News

Christmas Brought Retail Jingle

Supply-chain issues of last year eased this shopping season

DULUTH, Minn. — Now that much of the Christmas shopping season is in the rear-view mirror, it’s a time for returns and some reflection on how the season went. At the Fitger’s shopping complex Tuesday there was still a lot of activity.  Duluth Kitchen Company owner Alex Kulstad said it was a good Christmas year. He said a big difference…

Spirit Mountain Opens Tubing Hill For Winter

DULUTH, Minn. — Spirit Mountain opened its tubing hills on Tuesday, just in time for kids on winter break from school. Tubing is open at the resort on weekdays for the holiday break, but will then switch over to only being open on the weekends afterward. If you go when the sun sets, Spirit Mountain turns on its colorful lights…

Duluth XC Candlelight Ski Event

DULUTH, Minn. – The Duluth Area Outdoor Alliance held their social event in a unique way Tuesday with a candlelight ski at the Lester-Amity Chalet. The family-friendly event is the first of three that will be put on this winter. Those who attended were able to check out the chalet, ski the double-O loop lit by luminaries, demo skis, eat…

Snowmobile Trails in Rough Condition

SUPERIOR, Wis. – Snowmobile clubs spend hundreds of hours preparing trails for the season opening, and this year has given them a new challenge. Northwest Trails is the organization that oversees all of the ATV and snowmobile trails in Douglas County. One of the six clubs associated with the organization is Drift Dodgers, which is responsible for maintaining 84 miles…

Mayor Emily Larson Issues ‘Proud’ Year-End Progress Report

DULUTH, Minn. – Mayor Emily Larson held a news conference Tuesday to provide a year-end progress report.  (Click here for the city’s press release on the report) Her priorities fell into four categories this year, as she outlined in her State of the City address earlier in the year: Economic development, public safety, connectivity and sustainability. While she said she’s…

Supreme Court Keeps Immigration Limits In Place Indefinitely

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is keeping pandemic-era limits on immigration in place indefinitely, dashing hopes of immigration advocates who had been anticipating their end this week. In a ruling Tuesday, the Supreme Court extended a temporary stay that Chief Justice John Roberts issued last week. Under the court’s order, the case will be argued in February and the stay will…

UPDATE: One Arrested After Stabbing In Spirit Valley Neighborhood, Non-Life-Threatening Injuries

UPDATE (December 27, 4:42 p.m.) — Duluth Police say they have located and arrested a 66-year-old man who stabbed a woman around 3 p.m. Tuesday. Charges are pending and the incident remains under investigation. ORIGINAL POST: DULUTH, Minn. — The Duluth Police Department is investigating a stabbing incident that occurred Tuesday afternoon. According to the police department, a male stabbed…

Co-Leader Of Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Gets 16 Years In Prison

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — The co-leader of a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was sentenced Tuesday to 16 years in prison for conspiring to abduct the Democrat and blow up a bridge to ease an escape. Adam Fox’s sentence is the longest of anyone convicted in the plot so far, though it’s significantly shorter than the life sentence that…

Making Pig Livers Humanlike In Quest To Ease Organ Shortage

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) – The ghostly form floating in a large jar had been the robust reddish-brown of a healthy organ just hours before. Now it’s semi-translucent, white tubes like branches on a tree showing through. This is a pig liver that’s gradually being transformed to look and act like a human one, part of scientists’ long quest to ease the…

First Congress Revealed Biden’s Generational Ambition

WASHINGTON (AP) — When he ran for the White House, Joe Biden told voters his presidency would be a bridge to the next generation. His first two years on the job have revealed it to be a much more ambitious venture. As he nears the halfway mark on his first term, Biden is pointing to legacy-defining achievements on climate change, domestic manufacturing…

New Café Brings Familiar Taste Back to International Falls

INTERNATIONAL FALLS, Minn. — The beloved Sandy’s Place to reopen under new ownership as ‘On The Way Café’ in January. Sandy’s Place was the brunch hub of International Falls for nearly 25 years. That is until, Owners Sandy and Sandy retired and closed the restaurant last year. “It felt kind of empty around here without Sandy’s Place, as weird as…

