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What we do when hope runs out
I was vacationing with family the day Robin Williams died from suicide after a lifelong struggle against depression. Had I been around my computer, I’d have shared stories of late night TV appearances and favorite movies with the rest of you. He was, after all, arguably the best late night TV talk show guest of…
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Embarrass Fair needs new blood to carry on
I think back to the number of conversations I’ve had with Roland “Charlie” Fowler of Embarrass and I don’t think I can name one where he didn’t mention the Embarrass Regional Fair in some way or another. I even heard Fowler drop a plug for the Embarrass Fair on a CNN story about the friendly…
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Rukavina, Hujanen face off in marquee local race
I was out of town when last week’s Primary Election results came rolling in. I’m back and it’s time to analyze some of the more interesting races. I’ll start with the race for St. Louis County District 6 Commissioner, where longtime Iron Range State Rep. Tom Rukavina of Pike Township seeks a return to elected office.…
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Itasca County seeks to extend broadband to every household
This is some of the most exciting news I’ve had a chance to share in a while. For at least a decade I’ve advocated for rural high-speed internet investment here in Northern Minnesota where technological infrastructure will be an important part of economic diversification. Itasca County, which includes Grand Rapids, forests, 1,000 lakes, the western…
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Foreign steel dustup shows challenge of GOP Range strategy
As the fall of another Election Year approaches, I’m often asked if this is the year that the quirky Iron Range DFL coalition falls apart, sending pro-mining Democrats running to the Republicans in order to, as the well-worn saying goes, “protect our way of life.” This is certainly a big part of Republican campaign strategy…
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Mount Polley disaster spurs scrutiny of Minnesota nonferrous mine plans
Sometime in the middle of the night on Monday, Aug. 4, the dam holding together a tailings basin at a British Columbian copper and gold mine gave way, sending 1.3 billion gallons of tainted, sludgy water into local streams and lakes. Officials tell residents in the closest town, Likely, B.C., not to use the water from several lakes and rivers near the Mount…
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Report: Putin ‘wants to regain Finland’
A former advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin says that his ex-boss wants to reestablish the Russian state in its original, pre-Bolshevik form. Among other jaw-dropping targets ranging from the Baltic states to parts of Ukraine, Georgia and Belarus, Putin apparently has eyes on reclaiming the independent Nordic nation of Finland at some point in his rule.…
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MN iron ore: changing history for 130 years
William Henry Brown was born in Northern Michigan during the peak of copper and iron mining in the Upper Peninsula. He was the son of a Cornish immigrant whose family had perhaps known mining since the Roman Empire. When he was a child he would have heard about new iron mining to the west in…
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UPDATE: Hedge fund takes over Range mining giant Cliffs Natural Resources
UPDATE: The votes have been counted and Casablanca Capital overwhelming won its bid to take over Cliffs Natural Resources, winning all six open spots on the board of directors. In a release, Casablanca states: Donald Drapkin, Chairman of Casablanca, said, “We are grateful to our fellow Cliffs shareholders for their careful consideration of the issues…
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Essar’s Algoma steel mill restructured in bankruptcy
Essar Steel’s Algoma mill in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario is reorganizing in bankruptcy after massive debts inhibited operations. The Sault Star reports that Essar filed for bankruptcy protections from both the Canadian and U.S. governments. Algoma’s corporate parent Essar will infuse $300 million into the facility to allow for existing debt to be refinanced. What’s not…
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Casting call for new movie at Soudan mine
This Saturday, July 26, producers of the new movie “Sdanka’s War” will be holding an open casting call at the Soudan Underground Mine State Park on Northern Minnesota’s Iron Range. You need to be there by 7 a.m. The Duluth-based production by LZ Productions and Almighty Dog Entertainment is seeking “20 or more guys dressed in plain tees,…
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I’ve (not) got the power
Last night’s storm knocked out power for 14,000 Lake Country Power customers, including MinnesotaBrown World Headquarters in Balsam Township. A storm like this knocked us out of power for three days two years ago. I drove into town for a work thing, so I’m going to go shave in the bathroom after I post this.…
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Highway 53 plan may create ‘highest bridge in Minnesota’
Iron Rangers might have seen some barges floating out on the Rouchleau pit near Virginia, Minnesota this past week. Crews are drilling the rock formations beneath the deep, cold water pits to see if the craggy mine waste and rock below can sustain the weight of what would become “the highest bridge in Minnesota.” In a…
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Cuyuna Range mining talk hails old ghosts
What would you do if an old girlfriend or boyfriend called? Would you take them back? What if you haven’t talked in 10 years. Or 20? Try 50. This is the discussion going on in Northern Minnesota these days and it isn’t about love; it’s about mining. There were three active iron mining ranges in Northern Minnesota through…
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Ruling on steel dumping short term relief for long term issue
On Friday, the United States Commerce Department ruled that recent low-cost imports of foreign steel violated trade rules and imposed tariffs on the predominantly South Korean steel products. This was the outcome domestic steelmakers, steelworkers and leaders here on Minnesota’s Iron Range had hoped for after the major rally against steel dumping held here two…