MINNESOTA- Safety on the water will be a top priority this weekend. According to authorities, drunk boating is drunk driving. Law enforcement will be increasing patrols on Northland waters as part of their yearly Operation Dry Water campaign. From 2013 to 2017 alcohol was a factor in 26 boating deaths and 46 injuries on Minnesota waters. Meanwhile Wisconsin was the…
ELY, Minn.- A man is pronounced dead Tuesday after trying to get back on his watercraft on Lake Vermillion, about 30 miles west of Ely. A resident saw 58-year-old Darrell Pfannenstein of St. Joseph struggling to get back on his jet ski in shallow water. The resident offered help but Pfannenstein declined. Later he was seen walking towards shore and…
DULUTH, Minn.- Members of Duluth’s Riverside community came out to an unveiling of a newly renovated Riverside Park Tuesday. It’s the first phase of improvements to parks along the St. Louis River Corridor. Riverside is one of the 13 parks along the Corridor selected in the 2016 council-approved mini-master plan. The St. Louis River Corridor Initiative hopes to improve trails and…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – Superior City Councilor Jenny Van Sickle of Dist. 2 has pulled back social media posts that City Attorney Frog Prell claims are libelous against him and could result in a civil suit. Sometime late Monday night after FOX 21 aired a story about Prell’s legal notice to Van Sickle with claims of defamation, her Twitter page was…
DULUTH, Minn.-Affordable housing is hard to find for many in the Northland, but one organization is hoping to change that for the city’s new and soon –to—be moms. Together for Life Northland held the grand opening of their Star of the North Maternity Home, on the upper floor of the Morning Star Women and Birthing Center on East Superior Street….
DULUTH, Minn.- Before runners take off on either the William A. Irvin 5K, Half, or Grandma’s Full Marathon, they get to eat and shop around some products at the DECC. The two halls of the DECC were empty Wednesday, but these crews are preparing for the Essentia Health and Fitness Expo Thursday and Friday. “It’s really the gateway for people…
DULUTH, Minn.- The Lake Superior Zoo was one of many areas ripped apart by the 2012 Northland Flash Floods. Now, seven years later, they’re on the right track, according to Zoo officials. The 2012 flood damaged the Barnyard, destroyed the Polar Shores exhibit, and claimed the lives of fourteen animals, even leaving a seal stranded on a nearby street. Now…
DULUTH, Minn.- Pieces of Grandma’s Marathon are coming together in Duluth, as the Big Top Tent has just gone up in Canal Park. It seems the Marathon will reshape the city, to give runners a solid course, and give spectators a comfortable experience to cheer them on. Finishing touches still have to be added, like painting the finish line, which…
DULUTH, Minn.- The Duluth Fire Department is warning the public that it’s too dangerous to swim at park point beaches because of rip currents in Lake Superior. The rip currents extend as far as 100 yards offshore, and there aren’t any lifeguards at the beaches. There are red flags up at the 12th st beach, Lafayette Square, and the Park…
DULUTH, Minn.- A memorial with balloons, and wreckage are all that’s left of a fatal car crash in Nashwauk, which took place Saturday afternoon. The crash took the lives of two teenage passengers. According to Minnesota State Patrol, a Honda Accord carrying 4 teenagers inside was traveling north on Highway 169 and tried turning left onto Highway 65 north. It…
DULUTH, Minn.- Summer is almost here, bringing swimmers out to pools and beaches throughout the Northland. As they bring out their floats and bathing suits, Lifeguards are dusting off their skills, and rescue tubes, some for the first time. Only four bodies occupy the pool at the Duluth Area Family YMCA on Sunday. They take turns jumping in, grabbing another…
