Modern Life in Northern Minnesota
Rural northern Minnesota air service could be severely threatened by cuts to the federal Essential Air Service program. This program subsidizes passenger air service to airports like Hibbing, Thief River Falls and International Falls. Three times a day the turbo prop plane buzzes over my house in the woods on its way to International Falls or Hibbing. I sometimes joke that it reminds me of the all-important flight out of Casablanca from the movie. Life imitates art?
(Story, WDIO).
By Aaron Brown A 21st century memoir of a place and a people: (Buy now on Amazon) -- The Iron Range is a string of blue collar towns along an iron formation in northern Minnesota, many of which ... Read More →
The Great Northern Radio Show features music, comedy & stories about modern life off the beaten path: Written, produced & hosted by Aaron J. Brown with a talented supporting cast and Minnesota musicians and guests. Each episode broadcasts from a different location. The next Great Northern Radio Show is Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019 at 5 ... Read More →
I’m not sure about how I feel about this. It seems to me that the ready subsidy of passenger air travel to placed like HIB is relatively invisible… people imagine that air travel is economically more self-sustaining than train or thoroughly modern [eg wifi-capable] bussing.
In my heart, I’d rather see those subsidies go to train service that can serve more communities directly, or if that’s infeasible, bus subsidies. (That Hibbing has no intercity bus service is a historical crime!)
What do you think, AB?