Business

Pudge’s Pub Reopens Under New Management

SUPERIOR, Wis. — A longtime staple of East Superior is celebrating their grand reopening with a few changes. Pudge’s is now under new ownership. For the last month they’ve been cleaning up the pub.  New at Pudge’s is a Bloody Mary bar and as part of their grand opening raffle prizes were drawn all day. For Co-owner and Veteran Bartender…

Unity Fund Awards First Grant Of $10,000 To Support Homeless Mothers And Children

DULUTH, Minn. — A local program has awarded its first grant to support homeless mothers and children. The Unity Fund of the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation works to provide funding for those of African Heritage with business opportunities in the Northland. The first grantee is Divine Konnections, which operates Annie’s House of Refuge and Restoration. The house is a…

New USW Members At Northshore Mining Reach First-Ever Contract With Cliffs

Hundreds of workers at Northshore Mining in Babbitt and Silver Bay have voted to ratify a first-ever three-year contract with their employer, Cleveland Cliffs. The workers recently joined the United Steelworkers Union. USW District 11 Director Emil Ramirez said the agreement “includes a lump sum bonus, annual wage increases, enhanced protections for job security and improvements in occupational health and…

Spirit Halloween Now Open In Duluth

DULUTH, Minn. — With spooky season near a thrilling store is now open in Duluth. Spirit Halloween is located in the former Bed Bath and Beyond next to Buffalo Wild Wings. It is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays. The Halloween themed store offers a wide variety of…

“Eat Mor Chikin”

DULUTH, Minn. — It’s true, Chick-fil-A will be building and opening a store in Duluth. It is scheduled to open about a year from now. But on Saturday hundreds and hundreds of people were given the chance to have some Chick-fil-A. Yes, that is the Chick-fil-A logo, and yes that is in Duluth. It’s likely to be a year before…

Francisco Hockey is Finalist in MN Cup Competition

HERMANTOWN, Minn.  – A Hermantown company is a finalist in the Minnesota Cup Competition.  Francisco Hockey’s founder Joe Francisco presented his final one-minute pitch to Venture capitalists and others Thursday morning at the Carlson School of Management in Minneapolis. Before he left for the Cities, Francisco talked with FOX 21 about his company. Francisco Hockey started five years ago to…

Superior Restaurant Brings Back Later Closing

Julie's faced same challenges as other restaurants: not enough staff

SUPERIOR, Wis. — There are some happy faces and stomachs in Superior this week. Julie’s Family Restaurant has added back some evening hours. The long-time food favorite had to shorten its hours earlier this summer and close at three in the afternoon. In a predicament facing many restaurants, it was difficult to find enough workers, and those carrying on were…

Vandalism Strikes in New Place

Ballfield facility in Duluth/Proctor sprayed with racial slurs and religious symbols

Several police departments in the Northland have been dealing with vandalism cases in the past several weeks. One of the most recent was along the Duluth/Proctor border this past weekend. Duluth Police say officers responded to a report of graffiti at Klang Park along Boundary Avenue late Saturday afternoon. The graffiti included offensive racial slurs and religious symbols. There were…

Preservation Group Says More Duluth Historic Buildings In Danger of Being Demolished

Preservation Alliance Lists "Ten Endangered Places"

There was a call Friday to save many of Duluth’s buildings from the wrecking ball before it is too late. Outside of the New Garrick Building, built in 1923, the Duluth Preservation Alliance unveiled this year’s “Ten Endangered Places List.” The goal is to highlight buildings whose future may be uncertain. The group says eight buildings have been torn down…

Superior Mayor Jim Paine: Double Emergencies At Cenovus Refinery ‘Unacceptable’

SUPERIOR, Wis. – Cenovus Energy is now dealing with two critical incidents at its newly built refinery within the past two days (Wednesday and Thursday) – a propane leak and a “heavy fuel oil release,” according to the Superior Fire Department.  Both incidents caused evacuations. Nobody was injured. Superior Mayor Jim Paine told FOX 21 on Thursday that he’s proud…

New Sewing Store Coming To Miller Hill Mall

DULUTH, Minn. — A new sewing store is coming to the Miller Hill Mall this fall. The Miller Hill Mall announced Tuesday the store called Sew With Me will be offering many types of fabric, sewing machines, education, and machine service. It will be located next to Maurices and across from Five Below which is also opening in the fall….

