Hermantown data center discussion takes some turns that result in proposed greater transparency (St Louis County)

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The Duluth News Tribune reports on incidents and issues that arose in Hermantown…

City officials apologized Monday night for disparaging comments about opponents of a proposed Google data center.

But that did little to alleviate the anger of community members, who turned out to condemn the leaked audio remarks and again take a stand against the 1.66-million-square-foot project in the southwest corner of the city.

Some results…

Mayor Wayne Boucher, Police Chief Jim Crace and City Administrator John Mulder all addressed the public at the start of the meeting.

A Google representative also announced the company was mutually agreeing to terminate all nondisclosure agreements with city officials “in the spirit of openness and partnership.”

The Duluth Monitor last week reported on recordings of an internal staff meeting from June in which leaders were heard talking about community members who addressed the council.

And an update on the data center in question…

Tyler Huebner, a Google representative, provided a brief update with updated designs. He said the facility’s footprint has been reduced slightly and will include three data center buildings, three mechanical buildings, a two-story office building and a fire-suppression building.

Minnetrista City Council approves a one-year moratorium on data centers (Hennepin County)

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The Laker Pioneer reports…

The Minnetrista City Council approved several new ordinances at its Aug. 3 meeting, including one that authorizes a study of and a one-year moratorium on data centers.

David Abel, community development director, explained that the city has not received any data center applications but wants to get ahead of the issue as new projects emerge elsewhere in the metro area. Mayor Lisa Whalen said the moratorium will give the city time to establish rules and regulations for data centers, as Minnetrista currently has no ordinances governing them.

Council member Brian Govern took a different view, supporting the study but opposing the moratorium. He said data centers could present an opportunity for Minnetrista and a moratorium could take the city out of the running. Govern also said data centers do not pose unique risks compared with other heavy industrial uses and noted that, because Minnetrista has few industrial-zoned areas, a proposed data center would likely require rezoning, giving the council an opportunity to review it.

The council approved the moratorium 3-1, with council member Cathleen Reffkin absent. 

North Mankato City Council prepares for data center moratorium vote (Nicollet and Blue Earth Counties)

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Mankato Free Press reports…

The North Mankato City Council continued discussions Monday on a proposed moratorium on large-scale data centers, reviewing potential size and water-use thresholds, environmental review, zoning and the scope and cost of a possible study.

Under the parameters discussed at Monday’s work session, the proposed moratorium would prohibit data centers larger than 150,000 square feet or using more than 50,000 gallons of water per day.

No official action was taken and a second public hearing and consideration of the proposed moratorium will come before the council in the coming weeks.

The discussion followed the council’s Aug. 3 meeting, when members tabled action on a proposed interim ordinance to allow additional research after about 40 minutes of public testimony. Nearly every speaker supported a temporary pause while the city studies how data centers should be regulated.

MinnPost looks at the impact of data center decision on local elections

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MinnPost looks at the impact of data center decision on local elections…

How do you feel about data centers? 

“It’s usually the first topic I’m asked about,” said Lexi Temple, one of a half-dozen candidates who advanced to November’s general election. “It’s by far the top priority.”

One of several Minnesota cities eyed as landing spots for hyperscale AI data centers, Faribault highlights how the issue is beginning to shape elections. It is spurring newcomers to run for office on “transparency” platforms in some of the same places where local officials signed non-disclosure agreements to keep data center details out of the public eye.

Where is this noticeable?

MinnPost monitored city council filings in six cities prominently linked to data center developments over the last couple of years: Faribault, Farmington, Hermantown, Monticello, North Mankato and Pine Island.

In all six, there was an uptick in candidate filings this year compared with 2024. Faribault and North Mankato saw the biggest increases:

Faribault: 10 candidates (+4 from 2024)

North Mankato: 8 candidates (+4)

Farmington: 6 candidates (+2)

Hermantown: 4 candidates (+2)

Pine Island: 4 candidates (+2)

Monticello: 4 candidates (+1)

They found that the mayoral elections in these towns also had more candidates.

Can telehealth help close labor gaps in Minnesota’s healthcare industry?

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The American Experiment is a think tank that focuses on “creative solutions that emphasize free enterprise, limited government, personal responsibility and government accountability” in Minnesota. They recently looked at telehealth as a way to bridge labor gaps in the healthcare industry…

Today Minnesota must increase its investment in telehealth development as the state faces rising labor force imbalances. The current MN labor demographics show stagnation, with the labor force only growing 0.2% annually since 2019. At the same time, Minnesota’s labor force is aging, and birth rates show a steady decline. 

They propose a solution…

Telehealth offers excellent benefits for patient access and cost efficiency. Telehealth allows for a shrinking pool of clinical staff to reach more patients per hour and keeps costs low for seniors and individuals most exposed to Medicaid cuts. Plus, it draws on federal telehealth financial support. Telehealth functions as a genuine efficiency tool for a system straining for both manpower and money. Implementation of AI developments will continue to strengthen telehealth capabilities to empower its already beneficial services.  

