WAUWATOSA, Wis. (AP) – Police in Wisconsin say a shooter wounded two officers as they investigated a report of shots fired inside a hotel. Wauwatosa police say in a news release that the officers responded Saturday night to the Radisson Hotel. Witnesses and guests told the officers that gunshots had come from the 2nd floor. The officers were shot when…
PINE CITY, Minn. (AP) – Gov. Tim Walz was among the thousands of hunters who took to the field for Minnesota’s firearms deer hunting season opener. Walz hunted on private property in Pine County on Saturday. Here’s a video message from his stand. The owners permanently protected the land by donating a conservation easement to the Minnesota Land Trust. The…
DULUTH, Minn. – If you’re a fan of the Duluth Airshow, you can get your tickets for next year in just days. Tickets for the July 16 and 17 air show go on sale Wed., Nov. 10 at DuluthAirshow.com. Sales start at 8 a.m. The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will headline the 2022 Duluth Airshow after the Blue Angles had…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The case of a rural Minnesota man who waited two days for an ICU bed and later died is among several examples that have frustrated officials in rural hospitals whose facilities are overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients. Bob Cameron spent two days in his hometown hospital in Hallock, Minnesota, where caregivers searched nonstop for space in a larger…
Courtesy: Northland FireWire VIRGINIA, Minn. – Seven residents of a house for people who are homeless were displaced by fire Saturday in Virginia. The flames broke out around 4 p.m. at Bill’s House on the 200-block of 3rd Street North, according to the Northland FireWire. Courtesy: Northland FireWire When firefighters arrived, they found a mattress on fire. One bedroom was…
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Starting Sunday people in Wisconsin will have to dial local numbers using 10 digits – the area code and the seven-digit phone number. Currently, people in Wisconsin can place a call to a number in the same area code without dialing the area code. The change will affect both landlines and cellphones and all of Wisconsin’s six…
MARENGO, Wis. (AP) – Authorities say two people died when a single-engine plane crashed into a home in northwestern Wisconsin. The Ashland County Sheriff’s Office received numerous 911 calls about 2:40 p.m. Saturday with reports of the crash in the town of Marengo. No one on the ground was hurt. The sheriff’s department says the victims are a 29-year-old man…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth firefighters rescued a cat from a burning building Thursday night. Firefighters could be seen giving the cat some oxygen after taking in too much smoke. The fire broke out around 7:15 p.m. on the 1600-block of Commonwealth Avenue in the Gary-New Duluth neighborhood. When crews arrived, flames were seen from the second floor of the four-plex….
DULUTH, Minn. – Training was at an extreme for the St. Louis County Rescue Squad Wednesday in the Duluth Ship Canal. The waves were fierce, creating perfect conditions for the rescue squad crews to take out four boats and practice their swift-water rescue skills. At one point, their small Zodiac boat overturned in the big waves, but Capt. Rick Slatten…
DULUTH, Minn. – The DECC became ground zero for an aerial search and rescue demonstration for Minnesota firefighters. The mock rescue was performed by the Minnesota Air Rescue Team, which is a joint venture between the Minnesota State Patrol and the St. Paul Fire Department. The team is available to assist hundreds of fire departments across the state for high-risk…
DULUTH, Minn. – Visit Duluth — the city’s top marketing arm since 1935 — has agreed to a much smaller role with the city so it isn’t dissolved altogether. This comes after the city council recently approved a 2022 tourism marketing contract with Bellmont Partners out of the Twin Cities worth $1.8 million. The company came out on top after…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth’s top homeless outreach advocate is speaking out one day after a homeless camp in Duluth created quite the fire and smoke show under a busy stretch of I-35 downtown. Deb Holman, outreach coordinator for CHUM and the Human Development Center, said homeless advocates and the Minnesota Department of Transportation are working together to try to find…
CULVER TOWNSHIP, Minn. – The names of those involved in a double-murder suicide in Culver Township early Saturday morning were released Sunday evening by the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect is identified as Cody Pirila, 31, of Brookston. The victims are identified as Skylar Hunter, 31, of Brookston, and his father, Jamie Hunter, 51, of Moose Lake. Pirila…
