");vwo_$('head').append(_vwo_sel);return vwo_$('head')[0] && vwo_$('head')[0].lastChild;})("HEAD")}}, R_940895_48_1_2_0:{ fn:function(log,nonce=''){return (function(x) { if(!vwo_$.fn.vwoRevertHtml){ return; }; var ctx=vwo_$(x),el; /*vwo_debug log("Revert","content",""); vwo_debug*/; el=vwo_$('[vwo-element-id="1742919897117"]'); el.revertContentOp().remove();})("HEAD")}}, C_940895_48_1_2_1:{ fn:function(log,nonce=''){return (function(x) {var el,ctx=vwo_$(x); /*vwo_debug log("editElement",".stylingblock-content-margin-cell > table:nth-of-type(1) > tbody:nth-of-type(1) > tr:nth-of-type(1) > td:nth-of-type(1) > div:nth-of-type(1) > div:nth-of-type(1) > h2:nth-of-type(1) > span:nth-of-type(1)"); vwo_debug*/(el=vwo_$(".stylingblock-content-margin-cell > table:nth-of-type(1) > tbody:nth-of-type(1) > tr:nth-of-type(1) > td:nth-of-type(1) > div:nth-of-type(1) > div:nth-of-type(1) > h2:nth-of-type(1) > span:nth-of-type(1)")).html("Hello! David Brancaccio here. Do you want instant access to the free online course - “Economics 101” - to understand basic economic concepts?");})(".stylingblock-content-margin-cell > table:nth-of-type(1) > tbody:nth-of-type(1) > tr:nth-of-type(1) > td:nth-of-type(1) > div:nth-of-type(1) > div:nth-of-type(1) > h2:nth-of-type(1) > span:nth-of-type(1)")}}, C_940895_66_1_2_0:{ fn:function(log,nonce=''){return (function(x) { try{ var _vwo_sel = vwo_$("`); !vwo_$("head").find('#1738257835657').length && vwo_$('head').append(_vwo_sel);}catch(e) {console.error(e)} try{}catch(e) {console.error(e)} try{const DEAR_READER_HEADING_HTML="

Dear reader,

",DEAR_READER_BODY_HTML="\n

Political debates with family or friends can get heated. But what if there was a way to handle them better?

\n

You can learn how to have civil political conversations with our new e-book!

\n

Download our free e-book, Talking Sense: Have Hard Political Conversations, Better, and learn how to talk without the tension.

\n",DEAR_READER_CTA_TEXT="Get your free ebook »",DEAR_READER_CTA_LINK="https://cloud.connect.mpr.org/mprnews-cfw03-01-talking-sense?utm_campaign=cfw_talkingsense&utm_term=dearreader_co";!function(){const e=async function(r,t=100,n=1e4){t=Number.isInteger(t)&&t>0&&t<=100?t:parseInt(t);let a="Array";if("NaN"==t)return console.error("Invalid refresh interval:",t);Array.isArray(r)||"string"!=typeof r||(a="string",r=[r]);let o=e=>document.querySelector(e),i=e=>e.every(e=>!!o(e));return new Promise((l,s)=>{let c=(e,r=null)=>(r&&clearInterval(r),l("Array"==a||e.length>1?e.map(e=>o(e)):o(e[0]))),d=a=>{console.error(`${a.name}: ${a.message}`);return s(a,()=>e(r,t=100,n=1e4))};try{if(i(r))return c(r);let e=setInterval(()=>{if(i(r))return c(r,e)},1e3/t);setTimeout(()=>{try{if(!i(r)){clearInterval(e);let r=Error(`Failed to find matching elements within ${n}ms`);throw r.name="Timed Out",r}}catch(e){return d(e)}},n)}catch(e){return d(e)}})};e("article").then(e=>{e.insertAdjacentHTML("beforeend",`

