Business

Candy Store Helping Your Sweet Tooth and the Troops

The annual Fudge for Troops campaign sells 600 pounds in Duluth alone.

DULUTH, Minn.-Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is giving a pretty good excuse to eat some sweets guilt free. It’s the annual Fudge for Troops Campaign. For every piece of fudge you buy at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, one is sent over in a care package to our troops “We try to keep it local with the troops, it’s just something…

Local Steelworker Unions Vote to Authorize a Strike

Strike could come if union officials call one after upcoming negotiations with U.S. Steel

KEEWATIN, Minn. – After months of negotiations, no deal has been reached between U.S. Steel and the United Steelworkers union. Now, local unions are voting to authorize a strike. Monday, workers from the MinnTac mine in Mountain Iron voted unanimously to authorize a strike. Tuesday, workers at the KeeTac mine in Keewatin voted to do the same. If a strike…

Major Opioid Maker to pay for Overdose-Antidote Development

Purdue is Making a $3.4 Million Grant to Harm Reduction Therapeutics

(AP Photo/Douglas Healey, File)(AP) – A company whose prescription opioid marketing practices are being blamed for sparking the addiction and overdose crisis says it’s helping to fund an effort to make a lower-cost overdose antidote. OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma announced Wednesday that it’s making a $3.4 million grant to Harm Reduction Therapeutics, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit, to help develop a low-cost…

Hotels Hustling for Labor Day

Pier B Among Hotels Experiencing Increased Business on Holiday

DULUTH, Minn.-For those who don’t want to spend the three days outdoors, there’s always indoor camping in a hotel room this Labor Day Weekend. For area hotels like Pier B, Labor Day comes during the height of the busy season. With summer coming to a close, they say families looking for a last minute vacation come knocking. Where they come…

How to Become a Better Public Speaker

One local group is helping Northlanders feel more comfortable speaking in a professional environment.

DULUTH, Minn.- Do you have a fear of speaking in front of large crowds or presenting an idea at work? One local group aims to help improve your communication skills so you can better your professional career. An open house was held on Thursday for the Toastmasters in the Paolucci Building in Canal Park. The Toastmasters is an international club…

General Mills Expands Paid-Time off Policy

The Policy Goes Into Effect in January

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. (AP) — Food giant General Mills is giving its employees more paid time off to care for an aging parent or ill family members and to bond with their newborns and adoptive children. The Star Tribune reports that the Minnesota-based company unveiled an expanded paid time-off policy on Wednesday. The updated policy for new parents and family…

Back to School Fashion Show Struts Through the Miller Hill Mall

Stores showed off their best fall looks for students and teachers

DULUTH, Minn. – Schools are back in session across the country and families are finding school supplies at stores and malls everywhere. A back to school fashion show was held today at the Miller Hill Mall in Duluth. Stores showed off their best looks for students and teachers as models walked across a catwalk. “We want to build a good…

Wisconsin Helps Veterans Settle Down

New Phase of Think, Make, Happen Wisconsin Launched at Jack Links HQ

MINONG, Wis. – Hundreds of thousands of veterans return home from service each year, which they say is both rewarding, and daunting. State officials think Wisconsin would be an excellent place to transition, and they’re willing to bet $1.9 million on it. So far, Wisconsin has proven to be a good place for vets to find jobs. According to the Bureau…

Sears to Close Another 46 Stores in November

As of May 5, Sears had About 894 Stores

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. (AP) — Sears Holdings Corp. is closing another 13 Kmart stores and 33 Sears stores as sales shrink and losses grow. The ailing company said Thursday that liquidation sales at the 46 unprofitable stores marked for closure will start Aug. 30, and the stores will close in November. The company said it informed its workers. The move…

Herbalife Distributors Claim in $1B Suit Events Were a Sham

Herbalife’s Website Says it has About 2.3 Million Distributors

(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)MIAMI (AP) — Patricia and Jeff Rodgers figured they did everything right to get rich beyond their wildest dreams selling Herbalife health and personal care products. They attended all of the “Circle of Success” events, brought in new recruits, met their quotas on buying Herbalife goods to sell and even set up a storefront shop. But they…

