Recent content from Jana Hollingsworth
Duluth in 'near-crisis' with child care shortage, task force says
The group convened by former Mayor Emily Larson shared results of a year-long study, with recommendations to invest in several strategies.
MacKenzie Scott gives $9 million to Duluth business nonprofit
The gift to the EFund is equal to 15% of the nonprofit's lending portfolio.
Iron Range school bus rolls with 21 kids on board
St. Louis County Schools superintendent said the children suffered non-life-threatening injuries and some were sent to area hospitals.
Is population-stuck Duluth finally growing?
For decades, Duluth has been a popular place to visit, but not so much to put down roots. New data suggests that might be changing.
Duluth could see 2% levy increase — but taxpayers won't feel it, mayor says
Projected revenue from new construction will blunt the tax increase in 2025, Mayor Roger Reinert says.
Duluth fish kill likely due to 1.7 million gallons of chloramine-treated water that drained into stream
The amount of water released is far greater than Duluth city officials initially reported.
Duluth's economic development arm sees rash of resignations
The city of Duluth's Planning and Economic Development Department has a leadership void after two top departures this month.
Grand Marais denies hillside townhouse project, but developer has a backup plan
Bjorkberg developer Jon Petters says he will work on a new plan to bring single family homes to the northeastern Minnesota city.
Despite housing shortage, Grand Marais resists new townhouse project
A plan to build 19 Lake Superior-facing townhouses, some designated for income-qualified residents, is likely to be scuttled.
In greater Minnesota, annual state aid is often considered 'lifeblood.' So why doesn't everyone get it?
Local government aid (LGA) is largely driven by a city's property tax base. So cities with high tax bases compared to their needs get little to nothing, even in rural Minnesota.
Fish kill, including hundreds of dead brook trout, found in Duluth creek
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is investigating the fish kill in Tischer Creek; it could take up to three years to repopulate the brook trout to previous levels.
Duluth zoo's newest red panda, Pip, has died
Pip came to the Lake Superior Zoo in the spring, joining Zoozee, who has been with the zoo for more than a year.
Meet the new University of Minnesota Duluth chancellor, 30 days into his new job
Meet the new University of Minnesota Duluth chancellor, 30 days into his new job
St. Louis County flood damage nears $12 million for property owners
IRRB approves $2.5 million for economic recovery of Cook, hit hardest by June flood.
Duluth council rejects push to criminalize homeless encampments
City officials notified an encampment outside Duluth City Hall that occupants had one week to leave.
Iowa housing developer broke contracts with Duluth
Merge Urbane Development Group was to benefit from millions in public aid for western Duluth housing projects.
Duluth Palestinian restaurant tagged by 'threatening' graffiti
Falastin, which offers food and wares central to Palestinian culture, opened in early May.
Duluth city leaders hear from more than 200 on criminalizing homeless encampments
The Duluth City Council will take up a slate of proposed nonviolent crime ordinance changes July 29.
Once a toxic soup, a Lake Superior estuary is now swim-worthy
The $186 million restoration of a section of the St. Louis River that divides Duluth and Superior, Wis., is complete, and officials say a new era of recreation can safely begin.
Duluth proposes criminal penalty for homeless encampments
A ban on outdoor camping is among a slew of ordinance changes city officials are proposing.
Damage leaves Minnesotans without flood insurance hoping for aid
Home and business owners are left reeling as they also await federal and state disaster dollars.
Sullivan Lake has disappeared after a century-old dam fails in heavy rains
Sullivan Lake, north of Two Harbors in Lake County, drained after a century-old dam failed.
Gov. Tim Walz tours northeast Minnesota flooding, promises help
The area will likely escape predicted rain this weekend, allowing floodwaters time to recede.
New Fond du Lac Chippewa tribe leader takes office in July
Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Chair Kevin Dupuis Sr. was voted out last week after 16 years in tribal leadership.
Families at YMCA camp near Ely stuck on wrong side of washed-out road
An official at YMCA of the North said about 170 campers are safe but unable to leave in vehicles after heavy rains flooded the road to the camp.
