Jimmy Lovrien
@jimmylovrien.bsky.social
Environmental reporter at the Duluth News Tribune dabbling in data journalism. Mountain biking, Nordic skiing and backpacking around the Northland. Washed-up runner.
Reposted by Jimmy Lovrien
On Monday, some employees at the freshwater lab received reassignments to other offices within the agency and relocation was not required. But others have not, sparking fear of looming layoffs.
Duluth EPA lab to remain open
On Monday, some employees at the freshwater lab received reassignments to other offices within the agency and relocation was not required. But others have not, sparking fear of looming layoffs.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
July 21, 2025 at 10:32 PM
On Monday, some employees at the freshwater lab received reassignments to other offices within the agency and relocation was not required. But others have not, sparking fear of looming layoffs.
The EPA placed several of its Duluth laboratory employees on leave for signing a letter criticizing the Trump administration’s politicization of the agency, a move the union and Democratic politicians said violates federal workers’ free speech.
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/e...
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/e...
EPA places 6 Duluth lab staff on leave for signing dissent letter
The union representing federal workers said the move violated the employees' free speech rights and vowed to take legal action.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
July 11, 2025 at 4:35 PM
The EPA placed several of its Duluth laboratory employees on leave for signing a letter criticizing the Trump administration’s politicization of the agency, a move the union and Democratic politicians said violates federal workers’ free speech.
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/e...
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/e...
Reposted by Jimmy Lovrien
Over 10 years, the bill will increase the deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion, cut Medicaid spending by $1 trillion and lead to 11.8 million more uninsured people, the Congressional Budget Office said.
Stauber plans to vote for Trump megabill
Over 10 years, the bill will increase the deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion, cut Medicaid spending by $1 trillion and lead to 11.8 million more uninsured people, the Congressional Budget Office said.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
July 1, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Over 10 years, the bill will increase the deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion, cut Medicaid spending by $1 trillion and lead to 11.8 million more uninsured people, the Congressional Budget Office said.
Chris Dunham, The Nature Conservancy’s associate director of resilience forestry in Northeastern Minnesota, said a post-fire landscape provides “a restoration opportunity” amid climate change and biodiversity loss.
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/a...
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/a...
As wildfires cool, replanting begins with resilient forest future in mind
Planted last spring but burned in last month's Camp House Fire, The Nature Conservancy returned to a plot of land along Murphy Lake to replant 5,000 tree saplings into the ash-covered ground.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
June 6, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Chris Dunham, The Nature Conservancy’s associate director of resilience forestry in Northeastern Minnesota, said a post-fire landscape provides “a restoration opportunity” amid climate change and biodiversity loss.
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/a...
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/a...
A wildfire is burning near Brimson in eastern St. Louis County, about 20 miles northwest of Two Harbors
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/2...
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/2...
200-acre wildfire burning near Brimson, prompting evacuations
The sheriff's office said "a number of cabins, garages and other structures have been affected," but no injuries were reported as of late Sunday afternoon.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
May 11, 2025 at 11:47 PM
A wildfire is burning near Brimson in eastern St. Louis County, about 20 miles northwest of Two Harbors
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/2...
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/2...
Last year, there were 14,500 AmeriCorps members in Minnesota and 8,400 in Wisconsin, but it is unclear how many in each state were affected by the $400 million in cuts on April 25. The cuts hit several Northland organizations that rely on AmeriCorps members
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/a...
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/a...
AmeriCorps cuts hit Northland
Minnesota and Wisconsin attorneys general joined a lawsuit Tuesday calling the Trump administration and Department of Government Efficiency's moves against the service organization “unlawful.”
www.duluthnewstribune.com
May 1, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Last year, there were 14,500 AmeriCorps members in Minnesota and 8,400 in Wisconsin, but it is unclear how many in each state were affected by the $400 million in cuts on April 25. The cuts hit several Northland organizations that rely on AmeriCorps members
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/a...
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/a...
