-
Once you Gogebic, you never go back
It’s interesting to see how Wisconsin officials are traveling to Minnesota’s Iron Range Tuesday for guidance on mine regulatory issues surrounding the proposed Gogebic Taconite mine in northern Wisconsin. It’s also interesting to see how the comments section of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel can so quickly resemble the back-and-forth of any northern Minnesota open forum…
-
Happy Farmer Labor Day from the Iron Range
At 10:30 this morning they’ll hold the 100th Farmer’s Day Parade on the freshly repaved streets of Bovey, Minnesota. Bovey was bypassed in 2007 by the never-ending, never-complete expansion of the Cross-Range Expressway. City leaders have responded by installing a brickwork strip down the center of Old 169. Today they’ll break in that street with…
-
Iron Range student engineers post big win
After an emotionally taxing week discussing Iron Range political and economic development failures it helps to go into the long weekend with some good news. Lee Bloomquist at the IRRRB “Rangeviews” blog highlights the success of two Iron Range Engineering students who won the Minnesota Cup student engineering prize for their generator that runs on…
-
‘Art in the Park’ series ends tonight with live Range music
Tonight brings the final “Art in the Park” free live music show on the stage of the Minnesota Discovery Center amphitheater in Chisholm, Minnesota. All summer long the former Ironworld has been offering free shows, museum access and a live venue for local bands producing original music. Give it a shot if you haven’t tried…
-
Range boondoggle now poses test of character, leadership
The implications of Peter Passi’s Duluth News Tribune groundbreaking investigation into the squandering of $41 million in public money by Excelsior Energy on the Iron Range continue to unfold. The story now appears to be the biggest fiscal disaster in Iron Range economic development history, but there’s more yet to explore. Karl Bremer at Ripple…
-
I (heart) Hibbing
A friend of this blog Jennifer Rian is writing a blog called “I (heart) Hibbing,” the ideas of a Range transplant looking back at her hometown. She has some good ideas and good taste in baked goods. You should check out her blog, too. As with all things Iron Range, I have to add for…
-
Amendment debate spurs excellent series, "Growing Up Gay in Northern Minnesota"
Tony Sterle at A Little Bit of Liberal has written a fascinating series entitled Growing Up Gay in Northern Minnesota (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). He’s done a nice job of writing about the issue as an advocate, but with honest journalistic consideration of both sides in the debate. Really, Tony is a great…
-
We govern in a van down by the river
On the subject of town halls, here are some more. Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8) is sending his staffed mobile office to the Range on Thursday, Aug. 25 and Friday, Aug. 26. This after his hotly discussed town hall in Duluth today. The congressman’s mobile office will be at the Keewatin City Hall from 2-4:30 p.m.…
-
Editorial asks necessary questions on Excelsior’s Range dealings
The Duluth News Tribune ran an pertinent editorial today after its must-read, two–part series investigating Excelsior Energy’s Mesaba Energy Project on the Iron Range. Worth reading entirely, here is the thrust: Questions abound: Why didn’t elected leaders demand more spending scrutiny? Why has Rep. Anzelc been largely alone in waving a red flag? Why did…
-
U.S. Steel, state strike deal on Range pollution, expansion issues
I’ve neglected to mention this deal between the state and U.S. Steel. The largest mining company on the Range would clean up pollution at its properties, most notably MinnTac, in exchange for rights to expand Keewatin Taconite, adding another line and more jobs to the western Iron Range. This is another example of the strengthening…
-
One vision for Range economic diversification
Today I follow up on last week’s post about the meaning of temporary prosperity in Iron Range mining. I’ve come up with a working list of things we (that is, the people, by way of our institutions) can do to diversify our economy and bolster our communities. The links go back to previous writing I’ve…
-
DNT continues must-read investigation into failed Range project
Peter Passi of the Duluth News Tribune continues his must-read investigation into the troubles facing Minnetonka-based startup Excelsior Energy. Over ten years Excelsior received more than $40 million in public funds for its “clean-coal” Mesaba Energy Project on the Range but has little to show for it. Today, the story is where Excelsior stands today.…
-
Duluth paper runs damning report on Range energy boondoggle
Peter Passi has an important Sunday story in the Duluth News Tribune on Excelsior Energy’s controversial Mesaba Energy Project, the Iron Range clean-coal proposal that has yet to materialize, despite its $40-some million in public dollars. I urge you to read Passi’s story. It is a wholly effective explanation of the project’s origins and political…
-
A final word on Range political history and voting patterns
The history keeps coming! My Silent Cal post from two weeks ago and my update about historical Range voting patterns last week have elicited an important clarification from the Iron Range’s most prominent and respected working historian, Pam Brunfelt. Actually, it is not accurate to state that voters had to request a ballot for the…
-
Big Range ore shipments signal big opportunity for diversification
A banner year for Iron Range ore shipments on Lake Superior. Not so for the IRRRB, where the lingering woes of 2009 are dragging down the agency’s three-year taconite tax formula. The 2011 boom of mining activity on the Iron Range should be taken for what it is: another, perhaps final chance to retool our…