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Thank you, sir, may I have another?
The TV weather people are being administered oxygen on the air. See, there’s a blizzard coming to northern Minnesota. All this after last weekend’s oppressive snow storm. And in April! Here’s what I’m hearing around the region. I hear it’s the storm to end all storms! I hear the snow from this blizzard are the…
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Ore chasing
For hardcore Iron Rangers or those interested in how mining plays into our culture, take a look at this guest column from today’s Hibbing Daily Tribune by retired mining engineer Thomas J. Mesich. He talks about taconite (a low grade iron ore that used to make steel) veins around the central Iron Range and how…
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The few, the proud, the ‘flame attendants’
I know the whole root of the China Olympics controversy is human rights, which is is very, very important and all, but I can’t help but chuckle at the woes of the Olympic torch as it traverses the globe. Protesters have been trying to extinguish the torch everywhere it goes. They’re expressing outrage over how…
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Denny Anderson faces health issues
Dennis Anderson is the Walter Cronkite of northern Minnesota. The Duluth News-Tribune reports today that Anderson, evening anchor of the top-rated Duluth newscast at WDIO/WIRT, is fighting prostate cancer. The prognosis is good, according to the report. Still, thoughts and prayers go out to the dean of Northland media. For those outside northern Minnesota, Anderson…
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You say biofuel, I say moonshine!
I take a lot of pride that this is the only blog in Minnesota, nay, the WORLD, that had been using “moonshine” as a tag label long before this story ran yesterday. It appears that a demolition worker uncovered several bottles of prohibition era alcohol in unmarked bottles at Sammy’s Pizza in Hibbing, under renovation…
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Pawlenty’s bonding vetoes bring mixed bag for Northern Minnesota
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced line-item vetoes on several items in the bonding bill Monday. This was a modest surprise for some in state political circles because it was believed that Pawlenty might veto the whole thing to force legislators to make the unpopular choices about which projects to cut. Instead, Pawlenty did the dirty…
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CBS/CNN deal would further blur media lines
According to a report from the New York Times, CBS is considering a partnership with CNN that would have the cable news network provide content to the network once represented by Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow. If you read the story you see that these talks are very preliminary and that there’s plenty of…
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Iron Ranger wins Pulitzer Prize
OK, so he hasn’t considered himself an Iron Ranger for a long time (if he ever really did) but Bob Dylan won a special Pulitzer Prize today “for his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.” What better way to celebrate Dylan’s Pulitzer than by making…
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Snow Day!
As I mentioned yesterday, we got walloped with a blizzard over the weekend. We got about 25-27 inches in my driveway and I am still trapped here at the house. That’s OK today because my workplace cancelled classes, but we’ll see how the rest of the week goes. Over on the East Range, Virginia “won”…
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Four Days in Denver
New York Magazine tapped former “West Wing” writer Lawrence O’Donnell Jr. to write a script about a potential scenario at the 2008 Democratic Convention. Titled “Four Days in Denver,” the piece is lengthy but quite entertaining and good salve for people who miss “The West Wing.” In a way, it reminded me of a guest…
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Rural electric cooperative, don’t fail me now!
Did I say “just over half a foot of wet, heavy snow” in my last post? Now that I’ve shoveled, I can attest that it’s at least a foot. And we just heard that we’re getting another foot tonight. What had been a somewhat dry winter in northern Minnesota is going to be moistened rather…
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Pre-spring warm-up
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, April 6, 2008 Hibbing Daily Tribune. Appropriately there is more than a half foot of wet, heavy snow on the ground in northern Minnesota this morning. Pre-spring warm-upBy Aaron J. Brown In northern Minnesota there’s a fifth season, one that doesn’t really have a name and that…
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Former Sen. Dayton shows big heart on the Range
Kudos to former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton for stepping up to help a young woman with a rare heart condition from my former hometown of Cherry, Minnesota. Apparently this isn’t the first time Dayton has helped pay medical expenses for people in need. Dayton may not have enjoyed his time in the Senate, but he…
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Brown on the Air: Greatest Dog Moments
Tune in Saturday 10 a.m.-noon on 91.7 KAXE for “Between You and Me” with Heidi Holtan. My weekly commentary will probably run during the first hour. The topic this week is part of the independent public station’s spring fundraiser, Greatest Moments, focusing on the greatest moments we’ve had with our dogs or cats. As some…
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Nashwauk steel plant still ‘go for launch’
Business North is reporting that a groundbreaking announcement on Essar Global’s Minnesota Steel iron mine and steel plant near Nashwauk is expected this month. So far, so good. Essar has a lot of “irons” in the fire, however, and I won’t pop open a bottle of anything expensive until I see really big shovels in…