DULUTH

Duluth man charged with fatally stabbing wife over the weekend

Tom Olsen — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 18:49:38 GMT

DULUTH — A man has been charged with fatally stabbing his wife at their Duluth apartment Saturday night.

Corddarro Andrew Cope, 37, is accused of the intentional second-degree murder of Anissa Cope, 49.

Court filings show a neighbor called 911 around 7:30 p.m. when she heard a woman screaming for help and apparently being “thrown around” in another unit at 601 N. 27th Ave. W. A man could also be heard telling the woman to shut up.

The caller provided Anissa Cope’s name and indicated her husband was leaving the scene in the victim’s truck, according to the criminal complaint.

Officers arrived on the scene minutes later and found a bloody sandal on an interior staircase leading to an open door at Apartment C. The complaint says Anissa Cope was found inside with “multiple large stab wounds to her arms, abdomen and neck.”

First responders attempted to revive the victim, but she was pronounced dead just after 8 p.m.

The reporting party described the suspect as having a shaved head, no shirt and wearing basketball shorts. She told officers he ran out of the building to a black truck and provided the direction of travel.

Police alerted neighboring agencies and the truck was spotted a short time later by a Carlton County Sheriff’s Office deputy, according to the complaint. Deputies and state troopers then executed a stop in Pine County.

Corddarro Cope matched the description provided by the caller and had blood on his hands, abdomen and feet, authorities said. In a search of the truck, officers located a second bloody sandal matching the one found on the staircase.

A search warrant was also obtained for the Copes’ apartment. There, police said they found a bloody chef's knife submerged in a bowl of water in the kitchen sink. Corddarro Cope’s wedding ring was also found on the sink, the complaint says.

Cope does not have any criminal convictions in Minnesota, but pleaded guilty to two separate battery cases in Douglas County in 2019. More serious felony charges of recklessly endangering safety and strangulation were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

He also has a handful of misdemeanor convictions in Missouri from several years ago, including passing a bad check and several driving-related offenses.

Cope was scheduled to make an initial appearance in State District Court on Tuesday. St. Louis County prosecutor Jacqueline Primeau requested $1 million bail, citing the severity of the charges, his battery convictions and his flight risk. She said it remains unclear where he was driving to when arrested, but he has ties to several other states.

The case is the second homicide in Duluth this month, following the shooting death of Cody Telega in the Central Hillside neighborhood less than two weeks earlier. Overall, it was the fourth reported homicide in St. Louis County in June, with apparent murder-suicides occurring in Hermantown and Chisholm.

]]>

More health care workers threaten strike against Essentia

Peter Passi — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 00:38:48 GMT

DULUTH — The Minnesota Nurses Association announced that a Monday strike authorization vote will include about 400 advanced practice providers it represents working in Essentia Health's East Market.

Members of the APP unit include nurse practitioners, physician assistants, certified midwives and clinical nurse specialists who voted to organize in 2024.

Essentia and the MNA have continued to dispute the exact status of the specific unit, even as wider negotiations remain in progress.

In a news release, the MNA said that despite the critical role advanced practice providers play, "Essentia administrators have refused to meet even one time with APPs to discuss the basic conditions necessary for providing safe patient care."

Essentia issued a statement saying that it "recognizes the crucial role our advanced practice providers play in delivering the highest-quality patient care.

"At the same time, rural health care is confronting significant challenges, and Essentia Health's overriding goal throughout this process has been to ensure care remains accessible and close to home in the communities we serve," the Duluth-based regional health care provider went on to say.

"Essentia is not bargaining with the Minnesota Nurses Association's proposed unit of APP's because it is uniquely problematic and wrongly constituted as outlined under the National Labor Relations Board's health care rule," said Tony Matt, a media relations specialist for Essentia Health. The health care provider contends that standing rules should separate acute-care from non-acute-care staff for the purposes of collective bargaining.

In a news release, Neisa Boehm, an APP at Essentia, said patients are sometimes unaware that she and her colleagues in the field are not actual doctors, given the comprehensive care they provide.

"But behind the scenes, we're being excluded from the conversations that determine how we can provide that care in a way that is best for both patients and providers," she said.

]]>

Duluth nurses join statewide plea for safe staffing

Brielle Bredsten — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 21:59:11 GMT

DULUTH — Nurses and advanced practice providers in Duluth held an informational picket Wednesday at Essentia Health and Aspirus St. Luke’s, calling on administrators to address issues of understaffing, unsafe conditions and patient care over profits.

Contracts between the health care systems and the Minnesota Nurses Association are set to expire June 30.

Motorists honked their horns as community members and local politicians, including Mayor Roger Reinert and state Sen. Jen McEwen, DFL-Duluth, turned out to show support.

“It’s not just about the health care that these two systems provide, anchored in Duluth, yet covering a region that encompasses several states,” Reinert said. “But also about these high-quality, good-paying jobs that are in our community. Many of the members live in Duluth and in our neighboring communities.

A lot of nurses suffer from PTSD. When you believe so much in what you do and you can't properly do it, it takes its toll.

“A solid resolution of both of these agreements is good for the nurses,” Reinert said. “It’s good for the institutions and it’s good for our community.”

Crowd members carrying signs and circling the sidewalk outside Aspirus St. Luke’s shouted, “What do we want? Safe staffing! When do we want it? Now!”

Following the pandemic, many nurses left, creating shortages that impact patient wait times and low staff morale.

“A lot of nurses suffer from PTSD,” said Jennifer Armbrust, a registered nurse at Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center. “When you believe so much in what you do and you can’t properly do it, it takes its toll. It burns you out, and it makes you want to quit. And so many nurses have quit the bedside because of it.”

For the first time, safe staffing ranked above pay in key negotiation topics for nurses across the state, according to an MNA media release.

Negotiations are now at a sticking point over the proposed staffing ratios and the absence of economic proposals from the union.

“Our hospitals are dangerously understaffed, and patients are suffering because executives are more concerned with profit margins than safety,” said Larissa Hubbartt, an RN in the intensive care unit at Aspirus St. Luke’s hospital and co-chair for MNA. “Discussions about wages aren’t enough; we need meaningful conversations about setting safer staffing ratios. The current ratios simply aren’t working.”

According to Hubbartt, these ratios often exceed the national standards of one nurse for four patients, at times reaching one nurse per 10 patients.

Megan Finegan is an oncology and hospice staff nurse at Aspirus St. Luke’s. Out of the 48 proposals brought forth by the union for negotiating, one is tentative, although unrelated to staffing, she said.

“Because the ratios have continued to go higher and higher, a lot of nurses are leaving the bedside to do other careers,” Finegan said. “I want to take care of my patients and hold their hands while they’re dying, while their families can’t get to their bedside.

“When I’m safely staffed,” she said, “I know I can do my patients’ hair and give them an actual bed bath and make sure they get to the bathroom in time before soiling themselves.”

The impact is moral injury, with many nurses crying in their cars before or after their shifts due to the inability to provide adequate care, Hubbartt noted.

“You go into nursing because you truly want to help people. When you can’t do that, it just drives a dagger into your heart,” she said. “We’re there for people when they’re at the absolute lowest times of their life and they need that support.”

Over the past decade of working as a nurse for Aspirus St. Luke’s, Andrea Rubesch said she’s noticed a significant deterioration in staffing conditions, which have led to increased patient loads and compromised care quality.