Minnesota Task Force Addresses Affordable Housing Shortage

They Suggest Building 300,000 new Homes by 2030

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A Minnesota housing task force is recommending broad changes in funding, technology and regulation to meet a statewide demand for affordable housing. Minnesota Public Radio News reports that the task force has made 30 recommendations and identified six goals to improve access to housing. Gov. Mark Dayton appointed the task force last year. The task…

Tips to Avoid Back-to-School Budget Busters

Local Financial Professional Barry Bigelow Offers Tips to Back-to-School Shopping

DULUTH, Minn. – Pens, pencils and notebooks are just the tip of the icebery for families stocking up on back-to-school supplies. Every year, surprise budget busters catch shoppers off guard and cost them cash. That’s why local financial professional Barry Bigelow with Great Waters Financial is offering tips to save on your back-to-school buys. 1. Technology • Parents are shelling…

Local College Students Create $77 Million in Economic Impact

The study conducted also states students produce nearly 700 jobs to the area.

DULUTH, Minn.- College students returning not only add an energy to the city but also a large economic impact. College students create more business for local shops, those students are a staple in the Duluth community. UMD students and visitors bring in $77 million of economic impact to the region according to a study conducted in 2014 by the Labovitz School’s Bureau of…

PepsiCo Buys SodaStream for $3.2 Billion

JERUSALEM (AP) — PepsiCo bought carbonated drink maker SodaStream for $3.2 billion on Monday, a move the beverage giant hopes will further help it adjust as consumers drink less traditional soda and opt more for flavored waters and other drinks. The deal is also a boon to SodaStream, which has enjoyed a resurgence after being targeted by anti-Israel boycotters in…

Entrepreneur Fund Gets Big Donation from GRE

Great River Energy Donates A Million Dollars

DULUTH, Minn.- Northland entrepreneurs now have more financial resources available. Great River Energy is donating a million dollars to the Entrepreneur Fund. That fund has been helping entrepreneurs with funding and business strategies for almost 30 years now. The million dollar check will help small business owners continue to have a big impact in their communities. “Entrepreneurs really bring a…

Nursing Home Residents Take a Field Trip to Gordy’s Warming House

The outing has been a tradition for nearly 15 years.

CLOQUET, Minn.- Residents from a nursing home at the Cloquet Memorial Hospital were treated to some free scoops of ice cream at Gordy’s Warming House in Cloquet. The residents were transported to the business in wheelchairs, something that’s becoming a tradition in that community. Live music filled the air as the patients enjoyed a free scoop of ice cream. One man told us…

Jury Awards $289M to man who Blames Roundup for Cancer

Monsanto has Denied a Link Between Glyphosate and Cancer

(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File) SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A jury’s $289 million award to a former school groundskeeper who said Monsanto’s Roundup left him dying of cancer will bolster thousands of pending cases and open the door for countless people who blame their suffering on the weed killer, the man’s lawyers said. “I’m glad to be here to be able…

Lawmakers vow Action on Google Location Tracking

(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Google records your movements even when you explicitly tell it not to. An Associated Press investigation shows that using Google services on Android devices and iPhones allows the company to record your whereabouts as you go about your day, even if you’ve used privacy settings that are supposed to prevent it from doing so….

