DULUTH
DULUTH
Grievance hearing exposes dysfunction on American Indian Parent Advisory Committee
A Nov. 19, 2025 post on the Facebook page for the Duluth Public Schools Indian Parent Committees read, “If you are interested in participating...
DULUTH
Community Action Duluth closes farmers markets without explanation, owing vendors thousands
Both the Lincoln Park Farmers Market (which operates out of the Harrison Community Center) and the Hillside Farmers Market (located in an Essentia parking...
DULUTH
2 city officials signed NDAs when Duluth was being considered for data center project
The City of Hermantown’s proposed data center project has received a lot of public scrutiny in recent weeks, primarily because the project has been...
DULUTH
Endi bankruptcy dismissed; affidavit shows Luzy Ostreicher used rent proceeds for Incline Village project, other unauthorized expenses
On Oct. 9, 2025, in the Southern District of New York, United States Bankruptcy Judge Sean H. Lane dismissed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy case...
DULUTH
Delayed DECC heating system replacement project completed
At the regular board meeting of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, on Sept. 25, 2025, DECC Executive Director Dan Hartman expressed concern about ongoing...
DULUTH
Duluth Parking Commission increases on-street parking rate to $2.50 per hour
At the regular monthly meeting of the Duluth Parking Commission, on Oct. 3, 2025, commissioners approved raising on-street parking rates from $1.50 to $2.50...
DULUTH
City to seek private operator for Spirit Mountain
The City of Duluth plans to gauge whether private ski hill operators have any interest in managing Spirit Mountain, by issuing a Request for...
DULUTH
New Keene Creek filtration basin completed in Irving Park
A new storm water filtration basin, officially known as the “Keene Creek Resiliency-Irving Park Biofiltration Basin Project,” has been constructed in West Duluth’s Irving...
DULUTH
Tony Nephew believed he was responsible for Trump’s election, murdered family to save them, reports show
On Nov. 7, 2024, 46-year-old West Duluth resident Anthony “Tony” Nephew took the lives of his wife, his ex-wife and his two sons, before...
DULUTH
Lester River Rendezvous cancels portion of Sept. 27 festival due to logistical conflicts
The annual Lester River Rendezvous is best known for its re-creation of an 18th-century voyageur camp in Duluth’s Lester Park. Dressed in period attire,...
DULUTH
Juvenile charged for vicious assault of homeless man in Canal Park
At 3:15 in the morning on Aug. 26, 2025, a man waved down Duluth police in Canal Park to report that his cousin (identified...
DULUTH
Window-peeping DECC security guard pleads guilty to recording adolescent in gym
On Sept. 10, 2025, Perry Burke entered a guilty plea to interfering with the privacy of a victim under the age of 18. The...
DULUTH
City looks to bolster Community Investment Trust fund with ordinance change
On Sept. 4, 2025, during a budget presentation to the Duluth City Council, Mayor Roger Reinert introduced a new Community Investment Trust fund (CIT)...
DULUTH
Promised housing fail: Former Ordean Building now boutique hotel
On Sept. 19, 2023, the City of Duluth announced the results of a Downtown Housing Study, which showed a large demand for all types of...
DULUTH
Alleged Menards rebate bandits charged
On July 19, 2025, when the owner of Webber Roofing & Remodeling attempted to use his Menards rebate checks, they were declined. His company,...
DULUTH
Incline Village developer, Stearns Bank file competing federal lawsuits
Although the Incline Village site is silent and deserted today, fallout from the project has now reached our federal court system, with a recent...
DULUTH
With chalet rehab efforts paused, Spirit Mountain seeks financial assurances from city
In 2023, the City of Duluth received $13 million in bonding funds from the State of Minnesota to assist with a rehabilitation project at...
DULUTH
Duluth man accused of sexually abusing minor has long history of harassment, domestic violence
In August of 2024, 42-year-old Sky McCauley was charged with three counts of 3rd Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct for assaulting a 16-year-old girl on...
DULUTH
Duluth looks to federal partnership to address Park Point erosion
Duluth’s Park Point (also known as Minnesota Point) and Wisconsin Point, in Superior, are natural lake bars which were formed by wind and waves...
DULUTH
Sukhi’s Liquor Store owner charged with selling alcohol, cannabis products, and lottery tickets to minors
The owner of a Lakeside liquor store has been charged with nine gross misdemeanors related to selling alcohol and cannabis products to underage customers....
DULUTH
City of Duluth did not require proof of Incline Village developer’s financing before approving TIF subsidy
On June 2, 2025, Duluth Economic Development Authority (DEDA) Director Tricia Hobbs sent Luzy Ostreicher, developer of the Incline Village project, a Notice of...
DULUTH
West Skyline Parkway rehab project proceeds
The western three miles of Skyline Parkway (between the Magney-Snively parking area and the Becks Road neighborhood) has been closed for the summer to...
DULUTH
Gulping pretzels: Memories of Grandma’s Marathon weekend
Friday
When I hit the streets in my cab on Friday, June 20, 2008, the day before Grandma’s Marathon, Canal Park was already filling up...
DULUTH
Duluth Civic Center flags do not comply with federal Flag Code
The National League of Families POW/MIA flag was created in 1972 to honor American soldiers whose lives were lost or who went missing during...
DULUTH
Facing receivership, Endi Plaza files for bankruptcy a second time
In the wake of an unfavorable court ruling on June 6, 2025, Endi Plaza LLC has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection—for the second...
DULUTH
Cause of Spirit Mountain’s maintenance shed fire still undetermined
On the evening of April 26, 2025, Duluth firefighters responded to a report of a blaze on Knowlton Creek Boulevard, in Norton Park. A...
DULUTH
City of Duluth sues Burger King franchisee for noncompliance with city’s Earned Sick and Safe Time ordinance
On March 25, 2025, the City of Duluth filed a lawsuit against Cave Enterprises Operations LLC, seeking damages for Cave Enterprises allegedly violating the...
DULUTH
Duluth mayor, county board chair endorsed aviation tax cuts, didn’t tell constituents
On March 25, 2025, Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert and St. Louis County Board Chair Annie Harala wrote letters to the House Committee on Taxes,...
Airports
Bills moving through Minnesota Legislature would deliver hefty tax breaks to Cirrus Aircraft, other aviation companies
Two bills currently moving through the Minnesota House of Representatives (and their Senate companion bills) would give millions of dollars in tax cuts to...
DULUTH
Duluth HART ramp partially closed for structural repairs
On May 2, 2025, at the monthly meeting of the Duluth Parking Commission, Parking Director Mark Bauer told commissioners that a portion of the...
DULUTH
Incline Village developer failed to pay property taxes in 2024
As Incline Village project construction begins at the top of the hill, on the site of the former Central High School, property tax records...
DULUTH
Family of Maxton Gudowski relieved to see charges filed against Tyler Edwards
On April 23, 2025, in St. Louis County District Court, 25-year-old Tyler Walter Edwards was charged in the July 2024 death of Lakeside resident...
DULUTH
Spirit Mountain ordered to pay $908,651 to alpine coaster manufacturer
On April 10, 2025, following a four-day trial, a St. Louis County jury found Spirit Mountain liable for $908,651 in damages to Wiegand Sports...
DULUTH
Lakeview Tower first TIF project in Duluth to subsidize vacation rentals
On March 26, 2025, the Duluth Economic Development Authority (DEDA) approved an eighth amendment to the Lakeview Tower development agreement, thereby allowing for 34...
DULUTH
New Spirit Mountain attraction delivers grins, glitches
On Saturday, the Spirit Mountain Recreation Area unveiled their latest attraction: the Grocery Cart Cannonball Run. The specially-groomed run, co-sponsored with Super One Foods,...