“When I started in 2015, I was taking care of three to four patients,” she said. "I had two nursing assistants, a HUC (health unit coordinator) and a charge nurse that didn’t have patients. So that’s 10 hands taking care of a patient on every single day.

“Ten years later, I don’t have any nursing assistants,” Rubesch said. “I don’t have a unit coordinator; I don’t have a charge nurse. It’s just me. It’s just my two hands, and I take care of six to eight patients at a time.”

In her experience, the limited time Rubesch can spend with patients means choosing between providing chemotherapy treatment safely and effectively to one patient, while not being able to care for the family of another patient who may have just died.

“It’s hard to live with the idea that you had to make those decisions day after day,” Rubesch said.

Cost-saving solutions that ensure quality care without compromising safety have been presented, according to the MNA release. Safer staffing ratios will reduce health care costs, save more patient lives, decrease workplace injuries and increase experienced nurse retention.

Hubbartt suggested Minnesota follow suit with states such as California that have worked staffing ratios into their legislation, as well as for contracts in Michigan and New York.

Aspirus St. Luke’s claimed it can’t support the MNA’s staffing ratio proposal because it doesn’t account for a nurse’s experience, patient needs, staffing levels or unexpected absences. The health system prefers a more flexible, holistic approach.

“Unfortunately, we’re still waiting on a key piece to move things forward,” said Aspirus St. Luke’s MN Region President Dr. Van Deelen. “Despite bargaining for six weeks, MNA leadership has yet to share their full economic proposal. Without it, we can’t move forward with negotiations and engage in the kind of meaningful, productive discussions we believe both sides want.”

Similarly, the union has yet to share its wage and benefit proposal or respond to Essentia’s full contract proposal, which was delivered during the first negotiating session April 11.

Of the potential 54 bargaining days offered by Essentia, the union declined 46 and agreed to eight.

“Among the days we initially proposed was today,” according to an email from Essentia. “The MNA said it wasn’t available. Yet, it found time to host informational pickets and news conferences around the state today.”

The final two sessions between Essentia and MNA are scheduled for June 12 and 25. In 2022, an agreement was secured after 26 sessions.

“Essentia reached out early and often to insist on dedicating time to developing local solutions that work for our patients and nurses,” Rhonda Kazik, chief nurse executive at Essentia, said in a media release.

Armbrust said she believes safe staffing ratios should be based on patient acuity rather than budget at Essentia.

“They keep pushing us to talk about the finances and make our financial proposal for increases and for benefits,” Armbrust said. “We don’t want to talk about money. It’s not about money for us. It’s about safe staffing.”

Essentia has reached tentative agreements on several issues that are part of the larger contract, but not on the union's safe staffing proposals.

According to Essentia, its staffing model is “effective and features the flexibility that sustainable, accessible health care delivery demands,” and should be determined by patient needs, not “rigid and arbitrary ratios.”

Additionally, Essentia filed a ULP with the National Labor Relations Board on Monday, and the union was served on Tuesday regarding "the union’s refusal to bargain in good faith."

The union then announced it would file an Unfair Labor Practice charge against Essentia for bad faith bargaining in regard to Essentia’s patient flow nurses joining an existing MNA contract.

Essentia denied the union's claim in its release that Essentia demanded the nurses be part of a different bargaining unit.

Essentia has not begun to negotiate with its East Market Advanced Practice Providers, who won union representation in July 2024 and were legally certified as members of the Minnesota Nurses Association by the Regional Labor Relations Board.

Essentia provided the following statement on the issue: “Because the NLRB is in the middle of reviewing the viability of this unit, we feel it’s premature to begin bargaining.”

This story was updated at 4:33 p.m. June 5 with a clarification on the union's economic proposal and with additional information about Essentia's filing with the NLRB against the MNA. Corrections were made to distinguish the regional labor relations board decision, as well as tentative agreements reached between the union and Essentia. The News Tribune regrets the errors.

]]>

Future of EPA lab in Duluth remains unclear

Jimmy Lovrien — Fri, 30 May 2025 11:13:00 GMT

DULUTH — Approximately two dozen early-career researchers have been forced out of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s laboratory over the last month when the Trump administration cut a grant and didn't renew a contract to fund their programs.

Meanwhile, the lab’s federal employees — like other EPA employees throughout the agency — have been given the option to retire early, leave voluntarily or apply for a limited number of jobs at other divisions within the agency.

More than two months after the Trump administration’s plans to cut the EPA’s Office of Research and Development were first reported by the New York Times, uncertainty still swirls around the future of EPA’s Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division Laboratory, 6201 Congdon Blvd., which is part of ORD.

A portion of the reduction plan, shared earlier this year with the News Tribune by Science Committee Democratic staff, said the EPA planned to “eliminate” the ORD and expected 50%-75% of its more than 1,540 positions "will not be retained."

Earlier this month, the Trump administration submitted its budget to Congress, which called for a $235 million, or 45%, cut in ORD’s budget.

According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, and a recording of a May 2 virtual meeting obtained by the News Tribune, EPA officials told ORD employees that they could apply to approximately 500 job openings at other offices within the EPA.

Job applications for the new positions and decisions on early retirement or the so-called deferred resignation program were all due a week later, on May 9.

Questions about relocation for the new jobs, however, linger. While one official said the 130 new jobs within the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention would not require relocation and gave Duluth as an example of a place the staffer could remain, a slide showing the organization the newly created Office of Applied Sciences and Environmental Solutions, which account for 300 of the new jobs, only listed locations in Oklahoma, Ohio, North Carolina and Washington, D.C.

Officials said another 30-50 positions would be available at the Office of Air and Radiation and told staff at ORD they could also apply for new positions in the Office of Water.

Questions on the future of ORD were often answered by officials who said the latest plans didn’t directly affect ORD and that more reorganization plans were coming.

Less than a week later, as the May 9 deadline loomed, ORD staff were told, “If you’re interested in remaining with the Agency, we encourage you to apply for any and all of the positions you may be qualified for,” according to an email reviewed by the News Tribune.

However, any mass layoffs appear to be on hold after a federal judge earlier this month blocked the Trump administration from large-scale reductions in force or agency reorganizations of federal agencies, including the EPA, “without partnering with Congress.”

Even so, the lab’s workforce has dropped by about 25 over the last month when a grant was cut and a contract left to expire, both of which allowed early-career researchers to work alongside EPA scientists at the lab. Prior to that, there were 176 employees at the lab, 68 of whom were federal scientists, and the remaining 108 were post-doctoral researchers, student contractors and facility staff, according to an EPA fact sheet updated in April.

It’s unclear how many employees took an early retirement or deferred resignation.

In response to the News Tribune’s request for an interview on what the agency’s reorganization effort and cancellation of the grant and contract meant for the future of the Duluth lab, an EPA spokesperson responded with a brief statement.

“At ORD (Office of Research and Development) and throughout the agency, EPA is continuing to invest in research and labs to advance the mission of protecting human health and the environment,” a spokesperson for the EPA said.

Contract not renewed

A five-year National Student Services Contract between the EPA and Oak Ridge Associated Universities that allowed earlier career researchers to work alongside EPA scientists at seven ORD labs and offices, including Duluth, expired May 14 and a new contract was not approved.

