Author: Dan Hanger

County To Renovate The Old ‘Cook Home Barn’

St. Louis County is working on a project to restore a historical building for a practical purpose. Renovations are underway on the Cook Home Barn near the public safety complex in Duluth. The barn was originally constructed in 1926. The building is currently in use as storage for the sheriff’s officer’s vehicle. But after restoration, it will be used to…

Duluth Coffee Company Celebrates 5 Years Of Roasting

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Coffee Company celebrated five years Monday as a brick-and-mortar business on East Superior Street. The small business started out of a garage and even sold coffee out of the back of a pick-up truck. But that has since dramatically changed from a three kilogram roaster to a 12 kilogram roaster now. And on top of that,…

Lyric Kitchen Bar to Open Monday in Downtown Duluth

DULUTH, Minn. – Final preparations are underway for downtown Duluth’s newest restaurant on Superior Street. The Lyric Kitchen Bar is located in the Holiday Center with a new street-side entrance on West Superior Street. The location is the former home of Porter’s restaurant. The menu at Lyric has items like fresh cut steaks from Superior Meats a slew of local beers….

Iron Range Mining Supporters Sound Off Against MPCA

VIRGINIA, Minn. – Lawmakers and supporters of mining gathered in Virginia Tuesday night to push back against new sulfate and wild rice standards proposed by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The agency says the proposed enforcement would change Minnesota’s standards for sulfate discharges into the water where wild rice grows. But mining supporters say the standard is based off of poor…

Lake Superior Zoo’s New CEO Eliminates 12 Positions

DULUTH, Minn. — Twelve positions at the cash-strapped Lake Superior Zoo were eliminated Monday. It’s the first big restructuring move that the zoo’s CEO, Erik Simonson, has made since taking the job four weeks ago. Simonson told FOX 21 the cuts will not affect the health and safety of any animals or the experience for visitors. The eliminated positions include…

Cloquet Pedestrian Struck, Killed Described As ‘Strong and Loyal’

CLOQUET, Minn. – The pedestrian who was struck and killed by a vehicle while walking Sunday morning has been identified as 66-year-old LaVonna Prevost of Cloquet, according to the Cloquet Police Department. The accident happened around 9:03 a.m. at the intersection of 20th and Washington Avenue. The 79-year-old driver, who is also from Cloquet, was not injured in the crash….

New Cloquet Police Chief Vows For Better Community Relations

Jeff Palmer Has Been On Dept. For 16 Years

CLOQUET, Minn. –  The city of Cloquet officially has a new police chief. This comes after the former chief, Steve Stracek, agreed to retire with no wrongdoing after a “vote of no confidence” by his officers. Cloquet’s new chief is Jeff Palmer – a 16-year veteran of the department who was previously tapped as the interim chief by the city…

Kestrel Owes Millions to City of Superior and State of Wisconsin

Owner of Kestrel Still Optimistic About Building Plant in Superior

SUPERIOR, Wis.-The state of Wisconsin is moving forward with legal action against Kestrel Aircraft. The state says the company is in serious default on millions of dollars in loans that were supposed to be used to build a manufacturing plant in Superior. That plant was expected to break ground by the Superior airport in 2013 and bring more than 650…

Man Killed After ATV Rollover

SAGINAW, Minn. – A man died Wednesday after the ATV he was riding rolled. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office identified the man as Gregry Gundy, 58, of Saginaw. Authorities said the accident happened on the 5400 block of Bear Trap Road. The cause of the crash appears to be human error, according to officials, and Gundy was not wearing…

Chisholm City Councilor Accused of Groping Woman

CHISHOLM, Minn. – Chisholm City Councilor Kevin Scaia, 50, is being accused of groping a woman. The Hibbing Daily Tribune reports Scaia was at a local bar in Chisholm when he allegedly reached around a woman at the bar and grabbed her breasts. Scaia is set for court Nov. 30 on a fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct charge. Scaia and his…

1 Arrested After Cars, Biwabik Post Office Damaged

BIWABIK, Minn. – The Gilbert Police Department has arrested a 21-year-old man after the Biwabik Post Office and vehicles in the neighborhood were damaged. As for the post office, police say several interior mailboxes were damaged. Officers determined mail was even stolen out of those mail boxes, according to the press release. Damage is estimated to add up to several…

Duluthians Survive Mass Shooting In Vegas, Talk Post Trauma

'Oh My Gosh, We Could Die Right Now'

DULUTH, Minn. – Four Duluthians are sharing their stories of survival – people who feel lucky to be alive after dodging bullets at the Jason Aldean concert in Las Vegas. Nearly 60 people were killed and hundreds more injured. And while the four survivors made it out alive, the post traumatic streets is very real, as FOX 21’s Dan Hanger…

Body Of Missing Man Identified; No Foul Play Suspected

DOUGLAS COUNTY (Press Release) –  The body found in Cloverland Township on Tuesday October 3rd was that of reported missing person Fred Luostari. Luostari, 52, had last been heard from on Thursday Sept. 28th.  His vehicle was located by family members on Friday Sept. 29th, stuck in mud on family property located on Rudolph’s Rd.  He was reported missing to…

Expert Advice On Coping During Tragedies

DULUTH, Minn. – While the country mourns and tries to make the slightest sense of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, mental health experts are speaking out. Extreme tragedies can take a toll on one’s mental health, according to Kelly Chaudoin-Patzoldt, a mental health professional at St. Luke’s. She says it’s important to talk to other about your feelings and also…

Residents Get Update On Morgan Park Housing Development

DULUTH, Minn. – Residents of Morgan Park got a chance to learn about a housing development that’s in the works for the neighborhood. The proposed development consists of eight 12-plex buildings with a total of 96 two-bedroom units that will take over the old Morgan Park Middle School. “Basically what we’re looking for out here is a development that’s going…