There are some concerns with telehealth worth noting. Care quality must be met for each patient. Private companies already invest significant amounts of money into telehealth creating questions about the role of Medicare and Medicaid dollars spent on telehealth. Broadband access is not available to every corner of the state. AI risks include technological difficulties and privacy concerns. These are valid concerns.  

However, inaction to move forward will result in less access and innovation to improve the telehealth product. By implementing investment in telehealth now, increased time in the marketplace can improve its care quality. The same goes for broadband expansion and innovative developments such as Starlink that lead to quality internet across remote Minnesota areas. Delaying telehealth expansion will lead to loss in care access while telehealth innovation and improvement stagnates.  

Understanding the privacy and security implications of interacting with AI

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Axios has a series that I think is helpful to share with folks around you to help them recognize and understand various features of AI. You can bring it up at your next family picnic or share with friends and family as a reminder about the importance of online privacy…

Imagine a chatbot built to keep you talking a little longer. To change your mind about something. Or persuade you to buy something.

  • Now imagine it could draw on everything it knows about you — including the fears, insecurities and private details you shared in conversation — to do it.

Why it matters: Few rules directly govern that scenario today, making AI companies’ promises about how they use consumer data especially consequential.

The big picture: In the first installment of Axios’ “What they know about you” series, published in 2019, we examined the information major tech companies collected about their users. In 2024, we followed up with a look at what consumer data AI companies use to train their systems.

  • This new series revisits those questions — and widens the lens. We’ll examine not only whether a company uses consumer data to train future AI models, but also how it can use that data now: to personalize responses, retain a memory, recommend content or target advertising.

MN Letters to the editor on data centers (July 7-Aug 17 2026): a look at the ranges of views

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Data centers have been an increasingly hot topic for the last year and more. I’ve posted informational articles, events (announcements and notes), decisions and counter decisions. People are learning more. There seem to be few absolutes but a wide range of opinions and levels of passion. I think it’s valuable to look at all sides because each community and each proposal is unique. In that spirit, I have been collecting editorials that have crossed my transom with minimal curation in the last month to share with readers in chronological order.

It’s meant as a quick scan of what topics are rising to the top for others. I will likely continue to collect and post in the future.

Letter to the Editor: Stop the data center
Jul 17 2026, Cannon Falls Beacon
“This is not a Red hat vs Blue hat issue. This is an economic and environmental issue. Data Centers have proven to be horrible neighbors, taking far, far more than they give communities. Big Tech is fully aware of that, too, which is why they come in so stealthily with high pressure, manipulative campaigns that promise way more than they ever deliver.”

T. Matthew Robinson-Aguirre letter: Data centers are the litmus test for local elections
July 18, 2026 West Central Tribune
“The letter author writes of his opposition to any data center in Kandiyohi County.”

Port: Regulatory filings show Ellendale data center benefited power customers by over $38.4M
July 20, 2026, InForum
“The opponents of data centers want us to believe that there is no way to build them responsibly. That is demonstrably untrue.”

In Response: Arguments for data centers don’t stand up in Hermantown – Duluth News Tribune
July 23, 206, Duluth News Tribune
From the column: “Iron Range development officials ought to be begging for data centers to reuse … abandoned mine operations.”

COMMENTARY: 8 Claims You’re Hearing About Hyperscale Data Center Proposals, and What We Know Right Now
July 24, 2026, Minnesota Women’s Press
From Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy

Letter: Tech investments create good jobs
July 25, 2026Post Bulletin
The writer is regulatory affairs coordinator for IUOE Local 49.

Minnesota can’t afford to turn away infrastructure of the future
July 26, 2026, Worthington Globe
Opinion by Doug Loon, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, and Tom Dicklich, Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council executive director

National View: Expect more data center moratoriums — and slower growth
July 30, 2026, Duluth News Tribune
From the column: “Some people are even willing to forgo a cure for cancer to slow down AI.”

Column: Data center explosion needs human deliberation
July 30, 2026 Hometown Sources
From the column:  “Every city and county in Minnesota should give this issue a lot of thought, as the possibility that it could land in your lap someday soon is quite real.”

Reader’s View: Resist data centers by getting offline
Aug 5, 2026 Duluth News Tribune
But this convenience has created in us an intolerance to ever being inconvenienced

In Response: Environmental review isn’t obstruction — it’s the law
Aug 7, 2026 Duluth News Tribune
From the column: “Hyperscale data center proposals continue to make the mistake of trying to shortcircuit our environmental laws and deny our residents their right to have a meaningful say.”

