Four hundred homes in rural Minnesota will soon be getting high-speed internet for the first time. Eveleth is fighting to keep the US Hockey Hall of Fame against efforts by the Minnesota Wild and some Twin Cities legislators to relocate it to St. Paul. And, state health officials warn Minnesotans to take extra precautions after dead geese found in Austin.
Transcript
HOST: You're listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live, a daily newscast about what it means to live in Minnesota.
ANCHOR: Coming up…what cities in Minnesota are finally getting high-speed internet. A city in northern Minnesota fights to keep the us hockey hall of fame. And, why health officials are warning residents to stay away from dead birds.
I'm Chantel SinGs.
Residents of Detroit Lakes, Redwood Falls, Sauk Centre, and other communities in central and northwestern Minnesota will soon be getting high-speed internet. More than 400 homes and businesses will get an upgrade to internet speeds of at least one hundred megabits per second. Arvig, an internet company located in otter tail county will be installing the broadband upgrades. The company received the $3.3 million state grant and will begin installation later this spring. Arvig hopes to complete the project by November.
Many Minnesotans don't know the us hockey hall of fame is located on the iron range in Eveleth. As Britt Aamodt explains, some say that's why it's time to move, while others say it needs to stay put.
Britt Aamodt: The Minnesota Wild and some Twin Cities legislators have a great idea. They want to move the United States Hockey Hall of Fame to St Paul's Xcel Energy Center, home of the Wild and host to 1.7 million visitors annually. But what about Eveleth? Eveleth is a mining town on the east end of Northern Minnesota's Iron Range, and since 1973 it has been home to the US Hockey Hall of Fame.
Cal Cossalter: Everybody says why is it in Eveleth?
Britt Aamodt: Cal Cossalter is the Hall of Fame's board president and an Eveleth native.
Cal Cossalter: First of all, the building's been there for 52 years. The Hall of Fame has been in Eveleth for 52 years plus, going on 53. And a museum is where you present the story of that topic, and you show everybody where and when it came from.
Britt Aamodt: Eveleth, among other northern Minnesota towns, has been the birthplace of many hockey players.
Cal Cossalter: There are more Eveleth players inducted in the US Hockey Hall of Fame than any city in the country. And there's more inductees from north of Duluth in the Hall of Fame, and quite a few Olympians from Duluth north.
Britt Aamodt: This is where hockey players are created. That's why it made sense back in the 1970s to place the hall here. But the St Paul contingent points out that the US Hockey Hall of Fame only pulls in some nine to 10,000 visitors a year. St Paul could possibly rake in the numbers seen at other sport hall of fames, around 200,000 or more. Another point, the Eveleth Hall has had financial difficulties in the past. But Cossalter says that changed when a new board came on in 2007. It’s old history.
Cal Cossalter: You know, reading articles that’re saying we're a barely functioning entity. We function very well. We have money to pay the bills. We have visitors that come in. Our staff is tremendous. They'll follow customers around, give them all the information. They're outgoing. They welcome them with open arms.
Britt Aamodt: He agrees that St Paul and the Xcel Center could fund a slick state-of-the-art museum with lots of foot traffic. But Eveleth thrives on the center. It's a draw for tourists and a boost for the local economy at a time when the Iron Range and Eveleth have been hit hard by job layoffs in the mines. Ultimately, the decision rests with Cossalter and the other board members, former hockey players and true lovers of the sport. Will the US Hockey Hall of Fame stay in Eveleth or move to St Paul?
Cal Cossalter: Well, the board has to vote on whether they want to go ahead with that or not at the end of the conversation. We haven't decided yet.
Britt Aamodt: This is Britt Aamodt for North Star Stories.
ANCHOR: You are listening to North Star Stories.
Health officials are warning Minnesotans to take some extra steps to protect themselves from the avian flu also known as the bird flu. The warning comes after residents in Austin found two dead adult geese next to each other along the Cedar River. Officials say you should avoid contact with dead birds. Health officials also announced a new case of avian flu in the state's dairy herd. Testing detected the virus in samples collected from cows in Stearns County, which is located in the central part of the state. It's the first case among dairy cows since last summer.
HOST: North Star Stories is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota. Online at ampers dot org.