DULUTH, Minn. – America’s largest free walk-thru Christmas light display, Bentleyville Tour of Lights, is facing a serious lack of volunteers to get everything set up. Owner Nathan Bentley said volunteers are “desperately” needed every weekend before opening in November. He’s averaging 10 volunteers on Saturdays and Sundays, which is 90 people short of what’s needed to put up millions…
DULUTH, Minn. – FOX 21 learned Monday that all six employee unions with the city of Duluth have rejected the administration’s new healthcare proposal for 2022. This comes after a rally outside City Hall late last week where union members said they have a strong health fund and want to keep it that way. The proposed changes to employee health…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth police are investigating a threatening gun incident that could be connected to the suspect in Friday’s standoff. There was a report Friday around 12:30 p.m. of a person who displayed a gun at a car lot, New Duluth Auto, in Gary-New Duluth, according to Mattie Hjelseth, public information officer for the Duluth Police Department. Hjelseth said…
(AP Photo/Dawn Villella, File) MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A federal judge has set a hearing for later this month on whether to block Wisconsin’s fall wolf hunt. Six Chippewa tribes filed a lawsuit on Sept. 21 seeking to block the hunt, saying hunters killed too many wolves during the state’s February season and kill quotas from the fall hunt aren’t…
ISABELLA, Minn. (AP) – Superior National Forest officials say the last remaining closure order related to wildfires in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has now been lifted. A hot and abnormally dry summer caused extreme fire danger and prompted a complete closure of the popular wilderness in northern Minnesota for a couple of weeks after wildfires broke out. The…
DULUTH, Minn. – After more than a year of delays, the city of Duluth is about to start its plastic bag fee. The 5-cent fee will take effect Oct. 15 for places like grocery stores and retailers. The fee per bag will be added on to the total bill at an establishment. The fee will not be required for the…
DULUTH, Minn. – There was a moment in history Wednesday as longtime St. Louis County Attorney Mark Rubin passed the torch to the county’s next leader in prosecution and justice – Kim Maki. Dozens of people showed up outside the courthouse to watch the handover in power. Rubin has been the county attorney since 2010 with more than 42 years…
DULUTH, Minn. – For the first time, the Duluth Police Department is joining the Pink Patch Project for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. During the month of October, officers will be wearing commemorative pink patches on their uniforms, along with other law enforcement agencies in the state. Police Chief Mike Tusken says it’s a way to raise awareness in conversation while…
DULUTH, Minn. — There are heavy hearts at the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth after one of their animals died over the weekend from heart failure. Snacks, a 4-year-old striped skunk, began to rapidly get sick Sunday afternoon, which led to the difficult decision to humanely euthanize him. Care workers said heart failure in animals can happen at any time…
DULUTH, Minn. — The official cause of a fire at Spoon’s Bar & Grill in Duluth’s Lincoln Park neighborhood remains under investigation, but people came out Thursday evening to raise money for the owner so he can eventually reopen. That event was held at the Spirit Room in Superior. Spoon’s owner Solomon Witherspoon said damage is now estimated to be…
HERMANTOWN, Minn. – Former longtime Duluth city attorney Gunnar Johnson is now going to work in that same role with the city of Hermantown. The city council voted unanimously Monday night to hire Johnson, who will start in January. He is replacing Steve Overom who held the city attorney position for 42 years. Overom is scaling back duties with the…
CHISHOLM, Minn. – An “increasing” number of COVID cases is forcing some elementary grades in the Chisholm School District to learn from home for at least the next two weeks. The changes are affecting K-3rd graders at Vaughan Steffensrud Elementary School, according to Adrian Norman, the district’s superintendent. Norman confirms St. Louis County health officials raised the alarm about the…
