My latest column for the Minnesota Reformer is out today. Let’s call it a Labor Day think piece. Northern Minnesota has been a wellspring of the American labor movement for more than a century. However, in more recent years, organized labor has shifted into the role of mature old power, increasingly wedded to politics and… Read More →
Tuesday special election in SD11 clouded by midwinter blues, ballot issues
February 4, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Voters in Minnesota Senate District 11 will go to the polls Tuesday to elect a new State Senator. Though SD11 projects the image of a swing district, the election outcome remains even more uncertain than usual. Candidates aren’t just sparring with each other, they’re fighting to get people to vote in the middle of winter. In… Read More →
DFL primary in Senate District 11 special election
January 9, 2019 by Leave a Comment
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Two Democrats, four Republicans and a member of the Legal Marijuana Now party filed for the District 11 special election for the Minnesota State Senate. The field could narrow today during the drop period, but the rest will be decided in a Jan. 22 primary election before the rapidly approaching Feb. 5 general election.
District 11 covers Carlton, Pine and parts of St. Louis and Kanabec counties. It’s the rural east central “ribs” of Minnesota. Cloquet is an industrial paper town on the north side. Moose Lake, Pine City and Hinkley follow to the south. The Fond du Lac Band of Chippewa reservation is found here as well.
Lourey appointed to Human Services, prompting special election in SD 11
January 4, 2019 by 3 Comments
State Sen. Tony Lourey (DFL-Kerrick) will be the next commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Gov.-elect Walz made the announcement Thursday.
Lourey’s appointment creates a special election for Senate District 11, which includes Carlton, Pine and parts of St. Louis and Kanabec counties.
Northeastern Minnesota celebrates its Labor roots
August 30, 2018 by 1 Comment
Maybe it’s just because I’m practically drowning in Iron Range history research these days, but Labor Day seems a significant holiday to mark this year. After all, we see workers standing for fair pay across the Mesabi Iron Range this week. Lately I’ve been writing a lot about the transition of the region’s economy, on… Read More →
Good girl, Daisy
August 27, 2017 by 3 Comments
People blame many problems on the internet. Email scams. A lack of civility in political discourse. Naughty naked people and bad medical advice. But for me the biggest way the internet affected my life is the fact that my wife Christina can view dogs available for adoption anywhere in the country, all day long. She… Read More →
