A tale of three factories: The old Star Tribune printing plant could become a data center, a St. Paul foundry permanently shuts down before its license can be revoked, and the final days for Pearson’s candy factory.
Transcript
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
[MEL LORENTZ: JUST KNOWING THAT NEXT SUMMER WE DON’T HAVE TO BE AFRAID TO OPEN OUR WINDOWS, THAT’S A HUGE RELIEF.]
SAINT PAUL NEIGHBORS CAN BREATHE A LITTLE EASIER AFTER WINNING A YEARS-LONG FIGHT OVER AIR POLLUTION.
BUT FIRST …
[DAVID BEAN, INDIAN GAMING ASSOCIATION CHAIRMAN: NO ONE VOTED FOR THIS. CONGRESS HAS NOT PASSED ANY NEW LAWS ON THIS MATTER.]
TWO MINNESOTA OJIBWE NATIONS OPPOSE A PROPOSED FEDERAL RULE THEY SAY COULD LET PEOPLE PLACE SPORTS BETS BY PHONE FROM RESERVATION LAND… WITHOUT TRIBAL APPROVAL.
A U-S SENATE INDIAN AFFAIRS ROUNDTABLE TAKES UP THE ISSUE TODAY...
--PREDICTION MARKETS VIOLATE TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY--
THE ABILITY TO BET MONEY ON SPORTS THROUGH PREDICTION-MARKET APPS – FROM ANYWHERE – IS AT THE CENTER OF THE ONGOING LEGAL BATTLE OVER MINNESOTA’S NEW LAW BANNING PREDICTION MARKETS...
BUT... TODAY... PREDICTION MARKETS WAGERING IS ALSO RAISING TRIBAL-SOVEREIGNTY CONCERNS ... AND FACING FEDERAL SCRUTINY.
A PROPOSED NEW RULE BY THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION ... THE INDEPENDENT FEDERAL AGENCY THAT REGULATES PREDICTION-MARKET EXCHANGES ....WOULD – GENERALLY – ALLOW PEOPLE TO MAKE SPORTS WAGERS FROM ANYWHERE...
MINNESOTA’S LEECH LAKE AND MILLE LACS BANDS SAY THE NEW RULE WOULD MAKE THE MARKETS PREDICTIONS THE SAME AS SPORTS BETTING... AND COULD TAKE PLACE BY PHONE ON RESERVATION LAND WITHOUT TRIBAL APPROVAL.
AT A RECENT HOUSE AGRICULTURE SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING ... INDIAN GAMING ASSOCIATION CHAIRMAN DAVID BEAN SAID THAT VIOLATES EXISTING TRIBAL GAMING REGULATIONS NATIONWIDE.
[DAVID BEAN: ILLEGAL ONLINE SPORTS BETTING UNDERMINES OUR TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY, STATE SOVEREIGNTY, AND THOSE VERY AGREEMENTS IN PLACE.]
MINNESOTA’S BAN ON PREDICTIONS MARKETS OPERATIONS AND ADVERTISING WAS SUPPOSED TO TAKE EFFECT THREE DAYS AGO..
BUT A FEDERAL JUDGE TEMPORARILY BLOCKED ENFORCEMENT WHILE THREE RELATED FEDERAL CASES CONTINUE.
--LEGACY / STAR TRIBUNE PLANT DATA CENTER --
MINNESOTA’S DEBATE OVER THE DIGITAL ECONOMY DOESN’T END WITH WHO REGULATES ONLINE MARKETS.
IT ALSO INVOLVES DEBATE OVER THE DEVELOPMENT OF DATA CENTERS ...
IN MINNEAPOLIS, A PROPOSED DATA CENTER COULD BE THE ANCHOR TO REDEVELOP THE STAR TRIBUNE’S SHUTTERED NORTH LOOP PRINTING PLANT.
THE MINNEAPOLIS -- ST. PAUL BUSINESS JOURNAL REPORTS LEGACY INVESTING HAS AGREED TO BUY THE 13-ACRE SITE.
CITY COUNCIL MEMBER MICHAEL RAINVILLE SAYS HE SUPPORTS THE DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT ... SAYING THE CITY FACES A BUDGET DEFICIT AND PROPERTY TAX INCREASES...
THE DEVELOPER SAYS DATA-CENTER REVENUE COULD SUPPORT SHOPS... AND RETAIL SPACE ELSEWHERE ON THE PROPERTY… BUT NOTHING IS FINALIZED.
