Rifle hunting season is almost over. That’s the sure sign of winter in Northern Minnesota. Though just a week ago, the hotly contested election of 2018 safely recedes into the past. The first weekend at deer camp was awash with political theorizing. But we spent last weekend arguing the merits and mechanics of mounting a… Read More →
More smoke than fire: Election 2018 on the Iron Range
November 11, 2018 by 11 Comments
For much of 2018, we labored under the premise that Northern Minnesota’s 8th District might be the pivotal race in all of the nation. This would be the place that single-handedly decided whether Democrats or Republicans would control the U.S. House of Representatives. In visions of late night counting and recounting, the eyes of America… Read More →
Oral history of this blog with notes
November 9, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Earlier this week I appeared on the Duluth News Tribune Pressroom Podcast with co-hosts Christa Lawler and Brady Slater, produced by Samantha Erkkila. The podcast team and I had been trying for years to figure out when I’d be in Duluth on a weekday with time to spare. We finally found a moment after my appearance… Read More →
LIVE BLOG: Election 2018 in Northern Minnesota
November 6, 2018 by 18 Comments
Today is Election Day 2018 in the United States of America. This post concerns itself with one small but consequential part of this great nation: my present environs in Northern Minnesota. Let the live blog commence: 11:30 p.m. One more post. To conclude our evening’s business, MinnesotaBrown projects that State Rep. Sandy Layman (R-Cohasset) has… Read More →
Minnesota’s 8th District campaign rumbles to finish line
November 5, 2018 by 1 Comment
With a day to go, the race for Congress in Minnesota’s 8th District appears to be competitive again. Last month, it seems like Republican Pete Stauber had pulled ahead but now it seems that Democrat Joe Radinovich is catching up. Too little, too late? A thundering rally? Only tomorrow’s vote can say. The 8th District… Read More →
Vote local; it matters most of all
November 4, 2018 by 1 Comment
Every day the children board the school bus. Begrudgingly, perhaps, but they go. We drive to work, quickly or slowly, depending on our enthusiasm and/or punctuality. People walk the streets, gathering in coffee shops and gas stations to jaw over the day’s news. At dusk, the parks and trails. By night we find the theaters,… Read More →
NPR coverage of Minnesota’s 8th District
November 2, 2018 by 3 Comments
National Public Radio’s Morning Edition broadcast live from Duluth, Minnesota this morning. A team of NPR journalists was covering Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District with an eye toward the people who will be making the decision in next Tuesday’s election. I was honored to join the broadcast as a contributor. If you missed the show, here… Read More →
State issues mining permits to PolyMet: Now what?
November 1, 2018 by 1 Comment
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources issued permits for PolyMet Mining on Thursday, ending one long chapter of this story and beginning another. The permits mean PolyMet is now free to mine copper, nickel and other minerals from its proposed location near the former LTV iron mine at Hoyt Lakes. But doing so is not… Read More →
National Public Radio to broadcast live from MN’s 8th District
November 1, 2018 by 1 Comment
This Friday morning a team of journalists will broadcast live from Duluth, Minnesota, as part of National Public Radio’s Morning Edition. I’ll join the program as a local analyst. Host Noel King and fellow reporters toured Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District all week. They’re not following the candidates. Rather, they’ve been talking to voters and learning… Read More →
Final MN-8 forum tonight amid release of controversial Stauber e-mails
October 30, 2018 by 6 Comments
A district judge in Duluth ruled this morning that St. Louis County must release e-mail messages exchanged between Commissioner Pete Stauber and the National Republican Congressional Committee using Stauber’s government e-mail address. UPDATE: St. Louis County released the e-mails this afternoon. The State of Minnesota previously issued an opinion that the e-mails were public records…. Read More →