Skating At Portman

DULUTH, Minn. — It’s winter time, it’s after Christmas and the kids are not in school. That can mean only one thing, many of them are at the ice rink. The Portman Skating area saw dozens of kids skating on Monday afternoon, and having fun this afternoon. Whether it was playing pick-up hockey, just learning to skate, or practicing some…

Smooth Travel at Duluth International Airport

DULUTH, Minn. — The Arrival and Departure Board at Duluth International airport today did not reflect what much of the rest of the country was still facing. This morning more than 17 hundred flights were cancelled and another 3.000 delayed. Tyler Ryder, returning from Michigan, said “I lucked out. I hopped on my plane on time, on time on the…

Christmas Tree Treecycling

WLSSD has many sites where you can drop off yours.

DULUTH, Minn. — Some of us hang on to our real Christmas Tree until it becomes a fire hazard, but some of us can’t wait to get that tree out the door. If your tree is real–not artificial–you can recycle it at a number of WLSSD sites. The Yard Waste Compost Site will be open every day between now and…

Cook County Power Outage Update

Seasonal homes may still be without power.

COOK COUNTY, Minn. — Last weekend’s storm caused 74 mph wind gusts in Cook County, which resulted in several fallen trees, downed power lines, and at times, county wide power outages. Arrowhead Cooperative tells Fox 21 the first call came in just before 8 a.m. on Friday and had all power restored by 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon. During that time,…

Democrats To Wield Power When Minnesota Legislature Convenes

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Democrats will control both the House and Senate for the first time in eight years when the Minnesota Legislature convenes Jan. 3, giving them power to decide how to use a $17.6 billion projected budget surplus — and new opportunities to pass liberal initiatives that the outgoing Senate Republican majority had blocked. The main job of Minnesota’s legislative sessions…

Katie Lowes of ‘Merry Kiss Cam’ Talks Filming In Duluth, Local Talent Pool

DULUTH, Minn. — It’s been about a month since the romantic comedy “Merry Kiss Cam” debuted on Hulu. The movie was shot in Duluth showcasing the city, UMD Bulldogs, Carmody Irish Brew Pub, The Heritage Sports Center and other locations. FOX 21’s Dan Hanger recently chatted with Katie Lowes, one of the lead actors in “Merry Kiss Cam” who is…

Holiday Sales Up 7.6% Despite The Squeeze Of Inflation

NEW YORK (AP) — Holiday sales rose this year as American spending remained resilient during the critical shopping season despite surging prices on everything from food to rent, according to one measure. Holiday sales rose 7.6, a slower pace than the 8.5% increase from a year earlier when shoppers began spending the money they had saved during the early part…

Coffee Conversation: Glitterati Events to hold New Year’s Eve Bash

DULUTH, Minn. — Glitterati Events presents New Year’s Eve Bash at the DECC. Ring in the New Year with food, fun, and friends at the DECC’s Harborside Ballroom, Dec. 31 6:00 pm – 12:00 am. Amber Brostrom with Glitterati Events joined FOX21 on the morning show to preview the gala.   Brostrom says the night also serves as a way to…

Owner Of Carmody’s Talks ‘Merry Kiss Cam’ Filming In His Duluth Pub

DULUTH, Minn. – One of the main locations where “Merry Kiss Cam” was filmed was at Carmody Irish Brew Pub in downtown Duluth. Carmody owner Eddie Gleeson with actress Katie Lowes There were multiple shots filmed outside and inside the pub on East Superior Street during the summer. So set crews, of course, did their magic to make it look…

CHUM Holds Vigil For Lives Lost To Homeless

DULUTH, Minn. — People were on the steps of city hall yesterday remembering those we’ve lost this year due to homelessness.  A vigil was held by CHUM reading off the names of the 69 homeless and homeless advocates lives that were lost this year, three of which have died in just the last month outside due to the weather. At…

VFW Hosts Christmas Eve Dinner

DULUTH, Minn. –This weekend the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) in Duluth invited the community for a free Christmas Eve dinner. This year marked 35 years of the VFW putting on this holiday feeding frenzy. People gathered sharing stories, and most importantly eating dinner together as one big community family. Organizers said that this year’s winter storm did worry them,…