ORAU did not respond to the News Tribune’s request for comment. Multiple sources estimated that approximately 20 researchers, ranging from undergraduates to postdocs, at the Duluth Lab were let go when the contract expired. On its website, ORAU has removed employee spotlight pages that once highlighted the work of its researchers working with the EPA. It also replaced a page of contract information with a thank-you message.

“ORAU would like to thank EPA for 10 years of successful partnership managing the National Student Services Contract (NSSC),” the website said this week. “We would also like to thank all of our employees who worked side by side with the hardworking federal employees at EPA.“

DOGE, EPA cut UMD training grant

Last month, the EPA cut a $3.5 million grant that trained undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Minnesota Duluth in chemical risk management and water quality protection.

The grant began in November 2023 and was expected to last five years, but it ended abruptly April 30, with a notice from the EPA stating the grant was terminated immediately because the “objectives of the award are no longer consistent with EPA funding priorities,” a UMD spokesperson said.

More than $800,000 had been obligated when the grant was cut, with almost $300,000 already paid to the university, according to USASpending.gov.

The Department of Government Efficiency, President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s effort to slash federal spending and programming, now lists the cutting of the grant as a savings on its so-called “Wall of Receipts.”

In a statement, Donn Branstrator, professor of biology at UMD, said the school requested “an orderly closeout” so it can continue the contract until next spring.

“Water quality protection is of vital importance for Minnesotans and people across the country, and the EPA and UMD scientists have a long and productive track record of collaboration in research and student training,” Branstrator said. “Without this funding, the region and the nation will lose out on the training and career development of current and future scientists committed to protecting the environment.”

A UMD spokesperson said one postdoctoral investigator and four graduate students from UMD were in training when the grant was cut, and another two graduate students were expected to begin in the fall. The grant cut affects an additional 15 undergraduate students, seven graduate students and three postdoctoral investigators who would have been trained in aquatic toxicology and ecology.

Lawmakers seek answers

A letter sent in April by U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, both Democrats from Minnesota, to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin demanding answers about the future of the Duluth lab has not been answered by the agency, Smith’s office said. The two sent a follow-up letter to Zeldin urging him to respond to their earlier letter and confirm the EPA would not attempt to reduce staff at the Duluth lab while the court's injunction on large-scale reductions in force and reorganizations is in effect.

In a statement Thursday, Smith said the lab in Duluth and its work on clean and safe water were irreplaceable because of its access to Lake Superior.

“I’m extremely concerned that workers at the lab aren’t getting the clarity they deserve about what’s going on. They are being left in the dark, not knowing if their jobs are safe,” Smith said. “The Trump administration needs to listen to the federal court order temporarily halting any proposed cuts to the lab, but unfortunately this administration has shown a blatant disregard for rule of law and court orders. I’m disappointed the Trump EPA can’t answer a series of simple questions about the future of the lab and these workers, but I’m not giving up.”

In a separate statement Thursday, Klobuchar echoed the need to keep the Duluth lab open.

“The Duluth lab is critical for the Northland and the Great Lakes in a big way — ensuring safe drinking water and supporting our recreation and shipping economy — which is why I continue to press the administration to keep the lab open,” Klobuchar said.

“While the courts have stepped in to block these across-the-board changes, we must continue to protect our Northland and the Great Lakes," she said. "I support making the government more efficient, but it must be done in a way that is based on facts and science, without threatening our economy or putting public health on the line.”

State Sen. Grant Hauschild, DFL-Hermantown, also wrote a letter to Zeldin in April, but had not received a response as of Tuesday, a spokesperson for his office said.

U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., said he recently met with EPA Region 5 Administrator Anne Vogel.

“Congressman Stauber did express his desire for the Duluth Research Lab to remain open due to the important research they perform around the Great Lakes," a spokesperson for the Hermantown lawmaker's office said Thursday. "There is no new update on the status of this lab, and Regional Administrator Vogel relayed to the congressman that this decision ultimately remains with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin."

]]>

Road tripping to Duluth this summer? Here's your weekend guide 2025

Jay Gabler — Wed, 21 May 2025 16:50:52 GMT

DULUTH — On Amity Island, the fictional location of "Jaws," residents chafe at the idea of closing the beach for the Fourth of July even though a gargantuan shark is on the loose. "Amity is a summer town!" insists Mayor Vaughn. "We need summer dollars."

The same could be said of Duluth — and fortunately, Lake Superior is blissfully shark-free.

Here's what this summer's visitors, not to mention year-round residents, can look forward to. Note that the headlines below cite the dates of each weekend, including Fridays and holidays; any particular event may extend beyond the weekend, or may take place for only part of the weekend.

Memorial Day (May 23-26): Magic Smelt Parade

Despite being hauled out of the Northland in untold numbers over the past several decades, smelt persist. Having arrived in Lake Superior 80 years ago, the tasty silver fish are here to stay.

The same seems to be true of the Magic Smelt Parade, which first graced the Lakewalk in 2012. Its future was in question after last year, but organizers found a way to keep Jim Ouray on as artistic director while taking the administrative burden off his shoulders. That's "good news," Ouray told the News Tribune when the parade announced that it will return Sunday, May 25.

Once again, Zeitgeist will host a smelt fry to feed the whimsical parade's many fans (magicsmelt.com).

Meanwhile, Duluth Playhouse mounts a mainstage production of "Home, I'm Darling": a creative comedy about "marriage, cake and the dangers of nostalgia" (duluthplayhouse.org).

May 30-June 1: Paranormal Cirque

It's time, once again, for a giant tent to pop up in the Miller Hill Mall parking lot. The traveling Cirque shows always draw a crowd, and this year's theme plays to one of Duluth's perennial obsessions.

Paranormal Cirque proudly bears an R rating, presumably bestowed by the TCAA (Traveling Circus Association of America). "Creatures with incredible circus art abilities" are said to stoke "uninhibited fear." Presumably those under 13, who are not allowed admission, would fear monsters under the bed. Patrons of their parents' age, knowing well what havoc a mere day on Enger Park Golf Course can wreak upon the back, might fear more prosaic consequences of a career in contortion.

The supernatural Cirque will be in town from Friday through Monday, May 30-June 2 (paranormalcirque.com).

June 6-8: Trans Joy Fest

Now entering its fourth year, the Trans Joy Fest celebrates the happiness that comes with expressing one's true identity. Last year it moved from Gichi-ode' Akiing to Park Point, where the event has plenty of room to expand.

Live entertainment, kids' activities and dozens of vendors are all part of the fun planned for Sunday, June 8. There's also a focus on networking — and not the kind you do on LinkedIn. Think speed friending, and a board game hangout (facebook.com/transnorthland).

Over in Spirit Valley, the West Theatre recently received a sibling venue when the neighboring Alhambra Theatre opened. Having two spaces allows owner Bob Boone to book bigger acts — such as folk legend Judy Collins, who performs at the West on Saturday and Sunday, June 7 and 8 (thewesttheatre.com).

June 13-15: Ghost hunting on the Irvin

The Duluth Entertainment Convention Center is always looking to try new things at the William A. Irvin museum ship, whether by hosting concerts on the deck or, this summer, allowing paranormal investigators to remain on board until the wee hours.

