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Dear friends and neighbors on the Iron Range,
The holiday season was a busy one for my family; we had joyful Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, with time for family – which feels more important than ever - I hope you did too! I’m playing catch up now on an update to you, which I hope you will enjoy.
Introducing Rep. Gottfried to the Iron Range
Before Christmas, I had the pleasure of welcoming Rep. David Gottfried, who serves Roseville and Shoreview in the Twin Cities, up to the Iron Range for two days of tours in the region. David brought his wife, Haylee Hilton, along for the tours as well. Our first stop was at Mesabi Metallics, where we met up with Rep. Spencer Igo and enjoyed both a presentation and a tour of the grounds. This facility will be the first new taconite mine in roughly 50 years, so it is exciting news to see it closer to commissioning. I was there about one year ago, and the progress being made by our local union trades is nothing less than impressive. As you may have heard, Mesabi is assembling the Iron Range’s first 400 ton capacity production haul trucks on site (Komatsu). For comparison, most of our other mines use a maximum size of 240 ton capacity trucks. Both have incredible capability!
After MM, we sat down for a lunch and learn meeting with the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation staff at the Eveleth office. Topics of discussion ranged from housing, broadband expansion, mining and energy, along with financial and business supports. It was great to get together with the team, including Deputy Commissioner Al Becicka, Ryan Malich, Whitney Ridlon, Jason Janisch, Keke Stephenson, and District 11 Steelworkers Staff Representative John Arbogast. To wrap up this portion of the day, we discussed the value of the Minnesota Northland College system in our region.
Next, we drove to NewRange Copper Nickel, outside Hoyt Lakes. It was nice to have input from Haylee, David’s wife, for this portion, especially since she is a fifth-generation Teamster member, and an advocate for responsible mining! We had a great meeting with NewRange staff members Christie Kearney, Johnny Eloranta, Kevin Pylkka, and Jenna Lehti. Julie Lucas of Mining Minnesota was also present and was able to add a lot of insights to our conversation. Our time there concluded with a driving tour of the plant areas and basin, which was great to see!
The second day started with a tour of the East Range Developmental Achievement Center (ERDAC) in Eveleth, which is valuable organization in our community, especially for their commitment to employing people with disabilities. It was great to share what they do, and meet with Executive Director Robin Harkonen, Jeanne Prittinen, and Sue Hankner.
Visiting Eveleth isn’t complete without a stop at the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum. We had the pleasure of a personal tour from hockey legend Cal Cossalter. Thanks to Cal for showing us around the exhibits and sharing some stories!
Our final stops were at the mine and plant of the Cleveland Cliffs United Taconite facilities. It was great to have Local 6860 President James Larson and V.P. Eric Vanina join us. Lunch included a presentation about the Cliffs mines and their strategic facility positioning around the Great Lakes. Chan Paine led us on a tour of the mine, which was impressive in and of itself, especially the 240 ton capacity trucks which were loaded by a Komatsu diesel-hydraulic shovel. Thanks to the whole team at Cleveland Cliffs for the warm welcome.
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St. Louis County Environmental Services
Senator Rob Farnsworth and I toured the St. Louis County Environmental Services Virginia Campus to learn more about how municipal solid waste is managed and treated. We saw first-hand the recycling operation, household hazardous waste facility, and advanced technology being used to capture and treat contaminants, which will soon include PFAS. St. Louis County is leading the way in modern waste management, with Northeast Technical Services aiding in the the development and monitoring. I always appreciate gettting input from Rick Crum, and it was great to hear from NTS’s Jon Novak on new project development as well. News that has immediate impact for residents is the recent $20-per-ton reduction in tipping fees. Thank you to St. Louis County staff and Director Dave Fink for the informative tour!
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Bringing MN Fraud to the National Level
Several Minnesota House members were in Washington, D.C. last week to testify before the U.S. House Oversight Committee on the growing problem of fraud in Minnesota. Representatives Robbins, Hudson, and Rarick shared firsthand concerns about oversight failures, misuse of taxpayer dollars, and the need for stronger accountability. Their testimony helped bring national attention to issues Minnesotans have been raising for years and reinforced the importance of protecting public funds and restoring trust in government. You can watch the full hearing here.
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St. Louis County Session Priorities Dinner
St. Louis County hosted its legislative priorities dinner, where county leaders outlined key bonding needs for the upcoming session. As the state’s largest and most geographically diverse county, meeting service demands remains a significant challenge. I also enjoyed getting to visit with John Skelton, who is a St. Louis County Sheriff’s Dept. Division Commander, and a White Township Supervisor as well. I truly am grateful for the folks in our local law enforcement, and always up for a chat about township goverment. At the end of the day, all politics are local, and township is as close to the root of government as you can get! Thank you to everyone who helped organize a productive evening.
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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!
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