tentative agreement late Wednesday with the Minnesota Nurses Association. Below is the statement from Essentia: Essentia Health and the Minnesota Nurses Association have reached a tentative…
DULUTH, Minn. – The Duluth Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating after three fires were started in Leif Erikson Park Tuesday evening. The call for help came in around 8 p.m. Two of the fires were put out by firefighters. The other went out on its own. The fires were near the amphitheater, according to a city spokesperson. If you know…
CLOQUET, Minn. – It’s over and out for Cloquet Police Chief Jeff Palmer who has chosen to leave the department – making him the third chief to do just that since Wade Lamirande in 2014. Cloquet City Administrator Aaron Reeves said Palmer was not being investigated for any complaints while he was on leave for the past four months leading…
DULUTH, Minn. – The popular Beijing Restaurant in Duluth that was shut down by fire is expected to reopen by the end of the year. The owner Cindy Lee told FOX 21 Wednesday that she’s hoping to serve her loyal customers in possibly two months at the earliest. Crews are working on the inside of the building on London Road….
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth’s condemned Carter Hotel is officially a parking lot — at least for now. The lot is behind the Fond-du-Luth Casino in Downtown Duluth along 2nd Avenue East. It includes 16 new parking spots and improved lighting. The Fond du Lac Band owns the property and could turn it into an expansion of the casino or even…
DULUTH, Minn. — A new apartment building is in the works for Duluth’s growing Lincoln Park Craft District. The plans call for a 75-unit four-story complex on the corner of the 2100 block of West Superior Street. The location used to be home to Robert’s Furniture, which is two blocks from OMC Smokehouse and a handful of other new establishments….
SUPERIOR, Wis. — A Duluth woman accused of a hit and run in Superior that injured a boy has waived her rights to challenge evidence against her. Mary Trea, 38, is facing one felony charge of hit and run. 11-year-old Cassius Carey in the hospital the night of the accident. Photo courtesy of his mother. In the criminal complaint, witnesses…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth BizPac — a political action group with a goal to support and attract local businesses — is threatening to sue the city of Duluth and the Duluth Transit Authority after their bus ads were abruptly taken down. “If we’re going to have open dialogue, this is not the way to do it,” said Rob Stenberg, president…
ASHLAND, Wis. – The case against a longtime Ashland police officer accused of auto theft is now in the hands of Douglas County District Attorney Mark Fruehauf for possible charges. The 18-year veteran of the Ashland Police Department retired in May – the same month Ashland Police Chief Jim Gregoire sent out a press release about the allegations against the…
MOOSE LAKE, Minn. – An investigation has been launched into an officer-involved shooting in a Moose Lake mobile home park that left a suspect injured. Monday’s shooting happened as officers were attempting to arrest a person on felony warrants. A suspect was shot as an emergency response team entered a Moose Lake home. We’re told there was an open…
TOWN OF DANE, Wis. (AP) – Authorities say a man accidentally ran over and killed his 8-year-old son on a farm in south-central Wisconsin. Dane County sheriff’s authorities say the accident happened late Friday in the Town of Dane. The initial report was that the boy apparently had been trampled to death by a cow, but authorities determined the boy’s…
HERMANTOWN, Minn. (Press Release) – The Hermantown Police Department has received numerous calls from victims who have ordered products such as windows or lumber packages from the Hermantown Lumber Company, which was located at 3707 Lavaque Road, Hermantown, Minn. The Hermantown Lumber Company ceased operations on June 28, 2019, and many orders that were fully or partially paid have gone…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken is talking crime statistics in the city, and how public perception – often times on social media – is far from reality. The chief says violent crime is not on the rise, but that any crime is one too many. “You see it on social media. I see it where people say…
DULUTH, Minn. – A longtime St. Louis County social worker is facing serious sex crime charges involving one of his patients with the county. Michael Bryant, 46, of Wrenshall is accused of demanding and even forcing sex on the female client in her own home. The criminal complaint says Bryant would make the woman strip naked, get down on her…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth police are investigating a stabbing in the city’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. A spokesperson alerted the media about the basics on the case at about 8:50 p.m. Monday. The stabbing happened on the 500 block of 22nd Avenue West. It appears to be a domestic incident, according to police. We’ll bring your more information as officials release…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth City Councilor Joel Sipress sounded off at Monday’s city council meeting by saying Mayor Emily Larson and her administration could have been more transparent involving the new half-percent sales tax and a portion of that funding now being required by the state to go to the Medical District over a 10-year period. “I have to say…
FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A smoky haze continues to hamper many areas in northwestern Minnesota and eastern North Dakota as a result of the wildfires in Canada. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued an air quality alert through Sunday for the northern part of the state. The agency says conditions were expected to improve later in the day as winds…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – It was another vocal and passionate council meeting in Superior Tuesday night. Councilors voted 8-2 to overturn Mayor Jim Paine’s veto involving the censure of Councilor Jenny Van Sickle and her negative social media comments about City Attorney Frog Prell. Those comments called Prell incompetent, lazy and a manipulator in response to Prell’s legal opinion that concluded…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – Longtime Superior Fire Chief Steve Panger and Finance Director Jean Vito are retiring after more than two decades each with the city. Panger, a 26-year veteran of the fire department, made the announcement official to councilors and Mayor Jim Paine Tuesday. Panger told FOX 21 he has reached the age of retirement at 53 years old and…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – For the first time publicly, Superior Mayor Jim Paine says he is in a relationship with Councilor Jenny Van Sickle. This comes after a FOX 21 report three months ago about that relationship when Paine endorsed Van Sickle for re-election — something that got critical reaction from some fellow councilors. Paine would not confirm or deny the…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – Superior City Councilor Jenny Van Sickle of Dist. 2 has pulled back social media posts that City Attorney Frog Prell claims are libelous against him and could result in a civil suit. Sometime late Monday night after FOX 21 aired a story about Prell’s legal notice to Van Sickle with claims of defamation, her Twitter page was…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – Superior City Attorney Frog Prell has put Councilor Jenny Van Sickle on legal notice for allegations of defamation and libel. (Click here for Prell’s defamation notice) This comes after Van Sickle called Prell lazy, incompetent and a manipulator on social media in response to Prell’s research report that concluded the council could pick a council president with…