On Friday, June 13, the ship will host the first of two Paranormal Investigation Tours. (The second is Aug. 26.) Ticket-buyers for those tours will be able to stay on board from 8 p.m. to 2 p.m. — and yes, they can bring "their own ghost-detecting equipment," according to a news release (decc.org).

Also this weekend, the third annual Duluth-stämman brings Nordic folk music and dance to Weber Hall at the University of Minnesota Duluth (nordiccenterduluth.org).

Down the hill at Fitger's, Boat Club Productions opens the perennially gripping morality tale "Doubt" (boatclubrestaurant.com); while at the NorShor, Lyric Opera of the North presents the bubbly Johann Strauss II operetta "Die Fledermaus" (loonopera.org).

June 20-22: Grandma's Marathon

Ever heard of a little lakeside jog known as Grandma's Marathon? Duluth is often said to punch above its weight, and unless we're talking about iron ore, there's no more striking evidence of that than the fact that one of the country's 10 largest marathons takes place in its (roughly) 350th-largest city.

Like last year, the Saturday, June 21, marathon will inspire shows and parties across town, as well as a lineup of free entertainment at Bayfront Festival Park. The big entertainment development this year is that the Friday, June 20, show has been moved to earlier in the day so as to be more accessible for people who are getting up to run the following morning. It also has a big-name headliner: Cloud Cult, whose story as a band started in Duluth (grandmasmarathon.com).

Once again, Grandma's weekend coincides with the Juneteenth holiday. Celebrations are typically organized by the Duluth NAACP (duluthnaacp.org) and Family Rise Together (facebook.com/familyrisetogether).

June 27-29: Rhubarb Fest

Rhubarbara stalks again! With her jam-jar mascot, Jarlene, by her side. The most powerful duo since Xena and Gabrielle are headed to wild, wild West Duluth as CHUM's Rhubarb Festival lands at Asbury United Methodist Church on Saturday, June 28.

According to a news release, all the "rhubarb pies, crisps, jams, scones, beverages, music, contests and children’s activities" that attendees have come to expect in recent years at the Holy Rosary campus of Stella Maris Academy will now take place just east of the Lake Superior Zoo (chumduluth.org).

Back east, the AAD Shrine Circus will be at the DECC on June 28-29 (decc.org), while the Park Point Art Fair stretches south from the Lift Bridge on the same dates (parkpointartfair.org).

Fourth of July (July 4-6): Fireworks, Airshow

Will this be Duluth's biggest Fourth of July weekend ever? It's looking that way, with the convergence of Bayfront entertainment and the Duluth Airshow.

Down by the harbor, glam metal cover band Hairball takes the stage Thursday, July 3. Once the spirit of '86 has been loudly celebrated, the clock turns back on Friday, July 4 as fireworks and other patriotic celebrations commemorate the spirit of '76.

The very next day, Trampled by Turtles returns to Bayfront for a show that's sure to be especially hotly anticipated: The band collaborated with Alan Sparhawk on a new album being released May 30 (decc.org).

On top of all that — literally — the Duluth Airshow takes off July 5-6 with appearances by both the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, a booking coup. The rest of the aircraft range from biplanes to bombers, in what organizers are calling "our biggest show yet" (duluthairshow.com).

July 11-13: Festival of Sail

As "The Goonies" discovered 40 years ago, there's nothing quite as stirring as the sight of a vintage sailing ship gliding through the water.

After a 2022 detour up the shore to Two Harbors while Duluth shored up its harbor seawall, the Festival of Sail returns to the Zenith City from Thursday, July 10 through Sunday, July 13. "The event has something for everyone needing a Tall Ships fix," promise organizers: "onboard tours, day-sails and a grand parade of sail" (lakesuperiortallships.org).

Conveniently for hungry ship-spotters, Taste Twin Ports is taking place at Bayfront Festival Park on Saturday, July 12. That would be the event formerly known as Festival by the Lake, and before that as Taste of Duluth. The latest moniker is inspired by the local podcast of that name, whose hosts Joe Macor and Pez Davila are collaborating on "an exciting new chapter" for the event, say organizers (tastetwinports.com).

Foodies can complete their weekend by catching the most-loved musical about a restaurant server, as Duluth Playhouse opens "Waitress" on Friday, July 11 (duluthplayhouse.org).

July 18-20: Reggae/World Music Festival

Although it's a seaside town — in the sense of the Unsalted Sea that is Lake Superior — Duluth doesn't typically lean into the easygoing vibes that distinguish many such spots around the world. That all changes one weekend each year, when the Bayfront Reggae/World Music Festival brings global talent to the harborside stage. Performers at this year's event, on Saturday, July 19, include Charly Black and Kenyatta Hill with Culture (bayfrontworldmusic.com).

Nearby at the DECC, comedian Jim Gaffigan brings his "Everything is Wonderful!" tour to Amsoil Arena (decc.org).

July 25-27: All Pints North

All Pints North is a perfectly punny name for a Duluth beer festival, although if the festival's hundreds of craft brews were actually served in pint glasses rather than sampler cups, everyone would be wiped out long before Viva Knievel high-kicks its way into "Sussudio."

Even if you weren't enjoying tasty beverages in the Craft Beer Capital of Minnesota, it would be impossible to go wrong on a beautiful summer day with wacky booths and high spirits. This year's festival takes place Saturday, July 26 (mncraftbrew.org).

Aug. 1-3: FinnFest

FinnFest is now at the halfway mark of its five-year commitment to bringing the Finnish diaspora to Duluth — where a lot of it happens to be to begin with.

In addition to the return of the Tori Nordic marketplace and a range of educational opportunities, this year's FinnFest (Thursday, July 31 through Sunday, Aug. 3) will feature a visit from the Moomin. Six actors will portray the fairy-tale trolls as the festival marks the 80th anniversary of Tove Jansson's beloved characters (finnfest.us).

Meanwhile, the City on the Hill festival of Christian music comes to Bayfront (cityonthehillmusicfest.com), Zeitgeist Theater premieres a new production of "Rent" (zeitgeistarts.com) and Spirit Valley Days convenes community in West Duluth (spiritvalleydays.com).

Aug. 8-10: Bayfront Blues Festival

The members of Trampled by Turtles were just hatchlings when Bayfront Blues Festival hit its first blue note in 1989. It rained all day that first year, but organizer Tracy Lundeen watched the devoted fans and saw a success nonetheless. "If those people were crazy enough to sit in pouring rain, and they're dedicated and loyal enough to stay until the bitter end, you have something," Lundeen told the News Tribune in 2008.

This year's festival takes place from Friday through Sunday, Aug. 8-10. Headliners include Ana Popovic; Tommy Castro & The Pain Killers; and Dwayne Dopsie & The Zydeco Hellraisers (bayfrontblues.com).

On a completely different note, the Duluth Chamber Music Festival returns from Friday through Thursday, Aug. 8-14, culminating in a "Stop Making Sense" style mainstage concert in which the number of performers steadily grows throughout the show (duluthchambermusicfestival.org).

Plus, On the Record zine celebrates its second anniversary with a Friday, Aug. 8 bash at Bent Paddle (ontherecordzine.com).

