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From taconite to tractor
It’s pretty well established that a tractor is made of steel. Iron Rangers generally understand that the trucks hauling iron ore on the edge of town have something to do with making that steel. Nevertheless it can be difficult to understand exactly how ore goes from rock to machine. So much of the process happens outside…
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Reforming the IRRRB is tricky business
For decades, reforming the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) has been the intermittent goal of “good government” advocates, gadfly Iron Rangers, and frustrated partisans ascending to or descending from power. Reforming the IRRRB has also been a political football bandied about at the legislature by both parties at different times for different reasons. The concept of “reforming…
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Range revitalization: From words to action
Last week, hundreds gathered to share ideas for the future of Minnesota’s Iron Range. In an MPR forum (listen to it here), specific pitches for diversifying the region’s economy encouraged new action and featured new voices in this oft-beleaguered region I call home. I wrote about my take on the event’s core theme in last Sunday’s column…
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Essar faces spring crucible
Essar Steel has been in the news plenty these days. The stories can all run together, so let’s combine the things we’ve learned recently to form a clearer picture. In a nutshell, I think Essar is headed for a sale. Perhaps a partial sale, but a major new investor is likely necessary for this new Iron Range…
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Highway 53 bridge progress seen from the air
The Highway 53 bridge project between Eveleth and Virginia, Minnesota, continues to develop at a fast pace. Sure, the mine that required the major state highway to be rerouted, United Taconite, is still idled. And yes, this project involves snaking a new road around a man-made mountain, constructing the state’s tallest bridge across a mine pit,…
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It’s Iron Range week for state media
Looks like I picked a good week to take a few days off from the blog. State media are giving us plenty of Iron Range reading material. Today, of course, Minnesota Public Radio will hold its “Minnesota’s Iron Range: Ideas for the Future” forum at Hibbing Community College. The forum will take place from 6-8 p.m. in…
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St. Louis County may allow ATVs on roads
St. Louis County commissioners may allow All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) to be operated on county roads with few restrictions as soon as May 24. John Myers of the Duluth News Tribune reported on the county plan to lift a ban on ATVs on county roads earlier this week. A majority of commissioners appear to support the idea.…
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U.S. Steel slashes 25 percent of salaried jobs
Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel, owner and operator of two major mines on the Mesabi Iron Range and co-owner of a third, announced Wednesday it would slash 25 percent of its salaried workforce. The job cuts are focused on its North American operations. From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The steelmaker had 21,000 employees in North America as of…
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Embattled Hibbing school administrator resigns
Former Hibbing High School assistant principal Jac Fleming has resigned, according to a Tony Potter story in the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Fleming was at the center of a major community controversy over his conduct with female students. The state human rights department released a finding of discrimination based on gender against Fleming earlier this year. Fleming…
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Essar misses deadline for $10 million repayment
While the half-finished project continues to jut from the landscape in eastern Itasca County, Essar Steel Minnesota is likely going to change considerably before work continues. In fact, it might not even be called Essar anymore if many involved have their say. Dee DePass at the Star Tribune reports today that Essar Steel Minnesota has missed a late…
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Dayton faces criticism, stands ground on Range
Gov. Mark Dayton was on the Iron Range Friday defending his decision to deny permission for Twin Metals to drill on public lands near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Technically, there were two meetings, both held at the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) headquarters in Eveleth. The Range Association of Municipalities and Schools (RAMS)…
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Iron Range economic imbalance, in one graphic
I’ve already written at length about the recent report by the Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor. That document details serious management and governance problems at the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB). Today I’d like to talk about an aspect of that report that paints a broader picture of what ails the Iron…
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Dayton coming North, definitely not a vacation
The Mesabi Daily News reports this morning that Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton will make public appearances in Eveleth on Friday. The governor will talk to local officials and the public about his recent decision to block new drilling on public lands for the Twin Metals project, a controversial copper nickel mining proposal near Ely. Gov.…
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Essar Steel Minnesota nears bankruptcy
Essar Steel Minnesota is preparing for bankruptcy. This morning the Duluth News Tribune shared a Reuters report that the company building a new taconite plant near Nashwauk is close to bankruptcy. From a John Myers story: Essar has hired financial and legal advisers to help restructure its debt, several financial news sources reported over the…
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IRRRB reforms announced after tough audit
The Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board will voluntarily reform itself to comply with findings from a recent Legislative Auditor’s report. Under a new plan, the IRRRB would retain its power to allocate funds from its unique regionally-funded state agency but those allocations would require the governor’s approval. This would address the Legislative Auditor’s finding that having…