Letter: Don’t overlook air pollution from data centers
Aug 8, 2026, Post Bulletin Rochester
From the letter: “Air pollution can travel hundreds of miles — look no further than the recent Boundary Waters smoke.”

Letter: Embrace economic opportunity of data centers
Aug 11, 2026, Post Bulletin
The writer is a member of Local 1382 of the Mid-America Regional Council of Carpenters.

Chisago County Commissioners vote to impose a one-year moratorium on applications
Aug 13, 2026, St Paul Pioneer Press
“Whatever the fate of data centers, such steps will only accelerate American spacefaring and innovation. There’s little to lose and a universe to gain.”

Darlene Kotelnicki letter: Thank you for your data center concerns letter
Aug 16 2026, West Central Tribune
“I currently sit on the Litchfield City Council and requested this topic be put on our agenda recently.”

Minnesota Opinion: With updates, NewRange mine a better project
Aug 17, 2026, West Central Tribune
From the editorial: “Minnesota’s environmental review and permitting process (is) working as intended — allowing science, engineering, and public input to refine a project as new information emerges.”

EVENTS: Aug 17, 18 & 20 Data center proposals questions in North Loop Mpls – includes prep questions (Dakota County)

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North Loop Neighborhood Association (Mpls) reports…

This week, the North Loop Neighborhood Association (NLNA), in partnership with the U of M’s Minnesota Design Center, is hosting community workshops to gather community input about the proposed data center + multi-use development at the former Star Tribune printing facility.

In advance of those workshops, the NLNA asked the potential buyer, Legacy Investing, for an interview about their plans and experience with data centers. The NLNA has not yet taken a position on the proposed development, but wanted to hear from the developer firsthand.

Here are the questions they ask (visit article for answers):

  • Why here?
  • Who’s the data center for?
  • How large will the data center be?
  • How do you address concerns about water use for cooling?
  • What about noise?
  • What about additional pressure to our power grid?
  • Why can’t the building be converted to some other use?
  • This property is zoned for “production mixed use.” If the former printing press is converted to a data center, what are your plans for the rest of the land?

This is all in preparation for upcoming community meetings…

The community workshops take place August 17, 18 and 20 from 6 to 8pm at Itasca Event Gallery, located in the back of Itasca Wine & Spirits at 706 N. 1st St. The workshops will be facilitated by faculty, graduate students and support staff from the U’s Minnesota Design Center (MDC), in an effort to thoughtfully share ideas on how to develop this large area.

MDC facilitators will summarize the week’s work into a Report to the Community, and present it to the neighborhood on Saturday, August 22 from 1 to 2:30pm at Fulton Taproom, 414 6th Ave. N. The report will also be shared with the developer and City leaders.

EVENT Oct 5, 2026: Bridging the Digital Divide Virtual Conference 2026: AI Behind and Beyond the Walls of Our Prisons and Jails

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From the NDIA listserv…

Join us for Bridging the Digital Divide Virtual Conference 2026 featuring Jeffrey Abramowitz, J.D. presenting:
Bridging the Digital Divide: AI Behind and Beyond the Walls of Our Prisons and Jails
📅 Monday, October 5, 2026
⏰ 8:00–9:00 a.m. MT
💻 Online
Explore how AI and digital literacy can expand opportunities for education, workforce readiness, and successful reentry.
Learn more & register: https://lnkd.in/g-dsWHwx

Some data centers looking at requesting exclusive use of incoming fiber to possible detriment of local communities

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Fierce Network reports on how hyperscale data centers in rural areas could impact broadband access in those areas…

Hyperscalers are prohibiting fiber off-ramps to towns and cities as they build their networks to data centers, according to a telecom attorney and a telecom investor who spoke at Mountain Connect this week in Denver.

The choice to by-pass the off-ramps is intentional. Some hyperscalers are putting clauses in their contracts with fiber builders to prohibit off-ramps to towns and cities on the fiber route.

“They control it. They’ve invested in it. They don’t want anybody else to use it,” said Casey Lide, partner with the Washington, DC law firm Keller & Heckman.

Hyperscalers are not only putting clauses in their contracts, prohibiting anyone else from tapping that conduit for fiber spurs, but they’re also prohibiting their contractors from installing shadow conduit that could be used to serve communities, said Lide.*

FCC claims Starlink has more than 7 million US subscribers

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PC Magazine reports…

A new report from the Federal Communications Commission suggests that Starlink’s growth in the US has somehow tripled, reaching over 7 million subscribers.

The 7 million figure is in Friday’s “Section 706” report from the FCC, which examines broadband access nationwide, covering fixed and mobile services. In releasing the report, the commission not only touted progress in expanding access to high-speed broadband and 5G mobile, but also highlighted the expansion of satellite internet services, including SpaceX’s Starlink.

