News

Wildwoods in Need of Donations

DULUTH, Minn. – The Wildwoods Wildlife Rehabilitation center in Duluth is issuing a call for help after the pandemic to ensure they can keep properly caring for injured and rescued animals. Wildwoods Wildlife Rehabilitation is raising money to expand its outdoor caging area. With the additional space, they would be able to hold more animals in town and properly acclimate…

Yes, Cheese Pop-Up at Bent Paddle

DULUTH, Minn. – Bent Paddle on Friday said yes to cheese, holding a pop-up event for a local dairy-centric business. Yes, Cheese brought a selection of their products for people to try and had boxes available for purchase. These boxes come in a variety of sizes and styles and include meat, crackers, and even some sweets. Yes, Cheese will be…

New Warming Center in Lincoln Park Opens on February 7th

DULUTH, Minn. – On Monday, a new warming center in the Lincoln Park neighborhood will be opening its doors. The new nearly half-a-million-dollar warming shelter in the Lincoln Park Community Center has space for 50 to 100 people depending on staffing. After four years of temporary spaces, officials with the Duluth Housing and Redevelopment Authority believe they have finally found…

Evers Vetoes Bill That Would Have Allowed Teens to Work Late

(Steve Apps/Wisconsin State Journal via AP, File) MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Tony Evers on Friday vetoed a bill opposed by labor unions that would have allowed teenagers to work longer hours during the busy summer tourism months. The measure Evers vetoed had the support of Republicans and the state’s hotel, restaurant, and grocery industries. Democrats and the Wisconsin AFL-CIO…

Bayfield County Sheriff’s Office Investigating Homicide, Suicide in Town of Kelly

TOWN OF KELLY, Wis. – Authorities in Bayfield and Ashland counties are investigating an apparent homicide and suicide that happened in the Town of Kelly Thursday evening and into Friday morning. According to the Bayfield County Sheriff’s Office, the Bayfield County Communications Center received a report of a car in the ditch on STH 118 just before 7:00 p.m Thursday….

Cass County Cabin Fire Leads to Arrest

CASS COUNTY, Minn. – Cass County fire crews and deputies responded to reports of a structure fire Monday morning just after 5:30 a.m. on Peninsula Road in Crooked Lake Township. According to the Sheriff’s Office, when responders arrived at the scene they found a cabin fully engulfed in flames as well as a pickup truck on fire near the shoreline….

Midday Update 2-4-22

Local News and Weather Making Headlines Friday, February 4, 2022

Join FOX 21’s Brett Scott and Meteorologist Ken Slama for a local look at news and weather making headlines Friday, February 4, 2022. Categories: Community, News, News – Latest News, News Update Tags: Brett Scott, community, Headlines, Ken Slama, Local News, midday update

Wisconsin’s College Graduation Rates Improve, but Gaps Exist

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s college graduation rates have improved and have surpassed the national average, but a new report shows there are significant gaps between racial groups. More than 70% of Wisconsin college students who enrolled in 2015 graduated within six years, according to new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The report tracked and compared six-year…

Morning Update 2-4-22

Local News and Weather Making Headlines Friday, February 4, 2022

Join FOX 21’s Brett Scott and Meteorologist Ken Slama for a local look at news and weather making headlines Friday, February 4, 2022. Categories: Community, News, News – Latest News, News Update Tags: Brett Scott, community, Ken Slama, Local News, morning update, News, weather

Minnesota AG To Join Investigation of Fatal Police Shooting

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minnesota’s attorney general will join the review of the fatal shooting of a Black man by Minneapolis police as they served a search warrant. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Friday that he asked Attorney General Keith Ellison to review events surrounding Wednesday’s killing of Amir Locke. SWAT team members were serving a search warrant in a…

US Economy Defies Omicron and Adds 467,000 Jobs in January

(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File) WASHINGTON (AP) – In a surprising burst of hiring, American employers added 467,000 jobs in January in a sign of the economy’s resilience even in the face of a wave of omicron infections last month. The government’s report also drastically revised up its estimate of job gains for November and December by a combined 709,000. It…