Trump Tweets About Harley-Davidson Boycott

New Tariffs Could Cost the Company $100 Million Annually

NEW YORK (AP) – President Donald Trump is backing calls for a Harley-Davidson boycott amid an ongoing steel tariff dispute. Harley-Davidson drew Trump’s wrath in June after the manufacturer announced it is moving production of motorcycles sold in Europe to facilities outside the U.S. The company blames the decision on tariffs imposed by the European Union to retaliate for tariffs…

Crocs to outsource manufacturing of clogs, other footwear

They are Also Focusing on More Online Sales

(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File) NIWOT, Colo. (AP) — Colorado-based footwear company Crocs Inc. is closing company-owned manufacturing plants in Italy and Mexico by year’s end and replacing its chief financial officer. The company announced the outsourcing of additional manufacturing and the closure of a distribution facility in Mexico Tuesday while reporting a second-quarter profit of $30.4 million, or 35 cents…

General Electric Laying off 200 Workers at Turbine Plant

GE Laid off 130 Workers in January

(AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (AP) – General Electric says it’s laying off 200 hourly workers at its upstate New York plant that produces steam turbines for the company’s power unit. Boston-based GE announced Tuesday that the layoffs include unionized manufacturing and assembly employees at its facilities in Schenectady, where Thomas Edison co-founded the company in 1892. Another 25 unfilled…

Apple surges to $1 trillion in market value

Apple is the First Publicly Traded Company to hit $1 Trillion

(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple is worth $1,001,679,220,000. The maker of the iPhone and other gadgets became the world’s first publicly traded company with a market value of $1 trillion on Thursday. The company reached the milestone a couple of hours into the trading session when its shares reached $207.04. They closed with a gain of 2.9 percent to…

Wells Fargo to pay $2.1 Billion for Role in Housing Bubble

NEW YORK (AP) — Wells Fargo is agreeing to pay a $2.1 billion fine to settle allegations it misrepresented the types of mortgages it sold to investors during the housing bubble and subsequent financial crisis. The amount is smaller than fines paid by Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and other big banks in the years following the financial…

Duluth Para Pup Helping Create Colorful Canines and Cats

Connect With Duluth Para Pup On Facebook to Place Your Customizable Order

DULUTH, Minn. – A marketing degree with a minor in business management is now helping one Northland woman create a business she’s always dreamed of becoming a reality. “I’ve met a lot of different people that I never knew before,” said Alyssa Burr, Owner of Duluth Para Pup. Socializing and social media go hand-and-hand for Burr. “I get to see…

New Restaurant Soon to Open Downtown Two Harbors

An American style restaurant called McQuade's Pub and Grill will be located on the corner of 1st Avenue.

TWO HARBORS, Minn- Downtown Two Harbors is growing, starting next week a new restaurant will be added to the mix. An American style restaurant called McQuade’s Pub and Grill will be located on the corner of 1st Avenue. The menu has everything from fish to wraps. All sauces are made in-house but the flavors may be familiar to some, as the spices come…

NBA Strikes Deal With MGM Resorts to Provide Data to Bettors

This is a Multiyear Arrangement

NEW YORK (AP) – The NBA and WNBA will now share official data with MGM Resorts, a major win for the leagues as they prepare for the anticipated growth of sports betting across the country. MGM will pay the NBA for that data to use in determining outcomes of various bets. The NBA’s stance has been that getting accurate stats…

Video of Abuse at pig Farm Also Highlights Common Practices

the Video was Released Earlier This Month by Mercy for Animals

(Mercy For Animals via AP)DENVER (AP) — Recently released undercover video showing pigs being kicked, hit and punched at a Kentucky supplier for the world’s largest meat producer drew prompt condemnation from animal rights groups and the agricultural industry alike. However, the images sandwiched in between — adult pigs in cages barely bigger than their bodies and a piglet squealing…

States Suing Trump Administration, Company Over 3D Guns

At Least 1,000 People Have Already Downloaded AR-15 Blueprintes

(Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP, File) (AP) – Eight states are filing suit against the Trump administration over its decision to allow a Texas company to publish downloadable blueprints for a 3D-printed gun, contending the hard-to-trace plastic weapons are a boon to terrorists and criminals and threaten public safety. The suit, filed Monday in Seattle, asks a judge to block…

Wild State Cider Coming Soon to Lincoln Park

Cidery is expected to join other Duluth craft beverage makers sometime in 2018

DULUTH, Minn. – Another new craft beverage maker is coming to Duluth’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Wild State Cider is planning to open later this year. Wild State will soon become the second craft cider maker in Duluth. Their storefront in the growing Lincoln Park Craft District is only a block away from the upcoming Ursa Minor Brewing and two blocks…

Inside the Minnesota Brewers Convention

In recent years more and more craft breweries are popping up on the map, but brewery owners say Duluth hasn't had one too many just yet.

