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OLA report is out; more to come
The Office of the Legislative Auditor has posted its report on the Iron Range Resources loan to Excelsior Energy for its Mesaba Energy Project. Some interesting findings. I will post details soon. UPDATE: From the AP via the Duluth News-Tribune: “Minn. clean coal project had lax oversight“ Related posts: No related posts.
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Following up on Otto visit to Hibbing for Obama press event
The Hibbing Daily Tribune runs this story by Kelly Grinsteinner in today’s edition about yesterday’s Rebecca Otto press conference for the Obama campaign in Hibbing. The gist of the message was that money spent rebuilding Iraq could be spent rebuilding infrastructure in towns like Hibbing or others across the Iron Range. Related posts: No related…
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‘Cost of War’ press event highlights strong arguments for the Iron Range; too bad McGimmick gummed up the TV
Though the Wednesday night news cycle ended up being dominated by John McCain’s decision to suspend his campaign to “focus on the economic crisis” (adding an element of desperation to the chum-filled news waters), the Barack Obama campaign held an Iron Range press conference with mayors and elected officials Wednesday to talk about the cost…
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Iron Range Resources OKs infrastructure projects, focuses on housing
The Iron Range Resources Board approved a list of infrastructure projects at its meeting yesterday. The Mesabi Daily News has the story and the list of projects. The agency has allocated $4.78 million, mostly to housing initiatives. For the sake of these projects, I hope projections about new incoming residents are correct. Because overbuilding in…
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Extrapolating story from census data? Typical.
Today’s Duluth News-Tribune profiles the “typical Northlander.” Using census data, they’ve determined that the “typical Northlander” is a 29-year-old college educated female marketing professional. Oh, if only it were true! Many a modern Iron Range man tours downtown bars looking for just such a person, but — alas — success in this regard is rare,…
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Range ‘Cost of War’ event aims to show how the big picture affects small towns, Iron Range
At 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Obama campaign is organizing a “Local Cost of War” press conference at the Howard Street Barack Obama/DFL headquarters in downtown Hibbing in the heart of the Iron Range. The event features State Auditor Rebecca Otto and several Iron Range and other small town elected officials. They will demonstrate the cost…
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Keep the Range school ‘boom’ in perspective
MinnPost.com featured a Catherine Conlan story yesterday about Iron Range schools preparing for the possibility of increased enrollment if several development projects bring new families and students to Range districts. Naturally, this idea comes to the forefront after groundbreaking for Essar Steel Minnesota’s Nashwauk mining and steel mill operation, slated for opening in 2012. The…
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Barkely a factor, or maybe not, but probably for sure
It’s been a mixed day for Independence Party Senate candidate Dean Barkley. The Wall Street Journal profiled him and his potential impact on the race this morning, but this afternoon a Rasmussen Poll in Minnesota puts him down around 3 percent support (with a statistical tie up top between Norm Coleman and Al Franken). I…
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OMG! Cheerleaders! UPDATED
According to a marquee that I drove by today, the Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders (or a representative sampling) will be at the day old bread store in Hibbing THIS FRIDAY. Either that or the Valvoline. Either way, this is very, very funny in an inappropriate way that I can’t fully understand yet. I’ll be driving by…
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Range coal/gas project to face Waterloo-like conditions this week
With last week (rightfully) devoted to the exciting and innovative direct-reduced iron plant near Nashwauk, this week has the potential of bringing the much more boondoggly Excelsior Energy Mesaba project back into the headlines. But those headlines will probably range from “snooze” to “debacle.” The lawyer/lobbyist confederacy that runs Excelsior will be before the PUC…
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The Times chimes in on Essar Steel Minnesota
The Times of India, that is. Thanks to Rook for submitting the link in a comment. The Times of India profiles Friday’s big day on the Iron Range with the groundbreaking for Essar Steel Minnesota by Nashwauk. It was a big day for India, too, as this move and others like it are cementing Essar…
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Election Night salve: Dylan at the U
Where are you going to be on Election Night? Political types will no doubt gather at victory (and/or defeat) parties around the state. Perhaps some will silently observe the proceedings on their home television, allowing them to drop f-bombs or perform over-the-top celebratory acts as the electoral votes are projected. But there is also an…
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Essar Minnesota highlights huge day for the Iron Range (UPDATED)
Behold the news reports from Friday’s Essar Steel Minnesota groundbreaking near Nashwauk. I’ll update as I find more headlines. Here’s what I know: The Nashwauk Dairy Queen CHANGED ITS MARQUEE to say “Welcome Essar/MN Steel.” That NEVER happens. Now how will people know they are open “10 a.m. to 10 p.m.?” Doesn’t matter! In addition…
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Racial views bubble up in national poll
Yahoo has this story on how racial views by some white Democrats could influence the national election. Anecdotal application of this national poll could also be made here on the Iron Range or other isolated areas without much racial diversity. Not a happy story, but there it is. I’m not going to obsess about this…
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‘Overburden’ has arrived
The first shipment of my new book “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range” has arrived on the Iron Range. You will begin seeing copies in local book stores, including Hibbing’s Howard Street Booksellers and Duluth’s Barnes and Noble and Northern Lights book stores over the next few days (among many others). Our official opening…