ISABELLA, Minn. — There was good news for the Greenwood Fire on Sunday as officials said the fire was 67 percent contained and was not expected to have any new growth. Cooler air in the 60s, lighter winds and an increase in humidity have all contributed to the positive improvements with the fire, which started by lightning nearly a month…
DULUTH, Minn. – Live theater is returning to the Spirit of the North Theater inside the Fitger’s Complex this weekend with a brand new production. The original 1979 screenplay version of “On Golden Pond” will take center stage. It’s a romantic, funny and family oriented show. The production will run for two weekends starting this Friday at 7 p.m. The…
BARNUM, Minn. — A shortage of bus drivers with the Barnum School District is causing “very real concerns” about not being able to transport student athletes to their games, according to a letter from the district to parents and students Wednesday (see below). Parents are being asked to get ready to figure out how to get their own athletes to…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – The president and CEO of Superior’s visitor’s bureau, known as Travel Superior, is speaking out against Mayor Jim Paine’s proposal to create a tourism commission to handle 100 percent of the city’s tourism tax revenue. Taylor Pedersen believes the process to potentially do away with Travel Superior has been rushed and he doesn’t believe a six-person commission…
The Greenwood Fire’s devastating destruction became very real Wednesday evening as officials released how many structures were damaged or destroyed in the McDougal Lake area. According to the Superior National Forest Service, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office has counted 12 cabins and homes destroyed by fire and nearly 60 outbuildings, like sheds, also destroyed. Three other primary structures, like cabins…
DULUTH, Minn. – The Duluth School District confirmed its back-to-school plans Tuesday evening that include students learning in-person five days a week and students 2 and older wearing masks. The mask requirement also includes all school employees and guests. The confirmation came as district officials updated the ISD 709 Safe Learning Plan. Supt. John Magas said he’s following the guidance…
BWCAW – The Cook County Sheriff’s Office and Gunflint fire personnel are alerting people along a northern portion of the Gunflint Trail to “get ready” for potential evacuations because of growing wildfires in the BWCAW. The pre-evacuation alert is for property owners from Seagull Lake to the south end of Loon Lake. Sheriff Pat Eliasen posted on social media Monday…
DULUTH, Minn. – Kids and families got a chance to check out a backpack giveaway in Duluth Thursday. The American Indian Movement of the Twin Ports was behind the event. More than two dozen backpacks, a whole lot of supplies and even a half-dozen new pairs of shoes were all given out. “It’s really important to me because I was…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – The city of Superior is looking into whether the city should be home to the area’s next convention center. A feasibility study is underway right now by a company out of the Twin Cities. The city’s planning director, Jason Serck, said the convention center wouldn’t be as big as the DECC in Duluth, but a size that…
Greenwood Fire/USDA Forest Service GREENWOOD LAKE, Minn. — A large wildfire ignited around 3 p.m. Sunday near Greenwood Lake — about 15 miles southwest of Isabella, Minn. Courtesy: Karl Kaufmann The USDA Forest Service did not immediately have the current size of the fire, other than it being estimated at a couple hundred acres and moving quickly. “The Forest Service…
Karl Hess MANITOWOC, Wis. (AP) – A man convicted of killing a father and his teenage daughter at the victims’ Manitowoc home has been sent to prison for life. Karl Hess continues to maintain his innocence in the fatal shooting of 51-year-old Richard Miller and 19-year-old Jocelyn Miller. The 38-year-old Appleton man was found guilty in June of two counts…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Mayor Emily Larson addressed city councilors at Thursday night’s agenda meeting — three days after announcing her plan to outsource the city’s 2022 marketing contract and no longer use Visit Duluth. It’s a bold move Larson acknowledges, and one that’s fueled a lot of pushback from the local creative community. As FOX 21’s Dan Hanger reports,…
Councilors, Thank you for your service and dedication to Duluth. CAO Schuchman and I will be in attendance tonight at agenda session to answer questions on the tourisms action before you and we will be with Bellmont Partners on Monday to present as a Committee of the Whole. Because this is new terrain it has understandably created a significant response….