DULUTH
Outdoor living program plans to operate from Vineyard Church parking lot
Safe Bay is a program which provides people without permanent home residences a safe place to park their vehicles at night. The local social...
DULUTH
Letters show denial of Massie’s crime within Old Apostolic Lutheran Church
At Clint Massie’s sentencing hearing for his four child sexual assault convictions, on March 27, 2025, both the prosecuting attorney and the judge referenced...
DULUTH
Clint Massie sentenced to 91 months for child sexual assaults
On March 27, 2025, in St. Louis County District Court, Judge Eric Hylden sentenced Clint Massie to 91 months in prison for four counts...
DULUTH
Accused DECC window-peeper seeks suppression of evidence based on unlawful search
On March 20, 2025, counsel for alleged DECC window-peeper Perry Burke filed a motion in St. Louis County District Court, asking that key pieces...
DULUTH
Endi Plaza bankruptcy dismissed, foreclosure case proceeds
On March 10, 2025, United States Bankruptcy Judge Sean H. Lane dismissed the Chapter 11 bankruptcy case of Endi Plaza LLC, which the company...
DULUTH
Credit card statements suggest booster club president used club funds for personal expenses
On Aug. 29, 2024, the St. Louis County Attorney’s office formally announced that the county would not be pursuing criminal charges against the East...
DULUTH
Clint Massie jailed for probation violation
On Feb. 20, 2025, Clint Franklin Massie was arrested and taken into custody by Duluth police for violating the terms of his pre-sentencing release....
DULUTH
Residents concerned about City of Duluth’s response to blight reports
The City of Duluth website offers a Blight Complaint Form for citizens to report illegal dumping, abandoned vehicles, hoarding, and other solid waste concerns....
DULUTH
Duluth man charged with sexually assaulting incapacitated woman
On Sept. 26, 2024, a 22-year-old woman called 911 to report that she had woken up naked and could not remember what had happened...
DULUTH
As Spirit Mountain pays off “wildly popular” alpine coaster, personal-injury lawsuit lingers
On Jan. 22, 2025, Spirit Mountain made their final lease payment on the alpine coaster, concluding a 15-year payment plan which commenced in 2010....
DULUTH
City to seek private companies to operate Spirit Mountain
At the monthly meeting of Spirit Mountain’s board of directors on Jan. 28, 2025, the City of Duluth’s liaison to the board, Jim Filby...
DULUTH
6th Avenue East extension creates access problems for Dougherty Funeral Home
As part of the ongoing street and utility projects surrounding the Essentia Health medical campus, the City of Duluth is extending 6th Avenue East...
DULUTH
Report concludes it’s neither illegal nor improper for mayor’s girlfriend to manage city business
In October, when the Monitor learned that the City of Duluth was paying a consultant up to $10,000 to determine whether Mayor Roger Reinert...
DULUTH
Community Action Duluth loses qualified builder, jeopardizes construction training program
Community Action Duluth (CAD) is a local nonprofit agency which administers a variety of programs aimed at assisting the community. Their most popular program...
Douglas County
National Bank of Commerce account holder loses $4,000 to text scam
On Nov. 15, 2024, a Superior resident (who wishes to remain anonymous) visited the website of the National Bank of Commerce (NBC), his financial...
DULUTH
DECC security guard charged with window-peeping/recording minor girl, other women
On Dec. 2, 2024, a 17-year-old girl visited the on-site workout facilities at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC)—a perk enjoyed by DECC employees...
DULUTH
Blatnik Bridge project to eliminate last trace of Twin Ports Horse Market
Before the Minnesota Department of Transportation can rebuild the Blatnik Bridge, they plan to acquire land near the base of the bridge via eminent...
DULUTH
City plans to improve water system efficiency with new water line across country club golf course
On Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, the Duluth City Council will consider Resolution 994, which proposes awarding $1,155,180 to Northland Constructors for the “Upper Lakeside...
DULUTH
Amid mortgage foreclosure and fraud allegations, Endi Plaza owner files for bankruptcy
Endi Plaza, the apartment building and retail hub located at 21st Avenue East and London Road, is owned by Endi Plaza LLC. Lazar Ostreicher...
DULUTH
St. Louis county attorney declines to file charges in Les Grumdahl perjury investigation
Holly Brown has been dealt another blow by the legal system.
As the Monitor originally reported on March 5, 2024, Ms. Brown is facing the...
DULUTH
Clint Massie pleads guilty to four counts of child sexual abuse
On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, a panel of jurors was standing by in the St. Louis County District Courthouse in Duluth, waiting...
DULUTH
Incline Village project has yet to break ground, 9 months after claims of urgency
Occasionally, when the Duluth city administration asks the City Council to approve a subsidy for a favored developer, they send the Council an urgent...
DULUTH
Duluth considers establishing city ATV routes
On Nov. 4, 2024, the City of Duluth Parks and Recreation Department hosted a stakeholder meeting for parties interested in establishing ATV trails in...
DULUTH
Tony Nephew acquired handgun permit on Sept. 9, two months after wife reported mental health concerns
Two Duluth Police Department search warrant applications, approved by St. Louis County District Court Judge Leslie E. Beiers on Nov. 7, 2024, shed more...
DULUTH
Homicide suspect feared others killing his family
On Nov. 7, 2024, Duluthians were stunned to learn that five people had been killed in West Duluth. At two separate crime scenes, before...
DULUTH
Report on Tischer Creek fish kill could be 6-9 months away
On Nov. 6, 2024, at the regular monthly meeting of Duluth’s Natural Resources Commission (NRC), commissioners asked the administration for an update on the...
DULUTH
Volunteers unearth buried section of Incline Steps
From 1891 to 1939, the Incline Railway transported Duluth passengers more than 500 vertical feet from Superior Street to an expansive pavilion overlooking the...
DULUTH
Duluth man charged with vandalizing Sky Harbor Airport business
On Oct. 29, 2024, Duluth police officers responded to a call at the Sky Harbor Airport, where the airport manager observed blood smeared the...
DULUTH
Duluth continues to remove ash trees from city streets
Invasive emerald ash borer (EAB) beetles are believed to have hitchhiked to the United States in packing material from Asia; they were first discovered...
DULUTH
Report: Former East hockey coach Mike Randolph created ‘intimidating and hostile’ environment for players
Shortly before now-former Duluth East boys hockey coach Mike Randolph resigned, in the spring of 2021, an investigator hired by Duluth Public Schools concluded...
DULUTH
No charges after probe into hockey booster club’s finances
After a years-long investigation, Jennifer LaMaster will not be facing criminal charges. As president of the now-defunct East End Hockey Boosters, LaMaster managed the...
DULUTH
Vocal Natural Resources Commission requests information on Tischer Creek fish kill
On Oct. 2, 2024, at the regular monthly meeting of Duluth’s Natural Resources Commission (NRC), one item of business on the agenda was the...
DULUTH
As Duluth revamps parking ordinance, three-year-old snow emergency signs remain in place
On Sept. 23, 2024, the Duluth City Council gave a first read to proposed revisions to the city’s Snow Emergency parking ordinance. If approved,...
DULUTH
HRA to refund more than $1.6 million to city, county, and school district
In 2004, the Duluth Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) secured a $7.4 million Tax Increment Financing (TIF) loan and assembled 55 acres of land...
DULUTH
Mayor Reinert’s “partner in life” issues directives to city staff
Ever since Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert took office, in January of 2024, the Monitor has received reports that the mayor’s girlfriend, Amber Gurske, has...
