Ashland, WI – Today, Kelly Westlund, a longtime resident, former city council member, and community advocate from Ashland, announced her candidacy for Wisconsin State Senate District 25. Westlund, who has served as the Northwest Regional Representative for U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin since 2015, will run to replace State Senator Janet Bewley, who is retiring from public service at the end…
WISCONSIN — State representative Nick Milroy (D-South Range) announced on Thursday that he will not be running for another term. He represents the 73rd district, which currently includes most of Douglas County and the northern halves of Washburn and Burnett Counties. Here is Nick Milroy’s statement. “One of my biggest desires in life has been to give back to a…
HERMANTOWN, Minn.– Republican Congressman and former police officer, Pete Stauber hosted a public safety roundtable today in Hermantown, alongside local law enforcement and community leaders. In the wake of the Social Justice Movements that happened around the country after George Floyd was killed by an ex-Minneapolis officer, Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation called the, “George Floyd Justice in Policing Act” last…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A Republican-authored bill to legalize medical marijuana in Wisconsin will be getting its first public hearing next week, achieving one goal of backers even though the measure will not pass this year. The Legislature has adjourned and won’t be back until 2023. But the April 20 Senate committee hearing on the medical marijuana bill will give…
DULUTH, Minn.- After two years of virtual meetings Duluth’s City Council returned to City Hall in person, where they unanimously showed support for using extra state funds to maintain and upgrade the 148th Fighter Wing. “I never anticipated it was going to be 2 years,” Council President Arik Forsman said. “I remember we had our last meeting where COVID was…
DULUTH, Minn. – Several of Duluth’s local and statehouse leaders are pushing for more action in Washington to combat climate change. Duluth Council Member Mike Mayou cites recent extreme weather events, from the flooding in 2012, to storms damaging the Lakewalk, to last year’s wildfires, as signs that action needs to be taken soon. “That’s when the climate crisis really hits…
DULUTH, Minn. – Thursday, Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan was in Duluth discussing housing investments desperately needed in the state. A roundtable included a Minnesota Housing Commissioner, Mayor Emily Larson, and supportive housing providers and advocates. They discussed where the historic, nearly $1 billion dollar budget proposal will be allocated. The proposal specifically prioritizes strengthening support of housing across the…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A University of Wisconsin-Stout professor has decided to delay sending a survey to UW System students about their thoughts on free speech until fall after an interim chancellor resigned over the questionnaire. UW-Stout’s Menard Center for the Study of Institutions and Innovation had planned to send the survey out to students systemwide Thursday. But UW-Whitewater Interim…
(AP) WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate has confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, shattering a historic barrier by securing her place as the first Black female justice and giving President Joe Biden a bipartisan endorsement for his effort to diversify the court. Jackson was confirmed 53-47 with three Republican votes. She will take her seat when Justice Stephen…
DULUTH, Minn. – Minnesota lawmakers are working on bi-partisan legislation to spend $25 million from the state’s budget surplus to upgrade the Minnesota Air National Guard’s 148th Fighter Wing in Duluth for future success. It’s a move in St. Paul that has Duluth City Council President Arik Forsman, Vice President Janet Kennedy and Councilor Renee Van Nett co-sponsoring an amended…
ASHLAND, Wis. — During the Wisconsin Spring Election yesterday, citizens of Ashland voted to pass the recreational use of marijuana for those over the age of 21. On Tuesday, 955 voters said this should be allowed, 234 said it should be illegal, and 398 said it should only be for medical use. An Ashland City Councilor brought the debate to…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – Christina Kintop, a nearly 20-year veteran of the Superior School Board and current board vice president, was voted out of her seat during Tuesday’s Spring General Election with nearly 27 percent of the vote, according to the county’s unofficial results Tuesday evening. Christina Kintop Edward Gallagher, a detective of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, got 32 percent…