Reposted by Jimmy Lovrien
Republican Keri Heintzeman and DFLer Denise Slipy face off for the seat vacated by Sen. Justin Eichorn, R-Grand Rapids, who resigned and was charged with attempting to solicit a minor.
Live election results: Minnesota Senate District 6 special election
Republican Keri Heintzeman and DFLer Denise Slipy face off for the seat vacated by Sen. Justin Eichorn, R-Grand Rapids, who resigned and was charged with attempting to solicit a minor.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
April 30, 2025 at 1:01 AM
Republican Keri Heintzeman and DFLer Denise Slipy face off for the seat vacated by Sen. Justin Eichorn, R-Grand Rapids, who resigned and was charged with attempting to solicit a minor.
Reposted by Jimmy Lovrien
And now, a note on Bill Owens who, until this past week, was the executive producer of 60 Minutes.
We’ll be back next week with another edition of 60 Minutes.
We’ll be back next week with another edition of 60 Minutes.
April 28, 2025 at 12:38 AM
And now, a note on Bill Owens who, until this past week, was the executive producer of 60 Minutes.
We’ll be back next week with another edition of 60 Minutes.
We’ll be back next week with another edition of 60 Minutes.
The fees would have had a significant effect on shipping in the Port of Duluth-Superior, as two-thirds of the port calls made by oceangoing cargo ships — salties — last year were made by ships built in China. Additionally, Canada has 17 lakers built in China, some of which regularly stop here.
Trump administration's fees on Chinese-built ships appear to spare Great Lakes vessels
The new proposal explicitly exempts lakers. The oceangoing vessels that travel on the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes are generally too small to trigger the fees.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
April 25, 2025 at 4:30 PM
The fees would have had a significant effect on shipping in the Port of Duluth-Superior, as two-thirds of the port calls made by oceangoing cargo ships — salties — last year were made by ships built in China. Additionally, Canada has 17 lakers built in China, some of which regularly stop here.
Reposted by Jimmy Lovrien
As the federal government shrinks to “essential functions,” @kayleefabulous.bsky.social is about to lose her job as a park ranger supporting public safety and maritime education.
Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center to face peak season with skeleton crew
President Trump's federal hiring freeze is costing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers facility one of its few rangers. The Corps acknowledges the popular attraction's operating hours may be affected.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
April 22, 2025 at 1:05 PM
As the federal government shrinks to “essential functions,” @kayleefabulous.bsky.social is about to lose her job as a park ranger supporting public safety and maritime education.
Sea Grant programs, the National Estuarine Research Reserve System and Coastal Zone Management Grants would not be not funded under the White House's passback budget. All of those conduct work in Lake Superior, along its north and south shores, and in the estuary.
Proposed NOAA cuts put Great Lakes research, safety at risk, experts say
A White House budget proposal would slash funding for Minnesota and Wisconsin Sea Grants, Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, Great Lakes Observing System and others.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
April 18, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Sea Grant programs, the National Estuarine Research Reserve System and Coastal Zone Management Grants would not be not funded under the White House's passback budget. All of those conduct work in Lake Superior, along its north and south shores, and in the estuary.
The order to boost logging on national forest land included a map that made no distinction between wilderness areas, where logging is banned, and non-wilderness
The USDA later clarified that it would reduce the BWCAW's high-risk wildfire areas with prescribed burns and other methods, not logging
The USDA later clarified that it would reduce the BWCAW's high-risk wildfire areas with prescribed burns and other methods, not logging
April 9, 2025 at 11:11 PM
The order to boost logging on national forest land included a map that made no distinction between wilderness areas, where logging is banned, and non-wilderness
The USDA later clarified that it would reduce the BWCAW's high-risk wildfire areas with prescribed burns and other methods, not logging
The USDA later clarified that it would reduce the BWCAW's high-risk wildfire areas with prescribed burns and other methods, not logging
The number of homes in the wildland-urban interface, or WUI — where development and vegetation meet and where wildfires present an increased risk to people and property — is growing throughout the Northland.
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/n...
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/n...
