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The future of the Iron Range is already here
“Where are all the young people?” Anyone involved in a graying committee, civic group, city board or arts organization has probably heard a comment like this. The words often come from someone who wouldn’t know what to do with a young person if they saw one, like the dog who caught the proverbial car. And…
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Cliffs seeks to buy Essar project, make value-added iron
Gov. Mark Dayton’s administration will not renew the mineral leases of the Essar Steel Minnesota project near Nashwauk. This comes to me from a source familiar with today’s private meeting between Essar Steel officials and the governor. Instead, Dayton will announce a deal between the state and Cliffs Natural Resources that would allow Cliffs to buy the…
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Clinton vs. Trump: a war within ourselves
It’s July 2016. Donald and Hillary are about to run the race of their lives. I’m referring, of course, to the two hogs who will sprint against each other this Sunday, July 10, as the main event in the Nevis Pig Races in north central Minnesota. It’s hard to say what motivates these cloven-hoofed animal athletes, but one…
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Essar mine project faces life or death moment
Essar Steel Minnesota may soon lose its mineral leases for its incomplete iron ore mine near Nashwauk, Minnesota. The beleaguered India-based company missed another deadline in repaying state grant money it received to build an innovative new steel mill, which Essar later scaled down to a traditional taconite processing plant. Losing the mineral leases would essentially…
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Politicians on parade
The marching band lined up along the avenue, belching snare taps and horn squawks. Retirees toddled back to lawn chairs left as markers along the parade route hours earlier, grandchildren in tow. The air hung heavy with the smell of fry bread and popcorn. Meanwhile, Congressman Dirk Fostle emerged from the back seat of a…
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Great Northern Radio Show is July 4 soundtrack
At 2 p.m. on Monday, July 4, Northern Community Radio will rebroadcast the most recent live episode of my Great Northern Radio Show. Let us provide the soundtrack to your holiday activities. Our June show was recorded in front of almost 600 people at the Reif Center in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The show featured…
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Minnesota: charging toward greatness
Today is July 2, the actual birthday of the United States of America. (Ask John Adams about that. He abhorred that officials selected July 4, the date of the paperwork being filed, as the holiday). July 2 is also the anniversary of the charge of the First Minnesota Volunteers on the second day of the…
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Chisholm ‘movie studio’ boss arrested for fraud
A big time movie studio in the old Chisholm City Hall? A-list stars bellying up to the bar at Tom and Jerry’s? Sounds too good to be true. And it certainly was. Last year, Wayzata businessman Jerry Seppala, son of Iron Range expats, announced the opening of Ironbound Studios, a film studio that would occupy…
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The Potica Tour: Gov. Dayton to Croatia
Today, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton is traveling on an economic, military, and diplomatic mission to Croatia, celebrating the ties between our state and this eastern European nation. “Our partnership with Croatia has produced tremendous benefits over the past twenty years, strengthening national security, enhancing economic ties, and growing civic relationships between Minnesota and Croatia,” said Dayton…
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Historic Northland Building faces demolition
The Northland Building in the Iron Range city of Virginia, Minnesota, now faces demolition despite its status on the National Register of Historic Places. St. Louis County is planning a new government services office in Virginia which would pull offices out of their current location in the Northland Building, which county officials deem too expensive…
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AAAOOO! New Minnesota parks license plates
Here’s something cool. MPR and others report that the state has announced its finalists for the new Minnesota state parks and trails license plate design contest. Each design was submitted by a citizen artist to reflect the state park experience. One of the designs depicts Itasca State Park, the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Another…
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Happy Paul Bunyan Day!
I woke this morning to news that it was Paul Bunyan Day. So, Happy Paul Bunyan Day, I guess. I’m afraid I didn’t get you a card. I’m already dressed, so I’m not even wearing plaid. Paul Bunyan is, of course, the American folk giant who worked as a lumberjack in the heyday of the…
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Appeals court backs man who cut garage in half
I feel obligated to mention the latest on the bisected garage still spurring conversation along Itasca County Highway 8 out in my neighborhood northwest of Nashwauk, Minnesota. Last week, a state appeals court ruled in favor of Roger Weber, the former state House candidate who cut his late father’s garage in half with a chain saw as the…
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Hell on Earth
I heard someone at the gas station say that the world is going to Hell. The shootings. The drugs. The politics. But I don’t believe in a literal Hell. I know a lot of people do. To me, logic dictates that God is a benevolent force, or at least not a malevolent one. A literal…
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Midsummer festival at Mesaba Co-op Park
This weekend, the living vestige of Iron Range history known as Mesaba Co-op Park holds its 87th annual Midsummer Festival. The park, located near Cherry east of Hibbing on North Star Lake off Highway 37, was built by Finnish-Americans in 1929. The Midsummer Festival includes fun for all ages, music, food, storytelling, outdoor activities and more…