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Eveleth telemarketing firm closes; 104 jobs lost
A St. Cloud-based telemarketing firm abruptly shut down its facility in Eveleth this week, leaving 104 employees out of work. Fox 21 News has a good recap of what happened. Meyer Telemarketing was founded in the ’70s as a fundraising contractor for mostly Democratic Party campaigns and causes. As a northern Minnesota resident with Democratic…
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A century later, U.S. Steel’s west Duluth mill
Zenith City Online commemorates the 107th anniversary of U.S. Steel’s 1907 announcement that it would build a steel mill in West Duluth. It would be 1915 before U.S. Steel would actually produce steel, and that mill closed in 1987, but this occurrence dramatically shaped history for Duluth and northeastern Minnesota; keeping more of the labor…
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Angler loses record lake trout to authorities
The greatest baseball player of all time might have been Pete Rose, but he’s not in the Hall of Fame. The greatest ice fishing catch of all time might have been a 52-pound lake trout caught by Rob Scott of Crane Lake. Rose bet on baseball. Scott caught what certainly would have been a…
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Ely, MN, launches ‘The Ely Channel’
The Ely, MN, Chamber of Commerce announced today, April 1, it was launching the 24-hour cable network “The Ely Channel.” Featuring original programs like “DNR Cold Case,” “The Real Housewives of St. Louis County,” “Iron Range Chef,” and Sauna Wars,” this channel was unveiled at a news conference this afternoon. Today the Ely Chamber is…
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Always darkest before a long, losing baseball season
We’re going to win, Twins; we’re going to score. We’re going to win, Twins, watch that baseball soar. Knock out a home run, shout out … Ugh, I can’t even finish this year. It’s fitting that this year’s quintessential spring holiday — Baseball’s Opening Day — is marred by an ice and snow storm in…
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How heavy is a dime bag of taconite?
If the domestic iron mining industry ever goes to pot, perhaps we in northern Minnesota could take matters into our own hands, running ore across the border like bootleggers. Case in point, the Knights Templar drug cartels in western Mexico has now diversified to the point that illegal iron mining and processing is a major…
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East Range shared school plan having bumpy roll-out
One of the biggest stories on the Mesabi Iron Range this year has been the proposal to build a new co-located high school in Mountain Iron that would serve students in the Virginia, Eveleth-Gilbert and Mountain Iron-Buhl school districts. Jana Hollingsworth of the Duluth News Tribune penned a Sunday feature on the shared high school…
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Winter wanes and what’s been done
No sense talking about weather. You know what’s been done. Another winter in northern Minnesota just passed, technically. The equinox came and went. We’re tilting toward the sun, into the warmth. Sure, the air is still cold. Sure, the wind still blows. Sure, we’re encased in ice. Still. For some time, too. Sure, all of…
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Winter ain’t over; winter ain’t ever over
Spring in northern Minnesota means dealing with setbacks. So, last weekend, two ships left the Port of Duluth to start the spring shipping season. Sure, they needed the help of ice cutters, but still: Spring! Well, according to Duluth Shipping News, those ships have been damaged by the crushing late season ice on Lake Superior…
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Birches be like …
We took a week off last week for the Great Northern Radio Show. Back to the grindstone for another entry in my cartoon series: “Birches be like” is part of my 2014 winter/spring sanity project. I will post original cartoons about modern life in northern Minnesota every Friday until the snow melts. Related posts: No…
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Range newspaper joins call for rural broadband
I often find myself out of step with the editorial page of the Iron Range’s largest newspaper, the Mesabi Daily News, particularly as it relates to economic priorities. So today I’m glad to report that the Mesabi Daily News has made a strong, compelling case for something we agree about entirely: expansion of Minnesota’s rural…
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Construction job workshop in Duluth on Monday
For a lot of people coming out of school or the doldrums of winter unemployment in northern Minnesota, here is a ray of sunshine. The state is sponsoring a construction job workshop in Duluth on Monday. Here are the details: Do you want to explore a career in the construction and trades field? Attend an…
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Bill would rename Asian carp; solve everything
This blog is nothing if not your inconsistent source for up-to-date Asian carp snark. We also cover politics. Today these worlds collide, as a bill to rename Asian carp as “invasive carp” has made its way into the hopper at the Minnesota Legislature. UPDATE: Holy carp. They might actually to do this. WDIO has the…
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Hibbing grapples with beer brewhaha
Communities across the country are working on an abstract concept called “wellness.” Healthy, happy people are more productive and efficient, costing local, state and federal governments less money to pump full of drugs and replacement joints. So, that’s why there’s a wellness committee at my job, and a wellness event scheduled in Hibbing, Minnesota, next…
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Dylan Days 2014 to continue despite Zimmy’s closure
As many of you know I’ve been part of the team that organizes Dylan Days in Hibbing, Minnesota, since 2001. This has been one of our hardest years yet, with the closure of Zimmy’s Restaurant, the spiritual and cultural hub of Dylan Days, where “Dylan pilgrims” have landed for decades. Well, Dylan Days 2014 will…