Photo: U.S. Coast Guard Cutter SPAR Facebook Page DULUTH, Minn. (AP) – The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Spar is traveling from Baltimore to its new homeport in Duluth. The crew’s duties will include maintaining aids to navigation, domestic icebreaking, search and rescue, and law enforcement. The Spar was commissioned in 2001 and originally based in Kodiak, Alaska. The 225-foot buoy…
DULUTH, Minn. — 37 organizations and agencies met in Duluth on Tuesday to go over what their roles would be in a mass disaster situation. This year’s scenario went over the Coast Guard’s plan of handling a bomb going off on a cruise ship. Each agency, such as police, fire, the sheriff’s office, and more went over how roles would…
DULUTH, Minn.- A ship tasked with breaking up Lake Superior’s winter ice for more than a decade is leaving the twin ports for the first time. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alder will leave Duluth for Baltimore Wednesday for a year-long “mid-life maintenance”. Since it first entered the water in 2004, the Alder cut ice on the lake in the…
DULUTH, Minn. – The U.S Coast Guard began ice-breaking this morning in the Duluth Harbor. With the Sault-Ste. Marie Locks set to open March 25th, the Alder is gearing up to break more ice with roughly 31% more ice coverage this year than last year. It’s all to prepare Duluth and the surrounding waters for the upcoming shipping season. “The…
DULUTH, Minn.- The Vista Star Tour Ship is being repaired after it died in the water in the Duluth Harbor, requiring rescue from the Coast Guard. Around 11 a.m. Tuesday the Vista Star experienced a mechanical failure near the Aerial Lift Bridge, making it dead in the water with 33 people on board. They were all ordered to wear life…
DULUTH, Minn. – The Coast Guard here in Duluth is warning the public to be aware of the thin ice on Lake Superior. The coast guard has three boats which are used for such occasions. Historically, all of them are winterized by December. This year, however, they have one boat still remaining because of the amount of open water and…
SUPERIOR, Wis.- A lighthouse that has stood off the coast of Superior since 1913 is now up for sale. As part of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act Program, Superior Entry, and two other lighthouses in Michigan, are up for an online auction. The auction for Superior Entry began on July 10, with a starting bid of $10,000. Interested bidders…
DULUTH, Minn.- As businesses across the Northland continue to offer discounted or free services to unpaid federal workers during the shutdown, Dapper Jack’s barbershop on 47th Avenue East offered free haircuts to federal workers. If you’re wondering how many people really need it, the barber there says he had folks lined up before he even opened. He says the feeling after…
DULUTH, Minn.- It’s day 23 of the partial government shutdown, about 800,000 employees are either working without pay, or furloughed. Businesses are stepping forward to help those workers with the financial difficulties. Ignite Studio in Duluth is trying to help ease the worries of those affected by the shutdown by offering free classes so they can exercise–improving moods, boosting energy,…
CLOQUET, Minn.- In this Cloquet house, dinner is becoming limited to a few options. “We have leftover Hamburger Helper, there’s pork chops. There’s hotdogs, mommy bought plenty of hotdogs,” the mother tells her children. “It’s pasta dishes, it’s things that you can get dirt cheap,” said Andrea Hawkins. “Y’know, it’s like living on a college kid’s income all over again.”…
DULUTH, Minn.- The raging water of Lake Superior knows no bounds. It doesn’t recognize that the dock is where boats are to be kept, safe and secure. The bobbing stern of a boat reads “Wild Water.” That boat lived up to its name, rocking back and forth violently with its peers at the pier by Lakehead Boat Basin. The dock fights…
DULUTH, Minn.- Powerful winds slammed the Duluth Coast Guard out on Park Point. Nearly half of a roof on the Coast Guard’s storage building was ripped right off. The roof folded over onto a boat and even took down a power line. “Usually we don’t see something quite like this,” Petty Officer Tristan Degrush said. “I’m not sure if it…
DULUTH, Minn. – The end of a life can be one of the hardest experiences for a family to get through. The presentation of military honors at a veteran’s funeral can give that last bit of pride to the deceased. Unfortunately, across America, there is a struggle to keep honor guards staffed, and it’s even harder in rural areas. “They…
DULUTH, Minn. – Memorial Day is often thought of as the unofficial start to Summer, but in reality, the day holds a somber tone. It’s a day set aside to honor and remember the men and women who died serving the United States of America. The day originated in 1868 and became a legal holiday in Minnesota in 1889. For…
DULUTH, Minn. – Thousands will be driving to the cabin or favorite summer destination this Memorial Day weekend. With that, the United States Coast Guard is looking to make sure safety comes first. The Coast Guard in the Twin Ports is busy making sure they’re up to date on rescue techniques and procedures. One Officer we spoke with say boaters,…