Flooding forces northeastern Minnesota town to 'a standstill'
St. Louis County declared a disaster Thursday to secure relief aid, with several rural residential areas under water.
'Rare' storm sends torrents of water down Duluth's hillsides
Parts of the Iron Range and the North Shore got more than 7 inches of rain, washing out roads, downing trees and forming walls of waterfalls from rock ledges along Hwy. 61.
Tornadoes confirmed across swath of northern Minnesota
Surveyors discovered extensive tree damage, with the worst at Whitefish Lake and Crosslake in Crow Wing County, north of Brainerd.
Rural North Shore residents oppose proposed Black-owned wellness sanctuary
A group of Lake County residents have filed a lawsuit to stop a wellness retreat aimed at people of color.
Duluth tiny house mocked for high sales price is poised to become an affordable rental
The house started with a $195,000 sale price, or about $950 per square foot.
Body found in North Shore river identified
A Finland, Minn., man was found in the Baptism River last month.
Madeline Island ferry sale ends in 'best-case scenario'
The Madeline Island Ferry Line connecting two northwestern Wisconsin communities on Lake Superior carries more than 100,000 people every year.
Diesel fuel spills into Lake Superior near Silver Bay
The nearly 400-gallon spill occurred during a fuel transfer near the Northshore Mining Co. facility.
Fond du Lac Band set to start cannabis production in northeastern Minnesota
The band secured a loan from the state's mining resource agency, despite opposition from the agency's advisory board.
A longer day returns to Duluth public schools
The Duluth school district long ago eliminated the seventh period for grades 6-12 to save money. Now it's coming back.
Powwow to replace protest for Hinckley graduates
A Hinckley-Finlayson school board decision to block a tribal drum group from performing at the school's graduation ceremony drew ire.
As U.S. Steel opens new Iron Range taconite facility, its potential foreign sale looms
Japan's Nippon Steel plans to acquire the company pending regulatory approval, but the transaction, announced in December 2023, has drawn national security and supply chain concerns.
Duluth considers one-way loop for deadly section of Skyline Parkway
Two traffic-related deaths this winter prompted a study of the famous roadway.
Minnesota school board bars tribal drum group from graduation performance
The Hinckley-Finlayson school board said its participation may violate the U.S. Constitution.
Duluth schools' $52M levy fails for second time
"We have some difficult decisions ahead," Superintendent John Magas said.
New high-end Duluth development poised to change low-key neighborhood
RiverWest Duluth is a mix of housing and retail with a hotel next to the St. Louis River and at the base of Spirit Mountain.
Itasca County paints over jail's Ten Commandments
The commandments and other religious quotes found inside the jail divided many in the northeastern Minnesota county.
Duluth electric utility owner Allete to go private after $6.2 billion sale
A Canadian pension board and an investment fund partnered to buy the company, which will keep its headquarters in Minnesota.
Black nonprofit sees investments in Duluth's Central Hillside as 'catalyst'
A major 'transformational' grant awarded by the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation is its largest to date.
Thou shalt not blend church and state, new Minnesota jail is told
Residents on tours who discovered religious quotes lining cellblock walls of the Grand Rapids facility allege First Amendment violation.
Duluth Homegrown Music Festival kicks off without mayor for first time in two decades
New Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert declined to participate, organizers said.
Federal funds to help restore Lake Superior sandbar
The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa will partner with a University of Wisconsin research reserve to preserve the western end of popular Wisconsin Point.
Duluth mayor pledges population growth in the long-stalled city
Mayor Roger Reinert said he won't raise taxes next year and will take a tougher stance on panhandling.
Two stalled Duluth housing projects move ahead
Together, the projects will add more than 250 apartments to city's inventory.
Minnesota beach makes Travel and Leisure's top beaches in the country list
It was cited for its "ocean locale" feel.
Two major Duluth tourist attractions need millions in repairs
Both the Aerial Lift Bridge and the DECC are city priorities for state bonding money this year.
