Political

Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan Makes a Stop at the Duluth Armory with Construction Set to Begin Next Year

DULUTH, Minn. — The Duluth Armory revitalization project has been in the works for the better part of 20 years, and it recently received a financial boost from the Minnesota legislature.  $4.5 million from the state’s largest-ever infrastructure package was allocated to the project which has a total estimated cost of $55 million. The Armory has played host to the…

FinnFest Brings Together Leaders to Talk About European and U.S. Security

DULUTH, MINN. — Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, The Finnish ambassador to the U.S., and a retired four-star general were in Duluth on Friday to speak at FinnFest at the DECC regarding European and American Security. A great deal of what was said during the panel discussion dealt with Finland becoming a part of NATO and the Russian history of invading…

Supreme Court’s Student Loan Decision Will Lower US Deficit According To New White House Projection

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruling that upended President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive student loan debt changed his budget math, modestly lowering the projected deficit for this year, his budget office reported Friday. The White House expects to pare back $259 billion in spending that otherwise would have gone to erasing student loans. This contributed to lowering expected red ink…

Minnesota Lawmakers Encourage People To Vote

DULUTH, Minn. — Primary Election Day is coming soon and in Minnesota more voters than ever are eligible to head to the polls. Lawmakers gathered Thursday to remind everyone to get out and vote. But they had a special message for convicted felons who have not been able to vote in the past. In the last legislative session, more than…

Trump Lawyers Meet With Jack Smith’s Team Ahead Of Possible 2020 Election Indictment, AP Source Says

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for Donald Trump were meeting Thursday with members of special counsel Jack Smith’s team ahead of a potential indictment over the former president’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, according to a person familiar with the matter. The meeting included Trump lawyer John Lauro, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of…

City of Duluth Looking For Election Judges

DULUTH, Minn. — The City of Duluth is in need of election judges for the upcoming primary and general election. Election judge duties include handling all aspects of voting including opening and closing polls, distributing ballots, and to ensure that voter privacy is maintained. To be a judge you must be eligible to vote in Minnesota. 16 and 17-year-olds can…

Wisconsin Drops Lawsuit Challenging Trump-Era Border Wall Funding

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin is dropping out of two multistate lawsuits that challenged former President Donald Trump’s decision to divert billions of dollars to fund a wall across the southern U.S. border. Lawmakers in Wisconsin granted the state Justice Department permission to exit the lawsuits on Tuesday. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, had jointed other states in…

Larson Secures DFL, Labor Endorsements; Reinert Lands Police, Fire Unions

DULUTH, Minn. — The Aug. 8 primary election is less than three weeks away. Duluth Mayor Emily Larson and former state Sen. Roger Reinert are the likely two candidates headed to the general election Nov. 7. “I doorknock five days a week. I’ve been out since January door-knocking. The campaign itself is really resonating with people. It is clear people…

Lawmakers, Community Leaders Discuss Minnesota Transportation Bill

DULUTH, Minn. — Minnesota lawmakers and community members were at the Duluth Depot Monday talking all things transportation. The $7.8 billion transportation bill that has passed means multiple big projects for northeastern Minnesota. Projects include road repairs, the Blatnik Bridge replacement, and the passenger rail Northern Lights Express between the Twin Ports and Minneapolis. All projects will benefit the area…

Bill Pushes For Outdoor Education For All Minnesota Kids

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) – School could go outside for every kid in Minnesota if legislators approve a bill introduced just before the end of this year’s session. The “Outdoor School for All” bill aims to break down financial barriers to deliver an overnight learning experience with some proven educational and emotional benefits. With a firm grip and uneasy steps, Spencer Eesley…

No Fingerprints, DNA Sample Or Leads From Cocaine Found At The White House, The Secret Service Says

WASHINGTON (AP) — No fingerprints or DNA turned up on the baggie of cocaine found in a lobby at the White House last week despite a sophisticated FBI crime lab analysis, and surveillance footage of the area didn’t identify a suspect, according to a summary of the Secret Service investigation obtained by The Associated Press. There are no leads on who brought…

Felon Voting Registration Events Held Following New MN Law Enactment

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – It’s been more than a month since over 55,000 Minnesotans re-gained the right to vote, and efforts to remind them of that continue. “A lot of these events are really to continue to keep the message out there,” said Michelle Witte of the League of Women Voters Minnesota. “That this is now available to you to have the freedom…

