News

2 Years After Jan. 6, Speaker Scrap Paralyzes Congress Again

WASHINGTON (AP) — Such are the fractures in the country, between the political parties and inside the Republican Party itself, that one time-honored specialty of Washington — memorializing and coming together over national trauma — isn’t what it used to be. Friday’s moment of silence at the Capitol to contemplate the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on it was expected to draw mostly…

Xpedition Performs at The West Theatre

DULUTH, Minn. – Thursday, The West Theatre held its first live music event of the new year. Xpedition, a tribute act, played songs from popular 80s bands like Journey and Foreigner. The event brought in nearly a full house as just under 200 tickets were sold. Along with movies and musical acts, The West Theatre also anticipates putting on small…

Duluth Police Department’s 2022 in Review

DULUTH, Minn. – The Duluth Police Department and Mayor Emily Larson held a news conference Thursday highlighting the 2022 public safety report. A challenge the DPD faced this year was staffing as 27, a historic number, of sworn staff resigned or retired, leaving the department 22 officers down to start the new year. On the upside, there were about 16-hundred…

Great Lakes Aquarium Sets New Attendance Record

DULUTH, Minn.– For the past few years, the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth has had a goal of boosting its attendance to break the 200-thousand visitor mark. The organization  just announced that it surpassed that goal in 2022, welcoming  206-thousandvisitors through its doors. The executive director of the aquarium is Jay Walker., says he’s been working at the aquarium since…

Push to Legalize Marijuana in Minnesota Legislative Session

Democrats and advocates say expunging criminal records is important priority

A group of Minnesota lawmakers and others are pushing to legalize marijuana this legislative session. They gathered in St. Paul to say Minnesotans want marijuana legal for adults. The group also includes growers, business owners and those who want to sell cannabis. A key part of the legislation would expunge criminal records of pot-related charges or convictions. Sen. Clare Oumou…

McCarthy Fails For 3rd Long Day In GOP House Speaker Fight

WASHINGTON (AP) — For a long and frustrating third day, divided Republicans left the speaker’s chair of the U.S. House sitting empty Thursday, as party leader Kevin McCarthy failed and failed again in an excruciating string of ballots to win enough GOP votes to seize the chamber’s gavel. Pressure was building as McCarthy lost a seventh, eighth and historic ninth round of…

Record Number of Invasive Spongy Moths Captured in Minnesota in 2022

Courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. MINNESOTA — The Minnesota Department of Agriculture caught a record number of spongy moths during 2022, catching over 100,000 with a majority of them in Lake and Cook Counties. The spongy moth, formerly known as gypsy moth, is an invasive species that can eat the leaves of over 300 different species of trees…

Coffee Conversation: Alworth Scholarship Deadline January 15

DULUTH, Minn. — The Executive Director, Patty Salo Downs, of the Alworth Memorial Fund came on the morning show to spread the word encouraging students to apply for the Alworth Scholarship. The scholarship is $20,000 and the deadline to apply is January 15. To be considered you need to have an interest in pursuing a bachelor’s degree in studies related…

Coffee Conversation: Folk and Jazz Musician Skarlett Woods Performs Live

DULUTH, Minn. — Skarlett Woods, a swing, jazz, and folk singer/songwriter stopped by the morning show to perform a few songs. This was Woods’ first time on live television. Woods will be releasing a new single, “Close To You” from her Sophomore album. Watch the videos below to listen and click the link here to keep up to date with…

Bills: Safety Damar Hamlin Showing ‘Remarkable Improvement’

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has shown what physicians treating him are calling “remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours,” the team announced Thursday, three days after the player went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the field. “While still critically ill, he has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact,”…

Biden Restricting Nicaraguans, Cubans And Haitians At Border

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Thursday said it would immediately begin turning away Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans who cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, a major expansion of an existing effort to stop Venezuelans attempting to enter the U.S. Instead, the administration will accept 30,000 people per month from the four nations for two years and offer the ability to legally…