DULUTH
YWCA to transfer West Duluth building, programming to new organization
On Sept. 17, 2024, representatives of organizations which had applied for 2025 federal funding from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program were present...
DULUTH
Dale Howard pleads guilty to March homicide of Allisa Vollan
On Sept. 17, 2024, 25-year-old Dale John Howard entered a plea of guilty to second-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend, Allisa Vollan,...
Cotton
Hibbing-Duluth meth distributors met at Cotton gas station to make exchanges
On Aug. 10, 2024, the Lake Superior Violent Crimes Task Force (LSVCTF) received notification from a Pen Register Trap and Trace locator that Chicago...
DULUTH
Tyler Edwards released from jail without charges
On Sept. 1, 2024, the Duluth Police Department issued a press release stating that Tyler Edwards had been arrested and was going to be...
DULUTH
Woodland Reservoir released 1.7 million gallons of water into Tischer Creek in July 31 incident
In early August, media outlets reported that the City of Duluth had released between 400,000 and 500,000 gallons of drinking water from the Woodland...
DULUTH
DECC unlikely to seek renewal of unused $1 million line of credit
On Aug. 29, 2024, at the regular monthly meeting of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center Board, DECC Executive Director Dan Hartman informed members that...
DULUTH
City reports second reservoir discharge into Tischer Creek
On Aug. 1, 2024, residents of Duluth’s Hunters Park neighborhood noticed large numbers of dead fish in Tischer Creek. The City of Duluth subsequently...
DULUTH
Construction Crew media letter highlights deep-seated problems at Community Action Duluth
Community Action Duluth (CAD) is a nonprofit located in Duluth’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. CAD provides programs for low-income and marginalized individuals in the Duluth...
DULUTH
Duluth police investigate suspected Lakeside homicide
On July 25, 2024, at 2:28 a.m., Duluth police and firefighters responded to a report of a structure fire at 601 North 47th Avenue...
DULUTH
After 97 years, Lake Superior Zoo plans to phase out lions
African lion siblings Malkia, Leo, and Lilly came to the Lake Superior Zoo as five-month-old cubs in 2008. They replaced the zoo’s previous lion,...
DULUTH
City moves forward with plan to drain Hartley Pond, restore Tischer Creek
Plans to drain Hartley Pond and restore Tischer Creek took a step forward this week. Both the city Parks Commission and Natural Resources Commission...
DULUTH
Lawsuit alleges lender fraudulently acquired London East townhome already paid for by buyer
A lawsuit is proceeding against Renovo Capital by prospective London East homeowner Ryan Wippler, who alleges that the Wayzata-based lending company foreclosed on the...
DULUTH
Tischer Creek fish kill spurs public concern at Natural Resources Commission meeting
At the regular meeting of Duluth’s Natural Resources Commission (NRC), on Aug. 7, 2024, five members of the public were in attendance—an unusually large...
DULUTH
Tischer Creek fish kill coincided with City of Duluth reservoir release
On Aug. 1, 2024, a number of posts on social media reported large numbers of dead fish in Tischer Creek, in the Hunters Park...
DULUTH
City will soon enforce metered parking 7 days/week in Canal Park
The city parking lots at the north end of Canal Park (near Endion Station and the steam plant) are currently enforced seven days per...
DULUTH
Gary Doty and the bird: A day at the Aquarium
“I love this place! They’ve got everything!”
The Sturgeon General
July 29, 2000 was opening day, and the Great Lakes Aquarium was throwing a party. Colorful...
DULUTH
In exchange for $75 million subsidy, Incline Village developer is only required to build 60 housing units
In March of 2023, the new Lincoln Park Flats apartments, located at 2102 West Superior Street, converted an entire floor of their four-story building...
DULUTH
Federal judge threatens Mr. O’s lawyer with “significant repercussions” in flawed lawsuit
On June 10, 2024, the Monitor reported that a defamation lawsuit filed against the Duluth News Tribune, DNT reporter Jimmy Lovrien, and Monitor Publisher...
DULUTH
DECC spent $200 to print disappointing annual report
On June 27, 2024, at the regular monthly board meeting of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, DECC Executive Director Dan Hartman announced to the...
DULUTH
Incline Village developer showed no need for $75 million subsidy approved by City Council
On June 10, 2024, the Duluth City Council approved a resolution authorizing a $75 million Tax Increment Financing (TIF) subsidy for Phase One of...
DULUTH
Patrick Bruckelmyer receives no jail time, $100 fine for two first-degree child sex-abuse convictions
On Jan. 8, 2023, Lakewood Township resident Patrick Neil Bruckelmyer turned himself into the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office and confessed to molesting two...
DULUTH
Police report 22 incidents at protest encampment since May
As of July 7, 2024, protesters demonstrating against the conflict in Gaza have been camped out at Duluth’s Civic Center for about ten weeks....
DULUTH
Amid fraud lawsuit and breach-of-contract claims, London East developer declares bankruptcy
The London East development is a row of townhomes in varying stages of construction along London Road, just east of Glensheen Mansion. Construction activity...
DULUTH
As perjury case moves to County Attorney, Les Grumdahl attempts to settle with Holly Brown
On June 14, 2024, the Monitor reported that local Window and Siding Contractor Les Grumdahl was being investigated by the Duluth police for perjury....
DULUTH
City declines to address Civic Center encampment issue
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine has ignited protests worldwide, including in Duluth.
On March 11, 2024, local supporters of Palestine turned out in...
DULUTH
City to raze two burned Goat Hill dwellings
On June 24, 2024, the Duluth City Council authorized a $102,000 expenditure to raze the ruins of two buildings in Duluth’s Goat Hill neighborhood.
Goat...
DULUTH
Incline Village developer’s RICO lawsuit dismissed
On April 4, 2024, the Monitor reported on a case in New York State Court, where Lazar Ostreicher, his wife Malka, and two others...
DULUTH
Duluth police open Les Grumdahl perjury investigation
On March 5, 2024, the Monitor reported on the case of Holly Brown, a Kenwood woman facing the imminent loss of her home. After...
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...
DULUTH
NIMBY town
Developer Nick Ericson owns four acres of land in Lakeside, adjacent to the Hawk Ridge Estates neighborhood. In 2023, Ericson approached Duluth city planners...
DULUTH
DECC the walls
On May 30, 2024, at the regular monthly board meeting of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, DECC Executive Director Dan Hartman took board members...
DULUTH
Old Apostolic Lutheran Church leaders encouraged children to “forgive and forget” sexual abuse, did not report assaults to police
Clint Franklin Massie first came to the attention of Duluth authorities in 2017, at the age of 42, when a therapist who was counseling...
DULUTH
County to build wetlands in Hartley Park to treat storm water
St. Louis County has recently begun work on a Woodland Avenue construction project between Snively Road and Anoka Street. The 1.5-mile stretch of roadway...
DULUTH
Court of Appeals denies Holly Brown new trial
On March 5, 2024, the Monitor reported on Holly Brown, a Kenwood woman who is facing the loss of her home in a breach-of-contract...
DULUTH
Lincoln School Apartments utility shutoff notice due to “accounting process,” will not create disruptions
On Friday, May 10, 2024, residents of the Lincoln School Apartments were startled find a utility termination notice had been posted on their building’s...
DULUTH
Formerly confidential warrants show progress of Duluth hockey booster investigation
Court documents uncovered earlier this month by the Monitor outline the progress of an ongoing investigation into the finances of a now-defunct Duluth hockey...
