Recent content from Jana Hollingsworth
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.
Cook County authorities ask public to stay away from Lutsen Lodge during fire investigation
No one was staying in the historic lodge when the fire started.
Many Minnesotans with disabilities earn far less than minimum wage. A push for equal pay continues.
Advocates want Minnesota to join other states ending subminimum wages, but the goal remains divisive as others fear people will be left out.
Duluth voters again asked for school tech money
After a razor thin loss, the Duluth school district will return with the same question in May.
Late-night fire destroys historic Lutsen Lodge on North Shore
The historic resort's operators vow to rebuild after the fire. Lutsen Lodge has been in operation for nearly 140 years and bills itself as Minnesota's oldest resort.
$500 million housing development proposed in Duluth, its largest ever
Market rate condos and apartments would perch atop Duluth's hillside, overlooking Lake Superior.
Minnesota Appeals Court rules Duluth had authority to reverse hotel project decision
The Duluth City Council last year reversed an environmental review decision made by a city-appointed citizen group.
What does it take to build a stone stairway in the BWCA?
Rock slings, strong backs and hand saws helped crews perform primitive work on the primitive land.
Biden visits Superior, Duluth to trumpet bridge money
Thursday marks the second visit in less than two years to the port cities, where he announced funding for transportation projects elsewhere in the nation.
UMD startup designs and tests potential cancer-fighting drugs
"Student-driven lab" is testing 25 potential drugs with the hopes that one or two can be commercialized through the startup.
After fires, Grand Marais couple aim to bolster downtown with development
Events, lodging and dining are planned for the building, with a 14,000-square-foot footprint in the North Shore tourism hub.
As Kathy Cargill's company buys up Duluth's Park Point homes, will locals get priced out?
Most of the properties, many with Lake Superior or bay access, were bought for well over their estimated values.
Cloquet hotel clerk who was killed in shooting described as 'wonderfully colorful'
The suspected shooter, who died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, is from Ramsey, Minn.
Duluth's paper mill to be sold again with promises of new jobs
ST Paper bought the nearly 40-year-old mill from Verso in 2021.
![Roger Reinert greeted suporters aster being sworn in as mayor of Duluth at a City Hall ceremony Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024 Duluth, Minn. ] GLEN STUBBE •](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/PAYDXQS4Q2TLPPBQ3IKFMWMIPU.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
With changes already afoot, new Duluth mayor sworn in
Roger Reinert became Duluth's 40th mayor Tuesday.
A decade after state's worst rape kit backlog, Duluth police aim to fix 'broken trust'
The department worked through its backlog, and also changed its approach with victims.
Floating sauna opens in Duluth harbor inside a renovated barge
"Dunking feels good," said one recent visitor of the 33-degree harbor water.
New federal funding moves St. Louis River cleanup closer to completion
More than $22 million in federal funding will help remediate decades of pollution in the river's Thomson Reservoir, southwest of Duluth.
Duluth City Council approves 3.1% property tax increase
But homeowners will see a smaller increase thanks to a growing tax base.
Duluth housing nonprofit lands historic $62.5M in state aid
One Roof Community Housing will funnel millions toward apartments and single-family homes.
Settlement reached in 2021 Proctor football sexual assault case
Parents of the victim sued the school district and former coaches and superintendent in federal court in 2022.
Lutsen ski resort expansion plans still a 'no,' Superior National Forest says
The Forest Service issued a draft decision in August, and allowed time for objections.
Why did Duluth's economy collapse in the 1980s?
The Zenith City was once predicted to be the next Chicago. But its fortunes changed.
Iron Range Hells Angels prospect faces rape and kidnapping charges
Law enforcement says a man was kidnapped and assaulted at the Eveleth clubhouse for the motorcycle charter.
Duluth firefighters battle 8-foot Lake Superior waves to rescue dog
The pit bull jumped into the ship canal near the Aerial Lift Bridge last week.
Three men arrested in connection to dayslong Iron Range kidnapping
Charges are expected this week.
Low enrollment drives University of Minnesota Duluth to examine majors, courses
A high number of low-demand courses and majors means less revenue, officials say.
State appeals court dismisses Duluth Preservation Alliance suit over Hotel Astoria demolition
The downtown building in a historic district needed millions in renovations.
An Iron Range region could lose ambulance service
The city of Nashwauk operates the emergency service but faces a growing deficit from escalating costs and unmatched reimbursement rates.
When a beloved YMCA closed, Iron Rangers didn't accept defeat
A grassroots coalition formed a nonprofit, bought a building and will open a new community fitness center in January.
Demolition of Duluth's former St. Mary's hospital set for summer
Essentia Health's new St. Mary's Medical Center opened July 30.
In 'Hockeytown USA,' longtime Warroad coach sues parents
Girls varsity hockey coach David Marvin filed a civil defamation lawsuit this week against several parents of current and former players.
'He couldn't walk on his own:' Duluth woman charged in fatal dog neglect case
The pit bull was largely confined to a crate for more than a month.
Duluth election results tip the city in a more moderate direction
Roger Reinert's mayoral win and a City Council that's mostly centrist could mean spending priority changes for Duluth.
Duluth Mayor Emily Larson concedes to challenger Roger Reinert
Voters in Duluth decided an intense race over the next leader of the city of 86,000: the two-term incumbent or a former state lawmaker.
Cold and frustrating: Car-living in Duluth
A downtown Duluth parking lot that serves people who live in their vehicles has finished its first season of operation.
PAC money fuels record spending in Duluth mayor's race
Mayor Emily Larson and challenger Roger Reinert have raised about half a million dollars combined, records show.
Two paddlers missing in northwest Wisconsin since Saturday
Family found the capsized canoe of the two men shortly after midnight.
Sale of former West Duluth Kmart tied up in court
The Minneapolis-based buyer has a vision that includes pickleball courts inside the former big-box store.
Once-polluted Duluth riverfront to reopen after $165M cleanup
The 92-acre U.S. Steel Superfund site in Morgan Park opens next summer with new trails and wildlife habitat.
Strike hits Great Lakes shipping, cutting off Duluth from international traffic
A union for the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. in Canada went on strike Sunday following a 72-hour notice.
Duluth schools say innovative programs, jobs on the line unless voters approve levies
Pandemic aid that allowed schools to build up mental health and academic support runs dry next year.
After delays, Duluth begins $18 million seawall reconstruction
"This project is going to create a very distinctive and compelling new Duluth space," Mayor Emily Larson said.
Gripping Duluth mayoral race pits longtime DFLers against each other
Two-term Mayor Emily Larson faces former state lawmaker Roger Reinert.