Aug. 15-17: Excalibur Con

Legend has it that King Arthur proved his lineage by pulling a sword from a deposit of iron ore ... well, something like that. Excalibur Con (formerly known as Teeb Con) returns to the DECC on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 16-17, with a wealth of gaming opportunities as well as other ways to share in a celebration of "nerd and geek culture." Celebrity guests include actors, artists and noted cosplayers (mnswca.org).

A short walk west on the same dates, Art in Bayfront Park returns with over 100 artists displaying "jewelry, painting, photography, ceramics, metalwork, glass and more" (artinbayfrontpark.com). Plus, Wild State Cider is hosting the band Born Too Late on Saturday, Aug. 16 as part of a monthly Family Jam series (wildstatecider.com).

Aug. 22-24: Dragon Boat Festival

Teams of rowers compete each year to see which are the most superior in Superior, hitting the water for an annual Dragon Boat Festival that has raised over $1.4 million to support charitable causes since launching in 2002. This year's Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival takes place on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 22-23 at Barker's Island (superiordragons.org).

If you're attending Tribute Fest at Bayfront Festival Park, bring your dancing pants and a hankie: Performers this year range from the Disco Kings to a Gordon Lightfoot tribute band. The legend lives on, Aug. 22-23 (thetributefest.com).

Labor Day (Aug. 29-Sept. 1): Duluth Superior Pride

Duluth Superior Pride will once again bring the summer to a buoyant conclusion, with events including the big Bayfront Pride party on Saturday, Aug. 30. For more details, watch duluthsuperiorpride.com.

Downtown Duluth is once again presenting a series of free Friday night movie screenings at Leif Erikson Park, concluding with "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" on Aug. 29. Just in time for kids to go back to school ... or not (downtownduluth.com).

]]>

Minnesota nurses push for changes in staffing ratios amid contract talks

Erica Zurek / MPR News — Mon, 05 May 2025 18:48:16 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS — More than 15,000 nurses are currently engaged in ongoing contract negotiations with several hospitals in the Twin Cities and Duluth, with some contracts set to expire in a few weeks.

At a press conference Thursday, May 1, the Minnesota Nurses Association, along with nurses and union leaders, expressed concerns over hospitals operating with unsafe staffing levels. They said the situation is pushing nurses to leave the profession and compromising patient care.

The union's proposed three-year contract requests that hospitals prioritize nurses' physical and mental health and improve staffing levels to ensure better patient care and safer workplaces.

Nurses are advocating for fixed nurse-to-patient staffing ratios, arguing that when nurses are assigned to fewer patients, they can focus on the best care possible. They say lower patient-to-nurse assignments reduce the length of hospital stays and are associated with fewer deaths.

Union President Chris Rubesch works at Essentia Health in Duluth. Throughout his 10-year career as a registered nurse, he has seen a steady decline in resources and staffing levels.

“We believe nurses need to have the ultimate say on what is safe for the patients they are treating,” Rubesch said.

A 2002 study found that in hospitals with high patient-to-nurse ratios, each additional patient assigned to a nurse was associated with a 7% increase in the likelihood of patient death within 30 days of admission. And each additional patient per nurse was associated with a 23% increase in nurse burnout.

Studies show inadequate staffing levels pose safety concerns for nurses.

Katelyn Warren, a nurse with two years of experience, works at Allina Health’s United Hospital in St. Paul. She said that the assaults and violence she experiences as an RN have taken a toll.

“My nervous system is in survival mode every day, leaving me little space for purpose, joy, creativity, or for that inner spark that made me want to be a nurse in the first place,” Warren said.

During a recent work shift, Warren was kneed in the head by a patient. The incident could have been prevented with proper training, safety interventions and adequate staffing, which her employer denied, she said.

“Nurses don't leave because they stop caring,” said Jayme Wicklund, a nurse at St. Paul’s Children’s Hospital. “We leave because we're being asked to deliver safe care in unsafe conditions and that's not sustainable.”

Anthony Matt, a spokesperson for Duluth-based Essentia Health, said in a statement that Essentia “remains committed to reaching a fair agreement that prioritizes the safety of our patients and staff.”

“The health system has offered the Minnesota Nurses Association 54 dates to bargain, and they have agreed to eight of those dates. In discussions with the MNA, we have continued to emphasize the need for patient-focused, flexible staffing approaches over rigid ratios,” he said.

Aspirus St. Luke’s, a regional health care system based in Duluth, said creating staffing plans is a shared responsibility between nurses and the hospital. Nurses can vote on the plans implemented in their unit.

Allina Health said it takes significant precautions to ensure the safety and well-being of their staff and they provide care for those who need it.

The Minnesota Nurses Association is requesting an 18% pay increase for nurses in the Twin Cities over the next three years. In response, HealthPartners' Methodist Hospital and North Memorial have proposed a 6% raise. Wage proposals in Duluth have not yet been exchanged.

During the last negotiations in 2022, nurses worked off-contract for nearly six months and went on strike for three days before finally reaching a deal at the end of that year.

Negotiation talks will continue through spring, with contracts in the Twin Cities expiring this month and in Duluth at the end of June.

Text Example

This story was originally published on MPRNews.org.

]]>

Bovey resident wants to close North Country Trail's 'Big Gap'

Ryan Rodgers — Thu, 01 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

BOVEY, Minn. — At 78 years old, Cavour Johnson says his time is limited for maintaining trails through the sprawling pine woods north of Bovey.

When he learned the North Country National Scenic Trail was struggling to find passage through terrain he’s been wandering since childhood, he sought to forge a scenic route that could be folded into something lasting.

“I’m a trails guy,” the soft-spoken retired dentist said, stepping between jack pines onto a narrow path. In decades past, Johnson built cross-country ski trails at Mount Itasca in Coleraine and helped develop the Mesabi Trail, the paved bike path spanning 150 miles between Grand Rapids and Ely.

The biting wind this late April morning spurs irreconcilable differences between steely clouds and spring sun, both vying for dominance. Wearing several layers of clothing, Johnson walks the high southern bank over the West Fork of the Prairie River, its bottom of rippled sand visible through water tinted like weak herbal tea. Frantic wood ducks scream at Johnson’s approach, while newly arrived yellow-rumped warblers flit unbothered in alder bushes.

“You don’t see anybody out here,” he said. “It’s like you’re way out in the boonies.”

One could make a strong case that there are no "likes" about it, that this place is most definitely in the boonies.

Meandering 4,800 miles from North Dakota to Vermont, the North Country National Scenic Trail crosses eight states and is the country’s longest such footpath. According to the National Park Service, which oversees National Scenic Trails, these paths are “intended to showcase our country’s spectacular natural resources and beauty ... connect communities, significant landmarks and public lands.”

The NCT was created in 1980 and is still unfinished, but its venerable siblings, the Appalachian and Pacific Crest trails, draw thousands of long-distance hikers every year. The NCT enters Minnesota from the west near Fergus Falls before winding 850 miles through the state. After passing Detroit Lakes, it joins long sections of completed footpath through Itasca State Park and the Chippewa National Forest.

Farther on, from Snowbank Lake, east of Ely, the NCT follows 400 miles of preexisting footpath through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and along the North Shore on a network of the Kekekabic, Border Route and Superior hiking trails, until it traverses Duluth before finally reaching Wisconsin through Jay Cooke State Park.