DULUTH
Consultants recommend draining Hartley Pond with culvert through dam
Guilford Hartley, Duluth’s largest farmer at the turn of the twentieth century, created Hartley Pond by building a dam across Tischer Creek in 1913....
Douglas County
Duluth vs. Superior: Who is more transparent?
The Duluth Monitor began reporting on Superior, Wisconsin, in June of 2023, which has given us nearly a year to observe them to date....
DULUTH
Self-proclaimed “rabbi mogul” launches website touting mysterious “large-scale real estate projects”
Lazar Ostreicher, developer of the Incline Village project, on the former site of Central High School, has recently launched a website: mordchilazarostreicher.com. The website...
DULUTH
Viewpoint: City councilors should stop debating issues during agenda sessions
The Duluth City Council holds an agenda session any Thursday prior to their regular Monday meeting, for councilors to gather information that will help...
DULUTH
Unlicensed vacation rental owner fined $12,000, continues to advertise property
On Dec. 16, 2023, the Monitor reported on 35 vacation rental properties operating in Duluth without the required licensure.
Since then, some violators have removed...
DULUTH
Incline Village developer very litigious, prone to settling
As the City of Duluth proceeds working with New York Developer Lazar Ostreicher to construct the Incline Village project on the hill, city leaders...
DULUTH
Duluth News Tribune demands $167 to publish letter to editor
In 2018, the Duluth News Tribune instituted a new policy: During election season, letters to the editor written in support of particular candidates will...
DULUTH
Incline Plaza developer embroiled in synagogue fraud case
On Feb. 12, 2024, the Duluth City Council approved a development agreement with the companies Chester Creek View LLC and Incline Plaza Development LLC,...
DULUTH
City boosts plans for multi-use community center in West Duluth
Love and support was in the air at the regular meeting of the Duluth Parks Commission on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, 2024, when Duluth...
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...
DULUTH
Cityview Flats continues to lease out workforce housing units as vacation rentals, without required permits
On Dec. 16, 2023, the Monitor reported on 35 vacation rentals which we had found operating in Duluth without the required licensure. Four of...
DULUTH
Buckingham Creek restoration project planned for Enger Golf Course
Buckingham Creek, one of the least-known waterways in the city, is scarcely two miles long. From its headwaters in the forested area of the...
DULUTH
Kenwood woman facing loss of home due to slander, deceit and malfeasance
As a decorated Army medic and former heavy equipment operator, Holly Brown has accomplished many things in her life, but she is especially proud...
DULUTH
Investigation finds no evidence for Ostreicher claims
The Duluth City Council recently approved a development agreement with various companies owned by New York resident Lazar Ostreicher, who plans to build a...
DULUTH
School district failed to enforce booster club compliance for years
The East End Hockey Boosters (EEHB) is the former booster club for the Duluth East boys hockey team. In 2015, the booster club stopped...
DULUTH
Promoters of half-billion-dollar project struggle to answer questions
On Feb. 8, 2024, at the Duluth City Council’s regular agenda-setting session, Director of Planning and Economic Development Chad Ronchetti provided councilors with an...
DULUTH
Essentia denies rumors of sinking building, robot attacks
Ever since Essentia completed their $900 million medical center expansion, in July of 2023, the Monitor has been receiving reports that the new building...
DULUTH
City Planning Department overruled inspector’s concerns about Riverwest vacation rentals
Vacation rentals, or vacation dwelling units (VDUs), are private residences which owners lease out as lodging on a short-term basis, as an alternative to...
DULUTH
Monitor reporter points out Planning Department mistake, saves homeowner $917
In order for homeowners to be granted a variance exception from city code for a construction project, they must go through an application process...
DULUTH
Community Action Duluth retaliates against whistleblowers, ignores transparency laws, censors the press
For a year and a half, the nonprofit organization Community Action Duluth (CAD) has had a new executive director, Classie Dudley. Ms. Dudley’s tenure...
DULUTH
Absent enforcement, illegal vacation rentals proliferate in Duluth
A “vacation rental” is a residential property which is rented out for short-term stays as commercial lodging. Online marketplaces like Airbnb and VRBO have...
DULUTH
Judge rules in favor of HRA at 2808 Wicklow
On Nov. 14, 2023, Judge Eric Hylden ruled on the case at 2808 Wicklow Street, where a tenant of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority...
DULUTH
Abundant remnants of Duluth’s first railroad overlooked in Jay Cooke Park
If you were traveling to Duluth from St. Paul in 1870, only one railroad could get you there: the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad...
DULUTH
West Theatre defaults on more than $1 million in mortgage loans
The West Theatre, located on Central Avenue in West Duluth, is owned by Bob Boone, publisher of the Reader Weekly. Mr. Boone acquired the...
DULUTH
London East developer defaults on $5.5 million construction loan
A local developer whose project the Monitor reported on in March has defaulted on a $5.5 million construction loan.
Ted Stocke is the president of...
DULUTH
More violations: Riverwest “hotel” operation has no hotel license
The Monitor first reported on the Riverwest vacation-rental development, in West Duluth, on Sept. 22, 2023. We noted that they were missing required permits...
DULUTH
Six months on a burn site
On May 4, 2023, contractors for the City of Duluth conducted prescribed burns in the Riverside neighborhood and in Hartley Park. Prescribed burning is...
DULUTH
City condemns HRA home destroyed by weeks-long water leak
On Oct. 4, 2023, the City of Duluth issued a condemnation order for a four-bedroom home at 2808 Wicklow Street, owned by the Duluth...
DULUTH
Riverwest developers trespass Monitor publisher for making damaging comments
On Oct. 26, 2023, an attorney with the Hanft Fride law firm served Monitor Publisher John Ramos with a trespass order, prohibiting him from...
DULUTH
City of Duluth continues to shield Riverwest lodging operation from scrutiny
On Sept. 22, 2023, the Duluth Monitor reported on the Riverwest development in West Duluth, which is currently under construction at the base of...
DULUTH
City grapples with high cost of parking ramp safety
On Oct. 6, 2023, at the regular monthly meeting of the Duluth Parking Commission, Parking Services Manager Mark Bauer informed commissioners that the Parking...
DULUTH
Duluth library among Modernist architect’s favorite buildings
Every structure that I have built has been a first for me—I have refused to emulate any existing form or idea.
Gunnar Birkerts
On Aug. 26,...
DULUTH
KOOL 101.7 and B-105 failed to disclose details about political advertising
On Tuesday, Sept 12, 2023, a political ad for Roger Reinert aired for the first time on Duluth radio stations B-105 and KOOL 101.7:...
DULUTH
DECC plans $1 million in payroll cuts
On Sept. 28, 2023, at the regular board meeting of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, DECC Executive Director Dan Hartman informed board members he...
DULUTH
911 dispatch report reveals more details on Hietala incident
On Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, Duluth police responded to a 911 call that Duluth East High School football coach Joe Hietala was drunk on...
DULUTH
City Council loans DECC $1 million without seeing current financials
At their regular meeting on Sept. 25, 2023, the Duluth City Council unanimously voted to grant the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) a $1...
DULUTH
Riverwest vacation rentals violate rules, receive special treatment from city
Vacation rentals, or vacation dwelling units (VDUs), are private residences which owners lease out as lodging on a short-term basis, as an alternative to...
DULUTH
DECC seeks $1 million loan from city to meet cash-flow emergency
On Sept. 15, 2023, at a special meeting of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center board of directors, DECC Executive Director Dan Hartman told board...
Carlton County
Vendor estimates suggest hockey booster club overcharged parents for apparel
With additional reporting by Sean McGee
As part of the Monitor’s investigation into the financial dealings of the East End Hockey Boosters (EEHB), we analyzed...
