Wisconsin

5th Graders Learn What It Takes To Keep Lake Superior Clean

SUPERIOR, Wis. — 5th grade students from the Superior School District are learning what it takes to keep Lake Superior clean. The City of Superior Environmental Services Division has been providing tours of the Wastewater Treatment Plant for 28 years. The tour includes an indoor lesson, then an outdoor tour. The plant treats about 4-million gallons of wastewater a day….

Superior High School’s Spartan Manufacturing Opens Doors to the Community

At the open house, Cenovus Energy donated $50,000 to the student-led business for the second time

SUPERIOR, Wisc. — After its inaugural year, Spartan Manufacturing at Superior High School hosted an open house to show the community their work. Spartan Manufacturing’s goal is to educate high school students about trade professions, through running a student-led business. At Wednesday’s open house, the program received a $50,000 donation from Cenovus Energy, one of many local businesses who have…

One Dog’s Love Inspires Disc Dog Seminar This Weekend

Lupine will share her love for chasing frisbees with other furry friends in Superior on Saturday and Sunday

SUPERIOR, Wisc. — One dog’s love for catching a frisbee has inspired a Disc Dog Seminar, which will take place this weekend in Superior. Lupine is a 5-year-old border collie. Her owner, Eve Graves, said Lupine has loved playing catch since they met. Lupine’s boundless energy inspired Graves to look for more structured opportunities for Lupine to hone her skills….

Biden Visits Wisconsin To Laud A New Microsoft Facility, Meet Voters — And Troll Trump

RACINE, Wisc. (AP) — President Joe Biden raced into yet another battleground state Wednesday, continuing to push a contrast with Donald Trump on economic policy as his own reelection campaign readies a new $14 million advertising blitz aimed in part at Black, Latino and Asian American voters. Biden traveled to Racine, Wisconsin, where he’ll highlight a decision by Microsoft to…

Superior Mayor, Council To ‘Intervene’ Proposed Rate Increase By SWL&P

Mayor Jim Paine proposed a resolution which was voted in favor of unanimously Tuesday evening

SUPERIOR, Wisc. — At tonight’s Superior City Council meeting, Mayor Jim Paine put forward a resolution to intervene with the proposed rate increase by Superior Water, Light, and Power starting in 2025. At the end of March, the ALLETE subsidiary Superior Water Light and Power submitted a request to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, or PSC, to increase rates….

Allete Sold to Partnership in $6.2 Billion Deal; Company Going Private

Announcement says headquarters to remain in Duluth.

The company behind most of the northland’s power and energy has been bought. Allete announced the purchase Monday morning, and it will now become a private company. Allete is the parent company of Minnesota Power and Superior Water, Light and Power. It has been bought by a large partnership with hopes that deep pockets will fund future capital investments. The…

Earth Ride Maker’s Market Features Twin Ports Artists, Music, and Beer

Vendors selling arts and crafts of all kinds lined up outside Cedar Lounge for the first market of the season

SUPERIOR, Wisc. — Sunday marked the first Earth Rider Maker’s Market of the season at Cedar Lounge. The market took advantage of the outdoor space, with vendors set up selling all kinds of crafts. Booths offered everything from tie dye to crotchet to maple syrup to candles. Vendors were antsy for their first customers to arrive. “Super excited to start,…

City of Superior Reminds Boaters to Purchase Launch Passes for the Wisconsin Fishing Opener

SUPERIOR, Wis.– With the Wisconsin fishing opener happening this weekend, the City of Superior is reminding people to purchase a boat launch pass for certain landings in the city. The City of Superior maintains multiple boat landings for public use. The city owned landings require either annual or day launch passes. Including one of the most popular launches in the…

Wisconsin Gov. Evers Stops in Superior for “Pothole Patrol” Tour

SUPERIOR, Wis. — Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers made a stop in Superior Wednesday as part of his annual statewide “Pothole Patrol” tour. The initiative is to help fix Wisconsin roads and discuss the investments to improve the local streets and highways around the state. Evers signed a budget including $550 million for transportation projects underway and $100 million for local…

Northland College To Remain Open Under New Model

ASHLAND, Wis. –The Northland College Board of Trustees has approved a “refocused model” for the college that will allow the school to remain open. The school will cut some of its majors. “The college will have eight high demand, mission-aligned majors and focused offerings,” according to a news release Wednesday. The release also stated significant changes to its operation budget…

