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North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live is comprised of a weekly 30-minute magazine-style newscast and daily, five-minute headlines segments that shine a spotlight on the stories and perspectives of Minnesota’s diverse communities, including Black, Latine, Asian American, East African individuals, people living with disabilities, LGBTQIA2S+ residents, laborers, veterans, and those from Greater Minnesota.
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON
COMING UP …
WILDFIRE CLOSURES ARE EASING IN THE BOUNDARY WATERS… BUT FOR BUSINESSES THAT LOST MUCH OF THEIR SUMMER SEASON, THE ECONOMIC EMERGENCY ISN’T OVER.
INGRID LYONS: THERE IS A REAL NEED FOR IMMEDIATE FUNDING.
BUT FIRST…
ISANTI COUNTY FLOCK CAMERAS
IN EAST-CENTRAL MINNESOTA... ISANTI COUNTY’S SHERIFF IS ENDING THE COUNTY’S CONTROVERSIAL TRIAL-PERIOD WITH FLOCK LICENSE-PLATE CAMERAS.
AFTER MONTHS OF CONTROVERSY OVER FLOCK CAMERAS... SHERIFF WAYNE SEIBERLICH (cyber-lick) MADE A LONG, CANDID SOCIAL MEDIA POST EXPLAINING WHY HE’S ENDING THE COUNTY’S EXPERIMENTATION WITH THE SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS.
HE SAYS THE EIGHT CAMERAS HELPED WITH AN ARSON CASE... SILVER, OR ELDERLY MISSING PERSONS, ALERTS... AND A CASE INVOLVING A STOLEN LICENSE PLATE…
HE ALSO SAYS HIS DEPUTIES DID NOT MISUSE THE SYSTEM.
BUT... SHERIFF SEIBERLICH ACKNOWLEDGES RESIDENTS’ CONCERNS ABOUT PRIVACY... DATA-SHARING... GOVERNMENT OVERREACH AS WELL AS CONCERNS ABOUT THE COSTS.
BWCA ECONOMIC HELP
BOUNDARY WATERS BUSINESSES HIT HARD BY THIS SUMMER’S WILDFIRES ARE PRESSING THE STATE FOR ECONOMIC RELIEF..
BUT GOVERNOR WALZ SAYS HE WILL NOT CALL A SPECIAL SESSION THAT IS REQUIRED TO PASS A FUNDING RELIEF PACKAGE.
EIGHTY-TWO NORTHEAST MINNESOTA BUSINESSES AND NONPROFITS ARE ASKING FOR EMERGENCY STATE HELP
SOME OUTFITTERS REPORT LOSING 65-PERCENT OR MORE OF THEIR INCOME DURING THE PEAK TOURISM SEASON.
THEY WANT THE STATE TO GIVE GRANTS OF UP TO 150-THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR QUALIFYING BUSINESSES.
IN AN INTERVIEW WITH AMPERS MEMBER STATION W-T-I-P … SAVE THE BOUNDARY WATERS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR INGRID LYONS SAYS THE DAMAGE SPREADS WELL BEYOND INDIVIDUAL BUSINESSES.
INGRID LYONS: A SUMMER WITHOUT VISITORS DOESN’T JUST HURT ONE OF THESE BUSINESSES; IT REALLY HARMS THE WHOLE ECOSYSTEM.
CURRENTLY... A BROADER LEGISLATIVE RELIEF PACKAGE WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL LAWMAKERS RETURN IN JANUARY.
DON LEMON AND GEORGIA FORT… DISMISSAL MOTIONS
TWO JOURNALISTS CHARGED AFTER JANUARY’S PROTEST AT CITIES CHURCH IN ST. PAUL ARE ASKING A FEDERAL JUDGE TO THROW OUT THE CASES AGAINST THEM.
GEORGIA FORT FILED THREE DISMISSAL MOTIONS THURSDAY… AND DON LEMON FOLLOWED FRIDAY.
THEIR LAWYERS ARGUE… AMONG OTHER THINGS… THAT THE FEDERAL PROSECUTIONS VIOLATE THE FIRST AMENDMENT AND ARE VINDICTIVE.
THE JUDGE HAS NOT RULED.
NIRON MAGNETICS
A MINNESOTA MANUFACTURER WORKING TO REDUCE U-S RELIANCE ON FOREIGN-MADE MAGNETS COULD GET A 150-MILLION-DOLLAR FEDERAL BOOST.