School Closings and Delays Jan. 4 and 5, 2023

Aitkin Public Schools – 2-hour delay and no preschool January 5. Ashland School District – No evening/after school activities January 4. Barnum Public Schools – Closed for e-learning January 5. Carlton School District – 2-hour delay January 5. Cromwell-Wright – 2-hour delay January 5. South Shore Schools – Early release at 1 p.m. No after school activities January 4. Superior Catholics…

Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge Receives Donation of Over $77 Thousand Dollars

DULUTH, Minn. – Wednesday, the Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge organization in Duluth received a donation of more than $77 thousand dollars from the proceeds of the 14th Annual Breezy Point 5K. Adult and Teen Challenge offers programs throughout the state that help those who are struggling with alcohol and drug addictions and more. The $77,536 dollars is the largest…

Legislative Priorities for Minnesota Dems in New Session

May be itch to spend with early forecast of $17 billion surplus

The Minnesota DFL party has the Governor’s office, and the majority in both the House and Senate. And party leaders said Wednesday they are all on the same page when it comes to priorities. At a joint press briefing of the House and Senate at the Capitol, DFL leaders said allowing women to make their own decisions about abortion will…

Icicle and Ice Dam Problems

DULUTH, Minn. — During the holidays, people see icicles on a roof and often thin “that looks pretty.”  However the reason the icicles have formed may mean there’s a problem with your home.  “Some houses can have icicles, said Austin Miller of Miller’s Roofing and Siding, “but when you see the thickness of ice at the edge of the roof…

Essentia Health’s St. Mary’s Medical Center Top Baby Names For 2022

DULUTH, Minn. — Essentia Health’s St. Mary’s Medical Center released the top names Northland parents chose for their newborns in 2022. Starting with the girls, St. Mary’s says Olivia, Sophia, Sophie, Lilly, and Madeline were the most popular names. For the boys, Grayson, Hudson, Oliver, and Miles were the top picks. There were almost 1,500 babies born at St. Mary’s…

Duluth Salvation Army Year-Round Services

The Duluth Salvation Army surpassed their Red Kettle campaign goal at $225,000.

DULUTH, Minn. — The Salvation Army’s Christmas fundraiser is over after the Red Kettle campaign ended on Christmas Eve. Just one day prior they were still $10,000 short of their goal of $215,000, but thanks to a generous donor and the determination of the community, they ended up goal surpassing it. Cyndi Lewis, the Director of Development at the Duluth…

McCarthy Fails Again In Bid For Speaker, GOP In Disarray

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans flailed through a second day of multiple balloting Wednesday, unable to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy as House speaker or to come up with a new strategy to end the political chaos that has tarnished the start of their new majority. For a fifth time, Republicans nominated McCarthy as their speaker as the House plunged deeper into disarray….

Lincoln Park Craft District Business Provides Ways To Spice Up Food And Drinks

DULUTH, Minn. — Over in the Lincoln Park Craft District, a new business opened up for those looking to spice up their food and drink game. The Spice and Tea Exchange has been open since mid-October and features over 1,100 different spices and teas, from international spices like Jamaican Jerk to wellness teas for lifestyle benefits. All of the spice…

Coffee Conversation: Duluth Police Chief Highlights Top Priorities in the New Year

DULUTH, Minn. — Chief of Police for the City of Duluth, Mike Ceynowa, joined FOX21 on the morning show to highlight the departments top priorities heading into the New Year. Recruiting and retaining officers continues to be a top challenge for the department — and departments nationwide. The DPD recently swore in 8 new officers to the department, but is…

Coffee Conversation: Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour returns to Duluth

DULUTH, Minn – The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour returns to Duluth on January 6 & 7 of 2023 at the DECC Symphony Hall. AMSOIL Staff Product Development Engineer and Mechanical R&D Manager, Mark Nyholm, joined FOX21 on the morning show to preview the event. The Banff World Tour showcases outdoor storytelling and filmmaking worldwide. The Duluth Cross Country Ski…