Dreamland Supper Club Open for Christmas Dinners

SOUTH RANGE, Wis. –Many places are closed this Christmas, but the kitchen was on at the Dreamland Supper Club today for families looking to be out of the house for dinner. The supper club in South Range was decked out with Christmas décor. Dreamland had 80 reservations today for this year’s Christmas dinner with the chef for the night giving…

5 Arrested In Deadly Shooting At Mall of America

Courtesy: FOX 9 BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) – Bloomington Police announced the arrested of five people Saturday morning in connection with a shooting at the Mall of America that left a teenager dead on Friday night. SWAT teams from Saint Louis Park, Edina and Minnetonka raided a residence at 275 Shelard Parkway in Saint Louis Park at 8:40 a.m. and arrested five people on suspicion…

150 Associated Press Images From 2022

Associated Press (ASSOCIATED PRESS) – Taken together, they can convey the feeling of a world convulsing — 150 Associated Press images from across 2022, showing the fragments that make up our lives and freezing in time the moments that somehow, these days, seem to pass faster than ever. As history in 2022 unfolded and the world lurched forward — or,…

Victim Fatally Shot At Mall Of America Was 19; Police Chief: ‘This Is Just Stupid, Stupid, Stupid’

Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) — A teenager was killed during a shooting at the Mall of America on Friday that sent frightened customers at the nation’s largest shopping center racing into a lockdown just before the holiday weekend, police said. Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said the victim was a 19-year-old man. A bystander’s jacket…

Think Ahead – Drive Safely

DULUTH, Minn. –Traveling Over the River and through the woods may be much more difficult this weekend. The low temperatures and the howling winds will be making driving difficult. State Patrol officers call this time, after a snow storm or after low visibility, the “stupid time”. Drivers had been driving more cautiously during those events, and driving much slower, However,…

Shoppers Inside at Miller Hill Mall

It’s the last full day to get your holiday shopping done and with today’s weather there was one place that stood out for people looking to complete their shopping. That place, he place to be on Friday was up the hill at  the Miller Hill Mall. We checked in with a few shoppers there to see what they needed and…

Is Fruitcake Getting a Bad Rap?

DULUTH, Minn. —  A 2016 online article has the headline “7 Reasons you should never eat Fruitcake” And the sub head that reads Throw it in the Trash.” That’s a pretty harsh sentiment for a traditional Christmas Sweet. ” Do you like Fruit cake – no, not a fan” Scott Johnson of Johnson’s Bakery says he generally makes two batches…

Final Preparations Underway For VFW Christmas Eve Dinner

DULUTH, Minn. — Potato peelers were peeling away Friday getting ready for the annual VFW Christmas Eve dinner. Throughout the week volunteers have been prepping 30 turkeys, 150-200 pounds of potatoes, and 150 pounds of sweet potatoes. And it’s not just prepping food, volunteers are even shoveling and getting tables decorated. One veteran drives 50 miles to help get the…

Duluth Police: Missing Woman Found Dead Outside

DULUTH, Minn. — A woman who recently went missing has been found dead, according to the Duluth Police Department. 71-year-old Diane Pool, who suffered from dementia was last seen around Mesaba and East 9th Street in Duluth, with no shoes or a jacket. Friday she was found outside, dead. Police say an autopsy is being done to confirm the cause…

Body Found On Road In Ashland, Alcohol And Exposure To Elements Possible Factors

ASHLAND, Wis. — A body was found on the road Thursday morning in Ashland. According to the Ashland Police Department, police and paramedics arrived at the scene around 8 a.m. on Junction Road between Turner Road and Sanborn Avenue. The body was a 25-year-old from Ashland and exposure from the elements and not being properly dressed for weather was supposedly…

Tips To Conserve Heat In Your Home During Dangerously Low Temperatures

(FOX 9) – When the weather outside is frightful, the warmth inside feels so delightful. During dangerously low temperatures, there are simple ways Minnesotans can conserve energy in their homes and body heat. “As cold as it is, it’s not even close to what we are prepared to do. We are prepared for when it’s -25 for three consecutive days,” said Ross…

