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Iron Range Resources budget showdown tonight
A story in yesterday’s Hibbing Daily Tribune explained that tonight’s Iron Range Resources board meeting will explore the proposed $31 million budget for this unique state agency funded by taconite mining taxes. My friends Tony Sertich and Tom Anzelc explain the agency’s purpose in the Mike Jennings story: Two other IRRB members, Reps. Tony Sertich…
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Who’s in, who’s out in 7B?
The DNT has a nice story about the retirement of State Rep. Mike Jaros (DFL-Duluth) today. I don’t know Jaros, and I’ve learned that I didn’t know much about his very interesting background, either. I always hear he’s a good guy. In the story, Duluth city councilor Roger Reinert, after acknowledging Jaros in the story,…
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You can still get drunk on New Year’s Eve; just not on Duluth TV
St. Mary’s/Duluth Clinic announced they were ending their annual New Year’s Eve Ball, according to today’s Duluth News-Tribune. With a price tag of $125,000, the event has become too spendy, SMDC officials say. Also, WDIO Channels 10/13 had announced they would not telecast the Ball as they had in previous years, eliminating a valuable public…
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Before food/gas price spike, health care was important, too
Right now we hear plenty about the problem of rising food and gas prices. Indeed, these prices matter greatly in the lives of everyday Americans, but they’re explainable. Food prices are rising with global demand. Gas prices are actually just readjusting to inflation after years of relative American underpricing (and, again, rising global demand). But…
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If this is how we’re going to cover polls I am going to shoot myself in the face*
OK, not really. But I’ll want to. Maybe you care (I hope you don’t) but our Minnesota blogosphere is freaking out over SUSA’s latest poll on the state’s Presidential and Senate elections. The poll shows Barack Obama only up by one point (most other polls have him up by up by 8-12 points) and Norm…
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CONFIRMED: Duluth councilor Reinert to seek 7B seat
Duluth city council president Roger Reinert will announce his intention to run for the House 7B seat being vacated by longtime State Rep. Mike Jaros (DFL-Duluth), according to a political ally. Reinert will seek the DFL endorsement next month, according to fellow city councilor and DFLer Jeff Anderson. The only other announced candidate for the…
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Grandma’s public urination amnesty approaches
Duluth’s beloved Grandma’s Marathon is this upcoming weekend, which has prompted a series of preview stories in the Duluth News-Tribune. I doubt any stories will hold the clickability of this one from Monday, June 16. Janna Goerdt writes about the issue of runners urinating on the property of people near the starting line every year.…
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Duluth state rep Jaros to retire, UPDATED
Longtime State Rep. Mike Jaros (DFL-Duluth) will not seek re-election in 2008. He told fellow DFLers and the Duluth News Tribune he was retiring from his seat in solidly working class DFL West Duluth this afternoon. I need to do some research to see who the potential candidates might be in this race. Political novice…
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The coming internet crisis and why the Range can lead the way
Jason Baker of the Star Tribune has a must read piece for anyone who uses the Internet (and if you’re reading this, that means you). When I talk about building a fast, reliable public/private high speed internet network on the Iron Range this is what I mean and this is why it matters so very…
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Rural Minnesota’s problems go far beyond taxes
Charlie Quimby from Growth and Justice wrote an interesting analysis on the problems facing Warroad, Minn., in far northwestern Minnesota as the town’s big employer, Marvin Windows, expands to North Dakota instead of in its hometown. Though not identical to the problems the Iron Range and other rural towns face in coming years, there are…
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The parasite debate
This is my weekly Hibbing Daily Tribune column for Sunday, June 15, 2008. I went a little crazy this week. This is the result of living in the deep woods of northern Minnesota and watching too much political news on cable. The parasite debateBy Aaron J. Brown Good evening and welcome to Nature’s Hall at…
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Franken/Coleman a dead heat
Old news, perhaps, but yesterday Rasmussen released numbers on the Minnesota Senate race. Norm Coleman leads Al Franken 48-45, within the margin of error and largely unchanged from the previous poll. But check out these demographic breakouts: Moderates:Coleman – 32%Franken – 56% Age 18-29:Coleman – 35%Franken – 65% This year may well be decided by…
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Old vs. New
Though it will frustrate the heck out of Obama supporters, Peggy Noonan makes an interesting case in her latest Wall Street Journal column about the dynamic of this year’s presidential election. I don’t agree with her whole premise, but I think she’s really close to how many outside of Obama’s most enthusiastic demographics (the young…
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A decade later…
Today is my 10-year high school reunion. Yeah, baby! Cherry High School Class of 1998! As class president, I got stuck with organizing the reunion. My main job was to pick the meats for the three-meat buffet. Here’s what I went with: baron of beef roasted turkey lasagna I hope people like it. I’m really…
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To honor Tim Russert: get tough, ask questions, be nice
I don’t have much more to add, except that American journalism lost its strongest questioner, best pundit and one of its nicest guys today at a time when the country needed him the most. It’s up to the rest of us to carry on Tim Russert’s work of holding politicians accountable and asking tough questions…