MADISON, WI (AP)-- Wisconsin regulators have cleared the way for military-style guards to return to a mine site near Lake Superior.
Gogebic Taconite hired Arizona-based Bulletproof Securities in June to guard the site after protesters confronted workers there in June. The firm's guards wore masks, camouflage uniforms and carried rifles, raising a firestorm of criticism.
Bulletproof withdrew the guards in July because the firm lacked a Wisconsin license. The state Department of Safety and Professional Services announced on Monday they have granted the firm a license.
A Gogebic Taconite spokesman says Bulletproof guards will return to the site and join a mix of Wisconsin security firms and local off-duty police officers protecting the area. He declined to say when the guards would return.
