Two Harbors
Lake County
Hunt for Two Harbors smiley face bandit leads to shroom arrest
On May 26, 2025, Two Harbors police officers observed spray-painted smiley faces on a retaining wall near the public boat launch. Some of the...
Lake County
Return of the underwater hotel
Some stories never go away.
To recap, in 2022, Two Harbors Mayor Chris Swanson was widely ridiculed when he advocated for the construction of a...
Lake County
Two Harbors native faces another fraud lawsuit
On Nov. 19, 2023, the Monitor reported on Paul Croft, the Two Harbors native whose flashy Chattanooga accounting firm Croft & Frost had collapsed...
Lake County
Two Harbors “visionary” faces fraud allegations, lawsuits
It’s been a tough couple of months for Paul Croft and Jonathan Frost, owners of the Croft & Frost accounting firm in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
On...
Lake County
Monitor wins state award for Swanson coverage
The year 2022 will undoubtedly be remembered by residents of Two Harbors, Minnesota, as an unusual time. That was the year their self-proclaimed “visionary”...
Lake County
Swanson defamation lawsuit against Monitor permanently expires
The Duluth Monitor had a busy 2022. We published a series of eight articles about the antics of Two Harbors Mayor Chris Swanson, over...
Lake County
Judge Cuzzo upholds one restraining order, dismisses three against Monitor publisher
On Oct. 10, 2022, in Lake County District Court, Judge Michael Cuzzo upheld a harassment restraining order which former Two Harbors Mayor Chris Swanson...
Lake County
While under contract with Ruth’s Vegetarian Gourmet, Mayor Swanson advocated for their expansion project with city
In late January of 2020, Jennifer Sterbenz, the newly-hired Director of Community Development for the City of Two Harbors, received an email from a...
Lake County
Boss Swanson, Part II: Shining light of hope
Two Harbors Mayor Chris Swanson loves entrepreneurs, and takes pride in what he has done to promote entrepreneurialism in Two Harbors. One might even...
Lake County
Woot woot! Mayor Swanson promoted Swanson businesses 50 times on Facebook
On March 9, 2022, I published an article entitled “Mayor Swanson promoted own businesses 97 times on city Twitter account.” The mayor, who did...
Lake County
Short-term rental boom creates housing shortage in Two Harbors
“There’s one house for sale in Two Harbors,” realtor Sue Bott told the Two Harbors Planning Commission, incredulously, on March 1, 2022. “Well, there...
Lake County
Swanson News Roundup
As the Monitor enters its sixth week investigating Two Harbors, our switchboard operators are having trouble keeping up with all the news tips and...
Lake County
Boss Swanson, Part I: Poaching Lou’s Fish
“We love jobs and want to see more in Two Harbors. If you are looking to start a business, or already have a business,...
Lake County
Mayor Swanson promoted own businesses 97 times on city Twitter account
The first tweet on the official Twitter account of Two Harbors Mayor Chris Swanson is a pun. It appeared on April 5, 2017, shortly...
Lake County
Two Harbors mayor allegedly used position to fundraise for nonprofit, while under contract with them
Mayor Chris Swanson can’t blame Mr. O for his own behavior.
The mayor of Two Harbors recently came under fire when news broke that his...
Lake County
Unmasking Mr. O
It’s not easy being a big thinker. Christopher Swanson, the mayor of Two Harbors, Minnesota, has had a rough few weeks.
On Jan. 20, 2022,...