Northland housing expands into wildfire-risk areas
From 1990-2020, most counties in the region saw a double-digit percentage increase in home units where vegetation and development mingle, increasing the risk of property damage.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
April 4, 2025 at 3:14 PM
The number of homes in the wildland-urban interface, or WUI — where development and vegetation meet and where wildfires present an increased risk to people and property — is growing throughout the Northland.
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/n...
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/n...
Reposted by Jimmy Lovrien
U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Hermantown, who has supported President Trump and billionaire Elon Musk's cuts, said he would stick to telephone town halls.
As Northland events mount in response to Trump's cuts, attendees ask: Where’s Stauber?
U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Hermantown, who has supported President Trump and billionaire Elon Musk's cuts, said he would stick to telephone town halls.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
March 31, 2025 at 11:10 PM
U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Hermantown, who has supported President Trump and billionaire Elon Musk's cuts, said he would stick to telephone town halls.
Reposted by Jimmy Lovrien
While they support bolstering the U.S. shipbuilding industry, officials warned millions of dollars in fees each time a Chinese-built ship stops at a U.S. port would threaten Great Lakes shipping.
Shipping, port officials say fees on Chinese-built ships would cost jobs
While they support bolstering the U.S. shipbuilding industry, officials warned millions of dollars in fees each time a Chinese-built ship stops at a U.S. port would threaten Great Lakes shipping.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
March 27, 2025 at 10:22 PM
While they support bolstering the U.S. shipbuilding industry, officials warned millions of dollars in fees each time a Chinese-built ship stops at a U.S. port would threaten Great Lakes shipping.
Protesters urged the federal government to keep the facility open and offered support for its nearly 150 employees whose future was thrown into uncertainty last week when reports surfaced that the agency would cut its science and research arm.
Hundreds rally in support of Duluth EPA lab
A reduction in force plan submitted by the EPA reportedly calls for shuttering the agency's science and research arm.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
March 25, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Protesters urged the federal government to keep the facility open and offered support for its nearly 150 employees whose future was thrown into uncertainty last week when reports surfaced that the agency would cut its science and research arm.
Reposted by Jimmy Lovrien
Trump has entertained the privatization of the USPS, while Postmaster General DeJoy has signed an agreement with Elon Musk's cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency to find "efficiencies."
Letter carriers, Duluthians rally against postal service cuts, privatization
Trump has entertained the privatization of the USPS, while Postmaster General DeJoy has signed an agreement with Elon Musk's cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency to find "efficiencies."
www.duluthnewstribune.com
March 23, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Trump has entertained the privatization of the USPS, while Postmaster General DeJoy has signed an agreement with Elon Musk's cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency to find "efficiencies."
Cleveland-Cliffs said it would temporarily idle two of its Iron Range mines and pellet plants and lay off 630 workers.
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/c...
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/c...
Cliffs to idle Minorca mine and 'partially idle' HibTac, company says
Cliffs said 630 employees will be laid off in 60 days. A state senator said Cliffs has excess pellets, and the auto industry, which uses Cliffs steel, faces "challenging economic conditions."
www.duluthnewstribune.com
March 20, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Cleveland-Cliffs said it would temporarily idle two of its Iron Range mines and pellet plants and lay off 630 workers.
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/c...
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/c...
The EPA has drafted plans to "eliminate" the Office of Research and Development and up to 75% of its staff.
The ORD includes the EPA's Duluth lab and its 136 employees. The lab develops scientific protocols used worldwide to measure how toxic chemicals affect the environment.
The ORD includes the EPA's Duluth lab and its 136 employees. The lab develops scientific protocols used worldwide to measure how toxic chemicals affect the environment.
Duluth EPA lab’s future uncertain under plan to cut research arm
At virtual meetings Tuesday, employees were told to focus on wrapping up current projects and to download personnel files from their work computers, two people who attended the meetings said.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
March 20, 2025 at 2:16 PM
The EPA has drafted plans to "eliminate" the Office of Research and Development and up to 75% of its staff.