\n

\n

Dear reader,

\n ${DEAR_READER_BODY_HTML}\n \n \n \n

\n

`)})}();}catch(e) {console.error(e)} return vwo_$('head')[0] && vwo_$('head')[0].lastChild;})("head")}}, R_940895_66_1_2_0:{ fn:function(log,nonce=''){return (function(x) { try{ var ctx=vwo_$(x),el; /*vwo_debug log("Revert","content",""); vwo_debug*/; el=vwo_$('[vwo-element-id="1738257835657"]'); el.revertContentOp().remove(); } catch(e) {console.error(e)} try{ var el,ctx=vwo_$(x); /*vwo_debug log("Revert","addElement","body"); vwo_debug*/(el=vwo_$('[vwo-element-id="1738257835659"]')).remove(); } catch(e) {console.error(e)} return vwo_$('head')[0] && vwo_$('head')[0].lastChild;})("head")}}, GL_940895_66_pre:{ fn:function(VWO_CURRENT_CAMPAIGN, VWO_CURRENT_VARIATION,nonce = ""){try{!function(){try{var e=function(e){return Object.keys(e).find((function(e){return e.startsWith("__reactInternalInstance$")||e.startsWith("__reactFiber$")}))},n=function(e,n){if(e&&n)return e[n]},t=function(e,n,t){var i=(i=e.nodeName)&&i.toLowerCase();n.stateNode=e,n.child=null,n.tag=e.nodeType===Node.ELEMENT_NODE?5:6,n.type&&(n.type=n.elementType="vwo-"+i),n.alternate&&(n.alternate.stateNode=e),e[t]=n},i=function(e,n){var t=Date.now();!function i(){var l=Object.keys(n).find((function(e){return e.startsWith("__reactProps$")}))||"",r=Date.now();if(l&&n[l])switch(e.name){case"href":n[l].href=e.value;break;case"onClick":n[l].onClick&&delete n[l].onClick;break;case"onChange":n[l].onChange&&n[l].onChange({target:n})}l||3e3 table:nth-of-type(1) > tbody:nth-of-type(1) > tr:nth-of-type(1) > td:nth-of-type(1) > div:nth-of-type(1) > div:nth-of-type(1) > div:nth-of-type(1)"); vwo_debug*/(el=vwo_$(".stylingblock-content-margin-cell > table:nth-of-type(1) > tbody:nth-of-type(1) > tr:nth-of-type(1) > td:nth-of-type(1) > div:nth-of-type(1) > div:nth-of-type(1) > div:nth-of-type(1)")).revertContentOp(),el=vwo_$(".stylingblock-content-margin-cell > table:nth-of-type(1) > tbody:nth-of-type(1) > tr:nth-of-type(1) > td:nth-of-type(1) > div:nth-of-type(1) > div:nth-of-type(1) > div:nth-of-type(1)");})(".stylingblock-content-margin-cell > table:nth-of-type(1) > tbody:nth-of-type(1) > tr:nth-of-type(1) > td:nth-of-type(1) > div:nth-of-type(1) > div:nth-of-type(1) > div:nth-of-type(1)")}}, C_940895_48_1_2_4:{ fn:function(log,nonce=''){return (function(x) {})(".author,.img-wrapper,.img-wrapper img,.author-copy")}}, R_940895_48_1_2_4:{ fn:function(log,nonce=''){return (function(x) { if(!vwo_$.fn.vwoRevertHtml){ return; }; })(".author,.img-wrapper,.img-wrapper img,.author-copy")}}},rules:[{"triggers":["8536412"],"tags":[{"data":{"type":"m","campaigns":[{"c":48,"g":4}]},"metricId":959030,"id":"metric"},{"metricId":959030,"id":"metric","data":{"type":"m","campaigns":[{"c":64,"g":3}]}},{"metricId":959030,"id":"metric","data":{"type":"m","campaigns":[{"c":63,"g":3}]}}]},{"triggers":["8459768"],"tags":[{"data":{"type":"m","campaigns":[{"c":48,"g":2}]},"metricId":951905,"id":"metric"},{"metricId":951905,"id":"metric","data":{"type":"m","campaigns":[{"c":64,"g":5}]}},{"metricId":951905,"id":"metric","data":{"type":"m","campaigns":[{"c":63,"g":5}]}}]},{"triggers":["8536409"],"tags":[{"data":{"type":"m","campaigns":[{"c":48,"g":5}]},"metricId":959027,"id":"metric"},{"metricId":959027,"id":"metric","data":{"type":"m","campaigns":[{"c":64,"g":4}]}},{"metricId":959027,"id":"metric","data":{"type":"m","campaigns":[{"c":63,"g":4}]}}]},{"triggers":["13099398"],"tags":[{"data":{"type":"g","campaigns":[{"c":66,"g":1}]},"metricId":0,"id":"metric"}]},{"triggers":["10589191"],"tags":[{"data":"campaigns.48","id":"runCampaign","priority":4},{"id":"runCampaign","priority":4,"data":"campaigns.66"},{"id":"runCampaign","priority":4,"data":"campaigns.64"},{"id":"runCampaign","priority":4,"data":"campaigns.63"}]},{"triggers":["8536415"],"tags":[{"data":{"type":"m","campaigns":[{"c":48,"g":3}]},"metricId":959033,"id":"metric"},{"metricId":959033,"id":"metric","data":{"type":"m","campaigns":[{"c":64,"g":