![Kathy Cargill's home in Duluth's Park Point neighborhood. Cargill's limited liability company has purchased more than 20 parcels on the point. ] JANA](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/BTNQVSCQD5GQLP6YRUSBSH6FQM.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Who is Kathy Cargill, the wealthy Park Point buyer who clashed with Duluth?
She married into one of America's wealthiest families but has shop-floor roots from northwestern Wisconsin.
Superior denies utilities' land use requests for $1B power plant
The Wednesday night City Council decision adds a new hurdle for the Nemadji Trail Energy Center.
In response to rift, Duluth med students reach out to trans community
Students organized a gender-affirming care night after disappointment in how U medical leaders handled concerns about a student group opposing certain gender care.
Despite success, Duluth mayor wants to review out-of-town tourism partnership
Tourism tax revenue reached a record high at nearly $15 million in 2023.
Duluth City Council rejects Israel-Hamas war cease-fire resolution
The majority of councilors said their focus should be on city issues, rather than international.
Proposed Superior, Wis., power plant hits snag with city approvals
The city's Plan Commission recommended that land-use requests for the Nemadji Trail Energy Center be denied, sending the matter to the City Council to vote.
Meet the finalists for the top leadership job at University of Minnesota Duluth
The three chancellor finalists come from different colleges, but they all have ties to Minnesota, and one is a former UMD leader.
Lack of snow intensifies wildfire risk in Superior National Forest
The national forest has the highest risk in the eastern United States for wildfire, the USDA says.
A ravenous beetle now threatens Minnesota's North Woods
The emerald ash borer has been found in north-central Minnesota, showing the bugs' ability to adapt to cold, in a state with more ash trees than any other.
Duluth awarded crucial grant to study its divisive interstate
Advocacy groups want the downtown section of I-35 dismantled.
No gun found at Proctor High School, police say after reports
"Everyone did what they were trained to do," superintendent said of students' responses.
What to know about the controversy on Duluth's Park Point
Kathy Cargill bought her first property three years ago.
Mayor: Duluth investigating how to protect Park Point
Roger Reinert said the city will examine zoning and other regulations that apply to construction and demolition.
![A plot of land that has been purchased and cleared by the Cargill family is seen Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, on Park Point in Duluth, Minn. ]](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/YVTGD3F2Z3KVJZGJ7VH7M2JKSM.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Kathy Cargill ignores meeting request from Duluth mayor over Park Point purchases
Mayor Roger Reinert shared the letter with the Duluth City Council on Monday.
Cargill family member's company buys more homes on Duluth's Park Point
Kathy Cargill's limited liability company closed on two more homes in February.
Plans for speedy passenger train to Duluth have slow start
Anticipated federal funding didn't come through in 2023, but proponents have high hopes for this year.
Superior, Wis., leaders now question planned $700M power plant near Lake Superior
The Nemadji Trail Energy Center in Superior, Wis., would be built along the eroding Nemadji River that feeds into the Great Lake.
Duluth residents push to close section of Skyline Parkway after fatalities
A pedestrian and a driver were killed in two separate incidents this month along the roadway.
![A dump truck transferred a load of ore from one part of the Hull-Rust-Mahoning Mine pit to another Wednesday evening in Hibbing. ] JEFF WHEELER •](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/IF77H6LA43OUJJGS6OZ5CVYFMA.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Range lawmakers bristle at 'robber baron' bill that would send mining money south
The bill would expand the northeastern Minnesota Taconite Assistance Area to include several central Minnesota communities.
What does an iceless Lake Superior portend?
Lake Superior and all the other Great Lakes reached historic lows for ice coverage mid-February.
Moose Lake votes to disband police force
After a rash of resignations, the city will use Carlton County sheriff's deputies for patrols.
Duluth gives tax breaks to massive hilltop housing development
New York-based developer Luzy Ostreicher plans a series of buildings on a long-empty school district site.
Bulk of police force resigns in northern Minnesota's Moose Lake
Moose Lake's Police Department shrunk from five officers to one in the past year amid funding problems.
Duluth seeks replacement of outdated air traffic tower
The 70-year-old tower fails to meet several Federal Aviation Administration standards.
