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On the road…
It’s too nice out to blog. I’ll be working on more of my series tonight. Today, the family and I are headed down to Duluth to do touristy/kids activities. I’ll give my frank assessment upon my return from this fact-finding mission. Some were angered when I suggested giving a major address from the former U.S.…
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Generations, Part 1: Win or Lose, the Obama Era has begun
From the top to the bottom of the ticket, Democrats in Minnesota, indeed probably all over the country, face generational conflict this year. I imagine the same might be true of Republicans (but when your nominee is over 70 you might not be ready to talk about this yet). Politicos of all stripes are accustomed…
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Cliffs announces $100 million upgrade to Eveleth plant
Cleveland-Cliffs announced it is spending $104 on environmental and production upgrades to its United Taconite facility near Eveleth. This comes shortly after the company bought out the minority owners, assuming full command of the mine and production plant. From today’s Duluth News-Tribune: Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. is proposing to spend approximately $104 million on improvements to its…
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This one is for the awards
When I worked in radio, there were stories you covered as part of your daily routine and there were stories that you were told were “awards” stories. These weren’t necessarily the top story of the day, but were compelling enough to enter in contests in order to win trophies and fodder for your resume. You…
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Forums set for Duluth House race
Two legislative forums have come to my attention for the hot Duluth House 7B race featuring a five-way DFL primary. There will probably be more. If you know of any, pass them along in the comments. Here is the first press release from Progressive Action: Progressive Action Hosts 7B Legislative Forum August 13 Progressive Action…
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Kicking off a new week with a new look
It was a busy weekend of lawn mowing, web redesigning, assisting with a rummage sale and eating pancakes with a large contingency of visiting Finns in my neighborhood. Here are some things I didn’t write about. Rep. Tom Anzelc issued a blast in the Duluth News-Tribune (click here; scroll down) calling for action on the…
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OKC Thunder? Not OK
My campaign for plural sports team nicknames suffered a blow this weekend after it was revealed that NBA franchise formerly known as the Seattle Supersonics will become the Oklahoma City Thunder. What will their logo look like? A radar screen? Why does a team playing a fast sport name itself after something that comes 1-8…
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Textistential Crisis
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, July 20, 2008 Hibbing Daily Tribune. Textistential CrisisBy Aaron J. Brown I’m slowly entering the age group that, upon hearing young people in public, wonders how the humans of the future will maintain electricity and running water. I’m not all the way there, yet, but drifting notably.…
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New design ongoing: be patient
Apologies if what you’re seeing here appears funkier than usual. I am in the middle of a redesign. We should have this finished by the end of the weekend. Related posts: No related posts.
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Retiring Jaros endorses Stenersen in Duluth’s 7B
This is a nice endorsement for the Stenersen campaign. It’s not typical for a retiring legislator to make a full endorsement in a situation like this. Roger Reinert has many members of the Duluth city council on his side, so we’ll see who’s got the most sway. State Rep. Mike Jaros today says he will…
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OLA to release Excelsior Energy loan report
A while back, the Office of the Legislative Auditor confirmed it was reviewing specific complaints about $9.5 million in Iron Range Resources loans to Excelsior Energy for its Mesaba Energy Project, an expensive coal gasification plant that exists as part of a complex web of government grants, loans and regulatory exemptions. Several complaints over potential…
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The real story behind Iron Range mining taxes
Mike Jennings and the Hibbing Daily Tribune dig below the surface of the last week’s dust-up over the KSTP Ironworld story (by now I think KSTP has forgotten they even did the story). Read the story. What’s interesting about this is that Jennings compares how various states tax their mineral extraction. Minnesota’s model is rather…
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FiberNet’s Waterloo
Most of you know that I’m a big proponent of efforts to expand Internet speed and access on the Iron Range. I think it’s an initiative that has tremendous economic development benefits for this region. The FiberNet project has been trying to drum up support for a Range-wide municipal-owned high speed network. Thursday night, the…
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Obama campaign opens Duluth HQ
The Barack Obama campaign opens its Duluth headquarters this Saturday the 19th at 10 a.m. The new HQ is located right on the corner at 302 E Superior St, right across from the Sheraton Hotel. Campaign officials tell me Duluth City Councilors Tony Cuneo, Sharla Gardner, Roger Reinart will be speaking and that U.S. Rep.…
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Taconite Ridge wind farm almost at full power
Minnesota Power announces that the new Taconite Ridge wind energy farm on the Iron Range will soon be, hearkening my favorite line from Star Wars, fully operational. As you approach or leave Virginia and Mt. Iron from the west side take a look at these turbines. I think they’re freaking awesome. Turbines like these built…