Dispatch from northeast Minnesota

Posted at 10:00 AM on August 4, 2010 by Bob Ingrassia
Filed under: Arrowhead

Bob Kelleher, who covers the Arrowhead region for Minnesota Public Radio News, updates Cathy Wurzer about big stories on his beat during Morning Edition. He talks about a controversial cell phone tower near Ely, a contract dispute involving nurses in Duluth and the 100th anniversary of the landmark Split Rock Lighthouse.

Here are some background stories:

Group sues to block cell tower just outside BWCA
An environmental group is suing to stop construction of a cell phone tower near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. AT&T is proposing a tower 45-stories tall, lit with strobe and beacon lights. Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness says it would be visible from many points in the Boundary Waters, including Basswood Lake, Fall Lake, and the Kawishiwi River.

Duluth nurses stage informational picket
About 100 nurses and their supporters picketed Duluth's St. Luke's hospital Tuesday afternoon. The union launched the informational picketing because of little progress in contract negotiations between the nurses and Duluth's two hospital systems.

Split Rock Lighthouse's last keeper recalls history for 100th anniversary
Mike Roberts was the last U.S. Coast Guard officer on duty at Split Rock Lighthouse, the Minnesota tourist destination near Two Harbors that draws more than 100,000 visitors a year. The St. Cloud-area resident has the distinction of being the person who extinguished the landmark's light for the last official time when it was decommissioned in 1969 by the Coast Guard.