“Allowing all children the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive is not the responsibility of a single state agency, department, or policy – it should be the guiding principle of all the work that we do,” said Walz. “From expanding voluntary pre-K, to providing nutritious meals, to ensuring every child can read at or above grade level, we are focused on ensuring our children can succeed. These policies and improvements in our schools reflect our commitment to our children, their families, and the future of our state.”

“Families and children in northeastern Minnesota face unique opportunities and challenges,” Rukavina said. “Investments in education are also investments in the future of our communities and economy, ensuring that kids on the Iron Range and across the state have the foundation they need to thrive.”

The children’s cabinet brings together commissioners and leaders from across state government to coordinate and strengthen services for Minnesota children and families. Today’s meeting focused on connecting with educators and students and learning about school-based pre-K, expanded literacy efforts and universal meals.

The city of Ely hosted an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony last week for the new Ely Regional Trailhead. The facility opened last month and serves as a regional trailhead and information center for visitors in the Ely area. There are restrooms, visitor information, areas for trail users and travelers to rest, car charging, outside picnic space and dog exercise areas.

Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation (IRRR) supported the project with a $280,000 Regional Trails grant to pave two connection trails from the new trailhead to the nearby Mesabi Bike Trail and the Prospector’s Loop ATV Trail. The grant also helped with amenities that enhance the facility such as bike racks, map kiosks, outdoor seating, signage, outdoor lighting, trash receptacles and landscaping. Total project investment was approximately $4.5 million. 

The new facility also received state of Minnesota bonding funds and a grant from the United States Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration.

IRRR Commissioner Ida Rukavina spoke at the event about the agency’s investment into the new facility and into the city of Ely.

“Our region is very fortunate to have a unique state agency like IRRR whose mission is to strengthen and diversify the economy by investing in communities and businesses located in the Taconite Assistance Area,” Rukavina said. “We are equally fortunate to benefit from the Taconite Production Tax revenue generated directly by our region’s mining companies and the hard work of the steelworkers. That tax revenue allows our agency to support projects like this—initiatives that truly revitalize our towns."

Learn more about the Ely Regional Trailhead.

Email Danae Beaudette or call her at 218-735-3022 for Regional Trails grant information.

The Iron Range will take center stage this fall when it hosts the U.S. Steel Pan Continental Curling Championships, Oct. 19-26. Forty teams from 25 countries are scheduled to compete for berths in the 2026 World Championships in Ogden, Utah (men’s), and Calgary, Alberta (women’s).

Two divisions, two venues

The A Division will be played at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia, featuring the top eight men’s and women’s teams from the Americas and Pacific-Asia zones. Countries include the United States, Canada, Australia, China, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand and the Philippines.

The B Division will be played at Curl Mesabi in Eveleth, with 15 men’s and nine women’s teams. Nations represented include Brazil, Chinese Taipei, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Hong Kong China, India, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia and Thailand.

Global spotlight

World Curling will televise and stream matches internationally, with broadcasts expected in Japan, Korea and possibly China. Fans around the globe, including on the Range, will be able to watch via the WC Curling Channel.

Team USA

The United States will be represented by two Minnesota-based teams. On the men’s side, Team Shuster of Duluth will compete. The rink, led by Olympic gold medalist John Shuster, also includes Chris Plys, Matt Hamilton, Colin Hufman and alternate Danny Casper.

In the women’s division, Team Peterson of St. Paul will compete. The team features skip Tabitha Peterson along with Cory Thiesse, Tara Peterson, Taylor Anderson-Heide and alternate Aileen Geving.

A historic return

The event will be the largest international curling competition in the region since Curl Mesabi hosted the 2007 World Junior Championships.

Tickets are available through USA Curling and the Iron Trail Motors Event Center. Volunteer opportunities will be announced soon by USA Curling and Curl Mesabi.

Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation recently awarded a $17,535 Residential Redevelopment grant to the city of Hibbing to demolish three houses that were structurally unsound, blighted and dilapidated. The demolition created the potential for future house or garage construction and additional green space.

Tina Glad is the city’s assistant zoning administrator/permit technician. She said, “The Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation Residential Redevelopment Grant program helps the residents and property owners in the city of Hibbing to remove unsafe, blighted and dilapidated structures, which in turn helps to improve the neighborhoods that we live in.”

