Minnesota

Minnesota Court Rules Against Planned Power Plant in Wisconsin

The Proposal is Also Making its Way Through The Regulatory Process in Wisconsin

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Minnesota Court of Appeals has ordered state regulators to reconsider whether an environmental review is necessary for a proposed natural gas-fired power plant that would be built by Minnesota and Wisconsin utilities. Minnesota Power and Dairyland Power Cooperative are seeking approval in both states for the proposed $700 million Nemadji Trail Energy Center in Superior, Wisconsin….

Rubber Chicken Theater to Host Annual Holiday Comedy Show

The Comedy Show Sheds Light on Big Headlines from the Northland in 2019

DULUTH, Minn. – The farce will be with many this weekend as Rubber Chicken Theater presents its annual classic comedy show. This year’s theme is “Storm Wars: The Rise of Lakewalker.” Rubber Chicken Theater celebrates all things silly — local, regional, and national — with their Year-In-Review Revue. This year’s show will be staged one weekend only, December 27 &…

Registration Now Open for Hartley Nature Center Holiday & Winter Camp

December Camp Will Use a Different Format This Year, Allowing for Daily Registration Instead of Weekly

DULUTH, Minn. – Hartley Nature Center in Duluth is giving local youth many reasons to spend winter break outdoors this season. Their wintertime day camp opportunities are offered during the school year when the Duluth school system is on break. This year, there will be  a new December Camp format, allowing for daily registration instead of weekly. The camp will run…

Walz Uses Holidays to Call Attention to Food Stamp Cuts

Changes to the Program Would cut an Estimated 30,000 Minnesotans

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan are using the holiday season to call attention to a Trump administration plan to cut hundreds of thousands of Americans from the federal food stamp program. Walz and Flanagan plan to volunteer Monday at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center food shelf in St. Paul. They’ll…

Barnes and Noble Helps Raise Funds for Stowe Elementary Book Fair

While part of purchase went to the book fair, school officials sat outside and offered to wrap gifts for free.

DULUTH, Minn.- Shoppers at Barnes and Noble at the Miller Hill Mall got a headstart on their Christmas wrapping–while helping out at a local school. A portion of Barnes and Noble sales during the day went towards Stowe Elementary School’s book fair in February. After shopping, you could get your gifts wrapped by an official from Stowe, partnered with the…

Slumberland Gives Away Bed Sets To Deserving Children

Nationally nearly 3,000 bed sets were delivered to children, who have never had one.

DULUTH, Minn. – Slumberland in Hermantown is helping kids in need. All month long they have been giving away twin beds, box springs, and bed frames to kids who may have never had one. It’s all part of their program called ‘Homes for the Holidays.’ The furniture store works with non-profits and social workers to find families with children in…

Kids Make The Most Of Indoor Play Time

The play gym is held every Wednesday and Friday.

DULUTH, Minn. – Tiny tots had a little bit of indoor play time at the Washington Center in Duluth’s Hillside neighborhood. About a half dozen kids, all with high energy, enjoyed time playing with one another. Some took a ride around the gym on a double seated tricycle. While others found excitment with a rainbow colored parachute. One parent says…

Deer River Healthcare Workers Set Strike for January

DEER RIVER, Minn. – A union representing healthcare workers at Essentia Deer River has filed notice for a two-day Unfair Labor Practice strike. The strike is scheduled for January 2 and 3rd according to a recent press release. A member of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Essentia Health-Deer River employee Chuck Davis said of the support for the strike action: “This…

$5,000 Reward for Information in Northern Minnesota Deadly Dog Stabbing

CASS LAKE, Minn. (FOX 9) – There is now a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for fatally stabbing a dog in northern Minnesota, according to the Leech Lake Tribal Police Department. On Dec. 6, police responded to a report of a dog bleeding from multiple injuries at the Allen’s Bay Housing area…

Midday Update 12-20-19

Local News and Weather Making Headlines Friday, December 20, 2019

Join Fox 21’s Arman Rahman and Meteorologist Brittney Merlot for a local look at news and weather making headlines Friday, December 20, 2019 Categories: Minnesota, News, News – Latest News

