Finland News
Welcome back for another week of news. Who is running, or sliding to their mailboxes ready to read the cozy and fun Finland News updates? I know over here in this neck of Finland, the boys and myself are!
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Runoff Report
The reluctant editor found his balance after that comforting National Union of Friendly Americans “Ride for Mirth, Merriment and Absolution” on snow sleds that weren’t too old and weren’t too new and were just right as long as the spark plugs didn’t foul and the windshields didn’t fall off, nor did the riders before they cleansed themselves of bad habits.
From the Outside
A number of years ago I spent a couple of weeks in late winter, visiting my Uncle Horst and Aunt Almuth on their farm in western Canada. Horst and Almuth were dairy farmers for decades before they got into raising beef cattle on the rolling landscape of woods, meadows, and lakes that make up central Alberta. One day the conversation drifted onto the subject of wolves, and Horst told me straight up that you can’t run a livestock operation on farms or ranches where wolves occur. No way.
County Board Tackles Cell Tower Location Issues, Redistricting
The Lake County Board of Commissioners met on Feb. 22 to discuss many issues including the following: Tower Discussion.
Lake County’s Black History and Newspaper History Celebrated
Lake County’s snowwhite winter landscape reflects the predominant color of our population, and yet the area has a rich Black History. Robin Washington, “Black and Jewish”, as he says, is a familiar name in the near-past due to his role as editor at the Lake County News Chronicle, and at the Duluth News Tribune.
Silver Bay Northshore Mine Facility to be Idled in Spring
Cleveland Cliffs, in its Quarter 4 2021 Earnings call, announced that they will be idling their mining facility in Silver Bay, along with the Peter Mitchell Mine in Babbitt. According to the statement made by Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves, iron ore needs have dropped with the use of additional scrap metals, and the ability to produce DR-grade pellets at their Minorca facility.
What is the Mesabi Trust?
The announced idling of Northshore Mining in Silver Bay in Zay will have major impacts on the employees, their families, and the North Shore community. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. has announced that its royalty checks to Mesabi Trust, based on the price of pellets, the weight of extracted ore, and the volume of shipped pellets from Northshore, have played a substantial role in this decision. Other factors were at play, according to CEO Lourenco Goncalves who in a 4th Quarter 2021 Earnings Call statement (Feb. 11, 2022) stated that the company’s strategy “to stretch hot metal by adding increased amounts of scrap to the BOFs (basic oxygen furnace) is working extremely well. With more scrap in the BOFs, we need fewer tons of hot metal to produce the same tonnage of liquid steel.”
Two Harbors Council Grapples with Conflict of Interest Issues
A full house of attendees in-person and by Zoom at the Two Harbors City Council meeting Monday night was reflective of the level of concern surrounding recent issues brought to light regarding the city’s mayor, Chris Swanson.
Lake Superior School District Applies to Continue Four-day School Week
The Lake Superior School District (LSSD) is once again broaching the issue of whether continuing a four-day school week is the best option for serving the educational needs of students in the area. The first four-day school week, with Fridays off, was approved in 2009 under the leadership of then-superintendent Bill Crandall, using the logic that four-days was a more efficient use of resources, and would save the district money in terms of transportation, and staffing costs.
Fall Lake Township Seeking Transfer Site Attendant
A position at the Fall Lake Township transfer site is once again open due to Evelyn Kuzma obtaining a full time job elsewhere. The position will be listed in the Ely Echo and the Ely Shopper for anyone interested in applying.