Eligible grant applicants include cities, townships, counties, Tribal governments and nonprofits. The grants may be used to demolish single-unit residential homes, residential duplexes, residential multi-unit structures, garages, sheds and barns located within a residential zone. Homeowners interested in applying should contact their municipality. Learn more about the Residential Redevelopment grants.

Email Danae Beaudette or call her at 218-735-3022 for information.

Pictured are before and after demolition photos of one of the Residential Redevelopment projects in Hibbing.

The city of Ely and the Prospector ATV Club Alliance partnered to purchased new trail maintenance equipment including a skid steer, trailer, trailer brushing attachment and a UTV. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation provided a $50,000 Regional Trails grant to the city of Ely and $25,000 in in legislative revenue bond proceeds* to the Prospector ATV Club Alliance. The funding supported equipment acquisition and the Clubs’ volunteer efforts that keep area trails in good riding condition. Total project investment was $138,611.

The Prospector's ATV trail system is more than 216 miles and winds through the communities of Ely, Babbitt, Embarrass and Soudan. The system ties into the Lake County and Cook County ATV trail systems and will connect to the Voyageur Country and Quad Cities trail systems when a new segment is built in 2026.

The club did not have maintenance equipment of its own and relied on contracted vendors to maintain the trails. With the new equipment, the club’s volunteers will maintain the trails and continue to ensure quality ATV, off-highway and snowmobile riding experiences for local residents and tourists.

The city of Ely has a long-standing partnership with the club, working together for many years on construction of the trail system.

“The construction of the Prospector ATV Trail System has had a significant positive impact on the area’s economy,” said Harold Langowski, Ely’s clerk-treasurer. “The additional traffic at local restaurants, lodging facilities and other service businesses has been significant. The construction of additional connections to surrounding communities and ongoing expansion of the trail network continues to increase the economic activity and visitors to our region.”

Learn more about the Prospector ATV Club Alliance.

Email Danae Beaudette or call her at 218-735-3022 for Culture & Tourism grant information.

*In the 2024 Minnesota legislative session, the Minerals Article Legislation/2024 Tax Omnibus Bill was enacted, requiring IRRR to issue revenue bonds to finance up to 82 identified projects across the Taconite Assistance Area.

A grant writing workshop held Aug. 26 in Chisholm drew 46 participants eager to sharpen their skills in pursuing competitive funding.

Led by Cameron Kruger of That Nonprofit Guy, the session covered strategies for crafting persuasive proposals, incorporating data and storytelling, leveraging artificial intelligence for research, and avoiding common pitfalls.

The training was designed to equip local staff from cities, townships, Tribal Nations and nonprofit organizations with the confidence and tools to seek funding from state, federal and philanthropic sources.

The event was sponsored by the Northland Foundation and hosted by Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation.

The Workforce Solutions Series 2025 will bring together community members, workforce professionals and local leaders for a three-part discussion on current labor market challenges.

The series kicks off Sept. 18 with “Who’s in Your Corner?”, followed by “Collaboration Across Sectors: Who’s in Your Sandbox?” on Oct. 9, and “The Evolving Workplace and Rural Opportunity” on Nov. 13.

Sessions will highlight strategies for recruiting and retaining a rural workforce, collaborating across sectors, and accessing support from workforce development professionals. Attendees can expect data-driven insights, actionable solutions and opportunities for collaborative learning.

All three sessions have been approved for one recertification credit each through the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

The sessions will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Mountain Iron Community Center, 8586 Enterprise Drive S. in Mountain Iron. 

Learn more and register. 

Iron Range Brownfields will host two upcoming Lunch & Learn events highlighting local brownfield redevelopment projects and opportunities available to communities, property owners and developers.

The first session will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at the Eveleth Auditorium, 421 Jackson St., in Eveleth. The second event will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at Minnesota North College, 1515 E. 25th St., in Hibbing. Both sessions will be held from noon to 1 p.m.

Attendees will hear about local brownfield projects and connect with local and regional experts. Lunch will be provided at both events. The sessions are free to attend, but space is limited and registration is required.

Register for the Eveleth event.

Register for the Hibbing event.

Iron Range Brownfields is comprised of members of the cities of Ely, Eveleth and Virginia, the Range Association of Municipalities and Schools, and Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation. The group focuses its efforts on the Taconite Assistance Area.

Pictured above right is an aerial view of the city of Eveleth, courtesy of the Iron Range Tourism Bureau. Pictured above left is Eye Clinic North in Hibbing, courtesy of Minnesota Brownfields.