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250 MW of clean energy coming downstream
Maybe some folks think I’m out to choke out the upper Midwest’s power supply after last week’s column in which I once again criticize the Mesaba Energy Project, that boondoggle coal gas power plant pushed by lobbyists here on the Iron Range. Not so, my business friends. In fact, my arguments fall squarely in line…
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Health care tour comes to Hibbing today
State Rep. Carolyn Laine, an Iron Range native, will be in Hibbing today with other legislators to tout a bill for universal health care that she and others will be proposing this session. Those interested in the health care debate should check it out. I would go if it weren’t cross-scheduled with the dinnertime insanity…
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Super Tuesday on the Iron Range
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Hawaiian Congressman to appear at Tom and Jerry’s today
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Mesabi Daily News story about Obama’s Range endorsements
Here’s a Mesabi Daily News story about the Iron Range Obama Committee press conference last weekend: Range group backs ObamaBy Charles RamsayCHISHOLM — An area group has stepped up with backing for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, as the Iron Range Leadership Committee voiced its support for the Illinois senator before Minnesota’s Tuesday caucus. Heading…
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Iron Range stands at modern crossroads
This is my weekly column for the Hibbing Daily Tribune published Sunday, Feb. 3, 2008. Iron Range stands at modern crossroadsBy Aaron J. BrownModern life hums with information and responsibilities, sometimes real and sometimes imagined. Every day I update the blog, prepare classes, and blaze a trail through the woods while connected wirelessly to the…
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U.S. Steel is officially rolling in its 5.0, with its ragtop down so its hair can blow
It’s official. U.S. Steel will invest $300 million into Keewatin Taconite, increasing taconite pellet production by more than 3.5 million. The whole project will take three years to fully implement. This also makes U.S. the big daddy steel company on the Iron Range as they now own the top two taconite operations here. PRESS RELEASEOberstar…
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Franken vs. Coleman comes to the Range
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KeeTac Attack!
U.S. Steel will hold a press conference Friday at 2 p.m. at the Keewatin City Hall. My sources tell me the company is announcing a major expansion and environmental upgrade at its Keewatin Taconite plant, something like 3.5 million tons of additional pellet production capability. Yesterday, U.S. Steel announced that their Iron Range taconite production…
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Major taconite production increase?
U.S. Steel will hold a press conference at the Keewatin City Hall on Friday, Feb. 1. They will announce the “good news” we’ve been hearing about for a couple weeks now. I have heard talk about something like a 3.5 million ton increase in taconite pellet production at Keewatin Taconite. That’s huge, almost doubling production…
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Tepid debate at St. Paul mining hearing
I didn’t post a follow-up on the mining hearings down in St. Paul Friday. Essentially, it was a tepid debate between environmentalists and mining interests regarding nonferrous mining on the eastern Iron Range. Some old hard feelings were aired but no game-changing elements were introduced. The Duluth News-Tribune provided a rundown Saturday. The permitting process…
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An important day for Iron Range mining projects
There’s a lot going on today that could impact many of the precious mineral mining and value-added iron mining projects currently in development on the Iron Range. First, this morning lawmakers are meeting with representatives of India-based Essar Global, the company that bought the Minnesota Steel project which aims to build a taconite mine and…
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Obama meeting CANCELLED, to be rescheduled
UPDATE: The Obama organizational meeting for tonight has been cancelled and will be rescheduled because the field organizer is out sick today. Watch this site for an update in a day or two. Find out more about Barack Obama’s campaign for president and plans for the Iron Range at an introductory meeting tonight. It’s at…
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Spin, baby, spin
Remember that scene in “Monty Python’s Holy Grail” where King Arthur is dueling with the Black Knight and keeps cutting off the knight’s arms, then legs. Each time he cuts off a limb the knight refuses to admit defeat, saying things like “Oh, it’s just a scratch.” Yeah, Excelsior Energy and their boondoggle Mesaba Energy…
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In honor of Dr. King
I’m again posting from the deep woods instead of the office today in honor of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. national holiday. The Hibbing Daily Tribune has an interesting story about a community outreach effort that I’m involved with at the college where I teach. We help bring a diverse group of college students…