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COLUMN: "Bird, not smoke monster"
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, April 11, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Bird, not smoke monsterBy Aaron J. Brown The male ruffed grouse, commonly referred to as partridge, is known for its drumming – repetitive mechanical-sounding thumps designed to attract females and declare its territory. Using its powerful wings and…
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COLUMN: "Fiber and Steel"
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, April 4, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Fiber and SteelBy Aaron J. Brown I’m going to talk about the Iron Range economy today but it’s not really about the economy, is it? It’s about us. From the workplaces and bars, coffee klatches and school functions,…
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COLUMN: "About that accent"
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, March 28, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. An earlier version of the piece aired on “Between You and Me” on 91.7 KAXE. About that accentBy Aaron J. Brown The tricky thing about accents is that no one knows they have an accent until someone else…
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COLUMN: "Where’s my jump suit?"
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, March 21, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Where’s my jump suit?By Aaron J. Brown The year is 2010. I can’t be more clear than this. I was promised a jump suit by now and I haven’t received one. In the not-so-distant past science fiction writers…
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COLUMN: "Where ignorance comes natural"
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, March 14, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Where ignorance comes naturalBy Aaron J. Brown When the seasons change, skilled naturalists “strut their stuff,” a phrase often associated with certain mating rituals that nature experts customarily abandon when they finally identify all varieties of North American…
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COLUMN: "Rural homeless: out of sight, out of hope?"
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, March 7, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. It was originally written for last week but rescheduled to run today. Rural homeless: out of sight, out of hope?By Aaron J. Brown It’s easy to forget that poverty, mental illness and personal crisis leave people homeless in…
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This week’s column bumped for newspaper vs. teachers fight
My weekly column for today was bumped from the opinion page of the Hibbing Daily Tribune to make space for an ongoing kerfuffle between HDT publisher Wanda Moeller and the local teacher’s union, a sprawling epic that’s played out each of the past three Sundays. I expect my column — which was about rural homelessness…
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COLUMN: "Driving into the sun"
This is my column for the Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Driving into the sunBy Aaron J. Brown Last year a woman described to me how her dad was worn down by the grind of commuting from the Itasca County portion of the Iron Range into the St. Louis County…
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COLUMN: "My frugal valentine"
Here is my weekly column for the Sunday, Feb. 12, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Elements of this were used for a “Between You and Me” program some time ago on KAXE. Happy Valentine’s Day! My Frugal ValentineBy Aaron J. Brown I hereby dedicate this column to my Valentine. A lot of guys…
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COLUMN: ‘Let the 2010 Winter Kid-lympics begin
This is my weekly column for the (Super) Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. A version of this piece was featured on a recent episode of “Between You and Me” on KAXE. Let the 2010 Winter Kid-lympics beginBy Aaron J. Brown Next week the Winter Olympic games open in Vancouver. I’ve…
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COLUMN: "When I Grow Up"
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. A version of this piece aired on 91.7 KAXE’s “Between You and Me” earlier in January. When I grow upBy Aaron J. Brown The first time someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up,…
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COLUMN: "Pictures of a new world"
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. UPDATE: Grammatical error fixed. Pictures of a new worldBy Aaron J. Brown This past Christmas Santa Claus gave our oldest son Henry a camera that takes real pictures. The “real pictures” were important because Henry, 4, and his…
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Speculation of the House
Iron Range media outlets (in this case, the Mesabi Daily News by way of the Hibbing Daily Tribune) are reporting on the potential for DFL House Majority Leader Tony Sertich (DFL-Chisholm) to become Speaker of the House under a handful of scenarios in 2010. The reality of this scenario depends on two things: 1) the…
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The King Holiday in a new century
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. The King Holiday in a new centuryBy Aaron J. Brown How are race relations in your neighborhood? Yes, that’s still awkward, isn’t it? Just ask Harry Reid, who had some rough headlines last week after using some archaic…
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COLUMN: "Notes from the Freezer"
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Jan. 10, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Notes from the freezerBy Aaron J. Brown Across the Upper Midwest, especially here in northern Minnesota, we settle in for the portion of winter no one sings songs about. Christmas is over. New Years has passed. We asked…