UPDATE: Officials say the abducted children have been found safe. The suspect, 25-year-old Jeffrey Lo is in custody. ________________________________________________________________________ COTTAGE GROVE, Minn. – An Amber Alert is currently in effect out of Cottage Grove, Minnesota. Police say shortly after 6:30 a.m. Friday, Jeffrey Lo assaulted the mother of his two children and left the scene in the mother’s mini-van with…
DULUTH, Minn.- As beach season gets closer the Duluth Fire Department is working to reinstall the rescue stations along Park Point beaches. The stations offered information and helpful tips, as well as a rescue ring to throw out to someone caught in a rip current. They were destroyed by last October’s storms. “What didn’t take our rescue stations last fall…
DULUTH, Minn.- The Duluth Police Department and the Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crime Task Force are hot off a massive drug bust, that’s being called the largest in the city’s history. After a two-month long investigation, two suspects–39-year-old Otis Weaver of St. Paul and 36-year-old Eric Black–are behind bars. Eric Black recently moved to Duluth from Chicago, where he…
DULUTH, Minn,- Duluth Police are investigating a shooting in the East Hillside Neighborhood. Around 12:30 Sunday afternoon on the 600 block of East Fourth Street, Police arrived to find a forty-two year-old man with an injury to his ear and the surface of his head. His injuries are not critical. Authorities believe the shooter and the victim now each other,…
DULUTH, Minn.- A 16-year-old boy charged in an April shooting incident was found dead early Monday morning in Duluth’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Duluth police discovered Ausineese Aubin Dufault dead from a gunshot wound inside a home while responding to a report of a gunshot in the 2100 block of West Third Street around 2:47 a.m. At last report from police…
CLOQUET, Minn. – There’s still no official word on why Cloquet Police Chief Jeff Palmer remains off the job or when he will return. Chief Palmer began his “voluntary paid leave” on April 16. City Administrator Aaron Reeves told FOX 21 this week that the leave “… can’t go on forever but I also can’t provide a set time frame…
DULUTH, Minn.- As summer inches closer, so do festivals and concerts–both at the DECC and at Bayfront Festival Park. Those events are becoming more frequent, and that means growing parking concerns and traffic that backs up onto I-35. But plans are moving forward to help change that, unveiled Wednesday by the Metropolitan Interstate Council, or MIC. The Council is working…
DULUTH, Minn.- It’s training they hope is never actually used. With summer right around the corner, concerts, festivals and other large crowded events carry the potential for an accident or active threat scenario. The Red Cross gathered law enforcement, fire and medical experts to evaluate how they’d assist people if something like that happened in the Northland. The goal of…
SUPERIOR, Wis.- Police are now investigating an explosion in Superior’s Billings Park neighborhood. Officials report that the incident was isolated and there is no threat to the public. The explosion was reported around 10:50 Sunday morning, in a small home on 22nd Street near Corning Avenue along the railyard. Mayo Ambulance was also called in. The smoke from the…
DULUTH, Minn. – Millard LaJoy — a man we have followed since he turned 100 — has died at the age of 106. LaJoy, of Pike Lake, died peacefully Friday in his sleep. He graduated in 1930 from Duluth Central and went to the U of M to receive engineering and law degrees. He owned Cubs Roller Skating Rink, worked…
DULUTH, Minn.- The cause of a fire at CCU College of Hair on West Superior Street is still unknown, according to Duluth Fire officials. No one was injured, as the building was unoccupied. Crews responded to a report of black smoke in the area of 1st Avenue West. Upon arrival, they made entry from the alley side of the building….
