Author: Dan Hanger

Cleveland-Cliffs, Steelworkers Reach Contract Agreement

HIBBING, Minn. (AP) –  Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and the United Steelworkers have reached a tentative agreement on a new, four-year contract. The Cleveland-based company and the union announced the deal Sunday. The proposed contract takes effect Monday and covers about 1,800 union workers at Cliffs’ Tilden and Empire mines in Michigan and its United Taconite and Hibbing Taconite mines in Minnesota….

4th Time’s A Charm? New Restaurant Planned For ‘Old City Hall’ Bldg.

DULUTH, Minn. – Fourth time’s a charm? Another restaurant is planned inside the Old City Hall building on the 100 block of East Superior Street. Dennis Kempton, spokesperson for Just Take Action, which owns the building, says the new tenant is a family owned business in the Northland that has two other restaurants. Details were limited Tuesday, as the lease was…

Officials Prepare To Relocate Wolves To Isle Royale Park

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) – Officials are preparing to relocate six to eight mainland wolves to Isle Royale National Park, a first step toward rebuilding a depleted population of the predators that help keep the Lake Superior island’s ecology in balance. Superintendent Phyllis Green says federal, state and tribal specialists plan to trap the gray wolves in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula…

Minnesota Amps Up Oversight For Student Loan Repayments

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Office of Higher Education has become more aggressive about taking student loan recipients to court when they fall behind on payments to keep its rates low. Minnesota Public Radio reports that the Student Education Loan Fund provides low-interest loans to Minnesota students to help bridge the gap between financial aid and the cost of education….

Wisconsin To Hit Highest Loss Of Dairy Farms Since 2013

MADISON, Wis. (AP) _ Wisconsin is on pace for losing the most dairy farms this year since 2013. The Wisconsin Public Radio reports that the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection says Wisconsin lost 47 dairy farms in August alone. The department’s figures show there were fewer than 8,400 licensed dairy producers at the beginning of this month,…

Hibbing Man Guilty in Infant Nephew’s Death

DULUTH, Minn. – It’s a guilty verdict for Jesse Bonacci-Koski, 26, of Hibbing in the death of his 11-month-old nephew. On Thursday, the jury found Koski guilty of two counts of second-degree manslaughter. Koski left the infant home alone to go buy some drugs. A fire started in the house while he was gone, which lead to the child’s death….

Drowning Victim Was Student At Vermilion Community College

ELY, Minn. – Sean Giles Jr., 18, of Detroit, Michigan, who drowned in a lake in Ely over the Labor Day weekend, was a student at Vermilion Community College. The college’s provost released the following statement: Sean Giles Jr. from Detroit Michigan was a second year student athlete here at Vermilion.  He was the recipient of multiple academic scholarships from the…

Body Discovered Near Lakewalk

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth police were investigating Thursday evening after a body was discovered near the Lakewalk in Canal Park. The unidentified person was found dead in the public bathrooms near the Endion Station, according to officer Mike Ceynowa, a Duluth police information officer. Very early on in the investigation Thursday night, authorities did not believe there was anything suspicious…

Homicide Suspect Bragged About ‘Being Strapped’ Before Downtown Duluth Shooting

DULUTH, Minn. — A charge of second-degree murder has officially been handed down to the suspect in Duluth’s first homicide of 2018. Jamal Jackson, 25, of Duluth is accused of approaching Scott Pennington, 31, of Duluth outside of some bars on west First Street around 1 a.m. Saturday before shooting Pennington in the face as he stood on the sidewalk. Scott…

Victim Identified In Downtown Duluth Homicide; Suspect Arrested

'Scott was a caring, kind-hearted man with an amazing sense of humor'

DULUTH, Minn. — Duluth police have made an arrest in the death of Scott Pennington, 31, of Duluth, who  shot and killed over the weekend in downtown Duluth. Jamal Tyshawn Jackson That 25-year-old suspect, Jamal Tyshawn Jackson, was lodged in the St. Louis County Jail Tuesday on a preliminary charge of second-degree intentional homicide.   He was arrested Sunday in Hennepin…

