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Tuesday special election in SD11 clouded by midwinter blues, ballot issues
Voters in Minnesota Senate District 11 will go to the polls Tuesday to elect a new State Senator. Though SD11 projects the image of a swing district, the election outcome remains even more uncertain than usual. Candidates aren’t just sparring with each other, they’re fighting to get people to vote in the middle of winter. In…
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When a boy becomes a snowman
One of the most obvious rules of parenting is not to put your baby in a snowbank. But what happens when your baby grows up to be a survivalist?
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Bill would name state’s tallest bridge for Tom Rukavina
On Thursday, State Rep. David Lislegard (DFL-Aurora) introduced a bill that would name the Highway 53 bridge between Eveleth and Virginia the Tom Rukavina Memorial Bridge. Rukavina, a longtime Iron Range legislator known for his fiery speeches and pro-labor politics, died Jan. 6 after battling cancer. He was 68. The Highway 53 bridge was part…
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On cold times in cold places
We risk our bodies and minds to the effects of the deepest freeze of the year, a time when people sort themselves by coping language and poor decisions.
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Great Northern Radio Show heads to Brainerd on Feb. 9
The Great Northern Radio Show will broadcast a live event in Brainerd, Minnesota on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019 at the Franklin Arts Center. Through original comedy, stories and music, the Great Northern Radio Show celebrates life in small towns and rural places.
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DNR to block Essar Steel from doing business with state
Earlier this month, Essar Steel roared back to life in the continuing saga of a proposed iron mine near Nashwauk, Minnesota. Today, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said that the state wasn’t buying it.
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Northland man to attempt record-breaking ice wheelie for good cause
This Saturday, Feb. 2, Northern Minnesota native Cecil “Bubba” Myers will attempt a world record for fastest motorcycle wheelie on ice. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Lake Pokegama south of Grand Rapids at the Zorbaz Restaurant beach. And he’s doing it for a good cause.
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A bright light in winter
So I’ve been doing some squats lately. I’ve done squats before. This isn’t new. But I’ve never been afraid of my insides popping out like a tube of crescent rolls before. That is new. For many of us, trying to get back in shape is a cycle. When I think about exercise, I picture snow…
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Stu Lourey wins DFL nod in SD 11 special election
Stu Lourey won the Senate District 11 special election DFL primary Tuesday. He defeated Michelle Lee in a snowy showdown marked by low turnout. I’m projecting the result based on Lourey’s strong performance in Pine County, where most remaining returns will come from. Lourey will end up winning by about 250 votes or 6.5 percent.…
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Seeking hygge in harsh environs
Something changed after the last act of “Hamlet.” The Danes became so mellow that they don’t even mind stepping on all the LEGO blocks they produce each year. If we’re to believe media reports, hygge is both the cause and the solution. These last few years we’ve heard the word “hygge” a lot more. Looks…
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Lee wins DFL endorsement in SD11; primary Tuesday
DFL delegates in Minnesota Senate District 11 endorsed former news anchor Michelle Lee for Tuesday’s special election primary. Lee carried 93 votes to 63 for Stu Lourey on the first ballot. Lourey conceded the endorsement as Lee emerged just tenths of a percent short of the necessary 60 percent. However, Lourey vowed to continue campaigning…
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A year after KKK flyers, Range town to rally for King holiday
This Monday, Jan. 21, the city of Virginia, Minnesota, and Mesabi Range College will host a MLK Peace and Unity march and rally celebrating the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The march starts at noon on the west side of Virginia City Hall at 327 1st Street South with the 12:15…
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The moment words took new meaning
Each year I like to write about the top words for the previous year as determined by the Global Language Monitor, an organization that tracks actual word usage in global English. It’s important to note that global English is a broader topic than American English. In fact, for the first time this year the Global…
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DFL primary in Senate District 11 special election
Flickr CC) Two Democrats, four Republicans and a member of the Legal Marijuana Now party filed for the District 11 special election for the Minnesota State Senate. The field could narrow today during the drop period, but the rest will be decided in a Jan. 22 primary election before the rapidly approaching Feb. 5 general…
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Remembering Iron Range political legend Tom Rukavina
Minnesota political firebrand Tom Rukavina died Monday after a difficult battle with the illness that forced his retirement from the St. Louis County Board last year. A booming voice for the working people of the Mesabi Iron Range, Rukavina made his name in the state legislature where his short stature, booming voice and sharp-elbowed sense…