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Sad news for many up north
I’ll join with the chorus of other blogs offering condolences to the Lourey family after the loss of Gene Lourey, husband of former State Sen. and progressive leader Becky Lourey over the weekend. I know members of the family and also know how hard these last years have been for them. Our thoughts are with…
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My first op/ed
I’ve written a lot of things. Columns. Editorials. Newspaper stories about a guy running for president out of a van that he shares with his foreign-born wife and two small children. But I have never written an “op/ed,” a special kind of editorial/column hybrid named for its traditional positioning on the “opposite” page from the…
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Register to vote today at Range community colleges
I am one of the organizers of a nonpartisan Democracy Fair at Hibbing Community College today. (Yes, I’m partisan, but the event isn’t). From 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., students (and anyone) can pre-register to vote in Minnesota in the HCC Commons. Candidates for House District 5B, including Rep. Tony Sertich (DFL-Chisholm) and his GOP…
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KAXE seeks opinions about future programming
I am a regular contributor to KAXE, an independent public radio station covering the vast and unique regions of Northern Minnesota, including Grand Rapids, Bemidji, Brainerd and the Iron Range. This station is asking for feedback about its programming. You should offer your thoughts, as these surveys are influential in the staff’s decisions about future…
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On the cover of ‘Tailings’
The first newspaper profile of my new book “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range” was featured today on the cover of the “Tailings” (A&E) section of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Jeff Warner interviewed me last week and wrote this kind story that you should read right now. Now that I’ve done two long format…
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Big picture ignored in nursing home issue
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Oct. 12 Hibbing Daily Tribune. I archive my columns at my writing site. Big picture ignored in nursing home issueBy Aaron J. Brown Like many of you, I learned about the impending closure of Hibbing’s Golden Crest nursing home on the front page of the Hibbing Daily…
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Gettin’ J-schooled
This post is for all the journalists, ex-journalists or would-be journalists out there, and also the bloggers who are journalists too, even if they are drunk most of the time. (The golden age of journalism was lubricated with copious amounts of scotch). And also people who read. There, that covers everyone. This is an interesting…
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I am suspending my inability to dance and sing
The following post was inspired by true events (“Coleman says he’s going 100 percent positive” ~The Hill). As most of you know, for the past 28 years I have been terrible at many things, most notably dancing and singing. My inability to dance and sing is well established. It continues to feed into the media…
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Overburden on Hibbing radio today
I did an interview this morning for the Hibbing radio show “The Craig and Kate Affair” which will be rebroadcast today at about 5:30 p.m. on 650 AM WNMT. After the sun sets AM frequencies carry hundreds of miles, reaching many far away places. I don’t know why they ever switched to FM. Darn kids.…
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Brown on the Air: BAND
My weekly essay for the Saturday, Oct. 11 edition of “Between You and Me” on 91.7 KAXE will join host Heidi Holtan in exploring the topic of “band,” specifically high school band and the unique cultural touchstone it represents. Yeah, I was in the band. Trumpet. Yeah, I got some stories. I seen some things.…
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The fish goes ‘crunch’
I’ve been a bad political blogger lately. Norm Coleman is all caught up in a free suit controversy and Iron Range State Rep. Tony Sertich’s Republican opponent is doing region-wide negative TV ads wearing a white turtleneck and an orange hunting vest. There is so much to talk about and so little time with all…
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Overburden media tour fires up
I’ve been doing interviews for my new book, “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range” and you’ll start to see and hear some of these in Minnesota media. Jeff Warner is writing a story that will run in the “Tailings” section of the Sunday, Oct. 12 Hibbing Daily Tribune. “Tailings” is like the A&E section,…
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Second debate: different format, same dynamic
My favorite nonpartisan aggregate of political news and views, Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire, is keeping track of the reaction to tonight’s presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain. His initial take was to declare an Obama victory. My take was the McCain did better than in the previous debate, clearly comfortable with the format…
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Acronyms? Environmentalists? Developers? Politicians? Run the story!
The Mesabi Daily News has not one, not two, but THREE stories about environmental laws as they relate to mining. Hot damn. Buy a copy early because the kids like to buy these up and sell them on the eBay. If you DO follow such stories, enjoy these links: Environmental group hits PolyMetCommittee members tour…
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Just a little fascism, for effect
We all expected the presidential campaign to get ugly in the last month. No surprise there, and both sides share responsibility. But here’s what really worries me about Sarah Palin’s recent attacks against Barack Obama in John McCain’s campaign. It’s not her inexperience and sneering contempt for anyone who isn’t a Joe Sixpack or (name…