Mayor’s Reception Kicks Off Duluth-Superior Pride Weekend

DULUTH, Minn. – The 32nd annual Duluth-Superior Pride Festival has officially kicked off four days of all-inclusive events. Thursday evening, the Mayor’s Reception started the celebrations outside and inside the Duluth Depot. Duluth Mayor Emily Larson, Superior Mayor Jim Paine and Proctor Mayor Phillip Larson were all on hand to open a weekend of celebrating diversity and acceptance with the GLBTAQI…

Car Slams Into Front Doors Of Perkins Restaurant

DULUTH, Minn. – There were some scary moments Wednesday evening after a vehicle plowed into a Perkins in Duluth. It happened around 5 p.m. at the Perkins on Miller Trunk Highway by the Miller Hill Mall. Duluth police said nobody was injured in the accident, but the building and the driver’s vehicle were heavily damaged. One other car in the…

Belknap Street Reconstruction Ahead Of Schedule; Lanes To Open Early October

SUPERIOR, Wis. – Superior’s multi-million dollar reconstruction of Belknap Street is ahead of schedule by a solid two weeks. FOX 21’s Dan Hanger has an update on the transformation of not only fresh pavement, but a main artery or Superior poised for future development. An afternoon stroll on Belknap Street is quite the obstacle these days. “I wanted to walk to…

Motorcyclist Killed In Crash With Deer In Northern Minnesota

CHISHOLM, Minn. (AP) — A motorcyclist was killed when he struck a deer head-on in northern Minnesota. The Minnesota State Patrol says the crash happened late Saturday on Highway 169 near Chisholm in St. Louis County. The crash threw 20-year-old Devin James Eskeli of Hibbing from his motorcycle. He died at the scene. The patrol says he was not wearing…

Former Carter Hotel Building To Be Demolished

DULUTH, Minn. – The rundown Carter Hotel building in downtown Duluth is now approved or demolition. The building is located behind the Fond-du-Luth Casino at 17 North 2nd Avenue East. The Fond du Lac Band owns the property. Officials say the building needs to go because the roof is caving in and mold is taking over. The Duluth Planning Commission…

Klobuchar, Newberger To Face Off in MN Senate Race

(AP) – Minnesota state Rep. Jim Newberger has won the GOP primary to take on incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Newberger beat three other candidates Tuesday but faces an uphill battle in November against the popular Klobuchar, who is seeking a third term in the Senate. Klobuchar won her first two terms by at least 20 percentage points and…

Arrest Made In Downtown Robbery, Assault

DULUTH, Minn. – A juvenile is under arrest after a robbery and assault in downtown Duluth. Police tell us the crime happened around 9 p.m. Monday on the 200 block of West Superior Street. The victim told police a group of people were involved, but no weapons were used. Duluth police continue to investigate. Categories: Crime, News, News – Latest…

Ellison Denies Abuse Allegations From Ex-Girlfriend

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – An ex-girlfriend of U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison has accused the Minnesota Democrat of emotional and physical abuse. Ellison says it never happened. The allegations surfaced Saturday night from Karen Monahan after her son alleged in a Facebook post that he had seen messages from Ellison threatening her and video of the congressman screaming obscenities at her as…

Duluth’s Fire Chief, Deputy Chief Officially Censured By Union

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Fire Chief Dennis Edwards and his deputy chief, Shawn Krizaj, have been formally censured by the Duluth Firefighters Local 101. The vote was made by 1,800 delegates Wednesday at the International Association of Firefighters Convention. The union believes Edwards and Krizaj have violated the collective bargaining agreement and created a divisive work environment by their actions,…

Police Report: Superior Councilors Assaulted At Bar

SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office is investigating what Superior police are calling an assault on two city councilors. Those councilors are Keith Kern and Craig Sutherland. The police report says two male suspects were causing a disturbance at Jimmy’s Saloon, which Kern owns, in Billings Park around 1 a.m. Wednesday. The report states the suspects were…

Firefighters Battle Van Up In Flames

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth firefighters got on a hot pursuit Wednesday evening after a van went up in flames. This all went down around 6 p.m. on 88th Avenue West in Morgan Park. Nobody was hurt. Fire officials believe the fire was started by a mechanical issue. The van was eventually towed out of there. Categories: Minnesota, News, News –…

Baldwin Bill Would Let All Wisconsin Watch Packers

MILWAUKEE (AP) – U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin has introduced a bill that would allow all of Wisconsin to watch the Green Bay Packers.  She released this video about it on Facebook. Currently a dozen counties in northwestern Wisconsin are relegated to watching Minnesota Viking games whenever they play at the same time as the Packers. Florence County is in the…

