Iron Range Today is officially opening a call for stories for an ongoing feature story series we are launching.

Range Makers: Meet the people forging the Iron Range’s future, today.

I am very excited about this project that I’ll detail more below. We’re already hitting the ground on a few stories, too!

Basically, I’ve been hearing for years that Iron Range media needs to expand its stories beyond mining and tell those of people making a difference at the local level — that became a foundational piece of starting Iron Range Today.

Leah and I both heard that again at the Star Tribune’s Minnesota Matters stop in Virginia last week, and after chatting with some local cohorts there, this light bulb idea really turned on.

So here we are. Below is that call for stories. The tentants of the idea that will shape Range Makers. I encourage you to reach out and send us some ideas! Even if it is your own story you want told.

Range Makers will have a few different dimensions to it that we’re developing, but first we need to get our outline in order.

March was a rough month on the Range. The mining layoffs are naturally grabbing the headlines, too. But the Iron Range is so much more than that.

So how do we tell that story?

One of our takes on that is telling stories that help show the Iron Range has depth beyond the mining industry. We want to feature people who are carving their own path here. Taking control of their own destiny, essentially.

Maybe it’s an entrepreneur or business. Someone that stepped up to meet a challenge or fill the gap. Someone trying to fix a problem. A trendsetter. An interesting person doing intereting things. It’s open ended, really.

If there’s ideas in the mining industry, too, that’s great and we’ll take them! But we do think we have arrived a moment on the Range — again — where those stories of community empowerment beyond our primary industry are important to tell. And tell now.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out at jburnes@ironrangetoday.com or 218-410-8016. I have a few ideas I can share that might spark something. We greatly appreciate any help with coming up with names, ideas to explore, etc.