DULUTH, Min. – Nurses with the The Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) at Essentia Health’s 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Street Clinic locations in Duluth, as well as Essentia Health St. Mary’s Superior Clinic, voted to ratify tentative agreements on their first contracts. The union says the vote was cast by more than 200 nurses on Thursday, August 28, 2025. The agreements…
DULUTH, Minn. — The Northern Lights Foundation has announced its new Executive Director, Todd Johnson. Johnson has nearly 3 decades of experience in non-profit leadership. He previously served as Chief executive Officer of the Boys and Girls Club of the Northland. The Northern Lights Foundation helps support families with children facing life-threatening illnesses. With the announcement, Johnson said “The Foundation’s…
DULUTH, Min. – Blood donors to Memorial Blood Centers (MBC) from Wednesday, August 27th, through Wednesday, September 3rd will be entered into a sweepstakes for an all-expense-paid vacation for two. The vacation is provided by Winspire. It will also include a $1,500 Flightgift gift card for airfare. The location option are La Costa Golf Escape (San Diego, CA), Farmhouse Luxury…
DULUTH, Minn. — The Duluth campus of the University of Minnesota Medical School held their annual White Coat Ceremony for the class of 20-29 August 22nd. The White Coat Ceremony is a rite of passage that welcomes new medical students to the profession 65 Students received their first white coat in front of family and friends, medical school administration and…
DULUTH, Min. – Essentia Health has announced they have reached a tentative agreement with Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) nurses at he Essentia Health-Duluth Clinic 1st, 2nd and 3rd street buildings and Essentia Health St. Mary’s Superior Clinic. The nurses are first contracts covering ambulatory care nurses. The tentative agreements will last through March 31, 2027. Upon making the announcement Essentia…
DULUTH, Min. – The London Road Business Blood Drive is taking place Thursday, August 28th. CLICK HERE to sign-up to donate. It’s more necessary than ever with blood shortages around our area. Any one can donate – you don’t have to live or work on London Road. FOX21 is a sponsor. Another co-sponsor is Peace of Mind Duluth. Caelee Buell, a Team…
UPDATE: Test results confirm that no biological or bacterial contamination has entered the water system and that the drinking water remains safe to consume. The precautionary boil water notice is ended effective immediately. DULUTH, Min. – Residents between 43rd Avenue E to 54th Avenue E, from Norwood Street up to Skyline are under a boil water notice. During the evening…
DULUTH, Min. – The London Road Business Blood Drive is taking place Thursday, August 28th. CLICK HERE to sign-up to donate. It’s more necessary than ever with blood shortages around our area. Any one can donate – you don’t have to live or work on London Road. The state’s blood supply has dropped below a 2-day inventory, far below…
CLOQUET, Minn. — Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College held its grand reopening of its nursing facilities after an extensive renovation on Aug. 13, this coming just in time for students to return to school this Fall. While other schools continue to see enrollment dropping, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College is welcoming an even larger crop of…
Trauma Team at Fairview Range medical center HIBBING, Minn. — Fairview Range Medical Center is now a level 4 trauma center. The designation was earned after an intensive process to become part of the Statewide Trauma system. That process included an outside review of the hospital’s resources and capabilities. In joining the trauma system, Fairview Range can decrease the time…
DULUTH, Minn. — A Duluth man is running across the US to raise awareness for addiction and recovery. Mefree Lee began drinking at the age of 16, by 30, he was an alcoholic, struggling with his addiction until he got to the Adult and Teen Challenge Center in Duluth, here everything changed. “I started running again. I had running…
DULUTH, Minn. – Ovarian cancer survivors and their loved ones were treated to a shopping spree at no cost in Maurice’s sample room in downtown Duluth as part of their 3RD annual shop and social. Kristine Greer, a survivor of ovarian cancer and board member with the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance, says it’s all about connecting with others who have faced…
Julie Moravchik IRON RIVER, Wis. – Julie Moravchik has been a reporter and News Director in the Twin Ports. Julie is currently undergoing treatment for Stage 2 HER2+ breast cancer. She is now on leave from her role as News Director at WBAY in Green Bay while facing chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. The mom of two was a reporter at…