GoFundMe Organized for Local Entrepreneur, Charity Fundraiser Mike Letica

DULUTH, Minn. – A longtime event organizer and businessman in Duluth, known for giving so much to others is now in need of community support. In November, Mike Letica was diagnosed with Respiratory Syncytial Virus. While his symptoms were much like a cold, Mike faced the more serious side effects. He ended up with broken ribs from the intensity of…

Winter Bike Week 2022 Kicks Off

DULUTH, Minn. — Winter bike week 2022 has kicked off in Duluth, it’s a week-long series of community led events, celebrating, educating and empowering people-powered ways to get around town, while also promoting winter activity. Zeitgeist is hosting a series of in-person and virtual events. “So we have a lot of people in our community that can help inspire and…

Duluth Public Library Highlighting Black History Month

DULUTH, Minn. — The Duluth Public Library is helping highlight Black History Month, displaying a new exhibit that showcases prominent figures in the black community. A team from youth services hand-picked their own selections of books to come together and create this display. They were happy to showcase some of the library’s collection that highlight identity and uplift people and…

Duluth to Observe Transit Equity Day Friday, DTA Offers Free Rides

DULUTH, Minn. – Friday would have been Rosa Parks’ 109th birthday.  The civil rights icon will be remembered in Duluth and dozens of other communities nationwide through Transit Equity Day. A proclamation from Mayor Emily Larson honors Parks’ role in pushing for equal rights on public transit, which also comes during Black History Month. “Making sure that we are affirming and…

State Medical Officer: COVID Could Become Endemic in 2022

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin’s top medical officer says COVID-19 could become endemic this year. Department of Health Services Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ryan Westergaard still warned that case counts could periodically spike but the disease likely will reach a stage in 2022 where numbers remain fairly constant. The term endemic is used to describe a disease as a regular…

Scientists Race To Gather Winter Data on Warming Great Lakes

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) – Winter is changing across the Great Lakes region, and scientists want to know what that will mean. Teams from more than a dozen U.S. and Canadian universities and government agencies will venture onto the frozen surfaces of all five lakes this month. They’ll take water samples from beneath the ice and measure characteristics such as…

Activist: Man Killed by Police Didn’t Live In Raided Flat

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A civil rights attorney says relatives told her a man fatally shot by Minneapolis police executing a search warrant in a homicide investigation did not live in the apartment raided by the SWAT team. Authorities have released scant information about the man who was killed Wednesday morning, including his identity. But Nekima Levy Armstrong said late Wednesday…

MnDOT’s 2022 Name a Snowplow Contest Winners Announced

(courtesy: MnDOT/Twitter) DULUTH, Minn. – The 2022 Name a Snowplow Contest winners have been announced! MnDOT announced on Thursday that 22,000 name ideas and nearly 60,000 votes had been cast in the 2022 contest and now “Plowy McPlow Face has eight new friends joining the fleet.” The winning names are: Betty Whiteout: District 8 (SW Minnesota) Blizzard of Oz: District…

Officials: Pilot Injured in Crash of Small Plane Has Died

HUTCHINSON, Minn. – Sheriff’s officials say one of two people injured in a small plane crash in McLeod County earlier this week has died. Authorities say Dr. Richard Jolkovsky died of injuries he suffered Monday afternoon when a single-engine plane went down south of Hutchinson. The 61-year-old CentraCare cardiologist was piloting the plane. A 24-year-old passenger remains hospitalized in stable…

Midday Update 2-3-22

Local News and Weather Making Headlines Thursday, February 3, 2022

Join FOX 21’s Brett Scott and Meteorologist Ken Slama for a local look at news and weather making headlines Thursday, February 3, 2022. Categories: Community, News, News – Latest News, News Update Tags: Brett Scott, community, Headlines, Ken Slama, Local News, midday update, News, weather

