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The real story behind Iron Range mining taxes
Mike Jennings and the Hibbing Daily Tribune dig below the surface of the last week’s dust-up over the KSTP Ironworld story (by now I think KSTP has forgotten they even did the story). Read the story. What’s interesting about this is that Jennings compares how various states tax their mineral extraction. Minnesota’s model is rather…
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FiberNet’s Waterloo
Most of you know that I’m a big proponent of efforts to expand Internet speed and access on the Iron Range. I think it’s an initiative that has tremendous economic development benefits for this region. The FiberNet project has been trying to drum up support for a Range-wide municipal-owned high speed network. Thursday night, the…
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Obama campaign opens Duluth HQ
The Barack Obama campaign opens its Duluth headquarters this Saturday the 19th at 10 a.m. The new HQ is located right on the corner at 302 E Superior St, right across from the Sheraton Hotel. Campaign officials tell me Duluth City Councilors Tony Cuneo, Sharla Gardner, Roger Reinart will be speaking and that U.S. Rep.…
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Taconite Ridge wind farm almost at full power
Minnesota Power announces that the new Taconite Ridge wind energy farm on the Iron Range will soon be, hearkening my favorite line from Star Wars, fully operational. As you approach or leave Virginia and Mt. Iron from the west side take a look at these turbines. I think they’re freaking awesome. Turbines like these built…
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KSTP sticking to story
No surprise here. KSTP official defends story on Ironworld; no retraction They’re sticking with the factually incorrect and misleading story they ran July 7 that implied that state taxpayers were getting robbed by the existence of Ironworld, even though the facility was operating with the Iron Range’s own mining revenue and is now fiscally solvent…
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The online frontier
Today’s Business North has two high profile stories by Beth Bily that detail Internet projects based on or near the Iron Range. One details the Herculean challenges faced by the “reverse publication” initiative over at Hometown Focus. The other details the activities of the KAXE Community Web Project (which has contracted me to do training…
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Iron Range Resources board hung up on budget
The Iron Range Resources board met yesterday and remains stymied over the 2009 budget. A provisional budget was passed and there will be yet another meeting scheduled to resolve the matter. (Read today’s story from the Mesabi Daily News). At issue were the complaints of Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia) who was critical of the concept…
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Cleveland Cliffs: "Mmm … coal"
According to today’s Duluth News-Tribune, one of the Iron Range’s well-known eastern iron mining overlords, Cleveland Cliffs, is merging with Appalachian coal mining company Alpha Natural Resources. The new company will be called Cliffs Natural Resources, becoming one of the nation’s largest mining companies. It might not be a bad idea to buy this new…
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Duluth, Range races set
Filing for state offices has closed. On the Iron Range and in Duluth, all races will have Republican, DFL and, in some cases, Independence Party candidates. No free rides this year. On the other hand, I don’t see any major barriers to re-election for the majority DFL candidates in this region. The only chance for…
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Manageable U.S. Senate race wackiness
So, no Jesse this year. One poll shows an Al Franken lead, another shows Norm Coleman well ahead. So this Minnesota U.S. Senate race is just wacky. Not, uber-wacky, but a regular sort of smooth drinking wacky. And so we continue… Related posts: No related posts.
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Now to matters of importance …
The Minnesota House of Representatives committees on K-12 finance and policy will be holding a session to discuss the state of education at 7 p.m. on Aug. 26 in the Nashwauk-Keewatin High School gym. This is an opportunity to show how the state’s 20-year shift away from Wendell Anderson’s “Minnesota Miracle” of equal opportunity for…
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Range lawmakers decry KSTP story
For your viewing pleasure, here is a sternly-worded letter sent by members of the Iron Range legislative delegation to KSTP and most Minnesota media outlets regarding KSTP’s hit job on Ironworld last week. This letter originated out of State Rep. and House Majority Leader Tony Sertich’s office, is signed by the entire Range delegation and…
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Filing tidbits
Some northern Minnesota filing news … In Duluth’s House District 7B, Brandon Clokey has finally filed, rounding out the DFL pool at five candidates: Roger Reinert, Marsh Stenersen, John Derbis, Daniel Maryland and Clokey. I would put Reinert at the head of this pack with Stenersen within striking distance and the others looking for a…
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Cummins endorsed as Oberstar’s GOP opponent
Pine County energy efficiency consultant Mike Cummins was endorsed by the 8th District Republican Party for his run against U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar (DFL-Chisholm). A source familiar with the proceedings inside the convention tells me the response from many rank-and-file 8th CD GOPers is underwhelming. A movement to draft a Republican mayor from the district’s…
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Cliffs now sole owner of Eveleth mine facility
Consolidation continues in Iron Range mine ownership. The Duluth News-Tribune reports that Cleveland Cliffs is now the sole owner of United Taconite near Eveleth (formerly EvTac). This is the iron mine and processing plant combo that reopened after a deal with the Chinese government a few years ago. Related posts: No related posts.