DULUTH, Min. – Essentia Health and the Miller Dwan Foundation is resuming hospice patient care at Solvay Hospice House in Duluth. The facility had temporarily suspended services as a result of the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) strike. Starting Thursday, July 31 Solvay Hospice House will reopen and be ready to provide hospice care. Solvay will welcome residential hospice patients and…
Air Quality Alert 07/28/2025 DULUTH, Min.- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an air quality alert for the northern half of Minnesota. Northwesterly winds will transport heavy surface smoke from wildfires across Manitoba and Saskatchewan into northern Minnesota, beginning Tuesday morning. Smoke will spread south into central Minnesota through the day Tuesday and may continue into southern Minnesota overnight…
DULUTH, Minn.– After multiple days of striking, the strike by Essentia Health nurses and APPS is coming to an end. The nurses and Advanced Practice Providers have been striking for numerous reasons. But now, despite no contract resolution, both nurse and APP strikes are coming to an end. This is happening because progress is being made to bargain with numerous…
DULUTH, Minn. — The Minnesota Nurses Association sent out a news release late Monday that said the remaining striking nurses at Essentia Health in the Twin Ports will end the strike. News Release: July 21, 2025 – Tomorrow, Tuesday, July 22 at 10:00 AM, striking members of the Minnesota Nurses Association at Essentia’s clinics, surgery center, hospice house and East…
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — For nearly 20 years, Maria would call her sister — a nurse in Mexico — for advice on how to manage her asthma and control her husband’s diabetes instead of going to the doctor in California. She didn’t have legal status, so she couldn’t get health insurance and skipped routine exams, relying instead on home remedies…
DULUTH, Minn. – The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued varied air quality alerts across Northern Minnesota for the upcoming weekend. The alerts range from Very Unhealthy to Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. The alerts takes effect 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 19, 2025 and run until 9 a.m. on Monday, July 21, 2025. Heavy surface smoke from Canadian wildfires will…
DULUTH, Minn. – President Donald Trump on July 17, 2025 nominated two people to join the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Essentia has been saying their discussions with the Advanced Practice Practitioners (APPs) are stalled due to an appeal to the NLRB. Essentia says they are concerned about the size and reach of the proposed bargaining unit. Essentia has asked…
DULUTH, Minn. — The Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) blasted Essentia Health Wednesday by saying the healthcare provider is intimidating and retaliating against some of the union’s Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) who have chosen to leave the group’s strike and go back to work. The strong words from the MNA came after Essentia Health sent out the following release to the…
SUPERIOR, Wis.– Advanced Practice Providers, commonly referred to as ‘APPS’, have joined Essentia Health nurses in the ongoing strike. The MNA held a press conference in Superior Tuesday morning, to provide updates. For one week now, Essentia Health nurses and providers have been on strike around Minnesota. APPs from Baxter, Duluth, and Superior joined in on the strike. “What has…
DULUTH, Minn. – Thousands of nurses across the Twin Cities Metro area and Duluth finished voting to ratify the new contracts. The announcement was made on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. Nurses in the agreement include all nurses at Aspirus – St. Luke’s and Critical Care Nurses at Essentia. RELATED: Solvay Hospice House temporarily pausing care due to looming MNA…
DULUTH, Minn. – The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has extended its air quality alert through Tuesday, July 15 for northern Minnesota. Areas around the Northshore and Carlton County will still be in the level considered unhealthy for everyone. That area includes Two Harbors, Duluth, and the Tribal Nations of Grand Portage and Fond du Lac. The rest of Northern…
Red air quality: Unhealthy DULUTH, Minn. – The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has extended the air quality alert for northern Minnesota. The alert now runs until 6 p.m. on Monday, July 14,m 2025. The affected area includes Duluth, International Falls, Two Harbors, Hibbing, Ely, Grand Portage, Brainerd, Hinckley, Bemidji, East Grand Forks, Moorhead, Roseau, and the Tribal Nations of Mille Lacs,…
