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Brown on the Air: Retirement
My weekly commentary will once again air on 91.7 KAXE’s “Between You and Me” this Saturday, July 12 between 10 a.m. and noon. The call-in/music show’s topic for the day is “retirement” and the program will be guest hosted by legendary KAXE volunteer programmer D.J. the D.J., who himself retired recently. Me? I’m a whipper…
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Lack of consensus in GOP pick for 8th CD
Last night I reported that a source told me Mike Cummins is a leading contender for the GOP endorsement and nomination for the Eighth Congressional District seat held by Jim Oberstar. But this is news to some top Republicans in the district, according to another anonymous source. (Incidentally, my proclivity for anonymous sources here is…
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Star Trib: Core cities grow, outer suburbs slow
From today’s Star Tribune: Growth trends show more people choosing to live in urban cores instead of suburbs. This means less transportation cost and urban sprawl and a realistic chance of revitalizing aging city infrastructure. The same kind of model would make sense for small and mid-sized towns all over the state. I think gas…
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Ventura Watch, continued
It would now seem former Gov. Jesse Ventura is pulling back the reins on speculation about his potential run for the U.S. Senate. I’m moving back to the opinion that he’s using this for publicity value. While I can envision a scenario where Ventura could win, I can’t envision a scenario where he completes a…
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These bills!
Take a gander at this report from the U.S. Dept. of Energy. What? You don’t look at links like that? You’re busy. You need to check your Hotmail account to see if that guy/girl who likes you as a friend left any subtle clues that he/she is in love with you? Damn you people. Your…
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SOURCE: Cummins to challenge Oberstar
A reader named “Scoop” says this weekend Republicans will endorse Mike Cummins for the Eighth Congressional District seat held by the venerable U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar (DFL-Chisholm). I have not had much luck learning more about Mr. Cummins, but will keep trying. I’m sure we will know the whole story in coming days. Oberstar’s opponent…
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Oberstar’s opponent?
There may be some news today about Rep. Jim Oberstar’s Republican opponent this fall. An anonymous tip came in that I am checking out. Remember, the Eight CD GOP declared that their candidate this year had to remain unnamed this spring while he/she/it weighed the benefits of running. But we were told that this candidate…
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The Ventura watch
A reader heard Jesse Ventura on (N)PR today and tells me he sounds exactly like a candidate. I hate to be the one to say it, but he’s a legitimate threat to win this race. Fiscal conservative. Anti-war. Perpetually angry. It’s getting to be an angry year. It would play out like this. At first,…
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Make plans for cool July 19 music event in northern Minnesota
This is a shameless plug for an organization that I love. KAXE’s annual Mississippi River Festival is coming up on July 19. This is a full day of music along the Grand Rapids banks of the Mighty Miss’ in northern Minnesota. KAXE is an independent public station that capably holds the line against big corporate…
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Another 7B update: Brandon Clokey plans serious challenge
Throughout the discussion of who will succeed Mike Jaros as District 7B representative, I’ve noted the fact that one person had announced their candidacy for the DFL nomination long before Jaros’s announced retirement. Brandon Clokey, a Duluth small businessman and political newcomer, announced his run for this office back in January. And today, his campaign…
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Minnesota Power to run on anchor power
Hey, remember Channel 3? We used to have this channel (3) here in northern Minnesota that was like a real channel. It had news and people worked there and back in the 1960s there were clown shows and whatnot, the whole deal. There is still a Channel 3 (CBS) in Duluth, but it’s operated by…
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The pet owner vote
We live in a stupid world. Here is a headline from today’s MSNBC news ticker on my blog: “Poll: Pet owners prefer McCain” What’s next? “Poll: Pets prefer food, water” Related posts: No related posts.
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Go to hell, KSTP
Let me begin by saying the way things have been done on the Iron Range hasn’t always been perfect. It’s an area with a unique governance structure because of our mining tax system and that system has taken time to make more efficient. There’s been plenty to criticize and I’ve been one of the critics.…
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Range school woes like canaries in the coal mine
Public schools everywhere face challenges from unfunded federal mandates, tighter state aid and local tax bases that are tapped out. But here on the Iron Range some special circumstances threaten the very existence of two districts, which I think are like canaries in the coal mine for school districts all over the state. First, in…
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Just deal with the scary flood pit already!
Janna Goerdt of the Duluth News-Tribune reports today on the ongoing saga of the Canisteo Mine Pit near Bovey. The long abandoned mine pit has been filling with water for decades, causing what many residents and scientists fear will be a major flood risk. Others, including those at the DNR charged with monitoring the pit,…