Mining & Environmental News

Job Market Booming on Iron Range

VIRGINIA, Minn.-Unemployment rates on the Iron Range have reached their lowest level since the millennium, reaching four percent in September. This comes on the heels of the mining industry gaining…

Walker to Sign Bill Legalizing Hemp Farming in Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Wisconsin farmers will be allowed to grow industrial hemp under a bill Gov. Scott Walker plans to sign into law. The bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Jesse Kremer, tweeted Thursday that signing the bill will make Wisconsin…

Goodwill Makes Environmentally Friendly Change

DULUTH, Minn.- Goodwill is going green now using more environmentally friendly shopping bags. The organization will no longer purchase plastic bags, joining the Bag It Duluth campaign. Shoppers are encouraged; to…

House Passes Superior National Forest Land Exchange Act

WASHINGTON D.C. - The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the Superior National Forest Land Exchange Act, which finalizes a long-awaited land exchange in Northern Minnesota between the U.S. Forest Service and PolyMet Mining. The exchange has been undergoing seven…

Moose Lake Cooperative to Close After 97 Years

MOOSE LAKE, Minn. - After much thought, the Board of Directors tell FOX 21 with a diminishing source of revenue, an unprofitable fertilizer season and mounting debt, it’s time to…

Wisconsin DNR Sold 10 Hunting Licenses to Infants

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - The state Department of Natural Resources sold 10 hunting licenses to infants after Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill that eliminated the state's minimum hunting age. Walker signed a Republican bill on Nov. 13 doing away…

Ore Shipments Way Up in Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn.-Ore Exports have shot way up in the third quarter of 2017 in Minnesota. According to the Department of Employment and Economic Development, they are up 770 percent which is equivalent to $135 million. The main reason for…

Hunters Take Slightly Fewer Deer During 9-Day Season

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Hunters killed slightly fewer deer during this year's nine-day gun season than last year. The state Department of Natural Resources released preliminary figures Tuesday that show hunters killed 195,738 deer this year, down 0.8 percent from…

Wisconsin Kids Hunt for the First Time

BRULE, Wis. - For the first time this year, kids under the age of ten could hunt in Wisconsin. The Mentored Hunting Program gives kids the chance to try hunting while…

Chronic Wasting Disease Found in Buck on Winona County Farm

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Animal health officials say routine testing has discovered chronic wasting disease in a 3-year-old white-tailed buck from a Winona County farm. The Minnesota Board of Animal Health said Wednesday it confirmed the results with the…

Snowy Owls Showing Up Across Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. - As of Nov. 20, at least 69 individual Snowy Owls have been spotted in 31 counties across Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. By…

$300 Million for Great Lakes Cleanup Moves Forward in Congress

DETROIT-A wide-ranging Great Lakes cleanup program would receive $300 million next year under a spending bill approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The measure cleared the committee this week and now goes to the full Senate. The Great Lakes Restoration…