YMCA Continues Offering CPR Certification Classes

DULUTH, Minn.– Community members have options for CPR certification in light of the Damar Hamlin scare. Multiple YMCA’s in Duluth and surrounding areas offer CPR, First Aid, and AED classes. Sessions involve a science component as well as hands on learning and understanding real world emergencies. Advanced classes require a written component to achieve a certification, which is good for…

Idaho Slayings Suspect Agrees To Extradition To Face Charges

STROUDSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A criminology graduate student arrested for the November slayings of four University of Idaho students agreed Tuesday to be extradited from Pennsylvania, where he was taken into custody last week, to face charges in Idaho. Bryan Kohberger, a 28-year-old doctoral student and teaching assistant at Washington State University, was arrested early Friday by state police at…

Two Cases Of Legionnaires’ Disease In Duluth Apartment

DULUTH, Minn. — The Minnesota Department of Health says two cases of Legionnaires’ Disease have popped up in a Duluth apartment building. One case happened in October, and the other was in December. Both people were living in the Woodland Garden Apartments, which is for low-income seniors. This type of pneumonia is caused by certain bacteria spreading through contaminated droplets…

McCarthy Falls Short In First Vote For House Speaker

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was dealt a historic defeat in first-round voting Tuesday to become House speaker, vowing to try again but sending the new Congress into opening day tumult as conservative colleagues opposed his leadership. McCarthy had pledged a “battle on the floor” for as long as it takes to overcome right-flank fellow Republicans who were refusing to…

Evers To Push For Legal Abortions, Expanded Medicaid

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Tony Evers plans to outline a largely liberal agenda in his second inaugural address Tuesday, though he’ll also call for Republicans and fellow Democrats to work together on issues that have long divided them, including protecting abortion rights, expanding Medicaid coverage, legalizing marijuana and fighting water pollution. Evers and other constitutional officers elected in November, along…

Knowing Your Neighbor: Globe News

SUPERIOR, Wis.– Globe News has been a staple in Superior Wisconsin for several decades. It’s a one-stop-shop with a nostalgic feel making it a collectors dream. The historical building sits on the corner of Belknap Street and Tower Avenue, displaying its iconic signature sign. Now after 40 years, owner Tom Unterberger is retiring, passing the store into new hands. “The…

Bills’ Hamlin In Critical Condition After Collapse On Field

CINCINNATI (AP) — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin was in critical condition after he collapsed on the field Monday night, the NFL said, and Buffalo’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals was suspended. Hamlin was administered CPR on the field, ESPN reported, and he was surrounded by teammates, some of them in tears, after he was hurt while tackling Bengals receiver…

Idaho Slayings Suspect’s Family Voices Sympathy For Victims

STROUDSBURG, Pa. (AP) — Relatives of a man arrested in Pennsylvania in the slayings of four University of Idaho students expressed sympathy for the victims’ families but also vowed to support him and promote “his presumption of innocence.” Bryan Kohberger, 28, is eager to be exonerated and plans to tell a judge Tuesday in Pennsylvania that he will not fight extradition to Idaho, said…

Walz, Statewide Officers Sworn In For Second Term

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) – Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz took his oath of office for a second term Monday, calling for new spending on public education as Democrats take full control of state government. Walz was sworn in after the four other statewide officers, including his lieutenant governor, Peggy Flanagan. Democrats will take control of the state Legislature during lawmakers’ swearing-in on…

Transgender Woman’s Scheduled Execution Would Be US First

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Unless Missouri Gov. Mike Parson grants clemency, Amber McLaughlin, 49, will become the first openly transgender woman executed in the U.S. She is scheduled to die by injection Tuesday for killing a former girlfriend in 2003. McLaughlin’s attorney, Larry Komp, said there are no court appeals pending. The clemency request focuses on several issues, including McLaughlin’s traumatic…

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s Body Lies In State At Vatican

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI ’s body, his head resting on a pair of crimson pillows, lay in state in St. Peter’s Basilica on Monday as thousands of people filed by to pay tribute to the pontiff who shocked the world by retiring a decade ago. As daylight broke, 10 white-gloved Papal Gentlemen — lay assistants to pontiffs and papal households…