There's more bad news on the Iron Range Thursday.

Hibtac will not re-open until about May of next year.

Boua Xiong reports.

It's been quiet on the Iron Range for a while now.

And it looks like it will stay that way for quite a while longer.

Cleveland Cliffs announced it will extend the Hibbing Taconite plant shut-down for several months.

Production was completely shut down in May after the plant had operated at reduced capacity since March.

That closure was supposed to last for only fifteen weeks but a significant reduction in pellet demand has forced the company to extend the shutdown.

Lory Fedo, President of the Hibbing Chamber of Commerce says this will have serious ripple effect. She says she hopes local businesses, vendors and employees will stay on the range despite the economic slowdown.

Andreas came to the Range nearly forty years ago from Greece.

He's owned Sportsmen's restaurant for 30 years and has seen a lot of booms and busts when it comes to the mining industry.

"We get the ups and downs you know. It's tough on everybody."

"Talk to anybody here and they will tell you that the Iron Range was built on mining. And though this latest news comes as a big blow, Rangers here say they are tough and they'll make it through."

Andreas' business has also been feeling the effects of the economy. Though over the years he has diversified his customer base he still values his miners.

"We'll survive. We'll be alright. Like I said, we've been there before. We'll stick it out you know. We're tough."

This latest blow to the Range comes as demand for steel and taconite continues to drop.