DULUTH, Minn. & ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has issued an air quality alert for all of Minnesota. The alert runs until 9 a.m. on Monday, July 14, 2025. The highest levels of alert are for Northern Minnesota. That includes the areas to the north of the Alexandria, St Cloud, and Hinkley. Heavy ground-level smoke from…
SUPERIOR, Wis. — A mama duck recently hatched ducklings in the courtyard at Essentia Health in Superior. But because it’s enclosed, the only way out is to prop open a few doors and let her do the rest by guiding her babies to safety. Melissa Walrath and her fellow co-workers in Outpatient Surgery took this video. Melissa says this is…
DULUTH, Minn. — Today, July 01, 2025, marks the start of the Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) striking at Essentia. APP’s joined the picket lines at the Duluth, Superior, and Virginia locations. Negotiations are currently off the table as Essentia awaits a legal review from the National Labor Relations Board. The MNA proposed creating the APP bargaining unit in a…
DULUTH, Minn. — Acute Care nurses at Essentia have voted to ratify the agreements made last week. Nurses voted on the agreement Wednesday, July 9, 2025. The agreement includes provisions that will give nurses more scheduling predictability and flexibility. It also provides a nearly ten percent increase in pay spread over the next three years. RELATED: Minnesota Nurses Association Nurses…
DULUTH, Minn.– Tuesday morning, at multiple locations around the Northland, more than 290 Essentia Health nurses and health care professionals with the Minnesota Nurses’ Association are making their voices heard. “Since issuing our strike notice, we have offered to meet every single day, and Essentia has declined every single time, only offering two meetings this month, we are here demanding…
FLOODWOOD, Minn. — Firefighters in Floodwood remained on the scene Monday after a large fire ignited Friday at a longtime business. Courtesy: Northland Fire Wire The fire broke out around 10:30 p.m. Friday at the Mat, Inc. facility on Highway 2. When firefighters arrived, they encountered an 18,000-gallon propane tank with 40-foot flames, according to the Northland Fire Wire. A…
WASHINGTON, DC – Representatives Tom Tiffany (WI-07) and Pete Stauber (MN-08) along with other members of Congress sent a letter to Canada’s Ambassador. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R) Wisconsin It urged stronger forest management practices to mitigate wildfire risk after consecutive years of heavy smoke blowing south from Canada to Minnesota and Wisconsin. It read in part, “We know a key…
DULUTH, Minn. – The Minnesota Nurses Association and Essentia Health have reached a tentative agreement, averting the strike for acute care nurses in the area. The agreement affects roughly 1,500 Essentia Health hospital nurses at Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center, Essentia Health-Duluth and Essentia Health St. Mary’s Hospital-Superior. According to a release from the MNA the agreement includes updates to…
DULUTH, Minn. – The Minnesota Nurses Association has cancelled their proposed Unfair Labor Practice strike against Aspirus St. Luke’s as a tentative agreement for a new contract nears. On Thursday, the MNA said “significant movement was made across the bargaining table” following more than 30 hours of negotiations over the past week. Minor details will still be finalized early next…
DULUTH, Minn. — St. Louis county leaders put out a warning to residents Wednesday to say President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” – if passed — would cost the county at least $16 million. As written now, the federal bill would shift Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) costs from the federal government to the states, according to the county. For…
DULUTH, Minn. – Miller-Dwan Foundation and Essentia Health announced they will be temporarily pausing care at Solvay Hospice House beginning July 8. The announcement was made in response to the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) plan to begin an open-ended strike at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. Solvay is owned by Miller-Dwan Foundation and care within Solvay is provided by…
DULUTH, Minn. – Essentia Health says they received a notice of the Minnesota Nurses Association’s (MNA) intent to strike, starting July 8, 2025. Essentia says the strike notice is open-ended. A news release from Essentia stated, “The notice from the MNA comes on the heels of months of union delays and refusal to dedicate time with Essentia at the bargaining table.”…
