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Some fear Range mining slump in near term
The AP reports on yesterday’s news that Cliffs Natural Resources would be idling taconite production lines and temporarily laying off workers amid a slowdown in the steel industry. About 125 workers at Northshore Mining in Silver Bay, Minnesota, and more than 500 workers in northern Michigan will be affected at the start of the new…
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Cliffs to idle lines at Northshore, affecting 125 workers
Business North reports that Cliffs Natural Resources will idle two lines at its Northshore Mining property in Silver Bay. About 125 taconite workers will be affected by the temporary shutdown, which is slated for Jan. 5, 2013. Cliffs will also idle lines at the Empire Mine in Michigan. Officials cite the cyclical nature of iron…
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Northern MN lawmakers named committee chairs
With the DFL taking majorities in the Minnesota State House and Senate earlier this month, House Speaker-elect Paul Thissen and Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk are announcing their committee structure and new chairpersons. Last week the following roster of chairs was announced. I’ve highlighted the northern Minnesota legislators who have earned these influential positions. See…
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Inside N.E. Minnesota 2012 Legislative Election Results
It was frustrating to see little or no reporting of election results on the western Mesabi among the bigger Grand Rapids and Hibbing papers. The weekly Scenic Range News Forum actually did more than the two larger papers combined. The Grand Rapids Herald-Review ran some numbers a week later (and only the numbers that came…
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See MDN interview of Iron Range Rep.-elect Metsa
Of the major Iron Range newspapers, the only one investing in regular political coverage is the Mesabi Daily News. And it’s cool to see them try some new things here, by posting a YouTube video of editor Bill Hanna interviewing Rep.-elect Jason Metsa (DFL-Virginia). It was disappointing to see very little newspaper coverage of the…
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COLUMN: ‘Better Venison,’ with Wolfgang Buck
This is my Sunday column for the Nov. 18, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. A fully-realized performance of this piece aired on Northern Community Radio’s “Between You and Me” yesterday. ‘Better Venison,’ with Wolfgang BuckBy Aaron J. Brown With deer hunting rifle season wrapping up this weekend, people across northern Minnesota are left…
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18-pt trophy stag chef Wolfgang Buck on KAXE Saturday
Last weekend’s poor weather has put Minnesota’s 2012 deer harvest down 14 percent from last year. Now, the final weekend of rifle deer hunting is upon us. On Saturday morning, from 10 a.m. to noon, Northern Community Radio’s “Between You and Me” will talk about cooking for Thanksgiving. I chose to talk about interesting ways…
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Cravaack talks fiscal cliff, uncertain future in MinnPost
Outgoing Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8) gives an interesting interview with Devin Henry of MinnPost. He is gracious to election winner, Rep.-elect Rick Nolan (D-MN8), but isn’t prepared to say what he’ll do next. Seems like an awful lot is up in the air. He also comments on the current “fiscal cliff” negotiations that he’ll be…
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"Ruk Roast" to honor, pillory iconic Range lawmaker
On Monday evening, Iron Range community members, leaders and state politicos will join to roast retiring Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Pike Township), an icon of recent Iron Range politics. Donations will be collected to establish a Tom Rukavina scholarship at Mesabi Range Community and Technical College in Virginia, Minnesota. I expect stories aplenty, as Rukavina left…
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Mesabi Symphony Orchestra ‘pops up’ this Saturday in Hibbing
Looking for something to do on the Range this weekend? (Other than see Daniel Day-Lewis play Abraham Lincoln, which is what I’ll be doing). There’ll be some fun classical music performed at the Iron Range’s finest theater venue. The Mesabi Symphony Orchestra is celebrating 35 years of bringing classical music to the people of northeastern…
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Nolan win restores DFL, but MN-8 will keep wild edge
As you know by now, Rep.-elect Rick Nolan (D-MN8) ousted Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8) in last week’s election, ending the longest, most expensive Congressional race in northern Minnesota history. I’d been saying before the election that only Tuesday’s results could shed light on the district’s new political make-up after demographic shifts and redistricting ushered in…
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Others to aid Range violence victims amid funding cuts
In the wake of news that Range Women’s Advocates is facing serious funding cuts, other groups are stepping up to ensure that families in crisis can still receive the help they need. If you know someone affected by this story, please pass along this information: Advocates for Family Peace (AFFP) has been serving families experiencing…
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Essar affirms plans for 2013 Iron Range taconite production
Essar Steel Minnesota is still eying 2013 taconite production on the Iron Range and will work through the winter on construction of its plant near Nashwauk. I spoke with Essar spokesman Kevin Kangas today after my post last night about the Anacostia and Pacific Railroad’s decision to pursue other options for the engines it had…
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Range Women’s Advocates to lose staff after state grant loss
State funding cuts from recent years are still impacting communities across the state. In northern Minnesota, Range Women’s Advocates — a nonprofit that helps victims of domestic abuse — learned this week it would not receive a necessary $500,000 grant. This will cause RWA half its workforce, and place a large caseload of clients in…
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The remarkable change of our times
It’s hard to see history through the lens of the present. So it’s easy to see last week’s election results and the preceding years of national political bickering as a continuation of more of the same-old, same-old. Washington Post writer and blogger Ezra Klein, however, sees it differently, and his observations are eye-opening. In the…