Biden Signs Defense Bill That Repeals Troop Vaccine Mandate

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden signed a nearly $858 billion defense spending bill into law Friday despite his opposition to a Republican-backed provision in the legislation that repeals the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for U.S. troops. Biden had agreed with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s determination that lifting the mandate was not in the best interest of troops or the military,…

Jan. 6 Report: Trump ‘Lit That Fire’ Of Capitol Insurrection

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Jan. 6 committee’s final report asserts that Donald Trump criminally engaged in a “multi-part conspiracy” to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election and failed to act to stop his supporters from attacking the Capitol, concluding an extraordinary 18-month investigation into the former president and the violent insurrection two years ago. Trump “lit that fire,”…

Coffee Conversation: New Year’s Cluckin’ Eve Returns to Duluth

DULUTH, Minn. — The Rubber Chicken Theater presents ‘New Year’s Cluckin’ Eve’ at Fitger’s Spirit of the North Theater. Ring in the New Year with comedy, sketches, prize giveaways, live music, and more. Brian Matuszak joined FOX21 on the morning show to preview the one-night-only gala. The event is taking place Saturday, Dec. 31from 7:30-9:00 pm. Tickets are $25. Categories:…

Volunteers Preparing For Annual VFW Christmas Eve Dinner

The VFW is still in need of dinner rolls for the event.

DULUTH, Minn. — The annual Christmas Eve dinner at VFW Hall is happening in Duluth on Saturday. But first to make the special event happen, volunteers spend the whole week before preparing. Turkey, gravy, vegetables, white and sweet potatoes, and pie will be served. Organizers are planning for 300 people but with the weather, they will happily feed whoever shows…

Elvis Visits the Northland for Kolar Auto’s Annual ‘Holiday on the Hill’ Event

HERMANTOWN, Minn. – Kolar automotive group held their annual Holiday on the Hill event. In conjunction with the Duluth, Hermantown, and Cloquet Chambers, the event is a festive holiday celebration put on to support the Boys and Girls Club of the Northland. Those who attended were able to enjoy food and drink from 14 vendors and entertainment from Travis Ledoyt,…

Airport Travel During the Holidays

DULUTH, Minn. – The arctic blast is disrupting air travel all across the U.S. More than 2,000 U.S. flights were canceled by mid-afternoon Thursday and 5,300 delayed flights. At the Duluth International Airport there has been only one cancellation Thursday, which is a flight from Chicago. Airport officials tell us the snow team has been busy cleaning the runways. As…

Family Freedom Center Hosts Holiday Party

DULUTH, Minn. – Family Freedom Center held their first annual Christmas at the Farm event. The event was supposed to take place at Freedom Farms but was moved to the Washington Center due to the cold weather. Those who attended were able to take pictures with Santa, enjoy food, make arts and crafts, as well as receive presents. Staff there…

Holiday Weekends Mean More Law Enforcement On The Roads

Don't Drink and Drive

DULUTH, Minn. — Holiday weekends such as Christmas and New Years are times when people are more likely to be celebrating, and where alcohol may be involved. The Minnesota State Patrol wants to remind everyone, if your plans include having a cocktail or two, especially over the next few weeks, you need to make plans to get home safely. In…

Local Reaction to President Zelenskyy’s Visit

DULUTH. Minn. — Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar was a member of the Congressional Escort Committee for Zelenskyy’s Visit.  She briefly met with Ukraine’s president and reiterated the United States support for Ukraine. The senator said “…congress is coming together before the end of the year to provide additional security and humanitarian assistance…” Tina Smith, Minnesota’s other senator said, “It was…

DPD Public Information Officer And Postmasters Reminding Residents of Front Porch Theft During Holidays

DULUTH, Minn.–‘Tis the season for giving and receiving. As packages get dropped of on front steps, you’ll want to avoid leaving them unattended if you can. With the holidays being a busier time of year for ordering packages, your porch may start to pile up. This can present and appealing scenario for porch pirates. Thieves that specifically wait to steal…