Suspect Charged In Vista Fleet ‘Theft’

DULUTH, Minn. – A Minnesota man from the Twin Cities area is charged with releasing Duluth’s Vista boats into the harbor last week with one of them nearly getting hit by a freighter. The suspect is 49-year-old Mark Sullwold of Greenwood. The charge is felony theft, according to the Duluth Police Department. Vista owner Justin Steinbach told FOX 21he has no…

Mayor Larson Puts Duluth’s Tourism Tax Revenue Under Microscope

Tourism-Related Entities Asked To Prove Successful Use Of Tourism Tax Dollars

DULUTH, Minn. – With the city of Duluth facing $2.1 million in cuts for 2018, Mayor Emily Larson is looking at every single dollar that flows in and out of the city. That includes a deeper look into the lucrative revenue stream of tourism tax dollars – a stream that Larson says doesn’t have a clear story to tell –…

Superior Adds Funding To Police, Fire In 2018 Budget

No Tax Increase, No Job Loses

SUPERIOR, Wis. – While Duluth is facing cuts to police and fire, it’s the opposite for the city of Superior. Mayor Jim Paine says the police department is getting an additional $28,000 next year to help fund more community policing and provide officers training in crisis intervention, diversity and de-escalation. As for the fire department, an extra $10,000 is being allocated…

Duluth Council Votes to Uphold Water Rate Increase

DULUTH, Minn. – The Duluth city council voted to uphold a proposed 4.7 percent water rate increase at Monday night’s meeting. This means water rates will increase by 4.7 percent a year for the next six years. The resolution goes into effect January 1, 2018. Last week, the Duluth Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously to approve the rate increase. Categories:…

Man Who Died While Diving Near Split Rock Lighthouse Is Identified

Diving Location Was Near Madeira Shipwreck

  LAKE COUNTY, Minn. – A man is dead after going out on Lake Superior with a group of divers, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. The man, identified as Aaron Timmerman, 42, of New Hope, Minnesota, was diving Saturday afternoon just north of Split Rock Lighthouse up the North Shore at the popular site of the Madeira shipwreck. Authorities…

Criminal Unties Vista Boats; 1 Boat Nearly Collides With Freighter

Surveillance Video Shows Suspect In Action

DULUTH, Minn. – Video from DuluthHarborCam.com shows the unbelievably close call between an unmanned Vista boat and a 750-foot ship gunning straight ahead into the Duluth harbor after a criminal unleashed that boat and another Vista boat from the dock behind the DECC. “Nightmare, a nightmare situation.  We missed it by about 20 feet,” said Justin Steinbach, owner of the…

Mayor Emily Larson Defends 2018 Proposed Budget Cuts

Larson: Officers, Firefighters Won't Lose Jobs

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Mayor Emily Larson is defending her 2018 budget proposal that includes $2.1 million in cuts spread out throughout all city departments. Mayor Larson told FOX 21’s Dan Hanger Monday that nobody wants cuts and cuts are stressful, but she says that doesn’t mean her office should avoid the problem, especially with aging streets and infrastructure –…

Hermantown Mayor Encouraged By New Housing Development

Single-Family Homes Planned Near Future Home of YMCA

HERMANTOWN, Minn. – There is growing excitement in Hermantown as ground is now broken on a new housing development in a part of the city that’s seeing big changes. The nine single-family homes are adjacent to the future home of the new multi-million dollar YMCA wellness center. And as FOX 21’s Dan Hanger reports, Hermantown’s mayor believes the development tonight is…

Bulldozer Rolls Over, Kills Man

SAGINAW, Minn. – A 79-year-old man is dead after the bulldozer he was riding on rolled over and trapped him underneath. The accident happened Saturday morning at 4955 Aune Road in Saginaw, according to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office. The victim is identified as Donald Raether who was found dead at the scene when medical and law enforcement personal arrived….

Duluth Police, Fire Unions Against Mayor Larson’s Proposed Budget Cuts

Departments Face A Combined $711,800 Cut With Record Calls For Service

DULUTH, Minn. – The clock is ticking. Duluth fire and police departments are facing a $711,800 combined budget cut proposed by Mayor Emily Larson – a cut the unions believe is putting lives at serious risk. It’s been one month since Larson released her 2018 budget proposal with a total of $2.1 million in cuts. And since then, the public…

City of Superior Releases Images Of Future Housing Development

SUPERIOR, Wis. – The city of Superior has released images of what a future housing development will look like when it is completed next year. The building is under construction at North 13th Street and Grand Avenue. It’ll include 54 one-and-two bedroom market rate apartments. All units will have a washer and dryer, dishwasher, air conditioning and a private balcony….

Maintenance Work Starts Monday On Bong Bridge

DULUTH, Minn. – A heads up for drivers who use the Bong Bridge: Crews will be performing maintenance starting Monday and last through the end of the Month. The Minnesota Department of Transportation says drivers will encounter alternating lane closures between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Categories: News, News – Latest News

Duluthian Living In Virgin Islands: Hurricane Irma ‘Changed Me’

DULUTH, Minn. – Laura Von Lokken, a lifelong Duluthian, recently moved to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands with her husband Paul. They were hunkered down for Hurricane Irma as it blasted the island as a category-five storm with winds around 180 mph. FOX 21’s Dan Hanger reached Laura via Facebook Messenger video chat who says the experience before,…

Former Duluthian Prepares For Irma

DULUTH, Minn. – Nichole Phillips, a Duluthian who now lives in Clearwater, Florida, is bracing for the worst as Hurricane Irma moves through the state. She experienced the mega ‘Halloween Blizzard of 91’ in the Northland but she says nothing like Irma. “I can deal with snow. Snow you can shovel away. Water you can’t run from. Wind is picking up….