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Mr. Ed’s Farm shows off true Iron Range horsepower
This Saturday I’d recommend a family fun day at Mr. Ed’s Farm in Hibbing. Mr. Ed’s Farm will be holding its official “grand opening” Saturday, Sept. 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 10796 Foss Road, found south on Highway 5 near the Hibbing/Cherry line. It costs $5 per person, free for kids 2…
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Bear #56, in memorium
Bear #56, a female black bear from the Marcell, MN area, died of old age last week. She was the oldest wild bear ever recorded. Was she the oldest wild bear ever? Hard to say. Is this Jordan Carlton Schaul National Geographic piece the best obituary for a bear you’ve ever read? Probably. I know…
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Celebrating Labor Day the Iron Range way
For those looking to celebrate Labor Day in true Iron Range fashion, the Iron Range Labor Assembly will hold its annual “Day Before Labor Day” picnic Sunday 1-5 p.m. at Olcott Park in Virginia, Minnesota. The event is held then to accommodate northern Minnesota’s largest labor events in Duluth and Cloquet. Additionally, Bovey’s “Farmers’ Day”…
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Lake Vermilion State Park grows slowly
The Mesabi Daily News, via the Associated Press, recently published a story on the progress at Lake Vermilion State Park, Minnesota’s first new state park in 30 years and one that grew out of an odd set of political considerations. The project emerged from the administration of Gov. Tim Pawlenty without the request of local…
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Bears bearing collars bear burden beyond bearkind
With fall comes the annual DNR request for hunters not to shoot their research bears. The research bears wear reflective collars and distinctive yellow ear tags. These bears help researchers understand the movements, actions and reproduction of bears, so that they can recommend shooting more or fewer of them the following year. Kind of a…
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Rare wolf attack near Lake Winnibigoshish
Wolves don’t normally do this, but a wolf emerged from the woods at the West Winnie Campground in northern Minnesota over the weekend and attacked a human, latching on to a boy’s head and causing lacerations. The 16-year-old was laying on the ground near a tent and was taken by surprise in a 4 a.m.…
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Farewell, Highway 53 western route plan
Land speculators in Iron Junction were saddened to learn yesterday that the Minnesota Department of Transportation has now, finally and forever, cancelled the remote possibility that Highway 53 could be routed west of Eveleth and Virginia. Highway 53 is the aorta of Minnesota’s Iron Range and it has to be re-routed between Eveleth and Virginia…
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Iron Range mines in Rust Belt rumble over CAT deal
In the global economy, sometimes your friends are your enemies. That seems to be the case with a federal loan project to help sell American-made mining equipment to a new iron mining venture in western Australia. John Myers at the Duluth News Tribune wrote about the deal, including the obligatory reference to our “mates” Down…
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PolyMet EIS delayed until November
PolyMet’s Environmental Impact Statement won’t be released to the public until November, according to the Minnesota DNR. State and federal agencies reportedly have concluded their review of the mining company’s proposed plan to extract nonferrous minerals from northern Minnesota, but other agencies have input that needs to be included. This represents another delay, albeit a…
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Rethinking laws of attraction on the Iron Range
Friend of the blog Aaron Klemz has a commentary recently on the site “Be Pollen” combining the theories of Richard Florida’s Creative Class and the nonferrous mining debate in northern Minnesota. Klemz, who is spokesperson for the Friends of the Boundary Waters organization, pens the following as the thrust of his piece, “A Creative Class,…
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This is a photograph of local police chasing a bear
Shannon Leigh Sweeney Shannon Leigh Sweeney took this photo of an area law enforcement official chasing a black bear cub on Willow Lane in Grand Rapids, Minnesota this morning. She posted it to the Grand Rapids Herald-Review Facebook page. I’m sure there are more details and we’ll share them in time, but let’s just enjoy…
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Cornish pasty finds buttery love at French food expo
The Daily Mail in the UK reports that the Cornish pasty, the butter-crusted meat pie that followed its people to Great Lakes region of the United States, was the big hit at a French food festival. The West Country staple was the surprise star of the renowned event in the city of Lorient in Brittany,…
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Strike looms for St. Louis County in northern MN
Burgeoning labor troubles in the state’s largest geographic county are coming to light. The St. Louis County unit of AFSCME has authorized a strike as contract negotiations appear stalled after a meeting with a state mediator on Friday. There is a 10-day “cooling off” period before a strike would begin. The hope is that negotiations…
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Nisswa turtle racing tradition goes back half a century
Last week my family and I took a little mini-vacation to the Brainerd Lakes area. We did all the typical things, the water park, mini golf, etc., but we also tried to take in some of the local culture. Everyone said we needed to check out the turtle races in Nisswa, and we weren’t disappointed.…
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UPDATE 3: Ammonium nitrate tanker rolls over by Hibbing Taconite
A tanker truck carrying ammonium nitrate rolled over on Highway 5 near the entrance to Hibbing Taconite, according to reports. Officials say the tank did not leak and there are no evacuations planned. UPDATE: Check that, Northland’s Newscenter is reporting a half mile evacuation zone while the wreck is inspected. UPDATE: (from Wikipedia): The chemical…