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth city councilors are getting an earful and raising questions — one day after Mayor Emily Larson boldly announced plans to pass up longtime Visit Duluth for the city’s next tourism marketing contract worth nearly $2 million and instead choose Minneapolis-based Bellmont Partners and its partner, Lawrence & Schiller. Mayor Larson told FOX 21 she stands by…
DULUTH, Minn. – After 85 years as Duluth’s main tourism marketing arm, Visit Duluth will no longer have that title come 2022 — pending council’s approval — as Mayor Emily Larson continues to scrutinize how millions of dollars in tourism tax revenue is handed out every year. Larson made the big announcement Tuesday by saying her team has chosen Minneapolis-based…
DULUTH, Minn. – After 85 years as Duluth’s main tourism marketing arm, Visit Duluth will no longer have that title come 2022, as Mayor Emily Larson continues to scrutinize how millions of dollars in tourism tax revenue is used every year. Mayor Larson made the announcement Tuesday saying her team has chosen Minneapolis-based Bellmont Partners and its partner, Lawrence &…
(Steve Apps/Wisconsin State Journal via AP, File) MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Gov. Tony Evers has signed a bill that establishes a uniform use-of-force policy for police across Wisconsin. Evers announced he signed the bill on Friday. Under the bill, police can use force based on a situation’s circumstances and whether a suspect is fleeing or resisting arrest. Deadly force is…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth’s police union is calling the struggle to hire qualified officers a “crisis” for the police department and the city. In a post on Local 807’s Facebook page, the union said they recently were not able to fill all open police officer positions because there weren’t enough qualified candidates interested in working for the Duluth Police Department….
LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) – Authorities have identified the victims of a triple homicide in far western Wisconsin. The La Crosse County Sheriff’s Office says the bodies of 24-year-old Peng Lor, 24-year-old Nemo Yang and 23-year-old Trevor Maloney were discovered shortly before 5 a.m. Friday by two workers of the Milestone Quarry. The quarry is located near West Salem, about…
Credit: Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Nearly three dozen athletes with ties to Wisconsin will be going for the gold as the Olympics get underway in Tokyo. The Badger State athletes will represent Team USA in competition that includes trap shooting, track and field, rowing and sailing. Alie Rusher, from West Bend, will be participating in the quadruple sculls…
DULUTH, Minn. – The city of Duluth’s main tourism marketing arm since 1935, known as Visit Duluth, is a finalist for next year’s one-year contract, as Mayor Emily Larson looks to possibly go a different direction with a mission to “elevate the brand of Duluth,” according to the Request for Qualifications document put out by the city. The Mayor’s Office…
DULUTH, Minn. – An ammonia leak forced an evacuation Tuesday evening at the DECC, according to Duluth Fire Chief Shawn Krizay. The fire department got the call for help around 7 p.m. Tuesday for the leak at the Curling Club. Crews confirmed the leak and began evacuating the Curling Club, DECC and Pioneer Hall. Hazmat crews were called in to…
SUPERIOR, Wis. — There were heavy hearts in Superior Monday after learning a Douglas County employee was killed while working in the Government Center over the weekend. The employee worked with the “Buildings and Grounds” crew. The work-related accident happened sometime Sunday in the Government Center building on the corner of Hammond Avenue and 14th Street. The name of the…
BABBITT, Minn. – Police in Babbitt have arrested two men after a woman was stabbed multiple times Saturday evening inside a local business. Police Chief Mike McGregor says the call for help came in around 7:45 p.m. Saturday. While officers were responding to the scene, a shooting was reported in the same area. McGregor said nobody was shot and both…
VIRGINIA, Minn. – A man is under arrest after a “shots fired” incident in the city of Virginia over the weekend. The shooting was reported around 4:20 p.m. Saturday on the 1200 block of 5th Avenue North. When officers arrives, they were informed by witnesses that the shooter left the scene and went into a residence on the 500 block…