2}]}},{"metricId":959033,"id":"metric","data":{"type":"m","campaigns":[{"c":63,"g":2}]}}]},{"triggers":["8639604"],"tags":[{"data":{"type":"m","campaigns":[{"c":48,"g":1}]},"metricId":951908,"id":"metric"},{"metricId":951908,"id":"metric","data":{"type":"m","campaigns":[{"c":64,"g":1}]}},{"metricId":951908,"id":"metric","data":{"type":"m","campaigns":[{"c":63,"g":1}]}}]},{"triggers":["5"],"tags":[{"id":"checkEnvironment"}]},{"triggers":["8"],"tags":[{"id":"prePostMutation","priority":3},{"priority":2,"id":"groupCampaigns"}]},{"triggers":["9"],"tags":[{"id":"visibilityService","priority":2}]},{"triggers":["2"],"tags":[{"id":"runTestCampaign"}]},{"triggers":["75"],"tags":[{"id":"urlChange"}]}],pages:{"pc":[{"141375":{"inc":["o",["url","urlReg","(?i)^https?\\:\\\/\\\/(w{3}\\.)?mprnews\\.org\\\/story.*"],["url","urlReg","(?i)^https?\\:\\\/\\\/(w{3}\\.)?mprnews\\.org\\\/episode.*"]]}}],"ec":[{"1625289":{"inc":["o",["url","urlReg","(?i).*"]]}},{"2183589":{"inc":["o",["pg","eq","141375"]]}}]},pagesEval:{"pc":[141375],"ec":[1625289,2183589]},stags:{}}})(); ;;var commonWrapper=function(argument){if(!argument){argument={valuesGetter:function(){return{}},valuesSetter:function(){},verifyData:function(){return{}}}}const getVisitorUuid=function(){if(window._vwo_acc_id>=1037725){return window.VWO&&window.VWO.get("visitor.id")}else{return window.VWO._&&window.VWO._.cookies&&window.VWO._.cookies.get("_vwo_uuid")}};var pollInterval=100;var timeout=6e4;return function(){var accountIntegrationSettings={};var _interval=null;function waitForAnalyticsVariables(){try{accountIntegrationSettings=argument.valuesGetter();accountIntegrationSettings.visitorUuid=getVisitorUuid()}catch(error){accountIntegrationSettings=undefined}if(accountIntegrationSettings&&argument.verifyData(accountIntegrationSettings)){argument.valuesSetter(accountIntegrationSettings);return 1}return 0}var currentTime=0;_interval=setInterval((function(){currentTime=currentTime||performance.now();var result=waitForAnalyticsVariables();if(result||performance.now()-currentTime>=timeout){clearInterval(_interval)}}),pollInterval)}}; var pushBasedCommonWrapper=function(argument){var firedCamp={};if(!argument){argument={integrationName:"",getExperimentList:function(){},accountSettings:function(){},pushData:function(){}}}return function(){window.VWO=window.VWO||[];const getVisitorUuid=function(){if(window._vwo_acc_id>=1037725){return window.VWO&&window.VWO.get("visitor.id")}else{return window.VWO._&&window.VWO._.cookies&&window.VWO._.cookies.get("_vwo_uuid")}};var sendDebugLogsOld=function(expId,variationId,errorType,user_type,data){try{var errorPayload={f:argument["integrationName"]||"",a:window._vwo_acc_id,url:window.location.href,exp:expId,v:variationId,vwo_uuid:getVisitorUuid(),user_type:user_type};if(errorType=="initIntegrationCallback"){errorPayload["log_type"]="initIntegrationCallback";errorPayload["data"]=JSON.stringify(data||"")}else if(errorType=="timeout"){errorPayload["timeout"]=true}if(window.VWO._.customError){window.VWO._.customError({msg:"integration debug",url:window.location.href,lineno:"",colno:"",source:JSON.stringify(errorPayload)})}}catch(e){window.VWO._.customError&&window.VWO._.customError({msg:"integration debug failed",url:"",lineno:"",colno:"",source:""})}};var sendDebugLogs=function(expId,variationId,errorType,user_type){var eventName="vwo_debugLogs";var eventPayload={};try{eventPayload={intName:argument["integrationName"]||"",varId:variationId,expId:expId,type:errorType,vwo_uuid:getVisitorUuid(),user_type:user_type};if(window.VWO._.event){window.VWO._.event(eventName,eventPayload,{enableLogs:1})}}catch(e){eventPayload={msg:"integration event log failed",url:window.location.href};window.VWO._.event&&window.VWO._.event(eventName,eventPayload)}};const callbackFn=function(data){if(!data)return;var expId=data[1],variationId=data[2],repeated=data[0],singleCall=0,debug=0;var experimentList=argument.getExperimentList();var