Biden, King Charles III Focus On Climate Change In Windsor Castle Meeting

LONDON (FOX9) — President Joe Biden and King Charles III, two leaders who waited decades to reach the pinnacle of their careers, used their first meeting in those roles Monday to zero in on the generational challenge of climate change, prodding private companies to do more to bolster clean energy in developing countries. The meticulously choreographed gathering at Windsor Castle…

Wis. Gov. Tony Evers Scales Back Republican Tax Cut, Signs State Budget

(Steve Apps/Wisconsin State Journal via AP, File) MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed off on a two-year spending plan Wednesday after dramatically scaling back the size of a Republican income tax cut that would have moved the state closer to a flat rate. Evers, a Democrat, also used his partial veto power to increase funding for K-12…

Historic Civic Center’s Fountain Broken, Could Be Dry All Summer

The city says work on the fountain will take at least 12 weeks

DULUTH, Minn. — One of Duluth’s oldest fountains in one of Duluth’s most historic places is still shut down from the winter, and it’s likely going to stay that way for the rest of the summer. We’re talking about the decades-old Priley Fountain in the Civic Center.  The 1970 structure usually has multiple sources of water shooting into the air,…

High-Speed Internet Is A Necessity, President Biden Says, Pledging All US Will Have Access By 2030

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday said that high-speed internet is no longer a luxury but an “absolute necessity,” as he pledged that every household in the nation would have access by 2030 using cables made in the U.S. “These investments will help all Americans,” he said. “We’re not going to leave anyone behind.” Biden announced that more…

Minnesota League of Cities Holds Annual Conference in Duluth

DULUTH, MINN. –More than 700 Minnesota city officials gathered at the DECC over the past few days. It was the League of Minnesota Cities’ Annual conference. Mayors, council members and other city officials were there to network, learn, and celebrate the work that’s been done over the past year. The conference theme this year was “city love.” The new president…

Biden Will Sign An Order Seeking To Protect Birth Control Access A Year After Roe Was Overturned

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is banking on reproductive rights to be a galvanizing issue for voters in the 2024 election as he collects three top-level endorsements, hosts a rally and issues an executive order seeking to bolster access to contraception as the nation marks a year since the Supreme Court decision overturning federal abortion protections. Biden and Vice President…

Hunter Biden Will Plead Guilty In A Deal That Likely Averts Time Behind Bars In A Tax And Gun Case

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s son Hunter will plead guilty to federal tax offenses but avoid prosecution on a separate gun charge in a deal with the Justice Department that likely spares him time behind bars. Hunter Biden, 53, will plead guilty to the misdemeanor tax offenses as part of an agreement made public Tuesday. The agreement will also avoid prosecution on…

Trump Pleads Not Guilty To Federal Charges

MIAMI (AP) — Former President Donald Trump, who is making his first court appearance Tuesday after being indicted on 37 charges related to the mishandling classified documents. The indictment marks the first time in U.S. history that a former president faces criminal charges by the federal government he once oversaw. ___ TRUMP PLEADS NOT GUILTY Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to federal…

Trump To Appear In Court Over Charges He Mishandled Secret Government Documents

MIAMI (Fox 9)- Donald Trump was set to make his first court appearance Tuesday in a historic criminal case charging the former president with hoarding top secret government documents, boastfully displaying them to visitors and trying to hide them from investigators who demanded them back. Trump approached his Miami court date with characteristic bravado, insisting as he has done through years…

Lester Park Golf Course Loses Last Chance To Reopen; Costs, Failing Infrastructure To Blame

Enger Park Golf Course will partially open in 2024 while significant upgrades get underway

DULUTH, Minn. — Duluth city councilors voted unanimously Monday night against reopening Lester Park Golf Course for one last time next year. This comes after projected operating losses for 2024 more than doubled to at least $1.2 million. The original plan was to reopen Lester next season so the city’s other municipal golf course at Enger Park could close down…

Donald Trump Says He’s Been Indicted On Charges Of Mishandling Classified documents