DULUTH, Minn. – Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) has announced nurses and other union members will strike at Duluth-area hospitals. The union said hospital acute care nurses at Essentia Health’s St. Mary’s Duluth Hospital, Miller-Dwan Hospital and St. Mary’s- Superior Hospital, and Aspirus Health St. Luke’s Hospital will be beginning their strike on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 at 7:00 a.m. Nurses…
DULUTH, Minn.– Today, the Minnesota Nurses Association announced they have voted to authorize a strike. That involves more than 15,000 nurses statewide. It doesn’t trigger an immediate strike, but it gives union leaders the power to call for one if they choose. Union President Chris Rubesch made the announcement at a news conference. He listed a number of things…
DULUTH, Minn. – Aspirus St. Luke’s released a statement following Minnesota Nurses Association announcing the union had authorized a strike. They have not declared a strike, but the vote authorizes leadership to trigger a strike if they wish. The statement reads: Unfortunately, it appears that the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) has authorization to call a strike against Aspirus St. Luke’s…
DULUTH, Minn. – The Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) has announced their union members voted to authorize a strike. The announcement was following the Monday June 23, 2025 vote. A strike has not been called for at this point. The union did not release the voting tallies other than saying it was enough to authorize a strike. The vote was made…
DULUTH, Minn. – Members of the Minnesota Nurses Association vote for whether or not to authorize a strike. Members of the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) voted Monday over whether or not to authorize the union to strike. A vote ‘to authorize’ would allow the union to strike after giving a 10-day notice to hospital employers. Local members could cast their…
Courtesy: Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Tens of millions of people across the Midwest and East endured dangerously hot temperatures again on Sunday as a rare June heat wave that gripped much of the U.S. was expected to last well into this week. Most of the northeastern quadrant of the country from Minnesota to Maine was under some type…
DULUTH, Minn.– All volunteers for the big race are preparing for everything. And with the medical tents set up, they are no exception. Over 250 medical volunteers will participate for Grandma’s Marathon. Essentia Health is stocked up with cots, wheelchairs, air conditioning, and hydration stations. The ski patrol from Giant’s Ridge will also be stationed throughout the course to aid…
DULUTH, Minn. — Negotiations between the Minnesota Nurses Association and Aspirus-St. Luke’s have stalled, after MNA claims of Aspirus walking away from the bargaining table. At their final scheduled bargaining session, MNA claims their nurses were met, “not with compromise, but with cuts.” The nurses association then said Aspirus’ proposal would limit sick time, vacation, dental, and health coverage for…
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minneapolis VA Health Care System has announced a misprinting of lab results may have impacted as many as 500 Veterans in the Minneapolis VA Health Care System in May 2025. A news release said “On May 3, 2025, 1,130 patient lab result letters written directly through an automated patient record system failed to print due to a failed…
Issued for Herb-Quest LLC ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) has issued the first cannabis business license in the state of Minnesota. It is going to Herb-Quest, LLC. Herb-Quest is a microbusiness located in Brook Park in Pine County. Its initial primary business activity will be outdoor cultivation of cannabis plants. OCM Interim Director Eric Taubel…
DULUTH, Minn. – Memorial Blood Centers (MBC) has issued an urgent call for blood donors. They need specifically type O- and type B- blood. The region’s supply of O- and B- blood is currently at a 2-day level, far below what is needed to meet hospital demands. Seasonal declines in blood donations are common, as school breaks, holiday travel, and busy…
DULUTH, Minn. — Hundreds of health care professionals from across the state are at the DECC this week for the annual Minnesota Rural Health Conference. The two-day conference aims to improve care efficiency and access. The event features keynote addresses, breakout sessions and a variety of vendors. Around 500 hundred health care professionals attend the event each year. The theme…
DULUTH, Minn. – The Human Development Center took part in Give OUT Day to support mental health services for LGBTQ+ individuals. The Human Development Center, among many other organizations, participated in Give OUT Day, a national fundraiser supporting LGBTQ+ communities. The donations from this fundraiser will help HDC to expand their Queer Community Connections program. “This is a group that I’m…
