Lake County
Lake County
Silver Bay woman charged with faking terminal illness to swindle funds
On Oct. 23, 2024, Lake County emergency medical personnel responded to a 911 call from Our Place, a Finland restaurant. Penny Jo Haupt, a...
Eveleth
IRRRB violated Minnesota Data Practices Act in response to public records request
An opinion recently issued by Minnesota Commissioner of Administration Tamar Gronvall concludes that the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) failed to comply...
Beaver Bay
Lake County deputies raided Beaver Bay city councilor’s home in January
On Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department received a report of a break-in at the Beaver Bay city offices from City...
Beaver Bay
Beaver Bay to select new mayor after existing mayor’s term found invalid
A procedural error from 2022 has recently resulted in the mayor of Beaver Bay (pop. 119) vacating his seat. The town is now accepting...
Lake County
Hunt for Two Harbors smiley face bandit leads to shroom arrest
On May 26, 2025, Two Harbors police officers observed spray-painted smiley faces on a retaining wall near the public boat launch. Some of the...
Lake County
Silver Bay City Council includes City Center Park in state bonding request
On May 19, 2025, the Silver Bay City Council considered including $4 million for construction of the proposed City Center Park in its state...
Beaver Bay
Annual Beaver Bay smelt fry to feature local Beaver River smelt
On Saturday, May 17, 2025, for the first time in more than 30 years, the City of Beaver Bay (pop. 120) will host a...
Lake County
Spillover from failed Silver Bay perimeter ditch worsens
On June 19, 2024, a major storm system dropped 7 inches of rain on the town of Silver Bay. On the northern end of...
Lake County
Behind the scenes, private group designs Silver Bay public park
On Aug. 21, 2023, the Silver Bay City Council approved a “Downtown Vision Concept Plan,” which had been prepared for the city by Damon...
Lake County
Corey Krube on pre-trial release after alleged chain assault
On Aug. 8, 2024, Silver Bay Police Officer Marcus Small was dispatched to an assault call on Arthur Circle. Upon arrival, he observed a...
Lake County
Neglected Silver Bay perimeter ditch places neighborhood in jeopardy
At about half-past midnight on June 19, 2024, Judy and Randy Carlson noticed that their Silver Bay home, on Adams Boulevard, was quickly flooding....
Beaver Bay
Duluth man charged with three felonies for allegedly torching Beaver Bay home
On Aug. 24, 2024, Lake County Sheriff’s deputies and Silver Bay police responded to a call for “trouble unknown.” They found a trailer house...
Finland
Andrew Deyette receives four additional gross misdemeanor charges
On Aug. 22, 2024, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office charged Finland resident Andrew Deyette with four gross misdemeanors in relation to a 2023 incident...
Finland
Friends of Finland director terminated in connection with Andrew Deyette case
On Aug. 20, 2024, at the regular monthly meeting of the Crystal Bay Township Board in Finland, board supervisors (and a sizable audience) learned...
Lake County
Proposed blight ordinance stirs concern in Silver Bay
On Aug. 5, 2024, a large number of Silver Bay residents gathered at the Reunion Hall for a public hearing on a blight ordinance...
Finland
Friends of Finland leadership ignored years of complaints about Andrew Deyette
At a special meeting of the Crystal Bay Township Board, held on July 30, 2024 in Finland, Minnesota, the room was packed with interested...
Lake County
Driver with 4X legal blood alcohol content injures 6 in head-on collision near Silver Bay
On Aug. 5, 2024, at approximately 6 pm, a Ford Econoline van pulled out of a driveway onto Highway 61, near Silver Bay. Initially,...
Finland
Andrew Deyette violated restraining order multiple times following arrest
On June 14, 2024, Finland resident Andrew Deyette was charged with four gross misdemeanors, after he was caught swimming in the nude with two...
Finland
Finland youth program director charged with lewd conduct around children
On June 13, 2024, during a routine patrol south of Silver Bay, Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Jack Dietz noticed a vehicle parked along Highway...
