LAST ONE OUT the door at the ever-darkening and forlorn Marquette Mall, make sure you turn out the lights.
Employees at Big Lots have been told that store will be closing down in January.
The reason? The lease expired.
Big Lots isn’t moving anywhere else in town so employees, who were told to keep this all hush-hush, will be out of a job.
Merry Christmas to all.
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WE’RE HEARING OMINOUS rumblings from Minnesota that could seriously impact us in Marquette County.
Essar Steel Minnesota is continuing to gear up for the opening of its $1.9 billion taconite plant near Nashwauk. It hopes to have pellets rolling off the line by mid to late 2016.
Why is that significant?
Because of this, as reported by the Duluth News Tribune earlier this week:
“Cleveland-based Cliffs, already in tumult after massive downsizing and a hostile takeover in the past two years, will almost certainly close its remaining iron ore production in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula when Essar opens — the Empire-Tilden operation, which currently supplies ArcelorMittal, which already has an agreement to buy Essar pellets.”
And this quote from Cliffs CEO Lorenco Goncalves:”All they (Essar) are doing is adding supply that the industry doesn’t need. It doesn’t do any good for the region. The (new Essar jobs) that would be generated will be destroyed somewhere else. And the jobs that would be destroyed would be Cliffs jobs.”
Doesn’t make much sense–opening a huge new plant when the steel industry is in a worldwide downturn, but there you have it.
Will the Essar plant–which has long been delayed, troubled, and criticized–actually open? And will Goncalves follow through with plans (threats?) to close down Cliffs’ plants?
Stay tuned.
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HISTORIC RESTORATION IN a downtown that’s not exactly thriving ain’t easy, but some folks keep at it because they believe in it.
Examples: Jim and Ann Kantola.
They continue pushing forward with plans to restore and renovate the historic Sundberg Block on Iron Street in Negaunee. It’s been around since 1891, it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places…and it’s also been crumbling.
No matter. It’s apparently retained its structure integrity, and the Kantolas are now applying for a grant to come up with conceptual plans for a new, repurposed Sundberg Block. Likely some commercial use. They’re hoping to get word on the grant in the next few weeks.
That grant could lead to other grants, possibly private investors, and more community interest.
The building’s worth saving. It’s an integral part of Negaunee’s history.
The Kantolas, by the way, aren’t new to the game of historical restoration. They’ve played major roles in the development of several projects, including Jackson Pit and the Union Station Depot.
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YOU LIKE MUSIC?
Well, the Steinhaus Market will have plenty of it Halloween night, from 6 pm until midnight.
Six bands. Yep, six.
Five bucks to get in, and that will get you a pint of beer or apple cider. All that plus Halloween contests, and of course, plenty of food.
Interesting because the Steinhaus Market isn’t all that big. That’s a lot of music for a relatively small venue. Should be crowded, should be fun.
Halloween is going to be busy in Marquette on Saturday. Trick-or-treaters will be out in late afternoon and early evening but then the procession of costumed revelers through the streets starts at 6:30, followed by the Spectacle (which is truly spectacular and creative) at 7 pm at The Commons.
Busy. Some have suggested the Spectacle should have been scheduled for a different evening.
It could be a conflict for the kids and their parents or maybe it’ll just be wall-to-wall fun. We’ll see.
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