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Dylan Days: Friday in Bob Dylan’s hometown
Today is when Dylan Days 2010 really heats up with our major events. This year we’re experimenting with holding the literary event in the afternoon to catch the early arrivals for the night’s big songwriter contest. Please come out to see one or both, but we especially hope to build a crowd to support the…
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My Range alma mater now has just 24 graduating seniors, and other tales of woe
Some statistics from a recent regional high school graduation story in the Hibbing Daily Tribune:Cherry School: 24 seniorsNashwauk-Keewatin High School: 52 seniorsChisholm High School: 44 seniorsHibbing High School: 146 seniorsThe headline for the story was “Graduates abound” and these stats were included with information such as class colors, motto and song. For instance, Nashwauk-Keewatin’s senior…
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Dylan Days: Ongoing exhibits this week
I forgot to mention some of the ongoing events during Dylan Days this weekend. Hibbing Public Library Dylan Days Art Exhibition – entries from student artists in grades K-12 (ages 17 and under) plus the library’s Dylan Exhibit. Open Mon-Thur 9 a.m.–8 p.m. & Fri 9 a.m.– 5 p.m. Hibbing Historical Society Museum – check…
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Dylan Days: Thursday in Bob Dylan’s hometown
In reminding the world that this is a strange blog, that covers what I damn well please, let me remind all of you that today brings the first day of Dylan Days in Hibbing, Minnesota, an arts event celebrating not just the legend of Hibbing’s own Bobby Zimmerman, but also the hope spurred by the…
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COLUMN: Goin’ viral (a good thing, I think)
This is my column for the Sunday, May 23, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Goin’ viral (a good thing, I think)By Aaron J. Brown By now, if you are at all inclined to care, you’ve seen the “Come Home Bob” campaign sponsored by the Iron Range Convention and Tourism Board. The gist is…
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Dylan Days is next week!
The season of Dylan Days is upon us, so excuse my infrequent posting and harried nature. Dylan Days, May 27-30 in Hibbing, is a community celebration of the arts and Minnesota native Bob Dylan who grew up in this Iron Range town. For the last nine years I’ve served as something of a spokesperson/ambassador for…
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Range coal gas plant dealt setback in court
Oh, how I’ve enjoyed not writing about Excelsior Energy’s proposed Iron Range coal gasification plant, dubbed the Mesaba Energy Project, these last several months. Fans of this blog might remember my tireless bellowing about this topic over the past four years … no wait, it’s actually been seven. I could rehash it now, but let’s…
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The delights of the Iron Range
This Lexington column from The Economist exudes many of the sentiments I’ve had about the possibilities for rural Minnesota and the Iron Range, if it steps up its internet infrastructure one way or another. This column is about “the delights of Idaho,” but don’t judge. The truth is that in coming decades more people, not…
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Vertical integration, yo
Spiking iron ore prices have been a boon to U.S. Steel whose stock jumped 5 percent recently. According to this article from The Street, all of this is thanks specifically to U.S. Steel’s Iron Range properties and vertical integration. Just file this thought away, people. A little something to remember at some point. Not sure…
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Kind of a big deal: Steelworkers endorse Dayton
I’ve been staying out of the tit-for-tat political posting as much as possible, trying to focus on the real world. That’s my new thing, see. But there’s no ignoring the implications of today’s United States Steelworkers union endorsement of Mark Dayton in the Minnesota DFL gubernatorial primary over DFL endorsed candidate Margaret Anderson Kelliher. Two…
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Scary flood pit to be drained
Today saw a major breakthrough in the Canisteo Pit story on northern Minnesota’s Iron Range. This old mine pit has seen rising waters since the end of mining activity decades ago, waters that now threaten, and occasionally moisten, the city of Bovey. Today the DNR announced plans to advance its vision of a solution over…
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The Come Home Bob meta-interview
It’s that extra special season where I’m too busy to post but there’s tons going on. There’ll be a few more posts tonight. Most of my stress right now is coming from the upcoming Dylan Days, an arts event like no other based in the heart of Minnesota’s Iron Range May 27-30, 2010. I’m laying…
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One if by blog, two if by freelance print arrangement
I’m exploring a few concepts for future blog posts, stories and columns. One is the persistent foreclosure rate in places like Itasca County on the western Iron Range. The rates are improving elsewhere but not here. I’m also going to be looking at the fiscal health of Range (and nearby) towns as they face more…
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If you like lakes, like this link
My essay “10,000 lakes, 10,000 dreams” was selected to appear in the Voices for the Lakes project organized by the 1000 Friends of Minnesota organization. Several Minnesota writers entered works for consideration. The goal is to bring attention to the issues and cultural impact of Minnesota’s lakes. Starting this week they are releasing one of…
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"State of Superior" sees political unrest
I take special interest in the three congressional districts that constitute the historical, theoretical State of Superior. Naturally, there’s my home district of MN-08 (represented by Jim Oberstar, a Democrat). But so too do I make casual note of northern Wisconsin’s WI-07 (Dave Obey, whose been in congress even longer than Oberstar) and the Upper…