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Superior vs. the Range: Business North explores Magnetation story
Business North has an update on the Magnetation pellet plant discussed here yesterday. Their sources place Superior, Wisconsin, as a leading contender for the facility, though it sounds like the deal is not yet done and Itasca County remains a logical candidate as well. It could be that the smokestack chasing and economic development gamesmanship…
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Cravaack pens op/ed on Range mining permits
The next couple days will feature the thoughts of DFL candidates seeking to replace Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8) in this unique northeastern Minnesota district. I’ll be talking to Cravaack in a couple weeks, but for those who seek an immediate counterpoint Cravaack has an op/ed in today’s Duluth News Tribune about Iron Range mining projects.…
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Magnetation mulls Northland pellet plant
This has been rumored for a while, but Magnetation is now confirming to WDIO they are considering several sites for a new iron pellet plant in the region. A site near their scram mining operations in Itasca County and a site in Superior, Wisconsin are among those under consideration. I had heard whispers about the…
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Young thespians add heat (hot air?) to January air
It’s been a while since I’ve shared much in the way of Iron Range arts and entertainment news. There are always things going on around here, especially in the winter. We’re still in the juicy center of winter. By March it is all bones and gristle. I don’t mean culturally. I mean spiritually. What I…
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The cold touch of metal, the language of machines
I grew up a mechanic’s son of a mechanic’s son on the Iron Range of northern Minnesota. My family has long lived around the Range’s tamarack swamps, seldom within its cities and often many miles out. Always more focused on the machines, the woods and the work than the machinations of the region’s booming, busting…
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Beating the bumps in an Iron Range mining boom
I’ve recently advocated a sort of temperance in talk that boom times in mining are enough to propel the economy of Minnesota’s Iron Range forward. That’s not very fun, or very popular, or very important, I suppose, as the economy will react independently of what some blogger writes or what you see on your computer…
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KSTP "On the Road" features Sunrise Deli
KSTP’s On the Road segment with Jason Davis featured the owners of the legendary Sunrise Deli in Hibbing as they made the decision not to close down, but to continue as a wholesaler of the popular ethnic foods that characterize the Iron Range. It’s been a turbulent year for Hibbing food landmarks. The similarly named,…
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Dust in the wind … public meeting on dust in the wind
Tonight at 6 a public meeting will be held in the small western Iron Range city of Keewatin regarding the red dust blowing off the Magnetation scram mining site south of town. Representatives of Magnetation have been invited, as have local officials. Magnetation is a newer company producing iron concentrate from mine dumps once considered…
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This January heat is a killer
I just went for a walk outside. I had to unzip my coat. I sweat through my shirt. This is Hibbing, Minnesota. The temperatures in northern Minnesota are running 50 degrees warmer than you often see this time of year, a couple dozen degrees above average. There’s almost no snow in open areas, just an…
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Humans vs. ore: a modern retelling
It’s been interesting to watch the patterns of mining and economics on northern Minnesota’s Iron Range lately. In addition to bullish numbers from the big taconite producers, small scram operations like Magnetation are expanding wildly. This most recent story from WDIO shows how a joint venture between two companies, Magnetation and Steel Dynamics, parent company…
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DM&IR is no more
Though it’s been in the works for some time, today it’s official. The Duluth Missabe and Iron Range Railway is no more. Parent company Canadian National has merged it with two other regional railroads to streamline its operations, which carry a robust array of commodities including Iron Range taconite bound for eastern steel mills. I…
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Cool new nicknames for Iron Range cities
Suggested nicknames for the major cities of northern Minnesota’s Mesabi and Vermillion iron ranges, listed without commentary (west to east): Grand Rapids: G-RapColeraine: Raine MakerBovey: V-BoTaconite: Tac AttackMarble: MarbsCalumet: The MetNashwauk: Wauker Texas RangerKeewatin: Kee WestHibbing: HistocityChisholm: Chisel TownBuhl: Water CityMountain Iron: MyronVirginia: 53169Eveleth: Eva-lastGilbert: BroadwayBiwabik: Pen CityAurora: Sky LightHoyt Lakes: Hoy HoyBabbitt: BabsEmbarrass: FrozoneTower:…
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COLUMN: Time to delve into ’12
This is my Sunday column for the Jan. 1, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. My annual predictions column is one of my favorite traditions. Enjoy and Happy New Year! Time to delve into ‘12By Aaron J. Brown The pathway was clogged with skunks. I hate skunks. Warm winters bring out the skunks. So…
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Filling the holes, finding lost dreams on the Range
A friend of this blog Elanne Palcich recently wrote a commentary for the Iron Range Hometown Focus newspaper about the mining heritage of the Range and what it has meant. While Elanne can be counted as a strong opponent to many of the mining projects we hear about around the Iron Range, I do believe…
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Tepid St. Louis County mining resolution reflects need for new perspective
Another St. Louis County board meeting has led to a new blip in the debate over nonferrous mineral mining in northeastern Minnesota. The county board voted 4-3 Tuesday to back a rather tame nonferrous mineral mining resolution, according to a story in today’s Duluth News Tribune. Five hours of testimony and deliberation produced the following…