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Northshore Mining back to work early
Northshore Mining has called back workers early to reopen production of taconite at its Babbitt Mine and Silver Bay processing facility. The mine had previously announced it would reopen in mid- to late-May, but is ahead of schedule. WDIO reported on the news when U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) made the announcement after a tour of…
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Cliffs eyes fall start for United Taconite
In a call to investors yesterday, Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves announced that his company will reopen Northshore Mining in May and plans to restart United Taconite in Eveleth later this year. Goncalves also announced that Cliffs made a profit during the last quarter, which wasn’t expected. However, Cliffs remains more than $2 billion in debt. A few weeks ago, Goncalves said United…
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ArcelorMittal, Steelworkers reach deal
The 2,000 Steelworkers and other workers currently laid off from Iron Range mines have been in the news for more than a year now. For much of that same year most remaining Steelworkers have been working under an expired labor contract. Last fall, labor tensions were high. The major companies, all reeling from big losses and shrinking…
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From taconite to tractor
It’s pretty well established that a tractor is made of steel. Iron Rangers generally understand that the trucks hauling iron ore on the edge of town have something to do with making that steel. Nevertheless it can be difficult to understand exactly how ore goes from rock to machine. So much of the process happens outside…
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Reforming the IRRRB is tricky business
For decades, reforming the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) has been the intermittent goal of “good government” advocates, gadfly Iron Rangers, and frustrated partisans ascending to or descending from power. Reforming the IRRRB has also been a political football bandied about at the legislature by both parties at different times for different reasons. The concept of “reforming…
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Duluth passenger rail project slows down to speed up
When I was writing daily newspaper editorials 15 years ago, I spent a lot of time extolling the virtues of passenger rail service. Looking back, it was a tailer-made issue for an editorialist. It cost money. It had statistics. There were maps. Plus, the opposition would have to go on the record against trains. Since trains are…
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U.S. Steel slashes 25 percent of salaried jobs
Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel, owner and operator of two major mines on the Mesabi Iron Range and co-owner of a third, announced Wednesday it would slash 25 percent of its salaried workforce. The job cuts are focused on its North American operations. From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The steelmaker had 21,000 employees in North America as of…
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Dayton faces criticism, stands ground on Range
Gov. Mark Dayton was on the Iron Range Friday defending his decision to deny permission for Twin Metals to drill on public lands near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Technically, there were two meetings, both held at the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) headquarters in Eveleth. The Range Association of Municipalities and Schools (RAMS)…
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Duluth’s Gaelynn Lea inspires with NPR concert
Last week, Duluth musician Gaelynn Lea won the annual NPR Tiny Desk concert series contest for emerging artists. This week, she flew to Washington to perform at the famous tiny desk where NPR music writers once stashed piles of music. The desk now hosts countless musicians, both famous and up-and-coming. It’s a beautiful performance, which…
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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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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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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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Biochemical firm craps out on Range project
When Segetis, a Golden Valley, Minnesota, biochemical firm first proposed a $105 million project near Hoyt Lakes, it stoked some badly needed hope for the Iron Range. The Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board approved a $21.5 million loan package with little opposition. Science! Smart people in lab coats would help save the local economy.…
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MI-B seeks collaboration funds for new school
Following legislative action in 2014, the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board created a school collaboration fund from local taconite production and occupation taxes. The broad goal was to encourage fiscally challenged Iron Range school districts to share resources, curriculum and staff, or even consolidate. But in practical, baldly political terms, this fund was created…
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PUC rejects lower power rates for mines
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission dismissed the Minnesota Power petition to allow lower rates for its industrial customers, most notably Iron Range taconite mines, while raising rates for residential customers. The request by Minnesota Power came after a new law passed the state legislature allowing the mines to seek lower rates. Minnesota’s iron mines are reeling amid…