News

In Turnabout, Fischbach to Take Oath as Lieutenant Governor

Dayton Will Call a Special Electin to Fill Seat

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Sen. Michelle Fischbach is set to take an oath of office as lieutenant governor after months of resisting the role. Gov. Mark Dayton’s office says Fischbach will be sworn in Friday morning to serve as the Democratic governor’s No. 2. It’s an apparent change of heart for Fischbach, a Republican who was automatically elevated to…

Weinstein Faces sex Charges in Prosecution Amid #MeToo

The Fim Producer Vehemently Denies the Allegations

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)NEW YORK (AP) – A lawyer representing one of Harvey Weinstein’s alleged victims called his arraignment on criminal charges “an emotional moment.” Attorney Carrie Goldberg represents former actress Lucia Evans, who says Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex in his office in 2004. Weinstein was charged Friday with attacking Evans and raping another, unidentified woman at a…

“Active shooter” Taken Into Custody at Indiana Middle School

Two Victims in Indiana Middle School Shooting Headed to Hospital

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (AP) – Authorities have detained someone in what they described as an “active shooter” situation at a suburban Indianapolis middle school. The Noblesville Fire Department tweeted Friday morning that it was on an “active shooter” scene at Noblesville West Middle School and that a suspect was in custody. It didn’t say whether anyone had been shot or provide…

Fire in Rural Duluth Causes Total Loss of Garage, Contents Inside

Multiple Fire Departments Responded to the Fire at 302 Thurber Road in Duluth

DULUTH, Minn. – Just before 4:00 a.m. Friday crews were called to battle a fully engulfed garage fire in rural Duluth. Duluth, Rice Lake, Lakewood, Hermantown and 148th Air Guard fire departments along with the Gold Cross were on scene when FOX 21 arrived. The blaze happened at 302 Thurber Road just off Norton Road in Duluth. Crews dealt with…

Minnesota Author Leads Workshop for Northland Writers

The group Lake Superior Writers organized the workshop

Writers in the Twin Ports had the chance to learn from a professional author on Thursday. Minnesota author William Kent Krueger hosted a workshop at the Northland Country Club, where he was able to share his skills and passion for writing to others who share the love of the craft. “I enjoying leading workshops because my father was a teacher,…

Great Lakes Aquarium unveils new exhibits

The newest experience at the Great Lakes Aquarium features three new touch pools

DULUTH, Minn. – Kids and families can now get up close and personal with some new critters at the Great Lakes Aquarium. Thursday, the aquarium unveiled the “Feel Connected” exhibits, which offers three new touch pools featuring exotic ocean critters like sea stars and jellyfish. “When people can use their sense of touch, they become more connected to what they’re…

Starbase Celebrates First School Year

The classroom is a whole new experience for children who learn to program rovers and create real-world architectural design.

DULUTH, Minn.- Some Northland students are experiencing what its like to be a scientist through a program called Starbase, which is celebrating the end of its first school year program. The classroom is a whole new experience for children who learn to program rovers and create real-world architectural design. The Starbase program operates on the base of the 148th Fighter…

Unique boat gets a special launch on Lake Superior

The Norwegian boat was built with help from the community

A unique boat got its first official launch on Lake Superior on Thursday. A big crowd turned out to see this traditional Norwegian boat out on the waters. The boat was built by Spirit of The Lakes Community School woodworking teacher John Finkle, with a lot of help from students and members of the community. “We’re very excited,” Finkle said….

New Mixed Gender Bathrooms Open at Park Point

These two single-use bathrooms are equipped with locks.

DULUTH, Minn.- A new mixed gender bathroom facility is open out on Park Point. The facilities are at Lafayette Community Center. These two single-use bathrooms are equipped with locks. Organizers say the universal bathrooms are a great message for the city of Duluth to be sharing with its visitors. “So people with disabilities, people with families with special needs, and…

Sister, Brother Sentenced in UMD Student’s Death

On Thursday, May 24, Noah Baker, 20, and Tara Baker, 23, Were Sentenced for their Connection to the 2017 Murder of UMD Student William Grahek, 22

DULUTH, Minn. – A difficult situation for two mothers, family members and friends entering the St. Louis County Courthouse in Duluth Thursday. More than 15 months after the murder of UMD student William Grahek, 22, two suspects — a brother and sister — involved in the case were sentenced for their role in the crime. Police responded to the scene…

Wisconsin Frack Sand Sludge Spill Reaches Mississippi River

Minnesota's Pollution Agency is Monitoring

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Officials in Wisconsin are testing the environmental and health impacts following a frack sand sludge spill that has now reached the Mississippi River. A contactor’s bulldozer slid into a pond earlier this week, leading to an hours-long rescue at the Hi-Crush mine in the western Wisconsin town of Whitehall. Rescuers emptied the pond to free the man,…

