Needed post-pandemic: "Another public-private venture, with the paper mill at its heart."
Written By:
News Tribune Editorial Board |
11:00 am, Apr. 29, 2021
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The Verso Corp. paper mill, with Minnesota Power’s M.L. Hibbard Renewable Center behind it, sprawls across West Duluth on Jan. 17, 2018. (Steve Kuchera / File / News Tribune)
From its beginning, the paper mill along our western riverfront has been a public-private venture with a goal of bolstering the fortunes of Duluth and Minnesota. The mill’s opening in 1987 meant new industry, new jobs, and renewed hope at a time when U.S. Steel and then the Duluth Air Base, Clyde Iron, Jeno’s, and so much else all had closed, plummeting Duluth into dark days of economic doldrums. This was around the time when that infamous billboard went up along I-35 on the way out of town: “Will the last one leaving Duluth please turn out the lights?”