DULUTH, Minn. – With the pandemic definitely easing up, mask mandates on the curb and spring in the air, summer tourism is expected to be a blockbuster for many cities across the country, especially right here in Duluth, of course. And the fresh sense of excitement comes as the newly reconfigured Visit Duluth prepares to officially unveil its first big…
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) – Jurors are hearing closing arguments in the trial of four men accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. A prosecutor says the men were “filled with rage” against government and Whitmer’s COVID-19 restrictions in 2020. But a defense lawyer says there was no plot, and that the men were under the influence of…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Mayor Emily Larson posted on Twitter Thursday evening showing off a letter she received from President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. Larson captioned the photo as, “A good day for some good mail.” The letter reads, “Thank you for welcoming us to Duluth. We have the opportunity to change lives and invest in our…
ST. PAUL, Minn.- The State of Minnesota has officially dedicated millions of dollars to ALS research — and front and center, showing firsthand the tough battle with the disease, was Minnesota Senator David Tomassoni. “This bill means hope,” Sen. Tomassoni (I-6th Dist.) said at the bill signing ceremony Wednesday. Tomassoni joined Governor Tim Walz and other state lawmakers in…
MT. IRON, Minn.- A 19-year-old man has been arrested in connection to the midnight bar fight that left two victims with stab wounds on Wednesday, according to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office. The teen was arrested at his home in Virginia hours later, around 9:30 a.m., and booked into jail on preliminary charges of second-degree assault. FOX21 cannot name…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Mayor Emily Larson was face-to-face with fellow leaders and supporters Tuesday evening for her first in-person State of the City Address in two years because of the pandemic. The theme of the speech was “lighting a path forward” to focus on economic development, public safety, connectivity and sustainability. As for economic development, Larson said the city…
DULUTH, MN – Today, Minnesota State Representative Jen Schultz made it official, she’s running for Minnesota’s 8th District. Schultz announced her bid to run for U.S. Congress at an event held at City Hall this morning. She will be challenging republican Pete Stauber who is seeking his third term in Congress. Schultz, a Duluth resident, is currently in her fourth…
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Monday asserted it is “more likely than not” that former President Donald Trump committed crimes in his attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election, ruling to order the release of more than 100 emails from Trump adviser John Eastman to the committee investigating the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The ruling by U.S….
FLORIDA (FOX) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law Monday a parental rights bill that bans teachers from giving classroom instruction on “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” in kindergarten through third grade. “In Florida, we not only know that parents have a right to be involved, we insist that parents have a right to be involved,” DeSantis said at a press conference at…
DULUTH, Minn.- Minnesota Rep. Jen Schultz (DFL), has announced her candidacy for the U.S House of Representatives in Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District, against incumbent Republican Congressman Pete Stauber. Schultz, currently the MN House 7A Representative, held a press event at Duluth City Hall Monday, after she filed online via the Federal Election Commission Friday. In a press release Monday, Schultz…
ASSOCIATED PRESS — In Milwaukee, one of two cities vying to host the Republican presidential convention in 2024, Democrats were pilloried by the potential visitors after predawn election results delivered Wisconsin for Joe Biden in the 2020 White House race. Rival Nashville, Tennessee, is run by a mayor whose Democratic brother was effectively redistricted out of his congressional seat by Republicans….