DULUTH, Minn. – It’s been four months since a suicidal domestic-assault suspect shot Duluth police officer Aaron Haller and fatally shot his K-9 partner Haas. Officer Aaron Haller and K-9 Haas People lined the street during Haas’ funeral procession, and they’d later pack the DECC for his memorial. As FOX 21’s Dan Hanger reports, Aaron and his wife open up…
DULUTH, Minn.- As the weather warms up, trails fill up with hikers and walkers. Women Hike Duluth is a group making sure Northland women can get out, get active, and stay safe. “People stopped us on the trail and asked us what we were marching for, it looked more like a women’s march than a women’s hike,” said the group’s…
SUPERIOR, Wis.- The Superior Fire Department and Police Department joined together for their third mass casualty training. Rather than practicing their response to an active shooter directly, firefighters, police officers, and paramedics worked on getting quick and precise care to those wounded after the shooter had been neutralized. With makeup and uniforms scattered across the Wessman Arena Gym, it may…
DULUTH, Minn.- For this year’s 2nd Annual Skyline Parkway Spring Cleanup, volunteers attacked the garbage down Skyline Parkway between Haines Road and Highland Street. The wind and rustling of leaves mixes with the rustling of plastic bags, and the deep crinkle of soda cans. “We’re just gonna keep doing the garbage cleanup,” said one young volunteer. A sea of neon…
SUPERIOR, Wisc. — Many of us will never forget the fear and nervousness as the evacuation zone continued to grow last year on April 26th Husky Refinery explosion. The National Weather Service in Duluth and Fox 21’s Meteorologist Brittney Merlot closely forecasted the winds strength and direction that quickly carried the thick, possibly toxic, heavy black smoke southward. Winds were…
DULUTH, Minn.- The Duluth City Council had its first read of an ordinance that would tighten up restrictions for massage businesses. Amendments to the ordinance include broadening hours of operations from 6 am to 11 pm, allowing clients to enter or exit through more than one entrance, and allowing doors to be locked during business hours. Previously, the ordinance stated…
CLOQUET, Minn. – Cloquet’s police chief has put himself on “voluntary paid leave.” City Administrator Aaron Reeves says Chief Jeff Palmer began his leave on Tuesday, April 16. Reeves could not confirm what it’s for or how long the leave will last. Reeves did say the leave has nothing to do with a complaint against Palmer by former Cloquet Police…
Disclaimer: Police identify the victim as 20-years-old, but a relative tells us she was 19. GRAND RAPIDS, Minn.- Grand Rapids Police are investigating the death of a Grand Rapids woman, after she was found stabbed on a local school playground. When authorities arrived they found a 15-year-old boy holding a knife. Now the Itasca County Attorney’s office is asking he…
DULUTH, Minn.- Canal Park was alive Saturday night after the UMD Bulldogs’ historic National Championship back-to-back win. Soon, a large crowd flooded Lake Avenue near 310 Pub, causing Duluth police to block off the road to traffic. Some fans took their excitement a little too far. “The guy got up on the light post and started shaking it real hard,…
DULUTH, Minn.- Duluth’s top cop Chief Mike Tusken, and Superintendent of District 709 Schools Bill Gronseth are reflecting on last week’s active shooter threat at Duluth East High School. The incident involved 36-year-old Travis Busch, who was accused of threatening to shoot officers and others in the school. Authorities also found guns in his car in the school parking lot, and…
DULUTH, Minn.- To raise awareness about the climate impacts and pollution caused by plastic bag use, the Bag It Duluth campaign is preparing for a city wide event on Earth Day. “Bag—A—Thon” will occur at locations across the city on April 20th. Different locations will accept donations until the 17th. Then people would be invited to come and sew reusable…
SUPERIOR, Wis.- The Superior Police Department arrested one male suspect and detained three others, after responding to reports of an attempted home invasion at about 5 p–m last night at the thirteen hundred block of Lincoln street. There two young males were accused of trying to kick a door in. Police arrested the suspect on possible charges of bail jumping and…
DULUTH, Minn.- This week is National Work Zone Awareness Week. With the construction season just around the corner, St. Louis County Officials are sharing driving tips on how to make it through those construction areas. Officials ask drivers to remain extra vigilant on their normal routes, looking out for lane closures and changes due to construction. Not only for the…
DULUTH, Minn.- Northlanders had their chance to ‘Back the Blue’ at the 2019 Police Fundraiser. The event is the only fundraiser put on by local non–profit Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 9 to raise money for surrounding police forces in the area. That money goes toward uniforms and equipment but also goes to support officers and the families of those who…
