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Mining company describes ‘underground city’ in N. Minn. plans
Twin Metals, one of the companies proposing nonferrous mineral mining near Ely, announced this week it is drawing up plans for its mine. This March 27 John Myers Duluth News Tribune story paints quite a picture of Twin Metals’ mining aspirations. The so-called Nokomis project along Minnesota Highway 1 near the Kawishiwi River is now…
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KFAI profiles Range’s ‘Iron Lady’ Veda Ponikvar
Britt Aamodt of KFAI-Minneapolis profiled groundbreaking Iron Range newspaper publisher and civic leader Veda Ponikvar recently as part of the station’s series on Women’s History Month. The piece is about 30 minutes and gives you a good introduction to the Iron Range and the woman who rose from immigrant roots to great local and even…
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Highway 53 reroute options become more clear
This Duluth News Tribune story details the two leading plans for rerouting Highway 53 as it approaches Virginia, Minnesota, from the south. Because of a deal forged between mining companies and the state back in 1960 the Minnesota DOT is on the hook for an expensive route change as the mine, in this case Cleveland…
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Magnetation eyes 1,000 acres in Itasca County
The fast-growing scram mining operation Magnetation plans to acquire 1,000 acres of land in Itasca County near Taconite. This land is adjacent to the infamous Canisteo Pit which had posed a serious flood risk to the Iron Range city of Bovey. Recent “de-watering” efforts have stemmed the complaints, but Magnetation is touting its ability to…
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MPR: "Awkward hugs can’t save northern Minnesota"
My recent thoughts on the “Hug a Ranger” campaign in St. Louis County got me a spot as today’s commentator on the Minnesota Public Radio News website. The title is “Awkward hugs can’t save northern Minnesota” and I’m sure other people aren’t writing things like this. I’m quite sure. It’s a distillation of some of…
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DNT editorial backs Anzelc IRRRB daylight provisions
Another follow-up, today the Duluth News Tribune editorial board strongly backs Balsam Twsp DFL Rep. Tom Anzelc’s IRRRB transparency provisions which recently advanced out of a House committee. No one wants to be a detriment to progress. But when public money is being doled out — whether by the millions or more, or even by…
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This hugging business just got real
This is a follow up on my “Hug a Ranger” post of last week. St. Louis County Commissioner Keith Nelson wrote me to clarify that the “Hug a Ranger” brochure the county put out to market the region’s impact and importance in the state included a typographical error. The claim that nonferrous mining would produce…
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Anzelc bill demanding IRRRB transparency advances
A bill by Rep. Tom Anzelc (DFL-Balsam Township) requiring more transparency for potential development projects by the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board has cleared a committee hurdle in the State House, advancing in an Omnibus civil law bill. The bill has no Senate counterpart, where Iron Range senators have been cool to the idea.…
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The last snowman falls
My Sunday column prompted a loyal reader to wonder if I would conclude my winter snowman series. I hereby offer the conclusion. I’m now taking nominations for the art motif I should use through the summer. Related posts: No related posts.
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Cravaack to hold Grand Rapids town hall
The Grand Rapids Herald Review is reporting that U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8) will hold a town hall in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, this weekend. U.S. Representative Chip Cravaack (MN-8) will host a town hall meeting in Grand Rapids Saturday, March 17 from 11 a.m. to noon at the Sawmill Inn. All town hall meetings are…
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Springtime in the Port of Duluth
Spring has sprung! The first ship of the season, Mesabi Miner, departs the Port of Duluth Friday morning. Duluth, Minn., USA—Maritime traffic for the 2012 shipping season is set to get underway this week in the Port of Duluth-Superior with the anticipated departure of the Mesabi Miner in the early morning hours of Friday, March…
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Faster permitting amendment offered to aid Magnetation
Rep. Tom Anzelc has proposed an amendment hastening the permitting process for scram mining operations like Magnetation in a state House bill. There was a not-too-small recent hullabaloo over where Magnetation might locate their proposed processing plant, which would turn their iron concentrate salvaged from area mine waste dumps into traditional taconite pellets. Magnetation extracts…
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Range historian warms to former Ironworld
Hometown Focus, an Iron Range weekly newspaper, profiles the changes at the Minnesota Discovery Center in the last year. The MDC is the former Ironworld which famously closed down in 2009 after mismanagement occurred during its spinoff from state-run cultural site to a nonprofit. Among the controversial occurrences was the renaming of the facility with…
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Hug a Ranger? That’s what they’re saying, anyway
St. Louis County, the giant northeastern Minnesota principality that includes Duluth and about 75 percent of the Iron Range is trying out a new marketing campaign: “Hug a Ranger.” Let me break this down for you cityfolks, since you are supposedly the target market. We still mine here. Did you know that? That mining produces…
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Cliffs predict stability at Minnesota mine properities
For all the drama about mining over in Wisconsin, Cliffs Natural Resources predicts stability and prosperity at its Minnesota iron ore properties for the next 2-3 years. Related posts: No related posts.