THE CONDITIONAL LOAN WOULD HELP BUILD A NEW NIRON MAGNETICS FACTORY IN SARTELL … NORTHWEST OF ST. CLOUD.
THE EXPANSION COULD INCREASE PRODUCTION FROM ABOUT TWO TONS A YEAR TO AS MUCH AS 15-HUNDRED TONS … ROUGHLY 750 TIMES CURRENT OUTPUT.
NIRON MAKES PERMANENT MAGNETS FROM IRON AND NITROGEN… INSTEAD OF THE RARE-EARTH MATERIALS THAT DOMINATE THE GLOBAL MAGNET INDUSTRY AND ARE LARGELY SOURCED OVERSEAS.
THOSE MAGNETS ARE USED IN EVERYTHING FROM ELECTRIC MOTORS AND ROBOTICS … TO DEFENSE SYSTEMS … MAKING DOMESTIC PRODUCTION A SUPPLY-CHAIN AND NATIONAL-SECURITY PRIORITY.
SOLAR PANEL LAYOFFS INTRO
BUT ELSEWHERE IN MINNESOTA’S ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SECTOR … WORKERS ARE LOSING JOBS.
JUST MORE THAN A YEAR AFTER SOLAR-PANEL MAKER HELIENE OPENED A SECOND FACTORY IN ROGERS...JUST NORTHWEST OF THE CITIES,… IT IS CUTTING ITS WORKFORCE AT ITS LONGTIME MOUNTAIN IRON PLANT UP NORTH.
AMPERS MEMBER STATION K-A-X-E’s ERIN BOWMAN HAS MORE:
SOLAR PANEL LAYOFFS PACKAGE
SOLAR PANEL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, HELIENE, IS LAYING OFF 93 OF ITS WORKERS FROM ITS MOUNTAIN IRON FACILITY.
A NOTICE SENT OUT THURSDAY SAYS THE COMPANY CITED UNFORESEEN BUSINESS CIRCUMSTANCES AS THE REASON FOR REDUCING ITS OPERATION AND LAYING OFF EMPLOYEES. THE LAID OFF EMPLOYEES' LAST DAY WAS WEDNESDAY.
THEY WILL CONTINUE TO RECEIVE PAY UNTIL THEIR EMPLOYMENT OFFICIALLY ENDS OCTOBER 4.
POSITIONS AFFECTED BY THE LAYOFFS INCLUDE LINE OPERATORS AND QUALITY ENGINEERS, INSPECTORS, AND TECHNICIANS.
THE MOUNTAIN IRON FACILITY BROKE GROUND IN SEPTEMBER 2021.
FROM THE KAXE NEWS DESK, I'M ERIN BOWMAN.
PRIMARY DAY AND EARLY VOTING
MINNESOTA’S PRIMARY CAMPAIGNS ARE IN THEIR FINAL DAY … WITH CROWDED RACES IN BOTH MAJOR PARTIES FOR U-S SENATE AND GOVERNOR.
TOMORROW.. TUESDAY.. AUGUST ELEVENTH… IS THE STATE’S PRIMARY ELECTION DAY.
NINE REPUBLICANS AND SIX D-F-L CANDIDATES ARE COMPETING FOR THE U-S SENATE SEAT TINA SMITH IS LEAVING.
FOR GOVERNOR… BOTH PARTIES HAVE SEVEN TICKETS ON THE BALLOT.
ALL EIGHT CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS HAVE AT LEAST ONE CONTESTED MAJOR-PARTY PRIMARY…
AND IN ROCHESTER… THERE’S A CROWDED NON-PARTISON RACE OF SEVEN PRIMARY CANDIDATES VYING FOR MAYOR ..
MINNESOTA WOMAN FARMER OF THE YEAR
AND FINALLY …
A PEACE CORPS ASSIGNMENT IN THAILAND HELPED STEER MEG STUEDEMANN TOWARD AGRICULTURE.
NOW … THE SOUTHERN MINNESOTA ORGANIC DAIRY FARMER IS THE 2026 FARMFEST WOMAN FARMER OF THE YEAR.
STUEDEMANN AND HER HUSBAND RUN THE 170-ACRE DERRYDALE FARM.
SHE ALSO HELPED DEVELOP MINNESOTA’S FARM AND RURAL HELPLINE.
WITH NORTH STAR STORIES.. I’M XAN HOLSTON.