integrationName=argument["integrationName"]||"vwo";if(typeof argument.accountSettings==="function"){var accountSettings=argument.accountSettings();if(accountSettings){singleCall=accountSettings["singleCall"];debug=accountSettings["debug"]}}if(debug){sendDebugLogs(expId,variationId,"intCallTriggered",repeated)}if(singleCall&&(repeated==="vS"||repeated==="vSS")||firedCamp[expId]){return}window.expList=window.expList||{};var expList=window.expList[integrationName]=window.expList[integrationName]||[];if(expId&&variationId&&["VISUAL_AB","VISUAL","SPLIT_URL"].indexOf(_vwo_exp[expId].type)>-1){if(experimentList.indexOf(+expId)!==-1){firedCamp[expId]=variationId;var visitorUuid=getVisitorUuid();var pollInterval=100;var currentTime=0;var timeout=6e4;var user_type=_vwo_exp[expId].exec?"vwo-retry":"vwo-new";var interval=setInterval((function(){if(expList.indexOf(expId)!==-1){clearInterval(interval);return}currentTime=currentTime||performance.now();var toClearInterval=argument.pushData(expId,variationId,visitorUuid);if(debug&&toClearInterval){sendDebugLogsOld(expId,variationId,"",user_type);sendDebugLogs(expId,variationId,"intDataPushed",user_type)}var isTimeout=performance.now()-currentTime>=timeout;if(isTimeout&&debug){sendDebugLogsOld(expId,variationId,"timeout",user_type);sendDebugLogs(expId,variationId,"intTimeout",user_type)}if(toClearInterval||isTimeout){clearInterval(interval)}if(toClearInterval){window.expList[integrationName].push(expId)}}),pollInterval||100)}}};window.VWO.push(["onVariationApplied",callbackFn]);window.VWO.push(["onVariationShownSent",callbackFn])}}; var surveyDataCommonWrapper=function(argument){if(!argument){argument={getCampaignList:function(){return[]},surveyStatusChange:function(){},answerSubmitted:function(){}}}return function(){window.VWO=window.VWO||[];function getValuesFromAnswers(answers){var values=[];for(var i=0;i=timeout;if(toClearInterval||isTimeout){clearInterval(interval)}}),pollInterval)}}window.VWO.push(["onSurveyShown",function(data){commonSurveyCallback(data,argument.surveyStatusChange,"surveyShown")}]);window.VWO.push(["onSurveyCompleted",function(data){commonSurveyCallback(data,argument.surveyStatusChange,"surveyCompleted")}]);window.VWO.push(["onSurveyAnswerSubmitted",function(data){commonSurveyCallback(data,argument.answerSubmitted,"surveySubmitted")}])}}; (function(){var VWOOmniTemp={};window.VWOOmni=window.VWOOmni||{};for(var key in VWOOmniTemp)Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(VWOOmniTemp,key)&&(window.VWOOmni[key]=VWOOmniTemp[key]);;})();(function(){window.VWO=window.VWO||[];var pollInterval=100;var _vis_data={};var intervalObj={};var analyticsTimerObj={};var experimentListObj={};window.VWO.push(["onVariationApplied",function(data){if(!data){return}var expId=data[1],variationId=data[2];if(expId&&variationId&&["VISUAL_AB","VISUAL","SPLIT_URL"].indexOf(window._vwo_exp[expId].type)>-1){}}])})();; ;var vD=VWO.data||{};VWO.data={content:{"fns":{"list":{"args":{"1":{}},"vn":1}}},as:"r6.visualwebsiteoptimizer.com",dacdnUrl:"https://dev.visualwebsiteoptimizer.com",accountJSInfo:{"rp":30,"ts":1744925648,"noSS":false,"pc":{"t":0,"a":0}}};for(var k in vD){VWO.data[k]=vD[k]};;var gcpfb=function(a,loadFunc,status,err,success){function vwoErr() {_vwo_err({message:"Google_Cdn failing for " + a + ". Trying Fallback..",code:"cloudcdnerr",status:status});} if(a.indexOf("/cdn/")!==-1){loadFunc(a.replace("cdn/",""),err,success); vwoErr(); return true;} else if(a.indexOf("/dcdn/")!==-1&&a.indexOf("evad.js") !