Mesabi Metallics plans a steel plant in Iowa, FEMA comes to New Richland, and a deadly rabbit virus hits Northwest Minnesota.
Transcript
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
COMING UP...
A DEADLY VIRUS HITS TWO RABBIT FARMS IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
[THE TWO COLONIES HAVE BOTH BEEN PLACED UNDER A NINETY-DAY QUARANTINE.]
AND DISASTER RESPONSE OFFICIALS BEGIN ADDING UP FLOOD DAMAGE IN THE SOUTH...
[ALLISON FEROLI, HSEM DIRECTOR: THIS JOINT PRELIMINARY DAMAGE ASSESSMENT IS NOT A GUARANTEE FOR FEMA OR ASSISTANCE, BUT THIS IS THE INITIAL STEP THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE.]
BUT FIRST....
--MESABI METALICS WH PRESSER--
TOP BRASS FROM MINNESOTA’S MESABI METALLICS ANNOUNCED A NEW FIFTEEN-BILLION-DOLLAR STEEL MILL IN IOWA ... USING IRON ORE FROM THE STATE’S IRON RANGE.
MESABI’S RECENTLY REOPENED TWO-POINT-FIVE-BILLION-DOLLAR MINE AND PELLET PLANT IN NORTHERN MINNESOTA NEAR NASHWAUK BEGAN STARTUP WORK EARLIER THIS MONTH... HIRING MORE THAN TWO-HUNDRED WORKERS.
AT A PRESS CONFERENCE FROM THE OVAL OFFICE WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP YESTERDAY... MESABI’S CEO JOE BROKING SAID THE MINE IS UP AND RUNNING ... AND WILL PRODUCE UP TO SEVEN MILLION TONS OF IRON-ORE PELLETS A YEAR...
[JOE BROKING/MESABI CEO: WE WERE THERE ONLY TEN DAYS AGO ACTUALLY TO INITIATE THE MINE. WE SET OFF 1. 3 MILLION POUNDS OF EXPLOSIVES THAT PUT IT INTO OPERATION, AND THAT WILL BE THE IRON ORE THAT FEEDS THIS PLANT.]
THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS THE IOWA MILL COULD MAKE STEEL FOR DEFENSE NEEDS... WITH FIRST PRODUCTION TARGETED FOR TWENTY-THIRTY.
--MINING POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY HEARINGS--
ACROSS OTHER PARTS OF THE IRON RANGE...
TWO TRIBAL NATIONS WANT THE STATE TO STUDY THE COMBINED EFFECTS OF MINING BEFORE APPROVING NEW EXTRACTION PERMITS.
GRAND PORTAGE AND BOIS FORTE OPPOSE PROPOSED POLLUTION LIMITS AT U-S STEEL'S MINNTAC MINE... WHICH THEY SAY COULD TAKE DECADES TO ASSESS.
THE STATE’S POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY IS HOLDING A PUBLIC MEETING ON THE DRAFT WASTEWATER PERMIT TONIGHT ... IN VIRGINIA.
PUBLIC COMMENTS CAN ALSO BE SUBMITTED ONLINE THROUGH OCTOBER TWELFTH.
[MUSIC TRANSITION]
--WASECA DECLARE EMERGENCIES--
IN SOUTH CENTRAL PART OF THE STATE... NEW RICHLAND IS MOVING INTO THE NEXT PHASE OF FLOOD RECOVERY … WITH STATE AND FEDERAL TEAMS GOING DOOR TO DOOR THIS WEEK TO DOCUMENT DAMAGE.
[CUNNINGHAM: WE ARE GOING TO BE HERE TODAY, TOMORROW, IN THE DAYS AND MONTHS, AND EVEN IF IT TAKES YEARS AHEAD TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN ASSIST YOU IN YOUR RECOVERY EFFORTS.]
OFFICIALS FROM MINNESOTA … AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL VISIT NEW RICHLAND AND OTHER FLOODED COMMUNITIES THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY TO GET A SCOPE OF THE LOSSES.
OFFICIALS SAY WATER DAMAGED MORE THAN 80-PERCENT OF HOMES.