DULUTH
Duluth school district evasive in booster club inquiry
The Monitor’s investigation into former Duluth East Hockey Coach Mike Randolph and the East End Hockey Boosters (EEHB) began in June of 2023. When...
DULUTH
Community Action Duluth employees vote to unionize
On Aug. 3, 2023, the employees of Community Action Duluth (CAD) officially unionized, with 8 eligible employees casting an affirmative vote. This was 6...
DULUTH
Invoices suggest East hockey booster club overcharged parents for captain’s practices
In high-school hockey, prior to the regular season beginning, hopeful hockey players participate in what are known as “captain’s practices,” which are run by...
DULUTH
DECC board approves “compromise” to keep ice in DECC Arena for 3 years
As the Monitor recently reported, the DECC Arena ice plant was retired in May, when a consultant discovered significant corrosion within the 57-year-old unit....
DULUTH
As Spirit Mountain rehab costs grow, city revises project scope, seeks additional funding sources
On July 24, 2023, the Duluth City Council passed Resolution 570, authorizing the administration to apply to the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails...
DULUTH
Duluth Civic Center loses another elm tree
Recent visitors to the Civic Center in Duluth (which includes City Hall, the county courthouse, and the Federal Building) may have noticed that the...
DULUTH
Safe Haven casual employees unionize, negotiate
This past May, seven casual employees with the Safe Haven Battered Women’s Shelter, in Duluth, voted to unionize. A “casual employee” is one who...
DULUTH
Faced with housing shortage, city rezones land to limit housing
City leaders have been sounding the alarm for years: Duluth needs more housing—all types. A 2019 study identified a shortage of more than 3,600...
DULUTH
Sky Harbor Airport changes planned
Beginning in August, new construction will commence on Park Point at Sky Harbor Airport, which is located at the end of Lake Avenue.
Currently, the...
DULUTH
State auditor flags concerns with DECC accounting, use of public funds
On June 30, 2023, the Minnesota State Auditor’s Office released the 2022 Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) audit report, which found “significant deficiencies” in...
DULUTH
12 of 15 Duluth booster clubs out of compliance with the law
During the Monitor’s investigation of the East End Hockey Boosters, we were amazed the organization had operated for ten years without the school district...
DULUTH
Mike Randolph’s peculiar expenses
In June of 2021, longtime Duluth East High School hockey coach Mike Randolph resigned from his position. His reasons for doing so were unclear,...
DULUTH
Community Action Duluth employees seek to unionize
On Tuesday, June 13, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board sent an email to Classie Dudley, the executive director of Community Action Duluth (CAD),...
DULUTH
Incline Steps’ biggest supporter celebrates approval of interpretive sign project
Duluth has many trails within its borders, but only one trail exists almost entirely on historic infrastructure. Over the course of half a mile,...
DULUTH
Community Action Duluth trespasses Monitor publisher for requesting information
On June 5, 2023, a source alerted me to an interesting post on Facebook, which stated that employees of Community Action Duluth (CAD) had...
DULUTH
Hockey players, figure skaters face loss of DECC Arena
In April, DECC Executive Director Dan Hartman shared unfortunate news with representatives of the Duluth Amateur Hockey Association (DAHA) and the Duluth Figure Skating...
DULUTH
Publisher’s Desk
Hello, readers. You may have noticed changes taking place at the Monitor during the past few weeks. The most obvious change is that we’ve...
DULUTH
North Shore Scenic Railroad unexpectedly gifted boxcars full of tools
What Ken Buehler wanted was a 40-foot boxcar; what he got was a whole lot more.
The longtime North Shore Scenic Railroad director wanted to...
DULUTH
I-35 Corridor Plan considers Duluth freeway changes, downtown freeway replacement
On May 16, 2023, Angie Bersaw, principal transportation planner with the engineering firm Bolton and Menk, gave a presentation on the future of Interstate...
DULUTH
City studies ways to reduce road salt use
In 2022, the City of Duluth spent $493,771 on road salt. In 2023, the city has spent $583,277. The city’s work crews use road...
DULUTH
City seeks new Ojibwe co-name for Lincoln Park
At the city Parks and Recreation Commission meeting on May 10, 2023, Parks Director Jessica Peterson advised commissioners that the city wanted to give...
DULUTH
City to study feasibility of heating Lincoln Park with sewage
On May 9, 2023, Duluth Mayor Emily Larson and various city officials gathered in the small park at 19th Avenue West and Superior Street...
DULUTH
Court weighs class-action certification in stormwater fee case
On May 8, 2023, Sixth Judicial District Judge Eric Hylden heard arguments for and against certifying class-action status for a case involving Duluth stormwater...
DULUTH
Fire crew conducts prescribed burns
On May 4, 2023, a crew with the company Prairie Restorations conducted prescribed burns at three city-owned sites in Duluth—one in Riverside (at the...
DULUTH
Press release: Minnesota Slip Pedestrian Bridge closed to pedestrian traffic through Friday morning
From the City of Duluth Press Release-Generating Office:
The Minnesota Slip Pedestrian Bridge will seasonally open to pedestrian traffic after Friday morning, May 5....
DULUTH
City seeks public comment on Lakewalk Interpretive Plan
On Feb. 8 and April 19, 2023, Senior Parks Planner Cliff Knettel gave the Duluth Parks and Recreation Commission presentations on a proposed interpretive...
DULUTH
City plans fires in Hartley Park, Riverside
Sometime in May, contractors with the City of Duluth will conduct three prescribed burns within city limits: two in Hartley Park, and one in...
DULUTH
DECC permanently shuts down chiller for safety
On March 30, 2023, at the monthly meeting of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) board of directors, DECC Executive Director Dan Hartman informed...
DULUTH
Additional floor added to London East townhomes without public process
The London East development is located about a quarter-mile east of Glensheen Mansion, on the opposite side of London Road. The property is a...
DULUTH
Spirit Mountain water line increases maintenance burden, fails to deliver savings
On Aug. 16, 2022, at the monthly meeting of the Spirit Mountain board of directors, Spirit Mountain Executive Director Ann Glumac informed the board...
DULUTH
DECC sponsored $10,000 retreat, $1,500 Vista cruise for board of directors
When it comes to local board meetings, few venues offer surroundings as comfortable as the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC). The state authority’s monthly...
DULUTH
“A wake-up call”: DECC ammonia leak exposes safety concerns, draws EPA investigation
One year ago, on July 13, 2021, the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) and the neighboring Marcus Theaters were evacuated due to an ammonia...
DULUTH
Publisher’s Desk
Hello, readers.
Man, oh man. Life is crazy sometimes.
One story. Three months ago, we planned to publish one story about Mayor Chris Swanson and Two...
DULUTH
City avoids appeal of Sugarloaf project
When people disagree with decisions made by the Duluth Planning Commission, the appeals process allows for their concerns to be heard by the City...
DULUTH
Major changes made to Spirit Mountain rehab plan without board knowledge
Ever since Mayor Emily Larson formed a task force to save Spirit Mountain, in July of 2020, the City of Duluth has concealed information...
DULUTH
DECC looks to replace Pioneer Hall chiller
In February of 2020, the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) was laying the groundwork for a major upgrade of its cooling system. DECC staff...
DULUTH
City to solicit ideas for Lot D (again)
On July 12, 2021, city planners hosted a special meeting of the Duluth Economic Development Authority (DEDA) at Lot D, on the waterfront, to...
Douglas County
Dam neighbors causing problems in Twin Ports
This past March, users of the Duluth, Winnipeg, and Pacific (DWP) trail in West Duluth noticed a beaver dam being built in the drainage...