== -1){loadFunc(a.replace("dcdn/",""),err,success); vwoErr(); return true;}};window.VWO=window.VWO || [];window.VWO._= window.VWO._ || {};window.VWO._.gcpfb=gcpfb;;var d={cookie:document.cookie,URL:document.URL,referrer:document.referrer};var w={VWO:{_:{}},location:{href:window.location.href,search:window.location.search},_vwoCc:window._vwoCc};;window._vwo_cdn="https://dev.visualwebsiteoptimizer.com/cdn/";window._vwo_apm_debug_cdn="https://dev.visualwebsiteoptimizer.com/cdn/";window.VWO._.useCdn=true;window.vwo_eT="br";window._VWO=window._VWO||{};window._VWO.fSeg={};window._VWO.dcdnUrl="/dcdn/settings.js";window.VWO.sTs=1744908201;window._VWO._vis_nc_lib=window._vwo_cdn+"edrv/nc-3f9594955e9158c3d78e98fc4a36811dbr.js";var loadWorker=function(url){_vwo_code.load(url, { dSC: true, onloadCb: function(xhr,a){window._vwo_wt_l=true;if(xhr.status===200 ||xhr.status===304){var code="var window="+JSON.stringify(w)+",document="+JSON.stringify(d)+";window.document=document;"+xhr.responseText;var blob=new Blob([code||"throw new Error('code not found!');"],{type:"application/javascript"}),url=URL.createObjectURL(blob);window.mainThread={webWorker:new Worker(url)};window.vwoChannelFW=new MessageChannel();window.vwoChannelToW=new MessageChannel();window.mainThread.webWorker.postMessage({vwoChannelToW:vwoChannelToW.port1,vwoChannelFW:vwoChannelFW.port2},[vwoChannelToW.port1, vwoChannelFW.port2]);if(!window._vwo_mt_f)return window._vwo_wt_f=true;_vwo_code.addScript({text:window._vwo_mt_f});delete window._vwo_mt_f}else{if(gcpfb(a,loadWorker,xhr.status)){return;}_vwo_code.finish("&e=loading_failure:"+a)}}, onerrorCb: function(a){if(gcpfb(a,loadWorker)){return;}window._vwo_wt_l=true;_vwo_code.finish("&e=loading_failure:"+a);}})};loadWorker("https://dev.visualwebsiteoptimizer.com/cdn/edrv/worker-413c17ee3e4a9a6250095279e25419c6br.js");;var _vis_opt_file;var _vis_opt_lib;if(window.VWO._.allSettings.dataStore.previewExtraSettings!=undefined&&window.VWO._.allSettings.dataStore.previewExtraSettings.isSurveyPreviewMode){var surveyHash=window.VWO._.allSettings.dataStore.plugins.LIBINFO.SURVEY_DEBUG_EVENTS.HASH;var param1="evad.js?va=";var param2="&d=debugger_new";var param3="&sp=1&a=940895&sh="+surveyHash;_vis_opt_file=vwoCode.use_existing_jquery&&typeof vwoCode.use_existing_jquery()!=="undefined"?vwoCode.use_existing_jquery()?param1+"vanj"+param2:param1+"va_gq"+param2:param1+"edrv/va_gq-7c7c840681fb5b7ddc0fce3da241cf55br.js"+param2;_vis_opt_file=_vis_opt_file+param3;_vis_opt_lib="https://dev.visualwebsiteoptimizer.com/dcdn/"+_vis_opt_file}else if(window.VWO._.allSettings.dataStore.mode!=undefined&&window.VWO._.allSettings.dataStore.mode=="PREVIEW"){ var path1 = 'edrv/pd_'; var path2 = window.VWO._.allSettings.dataStore.plugins.LIBINFO.EVAD.HASH + ".js"; ;_vis_opt_file=vwoCode.use_existing_jquery&&typeof vwoCode.use_existing_jquery()!=="undefined"?vwoCode.use_existing_jquery()?path1+"vanj"+path2:path1+"va_gq"+path2:path1+"edrv/va_gq-7c7c840681fb5b7ddc0fce3da241cf55br.js"+path2;_vis_opt_lib="https://dev.visualwebsiteoptimizer.com/cdn/"+_vis_opt_file}else{_vis_opt_file=vwoCode.use_existing_jquery&&typeof vwoCode.use_existing_jquery()!=="undefined"?vwoCode.use_existing_jquery()?"edrv/vanj-298dbd0998f2c686c389cd1da334dba4br.js":"edrv/va_gq-7c7c840681fb5b7ddc0fce3da241cf55br.js":"edrv/va_gq-7c7c840681fb5b7ddc0fce3da241cf55br.js"}window._vwo_library_timer=setTimeout((function(){vwoCode.removeLoaderAndOverlay&&vwoCode.removeLoaderAndOverlay();vwoCode.finish()}),vwoCode.library_tolerance&&typeof vwoCode.library_tolerance()!=="undefined"?vwoCode.library_tolerance():2500),_vis_opt_lib=typeof _vis_opt_lib=="undefined"?window._vwo_cdn+_vis_opt_file:_vis_opt_lib;var loadLib=function(url){_vwo_code.load(url, { dSC: true, onloadCb:function(xhr,a){window._vwo_mt_l=true;if(xhr.status===200 || xhr.status===304){if(!window._vwo_wt_f)return window._vwo_mt_f=xhr.responseText;_vwo_code.addScript({text:xhr.responseText});delete window._vwo_wt_f;}else{if(gcpfb(a,loadLib,xhr.status)){return;}_vwo_code.finish("&e=loading_failure:"+a);}}, onerrorCb: function(a){if(gcpfb(a,loadLib)){return;}window._vwo_mt_l=true;_vwo_code.finish("&e=loading_failure:"+a);}})};loadLib(_vis_opt_lib);VWO.load_co=function(u,opts){return window._vwo_code.load(u,opts);};;;}}catch(e){_vwo_code.finish();_vwo_code.removeLoaderAndOverlay&&_vwo_code.removeLoaderAndOverlay();_vwo_err(e);window.VWO.caE=1}})();