THE SALE COULD CLOSE LATE THIS YEAR.
--PEARSON CANDY CLOSING--
AS ONE TWIN CITIES INDUSTRIAL SITE MOVES TOWARD REDEVELOPMENT... ANOTHER IS GOING DARK
AFTER 117-YEARS OF MAKING CANDY.. THE PEARSON CANDY COMPANY… IS SHUTTING DOWN ITS SAINT PAUL FACTORY AND ELIMINATING 80-JOBS.
A STATE LAYOFF NOTICE SAYS THE WEST SEVENTH STREET PLANT WILL CLOSE AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER. CITING A LACK OF FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY.
PEARSON’S PARENT COMPANY SAYS IT IS LOOKING FOR A PARTNER TO KEEP MAKING THE SALTED NUT ROLLS... NUT GOODIES AND OTHER PEARSON’S LEGACY BRANDS.
--NORTHERN IRON SHUTS DOWN--
SOME NEIGHBORS ARE CELEBRATING THE CLOSURE OF ANOTHER SAINT PAUL FACTORY ... AFTER FIGHTING LEGAL BATTLES FOR YEARS OVER AIR POLLUTION.
NOW.. NORTHERN IRON SAYS IT WILL CLOSE ITS EAST-SIDE FOUNDRY BY THE END OF THE YEAR … JUST TWO WEEKS AFTER A PACKED HEARING ON THE STATE’S EFFORT TO REVOKE ITS ENVIRONMENTAL PERMIT.
THE MINNESOTA POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY ACCUSED THE FOUNDRY OF WITHHOLDING INFORMATION … MAKING MISLEADING STATEMENTS … AND FAILING TO SHOW IT COULD OPERATE WITHIN AIR-QUALITY STANDARDS.
NORTHERN IRON MAINTAINS IT HAS OPERATED LEGALLY.
NEIGHBOR AND ADVOCATE MEL LORENTZ SAYS THE CLOSURE IS A RELIEF … AND A BREATH OF FRESH AIR.
[MEL LORENTZ: WE WANT GOOD BUSINESSES IN OUR COMMUNITY, BUT WE ALSO WANT TO LIVE WITHOUT FEAR OF CANCER, WITHOUT FEAR OF AN EARLY HEART ATTACK OR ASTHMA BECAUSE OF WHERE WE HAPPEN TO LIVE.]
SOME NEIGHBORS HAVE ALSO FILED A CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST NORTHERN IRON … SEEKING COMPENSATION FOR ALLEGED PROPERTY DAMAGE.
--MINNESOTA BLOOD-SUPPLY CRISIS --
MINNESOTA DONORS ARE BEING ASKED TO HELP WITH A NATIONWIDE BLOOD SHORTAGE.
IT’S ONLY THE SECOND TIME IN HISTORY THE RED CROSS HAS DECLARED A NATIONWIDE CRISIS...WITH THE FIRST TIME BEING FOUR YEARS AGO.
THE MINNESOTA-DAKOTAS REGION ALREADY RANKS AMONG THE NATION’S TOP TWO CONTRIBUTORS ... DONATING ABOUT 250-THOUSAND UNITS A YEAR.
THE RED CROSS SAYS EXTREME HEAT… BAD AIR QUALITY… AND ‘WIDESPREAD FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES’ HITTING THE COUNTRY HAVE REDUCED THE BLOOD SUPPLY TO A FOUR-YEAR LOW.
--WILDFIRE UPDATES --
AND FINALLY …
BACK UP NORTH … EASTERN PARTS OF THE BOUNDARY WATERS CONTINUE REOPENING THIS WEEK AS FIREFIGHTERS GAIN GROUND ON WILDFIRES ACROSS THE SUPERIOR NATIONAL FOREST.
THE U-S FOREST SERVICE IS RESTORING ACCESS TO MORE ENTRY POINTS IN THE GUNFLINT AND TOFTE AREAS TODAY … INCLUDING BOTH DAY AND OVERNIGHT TRIPS.
OFFICIALS SAY OVERALL CONTAINMENT IS STILL ABOUT 50 PERCENT … AND CREWS HAVE MADE STRONG PROGRESS ON SEVERAL FIRES … BUT SOME OF THE LARGEST REMAIN ACTIVE AND ONLY PARTIALLY CONTAINED.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.