Funding and Planning Aimed at Rural Health Care

Recruiting and training are two of the goals and challenges

Health care in smaller, rural communities faces some special challenges. A federal grant has providers hoping it can help in some ways. A project for finding and developing health care employees was the subject of a meeting at St. Luke’s Monday. Wilderness Health is a collaborative group of independent, rural health care providers serving patients in Northeast Minnesota and Northwest…

Bus Drivers Needed Now

BARNUM, MINN. — In just over a week Barnum Schools, like most schools in Minnesota will start the day after Labor Day. Last year Barnum had eight routes and eight drivers, bringing students to and from school. This year they have just 5 drivers. That’s a real problem and the Transportation Supervisor for both Barnum and Willow River schools is…

Shipping Industry Applauds Stauber

Minnesota's 8th district congressman touted for his support for navigation on the Great Lakes

Shipping on the Great Lakes is crucial to the regional economy and how the U.S. gets many of the things it needs. Friday, a coalition of those relying on and advocating for the navigation system, thanked Minnesota Eighth District Congressman Pete Stauber for his efforts. Stauber was named Legislator of the Year by the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force. Eighty…

New Natural Gas Plant Coming To Superior

SUPERIOR, Wis. — The planned new natural gas plant in Superior took another major step toward completion. Thursday, Minnesota Power and Northern Wisconsin Building and Construction Trades signed a letter of intent on the construction of the Nemadji Trail Energy Center. Officials tell Fox21 it’ll fill the gap between retiring coal facilities and future renewable energy. Minnesota Power will hire…

Local Non-Profit Receives National Award

DULUTH, Minn. — Udac received the 2023 Organizational Best Practice Award for their approach in supporting education and employment development for those with disabilities. Udac works with the Duluth Area Community Foundation and other partners to create a unique model of servicing those in need. Their approach involves working with companies to find opportunities for clients where support is offered…

BB & Friends Preparing For Minnesota State Fair

DULUTH, Minn. — The company known as Bailey Builds is changing its name to BB & Friends and for the third straight year, the company that creates wood art will have a presence at the Minnesota State Fair. The company makes a big impression at the fair each year as they build their own building to display and sell their…

Mixed-Income Housing Development Underway In Duluth’s East Hillside

DULUTH, Minn. — Construction is underway in Duluth’s East Hillside for 52 mixed-income apartment units. The property is located on the corner of 6th Avenue East and 4th Street. One Roof Housing and Three Rivers Community Action are developing the property. The site used to be a gas station, which was heavily contaminated, making the prime real-estate difficult to develop….

Work On Lincoln Park Housing Development Temporarily Suspended

DULUTH, Minn. — Construction work is temporarily suspended on a new apartment building in Duluth’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Merge Urban Development told FOX 21 there are two reasons for the delay in the Urbane218 project at the former Esmond and Seaway Hotel site. Engineers are making changes to the heating and cooling design per the request of the city’s building…

Downtown Duluth High Rise Delayed, City Optimistic For Completion

DULUTH, Minn. — The site of a proposed 15-story high rise in downtown Duluth continues to sit idle, but officials tell FOX 21 they are optimistic the project will happen. The site is located between the Sheraton Hotel and Essentia Health on the 300 block of East Superior Street, which is the former site of the Voyageur Lakewalk Inn. The…

2 Local Wrenshall Farms Take On Sauerkraut Business

WRENSHALL, Minn. — Two local farms in Wrenshall are now the proud makers of sauerkraut. Northern Harvest Farm and Uff-da Organics took over Spirit Creek Farm after they had been growing cabbage for them for over a decade. Now they’re taking on the new task out of their Farmer’s Kitchen. Which means they’ll produce enough sauerkraut for around 70 stores…

New Gift Store Coming To Miller Hill Mall

DULUTH, Minn. — A new gift store is coming to the Miller Hill Mall in Duluth. The mall announced the new store called BoxLunch, which offers apparel, accessories, collectibles, and a whole lot more. It’s a sister store to Hot Topic with exclusive licensed merch for big names such as Stranger Things and Star Wars. The new store will be…