MIAMI (AP) — Former President Donald Trump and his aides are bracing for a potential indictment in the classified documents investigation as prosecutors handling the probe were spotted Thursday at a Miami courthouse where a grand jury has been hearing from witnesses. The former president’s lawyers have been told he is a target of the investigation, the clearest indication yet…

Pence Opens Presidential Bid With Denunciation Of Trump Over Jan. 6 Insurrection And Abortion

ANKENY, Iowa (AP) — Former Vice President Mike Pence opened his bid for the Republican nomination for president Wednesday with a firm denunciation of former President Donald Trump, accusing his two-time running mate of abandoning conservative principles and being guilty of dereliction of duty on Jan. 6, 2021. Pence, launching his campaign in a suburb of Des Moines, became the first vice president in…

Army Corps Pulls Key Permit For Copper-Nickel Mine Near Hoyt Lakes

A key permit for a proposed copper-nickel mine near Hoyt Lakes, known as the NorthMet Project, has been revoked by the Army Corps of Engineers. The announcement was made Tuesday in a 27-page report. The Army Corps said the proposed mine “does not ensure compliance with water quality requirements of the Fond du Lac band of Lake Superior Chippewa.” NewRange…

Former Vice President Pence Files Paperwork Launching 2024 Presidential Bid In Challenge To Trump

NEW YORK (AP) — Former Vice President Mike Pence filed paperwork on Monday declaring his campaign for president in 2024, setting up a challenge to his former boss, Donald Trump, just two years after their time in the White House ended with an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and Pence fleeing for his life. Pence, the nation’s 48th vice president, will formally launch…

Man Pleads Guilty To Assaulting Rep. Angie Craig Of Minnesota In DC Apartment Building

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man pleaded guilty Thursday to assaulting Democratic Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota in the elevator of her Washington apartment building in February, according to court records. Kendrid Khalil Hamlin, 26, pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting a member of Congress and assaulting law enforcement officers, according to the court docket. Hamlin was also accused of assaulting…

Biden Trips And Falls On Stage At Air Force Graduation; White House Says He’s ‘Fine’

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — President Joe Biden fell on stage at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation Thursday and the White House said he was “fine” after tripping over a sandbag. Biden had been greeting the graduates in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at the front of the stage with salutes and handshakes, and turned to jog back toward his seat when he…

Changes To Food Aid In Debt Bill Would Cost Money, Far From Savings GOP Envisioned

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican attempt to expand work requirements for federal food aid in debt legislation moving through Congress would increase federal spending by $2.1 billion over 10 years — far from the cuts GOP lawmakers had promised. A compromise on the food aid requirements between House Republicans and President Joe Biden as the nation nears a disastrous government default may…

Debt Ceiling Deal: What’s In, What’s Out Of The Bill To Avert US Default

WASHINGTON (AP) — The details of the deal between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy were released Sunday in the form of a 99-page bill that would suspend the nation’s debt limit through 2025 to avoid a federal default while limiting government spending. The Democratic president and Republican speaker are trying to win over lawmakers to the plan in time…

Cleveland Cliffs Secures Mineral Leases To Keep Hibtac Open For Decades

A dispute over mineral leases has ended in favor of Cleveland Cliffs, and Cliffs says the leases will allow it to keep Hibbing Taconite open for at least another two decades. The five-member Minnesota Executive Council chaired by Gov. Walz awarded the company leases for 2,600 acres near Nashwauk. Another company owned by Essar had also been trying to get…

Duluth Councilor Arik Forsman Changes Mind, Wants To Keep At-Large Seat

DULUTH, Minn. — Duluth City Councilor Arik Forsman said he wants to keep his council seat in November after saying in February that he was ready to spend more time with family. Forsman made the announcement to run for re-election Thursday outside City Hall. He said labor leaders, business leaders and co-workers — Republican and Democrat — ultimately convinced him…

Gov. Walz Vetoes Higher Pay For Lyft, Uber Drivers

(Associated Press) ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday vetoed a bill that would have mandated higher pay and job security for Lyft and Uber drivers in Minnesota, saying the legislation wasn’t ready to become law. “Rideshare drivers deserve fair wages and safe working conditions,” Walz said in a statement announcing his first veto ever in his…