Between Snowbank Lake and the eastern end of the Chippewa National Forest near Grand Rapids, however, lurks a 150-mile section of missing trail, known as The Big Gap.

In 2020, during the pandemic, Johnson cared for someone undergoing medical treatment. To protect that person, whom he doesn’t want named, he socially distanced and found himself cut off from his usual community involvements. He needed to do something to counteract his isolation and caretaking stress. He’d been thinking that the NCT’s proposed route was flawed.

On paper, it ran through a huge swamp surrounding Bear Lake — no way to build a trail there.

He thought he could find a drier crossing just a few miles south that was also prettier and decided to scout a route between Scenic Highway and Minnesota Highway 65, a crow-flight of 8 miles through country he knew well. His parents had bought land here in the early 1950s, and he still owns 40 acres on Hartley Lake, a wide spot on the West Fork of the Prairie River.

I’ve gone into this thinking I might not be around to see the development happen, but am satisfied that I’m contributing.

For decades, he’s maintained informal walking and cross-country ski trails on his land and neighboring county forest. In fall 2020, he set out with a compass, flagging tape and detailed paper maps.

“I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed tramping through the woods,” he said, adding that he got worryingly lost a time or two. Over a couple years, he cobbled together a route and convinced the state’s trail coordinator to come see it.

Matt Davis, based in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, works with the nonprofit North Country Trail Association as the coordinator for North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Davis told Johnson it’d be a tough sell to get the National Park Service to change the route.

The origin of The Big Gap stems from the 2019 redirecting of the trail into the Arrowhead region and away from 75 miles of bog between Grand Rapids and Duluth, the crossing of which would have required building Guinness World Records-worthy boardwalks through aptly named Floodwood. The Arrowhead Reroute accessed a wealth of existing trail and what is arguably the state’s most scenic corner, but had required years of dogged work and an act of Congress.

In other words, changing routes cannot be done on the fly, but, because of Johnson’s persistence, Davis eventually drove to Bovey. In unorganized territory north of town, Johnson led Davis on a stroll along the West Fork of the Prairie River, into what he calls “a church of trees.” They hiked under towering red and white pines that so far have avoided being logged because of their proximity to the river.

Johnson named the two largest pines. Using a species-specific formula for aging trees from the Department of Natural Resources, he calls a red pine with a 9-foot circumference "Andrew Jackson" because it’s about 189 years old and therefore sprouted during Jackson’s presidency. The 11-foot circumference "James Madison" white pine is even older, dating back 211 years to 1814.

Davis stared into the pines and admired the river and decided to propose Johnson’s route to the National Park Service. “I’ve always looked at the trail as connecting pearls, and this is a pearl,” Davis said. In April, the Park Service approved Johnson’s route.

“He found a gem,” Davis said. "Just a perfect spot for a hiking trail.”

After The Big Gap originated as a side effect of the 2019 reroute, the North Country Trail Association’s all-volunteer, Grand Rapids-based Arrowhead Chapter began making tread. Last summer, 2.5 miles of new trail opened in Cohasset, the first of what will eventually be an 18-mile stretch that gets the NCT off roads and into the woods between the Chippewa National Forest and Grand Rapids. Until a woods path is developed northeast from Grand Rapids, hung on Johnson’s trail, the route will follow the paved Mesabi Trail to Ely.

The new piece of NCT leaves Tioga Beach on Pokegama Lake and climbs under oaks a hill inhabited by miniature eastern leatherwood trees. Natural bonsais at only a few feet tall but with the shape of a mature shade tree, the understory leatherwoods are already flowering with tubular yellow blooms.

The trail crests the hill atop a 150-foot-high bluff over the water-filled Tioga Mine Pit. Steely clouds have won the day, and the drably lighted April forest stands in odd contrast with the Caribbean-blue water in the pit.

Atop grown-over mining spoil where ore was once processed, and down to a pond rimmed in cattails and occupied by raucous red-winged blackbirds, the trail crosses a road under the watch of a broad-winged hawk, back for spring and crying atop a tall aspen.

On the other side, the rolling maple forest looks primeval, but the topography was created by mining less than a century before. Spring peepers chant unseen from an ephemeral pond in the lee of the hill. The late afternoon grows quiet until the trail bypasses a pond filled with furious ducks.

The pretty pond looks natural, but was created as a settling pond for mining runoff. The trail spits out onto True Road and continues into the forest on the other side.

Near here in 2022, a long-distance hiker crossed paths with a volunteer trail crew and spontaneously pitched in. Later that year, Aaron Landon became the 13th person to thru-hike the NCT.

“I came into Grand Rapids and spent the weekend with the trail crew learning what is involved with making a National Scenic Trail,” he recalled. “I didn’t realize the amount of work, hours and labor that went into it.”

From March to December, Landon spent 252 days walking the 4,800 miles. He was taken by the region and moved to Ely in 2023. Now, he’s volunteering on the other side of The Big Gap, blazing fresh trail between town and his home on Snowbank Lake.

Johnson is excited about his trail’s inclusion into the NCT.

“I’ve gone into this thinking I might not be around to see the development happen, but am satisfied that I’m contributing,” he said. Then he hopped over a wet spot beneath a steep hill and walked along the river.

If you go What: Help Grand Rapids-based Arrowhead Chapter volunteers close the North Country Trail's "Big Gap" When: 9 a.m. May 16-18 Where: Tioga Beach parking lot, 24308 Tioga Beach Road, Cohasset Details: Bring work clothes, work gloves, sturdy footwear, trail lunch, plenty of water; safety equipment, tools, instruction provided. More info: arw@northcountrytrail.org, facebook.com/arrowheadhikers]]>

Former Duluth professor who was dismissed over COVID vaccine sues college, Minnesota governor

Emma McNamee — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 23:44:20 GMT

DULUTH — A former professor at Lake Superior College is suing the college’s leadership and the governor of Minnesota after he was dismissed from his position in 2022 for refusing COVID-19 vaccination.

The New Civil Liberties Alliance filed the suit in federal court on April 9 on behalf of Russell Stewart, who taught at Lake Superior College (LSC) in Duluth for 30 years. The philosophy and ethics professor is seeking to be reinstated as a teacher at the college and an acknowledgment that his constitutional rights were violated.

“During COVID, this was a huge issue of governments often not going through the legislative process and issuing a course of mandates that involve people’s personal health decisions,” said Jenin Younes, litigation counsel with the NCLA, a nonprofit legal organization with a focus on constitutional liberties.

In August 2021, as students and faculty returned to campus, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz issued a policy mandating proof of COVID vaccination for government employees. To prevent transmission, on-site employees could alternatively submit to weekly testing if they weren’t vaccinated. As a public community college in the Minnesota State system, LSC faculty were included in the mandate.

Stewart, 60, requested an exemption from the mandate, citing concerns about limited vaccine testing and the legality of the mandate. Additionally, having already contracted COVID, Stewart argued he had “natural immunity” and didn’t require the vaccine.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, post-infection immunity can protect an individual against reinfection, but only lasts several months and decreases over time.

Following multiple disciplinary hearings, Stewart was put on unpaid leave in late September 2021, according to court documents. He sent an email to students explaining the situation and why he would no longer be in class. In the email, Stewart stated that he was not against vaccines in general, nor was he particularly opposed to the COVID vaccines that were publicly available. The policy, however, he considered “unlawful, immoral, and arbitrary,” because it deployed "workplace coercion" to undermine the fundamental rights of bodily autonomy and privacy.

