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Another closed blast furnace a warning to Range mines
On Monday, U.S. Steel announced plans to close a steelmaking facility in Alabama and its accompanying blast furnace. The company said its goal is to reduce costs and improve efficiencies in its production. More than 1,100 workers are affected by this closure. From a U.S. Steel press release: “We have made some difficult decisions over the last…
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DFLers already running in 3A special election
Though official word on the special election has yet to be announced, DFL candidates have already emerged in the House 3A race to succeed the late State Rep. David Dill. UPDATE: A supporter tells me that Ely City Councilor Heidi Omerza, current president of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, is also considering a run for State Representative in this…
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Aurora hit by loss of drug store
Aurora isn’t a very big town, but it’s a sweet little place on the eastern Mesabi Iron Range. It was among the towns most brutally hit by the closure of LTV Steel 14 years ago. While Aurora has carried on since it has also seen the gradual decay of its economy and population, as have most Iron Range…
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Somebody in the crowd
People get a certain look on their faces as they shuffle about events like this weekend’s St. Louis County Fair. They abruptly look up from their phones or fried snack with sudden optimism, a hopeful gaze that pierces even dark sunglasses. They’re looking for something or someone: a change agent to liven their world. Most…
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House 3A special election coming
UPDATE: Sources now tell me that the House 3A Special Election Primary will be Sept. 22, with the general election on Dec. 8. See my updated post. This Saturday, mourners will remember State Rep. David Dill (DFL-Crane Lake) who died after a short battle with cancer last weekend. In coming days, state officials are likely…
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St. Louis County Fair opens today in Chisholm
The St. Louis County Fair opens today in Chisholm. Billed as “the five best days of summer” on the Iron Range by people who really hope you’ll believe that, the county fair is the traditional end to the Iron Range summer social calendar. (The leaves start changing around Labor Day). As you can see, a…
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Mountain bike fever in Northern Minnesota
Last week I traveled down to the Cuyuna Range to work on a story about outdoor recreation and economic sustainability. While I was down there, phones were buzzing as organizers there learned the International Mountain Biking Association had elevated the region from a Bronze-level ride center to Silver, an elite level for a place that…
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Steelworkers warn of possible strike at Range mines
The United Steelworkers represents miners in most Minnesota iron mines. The union is currently negotiating new contracts with the mining companies. Though several companies own the mines of the Iron Range, the contracts are generally timed to expire at the same time, in this case Sept. 1. When there’s a labor problem on the Range it usually encompasses…
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Cliffs seeks permits for value-added iron
Cliffs Natural Resources faces several serious problems: huge debt, an anemic iron ore price, tougher global competition. Nevertheless, Cliffs is announcing that it the company is moving on its proposals to convert a production line at Northshore Mining to direct-reduced iron and to add a flux pellet at the soon-to-be-idled United Taconite. The Mesabi Daily News…
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A more fashionable future for the Iron Range
Fashion has never been my forte. I often dress in the dark by feeling for the most comfortable fabrics in the closet. Last semester, an art major sitting in the front row of my class informed me that my old grey shirt was, in fact, green. Time finally taught me why my father wears one…
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Iron Range-area lawmaker dies of cancer
State Rep. David Dill (DFL-Crane Lake) died Saturday after battling a rare cancer. He was 60. He had been ill most of the year, but took a turn for the worse this summer. As we reported last week, Dill lived in Crane Lake near Orr but spent a good deal of his time operating a fly-in…
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Responding to the Cuyuna call
For months now, Aaron Hautala of the Cuyuna Cycle Crew down by Crosby and Ironton had been trying to get me to do a story on the changes related to their efforts to attract outdoor recreational visitors to these old iron mining towns. From mountain bikes to Yurts, paddle boards to SCUBA divers, the place has a…
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Gin Blossoms headline Merritt Days in Mountain Iron
This week the Iron Range city of Mountain Iron holds its annual celebration of Merritt Days, a series of fun summer events and live music in the “first city” of the Mesabi Iron Range. The event is named in honor of the Duluth and Iron Range family that opened up the Mesabi Iron Range for logging…
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Cliffs has bluster, but does it have luster?
Mining, despite its booms and busts, is still vitally important to the economy of Northern Minnesota, but its mechanics are typically so boring as to drive men to drink and/or high-rent metropolitan neighborhoods. For those who follow the doings of the Iron Range mining industry, the conference calls of Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves have become…
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The human story in every place
Most every Iron Ranger knows an old timer’s story about living off the land, harvesting timber to build the home where the children would be raised, the names of traditional foods and songs. Sure, some of us are Italian, some Slovenian, others Norwegian, Finn, Swede or Ojibwa, but the cold fact is that these stories…