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What Magnetation looks like
There are many “proposed” projects bandied about in Iron Range economic talk. There is Essar Steel, a major project under construction. But in terms of new production and new jobs, Grand Rapids-based Magnetation, Inc., has done the most new hiring and new shoveling in the past year. Magnetation processes iron ore once discarded as waste…
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Ira Glass on creativity: work is the answer
As a public radio guy I look to Ira Glass of “This American Life” much the way one of the puppets on the “Sprout” network must look to Big Bird of “Sesame Street. Yeah, we’re in the same field. We even have the same parent organization (NPR/PBS). Yeah, we share some fundamental interests and skills.…
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A big day for our boys
One of my biggest goals (and struggles) is balancing my desires to work, write and keep projects like this blog going with my need to be a good husband and dad. So excuse me if I take a moment to remark that after a week of limited kindergarten all three of my guys got on…
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Simonson wins DFL nod for Duluth House 7B seat
Duluth assistant fire chief Erik Simonson, who had a bad news week, nevertheless emerged with the DFL endorsement at today’s convention in west Duluth. He narrowly achieved the 60 percent necessary to defeat Julene Boe in one ballot at the lightly-attended contest. Simonson has already been organizing his write-in campaign to replace outgoing Rep. Kerry…
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Steelworkers, ArcelorMittal reach deal
ArcelorMittal and the United Steelworkers have reached a tentative contract agreement that applies to the workers at the Minorca Mine on the Mesabi Iron Range. Subject to member ratification, the deal appears to preserve most of what the union wanted. Last week U.S. Steel settled with the Steelworkers and what I’ve heard so far is…
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Sturdevant asks big questions about Range demographics
The Star Tribune’s Lori Sturdevant pens a column in Sunday’s edition about the MN-8 race, including the political tradition and waning influence of the Iron Range. It’s worth a read. She echoes a lot of what we talk about here. On the Range, as is true anywhere, demographics is destiny. Shrinking senior classes at our…
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COLUMN: We support ourselves; we support each other
This is my Sunday column for the July 22, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. We Support Ourselves; We Support Each OtherBy Aaron J. Brown We all remember how the year 2000 was once emblematic of the future. “In the Year 2000” was a phrase that meant “When we figure out our problems and…
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COLUMN: Poor man’s apocalypse
This is my Sunday column for the July 8, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. As you may have noticed last Monday night’s storm knocked out power throughout Itasca County where I live. We didn’t have power back until later in the week, so I’ve been slow to resume blogging because of the backlog…
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On the Range, marriage amendment a contentious issue
Minnesota Public Radio has done an excellent story about how the anti-gay marriage amendment is playing in the Iron Range’s largest city of Hibbing. MPR’s Sasha Aslanian did a marvelous job talking to people on both sides of the issue as they organize ahead of this fall’s big vote. In my experience no issue causes…
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Steelworkers suffer big defeat in Mesabi Nugget vote
Last Friday, the United Steelworkers conceded defeat in the unionization vote at the Mesabi Nugget plant near Aurora. The Mesabi Daily News had the story. According to Mesabi Nugget the vote was 57-21. The vote took place over two days, included a complete unionization drive by the Steelworkers and was overseen by federal labor officials.…
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Magnetation now cites land issues in dropping MN plant site
A new twist has been added to the revelation that Magnetation would build their taconite pellet plant in Wisconsin or Indiana instead of in northern Minnesota where the iron concentrate is produced. Dan Kraker of Minnesota Public Radio reports that company officials say land issues related to their properties in Itasca County prevent them from…
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Before the Iron Range, there was iron Waynesboro
Hello to all the new readers who heard me on MPR this morning. Ahhh, who am I kidding? Hello, old readers. We’ve been talking about the way that mining affects communities, for better and worse. Here on the Iron Range it’s not hard to see the impact of mining, both in the changed landscape and…
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Meyer files for DFL primary in House 6B seat
Dave Meyer, an Aurora construction worker active in Laborer’s Union Local 1097, has filed to run in the DFL primary to replace Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia) in one of the Iron Range’s hottest contests of 2012. “I’m going to fight to keep jobs here, to keep them from heading south,” said Meyer. Infrastructure investments top…
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Welcoming new strategies for northern Minnesota’s future
A couple northern Minnesota stories caught my eye this week and I’m here to argue that they’re related. First, there’s this Ron Brochu story from Business North about Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board Commissioner Tony Sertich speaking in Duluth. Brochu picked up on a subtle quote that shows the substantive change in policy Sertich…
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Anderson internal poll shows tight, volatile DFL race in MN-8
An internal polling battle is afoot in MN-8. Last week Tarryl Clark released an internal poll showing a tight-three way race for the DFL nomination in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District. Her poll also involved some follow-up questioning that she said showed voters would be inclined to support her once they knew more about her. The…