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Kelsey Johnson named president of mining group
On Thursday, the Iron Mining Association of Minnesota Board of Directors named Kelsey Johnson its next president. Johnson is an experienced lobbyist and recent Iron Range legislative candidate who grew up in Gnesen Township. The Iron Mining Association is the primary lobby for Minnesota’s iron mining industry. Member companies, including major Iron Range taconite producers, pay…
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Dayton leads speech with Range jobless benefits
Gov. Mark Dayton delivered his annual State of the State address before the Minnesota legislature last night. Like many such addresses, he highlighted his top priorities for the next few months, including investments in transportation and broadband infrastructure and investments in communities suffering from economic hardship. Leading Dayton’s speech, however, was a call on state…
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Dayton vows no state land for Twin Metals
On Monday, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton took a stand against allowing Twin Metals to access public land for its proposed copper nickel mine near Ely and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. From Gov. Dayton’s letter: I have grave concerns about the use of state surface lands for mining related activities in close proximity to the Boundary…
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Gonzo iron ore price surge confuses market
Just over three weeks ago, global iron ore prices were trudging along in the doldrums just as they had since last year. Below $50/ton, iron ore costs more to mine here on Northern Minnesota’s Iron Range than it’s worth. In simplest terms, that’s why this region’s mines have struggled since the spring of 2015. As 2016 began there was talk of…
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Feelin’ the flow of ‘hair’-brained MN tradition
Ice hockey demonstrates the unexpected combination of beauty, speed and finesse with sharp blades, hard sticks and unrelenting violence. The sport has been extremely popular in Minnesota since its widespread adoption in Canada and the United States. And why not? Minnesotans have access to endless amounts of ice and don’t like to talk about our feelings. Hockey takes care of…
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Iron Range jobless woes hit St. Paul gridlock
The Minnesota legislature prepares to convene Tuesday for a shorter-than-usual 2016 session. Lawmakers will travel to the capitol for three months of deal-making and not-so-subtle electioneering. Here on Northern Minnesota’s Iron Range, many families are preparing for a very different sort of spring. A sharp downturn in the iron ore mining business led to almost 2,000 mine layoffs last year.…
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New vision for Range future
Life was hard for people who lived along Minnesota’s iron ranges 100 years ago. Working conditions in the mines were dangerous. Women had few rights. Nevertheless, it’s remarkable how much aspiration and hope these people delivered to future generations. Just read what they put on the walls. Found in the Keewatin City Council chambers are…
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State approves PolyMet environmental review
Never has the word “adequate” been such a hot topic. Today, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced that the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed PolyMet mine near Hoyt Lakes was adequate. “The environmental review process is about describing the potential environmental effects of the proposed NorthMet project,” said DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr…
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Duluth’s Gaelynn Lea wins NPR Tiny Desk contest
In a stunning upset, Duluth, Minnesota, musician Gaelynn Lea won the coveted National Public Radio Tiny Desk concert series contest for emerging artists this week. Her song “Someday We’ll Linger in the Sun” was recorded with just Lea’s voice, her violin, an amp and a looping pedal. Here’s some of what NPR’s judges said: Holly Laessig said…
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Magnetation coming back, but Plant 1 in doubt
Like other Iron Range mining operations, Grand Rapids-based Magnetation was battered by the collapse in iron ore pricing and domestic steel demand last year. The homegrown Northern Minnesota company declared bankruptcy and lost ownership interest to a hedge fund amid financial restructuring. In 2014, Magnetation had four plants running, salvaging old mining waste from decades earlier and extracting…
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Thunderbirds vs. Lumberjacks, mythical feud
Tonight at 8 p.m., the Grand Rapids Thunderhawks will play the Bemidji Lumberjacks in the Minnesota Class AA State Hockey Tournament in St. Paul. Hockey is a big deal in Minnesota. It’s a cherished winter tradition and the source of a historic rivalry between the Northern and Southern portions of the state. (Or perhaps more…
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Secret Bob Dylan archive to be livin’ on Tulsa time
Today, the University of Tulsa and iconic musician Bob Dylan announced that a new archive of Dylan’s lyrics and papers would have a new home at the Oklahama college. The works will be housed not far from collection from that state’s famous son and Dylan’s early hero Woody Guthrie. The move comes as a surprise to many, for Dylan and…
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Blows to Chinese steel offer hope to Range miners
This week, twin blows to the Chinese steel industry offer hope, at least temporarily, to the struggling American steel and iron mining industries. Yesterday, the U.S. Commerce Department announced it was planning to impose a 266 percent tariff on Chinese and other foreign steel due in response to the longstanding practice of “dumping.” China’s steel industry…
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Key PolyMet environmental report expected Thursday
On Thursday, March 3, state regulators will issue its ruling on the Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine near Hoyt Lakes. This will be the culmination of at least seven years of debate over the EIS. The controversy centers on whether the development company is accurately reflecting the environmental risk of this form of…
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Session to explore difficulty of covering Polymet
This Thursday at 5:30 p.m., I’ll be one of three panelists leading a discussion entitled “PolyMet: Reporting on Tough Community Issues” at a venue in west Duluth. This panel is part of a series of community discussions centered around journalism and storytelling for the “One River, Many Stories” project along the St. Louis River in Northeastern Minnesota.…