Lake County
Silver Bay residents raise blight concerns
At the June 5, 2024, meeting of the Silver Bay Planning and Zoning Commission, the room was crowded with residents. Commission Chair Steve VanHouse...
DULUTH
Mr. O’s defamation lawsuit dismissed
On March 28, 2024, the Monitor reported that the mysterious Mr. O had sued the Duluth News Tribune and DNT Reporter Jimmy Lovrien for...
Lake County
Return of the underwater hotel
Some stories never go away.
To recap, in 2022, Two Harbors Mayor Chris Swanson was widely ridiculed when he advocated for the construction of a...
DULUTH
Mr. O sues News Tribune for defamation
On Feb. 22, 2024, in United States District Court in Las Vegas, Nevada, an individual named Daniel Victor Hancock filed a lawsuit against the...
Lake County
Two Harbors native faces another fraud lawsuit
On Nov. 19, 2023, the Monitor reported on Paul Croft, the Two Harbors native whose flashy Chattanooga accounting firm Croft & Frost had collapsed...
Lake County
Two Harbors “visionary” faces fraud allegations, lawsuits
It’s been a tough couple of months for Paul Croft and Jonathan Frost, owners of the Croft & Frost accounting firm in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
On...
Lake County
Monitor wins state award for Swanson coverage
The year 2022 will undoubtedly be remembered by residents of Two Harbors, Minnesota, as an unusual time. That was the year their self-proclaimed “visionary”...
Lake County
Swanson defamation lawsuit against Monitor permanently expires
The Duluth Monitor had a busy 2022. We published a series of eight articles about the antics of Two Harbors Mayor Chris Swanson, over...
Lake County
Judge Cuzzo upholds one restraining order, dismisses three against Monitor publisher
On Oct. 10, 2022, in Lake County District Court, Judge Michael Cuzzo upheld a harassment restraining order which former Two Harbors Mayor Chris Swanson...
Lake County
While under contract with Ruth’s Vegetarian Gourmet, Mayor Swanson advocated for their expansion project with city
In late January of 2020, Jennifer Sterbenz, the newly-hired Director of Community Development for the City of Two Harbors, received an email from a...
Lake County
Boss Swanson, Part II: Shining light of hope
Two Harbors Mayor Chris Swanson loves entrepreneurs, and takes pride in what he has done to promote entrepreneurialism in Two Harbors. One might even...
Lake County
Woot woot! Mayor Swanson promoted Swanson businesses 50 times on Facebook
On March 9, 2022, I published an article entitled “Mayor Swanson promoted own businesses 97 times on city Twitter account.” The mayor, who did...
Lake County
Short-term rental boom creates housing shortage in Two Harbors
“There’s one house for sale in Two Harbors,” realtor Sue Bott told the Two Harbors Planning Commission, incredulously, on March 1, 2022. “Well, there...
Lake County
Swanson News Roundup
As the Monitor enters its sixth week investigating Two Harbors, our switchboard operators are having trouble keeping up with all the news tips and...
Lake County
Boss Swanson, Part I: Poaching Lou’s Fish
“We love jobs and want to see more in Two Harbors. If you are looking to start a business, or already have a business,...
Lake County
Mayor Swanson promoted own businesses 97 times on city Twitter account
The first tweet on the official Twitter account of Two Harbors Mayor Chris Swanson is a pun. It appeared on April 5, 2017, shortly...
Lake County
Two Harbors mayor allegedly used position to fundraise for nonprofit, while under contract with them
Mayor Chris Swanson can’t blame Mr. O for his own behavior.
The mayor of Two Harbors recently came under fire when news broke that his...
Lake County
Unmasking Mr. O
It’s not easy being a big thinker. Christopher Swanson, the mayor of Two Harbors, Minnesota, has had a rough few weeks.
On Jan. 20, 2022,...