SUPERIOR, Wis.- Nearly a year after the explosion at Husky Energy Refinery, the company announced their plans for a $400 million rebuild, expected to create 350 jobs at its peak. However, the plan to continue using the controversial chemical Hydrogen Fluoride (HF) in the Refinery’s operations, is raising some eyebrows. Investigations found the initial explosion took place in the Fluid Catalytic…
DULUTH, Minn.- The City of Duluth plans to close down Superior Street from Lake Avenue to Fourth Avenue West this summer for a four–block reconstruction project. The work starts next Monday, so city officials met with business leaders and residents to talk strategy, get feedback, and answer questions about the remodel. Their big message: it’ll be a rough construction period, but…
DULUTH, Minn.- As the snow melts, it’s revealing some of the effects of the opioid crisis we don’t always see during the winter. Discarded needles. So residents decided to do something about it. The group is called Natives Against Heroin, and a couple dozen people came out to help clean up trash and needles. They don’t want to see anyone…
DULUTH, Minn. — Everyday 22 veterans take their lives, struggling from PTSD, trauma, depression and having trouble adjusting and finding their purpose back in civilian life. The 23 Veteran started here in Duluth 4 years ago by Mike Waldron. The non-profit 23 Veteran is a reconditioning program designed to help veterans struggling, live happier and healthier lives. You can help…
DULUTH, Minn.- The Minnesota House has approved a bill requiring drivers to use hands–free devices when talking on the phone. The House passed the bill 106 – 21 Monday night. Sponsors of the bill say the measure will help cut down on the rising level of distracted driving and save lives. Today the Minnesota State Highway Patrol told us that they’re…
DULUTH, Minn.- Warmer air means Duluth Public Works crews are out in force tackling all those potholes around town. But the melting snow is making any permanent solution, temporary. It took crews an hour to finish 100 yards of a stretch of 35th Avenue East. But looking back on their work, they saw the water runoff and tire treads already…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The Minnesota House has approved a bill that would require motorists to use hands-free devices when talking on the phone. Sponsors say the measure will cut down on the rising level of distracted driving and save lives. The House passed the bill 106 – 21 Monday night. A similar bill is working its way through…
DULUTH, Minn.- Duluth Police are investigating a stabbing in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. Police were called to 28th Avenue West and 4th Street Sunday afternoon to a report of a person with a gun. When they arrived, instead they found a man with a stab wound that appeared to have been caused by a box cutter, and a second man…
DULUTH, Minn.- The potential for flooding has homeowners thinking about flood insurance. Pat Shelton, an agent at Farmers Insurance in Duluth said people are worrying about heavy snow and the potential for flooded basements. Shelton added that you don’t have to be in a flood zone, to get protection. “It can be a good idea, it’s piece of mind,” he…
SUPERIOR, Wis.- There are 3067 storm drains, 91 miles of sewer, and 181 miles of ditches, swales and culverts in the City of Superior. Now crews are rushing to have those near homes clear, before any flooding can begin. “If that drain gets plugged up, whether it’s plugged up with debris like leaves, grass, sticks, garbage, or ice like we’re…
DULUTH, Minn.- Normally the first rainfall this time of year means spring is upon us. But being under this much snow with warmer temperatures, means it can spell out trouble, in the form of flooding. “The old saying is ‘turn around, don’t drown.’” That message is what Keith Kesler of Douglas County Emergency Management is advising drivers this week. “I…
MINNESOTA- There could be an increased flooding risk this spring because of all the snow we’ve been getting. According to the National Weather Service, agencies are measuring Minnesota’s risk of flooding this spring. The DNR and the U.S. Geological Survey are monitoring the depth and flow of streams and rivers across the state to figure out how much water they can…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – Cheryl Sutton, the mother of Erik Sutton — a retired Superior fire battalion chief – broke her silence Thursday about her son’s suicide to FOX 21’s Dan Hanger. This, as the Superior Fire Department – for the first time – takes on special mental health training to help prevent another tragedy involving one of their own. “Each…
SUPERIOR, Wis.- The Superior Fire Department responded to a fire in a single family home on the 6400 block of Banks Avenue in the Village of Superior. The smoke alarm awoke all occupants and their pets, so they were able to get out safely, no one was hurt. However, a firefighter suffered a minor injury, crews say he is recovering…
