SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              WASHINGTON, DC 20549






                                    FORM 8-K
                                 CURRENT REPORT






     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934






       DATE OF REPORT (DATE OF EARLIEST EVENT REPORTED) - AUGUST 18, 2003







                                  ALLETE, INC.


                             A Minnesota Corporation
                           Commission File No. 1-3548
                   IRS Employer Identification No. 41-0418150
                             30 West Superior Street
                          Duluth, Minnesota 55802-2093
                           Telephone - (218) 279-5000










ITEM 5.   OTHER EVENTS AND REGULATION FD DISCLOSURE

Reference is made to the 2002 Form 10-K of ALLETE,  Inc. (ALLETE) for background
information  on  the  following  updates.  Unless  otherwise  indicated,   cited
references are to ALLETE's 2002 Form 10-K.


Ref. Page 19. - Last Paragraph
Ref. Page 40. - Third Full Paragraph
Ref. Page 68. - Second Paragraph
Ref. Form 8-K dated March 7, 2003 and filed March 10, 2003
Ref. Form 8-K dated and filed March 14, 2003
Ref. 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2003, Page 21. - Third Paragraph
Ref. Form 8-K dated and filed July 24, 2003


On August 18, 2003 ALLETE  announced that its wholly owned  subsidiary,  Florida
Water  Services  Corporation  (Florida  Water),  agreed  to sell its  water  and
wastewater  system serving  Deltona,  Florida,  to the city of Deltona for $59.5
million. Florida Water expects to realize an after-tax gain of approximately $20
million and to close on the sale by the end of the year pending  satisfaction of
certain  contingencies  and regulatory  approvals in Florida.  Deltona is one of
Florida Water's larger systems serving 35,000 customers.


Deltona  joined seven other  Florida  communities  who have  announced  plans to
purchase  water and wastewater  systems from Florida  Water.  Combined the eight
systems  represent  about 70 percent of Florida Water's assets and serve 187,000
customers. The total amount of the sale of the eight systems, including Deltona,
is $356 million and  represents an after-tax  gain to Florida Water of about $75
million. The cash proceeds after transaction costs,  retirement of Florida Water
debt and payment of income taxes are estimated at $185 million, and will be used
to retire  debt at  ALLETE.  Florida  Water  continues  to seek  buyers  for its
remaining water and wastewater facilities. Systems for which governmental buyers
are not found are expected to be sold to a private buyer.


                      ALLETE Form 8-K dated August 20, 2003                    1





                              SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT
           UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995

In  connection  with  the  safe  harbor  provisions  of the  Private  Securities
Litigation  Reform Act of 1995,  ALLETE is hereby filing  cautionary  statements
identifying important factors that could cause ALLETE's actual results to differ
materially from those projected in  forward-looking  statements (as such term is
defined in the Private  Securities  Litigation Reform Act of 1995) made by or on
behalf of ALLETE in this Form 8-K, in presentations, in response to questions or
otherwise.   Any  statements  that  express,   or  involve  discussions  as  to,
expectations,  beliefs,  plans,  objectives,  assumptions  or  future  events or
performance (often, but not always,  through the use of words or phrases such as
"anticipates,"   "believes,"   "estimates,"   "expects,"   "intends,"   "plans,"
"projects,"  "will likely result," "will continue" or similar  expressions)  are
not statements of historical facts and may be forward-looking.

Forward-looking   statements   involve   estimates,   assumptions,   risks   and
uncertainties  and are  qualified  in their  entirety by  reference  to, and are
accompanied by, the following important factors, which are difficult to predict,
contain  uncertainties,  are beyond the  control of ALLETE and may cause  actual
results or outcomes to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking
statements:

   -    war and acts of terrorism;

   -    prevailing governmental policies and regulatory actions, including those
        of the United States Congress,  state  legislatures,  the Federal Energy
        Regulatory  Commission,  the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission,  the
        Florida  Public  Service   Commission,   the  North  Carolina  Utilities
        Commission,  the Public  Service  Commission of  Wisconsin,  and various
        county  regulators  and  city  administrators,  about  allowed  rates of
        return,  financings,  industry  and  rate  structure,   acquisition  and
        disposal of assets and facilities,  operation and  construction of plant
        facilities,  recovery of purchased  power and capital  investments,  and
        present or prospective  wholesale and retail competition  (including but
        not limited to  transmission  costs) as well as general  vehicle-related
        laws, including vehicle brokerage and auction laws;

   -    unanticipated  impacts of  restructuring  initiatives  in  the  electric
        industry;

   -    economic and geographic factors, including political and economic risks;

   -    changes in  and  compliance  with  environmental  and  safety  laws  and
        policies;

   -    weather conditions;

   -    natural disasters;

   -    market factors affecting supply and demand for used vehicles;

   -    wholesale power market conditions;

   -    population growth rates and demographic patterns;

   -    the effects of competition,  including  the competition  for  retail and
        wholesale customers,  as well as suppliers and purchasers of vehicles;

   -    pricing and transportation of commodities;

   -    changes in tax rates or policies or in rates of inflation;

   -    unanticipated project delays or changes in project costs;

   -    unanticipated changes in operating expenses and capital expenditures;

   -    capital market conditions;

   -    competition for economic expansion or development opportunities;

   -    ALLETE's ability to manage expansion and integrate acquisitions; and

   -    the outcome of legal  and  administrative  proceedings (whether civil or
        criminal) and settlements that affect the business and  profitability of
        ALLETE.

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which that statement
is made,  and ALLETE  undertakes  no  obligation  to update any  forward-looking
statement  to  reflect  events or  circumstances  after  the date on which  that
statement is made or to reflect the  occurrence  of  unanticipated  events.  New
factors  emerge  from  time to time and it is not  possible  for  management  to
predict  all of those  factors,  nor can it assess  the  impact of each of those
factors  on the  businesses  of ALLETE or the  extent  to which any  factor,  or
combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those
contained in any forward-looking statement.

2                     ALLETE Form 8-K dated August 20, 2003




                                   SIGNATURES


Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934,  the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.





                                               ALLETE, Inc.





August 20, 2003                              James K. Vizanko
                           -----------------------------------------------------
                                             James K. Vizanko
                                  Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
                                               and Treasurer


                      ALLETE Form 8-K dated August 20, 2003                    3