This email, and the sharing of political beliefs, would later be cited by LSC as another reason for Stewart’s dismissal, having violated Minnesota State’s policy using school technology for political activity.

"He feels he was wrongfully fired,” Younes said. “He wants his job back. He misses it, and at 60, I don't think he's planning to move away and find a new place to teach."

Younes said that her interest was sparked in the case after an “interesting” interpretation of a Supreme Court case that has long been used as legal precedent where mandated vaccinations are concerned, came out of the 9th Circuit. The case, Jacobson v. Massachusetts, arose out of the Boston smallpox epidemic in the early 1900s. Decided in 1905, the Supreme Court upheld a state’s ability to mandate vaccinations in the interest of public health, even when individuals objected.

“That has been, in my opinion, a big problem. A lot of lower courts have read (Jacobson) to stand for the proposition that governments can mandate any vaccine and it should just be rubber-stamped … if the state says they are doing it for public health reasons, then that's all the court needs to look at and the case is over.”

This, according to Younes, is the wrong interpretation. In her eyes, the government must balance the interests of an individual’s freedoms in refusing unwanted medical treatment or testing, with the public health benefit. She argued that allowing states to mandate vaccinations when, at that time, things like impact on transmission rates were unknown, could have larger impacts.

“One has to look at the broader implications of this,” said Younes. “If the government can force you to do things for your own health, which is sort of the justification that they've fallen back on, that there's no end to what they could do … the idea that the government can impose medical measures on you without sufficient evidence that it does anything to benefit the public is troubling, and I think it's a slippery slope.”

The NCLA, which operates out of Washington, D.C., has been involved in similar lawsuits across the country, with mixed results. While some cases end in dismissal or settlements, Younes said there are active cases regarding challenges to state medical mandates in the interest of public health that could potentially end up before the Supreme Court.

“I would hope that the Supreme Court would take a case,” said Younes. “I think they might be sick of COVID, but if we ever find ourselves in this situation again, I think it’s important to tee up the law from the circuits for the next time there's an emergency.”

The complaint named LSC President Patricia Rogers and several other administrators alongside Gov. Walz. The college responded to media requests stating that LSC is committed to thoroughly investigating all complaints presented to the institution, and would refrain from commenting on ongoing litigation.

The office of Gov. Walz did not respond to the News Tribune’s request for comment.

]]>

Mothballed: Without federal funds, state cancels spongy moth treatments

Jimmy Lovrien — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 23:30:10 GMT

DULUTH — Plans to spray for spongy moths in five Minnesota counties, including three in the Northland, have been scrapped after the federal funding for the aerial treatments didn't come through.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture said it planned to spray more than 2,700 acres throughout St. Louis, Carlton, Itasca, Anoka and Winona counties this spring, striking in the short period in the invasive insect's lifespan when the bacterial insecticide is effective against it.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Forest Service's Slow the Spread program funded such work for decades, reducing the moth's spread by 60% and treating more than 1 million acres. But the state agency said it has not received the money it needs in time to carry out this spring's aerial assault.

The agency planned to spray Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki, or Btk, a naturally occurring soil bacteria that kills gypsy moth caterpillars feeding on canopy foliage. Btk is nontoxic to people, bees, pets and other animals.

“Having to cancel Btk aerial management operations in these areas jeopardizes the future success of this program," Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen said in a news release. "Spongy moth populations in these areas will likely increase and advance quicker into neighboring areas, making future years of management more complicated and costly."

The USDA and Forest Service did not immediately respond to the News Tribune's request for comment Tuesday evening.

The state agency said it still plans to aerially apply a mating disruption pheromone to stop the moths from reproducing on 112,000 acres across Minnesota and conduct its annual spongy moth population survey, but both those rely on federal funding, too.

"Overall, federal funding for these strategies is still uncertain; however, the MDA has been assured to receive initial funding for the spongy moth survey," the agency said in a news release. "It is still unknown if federal funds to perform aerial mating disruption operations will be distributed in 2025."

The agency said it may need to put temporary quarantines in place to prevent spongy moths hitchhiking on woody tree material from leaving the area.

Formerly called gypsy moths, the spongy moths are native to Europe and are considered a major problem for North American trees because they have few natural enemies here and can overwhelm patches of forest, defoliating trees quickly. They will munch on more than 300 species of trees and bushes, including aspen, birch and oak.

Spongy moths first came to the eastern U.S. from Europe in the 1860s, arriving by ship, and have been expanding ever since. They travel slowly on their own but have ridden west as egg clusters on cars, trucks, trains, trailers and campers. They have been in eastern Wisconsin since the 1970s and have now spread across the entire state and into eastern Minnesota.

The moth does its damage when it's in its caterpillar stage. Forest health experts say the moths can't be stopped. But their westward movement can be slowed, and outbreaks can be kept smaller, with annual aerial spraying efforts where the largest concentrations of moths are located.

]]>

Photos: Thousands attend 'Hands Off' protests across Minnesota, North Dakota

Forum News Service staff — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 02:15:20 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS — Hundreds, sometimes thousands, gathered in clusters across North Dakota and Minnesota on Saturday, April 5 as part of a nationwide day of protest against actions by the White House administration.

More than 1,200 “Hands Off!” protests were scheduled to take place across the United States Saturday as citizens gathered to rally against President Donald Trump and adviser Elon Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency.

The Hands Off 2025 website said April 5 was a day for people to take to the streets nationwide with the message “Hands off!” to fight back against the "most brazen power grab in modern history." The website specifically mentions cuts to Social Security, firing federal workers and cutting consumer protections and health care funding.

Alexandria

In Alexandria, Minnesota, organizers said they were expecting around 300 people, but that Alexandria Area Indivisible ended up running out of the 500 buttons they brought to give away. Alexandria's rally included comments from Leah Landwehr, a local veteran, who talked to attendees about the importance of the Veterans Administration to local vets.

Bemidji

More than 1,000 people lined Paul Bunyan Drive in Bemidji Saturday afternoon to participate in the local Hands Off event.

"We just want to hold our lawmakers accountable to know that this is what their constituents feel about what's happening with our government, and we're doing this together," said Rebecca Dickinson, a member of the grassroots democracy initiative Indivisible Bemidji that helped organize the event.

Dickinson said that she has parents around retirement age and is concerned about their Social Security. She said she was also worried about people being laid off from jobs and for people who don't feel safe because of their gender identity or other personal factors.

"There's a way to do change; change shouldn't happen this abruptly," Dickinson said.

Many others flags — like Canadian flags displayed in solidarity with the U.S. neighbor facing newly imposed tariffs — waved in support of other causes during the event, but the American flag was the most prevalent.

"We have a lot of American flags here because this is our community and we're fighting for it," said Dickinson. "We're indivisible because no matter who you are, this is our country."

Brainerd

Hundreds of people gathered at the intersection of Washington and South Sixth Streets for the Hands Off rally in Brainerd Saturday.

The rally was hosted by Brainerd Lakes Area Indivisible.

Detroit Lakes

DETROIT LAKES — More than 200 people showed up at a rally and town hall in Detroit Lakes on Saturday.