Skip to Main Content
Skip to audio player to listen live

Create a Free MPR

news profile

for you

Sign up

Already have an account?

By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.

Welcome back

to news for you

Sign in to your profile

New to MPR News?

Welcome back

to news

for you

Reset Password

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?

Welcome back

to news

for you

Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?

Duluth, Minn.

February 24, 2009 5:29 PM

More mining layoffs hit Iron Range

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log in Create a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

United Taconite — Hibbing Taconite will now produce about one-third of the facility's annual capacity.
MPR Photo/Bob Kelleher

Two more Iron Range mines are facing layoffs. Hibbing Taconite is cutting production, and planning a lengthy shut down, while Northshore Mining will shut down production for a month.

At Hibbing Taconite, the state's second largest taconite producer, the company has announced a second production cut this year. Hibbing Taconite will now produce about one-third of the facility's annual capacity.

Eighty-three employees will receive layoff notices for the end of April. After layoffs last month, the plant employed fewer than 600 workers, down from more than 700 a year ago. In addition, the entire facility will close for 15 weeks from May through the summer.

A third of the plant's production capability will be back on line in September. Meanwhile, Cliff Natural Resources Northshore Mine in Babbit and Silver Bay will idle production during April, resuming at reduced capacity in May. Northshore employs 557 workers.

Gallery

1 of 1

United Taconite — Hibbing Taconite will now produce about one-third of the facility's annual capacity.
MPR Photo/Bob Kelleher

Turn Up Your Support

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.