402 POSTS

John Ramos

Struggling operations routinely max out lines of credit

In addition to providing direct subsidies and emergency bailouts to struggling operations, the city of Duluth has another financial tool at its disposal: line of credit (LOC) disbursements. These...

Monaco Air owner proposes new city-financed airplane hangar

Monaco Air was established at the Duluth airport in 2005, when Don Monaco purchased North Country Aviation and renamed it. Monaco was from Chicago; he had become interested in...

Hiking the Skally Line

The Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad (LSMR) opened for business on August 1, 1870, when the ceremonial last spike was driven in at Thomson, near the great falls that today are...

Zoo spends 17.5 percent of emergency bailout money on lobbyist

On Oct. 9, 2017, by a vote of 6-2, the Duluth City Council approved a second $200,000 bailout for the Lake Superior Zoo. This money was in addition to...

School Board considers opening agenda sessions

Concerns about transparency have long simmered within the Duluth school district, but several recent events have brought the issue squarely into public view. In August, citizens learned that the school district had...

U.S. Steel cleanup project inches forward

At the Nov. 12, 2019, meeting of the Duluth Planning Commission, commissioners approved an Environmental Assessment Worksheet for the Spirit Lake Sediment Remediation Project, moving the long-planned project one small step closer...

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Hermantown data center developer buys property for 3-15 times assessed value

According to property sales information filed with the St. Louis County Recorder’s Office, Harmony Group LLC has purchased four parcels of land along Morris...

City of Duluth addresses Tischer Creek fish kill

On Feb. 23, 2026, Duluth Public Works Director Jim Benning and Utility Programs Coordinator Ryan Granlund gave a presentation to the Duluth City Council...

After legacy of breakdowns, Minnesota Slip Pedestrian Bridge performing well

At the Duluth City Council’s agenda session on Feb. 19, 2026, councilors reviewed Resolution 110, which will award $52,000 to the Duluth Entertainment Convention...

A visit to the ice caves

As we drove through Cornucopia at 7:30 a.m. on Feb. 16, 2026, the parking lot at the eastern end of town was already filled...

Endi Plaza drops appeal, raises conspiratorial claims in receivership case

In November of 2024, Fannie Mae (the mortgage holder) filed a lawsuit for breach of contract against Endi Plaza LLC, owners of the apartment...