438 POSTS

John Ramos

Parks Commission turns down Chester Park trail proposal

Chester Park has 3.3 kilometers of Nordic skiing trails. In 2014, responding to conflicts between skiers and pedestrians, the city conducted an experiment by officially designating the ski trails “shared-use,” which meant...

Zoo to ask city for inflationary increase of subsidy

Since 2009, when the city contracted with the Arrowhead Zoological Society to operate the Lake Superior Zoo, the city has given the zoo $7,041,500 in support from the tourism...

Planning commissioners grant front-yard parking variance, urge discussion

In June of 2017, the city of Duluth cracked down on certain people who were parking in their front yards. The city’s notice read: “The concerns that have been...

Mysterious RFP revealed

“I can’t be responding to seven different people with seven different requests,” School District 709 Human Resources Director Tim Sworsky complained to the School Board on Sept. 10, 2019,...

Zoo Director Simonson hires lobbyist to lobby Senator Simonson

Erik Simonson was hired as director of the Lake Superior Zoo in September of 2017. Seventeen days after he started his new position, Simonson announced that the zoo was broke and...

School district stonewalls board’s request for information, again

The Duluth School District has recently come under fire for hiring an assistant superintendent with a criminal record, without informing the School Board of that fact. The new hire...

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Village Place Apartments without water for four days and counting

On Saturday night, July 25, 2026, the Monitor was notified by a tenant of the Village Place Apartments (located at 602 East 5th Street)...

County emails reveal concerns with Community Action Duluth began in 2023

Executive Director Classie Dudley began working for Community Action Duluth (CAD) on June 7, 2022. Even though 29-year-old Dudley had no experience running a...

Do subsidized single-family homes address Duluth’s housing needs?

On a 2.5-acre site in Morgan Park, the Duluth Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) is building 12 modest single-family homes on 50-foot-wide lots. The...

State Auditor reports red flags, discrepancies in Beaver Bay financial records

Beaver Bay citizens have been concerned about the town’s finances since 2023, when City Clerk Kristy Gregory was hired. After Beaver Bay resident Ellie...

Duluthian defrauded in Lakewood variance scam

When Duluthian Erik Lindgren was looking for property to build his hunting camp, he found a promising ten-acre parcel in Lakewood Township. The tax-forfeited...