DULUTH, Minn.- The brew creators that make it all happen are already working to better their next batch. In recent years more and more craft breweries are popping up on the map, but brewery owners say Duluth hasn’t had one too many just yet. “We’re still only 12 percent of the entire beer market in the U.S. so there’s a…

URSA Minor Brewery Steps Closer to Opening its Doors

URSA Minor Brewery will serve up nearly eight beers on tap, but they're not ready just yet.

DULUTH, Minn.- A new brewery preparing to open in Duluth’s Lincoln Park neighborhood is making a lot of progress. URSA Minor Brewery will serve up nearly eight beers on tap, but they’re not ready just yet. The craft brewery is now installing its brand new equipment and getting all the finishing touches to open in the near future. “That first…

US Economy Surges to 4.1 Percent Growth Rate in Q2

(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy surged in the April-June quarter to an annual growth rate of 4.1 percent. That’s the fastest pace since 2014, driven by consumers who began spending their tax cuts and exporters who rushed to get their products delivered ahead of retaliatory tariffs. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that…

Facebook Market Value Plunges $119 Billion

Grappling with Privacy Issues has Sent Stocks Tumbling

(AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)NEW YORK (AP) — The 19 percent loss in Facebook’s stock chopped $119 billion off its market value. It was the company’s worst trading day since going public in 2012, and among the biggest one-day losses of market value in U.S. stock market history. The loss came a day after Facebook revealed that its user base and revenue…

United Natural Foods to buy Supervalu for $1.26 Billion

The Company is Paying $32.50 per Share in Cash

(David Joles/Star Tribune via AP)(AP) – United Natural Foods is buying Supervalu for $1.26 billion, creating a grocery food wholesaler with a diverse customer base. United Natural Foods of Providence, Rhode Island, said Thursday it’s paying $32.50 per share in cash, or a premium of 67 percent, for each share of Supervalu Inc. Including the assumption of debt, the deal…

Shop Till You Drop This Friday in Downtown Duluth

Hucklebeary and Duluth Made Market are Teaming Up to Host a Pop-Up Market Event

DULUTH, Minn. – Eager shoppers will want to check out downtown Duluth this Friday evening. The owners of Hucklebeary and Market Day Duluth have teamed to provide the Northland with a pop-up market, complete with many local vendors listed below. Pretty Gritty Body Atelier and Stone Lange Pottery Wooley Wearables Hucklebeary is located at 106 East Superior Street in Duluth….

Barbie Maker Mattel to cut More Than 2,200 Jobs

A Spokesman Said job Cuts Will Affect Mainly its Office Workers

(AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)NEW YORK (AP) — Mattel, hurt by the closing of Toys R Us stores, said Wednesday that it will cut more than 2,200 jobs as the maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars seeks to save money. Like other toy companies, Mattel has lost sales as Toys R Us faltered. The toy retailer filed for bankruptcy…

Farmers Prefer Trump do Trade Deals Than Hand Them Cash

Farmers Feel This is a Short Term Solution

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Many farmers remain critical of President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the damage done to commodity prices and markets but were appreciative Tuesday that he offered to provide some cash to help offset their losses. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $12 billion three-part plan that would borrow money from the U.S. Treasury to pay…

Fraser Shipyard Improving Safety with Help from Federal Grant

Fraser Shipyard is also spending $168,000 on the project.

SUPERIOR, Wis.- A shipping yard cited with several safety violations in recent years is now putting funding toward extra safety, thanks to a grant from the federal government. Fraser Shipyard will be receiving a half million dollar grant from the U.S. Maritime Marine Administration. A Superior Shipping Yard cited with several safety violations in recent years is now putting funding toward extra safety….

