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500? Maybe more … (UPDATED x3)
The word is that a very large crowd is gathering right now over at the site of the Minnesota Steel project north of Nashwauk. Company officials are expecting 500, but I think there could be more. Also, we’ll be getting the new name of the company soon. My money’s on something that combines two “proactive”…
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Brown on the Air: SUSTAINABILITY!
My Saturday, Sept. 20 essay for KAXE’s “Between You and Me” program deals with the topic of sustainability. What does it mean to live sustainably? That’s an important question as we watch the stock market crash and food prices rise. I argue that sustainability is just a time-tested way of life on the Iron Range.…
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The hazards of an ownership society
Most of you know I write this blog alone and that, politically, I align with the Democrats. That’s enough for good ol’ MinnesotaBrown to be declared a “liberal blog.” But I do, on occasion, deliberately expose myself to conservative ideas to see what’s going on on the other end of the spectrum. Today I’m highlighting…
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Minnesota Steel groundbreaking approaches
From today’s Duluth News Tribune, a reminder of the monumental groundbreaking taking place Friday on the Iron Range: Groundbreaking ceremony is Friday for $1.6 billion Minnesota Steel Plant to be built near Nashwauk Duluth News TribuneThursday, September 18, 2008 What: Groundbreaking for Minnesota Steel plant Where: North of Nashwauk, near the former Butler Taconite plant…
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The Downtown Dilemma
Wednesday’s Hibbing Daily Tribune features a Jeff Warner story about the effect of shopping locally. The story relies heavily on the comments of local business owners who have an obvious stake in keeping dollars in town. I wrote stories like this when I was at the Hibbing paper. I did them when I worked in…
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Keep it in the family, Joe
Looks like a little DFL family squabbling is getting out into the public eye. Former State Rep. Joe Begich kicked up a fuss at the aforementioned Sportsman for Obama event about bumper stickers and signs. This isn’t helpful, but indicative of the kinds of problems you have when the political infrastructure in our area is…
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More sportsman shenanigans
The Mesabi Daily News ran a story today about the new Iron Range group “Sportsmen for Obama” led by my state senator, Tom Saxhaug (DFL-Grand Rapids). This is in response to the recent “Sportsmen for McCain” group that formed to spread fear that Obama would take away our guns (he won’t). Tomorrow, a press conference…
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Massive new Iron Range steel project to break ground Friday
Here’s the press release, via the Mesabi Daily News: NASHWAUK — Groundbreaking for the new Minnesota Steel Industries LLC plant is slated to begin at 11:30 a.m. Friday. The public is invited. Gov. Tim Pawlenty, R-Minn., the CEO of Essar Steel Minnesota and local elected officials will speak. A new company name is expected to…
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Debate success is only way out of the fog
This New York Times story from yesterday tells of the fog of the 24 hour modern news cycle. With so much information being pumped into the political debate at all times, it is virtually impossible to control a message outside of an accompanying major news event. By and large, people are tuning out political messages…
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Target Field
The new Twins stadium will be named Target Field, in honor of the Minnesota-based Target Corporation. Carl Pohlad cites Target as one of many Minnesota-based companies that vied for the naming rights. This got me wondering. What are the Iron Range-based businesses that might be able to afford naming rights for a stadium? We have…
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Hey … this bank stuff sounds kinda important
Hey, everybody! The banks are failing. Lots of them. OK, some of them aren’t “failing,” they’re “restructuring.” Ever build something that fell apart? You could restructure it, but it still failed. Not to worry. Historically, massive national bank failures are only followed by long periods of crippling economic decline some of the time. And hey,…
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&$#@&! Best. Norm ad. Ever.
You may have seen the new Norm Coleman ad that questions if Al Franken has the “temperament” to be a Senator (because having a touchy temper is VERY important in being the junior senator from Minnesota, but NOT AT ALL AN ISSUE in being president). The question is posed, then they show some video of…
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The Hay Days
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Sept. 14 Hibbing Daily Tribune. I archive my columns at my writing site and also write an original essay each week for KAXE, Northern Community Radio. Hay DaysBy Aaron J. Brown Hay! That’s what my wife and I say to each other when we pass hay bales…
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Cliffs merger update
Here’s another update on the attempt to merge Cleveland-Cliffs with a Appalachian coal company. Chisholm native and now-famous fund manager Phil Falcone is trying to put the brakes on the deal. This could get interesting. Related posts: No related posts.
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Dispatch from Heartland Tour’s Range stop
The Barack Obama “Heartland for Change” tour wraps up today with events in Duluth. I attended the Hibbing stop at Grandma’s Restaurant. I have to declare the event a success, but that’s mostly because it combined my great loves: politics and drinking beer when the sun is up. The Iron Range swing of the tour…