Homegrown Music Festival Expands to Largest Venue to Date

AMSOIL Arena is the latest venue added to the festivals extensive lineup -- and the biggest

DULUTH, Minn. — The 26th Homegrown Music Festival is well underway! Tuesday night featured four musical acts at the festival’s largest venue yet — AMSOIL Arena. The festival features about 160 bands or artists at 35 venues spread across the Twin Ports. And while the event is no stranger to the DECC, this year is the first time Homegrown has…

Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month Reminds Both Drivers and Riders to Stay Alert

Warm weather means motorcyclists are already on Northland roads and beyond

DULUTH, Minn. — May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, but warmer weather had motorcyclists on the roads as early as March. Minnesota has already seen four motorcyclist fatalities this year, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. However, both deaths and injuries to motorcyclists went down from 2022 to 2023 in the state. Wisconsin has also seen a decrease…

Volunteer Sandra Nutt Sheds Light on the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Ashland

ASHLAND, WI. — April is National Volunteer Month, and community members like Sandra Nutt are busy preparing for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Ashland. Sandra is a volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Association. She has helped put on the Walk to End Alzheimer’s for the past 10 years. Meanwhile, her daughter currently works at the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Research Center. Like…

Iron County Sheriff’s Office Considers 2 Horse Deaths ‘Suspicious’

Two horse fatalities are under investigation in Iron County. The Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook to say investigators consider the deaths “suspicious.” The deaths happened Wednesday night into early Thursday on a property off of County Highway C in South Carey. Anyone with information is asked to contact Lt, Foryan or Sgt. Wozniak of the Iron County Sheriff’s Office at…

Former Superior Police Sgt. Takes Plea Deal In 2022 Fatal Crash

SUPERIOR, Wis. — A former Sergeant with the Superior Police Department is taking a plea deal in a 2022 fatal hit and run crash that involved alcohol. With a guilty plea of two counts of Vehicular Homicide involving alcohol, 44-year-old Gregory Swanson is facing the possibility of 9 years in prison for each count. Court documents say Swanson’s blood-alcohol level…

Organ Donor’s Mother Urges Others To Do The Same

Part of the effort to raise awareness; 17 people die every day while waiting for an organ.

We often hear about the need for human organ donations, but we can sometimes get immune to the message. Every day across the country, seventeen people die while waiting for an organ. That is why a very special flag was raised Wednesday outside Duluth’s Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center. The flag read “Donate Life,” as part of national Donate Life…

Northland College Receives Last-Minute ‘Transformative Donor Gifts’

ASHLAND, Wis. — Another sign of hope was reported Tuesday evening involving the future of Northland College. College officials they received “several transformative donor gifts” within the last 24 hours that has “considerably” impacted what is possible for the future of Northland College. Three weeks ago the Board issued a statement of financial crisis. Northland had a goal of raising…

FOX 21 Visits UWS Journalism Students At ‘The Promethean’

SUPERIOR, Wis. — FOX 21’s Dan Hanger was invited to visit UWS journalism students Tuesday to talk about the television news business, learn about UWS’s longstanding student-run newspaper, The Promethean, and watch the latest Promethean TV newscast.  Three UWS students currents work at FOX 21 and have been a great addition to our newsgathering operation!   Categories: Community, Education, News,…

Superior Students Clean Park on Earth Day, Learn Dangers of Tobacco Products

SUPERIOR, Wis. — Students in Superior got their hands dirty with a clean-up and education effort on Monday. The Northwestern Wisconsin Lung Health Alliance led the Earth Day efforts. The fourth and fifth-grade students from Lake Superior Elementary and Northwest Middle School got their buckets out and their eyes wide for trash at Wade Bowl Park. The main focus was…

2 Motorcyclists Injured In Separate NW Wis. Crashes With Vehicles

The motorcycle riding season has started off with two serious accidents in northwest Wisconsin over the weekend. The first incident happened Sunday afternoon in Sawyer County on Highway 70 near the Township of Winter. The Sheriff’s Office said the driver struck a motorcyclist while attempting to turn around after being on the shoulder. The motorcyclist, 57-year-old Daniel Barber, was flown…

Community Members Take Part in Superior City-Wide Earth Day Cleanup

SUPERIOR, Wis. — A city-wide Earth Day cleanup took place in Superior Monday. City departments all coming together for the first time to organize groups of community members to take part. Nearly all of Superiors parks, trails, boat launches, and other city spaces are getting cleaned. The hope is to raise awareness of the need to protect our Earth. One…

Duluth Union Members Bring Attention To Truck Hitting 40th Ave. West Bridge.