Small Businesses Worry Bustling Construction Could Turn Away Tourists

The construction includes replacing traffic signals and pavement in Two Harbors and north of the city

TWO HARBORS, Minn.- Construction is continuing to buzz along on Highway 61 on the North Shore. The construction includes replacing traffic signals and pavement in Two Harbors and north of the city. Earlier this summer the paving project began outside of Two Harbors but now the project will be right in the city along Highway 61. Although summer is construction season…

McDonald’s Removing Salads from 3,000 Stores After Illness

The Illness is Caused by the Cyclospora Parasite

(AP Photo) CHICAGO (AP) — McDonald’s is stopping the sale of salads at 3,000 restaurants after people became sick from a parasite causing intestinal illness. The Chicago-based fast-food chain said Friday it’s acting “out of an abundance of caution” until switching to another supplier. Health officials in Illinois and Iowa say they’ve identified roughly 100 combined cases of cyclosporiasis apparently…

Toppers Pizza to Open Two More Locations in the Twin Ports

Duluth's Lincoln Park neighborhood and North Tower Avenue in Superior will soon be home to Toppers

DULUTH, Minn. – A pizza chain that just arrived in the Twin Ports already has plans for opening two new locations. Toppers Pizza will open a Lincoln Park Store at 1905 West Superior Street and a Superior store on North Tower Avenue. They are expected to open by the end of the year. Toppers management says they’re excited to bring…

CBD Hemp Oil Store Opens in Superior

Apple House CBD Wisconsin is located at 1613 Tower Avenue

SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Northland’s first specialty hemp-based CBD oil store is officially open for business. It’s called “Apple House CBD Wisconsin” and is located at 1613 Tower Avenue. The store sells CBD edibles, lotions, creams, and under the tongue products. CBD water will also soon be for sale. None of the products contain detectable amounts of THC, which is…

NorShore Clothing Opens Local Shop

What started as a small online shop is growing into a local treasure.

TWO HARBORS- Minn.- A locally owned clothing store is helping show off your North Shore pride. NorShore Clothing Company started nearly a year ago as a small online shop, as of this month, it’s now a retail store in Two Harbors. The shop is packed full of a variety of products dedicated to northern Minnesota. “My favorite part is if I’m out…

Colleges ask for a share of future salary in lieu of loans

The Contract is Known as an Income Share Agreement

(AP Photo/David Jordan)MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) – More colleges are beginning to offer income share agreements, in which colleges receive a percentage of the student’s future salary, in place of some student loans. Vermont’s Norwich University has become the latest school to offer this type of agreement. The school says the program will “reduce financial barriers to degree completion.” The school…

In the Battle for Twenty-First Century Fox, Comcast Blinks

Fox Made a $32.5 Billion Offer for Sky it Doesn't own

(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)NEW YORK (AP) — In a battle among media giants for control of Twenty-First Century Fox’s entertainment business, Comcast has blinked. The cable and media company said Thursday that it is dropping its bid, instead focusing on its pursuit of the European pay-TV operator Sky. Fox owns 39 percent of Sky and has also been trying to…

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…

McKenzie’s Bar and Grill Under New Ownership

Owners tell us menu favorites will stay the same.

HERMANTOWN, Minn.-  A staple American food pub in Hermantown is under new ownership, but don’t worry your favorites will stay the same. McKenzie’s Bar and Grill is celebrating under new ownership. New owners tell us the American style menu featuring pulled pork tacos and burger, that are favored by locals will stay the same. “Keep the specials all the same…

Kari Toyota Celebrating 50 Years of Service

The 50 milestone means a lot to the Kari family and employees.

SUPERIOR, Wis.- Exciting news for a Twin Ports business Kari Toyota in Superior is celebrating 50 years of service. The dealership is family run, the 50 milestone means a lot to the Kari family and employees. Toyota came to congratulate the business. “Well it’s not just another day, it’s just kind of a milestone for us it’s just kind of…