No Charges for 2 Minnesota Wrestlers in Alleged Sex Assault

The Men Will Not Face Criminal Charges Due to 'Inadequate Evidence'

(courtesy: Fox 9) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Two University of Minnesota wrestlers who were arrested on suspicion of criminal sexual conduct in June will not face criminal charges due to “inadequate evidence,” a prosecutor announced Friday. Gable Steveson and Dylan Martinez were arrested on suspicion of criminal sexual conduct after someone reported rape on June 15 and went to a hospital…

Hearty Lamb Shank For The Holidays

COOKING CONNECTION: The Boat Club Restaurant and Bar in Duluth, MN

DULUTH, Minn. — In this weeks Cooking Connection we are making braised grass-fed Oregon lamb shank, avgolemono sauce, celery root, carrots, dill and oven roasted Yukon gold potatoes. Watch the video above for the rare recipe that came straight from Greece or head on over The Boat Club Restaurant and Bar this season while it’s still on the menu. Categories:…

Morning Update 12-20-19

Local News and Weather Making Headlines Friday, December 20, 2019

Join Fox 21’s Arman Rahman and Meteorologist Brittney Merlot for a local look at news and weather making headlines Friday, December 20, 2019 Categories: Minnesota, News, News – Latest News

UMD’s ‘An Enemy of the People’ Selected to Perform at Regional Theatre Festival

Play one of seven to be picked to perform.

DULUTH, Minn.- This year a UMD Theatre production has been selected to perform at a highly anticipated regional competition in South Dakota next month. An Enemy of the People, directedy by Tom Isbell, was selected among seven other shows to perform at the seven-state Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF). Isbell stopped by FOX 21 to discuss the play,…

Jingle Bells For A Good Cause

ACTIVE ADVENTURES: Volunteer Salvation Army Bell Ringing Taken To The Next Level

DULUTH, Minn. — In this weeks Active Adventures Fox 21’s Brittney Merlot and Brett Scott donated their time to help the less fortunate this holiday season. Volunteering to bell ring for Salvation Army Red Kettle Drive at Mount Royal turned out to be a fun experience, check it out. Brittney Merlot wanted to take it to the next level with…

Snow No Longer Clogs Downtown Duluth

DULUTH, Minn. – Downtown Duluth may now look a little different after massive amounts of snow used to clog the streets. Overnight snow removal teams went through and whisked away huge snow banks from Superior Street between Second Avenue East and Sixth Avenue West. Business owners say parking became very limited. And the big chunks of snow made it hard…

UMD, Shannon Miller Reach Global Settlement

DULUTH, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Duluth announced Thursday afternoon that they have reached a global settlement with former women’s hockey coach Shannon Miller. According to a statement from the Director of marking and Public Relations Lynne Williams: “The University has finalized a global settlement with Shannon Miller in the amount of $4,530,157.77. The settlement breaks down to payments…

Minneapolis VA Worker Accused of Hiding Bathroom Camera

Morales Has Not Worked at the VA For About 10 Months

MINNEAPOLIS – A former worker at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center is charged with filming 11 people with a hidden camera in a men’s restroom trash can. Forty-five-year-old Mauricio Morales of Eden Prairie was charged Tuesday with 11 counts of interfering with privacy. According to the charges, Morales said he drilled a hole into the trash can, mounted the…

Public Forum in Duluth Will Take Comments on Enbridge Line 3

(AP Photo/Jim Mone, File) DULUTH, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota regulators will hold a forum in Duluth on Thursday for members of the public to comment on additions to the state’s environmental review for Enbridge Energy’s plan to replace its Line 3 crude oil pipeline across northern Minnesota. The update became necessary after a court declared that the previous version was…

Wisconsin, UW Employees Pay Raise Approved

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A special bipartisan legislative committee has unanimously approved pay raises for University of Wisconsin and state employees. The Joint Committee on Employment Relations on Wednesday approved 2% pay raises in each of the next two years. The raises are for state workers, University of Wisconsin System employees and workers on the flagship Madison campus. The committee…