Teamsters say the apprentice programs are not the same.

Last week a truck hit a bridge in Duluth, and Friday union workers held signs outside the offices of the non-union company that owned the truck. Members of Teamsters General Local Union 346 gathered Friday morning at the offices of the Kaski Inc. construction company. It was one of Kaski’s drivers and trucks that hit the bridge crossing the freeway…

Superior Firefighters Respond To Partial Building Collapse, Natural Gas Leak

SUPERIOR, Wis. — A partial building collapse and natural gas leak in Superior Thursday afternoon caused some tense times at the Franklin Apartments and the Happy Hearts Childcare center located next door. The incident started when a small section on the outside of the apartment building collapsed. The debris fell into the area where the apartment’s boilers were located as…

Fire Takes Duluth Family Home, But Friends and Community Rally

Sunday fundraiser for thankful Johnson family after return home from hospital

A Duluth family lost almost everything in a fire last month, and the community is getting ready to do more to help them out. The March 13th fire not only destroyed the family mobile home and most of their belongings, but also put an expectant mother and her children in the hospital. Rainy Johnson and her two kids were treated…

‘Meaningful Progress’ Made To Keep Northland College From Closure

ASHLAND, Wis. — Leaders at Northland College say they’re making “meaningful progress” in their efforts to keep the 132-year-old institution from shutting down. In mid-March, the college said it urgently needed to raise $12 million by April 3 to avoid closure. It only raised $1.5 million. So on April 4, the college’s Board of Trustees declared a financial emergency. Since…

Cenovus Energy to Sponsor New School Soccer Fields in Superior

SUPERIOR, Wis. — The Superior School District is getting a financial boost of support for new soccer fields at Cooper Elementary. Cenovus Energy is sponsoring the construction of new state-of-the-art soccer fields. The space will be used by the greater community to provide a hub for soccer, lacrosse, and other sports. The Superior Soccer Association is also behind the project….

Crews Battle Multiple Wildfires in Minong and Wascott

MINONG & WASCOTT, Wis.– Fire crews in northwest Wisconsin battled multiple wildfires this weekend including a large one near Minong that ignited Saturday evening. Nearly 200 acres burned west of Highway 53 and east of Smith Bridge Road in Washburn County. Two trailer homes and five secondary structures mostly sheds were destroyed by flames. The DNR had 22 different pieces…

Police: BNSF Law Enforcement Agents Clear Our Superior Homeless Encampment

SUPERIOR, Wis. — A growing homeless encampment near railroad tracks in Superior was forced out Thursday afternoon. Superior police said law enforcement agents from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF) took steps to remove six people from an area of private railroad property near the Belknap viaduct. Superior police said BNSF did not make them aware of Thursday’s enforcement,…

Treating Contamination to Start at Thomson Reservoir

Dioxins in the bottom sediment have been a concern since the 1980's.

There was good news Wednesday in the effort to start dealing with contaminated sediment in the Thomson Reservoir. Federal and state lawmakers made the announcement in Carlton. It is the start of a $35 million project–with most of the funding coming from the EPA through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Small pellets of granulated, activated carbon will be poured out over…

Solar Eclipse a Gray, Cloudy Washout in the Northland

No sun rays--only rain drops hit the eyes of those gathered at UMD planetarium.

If there was a place not to have a solar eclipse viewing party Monday, it was in the Northland. But that did not stop the hopeful at UMD. Many stood in the rain, looking up at the sky, only to have raindrops on their faces instead of the sun in their eyes. “Right now, just clouds, clouds and clouds,” said…

Duluth’s KQDS-TV, FOX21 Ownership Change Completed

Sale finalized to Coastal Television Broadcasting Group LLC.

