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Dylan Days opens Thursday, May 22
Dylan Days opens tomorrow and runs through Sunday in Bob Dylan’s hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota. For those who don’t remember, I am one of the organizers of Dylan Days. I use this blog, perhaps inappropriately, to promote the event to the strange collection of political operatives, computer-owning Iron Rangers and Google searchers looking for articles…
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Rangers declare session successful
Better late than never; here’s Brady Silver’s roundup of the legislative session from an Iron Range perspective that ran in today’s Hibbing Daily Tribune. First hand accounts from my friend and colleague Rep. Tom Anzelc echo the sentiment that, while long and arduous, the session just plain went better than last time. Related posts: No…
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Legal troubles for Minnesota Steel owner
The company that aims to buy and run the proposed Minnesota Steel plant near Nashwauk is running into legal problems related to its recent attempt to gain a larger share of the North American steel market. A MinnesotaBrown reader gave me this tip. From Business Standard: Domestic conglomerate Essar’s latest US possession, Esmark, is caught…
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Today’s vote has Range school district on the ropes
Today there’s a levy referendum for the Greenway School District on the western end of the Mesabi Iron Range. If you’re not from the Range, this is one of the schools who used to kick your school’s ass in hockey. Part of the reason they haven’t been kicking your ass lately (I’m talking about you,…
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Session wrap in waiting
I didn’t get to the Minnesota legislative session analysis I had hoped to write today. Here’s the short version: despite the challenges, this was a good session for the Iron Range in general. Not perfect but pretty good considering. Check out round-ups from the DNT. The Range papers have stuff, too, but it’s not posted…
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More Dylan Days press, including my large head on a webcam
This morning’s Dylan Days interview on the top-rated 95 KQDS morning show out of Duluth (and repeated on the Iron Range at 105.5 FM) was rescheduled for Wednesday at 8:35 a.m. I will take the Dylan Days act to 91.7 KAXE in northern Minnesota (streaming online here) and KOOL 101.7 FM in Duluth Tuesday morning…
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Canisteo pit still watery and topographically higher than Bovey
From Sunday’s Grand Rapids Herald-Review: “DNR on Canisteo: Patience required to do it right“ Though it’s discouraging to see foot-dragging on an issue like this, this story shows an improvement over an earlier statement by the DNR commissioner that the Canisteo Mine Pit — a massive reservoir of water perched above the Iron Range town…
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The global pool of money
I’m becoming a junkie for “This American Life” on NPR. I know, I know, that’s so 2005 of me. Still, it’s an ideal show for anyone who drives a lot. This one-hour program details the mortgage crisis we’ve heard so much about in the news. Entitled “The global pool of money,” this episode tells how…
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It’s go time!
We’ve got a life or death school levy referendum on the west Range, flood waters perched over an Iron Range town, the potential unraveling of a economic development boondoggle, Dylan Days in Hibbing, the end of the legislative session, the potential end of the Democratic nomination fight,and it’s finals week and I have two reams…
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Minnesota holding blue tone for 2008
The Star Tribune releases polls today showing any Democrat beating John McCain in Minnesota by about 10 points. Barack Obama in particular does very well, showing numbers similar to Amy Klobuchar’s lead over Mark Kennedy in last cycle’s U.S. Senate race at this point. What does this mean? If the year plays out the way…
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State budget deal reached
The DFL legislature and Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.) are going to announce a budget deal at noon Sunday. I’ll dig into the details when I see the deal. Related posts: No related posts.
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I’ve got the Power! (for now)
There’s a lot going on around Minnesota and the Iron Range. I had about six posts I was going to work on this weekend in between paper grading (finals week!) until the wind started. High winds knocked out power around 4 p.m. Saturday out here in the deep woods Brown Compound. You know what you…
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Dylan changed the world; so can we
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, May 18, 2008 Hibbing Daily Tribune. I archive my columns at my writing site. Dylan changed the world; so can we When I tell people I’m one of the co-chairs of Dylan Days I usually get a look. It’s a look that says, “You? You’re too young…
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Timberjay blasts corporate jive
Marshall Helmberger and the woefully underappreciated Timberjay newspaper is sticking up for the good guys in the battle for high speed rural internet access. Helmberger provides a much-needed balance for the corporate boosterism of the Iron Range’s largest newspaper, the Mesabi Daily News. True high speed internet available to all at a low price remains…
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Ventura hinting Senate run again
Former Gov. Jesse Ventura (I-Minn.) is hinting at a U.S. Senate run again. As Larry Jacobs notes in the story, his timing may be right … again. As much as I am a fan of DFLer Al Franken, he has higher than average negatives for a challenger. Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) has higher negatives and…