Paul L. Hayden / Lake Superior Magazine
Roger Blough
The Roger Blough was among the vessels that laid up early in 2015.
Three lakers lay up early
Iron ore shipments in October were down 23 percent from last year, the third consecutive month of large declines. The Lake Carriers’ Association, which represents U.S.-flagged Great Lakes vessels, reports that October shipments totaled 5.3 million net tons, the lowest for the month since 2010.
Citing a lack of cargo, several ore boats have already laid up for winter, well ahead of the Jan. 15 closing of the Soo Locks. The American Spirit, Indiana Harbor and Roger Blough all turned in early.
“This would be the time where they’d be building inventories on the lower lakes and we’re just not seeing that really high demand that we have in other years this time of year,” Duluth Seaway Port Authority PR Director Adele Yorde told the Mesabi Daily News.
Many blame imported steel for the industry’s slowdown. U.S. trade groups hope tariffs on foreign government-subsidized steel will boost the domestic market, Bloomberg reported this week.
In a statement to the Duluth News Tribune, Senator Al Franken of Minnesota said, “Minnesota’s iron ore and steel producers can compete with anyone in the world when there’s a level playing field.”
While ore has been down as a vessel cargo this year, the news has been good for Canadian grain. Shipments of grain at the port of Thunder Bay are up 23 percent over the five-year average. Ten salties have already visited the port this month, notes CBC News.
– Phil Bencomo
Cirrus airplane parachute allows a street landing
Duluth-based Cirrus Aircraft made national headlines Tuesday when former Walmart CEO Bill Simon experienced engine trouble with his Cirrus SR-22 and pulled the emergency full-plane parachute. The single-engine plane then slowly glided down over a busy street in Fayetteville, Arkansas, to the amazement of onlookers.
The built-in parachute is a standard safety feature on the planes. Over the past 16 years, Cirrus has made more than 6,000 aircraft. The parachutes have been deployed 55 times in emergencies – saving several times that many lives – since 2000, according to James Fallows of The Atlantic, who has written about the aircraft in his book Free Flight and is also a pilot who flies a Cirrus plane.
Although an airplane crash was averted in Arkansas, the aircraft did collide with a pickup truck. The three people in the Cirrus plane, as well as the truck driver, were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, according to news reports.
Watch video of the aircraft and its parachute in this CBS News report.
– Bob Berg
Fond du Lac Band chairwoman takes White House job
On Wednesday this week, the White House officially announced the appointment of Karen Diver, chair of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, as Special Assistant to the President on Native American Affairs, a position on the Domestic Policy Council staff.
“Karen Diver will be a valuable part of my Administration’s mission to continue the historic progress we’ve made in building a strong Nation-to-Nation relationship with Indian Country,” President Barack Obama is quoted in the release. “Her advocacy on behalf of tribal nations throughout her impressive career will serve her well in her new role, ensuring that Native Americans continue to have a voice in my Administration.”
Karen resigned her position as chair of the band, effective Nov. 13 and she expects to be in Washington, D.C., by Nov. 16 to start her new work.
She is already familiar with the administration, having been appointed as one of two Native people on the White House Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience. “The Task Force needs to tackle preparedness for not only what communities are experiencing now, but also for increasing levels of impact that may occur if we fail to stop climate changes from worsening,” she said at the time of her appointment to that task force.
Karen is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Duluth and of Harvard University. She gave a 2010 presentation on Emerging Leaders at the Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management and Policy at the University of Arizona. You can watch her "Top 10 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Took Office" online.
Brady Slater of the Duluth News Tribune broke the news of her appointment after she sent a letter of resignation to tribal members at the beginning of this week. Vice Chairman Wally Dupuis will take over as interim chairperson for the band.
– Konnie LeMay
A Fitz memorial – in SimCity: Project Sault Ste. Marie, which is building those twin cities in the video game “SimCity 4,” has recreated the Edmund Fitzgerald to mark the 40th anniversary of its loss. The group will host a three-day memorial event online, Nov. 9-11.
October lake level report: Lake Superior declined 3.5 inches in October, a month in which it typically drops an inch. The Lake begins November at 4 inches above long-term average, down 5 inches from this time last year.
Lake Superior Zoo revamp announced: Duluth’s zoo will be reduced in size and better incorporated into the surrounding neighborhood and parkland, reports Peter Passi in the Duluth News Tribune.
U.P. provides state’s Christmas tree: The 66-foot spruce, donated by a Wakefield woman, was delivered to the state capitol building on Saturday. The Mining Journal has photos.
Ashland receives grant for another mural: The Historic Mural Capital of Wisconsin won a $3,000 Local Spark Award for the project, writes Sara M. Chase in the Ashland Daily Press.