DULUTH
City proposes big spend on Spirit Mountain, ignoring risks
On May 6, 2021, Duluth Mayor Emily Larson announced that the city would like to spend an additional $24 million on Spirit Mountain improvements....
DULUTH
City working on plan to replace lead water service lines
Of the approximately 28,000 buildings with running water in the City of Duluth, more than 5,000 have water service lines made of lead. The...
DULUTH
Despite rumors and fears, data show no great increase in shoplifting during pandemic
On March 18, 2021, at a monthly event coordinated by the Lincoln Park nonprofit Ecolibrium3, Duluth Community Police Officer Jim Forsyth was on hand...
DULUTH
Spirit Mountain: The forgotten bailouts
As the community ponders the report issued by the Spirit Mountain Task Force, city leaders have been busily laying the groundwork for some truly...
DULUTH
City conceals Spirit Mountain report from Spirit Mountain board
In July of 2020, Duluth Mayor Emily Larson appointed a task force to review Spirit Mountain’s operations and suggest possible changes to help the...
Douglas County
A hundred walks
On Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, my boys and I completed our 100th walk in the Try To Walk Every Day Except Sunday (TTWEDES, or...
DULUTH
Observation Hill NIMBYs oppose vacation rental
On Jan. 25, 2021, the Duluth City Council will consider Resolution 28, which grants Benjamin Klismith a permit to operate a vacation dwelling unit...
DULUTH
City cuts tourism tax support for most, gives Spirit Mountain raise
On Dec. 8, 2020, Duluth Mayor Emily Larson held a virtual press conference to deliver some sobering news: Tourism tax collections were projected to...
DULUTH
City leaders fast-track Visit Duluth-DECC merger
Tourism taxes in Duluth are applied to hotel stays, restaurant bills, and bar tabs, with the proceeds used for a variety of tourism-related purposes....
DULUTH
Publisher’s Desk
Hello, readers.
I have always felt that a job was worth devoting time and energy to if it (a) made me money; or (b)...
DULUTH
Better Futures Minnesota and St. Louis County offer house parts for sale
The public will have an opportunity to view and purchase the dismantled remains of three houses this weekend. The sale, held by the nonprofit...
DULUTH
City proposes using capital money to fund Spirit Mountain operations
On Sept. 28, 2020, the Duluth City Council will consider Resolution 732, which would help Spirit Mountain reopen for the winter by essentially cutting...
DULUTH
Electric bus pilot project reveals problems
In 2015, the Duluth Transit Authority (DTA) was awarded a $6.3 million federal grant to buy electric buses for a pilot project intended to...
DULUTH
City Council to approve $74,000 consultant for Spirit Mountain
On Sept. 14, 2020, at their regular meeting, the Duluth City Council will pass Resolution 683, approving a $74,000 contract with SE Group to...
DULUTH
A response to Sgt. McShane
On Aug. 27, 2020, a post appeared on the Facebook page of Duluth Police Union Local 807. Written by an anonymous “Duluth police sergeant,”...
DULUTH
Benvie goes to jail
From March to June of 2019, a man named Jim Benvie gained a measure of national notoriety when he camped out on the U.S.-Mexico...
DULUTH
Park Point beach nourishment begins
About two weeks ago, contractors for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began dredging the Duluth-Superior harbor shipping channels and transporting the sand to...
DULUTH
Reduced forestry staff falls behind on tree planting
At the regular meeting of the Natural Resources Commission on Aug. 5, 2020, City Forester Clark Christenson delivered a report on his activities during...
DULUTH
“It’s all starting to snowball”: DECC worries about UMD lease, AMSOIL bonds
On July 29, 2020, at the board meeting of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC), Finance Director Caty Kaups delivered a grim assessment of...
DULUTH
Planned riverfront park downsized, on hold
On July 20, 2020, the Duluth City Council approved Resolution 584, the Riverwest Drive construction agreement with Spirit Valley Land Company (SVLC). Riverwest Drive...
DULUTH
Publisher’s Desk
Hello, readers.
Like you and yours, we continue to trudge along through the pandemic. Seizing on the idea that the coronavirus doesn’t transmit well in...
DULUTH
Rice Lake imposes moratorium on hot mix plants
At their regular meeting on July 13, 2020, the Rice Lake City Council unanimously approved Ordinance 54, imposing a one-year moratorium on hot mix...
DULUTH
Federal, state officials fast-track Park Point beach nourishment
On June 24, 2020, the City of Duluth hosted a virtual meeting with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency,...
DULUTH
“Stop this insanity”: Minor title change upsets some Duluthians
On May 6, 2020, Duluth Mayor Emily Larson attended a virtual meeting of the Duluth Charter Commission to speak in support of an ordinance...
DULUTH
With 750K grant on hold, Lincoln Park project returns to earlier form
On Feb. 22, 2016, the Duluth City Council approved the Lincoln Park Mini-Master Plan. The plan offered many suggestions for improving the park, including...
DULUTH
City plans heavier enforcement of sidewalk shoveling
One of many planning efforts interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic has been the City of Duluth’s ongoing struggle to keep city sidewalks clear of...
DULUTH
City Council fails to make hard decision on Spirit Mountain
At the May 26, 2020 meeting of the Duluth City Council, held remotely via Webex from Duluth City Hall, the Council was tasked with...
DULUTH
Evidence suggests urban bow hunt has reduced Duluth’s deer population
Duluth’s annual urban bow hunt was established by the City Council in 2005, in response to growing concern about the number of deer within...
DULUTH
Parks Division loses two-thirds of maintenance workforce
Two weeks ago, Duluth Mayor Emily Larson announced that, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the city could lose as much as $38 million from...
DULUTH
Breakwaters, piers make Park Point erosion worse
Park Point is a seven-mile-long sandbar which reaches out from Duluth toward Wisconsin, separating Lake Superior and the mouth of the St. Louis River....
DULUTH
Study finds no dog E. coli in Keene Creek
Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacterium found in human and animal feces which can make people sick if ingested. E. coli is also...
DULUTH
Notes on the pandemic
Nine days ago, when we last wrote in this space, the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus was 775. Since then, it has doubled...
DULUTH
Publisher’s Desk
Hello, readers.
Like you, in these unusual times, the Monitor has been doing our best to help flatten the curve. We’ve stayed home a lot,...
DULUTH
Parks Commission votes to eliminate Chester Park shared-use trail designation
For six years, the Nordic skiing trails in Chester Park have been shared by both skiers and pedestrians. On March 11, 2020, the Duluth...
DULUTH
In fifteenth year, city bow hunt is meeting goals
The City of Duluth’s annual urban deer hunt wrapped up its fifteenth season on Dec. 31, 2019. Archers with the Arrowhead Bowhunters Alliance (ABA)...
DULUTH
DECC plans cooling system upgrade
The Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) is planning a major upgrade of its cooling system. Officials have solicited engineering studies and preliminary estimates for...
DULUTH
The Great 990 Hunt, Part 2
On Feb. 24, 2020, I visited 11 nonprofit organizations within the City of Duluth to see how well they could comply with their federal...
DULUTH
The Great 990 Hunt
On Feb. 19, 2020, I visited 12 nonprofit organizations
within the City of Duluth. Nonprofits are legally obliged to provide certain
documents to the public upon...
DULUTH
Chester Bowl chalet project in “quiet phase” of fundraising
Fundraising for a $1.8 million reconstruction of the Thom Storm Chalet in Chester Park is currently in its “quiet phase,” according to Dave Schaeffer,...