The ORD includes the EPA's Duluth lab and its 136 employees. The lab develops scientific protocols used worldwide to measure how toxic chemicals affect the environment.
The ORD includes the EPA's Duluth lab and its 136 employees. The lab develops scientific protocols used worldwide to measure how toxic chemicals affect the environment.
The mercury limits, finalized a year ago under the Biden administration but in the works for several decades, were included in a list of regulations targeted by the EPA as part of what it called "the greatest and most consequential day of deregulation in the history of the United States."
EPA to consider rolling back mercury limits on taconite plants
Finalized a year ago, the limits would reduce the mining industry's mercury emissions by 33%. The industry releases half of the state's emissions and missed Minnesota's 2025 reduction target of 72%.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
March 13, 2025 at 11:10 PM
The mercury limits, finalized a year ago under the Biden administration but in the works for several decades, were included in a list of regulations targeted by the EPA as part of what it called "the greatest and most consequential day of deregulation in the history of the United States."
Ontario's 25% charge on electricity exports to three states, including MN, would have little effect on Minnesota Power.
The utility bought just under $310,000 of electricity from Ontario's system in 2024
But the company spent $108 million on electricity from Manitoba, Ontario’s provincial neighbor
The utility bought just under $310,000 of electricity from Ontario's system in 2024
But the company spent $108 million on electricity from Manitoba, Ontario’s provincial neighbor
Ontario threat would have little effect on Minnesota Power
However, the company gets 11% of its power from neighboring Manitoba, which would be exposed to the Trump administration’s 10% tariff on electricity imports into Canada.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
March 10, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Ontario's 25% charge on electricity exports to three states, including MN, would have little effect on Minnesota Power.
The utility bought just under $310,000 of electricity from Ontario's system in 2024
But the company spent $108 million on electricity from Manitoba, Ontario’s provincial neighbor
The utility bought just under $310,000 of electricity from Ontario's system in 2024
But the company spent $108 million on electricity from Manitoba, Ontario’s provincial neighbor
Reposted by Jimmy Lovrien
Northeastern Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin has more than 2,300 federal employees as the Trump administration makes reductions in the workforce.
Current, former Northland federal workers describe stress of cuts
Northeastern Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin has more than 2,300 federal employees as the Trump administration makes reductions in the workforce.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
March 2, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Northeastern Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin has more than 2,300 federal employees as the Trump administration makes reductions in the workforce.
Reposted by Jimmy Lovrien
A couple dozen probationary federal employees at the region's national parks and forests lost their jobs in the “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.” Deeper cuts across federal agencies are expected.
Northland national parks and forests were already strained. Then came Trump administration cuts
A couple dozen probationary federal employees at the region's national parks and forests lost their jobs in the “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.” Deeper cuts across federal agencies are expected.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
February 28, 2025 at 12:32 AM
A couple dozen probationary federal employees at the region's national parks and forests lost their jobs in the “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.” Deeper cuts across federal agencies are expected.
According to a union official, eight Superior National Forest employees and 11 Chippewa National Forest employees lost their jobs earlier this month, but several had roles tied to timber and their firings were now being reversed.
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/n...
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/n...
Northland national parks and forests were already strained. Then came Trump administration cuts
A couple dozen probationary federal employees at the region's national parks and forests lost their jobs in the “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.” Deeper cuts across federal agencies are expected.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
February 28, 2025 at 1:33 AM
According to a union official, eight Superior National Forest employees and 11 Chippewa National Forest employees lost their jobs earlier this month, but several had roles tied to timber and their firings were now being reversed.
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/n...
www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/n...
Reposted by Jimmy Lovrien
There are more than $6 million active National Science Foundation and National Institute of Health research grants in the Twin Ports and Fond du Lac Reservation.
Federal grant freeze, likely cuts chill local scientists, universities
There are more than $6 million active National Science Foundation and National Institute of Health research grants in the Twin Ports and Fond du Lac Reservation.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
February 21, 2025 at 5:10 AM
There are more than $6 million active National Science Foundation and National Institute of Health research grants in the Twin Ports and Fond du Lac Reservation.