WARSAW, Poland (AP) – President Joe Biden said Saturday that Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power,” dramatically escalating the rhetoric against the Russian leader after his brutal invasion of Ukraine. The comment at the very end of a speech in Poland’s capital that served as the capstone on a four-day trip to Europe. Even as Biden’s words rocketed around the…
SUPERIOR, Wis. — Bringing more production and maintenance jobs to Northwestern Wisconsin was the focus of Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany’s listening session in Superior. The point of these sessions was to hear concerns from the public and discuss what’s happening currently in Washington DC. Some things Tiffany says he’s been working on and would like to promote while up here…
DULUTH, Minn.- According to an online filing with the Federal Election Commission Friday, Rep. Jen Schultz (DFL) is running for Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District, a seat currently held by Republican Congressman Pete Stauber. Schultz filed online for her candidacy on Friday, March 25th. She is currently serving her 4th term as representative of Minnesota 7A. Earlier this month Schultz announced…
HERMANTOWN, Minn. — Hermantown city councilor Grant Hauschild launched his campaign for the Minnesota State Senate District 3 seat at the city’s Iron Workers Local 512 union hall Wednesday afternoon. He said that as a city councilor elected in 2020, he has worked to bring state funding to the area, and hopes to continue that in St. Paul by bringing…
DULUTH, Minn. – The latest housing indicator report by the City of Duluth confirms the need for more apartments and homes. Their 2021 study found the average price for a home sold increased $35,000 to $240,000, the average rent went up $221, while the rental vacancy rate dropped around 3-percent to 2.1-percent. Typically, a five-percent vacancy rate is considered healthy, with…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday threw out Wisconsin state legislative maps that were preferred by the state’s Democratic governor and selected by Wisconsin’s top court, making it unclear what the boundaries will be for the fall election. But while the justices in an unsigned opinion threw out voting maps the Wisconsin Supreme Court had selected for the…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Madeleine Albright, the first female U.S. secretary of state, has died of cancer, her family said Wednesday. She was 84. President Bill Clinton chose Albright as America’s top diplomat in 1996, and she served in that capacity for the last four years of the Clinton administration. At the time, she was the highest-ranking woman in the history…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth’s Sister Cities is speaking out in support of Petrozavodsk, Russia, which is one of Duluth’s sister cities, as that country’s leader continues to pummel Ukraine. In an email Tuesday to Mayor Emily Larson and city councilors, Sister Cities board members said they condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and they stand in solidarity of the people of…
BABBITT, Minn. — The mayor of Babbitt is launching her campaign for the District 3 Minnesota State Senate seat. Andrea Zupancich, who has served as Babbitt’s mayor since 2014, is running as a Republican. She also held a seat on Babbitt’s city council for two years before becoming mayor. Her announcement comes on the heels of State Senator Tom Bakk…
Photo: AP/File MINNESOTA- In accordance with a proclamation issued by President Joe Biden, Governor Tim Walz ordered all flags statewide at half-staff until midnight Saturday, in honor and remembrance of U.S. Representative Don Young, who passed away Friday night. Sometimes called the Dean of the House, the 88-year-old Alaska Congressman was the longest-serving member, serving 25 terms, and was about…
PROCTOR, Minn. – The leaders of the three cities that surround Duluth to the north and west gave their annual updates to area businesses Thursday. The Hermantown Area Chamber of Commerce hosted their State of the Cities luncheon at the Black Woods Event Center in Proctor, featuring the mayors of Hermantown, Proctor, and Rice Lake. Chamber President & CEO Kimberly Parmeter…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Gov. Tim Walz has released an updated plan for how to spend the state’s enormous budget surplus, including a proposal for income tax rebate checks of $1,000 per couple. His revised supplemental budget proposal, released Thursday, follows last month’s announcement that the state’s budget surplus has grown to $9.25 billion. It formalizes an idea he…
