|
Dear friends and neighbors on the Iron Range,
Here we are in September already, and things are as busy as ever!
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Meeting
It was a full house at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center (ITMEC) for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s meeting last week regarding the Keetac mine. This was a very important gathering, with hundreds of people of all ages coming to share thoughts on the sulfate “standard”, which is being unfairly applied to our industries and is influenced by harmful misinformation. I was fortunate to speak both at the United States Steel Corporation open house beforehand and during the meeting. Thank you to all who came out in support and spoke out against this unfair standard! Whether you were there or not, it’s not too late to make sure you get your say! See below:
Submit Your Feedback!
“The rule is open for public comment until September 22, 2025 for both the wastewater mine permit and the tailings basin permit. Residents should consider submitting a short paragraph or two of comments about your “lived experience” if the mines shuttered and the Iron Range’s economy collapsed.”
Please submit your comments so our voices are heard!!
|
|
Minnesota Discovery Center
Last week, the Minnesota Discovery Center welcomed a full house for its 1st Annual Night of Discovery. Maria and I enjoyed an evening of exploring the grounds, taking a ride on the historic trolley, and participating in the other fun activities. We were joined by Representative Roger Skraba; Commissioners Rukavina, Harala, Jugovich, and McDonald – it was a pleasure to visit with the group from Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation at our table too. A highlight of the night was seeing Tony and Robin Harkonen, and watching as Robin received a well-deserved award for her decades of service on the MDC board. The evening was capped off with an impressive performance by Between Howls, a band worth seeing live if you have the chance.
|
|
Happy Retirement, Brenda!
It was great to celebrate Brenda Melgeorge’s retirement recently, at the Gilbert VFW. Brenda has done a great many things after attending the Eveleth Campus of the Minnesota North College for an LPN course some years ago. She is also a WAC (Women's Army Corps) veteran. In 1975-1976, she was a Clinical Specialist, stationed at Ft. Monmouth, NJ. For the last 16+ years, Brenda has been a private duty nurse, providing continuing care for one patient – this is important work in our community, and we are grateful for your service!
|
|
French Township Meeting
This week, I attended a township meeting that was specifically geared to getting rural folks in front of local elected officials - French Township organized a great event that did just that! While the discussion mostly focused on property taxes, we also covered school levies, the state flag, and more. It’s clear these residents are engaged and know the changes they want to see in state government. I appreciate Senator Rob Farnsworth and Commissioner Mike Jugovich making time out of their busy schedules to join the conversation. A special thanks goes out to the French Township Deputy Clerk, Talia Sandys, for organizing this meeting!
Cotton Volunteer Fire Department
On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to visit the Cotton Volunteer Fire Department as they were being interviewed on their new life-saving LUCAS device, which was generously donated by a local supporter. The LUCAS, or Lund University Cardiac Arrest System, provides automated chest compressions during CPR, improving survival rates and allowing responders to focus on other critical tasks. For our rural volunteers, who often work alone and far from hospitals, this device is a tremendous asset. The LUCAS can give CPR compressions for approximately 45 minutes on a fully charged battery, which is truly amazing! A huge thanks to the anonymous donor, and to all our fire and EMR volunteers for your dedication and service to our region.
P.S. see the story here from Northern News Now!
|
|
Remembering Charlie Kirk
As you’ll know by now, Charlie Kirk was shot and killed as he was speaking at a Turning Point USA event in Utah on September 10th. The nature of this tragedy is reminiscent of June 14th, 2025, when former Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were assassinated.
I am again reminded of a mindset that I've needed to verbalize since entering partisan politics full-time, for any that may not already know: Hate is a false choice. Disagreements abound, but we must do our best to respect the position of each person. Maybe they will come around; perhaps I'll adjust my views, but at the end of the day violence is not the answer to our problems. Some of the most stimulating conversations I've ever had was with people who express views that are polar opposite of my own, but we parted as friends, or at the very least, peaceably and respectfully.
It is presumed that the attack against Charlie is because of the words he spoke, and debates that he had with people of opposing views. We'll know more in the coming days, but it cannot be overstated that no one should suffer harm for exercising their 1st Amendment rights of free speech.
RIP, Charlie Kirk. We pray for your friends and family, other colleagues in your movement, but most of all, we pray for America and the fragile state that she finds herself in.
Dear Lord, help us find our way back to you, as a Nation. Amen.
 |
|
|
Please Contact Me
Please continue to reach out if I can be of any assistance to you. The best method is to use my email – I am rarely near the office phone, but that number is 651.296.0170 and you can try me there too.
Have a great weekend!
|
|
|
|
|
