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Firm hiring Iron Range replacement workers
Iron Range labor supporters were angered yesterday when the Mesabi Daily News ran a classified ad for a firm hiring replacement workers with experience in a “metal manufacturing and processing facility.” Applicants were warned that “this is a labor dispute situation — employees will be transported across a picket line.” Given the tenuous nature of negotiations between…
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Sept. 5 ‘We are the Range’ concert at Olcott Park
On Saturday, Sept. 5, Iron Range musicians will unite for “We Are the Range,” a benefit concert for area food shelves, at Olcott Park in Virginia from 1-9 p.m. Admission is free, but everyone is asked to bring non-perishable food or financial donations. It’s a good lineup, with a quintessential Range sound. Headlining will be…
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‘What’s Left: lives touched by suicide,’ opens in Grand Rapids
Last spring I wrote about a personal story as it related to my friend and colleague John Bauer’s project to open dialogue about the effects of suicide on the people left behind by their loved one. He successfully funded the project, which is entitled “What’s Left.” The exhibit will open Friday, Sept. 4 at the MacRostie Art…
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Nascent Blandin project would take over Showboat Landing
Long in the works, a new biofuel project in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, may soon come to fruition, but is attracting the ire of arts backers in this western Mesabi city. Though the project has yet to be confirmed by UPM-Blandin, city officials say it will take over a section of Mississippi River shoreline commonly called Showboat Landing.…
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Hot lineup at Northbound Caravan this weekend
The Northbound Caravan music tour kicks off once again this weekend in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. It’s a good ticket this year with a solid lineup of Minnesota musicians, including past Great Northern Radio Show guests the Slamming Doors, along with the Fattenin’ Frogs, i like you and Rob Wheeler. The Northbound Caravan show opens under…
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NPR features MN musician Charlie Parr
It was fun to see this video of Northern Minnesota roots musician Charlie Parr — an inspiration to many in the Minnesota music scene — featured by National Public Radio. Here he performs “Over the Red Cedar,” a wonderful song from his widely acclaimed new album “Stumpjumper.” This song just beautifully captures the unease of…
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Paper shows PolyMet runoff could reach BWCA after all
While the proposed nonferrous Polymet mining project near Hoyt Lakes nears the end of its environmental review process, questions remain about the speed with which it could receive permits. One of the most fascinating developments I’ve seen recently is this Marshall Helmberger story in last week’s edition of the Tower Timberjay. According to a June 18,…
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House 3A special election will be Dec. 8
To update my earlier report, the House 3A Special Election to fill the seat vacated by the untimely death of State Rep. David Dill (DFL-Crane Lake) will now be held Dec. 8, with a primary on Sept. 22 29, according to sources familiar with the situation. The Governor will likely issue his call for the special…
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Highway 53 to the Danger Zone
Right now preparations are underway to reroute Highway 53, Northeastern Minnesota’s north-south corridor, to accommodate a nearly 50-year-old agreement with mining interests. The Cliffs-run United Taconite has put in notice that it wants to mine the area under the current highway, requiring a new one. Engineers say the new Highway 53 will track further east out…
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History’s human forge
Throngs of civilians gather inside the ramparts of Fort Snelling in St. Paul. The heat, nearly 100 degrees, oppresses all movement. Ladies fan themselves while the men soak stiff collars with sweat. Cooks fry and boil a feast over open flames; the smell hangs heavy in the air. At once a light breeze blows in…
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Kurtfest 2015 is Aug. 29 in Eveleth
My first two jobs were in Eveleth. The first gig was delivering pizza’s at Snicker’s; the second was spinning adult contemporary records (and also carts and CDs) for 97.9 WEVE-FM. The combination of these jobs gave me a holistic view of the town that it would normally take many years to get. In short, it’s a charming blue collar…
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Crowd rallies for Steelworkers on the Iron Range
The United Steelworkers held a large rally in the Mesabi Iron Range city of Virginia, Minnesota, last night. The event was well attended by union members and citizens supportive of the union’s ongoing contract negotiations. A pricing and market collapse in iron and steel has caused U.S. Steel and Arcelor-Mittal to demand concessions from labor…
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Biking the red dirt trails of Cuyuna for The Daily Yonder
Today is the day my big story about the Cuyuna Range is live on The Daily Yonder, a fantastic national publication dedicated to rural people and rural issues. The story is entitled “Pedaling New Hope for an Old Mining Town” and features a wide array of pictures, interviews and perspectives about a set of small…
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Action! Chisholm to sell city hall to movie studio
Here’s one of those stories that I saw coming a long time ago but hadn’t shared because I just didn’t believe it. The Mesabi Iron Range city of Chisholm is planning to sell its century-old city hall to a developer who wants to use it as a movie studio. The developer is Jerry Seppala, a…
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Financial Times explores Essar project
The new Essar mine project near Nashwauk has attracted the attention of the Financial Times of London. This summer, Financial Times reporter Aaron Stanley visited the Essar construction site and interviewed both local and international sources on the conditions facing this long-awaited new iron mine on the Mesabi Iron Range. You can read the Aaron…