Several Hundred People Address Enbridge Pipeline Reroute

(AP Photo/Jim Mone, File) MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Many of nearly 300 people who attended a 10-hour-long virtual public hearing spoke against a $450 million plan to reroute an oil and gas pipeline across northern Wisconsin. The hearing that began Wednesday finally wrapped up early Thursday. Participants addressed a draft environmental review for a 40-mile reroute of Enbridge’s Line 5…

International Space Station To Retire in 2031, Crashing Into the Pacific Ocean

LOS ANGELES – NASA says it plans to extend operations of the International Space Station until 2030 after which it plans to retire the station and crash it into a remote region of the Pacific Ocean commonly known as Point Nemo. “The International Space Station is a unique laboratory that is returning enormous scientific, educational, and technological developments to benefit…

Morning Update 2-3-22

Local News and Weather Making Headlines Thursday, February 3, 2022

Join FOX 21’s Brett Scott and Meteorologist Ken Slama for a local look at news and weather making headlines Thursday, February 3, 2022. Categories: Community, News, News – Latest News, News Update Tags: Brett Scott, community, Headlines, Ken Slama, Local News, morning update, News, weather

Biden Says Is Leader Killed During Us Raid in Syria

(AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed) ATMEH, Syria (AP) – President Joe Biden says the leader of the Islamic State group has been killed in Syria during an operation by an elite U.S. military force. A U.S. official says that Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, one of the world’s most wanted terrorists, exploded a bomb that killed himself and members of his family during…

23rd Annual Black Woods Blizzard Tour Takes Off

The goal is to raise 1.5 million dollars this year, and they have already reached 81% of that goal.

PROCTOR, Minn. — A big group of snowmobilers will be heading out in cold conditions Thursday morning raising money for a good cause. They’ll be taking off for the Black Wood’s Blizzard Tour, which is a 3 day snowmobiling fundraiser that collects money to help those fighting ALS. Wednesday evening, the annual reception that opens the weekend, took place at…

Sen. Smith Introduces Legislation to Improve Veteran Hearing Benefits

DULUTH, Minn. – Minnesota Senator Tina Smith (D) is trying her hardest to make sure veterans have quick, easy access to obtaining care for hearing loss. Smith recently introduced legislation to reduce the red tape many vets face when trying to get care for hearing loss as a result of their service. Right now, if veterans wish to receive benefits…

Cold Front Duluth Returns to Bayfront Festival Park

DULUTH, Minn. – After taking last year off due to the pandemic, Duluth Parks and Recreation will be holding their annual Cold Front Duluth event at Bayfront Festival Park Saturday. “We’re just excited to be able to provide a great opportunity for people to come together in an outdoor park space,” says Megan Lidd, City of Duluth’s Recreation Specialist, “and then…

UMD Hosts Annual Outdoor Job Fair

DULUTH, Minn. – Students at University of Minnesota-Duluth got their chance to find employment for the upcoming summer season. Around 30 organizations took part in the university’s annual outdoor job fair Wednesday, which has been happening every spring semester since the early 80s. Organizers say it’s a chance for students to connect personally with summer camps, environmental education centers, conservation groups…

Superior Police Receive Reach Bags to Help Kids at Emergency Sites

SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Superior Police Department is the latest emergency responders in Wisconsin to get a donation from Reach a Child. The Madison-based organizations gave them 35 backpacks, one for each squad vehicle.  They contain around 15 books that can be handed out to kids to help distract them from emergency calls like fires and domestic situations. “The police officer…

City of Duluth Gives Update on Gas Line Incident That Caused Thousands of Residents to Turn Down Their Thermostats

DULUTH, Minn. – The City of Duluth is providing more details about last week’s gas line incident that had thousands of residents turning down their thermostats after a contractor hit a gas line within the can of worms project in Lincoln Park. According to a Wednesday joint news release between the city, MnDOT, and Ames/Kraemer Joint Venture, an Ames/Kramer contractor…