Groups Urge Vetoes Over Environmental Trust Fund ‘Raid’

They Were Added in the Closing Hours of Session

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Environmental and conservation groups urge Gov. Mark Dayton to use his line-item veto power to cancel $98 million in projects funded by what they consider an improper raid on a trust fund that depends on state lottery proceeds. The wastewater infrastructure and other projects are part of a $1.5 billion public works borrowing bill, but the money…

Duluth Mayor Emily Larson Announces Support for Metsa

VIRGINIA, Minn. – Duluth Mayor Emily Larson has announced her support for Jason Metsa’s congressional campaign this afternoon. Larson has joined a growing list of elected officials throughout the state that have shown their support for Metsa’s campaign. In a statement released today, Larson says: “Northeast Minnesota needs a champion in Washington D.C. who will fight every day for our…

Board of Directors Approves Essentia Construction

The new Building Will Cost an Estimated $675 Million

DULUTH, Minn. – Essentia Health is planning on spending big money on a new project that is slated to be the largest private investment in Duluth’s history. The Board of Directors at Essentia has approved the construction and financing of a brand new multimillion dollar facility set to be built in Duluth’s downtown. It’s a longtime coming for a project…

University of Minnesota Law School Requests Funding Increase

Applications Fell More Than 50 Percent Between 2010-2017

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The University of Minnesota Law School is seeking more funding to help it recover from a large dip in enrollment. Minnesota Public Radio reports that the university’s law school applications fell by more than 50 percent between 2010 and 2017. Law School Dean Garry Jenkins says the school decided not to lower admissions standards. He says tuition…

Morgan Freeman Apologizes in Wake of Harassment Accusations

In Total 16 Women Have Spoken out About Freeman

(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman apologized on Thursday to anyone who may have felt “uncomfortable or disrespected” by his behavior, after CNN reported that multiple women have accused the A-list actor of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior on movie sets and in other professional settings. “Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am…

“Our Town” to Open at NorShor Theatre Tonight

Play Follows Lives of Residents in Small-Town America

DULUTH, Minn. – The latest production put on by the Duluth Playhouse is opening Thursday evening at the NorShor Theatre. The director of “Our Town”, Sean Byrd, stopped by FOX 21 to discuss the play. It was written by Thornton Wilder and follows the lives of residents in small-town America. The plot takes the audience through ups and downs in…

Foraged Spring Greens and Fresh Pasta

Cooking Connection: At Sara's Table Chester Creek Cafe

DULUTH, Minn. – Greens are beginning to pop up as Spring makes an appearance in the Northland. For this week’s Cooking Connection we took advantage of the fresh veggies for a dish with Jillian Forte, the Executive Chef and General Manager of At Sara’s Table Chester Creek Cafe. The restaurant is located at 1902 E 8th St, Duluth, MN 55812….

Trump: Military Ready to Respond to North Korea

Trump Says U.S. Military is 'Ready if Necessary'

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump says the U.S. military is “ready if necessary” to respond to “foolish or reckless acts” by North Korea. Trump also says he’s been in touch with South Korea and Japan and that both allies are willing to bear much of the financial burden “if such an unfortunate situation is forced upon us.” Trump on…

One Injured in Minnesota Police Shooting

No Officers Were Hurt

CRYSTAL, Minn. (AP) – A police shooting in a suburban Minneapolis neighborhood has sent one person to the hospital with nonlethal injuries. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says the shooting happened at a home in Crystal Wednesday night. The agency says the person is being treated at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale and is expected to live. The…

Troopers in Three States to Enforce Safety on Interstate 90

The Effort Coincides With the Long Memorial Day Weekend

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – Highway Patrol troopers in South Dakota, Wyoming and Minnesota are joining forces for an annual traffic safety operation on Interstate 90. The effort covers 23 hours, from 5 a.m. Central time Friday to 4 a.m. Central on Saturday. Troopers in each state will crack down on speeding, hazardous moving violations, seatbelt use and impaired driving….

Man Acquitted of Killing Neighbor in Chisago County

A Jury Acquitted Anderson After Four Hours of Deliberation

CENTER CITY, Minn. (AP) – A man charged with killing his neighbor over a lake access dispute has been acquitted in Chisago County. Forty-four-year-old Carl Anderson was facing the possibility of more than two decades in prison had he been found guilty of second-degree murder. Anderson was the one who called 911 after shooting 62-year-old Donn Johnson in February 2017….

