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Cliffs vows ore for Hibbing Taconite, plans for Nashwauk
Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves still wants to mine iron ore near Nashwauk. He vows that Hibbing Taconite will always have enough ore from his company, if they need it. Further he says Northshore Mining continues to make progress with direct-reduced iron products. Finally, he predicts smooth contract negotiations between his company and the United Steelworkers.…
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Essar rejoins Nashwauk project; ArcelorMittal looms large
The complex tale of an incomplete iron ore mine on the western Mesabi Iron Range took several new turns this week. Each twist reinforces a central truth. Distant, powerful corporate forces act on impulses far removed from Northern Minnesota’s hopes and dreams. Mesabi Metallics still holds state mining leases on land outside Nashwauk. This was…
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Minnesota’s Iron Range region can feed itself
Minnesota’s Iron Range region is known for mining. But that’s only one of the resources provided in the Dakota legend of the Big Man Hills, or Sleeping Giant. Another has provided food far longer: the soil beneath our feet. Minnesota’s three major iron ranges hold a bad reputation for farming, due to the high iron…
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Radinovich holds narrow lead in NY Times poll
Joe Radinovich holds an extremely narrow lead over Pete Stauber in a recent New York Times/Siena College poll of Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District. Radinovich led 44 percent to Stauber’s 43 percent in the four-day poll that ended yesterday. Thirteen percent remain undecided in the survey, which did not name independent candidate Ray “Skip” Sandman. The…
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New York Times tracks Minnesota’s 8th District
Brace yourself, Minnesota political junkies. You’re about to have your mind blown. The New York Times hired Siena College to conduct polls in competitive House races across America. One of them is Northern Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District. They’ll be uploading polling results from the district as they come in, updating the results each day. That…
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Hibbing grad warns of economic crisis below ground
During the oil boom ten years ago I knew a number of guys who would pack a bag and drive from Northern Minnesota to western North Dakota to work weeks at a time in the Bakken oil fields. Classmates. Friends of friends. Parents from my kids’ school. During the Great Recession of 2008 this was…
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Will Minnesota’s 8th District swing or rust shut?
With Labor Day behind us, a nine-week political sprint awaits the next Congressperson from Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District. This North Central Minnesota seat promises to be among the nation’s most expensive and closely-watched swing races for control of Congress. Several factors will influence whether our next Member of Congress is Republican Pete Stauber, Democrat Joe…
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Authorities recover Dorothy’s stolen ruby slippers
In 2005, someone stole a pair of ruby slippers worn in the 1939 classic film “The Wizard of Oz” from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. For the next thirteen years, Dorothy’s missing slippers became the subject of an exhaustive search that even included several dives into a nearby mine pit. Today, the…
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Union works past deadline, but prepares for strike
All the mines on Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range run hot today, despite the expiration of labor contracts at facilities owned by U.S. Steel and ArcelorMittal last night. The United Steelworkers of America agreed to stay on the job while negotiations continue. The union represents workers at mines and mills throughout the North American steel industry.…
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Northeastern Minnesota celebrates its Labor roots
Maybe it’s just because I’m practically drowning in Iron Range history research these days, but Labor Day seems a significant holiday to mark this year. After all, we see workers standing for fair pay across the Mesabi Iron Range this week. Lately I’ve been writing a lot about the transition of the region’s economy, on…
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United Steelworkers to rally Thursday over contract talks
On Thursday, Aug. 30, members and supporters of the United Steelworkers will hold rallies and demonstrations across the Mesabi Iron Range. They seek to bring attention to the union’s ongoing impasse with major steelmakers over a new labor contract. This story highlights a critical moment in the economic recovery that reached the Iron Range in 2016,…
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Greater Minnesota Governor’s Forum cancelled
The Greater Minnesota Governor’s Forum scheduled for tomorrow night at the Reif Center in Grand Rapids has been cancelled. The campaigns of Republican nominee Jeff Johnson and Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party nominee Tim Walz both withdrew unexpectedly over the weekend. Organized by Northern Community Radio and Lakeland Public Television, the forum aimed to focus exclusively on Greater…
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New Hibbing mine view takes shape
This summer, tourists in Hibbing have been denied the classic Iron Range experience of seeing the Mahoning Hull Rust Mine View and its Grand Canyon-style mining vista. Hibbing Taconite consumed the old mine view with mining activity this summer while a new overlook underwent construction about a mile away. Though the new mine view isn’t…
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Post-primary analysis shows how Radinovich won MN-8
This week DFL voters nominated Joe Radinovich to face Republican Pete Stauber and independent Skip Sandman in the Nov. 6 general election. Though I covered the basics in my Tuesday night live blog, I’ve got a few more thoughts on the Aug. 14 primary election before we swing into general election mode (and perhaps take…
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LIVE BLOG: Following #MN08 and more on primary night 2018
This live blog is by Aaron Brown of MinnesotaBrown.com, an author, columnist, radio producer and college instructor from Northern Minnesota’s Iron Range. We’ll be following returns from the 2018 Minnesota Primary with special attention on the 8th Congressional District. Got tips? Contact Aaron here or leave a comment. Refresh often for the newest material. More news…