DULUTH, Minn. – Former Duluth Police Chief Gordon Ramsay was in Hibbing and Duluth Wednesday to announce his run for St. Louis County Sheriff. Ramsay was raised in Duluth and got a Bachelor’s degree at UMD and Master’s at CSS. He served as police chief from 2006 to 2016 before becoming chief of police in Wichita, Kansas. Ramsay said his…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth’s Community Relations Officer is the latest to announce her bid to represent District 8B in the Minnesota House. Alicia Kozlowski has been active in the Duluth community over the past 12 years; first as a community organizer before joining the city’s Leadership Team in 2019. She highlights her heritage as strengths for her candidacy. That includes…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Mayor Emily Larson will hold her State of the City Address Tuesday, Mar. 29 in the Harbor Side Ballroom at the DECC. The meeting will have limited seating for the public, but the city is encouraging everybody to wear a mask. Council President Arik Forsman is also expected to speak, among other guests. Meanwhile, city council…
DULUTH, Minn. – Former Duluth Police Chief Gordon Ramsay is officially in the race for St. Louis County Sheriff. Ramsay joins two other candidates for the job — St. Louis County Undersheriff Jason Lukovsky and Moose Lake police officer Chad Walsh. “Reducing crime in the county is goal number one,” said Ramsay in a news release Tuesday. “To do that…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Mayor Emily Larson and Senator Amy Klobuchar spoke from Washington, D.C. Tuesday to celebrate a win for Duluth with more than $1 million on the way for infrastructure improvements to the Lift Bridge and to modernize Duluth’s 911 system. “We are so grateful to Senators Klobuchar and Smith for their advocating for us for the city…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – March 15 is the first day Superior is sending out absentee ballots to those who have requested them for the spring election April 5. Those who get one are being asked not to put them off inside the drop boxes outside City Hall. This method of ballot collecting saw its use increase across Wisconsin during the COVID pandemic. …
POLAND — Amy Klobuchar was one of four U.S. senators who traveled to Poland on Sunday to meet with military officials and Ukrainian refugees. But what greeted her in return, was the tragic reality of what the Russian invasion has done to Ukraine. “We were right at the border crossing that was 15 miles from where the middle struck a…
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — After more than two days of testimony, jurors have unflattering snapshots of four men who are charged with planning to strike back against government by kidnapping Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer from her weekend home. Prosecutors introduced videos, messages and secretly recorded conversations full of antigovernment screeds, mostly expressed by Barry Croft Jr. and Adam Fox, who are described…
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Makeshift shelters abut busy roadways, tent cities line sidewalks, tarps cover broken-down cars, and sleeping bags are tucked in storefront doorways. The reality of the homelessness crisis in Oregon’s largest city can’t be denied. “I would be an idiot to sit here and tell you that things are better today than they were five years ago…
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden announced Friday that along with the European Union and the Group of Seven countries, the U.S. will revoke “most favored nation” trade status for Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. He said the U.S. will also ban imports of Russian seafood, alcohol, and diamonds. The action on the most favored nation status will allow…
DULUTH, Minn. – Newly appointed Duluth City Councilor Noah Hobbs is giving us an idea of what issues he’d like to tackle over the next two years of Derek Medved’s term. Medved recently resigned to focus on his growing business. Hobbs said he’d like to lower the speed limit on residential streets from 30 miles an hour to 20 to…
DULUTH, Minn. – The City of Duluth is still looking for Duluthians to fill openings on their boards, commissions, and authorities. Over a dozen of them have one or multiple spots available for people to help decide how city services could operate this year. “There’s everything from what the airport’s doing,” says Public Information Officer Kate Van Daele, “to being involved…
A Republican is stepping up with the hope to take longtime Minnesota Rep. Mary Murphy’s DFL seat. Natalie Zeleznikar, a 30-year resident of Northeast Minnesota announced Wednesday she is entering the race for Minnesota House Dist. 3B. Zeleznikar is a mother of two adult sons, an accomplished author, and has spent decades as an executive for assisted living facilities. “I…
(Michigan Office of the Governor via AP File) GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) – A lawyer for one of the men charged with plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020 has told jurors he was a near-homeless, pot-smoking “misfit” who was influenced by an FBI informant whom he met at a protest. Defense attorney Christopher Gibbons on Wednesday refuted…
DULUTH, Minn. – On Wednesday, Duluth City Councilor Arik Forsman and Duluth resident Breanna Ellison announced their run for the Minnesota House of Representatives. Both candidates are running for the seat currently held by District 7A Rep. Jennifer Schult, DFL. Due to redistricting in the state, the seat will now be District 8B. “Serving the people of Duluth on the…