Trump Suggests NFL Players who Kneel Shouldn’t be in US

Trump: "Maybe you shouldn’t be in the country"

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump praised an NFL policy banning kneeling during the “The Star-Spangled Banner,” saying that “maybe you shouldn’t be in the country” if you don’t stand for the anthem. Trump spoke to “Fox & Friends” in an interview that aired Thursday. The policy forbids players from sitting or taking a knee on the field…

Trump Cancels North Korean Summit, Citing `Tremendous Anger’

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is canceling the planned June 12 summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, citing the “tremendous anger and open hostility” in a recent statement from North Korea. Trump says in a letter to Kim released Thursday by the White House that based on the statement, he felt it was “inappropriate, at this time, to…

North Korea Demolishes Nuclear Site Ahead of, now Canceled, Trump Summit

Trump Canceled the Planned June 12 Summit Thursday Morning

(Satellite Image ©2018 DigitalGlobe, a Maxar company via A, File) PUNGGYE-RI, North Korea (AP) — Just weeks ahead of a planned summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un made good on his promise to demolish North Korea’s nuclear test site, which was formally closed in a series of huge explosions Thursday as a group of foreign journalists looked…

Caricature Business Opens Along Duluth’s Lakewalk

Artist Purchased A License From the City For the Summer

DULUTH, Minn. People strolling along Duluth’s Lakewalk this summer can now see their faces transform on paper. That’s because a caricature business called Lakewalk Memory Lane has popped up near the Endion Station along the Lakewalk. The artist, Adnan Shati, recently retired as a special education teacher in the Twin Cities. He said this new job with the view of…

Duluth Hospitals Restrictive On Certifying Patients For Cannabis

No Doctors in Lake, Cook, Aitkin County Giving Any Patients Access to Medical Cannabis

Opioid overdoses have consistently been a problem for St. Louis County, the most recent data says the number of people who die from opioids in the area is double the statewide average, and highest in the state per capita. Some people say they’ve found a cure for the opioid crisis in medical cannabis, using marijuana as an alternative treatment instead…

Teacher Accused Of Sex With Foster Son Who Was Former Student

Karla Winterfeld Is Charged With First-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct

DULUTH, Minn. – A teacher with the Duluth School District, Karla Winterfeld, 33, of Duluth, has confessed to having sex with her 15-year-old foster son who is also her former student, according to the criminal complaint in St. Louis County Court. Winterfeld is charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct and is being held on $100,000 bail. According to the criminal…

Superior Street Workers Thanked

Hot Dog Roast Held in Their Honor

DULUTH, Minn.-A hot dog roast was held today to thank workers who are doing all the work on Superior Street. The event, sponsored by Security Jewelers, brought together dozens of construction workers to the business as one of the owners cooked the dogs right in front of the store. “We see them every day … we thought we’ll throw a…

Allergy Season in Full Bloom

Dust a Big Part of Our Allergy Problems

DULUTH, Minn.-With the warm weather hitting the Northland, that also means it’s pollen season. Today the pollen level in Duluth has been ranked at medium level and it’s expected to grow over the weekend. Allergy experts Fox 21 spoke to said Northlander’s are also getting hit by dust really hard right now. They say a lot of that has to…

City Officials Say Superior Street Construction is On Schedule

DULUTH, Minn –The reconstruction project on Superior Street in Duluth is really moving along. City officials say with good weather they’ve remained pretty much on schedule. The stretch of Superior Street from 3rd Avenue West to 7th Avenue West now has a hole more than eight feet deep as crews work to renovate water and steam pipes that will function…

Little Canada man Sentenced for Repeatedly Punching Newborn

The Newborn was Admitted to the ICU for Extensive Injuries

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A Minnesota man has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for repeatedly punching his infant son and severely injuring him. Twenty-three-year-old Johnny Taylor of Little Canada was sentenced Wednesday to 86 months in prison after pleading guilty to felony assault in Ramsey County. Authorities say Taylor began punching his 4-week-old son in…

Two Local Businesses Offer Free Admission for Community Day

Community Day Events are Sponsored by Emily Larson

DULUTH, Minn. – Tomorrow is another Community Day event in Duluth and two favorite local businesses are participating by offering free admission. Spirit Mountain will be giving free entry to all visitors from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on their alpine coaster and zip line. Glensheen Mansion will also be offering free admission for their classic tour from 9 a.m….

