A Great Lakes freighter required Coast Guard help to break free from the ice in Duluth.
The Lee A. Tregurtha was testing recent engine repairs when they grounded to a halt in thick ice Friday morning about a mile away from the Duluth Piers. The U.S. Coast Guard sent the cutter Spar to the rescue, which spent around 90 minutes smashing the ice to clear the way for the Lee A. to reach open lake.
USCG cutter Spar leaves Duluth to help release the Lee A. Tregurtha on Friday.
Courtesy of Scott Bjorklund
Scott Bjorklund, an Army Corps of Engineers park ranger stationed at the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center, said in an interview the spectacle drew out a crowd and commenters, but it is fairly common on the eastern side of the lake.
“I feel like if this had happened in the middle of the night, no one would have noticed and it wouldn’t have blown up as much as it has,” Bjorklund said.
The Lee A. Tregurtha is more than 800 feet long. It was built in 1942 as an oil tanker before being converted to a traditional Great Lakes freighter, according to Interlake Maritime Services, the Ohio-based company that owns the ship.
It was the largest steam-powered ship on the Great Lakes through the 2005 navigation season.
USCG cutter Spar breaks a path around the Lee A. Tregurtha on Friday.
Courtesy of Scott Bjorklund
Bjorklund said the season for stuck ships isn’t over on the Great Lakes, particularly along the St. Mary’s River and White Fish Bay.
The last stuck ship he could personally recall in Duluth was in April 2022. That ship required a tug rather than an icebreaker.
“The ice is still probably going to be a problem for weeks to come, because according to our forecast, it’s still not going to be that warm for us up here,” he said. “It’s going to look pretty below average. I don’t know, it might happen again. We’ll see.”
Lee A. Tregurtha comes back to Duluth to load iron ore pellets after being released Friday.
A Republican lawmaker charged in an alcohol-related driving offense won’t have to appear in court again until after the Legislature adjourns for the year.
A June 10 arraignment hearing is set for Rep. Elliott Engen, a Lino Lakes Republican who faces three misdemeanor charges following an arrest early Friday. He was stopped for speeding and other infractions in White Bear Lake; officers detected alcohol and he later tested well above the legal limit for driving, according to a citation.
Engen has apologized for a lapse in judgment; he promised to learn from his actions and “do better.” Aside from being a second-term legislator, he is also a candidate for state auditor.
A second lawmaker, GOP Rep. Walter Hudson, was in Engen’s truck at the time of the stop and an open bottle of alcohol was found in a rear seat. Hudson, a second-term legislator from Albertville, was in possession of a permitted handgun, which could cause him legal problems if he is determined to have been intoxicated.
Police officers wrote in their report that Hudson disclosed he had the gun as the truck was being searched. The report said police took the firearm for safekeeping and said he could pick it up at a later time, which Hudson agreed to.
“I regret the poor decisions that were made during this incident, and commend the White Bear Police Department for their professional response,” Hudson said in a written statement. “I’m grateful that no harm was done to ourselves and others.”
Rep. Walter Hudson, R-Albertville, (center) and Rep. Bidal Duran, R-Bemidji, (right) join other Republican lawmakers gather in the House chambers Jan. 27, 2025.
Tim Evans for MPR News file
A third, unidentified passenger was in the truck as well, according to police. Hudson and that person were transferred to the police department until they could arrange rides.
The Minnesota lawmakers had been at the Capitol late into the evening Thursday as the House debated procedural motions on gun, immigration and social media legislation. The motions failed on 67-67 votes.
There is no indication yet that either Hudson nor Engen had been drinking on Capitol grounds, which would be a violation of a House rule against consumption of alcohol or drugs in spaces under that chamber’s control.
According to a White Bear Lake Police report, Engen initially said he had not been drinking when asked by the police officer who pulled him over — “nothing at all,” he is quoted as saying. He performed a field sobriety test, which the report says showed signs of impairment.
Engen gave a preliminary breath sample there, the report says, which estimated a 0.142 blood alcohol level. After he was taken by squad car to the police department “Engen spontaneously stated, ‘Sir, I had a drink three hours ago,’” the report says.
He told the Minnesota Star Tribune in an interview Monday that he had also consumed alcohol in the afternoon on Thursday as well.
Engen is charged with two impaired driving offenses and speeding. White Bear Lake police also said he was driving a vehicle with expired registration and an inoperable headlight.
Engen has not returned calls from MPR News. A court docket lists a “notice of appearance” on Tuesday.
He is being represented in the criminal case by Chris Madel, an Excelsior attorney who waged a brief Republican campaign for governor.
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