STATE HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS SAY DOOR-TO-DOOR ASSESSMENTS ARE VITAL …
[FEROLI: TO DETERMINE IF WE, AS A STATE, ARE AT A POINT WHERE WE CAN THEN ASK REQUEST THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR A MAJOR DISASTER DECLARATION FOR WHAT WE CALL INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE.]
AN ONSITE DISASTER ASSISTANCE CENTER WILL OPEN SOON TO HELP RESIDENTS WITH INSURANCE CLAIMS AND REPLACING DOCUMENTS …
--DEADLY RABBIT VIRUS--
A DEADLY... AND HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS... RABBIT VIRUS HAS SURFACED IN TWO DOMESTIC COLONIES IN LAKE OF THE WOODS COUNTY... IN MINNESOTA’S NORTHWEST CORNER…
ONE FARM.. OR COLONY... LOST ABOUT HALF OF ITS RABBITS.. A NEARBY COLONY LOST ABOUT 15 PERCENT … BOTH ARE UNDER 90-DAY QUARANTINE.
THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES SAYS THE VIRUS...TYPICALLY SPREADS AMONG WILD RABBITS IN STATES WEST OF MINNESOTA...
AND ASKS PEOPLE IN THE WESTERN PARTS OF THE STATE TO REPORT DEAD WILD RABBITS…
[DR. STEVE KIVISTO / SENIOR VETERINARIAN, MINNESOTA BOARD OF ANIMAL HEALTH: IF YOU NOTICE ... LARGE QUANTITIES OF WILD RABBITS ... THAT ARE EITHER DEAD OR IN THE PROCESS OF DYING ... GIVE THE DNR A CALL ... REPORT IT.]
THE VIRUS...DOES NOT INFECT PEOPLE… BUT ALWAYS MAKE SURE TO COOK RABBIT MEAT THOROUGHLY.
[MUSIC TRANSITION]
--ALLINA STRIKE OUTCOME AND LATEST--
ALLINA DOCTORS AND HOSPITAL HAVE REACHED A TENTATIVE CONTRACT..
IF APPROVED BY THE DOCTOR’S UNION... THE THREE-YEAR DEAL WOULD GIVE DOCTORS MORE SAY IN PATIENT CARE... PAY TRANSPARENCY... AND A FORMAL WAY TO RAISE CONCERNS.
THE NEARLY 150 DOCTORS AT MERCY IN COON RAPIDS … AND UNITY IN FRIDLEY … STILL NEED TO VOTE ON THE DEAL.
--FOND DU LAC OJIBWE TREATY DAY AND EVERY CHILD MATTERS DAY --
TODAY IS 'EVERY CHILD MATTERS DAY' FOR THE FOND DU LAC BAND...
A DAY TO WEAR ORANGE HONORING INDIGENOUS CHILDREN FORCED INTO BOARDING SCHOOLS ... AND REMEMBERING THOSE WHO NEVER CAME HOME....
OJIBWE SCHOOL IN CLOQUET ... WEST OF DULUTH... WILL OBSERVE THE DAY TOMORROW...WHICH IS ALSO TREATY DAY... WHICH MARKS THE 1854 TREATY THAT ESTABLISHED THE RESERVATION...ALL FOND DU LAC OFFICES ARE CLOSED TOMORROW.
--ST CROIX PROTECTED LAND--
AND FINALLY...
ALONG THE WISCONSIN BORDER ...ON THE SHORES OF THE ST. CROIX ... LAND USED FOR SCIENCE AND ART WILL REMAIN PROTECTED.
THE SCIENCE MUSEUM OF MINNESOTA HAS COMPLETED CONSERVATION EASEMENTS ON ANOTHER 130 ACRES AT ITS WATERSHED RESEARCH STATION NEAR MARINE ON ST. CROIX, NEAR STILLWATER.
THE LAND INCLUDES WOODLAND AND OLD-GROWTH RIVERFRONT FOREST.
THE AGREEMENT BRINGS THE STATION'S TOTAL PROTECTED LAND TO MORE THAN THREE HUNDRED ACRES.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.