Good people

Four employees in the Duluth Police Department were awarded the 2020 People of the Year Award: Maya Carroll, Todd Shermer, Kerry Cronin and Matthew Nevanen. The winners are chosen by their peers.

Maya Carroll, Supervisor of the Year: Carroll is the records and technology supervisor. She manages the Department’s criminal analysts and records staff who provide support to patrol and investigations so they can focus on responding to calls and investigating cases.

Todd Shermer, Officer of the Year: Shermer recently retired as a patrol officer in the West Duluth District. Shermer found that using humor was one way he was able to connect with his workmates and the community.

Kerry Cronin, Civilian of the Year: Cronin is the budget and grants analyst. She is responsible for the oversight of the department’s general fund budget, as well as applying for and managing state and federal grants. She has been extremely successful in acquiring significant, critical funding for the police department.

Matthew Nevanen, Investigator of the Year: Nevanen is a member of the LakeSuperior Drug and Violent Crime Task Force. He participates in local and regional drug and violent crime investigations. He often plays key roles in the prosecution of high-level offenders.

Donations

The CHUM Food Shelf received food drive funds Nov. 18 donated by Leadership Duluth , the region’s leadership development program of the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce. The Thanksgiving Food Drive included turkeys supplied at cost by Reinhart Foods and organized by Leadership Duluth. Each November, the leadership training day revolves around human services offered in the area and includes a visit to the CHUM Food Shelf. This year, the Premier Sponsor of Leadership Duluth, North Shore Bank , conducted its own internal fundraising and challenged its employees to donate $5,000 to the cause with the incentive of matching dollar-for-dollar. They raised a total of $10,500. This, in combination with Chamber member donations, totaled $12,525 in Thanksgiving food drive funds for local families in need.
On Nov. 17, the Kraus-Anderson Community Foundation presented $38,000 to the two local beneficiaries of the 2021 Kraus-Anderson Bike Duluth Festival, whose profits support community organizations making Duluth a better place for residents and visitors. This year’s recipients, Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores (COGGS) and Harbortown Rotary, each received $19,000. The KA Bike Duluth Festival is a high-energy, family-oriented biking event held annually at Spirit Mountain. The festival includes enduro and downhill events, cross-country trail rides, a vendor village offering bike and product demos, and local craft businesses. The celebration includes family-fun events, competitions, awards ceremonies, music, food and a silent auction. The 2022 Kraus-Anderson Bike Duluth Festival will be held in August at Spirit Mountain.
Duluth Pack partnered with Operation Hat Trick in July. Ryan Hanson of Duluth Pack and Paul Pederson of MACV presented a $15,000 donation check on behalf of the partnership with Operation Hat Trick. The $15,000 donation to Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans will be used to help landlord engagement efforts to develop housing options for the challenges of homeless veterans in the Duluth area. The custom- and American-made Duluth Pack-manufactured products in the collaboration include, but are not limited to: top-selling styles, the Grab-N-Go, Large Standard Backpack, Lumbar Pack and The Weekender Duffel, exclusively available on the brand’s website.

Winners

The St. Louis River Alliance and partners announced the winners of its Seasons of the St. Louis River Photo Contest. The top image in each category was awarded $150. Second and third place were each recognized on the SLRA website and social media pages; 123 photographs were entered into the contest and over 1,000 people joined the mission of viewing, sharing, commenting and voting on the photos that were submitted. The contest began May 3 and closed Oct. 4. The photo contest was held in partnership with the Area of Concern agencies (Wisconsin DNR, Minnesota DNR, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) and funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The intention was to celebrate the beauty of the largest U.S. river that flows into Lake Superior and highlight the important remediation and restoration work that is being done there. Winning photos are available for viewing at stlouisriver.org/news/photo-contest-winner-announcement .

People's Choice

Tone Coughlin, "American White Pelican Jay Cooke State Park."

People, Recreation and Harbor Activity

First place: Michael Anderson, "Storybook Wonder."

Second place: Heidi Beal, "Spring Thaw at Jay Cooke State Park."

Third place: Tim Beaulier, "Canoeist Paddling Thru Fond du Lac."

Fish, Wildlife and Birds in Their Natural Habitat

First place: Tone Coughlin, "American White Pelican Jay Cooke State Park."

Second place: Bob Foucault, "American White Pelican at Chambers Grove."

Third place: Chuck Sjodin, "Return of the Yellow-headed Blackbird (Mud Lake)."

Plants and Flowers

First place: Deanna Erickson, "Dragonfly Exuvia on Seeding Wild Rice (Duck Hunter Bay)."