Sen. Grant Hauschild Talks Historic Successes Of Minnesota’s Legislative Session

DULUTH, Minn. – Minnesota Sen. Grant Hauschild is celebrating the end of the legislative session with what he calls the “largest tax relief package in the history of the state.” Hauschild said the package includes social security tax relief to 85 percent of seniors and child tax credit to families that’s expected to reduce child poverty by 33 percent. His…

DEDA Terminates $2.35M TIF Agreement With Lincoln Park Flats, Company Responds

DULUTH, Minn. – The Duluth Economic Development Authority, or DEDA, voted unanimously Tuesday to terminate its multi-million dollar agreement with the owners of the newly built Lincoln Park Flats. This means roughly $2.3 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) through 2048 is no more. The move comes after the property’s owner, P&R Companies, said it was forced to make plans…

Duluth’s Street Outreach Worker Of Nearly 30 Years Talks Housing, Homeless Crisis

DULUTH, Minn. – Homeless advocates in Duluth say the struggle to get the homeless off the streets and into stable housing is at its worst. But at the same time, those advocates say the communication and weekly mission to tackle the problem is stronger than ever between advocates, the city, county, police, and the list goes on. More than 600…

‘Northern Lights Express’ Lands Full Funding In Final MN Transportation Bill

The reality of a passenger rail line between the Twin Ports and Minneapolis is closer than ever with full funding in the state’s final transportation budget bill. The amount is roughly $194 million, which is the state’s 20-percent share of the project. The remaining 80-percent would come from the Federal Infrastructure Law, which Amtrak has officially endorsed. The train would…

State Of City: Superior Mayor Jim Paine ‘Not Satisfied,’ Expects More

SUPERIOR, Wis. – Superior Mayor Jim Paine held his State of the City address Thursday evening at the Richard I. Bong Veteran’s Historical Center. Mayor Paine called the past year possibly the best ever for Superior, but he said he’s not satisfied. After six years as mayor, he said the next four will be all about raising the stakes and…

Essentia Health Calls MN Nurse Staffing Bill Flawed

DULUTH, Minn. — Essentia Health is speaking out against a nurse staffing bill at the Minnesota Legislature. The Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act would establish committees to set specific staffing levels at hospitals. The levels would include a limit on the number of patients a nurse should safely care for. The bill’s sponsors believe it will help the crisis around…

Minneapolis City Council Nomination Brawlers Could Be Expelled From Minn. Democratic Party

Courtesy: FOX 9 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Democratic Party will consider expelling anyone involved in a brawl that broke out at a political event to nominate candidates for a Minneapolis City Council seat. At least two people were injured in Saturday’s confrontation. The head of the state Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, Chair Ken Martin, said on Twitter that he plans to…

AP: Trump Digs In On Election Lies, Insults Accuser During CNN Town Hall Event

(ASSOCIATED PRESS) During a contentious CNN town hall Wednesday night, former President Donald Trump dug in on his lies about the 2020 election, downplayed the violence on Jan. 6, 2021, and repeatedly insulted the woman whom a civil jury this week found him liable of sexually abusing and defaming. Trump, returning to the network after years of acrimony, also refused…

Nurses Week Comes Amidst Legislative Debate

Duluth Nurses Push Current Bill; Oppose Any Changes by Hospitals

DULUTH, Minn. – The stakes are high in Minnesota as national Nurses Week continues. A legislative fight is underway at the state capitol over what is called the “Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act.” That fight came to the Duluth Labor Temple Tuesday. Nurses and their union representatives said Minnesota hospitals are not following parts of the agreement reached during…

Duluth DFL Party Sticks with Larson, Makes Endorsements for Fall Elections

DULUTH, Minn. – With the next Duluth mayoral election set for later this year, there was no surprise with who the Duluth DFL Party selected to endorse. During their convention at Denfeld High School Saturday, the party is sticking with current Mayor Emily Larson.  She is seeking her third term, after being first elected to the position in 2015.  She…

UMD Graduate Osei-Tutu Honored for Her Work on Voting

DULUTH, MINN. — A UMD Graduate has been recognized as part of the 2023 ALL IN Student Voting Honor Roll. Her name is Olivia Osei-Tutu, ALL IN’s Student Voting Honor Roll recognizes college students at participating campuses who have gone above and beyond to advance nonpartisan student voter registration, education and turnout efforts in their communities. Nationwide, Just 175 students…