DULUTH
“Why didn’t I get a gift card?”: Mr. Heide objects to the Campus Connector Trail
Observers of Duluth City Council meetings may have noticed a new regular speaker: the bespectacled Guy Heide (pronounced “hidey”), who delivers his remarks in...
DULUTH
$750,000 Lincoln Park grant on hold due to application concerns
For several years, the City of Duluth has been working on a $1.6 million rehabilitation project for Lincoln Park. However, recent revelations have put...
DULUTH
City, zoo seek to reduce cost of Bear Country project
Shortly after State Senator Erik Simonson took over management of the Lake Superior Zoo, in October of 2017, he announced that he intended to...
DULUTH
City considers 87 percent stormwater utility rate increase over 6 years
At the Jan. 21, 2020, meeting of the Duluth Public Utilities Commission (PUC), Senior Engineer Tom Johnson provided commissioners with an overview of the...
DULUTH
City employees forbidden to speak with reporters at public meetings
Ever since
Mayor Emily Larson took office, she has spoken about her administration’s commitment
to openness and transparency. Recently, however, she has begun placing roadblocks
in the...
DULUTH
“It’s going to be tight”: Spirit Mountain hopes not to run out of money before April
At the Spirit Mountain board meeting on Jan. 16, 2020, Finance Director Jane Kaiser updated the board on the hill’s financial condition. Even with...
DULUTH
Officials, citizens focus on Park Point erosion
At the Duluth City Council’s agenda session on Jan. 9, 2020, Mayor Emily Larson presented the Council with a proposed list of legislative priorities,...
DULUTH
Say anything to get it built
Every new project that comes along in Duluth is supported by specific interest groups—for example, the Great Lakes Aquarium was vigorously supported by environmental...
DULUTH
City uses state grant to preserve 44 acres above Skyline
On Jan. 8, 2020, Senior Parks Planner Lisa Luokkala informed
the Parks Commission that the city had been successful in securing a $400,000
Conservation Partners Legacy...
DULUTH
Parking Commission weighs more last-minute changes to Second Street
In December, the Duluth Parking Commission approved a proposal to eliminate 46 parking spaces on Second Street between 9th Avenue East and 12th Avenue...
DULUTH
Two cruise ship visits scheduled for 2020
The port of Duluth is scheduled to receive two cruise ship visits during the upcoming summer. The Hanseatic Inspiration will be in port on...
DULUTH
Visit Duluth made Spirit Mountain’s problems worse
When Spirit Mountain approached the Duluth City Council on Dec.
12, 2019, asking for a $235,000 bailout, their primary reason given was that a
blizzard had...
DULUTH
Phase One cost of Nordic Center more than 400K over contract
In 2015, when the idea of building a new network of Nordic skiing trails at Spirit Mountain first appeared, the preliminary estimated cost of...
DULUTH
Publisher’s Desk
Hello, readers.
Six months have passed since the Duluth Monitor began its journalistic
adventure, and things are going well. City councilors no longer respond to our
emails,...
DULUTH
Past mistakes created current problems at Spirit Mountain
The Dec. 19, 2019, board meeting of the Spirit Mountain Recreation Authority was a glum affair. Ten days earlier, the Duluth City Council had...
DULUTH
Duluth residents contribute 24 percent of tourism tax fund
On Dec. 9, 2019, the Duluth City Council considered a
$235,000 bailout for Spirit Mountain. The money was proposed to come from the
city’s tourism tax...
DULUTH
Parking Commission approves last-minute proposal to eliminate 46 parking spots on Second Street
On Dec. 6, 2019, the Duluth Parking Commission voted to eliminate 46 metered parking spaces on East Second Street, between 9th Avenue East and...
DULUTH
Officials seek home for harbor dredge material
Each year, the Army Corps of Engineers hires contractors to dredge about 100,000 cubic yards of sediment from 19 miles of shipping lanes within...
DULUTH
Snow job: How Duluth was sold on Spirit Mountain
At the Duluth City Council’s
agenda session of Dec. 5, 2019, councilors were presented with a surprise resolution
granting an emergency bailout to Spirit Mountain. According...
DULUTH
City gets creative in subsidizing zoo
On Dec. 9, 2019, the Duluth City Council will consider Resolution 850, a “Resolution Authorizing Agreement Amendment to the Line of Credit Promissory Note...
DULUTH
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...
DULUTH
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;...
Carlton County
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...
DULUTH
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...
DULUTH
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...
DULUTH
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...
DULUTH
Council rubber-stamps Campus Connector Trail plan without Chinook Drive option
On Oct. 28, 2019, the Duluth City Council unanimously approved the Campus Connector Trail plan. As proposed, the Campus Connector Trail will be a...
DULUTH
Ski club raises Nordic Center fundraising commitment to 900K
Since 2014, when the city announced its intention to raise $18 million for recreation projects in the St. Louis River corridor, one project that...
DULUTH
Railroad company tells mayor what to say
With 20,000 miles of railroad track in North America, the Canadian
National Railway (CN) is connected to communities near and far. The 2019 edition
of “CN...
DULUTH
DECC works on policy for hosting political events
At the monthly meeting of the Duluth Entertainment
Convention Center’s (DECC) board of directors on Oct. 30, 2019, Board Member Mary
Finnegan-Ongaro urged the board to...
DULUTH
Bayfront Park sees busiest year in 2019
At the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center’s (DECC) board of directors meeting on Oct. 30, 2019, Bayfront Festival Park Director Jeff Stark reported that 2019...
DULUTH
Waseca Extension project halted, state grant lost due to $2.4 million funding gap
Planning for an extension of Waseca Industrial Road in
West Duluth, which has been ongoing since 2017, halted in June of 2019 due to a
“funding...
DULUTH
Minneapolis Star Tribune opens Duluth office
Over the last few months, readers of the Minneapolis
Star Tribune may have noticed more stories about Duluth within its pages. The Star
Tribune opened a...
DULUTH
Publisher’s Desk
Hello, readers.
As the Monitor arrives at its four-month anniversary, we are pleased to note that our last 14 stories have been scoops—stories we reported...
DULUTH
Bristolwood resident suggests Campus Connector Trail alternative
On Oct. 16, 2019, board members of the Duluth-Superior Metropolitan
Interstate Council (MIC) gathered in the Douglas County Government Center for
their monthly meeting. Among the...
DULUTH
City Council approves another $100,000 for Spirit Mountain
On Oct. 14, 2019, without discussion, the Duluth City
Council unanimously approved Resolution 681, granting Spirit Mountain $100,000
in tourism tax proceeds to make a final...
DULUTH
Bristolwood NIMBYs oppose Campus Connector Trail segment
It’s been a while since we’ve had a NIMBY issue in Duluth.
NIMBY, as readers may know, stands for Not In My Backyard, and NIMBY...
DULUTH
Planning Commission recommends rezoning of Launch apartment parcel
On Oct. 8, 2019, the 98-unit Launch apartment building project, proposed to be built at South Street and 22nd Avenue East, reappeared on the...
DULUTH
City continues work on St. Louis River Natural Area management plan
The Duluth Natural Areas
Program (DNAP) was created in 2002 by the Duluth City Council, in response to
revelations that many of the city’s most valued...
DULUTH
City nears finalization of Hartley Natural Area management plan
In 2018, the Duluth City Council nominated Hartley Park for
inclusion in the Duluth Natural Areas Program (DNAP). The DNAP seeks to protect
areas of special...
DULUTH
City-owned zoo prohibits public from attending board meetings
Prior to 2009, the Lake Superior Zoo was run by the city of Duluth. In 2009, the city hired the Arrowhead Zoological Society to...
DULUTH
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...