Duluth’s KQDS-TV, FOX 21 welcomed new ownership on Monday. The completion of the sale to the Coastal Television Broadcasting Group LLC, culminated a several-year process during which the station’s long-time owners had been looking for the right buyer. Coastal Television Broadcasting Group LLC is a Georgia-based company owned and operated by Coastal’s Founder and CEO, Bill Fielder. Coastal owns or…

Minnesota Power ‘Disappointed’ With Superior City Council’s Denial Of NTEC Public Hearing

SUPERIOR, Wis. — Minnesota Power is “disappointed” with the city of Superior after the council voted down the opportunity for a public hearing on the proposed Nemadji Trail Energy Center (NTEC). On Wednesday night, five of the nine city councilors voted to hold a public hearing. But the motion to approve needed six votes. This comes after the Superior Plan…

40 Additional Staff Laid Off Amid Superior School District’s $4M Budget Deficit

SUPERIOR, Wis. — More employees of the Superior School district have been let go as the district tackles a $4 million deficit for the next school year. Forty support staff members, mostly paraprofessionals, were notified this week about the layoffs, according to a district spokesperson. This comes after 25 teachers were told last month that their positions were being eliminated….

Ashland Woman Hit, Killed By Vehicle

ASHLAND, Wis. — An Ashland woman has died after being hit by a vehicle. The victim is identified as 68-year-old Rose Kozeneski. The accident happened around 8 p.m. Wednesday on State Highway 13 and 7th Street. Police said the victim was struck while walking diagonally into a lane of traffic from the median. Police said the driver never saw the…

Northland College Gives Itself Two More Weeks to Solve Financial Crisis and Avoid School Closure

A Thursday evening meeting left many in the NC community 'annoyed' with the uncertainty going forward after initial deadline is moved

ASHLAND, Wis. — Yesterday’s self-imposed deadline for the future of Northland College came and went. Today, college leaders said it will be another two weeks before they know for sure. The news came during a meeting in the gymnasium. The bleachers were filled with students, staff, and faculty, gathered to learn something about their future. They were there to hear…

Superior Fire Department Celebrates New Hires and Promotions

SUPERIOR, Wis. — The Superior Fire Department hosted a swearing in and awards ceremony Thursday afternoon. The event was all about welcoming aboard new firefighters, celebrating promotions, and learning about the accomplishments firefighters have done this last year. It is a chance for fire crews to be in the spotlight and for the community to support the work that they…

In Swing-State Wisconsin, Democrat Hustles To Keep Key Senate Seat Against Trump-Backed Millionaire

NEW GLARUS, Wis. (AP) — Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, whose “go everywhere” 2018 campaign strategy became a model for how to win in battleground Wisconsin, knows her road to victory this year against a multimillionaire Republican supporter of former President Donald Trump goes through places like New Glarus. The bucolic village of 2,200, founded by Swiss immigrants and famous for its Spotted…

Sexual Assault, Domestic and Child Abuse Getting Important Focus in April

Awareness effort started Monday in Superior with commitment to support and education.

Sexual assault and domestic and child abuse are issues that continue to plague communities. April is a month when advocates focus attention on the issue and the effort kicked off Wednesday at the Douglas County Government Center in Superior. It involved law enforcement, political leaders, educators, and those with the court system. The wide cross-section represented the message and the…

Feds: Chicago Drug Operation Preying On Duluth Area Busted

DULUTH, Minn. – A Chicago-based drug trafficking ring that’s been targeting the Duluth area has been broken up with eight members indicted by the feds, according to the United States Attorney’s Office District of Minnesota. The announcement was made Tuesday in Duluth by U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger. Duluth Police Chief Mike Ceynowa, St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay and County…

Big, Sincere Welcome for Barbro G and Crew; First Saltie of 2024

Official "spring" for port community.

DULUTH, Minn. — It is a welcome that never gets old. Tuesday, the first ocean-going vessel of the season received heart-felt greetings on a windy, wet and gray day. Inside the ship’s bridge, it was warmth and smiles as the captain and crew of the Barbro G were presented with everything Duluth and Superior. That included an endless flow of…

11th Hour To Save Northland College From Closure; Former City Council Pres. Speaks Out

ASHLAND, Wis. – A former Ashland city council president is speaking out about the possible closure of Northland College. This comes as the college faces a deadline of Tuesday, March 3, to raise $12 million to stay open, according to the college’s president. Northland College in Ashland announced March 11th that it needed $12 million before April 3. The president…

Twin Ports Community Doubles Support For ‘Musical Bingo’ & Local Artists

SUPERIOR, Wis. — Bingo fanatics, roughly 170 of them, joined together Thursday night at Barker’s Island Inn to support free community music by playing Musical Bingo. FOX 21’s Dan Hanger called the song titles at Siggy’s Musical Garden, which is an organization that supports local music and artists behind it. Songs were provided by the Mackie Brothers, a rock group…