Chisholm City Councilor Guilty Of Sexual Misconduct

HIBBING, Minn. – Chisholm city councilor Kevin Scaia has been found guilty of fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct. Scaia’s conviction comes after a two-day jury trial in Hibbing. The jurors concluded Scaia did in fact grope a woman’s breasts when reaching around her at a bar in October of 2017. Sentencing is set for September 13. Meanwhile, Scaia remains on the…

$38K In Damage At Former Cloquet Middle School; 5 Juveniles Charged

CLOQUET, Minn. – A pricey act of vandalism at Cloquet’s former middle school building has landed five juvenile males with serious charges. The kids broke windows, spray-painted graffiti on walls and set off fire extinguishers, according to investigators. The damage adds up to $38,000. Investigators found a backpack at the scene that had a name with it, which then lead…

Man Shot at Underage House Party in Duluth

The Incident is Under Investigation

DULUTH, Minn. – A suspect is on the run after a man was shot at an underage house party in Duluth. The shooting happened around 3:30 a.m on Sunday at a home on the 9400 block of Grand Avenue. Police say the 18-year-old victim was shot in the stomach. He was rushed to a Duluth hospital with non-life threatening injuries….

Navy’s Blue Angels To Headline 2019 Duluth Airshow

The weekend's weather made the 2018 show a big success.

DULUTH, Minn. – The Duluth Airshow wrapped up Sunday afternoon after two days of high-flying excitement for thousands of fans. And now, it’s time to start planning for the 2019 airshow, which is set for July 20 and 21 at the Duluth International Airport, according to the show’s marketing company Kern and Kompany. The headliner for next year will be…

Search Effort Underway For Missing Boater In Sturgeon Lake

STURGEON LAKE, Minn. – Authorities in Pine County are searching for a missing boater in Sturgeon Lake. According to the Pine County Sheriff’s Office, the call for help came in around 4:30 p.m. Saturday for the missing 28-year-old male, who reportedly jumped out of a boat into the water to recover an article that had blown out. Another boater unsuccessfully…

Young Cancer Fighter Becomes Honorary Firefighter

GILBERT, Minn. –  As America celebrates its independence, the newest firefighter in Fayal is celebrating his independence from a life spent mostly in the hospital. He’s a young person of honor on the Iron Range for the Fourth of the July celebrations. FOX 21’s Nikki Davidson has the story. Categories: Community, News, News – Latest News

Bad Weather Could Postpone Duluth’s Fourth Fest, Fireworks Until July 5

Decision Will Be Made Before Noon on July 4

DULUTH, Minn. – All eyes are on the stormy forecast as crews get ready for Fourth Fest at Bayfront Park. Festivities kick off Tuesday evening with 80s rock and roll tribute band Hairball.  Weather is not expected to damper this concert, as the performers say they will play rain or shine. But showers and thunderstorms forecast for July 4th have DECC…

Meet The Owners Of ‘Duluth Cider’ Opening Soon In Lincoln Park

The Couple Wants To Expand Palates Past Sugary, Sweet Ciders

DULUTH, Minn. – We’re taking you inside the beginnings of Duluth’s first-ever hard cider company set to open this August in the growing Lincoln Park Craft District. The husband and wife team recently moved back to Duluth from Boston where they say cideries are booming — and that there’s no better place for true cider than Duluth, as FOX 21’s…

‘Duluth Cider’ Coming To Lincoln Park’s Craft District

DULUTH, Minn. — A husband and wife have announced they are opening a cidery in Duluth’s Lincoln Park neighborhood this August called Duluth Cider. The fermenting warehouse and taproom is under construction at 2307 West Superior Street. Owner Jake and Valerie Scott are from Duluth and are moving back to the area to start the business after living in Boston. …

Former Superior City Councilor Guilty Of Domestic Abuse

Graham Garfield Pleaded 'No Contest' To All Charges

SUPERIOR, Wis. – Former Superior city councilor Graham Garfield has been found guilty of three counts of domestic abuse involving his former fiance. The sentencing comes a little over a year after the 27-year-old got intoxicated in his home and threatened his then-finance by pointing a loaded handgun at her. As part of a plea agreement, Garfield is sentenced to…