No Motive Revealed in Shooting That Killed Minnesota Student

(courtesy: Fox 9) RICHFIELD, Minn. (AP) – Authorities say they have not established a motive in a shooting outside a suburban Minneapolis school that left one student dead and another critically injured. The students were shot Tuesday outside South Education Center in Richfield, a suburb just south of Minneapolis. Police arrested two teen suspects at separate locations later in the…

Police Shoot Man in Downtown Minneapolis

(courtesy: Fox 9) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A Minneapolis police officer fatally shot a male who authorities say had a loaded gun in his hand. Interim police Chief Amelia Huffman says the shooting happened at about 7 a.m. Wednesday in a downtown apartment complex. Officers from the Minneapolis department’s SWAT team were serving warrants to help the St. Paul Police Department…

Midday Update 2-2-22

Local News and Weather Making Headlines Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Join FOX 21’s Brett Scott and Meteorologist Ken Slama for a local look at news and weather making headlines Wednesday, February 2, 2022. Categories: Community, News, News – Latest News, News Update Tags: Brett Scott, community, Headlines, Ken Slama, Local News, midday update, News, weather

Trial of 3 Cops in Floyd Death Delayed by COVID-19 Diagnosis

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd’s rights was abruptly recessed on Wednesday after one of the defendants tested positive for COVID-19. Judge Paul Magnuson says the court is in recess until Monday. The officer who tested positive wasn’t named by the court, but pool reporters in the courtroom…

JJ Astor, Bowery Bros. to Receive Rebranding, $500,000 in Renovations

Both Establishments Are Expected to Open in the Spring of 2022

DULUTH, Minn. – A Twin Cities-based restaurant company is looking to invest over a half-million dollars into the two restaurants associated with the iconic Radisson hotel in Duluth. Purpose Driven Restaurants will be taking over, and renovating the current JJ Astor Restaurant and Lounge and Bowery Bros. The iconic rotating restaurant atop the Radisson will continue to spin when renovations…

Morning Update 2-2-22

Local News and Weather Making Headlines Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Join FOX 21’s Brett Scott and Meteorologist Ken Slama for a local look at news and weather making headlines Wednesday, February 2, 2022. Categories: Community, News, News – Latest News, News Update Tags: Brett Scott, community, Headlines, Ken Slama, Local News, morning update, News, weather

Punxsutawney Phil Predicts Six More Weeks of Winter

(AP Photo/Barry Reeger) PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — There will be six more weeks of winter, Punxsutawney Phil predicted as he emerged from his burrow Wednesday to perform his Groundhog Day duties. Thousands of people from around the nation and other countries gathered at Gobbler’s Knob as members of Punxsutawney Phil’s “inner circle” summoned him from his tree stump at dawn…

Biden Sending More Troops to Europe Amid Ukraine Tension

(Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP) BRUSSELS (AP) – President Joe Biden is sending about 2,000 troops from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Poland and Germany this week and sending part of an infantry Stryker squadron of roughly 1,000 troops based in Germany to Romania. That’s from a senior administration official speaking on the condition of anonymity. Biden has…

Washington’s NFL Team Unveils New Name as Commanders

(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) (AP) – Washington’s NFL team is now known as the Commanders. The new name was unveiled 18 months after the once-storied franchise dropped its old moniker following decades of criticism that it was offensive to Native Americans and under fresh pressure from sponsors. The organization committed to avoiding Native American imagery in its rebrand after being called…

Olympic Curler John Shuster to Carry US Flag at Opening Ceremony

  DULUTH, Minn. – U.S. Curling Team skip John Shuster has been elected as Team USA’s male flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony at the 2022 Winter Olympics. This is the first time in Olympic history that a curler will carry the American flag at the ceremony. BREAKING: Our skip @Shoostie2010 has received the highest honor in sport, being elected…

Anderson Wins His 4th Beargrease Under Tough Trail Conditions

GRAND PORTAGE, Minn. – 2022’s John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon was one to remember, with a recurring champion reclaiming his title — a rookie just behind him, and a race trail that gave teams a run for their money. Wisconsin native Ryan Anderson, this year’s champion, came through the finish line around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. First and foremost, he kissed…