“Satellite service is also rapidly expanding,” the 182-page report says. “Starlink alone has launched over 2,300 satellites between mid-2024 and mid-2025 and has now deployed more than 7,800 satellites—a worldwide network already with over 7 million American subscribers.”

Although it’s clear Starlink has been growing, the FCC figure blows past our expectations, considering SpaceX told the FCC in September 2025 that Starlink was serving “more than 2 million subscribers in the United States alone.” In August 2024, the number was over 1.4 million.

The article shares some explanations…

Farrar added: “They may use a different definition than the paying subscriber total quoted in SpaceX’s financial reports (e.g. people who bought a terminal, but are not currently signed up to a plan).”

It’s also possible more users, including businesses, in the US have adopted Starlink as a backup internet option, noted Tim Belfall, a director at UK-based Starlink installer Westend WiFi. For example, some customers may have bought a Starlink dish, but placed it on the $10-per-month Standby Mode, rather than pay for a regular subscription.

 

MN Star Tribue Editors put data centers on shortlist of hot topics for MN Gubernatorial candidates

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The MN Star Tribue reports…

The campaign to choose Minnesota’s next governor begins at a historical moment when the state needs more than a change in leadership. Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, the Republican nominee, and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the DFL nominee, bring substantial experience to a campaign that will present voters with competing political philosophies and vastly different ideas and impressions about this state’s direction. That is as it should be.

But Minnesota has reached a moment when experience, slogans and prior political victories are not enough. Between now and Election Day, Klobuchar and Demuth must make a rigorous case for the job: not simply why each believes they are better prepared for the moment, but rather how each intends to govern a state that often feels as if it’s stalled at a crossroads.

The article outlines eight topics they feel are important, including data centers…

Data centers

Communities considering these projects are seeing pushback, with citizens citing data centers’ enormous demands for electricity and water, as well as the cost of the infrastructure needed to support them. The next governor will need a clear strategy for capturing data centers’ economic potential while protecting ratepayers, natural resources and communities from bearing an outsized share of data centers’ infrastructure costs.

Bemidji considers data center moratorium (Beltrami County)

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KAXE reports…

The city of Bemidji is contemplating a one-year moratorium on data centers, months after inaccurate reports claiming a project was underway there.

As Big Tech rolls out plans to build enormous data center complexes in Minnesota, like Google in Hermantown and Meta in Rosemount, at least a dozen local governments have pumped the brakes on new development via moratoriums.

Large scale data centers in other parts of the country, such as northern Virginia and Arizona, have come under public scrutiny over their local impacts. Some data center campuses cover hundreds or thousands of acres. Local residents often point to the data centers’ high consumption of electricity and water as the underlying cause of their increased electric and water bills for their homes and businesses.

Bemidji Assistant Planning Director Melissa Fahrenbruch said Monday, Aug. 10, that no developer has yet approached the city for a data center.

But she said a pause on the development of any data centers or cryptomining facilities would allow staff time to update the city’s planning and zoning codes.

There’s a decision to decide…

While no formal action was taken in Monday’s Planning Board meeting, members agreed to vote on a moratorium in September.

Info on upcoming meetings…

To the east, Carlton County is slated to host a public hearing on its proposed data center moratorium on Monday, Aug. 24.

The Bemidji Planning Board typically meets on the second Monday of the month and is slated to reconvene at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 14.

EVENT Aug 17: Madonna Peltier-Yawakie talks about Turtle Island Communications on MPR News with Angela Davis

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MPR reports about an upcoming show that features former Blandin Foundation Broadband Strategy Board Madonna Peltier-Yawakie…

The number of businesses owned by Native entrepreneurs and tribal governments is growing — and they’re becoming more diverse.

Casinos are still a vital source of revenue and jobs for many tribes in Minnesota, but a range of other small businesses are also creating economic development in indigenous communities.

Coming up at 9 a.m. on Monday, MPR News host Angela Davis talks with two Native business owners featured in the new MPR News series “Beyond the Bet,” exploring the diversification of Native entrepreneurship.

And, we want to hear from you.What questions do you have about doing business with Minnesota’s 11 federally recognized Native American tribal nations and communities? If you’re part of a Native community and run a business, what have been your biggest challenges and successes?

Call us during the 9 a.m. hour at 651-227-6000 or 800-242-2828.

Guests:

MN Office of Broadband Development suggests using BEAD surplus funds to address rising costs 

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Broadband Breakfast reports…

This week at Mountain Connect, one topic keeps coming up in hallways, panel discussions, and private conversations: Broadband providers are increasingly discovering that building to the last unserved locations is significantly more difficult and expensive than many anticipated.

Bree Maki, executive director of Minnesota’s broadband office, said her office would support waivers to increase grant support if they made sense, suggesting NTIA use BEAD surplus funds to address rising costs and meet the goal of connecting the unserved.