The event was held in the former Ace Hardware building downtown — the site of the future Manna Food Co-op.

Hands off protests across North Dakota, Minnesota

Protestors line the Veterans Memorial Bridge between Fargo and Moorhead on Saturday, April 5, 2025, during the “Hands Off” rally against the actions of the Trump administration.

Hundreds of people gathered on Saturday, April 5, 2025, as a part of the "Hands Off!" protest in downtown Rochester. There were hundreds of similar protests around the country.

Participants display signs during a Hands Off! protest on Saturday, April 5, 2025, along Paul Bunyan Drive in Bemidji.

A participant displays a sign in regard to Elon Musk during a Hands Off! protest on Saturday, April 5, 2025, along Paul Bunyan Drive in Bemidji.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison gestures while speaking during a rally in solidarity with Indivisible’s National Hands Off! Day of Action at the Civic Center Plaza on Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Duluth.

Participants display signs during a Hands Off! protest on Saturday, April 5, 2025, along Paul Bunyan Drive in Bemidji.

Participants hold a large "Fire Trump, not us," sign during a Hands Off! protest on Saturday, April 5, 2025, at Paul Bunyan Park in Bemidji.

Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Rochester on Saturday, April 5, 2025, as a part of the "Hands Off!" protests around the country.

People hold signs as they stand on the sidewalk during the Hands Off Jamestown March on Saturday, April 5, in Jamestown.

Hundreds attended the Hands Off rally on Saturday, April 5, 2025, at Peace Plaza in Rochester. The protest was one of more than 1,000 around the nation on Saturday.

A large federal grant — awarded to Manna and later pulled — was set to be used for a commercial kitchen in the new Manna building. Manna Food Co-op Treasurer Ryan Pesch said that the Trump Administration likes to frame any spending it cuts as benefiting “a bunch of fraudulent moochers," but said that the grant to Manna would have supported local contractors and community members.

The Detroit Lakes rally also played host to criticism of Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach for not conducting in-person town hall events, of Trump's various tariffs on imported goods and against a swath of federal funding cuts or proposed reductions.

Duluth

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison addressed the crowd at Duluth's Hands Off rally on Saturday.

Tom Wilson of Eau Claire reported roughly 2,500 people had attended the Duluth event on Saturday. Wilson also attended an event in Superior, Wisconsin, where organizers estimated roughly 500 people turned out.

“I’ve been political all my life,” said Wilson, who will turn 80 next month. Going back to the early 1960s, Wilson said he’s been involved in protests for civil rights, against war, and for the environment, and as critical as those issues were, this moment feels even more critical.

“If you read the Declaration of Independence, almost any one of our grievances against King George equally apply to Donald 2.0,” Wilson said “That’s it. The very truly founding principles of our country are at risk at this point.”

Similar events took place around the Northland Saturday, including in Chisholm, Cloquet, Ely, Grand Marais and Grand Rapids.

Fargo-Moorhead

Approximately 2,000 people lined both sides of Veterans Memorial Bridge between Fargo and Moorhead to protest the actions of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

Organizer Lyn Dockter-Pinnick, of Moorhead, said organizers hoped 500 people would show up and she was overcome by the showing.

Periodically, someone broke into a chant, "Show me what democracy looks like," and the crowd responded with, "This is what democracy looks like." At other times, the crowd chanted, "Protect the Constitution, the promise of our union."

Tammy Shannon, of Moorhead, not only carried a sign, she dressed in the long red cloak and white bonnet popularized by Margaret Atwood's "Handmaid's Tale" as an additional protest about what's happening regarding women's rights.

A rally in Bismarck drew 1,000 attendees Saturday.

Grand Forks

Hundreds of people attended a protest near and on Grand Forks' Sorlie Memorial Bridge against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk on Saturday.

Cathy Williams, of Indivisible Grand Forks, estimated more than 400 people were in attendance, both Democrats and Republicans.

“This is just a wonderful turnout on a beautiful day,” she said.

Williams and Sheila Fontaine, chair of the Minnesotan Polk County and Red Lake County DFL, were two organizers of the protest on their side of the river.

“(Veterans Affairs), Medicare, Medicaid, social security, LGBTQ, veterans, federal workers, you name it,” she said. “That’s the theme from a lot of the signs — hands off.”

About six or seven North Dakota organizations put together the Grand Forks protest, while the Polk County and Red Lake County DFL organized the East Grand Forks one.

The protesters on both sides of the river met on the Sorlie Memorial Bridge around 4:10 p.m. after spending more than an hour on their respective sides. The groups came together with chants supporting democracy, cheering on cars that honked as they drove by on the bridge.

Jamestown

About 130 people gathered on public sidewalks on Saturday in Jamestown, holding signs in a peaceful protest.

Olivia Schloegel and Barb Lang, both members at large of the League of Women Voters of North Dakota, helped to organize the event.

Schloegel said people are affected locally by federal cuts, from Social Security to a USDA program that provided food for schools.

“And so we wanted to make sure that local folks had an opportunity to show up and speak out against what we don’t agree with, which is these destructive cuts at the federal level,” she said.

People participating spoke about, and carried signs about, various issues, including Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and support for veterans, victims of domestic violence, members of the LGBTQ+ community and transgender individuals.

Rochester

At Rochester's event, hundreds of people carried signs about federal funding cuts, demanding protections for Medicaid and supporting veterans.

"This mass mobilization day is our message to the world that we do not consent to the destruction of our government and our economy for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire allies," the event page said. "Alongside Americans across the country, we are marching, rallying, and protesting to demand a stop the chaos and build an opposition movement against the looting of our country."

Rochester's event ended with live music.

St. Cloud

Organizers estimate that more than 2,000 people attended St. Cloud’s Hands Off Protest on Saturday.

“The turnout's incredible. I counted 2,125 people,” said Jill Kelly, one of the event organizers. She said she walked up and down the protest, which was a few people deep over more than two blocks on either side of Division Street.

Avery Bond of St. Cloud said she showed up to represent the people who would not be able to be at a protest like this one because it wouldn’t be safe. She said people should take hope from a protest like this.

“Anybody who feels like they're alone going crazy, because the world's falling apart around us, obviously there are a lot more people who are right here standing with us,” Bond said.

Carter Olson of Sartell held a sign that said “Hands off Dept of Education.” He’s working to get his teacher’s license, he said.

Willmar

A crowd gathered in the parking lot of Lakeland Elementary in Willmar Saturday for a Hands Off rally, which preceded a politically driven town hall at the school.

Rally speakers included Dr. Kathryn Nelson-Hund, a retired doctor who said she had done research at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., and at the EPA Freshwater Lab in Duluth. Nelson-Hund called for funding for medical research to be maintained.

The town hall, hosted by the Congressional District 7 Democratic Farmer-Labor Party, was described by organizers as a response to U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach not appearing at in-person town halls in the Minnesota 7th District she represents.

Attendees of the town hall included Minnesota DFL Chair Richard Carlbom, Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy and Minnesota Farmers Union President Gary Wertish.

The Willmar town hall was the third and final event of the day hosted by the 7th District DFL, which had gathered earlier in Detroit Lakes and Alexandria. Across the three events in District 7, more than 1,000 people gathered in protest and to ask questions of people in power, according to event organizers.

]]>