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Lost special session only one of Range’s problems
Laid-off Iron Range miners will have to wait until the late start of the legislative session this March to see if the legislature will act to extend their unemployment benefits. GOP House Speaker Kurt Daudt announced Tuesday that his caucus would not support Gov. Mark Dayton’s call for a special session to aid miners displaced by a global…
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‘Pro-union’ Republican Farnsworth enters 6A race
On Friday, Republican Rob Farnsworth of Hibbing entered the House 6A race to succeed Rep. Carly Melin (DFL-Hibbing). He’ll seek the GOP endorsement at the Feb. 9 local convention. Farnsworth described himself as a “pro-union” Republican, who cites his family connection to the iron mining industry. “I want nothing more than to see this region…
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Steelworker Mark Larson joins 6A DFL race
Mark Larson announced late yesterday that he’ll run for the DFL nomination for House of Representatives in the central Iron Range 6A district. Larson is a Steelworker at Minntac who lives north of Chisholm. He’s also a woodworker, a former associate pastor at Hibbing Alliance Church and married father of three. Larson lists four major issues in…
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Teacher Julie Sandstede enters 6A race
Julie Sandstede, a music teacher who lives in Hibbing and teaches in Virginia, is the first candidate to announce for the House 6A DFL nomination. The central Iron Range seat is open due to Rep. Carly Melin’s Jan. 14 announcement that she will not seek re-election. Sandstede made her announcement in today’s Hibbing Daily Tribune.…
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Glencore loans $11 million to PolyMet
The global mining giant Glencore has loaned $11 million to Canadian development company PolyMet, owner and developer of a proposed copper-nickel-paladium mine in Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota. This according to a John Myers story in today’s Duluth News Tribune: With no source of income until its mine permits are approved and production can begin, the company…
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GOPer Donna Bergstrom to seek SD 7 seat
We’ve heard about DFL candidates for the office, but today Donna Bergstrom joined the District 7 Senate race as a Republican. Erik Simonson and Sharla Gardner are the announced DFL candidates to succeed Sen. Roger Reinert (DFL-Duluth) who is not seeking re-election. Here is her press release: Duluth, MN (January 27, 2016) – Donna Bergstrom…
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Liz Olson first to announce bid for open 7B seat
Liz Olson, a Duluth community organizer, has announced her candidacy for the open District 7B seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives. The district covers much of western and central Duluth. “I believe in a Minnesota that promises all of us a chance to live with dignity — A Minnesota that offers access to living…
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GOP now floating proposal for special session
On Thursday, Minnesota House Speaker Kurt Daudt (R-Crown) seemed skeptical about a special session to extend unemployment for laid-off Iron Range miners. But yesterday, the Mesabi Daily News ran a story indicating there is, in fact, a Republican proposal for a special session. It hinges on a shorter extension for the benefits, and eliminates any discussion of addressing economic disparities in…
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Bernie Sanders to campaign in Duluth
When I started this blog in 2006 it was much more dedicated to the daily tit-for-tat of national politics than it is now. I wrote an absolutely insane number of posts about the 2008 election, for instance. This year I’ve taken a more relaxed view of the national election. For one thing, I refused to…
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Special session for miners remains elusive
Gov. Mark Dayton and Minnesota legislative leaders met again Thursday, Jan. 21 to discuss a possible early special session, but again failed to agree to terms. Dayton’s proposed special session would address, among other things, an extension of unemployment benefits for Iron Range miners laid off during the ongoing mining downturn. Dayton, State Senate Majority…
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Panama Canal expansion sails both ways
When President Theodore Roosevelt relentlessly advanced the digging of the Panama Canal more than 100 years ago they called him crazy. In the politics of the moment, it seemed like a long slog. Financial and political delays plagued the project. Workers died by the score, if not from malaria than from some other disease or…
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Iron Range Rep. Carly Melin won’t seek re-election
Today State Rep. Carly Melin (DFL-Hibbing) announced that she would not seek re-election to the House of Representatives. Her announcement was a surprise to many, but those in politics knew the challenges she faced in balancing her job as a lawyer in Hibbing with a young family and legislative service. Melin won a special election to…
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Laid-off miner sticks up for Range industry at SOTU
Iron Range Steelworker Dan Hill of Hibbing was the guest of Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) at President Obama’s final State of the Union address at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Tuesday. Hill is currently laid off from his job as a millwright at United Taconite in Eveleth. Hill spend the entire day meeting with officials…
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The hope and woes of Iron Range special session
Before Friday, chances for a special session to address expiring unemployment benefits for laid-off Iron Range miners seemed bleak. Today, state leaders express more optimism. Nevertheless, with the clock ticking, legislative leaders have very little time to plan before some Iron Range miners will lose their benefits. At issue is the fact that Minnesota’s legislative session…
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Former councilor Gardner to seek SD7 seat
Former Duluth city councilor Sharla Gardner announced this week she would seek the DFL endorsement for the Minnesota Senate District 7 seat being vacated by Sen. Roger Reinert (DFL-Duluth). Gardner left office just last week after not seeking re-election last year. Reinert announced he would not seek re-election last Sunday. Shortly afterward, State Rep. Erik Simonson,…