20 Hurt When Semi Slams Into School bus in Wisconsin

33 People Were on the bus, 20 Were Injured

(John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP)LODI, Wis. (AP) – Authorities say 20 people were hurt when a semi crashed into a school bus in south central Wisconsin. The Wisconsin State Patrol says four people were seriously injured, with two flown to hospital by helicopter and two others going to area hospitals. No details have been released on the extent of…

New NFL Anthem Policy Announced

The Players Were not Part of the Discussions

(AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)ATLANTA (AP) – NFL owners have approved a new policy aimed at ending the firestorm over national anthem protests, permitting players to stay in the locker room during the “The Star-Spangled Banner” but requiring them to stand if they come to the field. The decision was announced Wednesday by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during the league’s…

U of M Delays Fellowship Amid Abortion Controversy

The Program was Scheduled to Begin this Fall

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The University of Minnesota has backed away from a medical school fellowship in reproductive health care training that included abortion procedures following opposition from anti-abortion groups. Minnesota Daily reports that the university took down the fellowship posting this month. The program was scheduled to begin in the fall. A university spokesman says opposition to the fellowship began…

Judge Says President Can’t Block Critics on Twitter

The Case was Brought Last July

(AP Photo/J. David Ake, File)NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump violates the First Amendment when he blocks critics on Twitter for political speech, a judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald in Manhattan stopped short in her written decision of ordering Trump or a subordinate to stop the practice of blocking critics from viewing his Twitter account,…

Trump Urges Nations to Cooperate on Immigration

Trump Accuses Countries of Failing to do Enough

(AP) WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump says he’s working on a plan to deduct aid from countries that don’t cooperate with U.S. immigration authorities and refuse to accept deportees. Trump says during an immigration roundtable on Long Island that every time someone tries to come into the U.S. illegally from one of the countries that receives aid, “We’re going…

Minneapolis Diners Throw Water at Conservative Tomi Lahren

Elder Says no one has Reported the Incident to Police

(Photo by Colin Young-Wolff/Invision/AP, File)MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Conservative commentator Tomi Lahren says she is disheartened and embarrassed but not broken after a patron threw water on her at a Minneapolis restaurant. The Fox News contributor told the channel’s “Fox & Friends” Wednesday that she was eating Sunday brunch with her parents when a group of people “thought it would be…

911 Call: ‘I got Attacked by a Mountain Lion, my Friend too’

One Victim was bit on the Head

SEATTLE (AP) – Recordings of emergency calls about a fatal cougar attack in Washington state Saturday detail how a dispatcher calmly struggled to figure out where it occurred and how worried the surviving victim was about his friend. Isaac Sederbaum was mountain biking with friend S.J. Brooks on logging roads in the Cascade Mountain foothills east of Seattle when they…

Complaint: Lincoln Park Teacher Confesses to Sex With Former Student

Has Been Charged with 1st Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct

DULUTH,Minn – Lincoln Park Middle School teacher, Karla Winterfeld, 33, of Duluth, has confessed to having sex with her 15-year-old foster son who is also her former student, according to a criminal complaint. Winterfeld has been charged with first degree criminal sexual conduct and is being held on $100,000 bail. According to the criminal complaint authorities say they discovered text…

Foxconn Calls Story on Wisconsin ‘Inaccurate’

Foxconn Says Their Plans for Wisconsin Have not Changed

(AP) MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Foxconn Technology Group says an article saying that it plans to shift the focus of what is made at its Wisconsin plant to reduce costs is “inaccurate and is not based on any facts.” Foxconn reacted Wednesday to a story published by the Nikkei Asian Review citing unnamed sources saying the Taiwan-based company was looking…

Dayton Rejects two Biggest Bills Passed by GOP-led Legislature

Dayton has Vowed not to Call a Special Session

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Gov. Mark Dayton has vetoed the tax conformity and budget bills that state lawmakers passed in the waning days of the session. The Democratic governor’s veto knocks down the two biggest pieces of legislation that the Republican-controlled Legislature pushed through just as time was running out. Dayton has said that the so-called tax conformity bill…

Fire Damages House Where boy was Killed

The boy had Been Missing for More Than a Week

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Milwaukee police are investigating a fire at a home where a 15-year-old boy was brutally attacked and killed apparently over a stolen video game. Officials say the fire Tuesday night could be arson. Fire damage was limited. Twenty-one-year-old Malik Terrell is charged with killing Dennis King at the home by attacking him with a hammer and stabbing…

Animals to Fill Lakewalk Wednesday for New Pet Walk

Bus Bike Walk Duluth Adds Event for Pets

DULUTH, Minn. – This month the Zeitgeist Community is celebrating Bus Bike Walk Duluth and they’re hoping you and your pets get involved. As part of the month-long event, the group is hosting Bark Bike Walk on Wednesday, May 23. They will be walking with their dogs along the Lakewalk to encourage community interaction and activity. The group will start…

Teacher Removed From Minnesota Board Over Trump Comments

The Teacher Says she Stands by her Post

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A former Minnesota Teacher of the Year has lost her position on a state licensing board after using an expletive in a social media post criticizing President Donald Trump. St. Paul teacher Amy Hewett-Olatunde came under fire as state lawmakers voted to strip her of her position on the state’s teacher license oversight panel. She…