Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 6, 7
- The Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team beat Niagara 2-1 in non-conference play at the DECC on Sunday. What was most remarkable about the win is the fact that they did it with nine players out with injuries and a 10th playing with Team Germany.
- Two trucks broke through the ice on Duluth-area lakes over the weekend, prompting authorities to warn anglers and others not to drive on any lakes until the region gets several days of below-zero temperatures. It takes a minimum of 12 inches of ice to support a light car or truck, officials said.
A pickup truck sank in 30 feet of water on Island Lake Saturday. The driver, John Treacy, and his passenger, Jeremy Anderson, both escaped without injury. On Sunday at Grand Lake, another pickup broke through the ice, but only one wheel sank below the surface of ice.
Monday, Jan. 8
- Florida beat Ohio State in the BCS national championship game by a score of 41-14.
- Duluth Mayor Herb Bergson gave his fourth State of the City address, which is also his longest, at close to 35 minutes. (See Matthew R. Perrine's story and photos of a day with the mayor, pages 25-27.)
Tuesday, Jan. 9
- The Duluth Planning Commission voted unanimously in favor of a proposal to help redevelop part of downtown Duluth by creating a new tax-increment district. Now the plan goes to the Duluth City Council on Jan. 29. If approved, A&L Renaissance LLC could begin work as early as February on its $15.6 million project, which includes 21 housing units and about 65,000 square feet of office and retail space on the lower side of Superior Street between the Electric Fetus and First Avenue East.
Wednesday, Jan. 10
- A three-judge panel of the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis reversed a ruling stating that the city of Duluth must approve a cell-phone tower permit because the council failed to respond to the permit within 60 days of the permit application. So it looks as if the 195-foot tower may not, after all, be built on the 3.6 acre lot at 2901 Morris Thomas Road.
- Jason Richard Borelli was sentenced to life imprisonment by Judge Michael Lucci for first-degree intentional homicide. Borelli was charged with the brutal slaying of Leah Gustafson on Jan. 7, 2006 in Superior.
Thursday, Jan. 11
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- Shawn Victor Wirta, 18, admitted in St. Louis County District Court that he violated the conditions of his probation by smoking marijuana while in the Northeast Regional Corrections Center. After testing positive for marijuana, Wirta was sentenced to 30 days in jail and to restart his one year sentence at the corrections center. While at the corrections center, Wirta will undergo chemical dependency treatment. Wirta plead guilty in June for criminal vehicular operation, which led to the death of 22-year-old David Stillman. He also plead guilty to two counts of criminal vehicular operation, where he harmed two other men.
Friday, Jan. 12
- As of press time, no car accidents were reported by the Superior and Duluth fire departments. The Northland was hit with over an inch of snow on Thursday evening and early Friday morning.
