-
Hear the Great Northern Radio Show now!
The latest edition of the Great Northern Radio Show aired live April 7 from the Chief Theatre in downtown Bemidji, Minnesota. We rebroadcast the show on Northern Community Radio last Saturday morning. The show is now available via PRX for independent public radio stations in Minnesota, thanks to the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.…
-
Trampled by Turtles delivers big on Letterman show
UPDATE: Here’s a link to the July 2014 appearance. Duluth’s own Trampled by Turtles appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman last night. They did a great job. It’s been wonderful to see the northern Minnesota arts scene share the joy of seeing these guys make it to the big stage. Related posts: No…
-
Mining the space range
This week we talked about scram mining, mining revenue politics and growing marijuana in abandoned old mines, but what of the future of mining? Mashable reports that a group of very wealthy, eccentric (which is rich person for “crazy”) entrepreneurs and adventurers are planning to mine asteroids. Oh, they’ve got a plan alright. I think…
-
Duluth’s Trampled by Turtles on Letterman tonight
UPDATE: Video of their performance here. Duluth-based band Trampled by Turtles will be on the Late Show with David Letterman tonight, 10:30 CST on CBS. I grew up watching Dave and I mean seriously watching his various shows while I was a teenage radio DJ. Drifted away in recent years, mostly due to schedule changes.…
-
Jobs, jobs, joints: Marijuana in a mining town
The Detroit Free Press is reporting that a biotech company is exploring an abandoned copper mine in Michigan’s upper peninsula for the cultivation of medical marijuana, recently legalized in the Wolverine State. Stop what you are doing. Watch this video from the Detroit Free Press: Is this the future of northern Minnesota’s Iron Range? They’re…
-
Dylan Days names top poems, stories for 2012
Dylan Days in Bob Dylan’s hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota, announced the winners of the 2012 B.J. Rolfzen Memorial Creative Writing Contest over the weekend. As always, it’s an interesting mix of midwestern, national and international writers. I help coordinate the contest, serving as one of three fiction judges, editor of the journal and co-chair of…
-
Smelt puppets march on port city
The smelt are running. And if that means nothing to you, perhaps the running of the smelt puppets will get your attention. Behold the fruits of hipster rule in Duluth. Are you not entertained? Related posts: No related posts.
-
IRRRB transparency provision searches for daylight
Over the weekend, Peter Passi of the Duluth News Tribune continued his coverage of Rep. Tom Anzelc’s bill to end an unusual privacy provision on the books at the IRRRB.* The rule was adopted without debate four years ago and shields much of this unique state agency’s loan agreement data from the public, something that…
-
COLUMN: A magnetic pull to the future
This is my Sunday column for the April 22, 2012 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. I’ve included some photos I took during my visit to Magnetation that did not appear in the newspaper. A magnetic pull to the futureBy Aaron J. Brown Along the shore of the Lind-Greenway Pit a rusted steam shovel stands…
-
MN-8 DFLers meet in Duluth
MPR recaps last nights MN-8 DFL debate between Rick Nolan, Tarryl Clark and Jeff Anderson. Once again, differences appear to be stylistic and biographical, with only a small amount of political separation. Listen to Dan Kraker’s story below: Related posts: No related posts.
-
Snap your fingers for some spoken word in Grand Rapids
If tonight’s political brouhaha in Duluth isn’t your thing, maybe try the Spoken Word Event scheduled at 7 tonight at the MacRostie Art Center in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. They’re opening a mic for new and favorite poems in honor of National Poetry Month. The MacRostie Art Center is located on 1st Ave. NW downtown, just…
-
MN-8 DFLers meet tonight at Duluth forum
Tonight, the three candidates seeking the DFL nomination to face Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8) in this year’s race for Congress will meet in a forum in Duluth. The event, sponsored by Duluth Community Action and others, will take place from 7-9 p.m. at Somer’s Hall at the College of St. Scholastica. The candidates, Jeff Anderson,…
-
Another chance to hear the Great Northern Radio Show
The Great Northern Radio Show aired Saturday, April 7, live from the Chief Theatre in Bemidji, Minnesota. We had a blast and I think the show turned out well. Northern Community Radio will rebroadcast the show from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 21 on 91.7 KAXE (Grand Rapids, Aitkin and the Iron Range),…
-
Stuck, but operational
We have a winter storm warning here in Itasca and north central St. Louis counties. Most Range schools are cancelled. The community college didn’t cancel, but I can’t get out of my driveway so let’s call that an intervention by a higher authority. It’s a great day for a drill on how well this blog…
-
Nolan wins Range contests, poised for DFL endorsement
Another weekend of county political conventions in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District has put an exclamation point on a political reality. Former Congressman Rick Nolan of Crosby will win the DFL endorsement on May 5. Perhaps portending the 21 consecutive wins by Nolan in local contests, the other DFL candidates Tarryl Clark and Jeff Anderson had…