Reinert Takes Duluth Mayoral Primary Win Over Incumbent Larson

100 percent of precincts reporting DULUTH, Minn. — For the first time in Duluth Mayor Emily Larson’s run for the city’s top job, she is facing her biggest challenger — Roger Reinert.   That was made clear Tuesday when results came in for the Primary Election. Reinert secured 63% of the vote Tuesday night with 8,223 votes.  Larson secured just under…

Gov. Walz Endorses Duluth Mayor Emily Larson For Reelection

DULUTH, Minn. —  The most power political figure in the state of Minnesota, Gov. Tim Walz, is officially endorsing Duluth Mayor Emily Larson for re-election. Larson’s campaign provided the following statement to FOX 21 from Gov. Walz late Monday night: “Emily Larson is a workhorse who has dedicated her career to making Duluth a better place for everyone to live…

Noodles & Company, Boulder Tap House Coming To Superior

SUPERIOR, Wis. — Demolition is underway in Superior to make way for the city’s first Noodles & Company restaurant. Crews were out Thursday continuing to remove what’s left of the former Huntington Bank building on the 1600 block of Belknap Street, which is between the Superior Public Library and Hardee’s. The city confirms Noodles & Company will open sometime in…

Anchors End Officially Open at Old Electric Fetus Location

DULUTH, Minn. – After purchasing the Electric Fetus building in downtown, Anchor’s End Tattoo says they’re excited to open. Anchor’s End opened downtown officially on Monday. Artists say that since the location became available, they thought about purchasing the space. But now getting to the point of opening, the Anchor’s End crew had to put in a lot of work…

Confusion Over Hemp CBD and THC

DULUTH, MINN. — For the past five years, Craig Sutherland has been selling both CBD and THC products made from Hemp, at his stores in Duluth and Superior. Hemp-based products have been legal nationwide since 2018. Sutherland says Minnesota’s new marijuana law has caused some confusion for many of the people who visited his Duluth store on Tuesday. “Well, everyone thinks…

Knowing Your Neighbor: Duluth Driftwood Art

DULUTH, Minn. — By taking a casual stroll down Greysolon Ave. there’s a yard filled with sculptures that draw the eyes of neighbors and passersby.Behind these intricate sculptures, lies an artist who’s journey into the art world is anything other than ordinary. “Sometimes it’s like magic,” said Wilmer Roballo, the artist behind Duluth Driftwood Art. “Sometimes I feel the attraction…

Feline Like a Coffee, Purr-haps?

DULUTH, Minn. — Soon you’ll be able to have a cup of coffee served alongside a feline companion. That’s right! Currently in the works is Duluth’s first cat café! Wired Whiskers Cat Café is hoping to open their doors this fall offering baked goods and coffee from local Duluth businesses like Positively Third Street Bakery and Kitty Town Coffee; all…

Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan Makes a Stop at the Duluth Armory with Construction Set to Begin Next Year

DULUTH, Minn. — The Duluth Armory revitalization project has been in the works for the better part of 20 years, and it recently received a financial boost from the Minnesota legislature.  $4.5 million from the state’s largest-ever infrastructure package was allocated to the project which has a total estimated cost of $55 million. The Armory has played host to the…

Owner Of Duluth’s Frost River Talks Lawsuit Against ‘Indiana Jones’ Maker

DULUTH, Minn. — The owner of Duluth’s Frost River Trading Company spoke out Wednesday about a federal lawsuit his company has filed against the filmmaker of “Indiana Jones 5,” claiming violation of federal trademark law. Image provided in the federal complaint In a federal lawsuit, Frost River claims the new Indiana Jones movie has some scenes where the star of…

Frost River Sues Lucasfilm Over Backpack In ‘Indiana Jones’ Film

DULUTH, Minn. — Duluth-based Frost River is suing the film company behind “Indiana Jones 5” over a backpack. Picture provided in the federal complaint. The clothing company says Lucasfilm used its signature backpacks without approval and then marketed them as a competitor’s product. The lawsuit filed in California federal court said Frost River’s Geologist Pack was intertwined in promotional video…

Knowing Your Neighbor: Loch Café and Games

DULUTH, Minn. — Duluthian, Erin Glesner has a passion for baking and creating delicious treats, “I love food, I had my own cottage food bakery since 2015, “said Glesner. Her husband Matt has a passion for tabletop games, “My husband actually grew up going to game shops,” said Glesner. Together they decided to combine their two hobbies to create Loch…