DULUTH
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...
DULUTH
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:...
DULUTH
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...
DULUTH
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...
DULUTH
Flag-raising scheduled for Sept. 18. Or maybe not.
Within the next week, the city will be inviting the public to a flag-raising ceremony for Duluth’s new flag. Though the flags have not...
DULUTH
Tourism tax talk
Duluth’s first tourism tax was established on March 17, 1969, by a vote of the City Council. The new tax attached a three percent...
DULUTH
$5.4 million of city street and utility money redirected to Medical District from “neighborhoods with greater needs”
Two months ago, when the Monitor alerted the public that Mayor Emily Larson and the state Legislature had earmarked $10 million in street and...
DULUTH
A walk on Segment Six
In 2016, the city began planning to extend the Western Waterfront Trail 7.5 miles from Riverside to Fond du Lac. To make the job...
DULUTH
Publisher’s Desk
Hello,
readers.
As
we proceed with lifting our journalistic enterprise off the ground, we are pleased
to note that six of the last seven stories published in the...
DULUTH
City and railroad move forward on rail-with-trail option
On
Aug. 29, 2019, city officials held a stakeholder meeting at the Morgan Park
Community Center to introduce their new vision for the Western Waterfront Trail.
For...
DULUTH
Library boosters propose new city position
In 2016, the Duluth Public Library held a day-long retreat at Glensheen Mansion, where facilitators asked a large group of stakeholders and community members...
DULUTH
City violates state, local transparency rules
Prior to 2015, the
city of Duluth annually published archives of its City Council meeting minutes online
in 800- or 900-page PDFs. The minutes included the...
DULUTH
Chester Park advocates oppose trail proposal
People who walk through Chester Park in the winter often use
the cross-country ski trails, which creates conflicts between skiers and
pedestrians. The city has been...
DULUTH
City Council denies height variance; developer not worried
On July 9, 2019, the Duluth Planning Commission recommended approval of a height variance for a new 98-unit apartment building to be built on...
DULUTH
Conflicts of interest in Duluth
One doesn’t have to attend many City Council or commission
meetings in Duluth to realize that a lot of people who serve on these bodies...
DULUTH
City resumes planning for Segment One
Two months ago, city planners said they would be unable to extend the Western Waterfront Trail (WWFT) from Spring Street to Munger Landing, a...
DULUTH
City re-examines Mud Lake causeway
For the past two years, the city has been focused on removing the railroad causeway that crosses a shallow bay along the St. Louis...
DULUTH
City picks new flag
In February, Mayor Emily Larson announced that the city of Duluth wanted a new flag. She asked people to submit their design ideas. A...
DULUTH
Publisher’s Desk
Hello, readers.
Well, here it is primary day already.
The election season has been underway for some time now. The candidates have
been busily sharing their...
DULUTH
Thunderstorm dramatizes Quarry Park grand opening
On Aug. 2, 2019, City Parks Planner Lisa Luokkala, Parks Director Jessica Peterson and representatives of the Duluth Climbing Coalition (DCC), the Lake Superior...
DULUTH
Tiny houses in Duluth
In September, Duluth city planners
will propose zoning changes to the Planning Commission which are intended to
make it easier for people to build tiny houses...
DULUTH
City mulls Cross City Trail detour
On July 31, 2019, City Engineer Cindy Voigt and consultants with Toole Design held an open house to gather public input regarding the creation...
DULUTH
Are mountain bike trails sustainable?
Much has been said about the great benefits that mountain biking brings to Duluth. In promoting the activity, however, boosters often fail to account...
DULUTH
Video tour of new Quarry Park mountain bike trail
On August 4, 2019, I visited Quarry Park and shot some video of the new mountain bike trail, which climbs the east rim of...
DULUTH
Duluth’s disappearing resource
No one can deny that the Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores
(COGGS) have done a fantastic job of achieving their goals: In twelve years, the
small...
DULUTH
City greenspace almost filled with mountain bike trails
For the past twelve years, mountain bike trail-building has boomed in Duluth. Volunteers with the nonprofit group Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores (COGGS) began...
DULUTH
News Tribune deathly afraid of criticism
On July 15, 2019, the Duluth News Tribune wrote an editorial criticizing Mayor Emily Larson for not telling citizens that she was using millions...
DULUTH
Former chief administrative officer enjoys little bonus
A lot of people who work for the government find that when they leave public service, they can continue to draw money from the...
DULUTH
Planning Commission approves height variance for new apartment building
On July 9, 2019, the Duluth Planning Commission approved a height variance for a new 98-unit apartment building to be built on South Street,...
DULUTH
News Tribune struggles to keep up
On July 15, 2019, the Duluth News Tribune published a lengthy editorial: “More transparency needed with Duluth’s street improvement program, tax.” In it, the...
DULUTH
Community Investment Trust Fund tapped for housing rehab
On July 15, 2019, the Duluth City Council approved Resolution 508,
which withdrew $250,000 from the Community Investment Trust fund (CIT) and
deposited it into a...
DULUTH
Board of Trade TIF plan goes to City Council
On July 9, 2019, Chicago developers David Dubin and Naganat Guru held a public informational session in Duluth City Hall to answer questions about...
DULUTH
Local TV personality stunned by quality of Monitor
To the Monitor:
Nice work on your article about the half-percent sales tax red flags. There are only a very small handful of reporters in...
DULUTH
Publisher’s Desk
Hello, readers.
Well, it’s been a busy three weeks here at the Monitor, as we get rolling on our journalistic enterprise. Investigating all sorts of...
DULUTH
City changes Street Improvement Program
On August 8, 2017, Duluth Mayor Emily Larson unveiled a new funding proposal for the city’s long-suffering streets: If the state of Minnesota would...
DULUTH
Senator: “I’m just telling you what they tell me”
July 1, 2019
Erik Simonson: This is Erik Simonson, returning your
call.
John Ramos: Oh yeah, great. Thanks for getting back.
ES: Absolutely.
JR: So I wasn’t aware that...
DULUTH
62 percent of Medical District streets ineligible for sales tax money
Duluth’s Medical District is shaped like a backwards L, extending from 3rd Avenue East to 12th Avenue East on the long side, and from...
DULUTH
Benvie banned from border
Things aren’t looking too great for border vigilante Jim Benvie. The native Duluthian, as I wrote last week, had been making waves by posting...
DULUTH
City earmarks $10 million of new sales tax for Medical District, doesn’t tell anyone
EDIT, 2019-09-17. The $10 million in the headline will come from both sales tax and utility funds, not just sales tax. This article has...
DULUTH
Tiny houses
On
June 11, 2019, Deputy Planning Director Adam Fulton updated the Duluth Planning
Commission on the city’s efforts to develop standards for tiny houses.
According
to The Tiny...
DULUTH
Planning Commission not impressed with Board of Trade TIF application
On
June 11, 2019, the Duluth Planning Commission considered an item to move an
application for tax increment financing (TIF) forward for the Board of Trade
Building.
The
Board...
DULUTH
From Duluth to the border: A vigilante’s progress
The video, posted to Facebook on March 31, 2019, starts out in the bushes. Twigs and leaves rustle in the breeze. “Yep, I got...
DULUTH
Western Waterfront Trail segment halted indefinitely
The
Western Waterfront Trail (WWFT), a graveled, wheelchair-accessible path along
the St. Louis River, currently runs from 63rd Avenue West to Riverside, a
distance of about 3...
DULUTH
Publisher’s Desk
Hello Readers,
Welcome to Duluth’s newest news publication, the Duluth Monitor. We’re living in the future now, so we’ve decided to part ways with the...