Minnesota Power Crews Working to Restore Power to Customers Downtown

  Update: Power has been restored to the affected customers: Our crews restored power at 11:30 a.m. to the downtown/Canal Park areas of Duluth; cause was a faulty underground cable and power was restored quickly through the process of switching. — Minnesota Power (@mnpower) December 18, 2019 DULUTH, Minn. – Minnesota Power says they are working to restore power to…

Victim Identified in Hibbing House Fire

(courtesy: Northland FireWire) HIBBING, Minn. – Authorities have released the identity of the man who died in Tuesday’s Hibbing house fire. After completion of an autopsy the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as 55-year-old Kevin Charles Buchwitz of Hibbing. The preliminary cause of death is smoke inhalation. Hibbing Fire and Police Departments responded to reports of a house…

Twin Metals Files Formal Mine Plan With Regulators

(AP Photo/Steve Karnowski, File) ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Twin Metals Minnesota has formally submitted a plan to regulators for an underground copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota. The filing launches what’s expected to be a lengthy environmental review and permitting process for what would be Minnesota’s second copper-nickel mine. The project has drawn fierce opposition because it would sit just…

Frosty Ridge Alpaca Farm Provides Educational Experiences

Frosty Ridge Alpaca Farm is Open to Visitors Year Round for Educational Experiences

DULUTH, Minn. – The alpaca species isn’t native to northern Minnesota. The livestock originates from the Andes Mountains in Peru, living at an average elevation of 14,000 feet. It wasn’t until the 1970s that alpacas were introduced to North America. In this week’s Animal Answers, FOX 21’s Brett Scott takes you to a growing herd living in the Northland. “I’m…

Jay Cooke State Park Offers Multiple Upcoming Winter Events

Ski Trails at Jay Cooke State Park Are Currently Closed While Crews Continue to Groom, Perform Maintenance

CARLTON, Minn. – As winter break approaches for many Northland students, families will have more time to venture out and explore the winter wilderness. Two upcoming events are set to take place at Jay Cooke State Park in December. Carly Hawkinson-Sohm stopped by FOX 21 Local News to chat about the events and let folks know how to get involved….

Great Outdoors: Enjoying the Winter Magic at Gooseberry Falls

People come from all across the country to experience the falls.

TWO HARBORS, Minn.- While most dread seeing snow and ice here in Duluth they’re the cherry on top of the experience up at Gooseberry Falls. The fluffy white snow and icicles inching closer to the rushing water paint a pristine winter picture. “The sunset makes it look really nice,” said Amy Yip. The scene makes for the perfect background to…

Protestors Rally in Duluth to Support Trump Impeachment

Protestors voiced disappointment with Republican Congressman Pete Stauber.

DULUTH, Minn.- As the House of Representatives is set to vote on President Trump’s impeachment Wednesday, some in Duluth voiced their support for his ouster. The “No One is Above the Law” Rally was one of the more than 500 protests planned in all fifty states Tuesday. According to organizers, they want to ensure Congress holds President Trump accountable for…

Kids Shop Til they Drop with Cops for Christmas

10th annual Shop with a Cop brought 32 kids and 22 officers to Target.

DULUTH, Minn.- On Tuesday 22 Duluth Police Officers were able to make this Christmas one to remember for a special group of kids. The Duluth Police Department held their 10th annual Shop with a Cop event at the Target up the hill. Each of the 32 children was given a $200 gift card to pick out anything for themselves or…

Superior Street Snow Removal to Begin Thursday

DULUTH, Minn. – The City of Duluth will begin accumulated snow removal from Superior Street on Thursday in the downtown area. The city says staff will start on Superior Street from 6th Avenue West and work their way East beginning on Thursday from 2:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. No parking signs will be posted before snow removal begins. The city…

Shakopee Schools Report 400 Student Absences Due to Flu-Related Illnesses

Shakopee, Minn. (FOX 9) – Shakopee Public Schools says around 400 student absences due to flu-related illnesses have been reported in the last week. The district put out a notice to families saying more than 300 West Middle School absences have been reported and about 100 absences have been reported at Sun Path Elementary, too. As required by the Minnesota…

