My latest column, “When a blue district turns red, the dirt stays the same” is in the Sunday, Oct. 27 Minnesota Star Tribune. The “Iron Range is shifting to the GOP” story is now a well-worn trope in Minnesota media and political chatter. As a 20-year columnist in the region, I’ve documented every inch of… Read More →
Change defined Rick Nolan’s scrappy political career
October 26, 2024 by 2 Comments
Last week, former U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan died at the age of 80. His death surprised many. Nolan had campaigned for Democrats here on the Mesabi Iron Range just two weeks earlier. It’s often said that the passing of a venerable politician is “the end of an era.” I’ll spare that language of Nolan because,… Read More →
For sale: childhood memories, adult heartbreak, one sports team, slightly used
October 19, 2024 by 1 Comment
Earlier this month, the Pohlad family announced they would explore selling the Minnesota Twins. This unexpected announcement came on the heels of a disappointing season in which a talented but injury-prone team listlessly limped its way out of the playoffs after a promising summer. Sports franchises are both profitable and a status symbol among the… Read More →
Despite checkered history, reorganized Essar Group ready to launch Mesabi Metallics
October 14, 2024 by Leave a Comment
My new essay appears in the Minnesota Reformer today. (“Good news on the Iron Range: $2 billion Mesabi Metallics is finally happening; for real this time.”) Like much of what I write, it will interest readers on the Mesabi Iron Range. But the impact hits wider. Here we see the corporate maneuvering that shapes our… Read More →
100 years later, still waiting on the Prince of Wales
October 12, 2024 by Leave a Comment
With rain pouring from gray autumn skies, about 10,000 men, women and children swarmed the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha rail depot on West Fifth Avenue in Duluth. The unexpectedly massive crowd spilled across the tracks to greet the Prince of Wales. It was Sunday, Oct. 12, 1924 — 100 years ago today. Anticipation… Read More →
Stuck in the middle with you: life in the ‘sandwich generation’
October 7, 2024 by Leave a Comment
My latest column for the Minnesota Star Tribune, “In the quick of time — a dispatch from the ‘sandwich generation’ years,” is out now. Readers here might remember the jolt my family took when my mom suffered a stroke in 2022. In one terrible turn of events, a relatively healthy child care provider in her… Read More →
As disaster costs mount, we all pay the price
October 5, 2024 by 1 Comment
This week, we witnessed the scope of devastation in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene. The miles between northern Minnesota and the impacted area create only the illusion of distance. In truth, the effects of this far-away storm will soon hit home. Asheville and many surrounding cities and towns face historic flood and storm damage… Read More →
What dreams may come
September 28, 2024 by Leave a Comment
The best thing we can do for our health is to get a good night’s sleep. Sleep costs nothing and feels good. At night, your brain provides a “dream lineup” of free streaming content tailored specifically to your most persistent fears and weirdest fantasies. You never get bored, gain weight or spend money while you… Read More →
Weighing past and future impact of U.S Steel on the Iron Range
September 24, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Eight years of intensive historical research and 44 years of intensive living on the Iron Range taught me more than I ever planned to know about the steel industry. My latest column, “With merger on the ropes, the fate of U.S. Steel will shape the future of the Iron Range,” is in the Wednesday, Sept…. Read More →
Re-watching ‘The Paper’ in the smartphone era
September 21, 2024 by 1 Comment
I recently re-watched the 1994 film, “The Paper.” I hadn’t seen the movie in many years, but probably saw it half a dozen times in the late 1990s. Most viewings came from a VHS tape rented from the gas station near my childhood home before I left to major in print journalism at an affordable… Read More →
