Covering politics and economic development in the upper Midwest these days invariably brings about a conversation about North Dakota.

Have you heard? North Dakota is booming.

And it is, mostly owing to massive new oil drilling projects in the west. Conservatives like to point out North Dakota's more lenient regulatory environment and lower taxes as the reason for the growth. Liberals like to point out that if it weren't for the demand for the natural resource found beneath North Dakota the state's economy would in the same boat as the rest of the Midwest.

I don't think the truth is exactly "in between," but I do think the two theories melded together -- high-demand natural resources and an "all in" political approach -- in some form explains the massive scope of North Dakota's economic boom in the west, which is actually visible from space.

But regardless of your opinion about the "why" and "whether," I think everyone will find fascinating the details of the "what" and "how."

This new blog by a oil field worker living in what is commonly called a "man camp" near Williston, N.D., is a simple personal blog detailing life in western North Dakota, making good money and working like a dog.

Something about this guy's perspective, which is a little rough around the edges at times, reminds me of descriptions of workers on the Iron Range some 100 years ago. Camp life. Wondering about loved ones and friends who are far away. The only difference is the modern labor practices and internet access.

I am happy for our brothers and sisters in North Dakota, but as you can see "man camp" economic development is highly specialized sort of thing, not something that's easy to transfer across state lines, if only because there is no oil here.

Follow "I Am Here" for stories from the western oil fields.

h/t Bob Collins, NewsCut.

I was hoping to run all three MN-8 DFL candidate interviews this week but we have experienced delays. Rendering these massive digital files has taken longer than expected and Richie has been working hard to polish the videos up for broadcast. I still hope to run Jeff Anderson today, but it looks more like we'll have to run Tarryl Clark on Monday. I am running the interviews in the order in which they were conducted and trying to be conscious of when the "traffic" is relatively equal, to be fair to all concerned.

This has been an good training exercise for us. We had a little unexpected trouble with the sound quality because we didn't have a mixer available as planned. It's OK, but more like documentary sound than studio sound. We'll have this problem addressed for the next interview with Chip Cravaack and will also apply the lessons of this exercise to future content here at the blog. I'm still glad to have done this and it only paves the way for better content into the future.

UPDATE: Word is that both Anderson and Clark will likely have to wait until Monday. Sorry!

Business North has an update on the Magnetation pellet plant discussed here yesterday. Their sources place Superior, Wisconsin, as a leading contender for the facility, though it sounds like the deal is not yet done and Itasca County remains a logical candidate as well.

It could be that the smokestack chasing and economic development gamesmanship of the past 20 years has finally come to this: a reality TV show.

I'll have more on Superior's recent string of economic development successes in a future post.

The next couple days will feature the thoughts of DFL candidates seeking to replace Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8) in this unique northeastern Minnesota district. I'll be talking to Cravaack in a couple weeks, but for those who seek an immediate counterpoint Cravaack has an op/ed in today's Duluth News Tribune about Iron Range mining projects. I'll be asking him about this during his interview.

Today I feature an interview with Rick Nolan, DFL candidate for Congress in MN-8.

Nolan is a former Congressman from the Crosby area. In 1980 Nolan opted not to seek re-election and has since run a sawmill and international trading business.

This interview was conducted Jan. 18 at the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm as part of a series that includes Nolan's DFL opponents, Jeff Anderson and Tarryl Clark. Later in Feburary I plan to interview the incumbent, Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8).

The interviews are presented by this blog and KAXE-Northern Community Radio. Richie Johnson of Hibbing shot and edited the footage for us. An audio package is being prepared for KAXE to air sometime before the Feb. 7 precinct caucuses and the DFL nonbinding straw poll. You'll be able to see the full video interviews on local public access television. We are working on a way to share excerpts from the interviews in other places as well.

Click here to see the interview.

This has been rumored for a while, but Magnetation is now confirming to WDIO they are considering several sites for a new iron pellet plant in the region. A site near their scram mining operations in Itasca County and a site in Superior, Wisconsin are among those under consideration.

I had heard whispers about the Itasca site, which is near their ore reserves. Superior is news to me, though as a major rail and port city serving Minnesota's Iron Range it would fit in the company's supply line. More on this in the morning.

UPDATE: The story goes on to reveal that sites in Indiana and Illinois are also among the four being considered. It would appear that the company is choosing between locating this processing plant near its ore supply (Itasca County), a major distribution hub (Superior, Wis.) and potential steel-making customers (Illinois and Indiana).

Unlike the many taconite plants on the Iron Range today, this mill would produce taconite pellets from material salvaged from old red ore dumps around the Range. Question is, does the ore leave the Range as unprocessed concentrate or as finished pellets ready for the furnaces?

It's been a while since I've shared much in the way of Iron Range arts and entertainment news. There are always things going on around here, especially in the winter. We're still in the juicy center of winter. By March it is all bones and gristle. I don't mean culturally. I mean spiritually.

What I am saying is that we are still in the part of winter in which we of northern Minnesota are capable of hope.

And there is no hope quite like the hope of young thespians. From the wires:

The Subsection 7A-3 One-Act Play Contest will be held at Mesabi Range College this Saturday, January 28th, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tickets (an all-day pass) may be purchased in the lobby on the west side of campus where there is easy access from the parking lot: Adults $8, Students $5.

The Section 7A One-Act Play Contest will be held at Hibbing Community College on Saturday, February 4th, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tickets (an all-day pass) may be purchased in the theater lobby before the shows: Adults $8, Students $5.