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Offers Smart Salting Tips

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Says 60 Percent of Home and Business Owners Tend to Oversalt

DULUTH, Minn. – With the winter months upon us, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is reminding business and homeowners of smart salting and deicing tips. Officials with MPCA say over 60 percent of residents routinely over salt, resulting in harsh chemicals making way into our area lakes, streams and rivers. According to the MPCA, one teaspoon of deicing agent…

Hermantown General Store Sells Winning Million Dollar Lottery Ticket

HERMANTOWN, Minn. – Someone who purchased a Gopher 5 lottery ticket in Hermantown is over a million dollars richer Tuesday morning. According to the Minnesota Lottery Communications, a ticket purchased at the Hermantown General Store at 5105 Morris Thomas Road was worth $1,606,134. The ticket matched the numbers 4-14-23-31-34 drawn on December 16. Hermantown General Store will earn a $5,000…

One Dead in Early Morning Hibbing House Fire

The Remains Will be Transported for Identification and to Determine Cause of Death

HIBBING, Minn. – One person is dead following an early Tuesday morning house fire in Hibbing. According to the Hibbing Police and Fire Departments, fire crews responded to reports of a structure fire at 1834 25th Street around 12:17 a.m. Firefighters from Hibbing, Chisholm and Keewatin arrived on scene and found a residence fully engulfed in flames. When the fire…

Local Holiday Toy Drive In Need of More Donations

Mike Letica's Toy Drive short of toys needed, as demand increases.

DULUTH, Minn.- The organizer of a local holiday toy drive is asking for more donations, as they’ve been lower this year while the demand has been higher. Mike Letica, owner of the Iron Mug Restaurant in Morgan Park is looking for more donations of phone accessories for teens, games and toys for 2-8 year-olds, and clothes for infants. Last year…

Knowing Your Neighbors: Free Air Life Connecting Northlanders with the Outdoors

New store brings western outdoor style to Duluth.

DULUTH, Minn.- A new clothing store on 20th Avenue West in the Lincoln Park Craft District is bringing a taste of Western outdoors style to Lincoln Park. Free Air Life moved to Lincoln Park this month, after occupying a space in the Miller Hill Mall for a few years as the store “I Lake It.” “We’re really stoked to have…

Rally Calls for Council Support to Pass Ban on Conversion Therapy

Council voted 8-0 with Councilor Jay Fosle opposed.

DULUTH, Minn.- Activists, city leaders, and other members of the LGBTQ Community gathered on the ground floor of City Hall for a rally asking the City Council to vote yes on a ban on Conversion Therapy. The council passed the ban 8-0, with Councilor Jay Fosle absent. “Will encourage our state legislature to pass a statewide ban in 2020,” said…

City of Duluth Proclaims Day in Local War Hero’s Honor

December 16th claimed David Wheat Day.

DULUTH, Minn.- U.S. Navy Commander David Wheat has done a lot in his life, and on Monday Duluth, the city he’s called home all his life, recognized all he’s done for our country. From being shot down in 1965 on his first mission to Vietnam, to spending over seven years as a prisoner of war, to retiring after 20 years…

Christmas Tree Sellers Talk Safety Tips

DULUTH, Minn. – If you’re still in the market for a Christmas tree, Emmanuel Evergreens tree lot in West Duluth has you covered. The average life span of a Christmas tree in the home is ten weeks. Keeping it away from heat sources and watered are two ways to prolong its life. But owners say, the key to keep your…

2019 Wettest Year Recorded for Wisconsin, Midwest

More Than 43 Inches of Rain & Snow Fell in the Midwest Through November

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin and the Midwest recorded their wettest year ever in 2019 since record-keeping began in 1895, climatologists said. More than 43 inches of rain and snow fell across nine states in the Midwest through November. That breaks the previous record set in 1993 by 2 inches, according to data from the Midwestern Regional Climate Center. Climatologist…