-
Minorca temporary shutdown discussions ongoing
Here’s a follow-up from the Mesabi Daily News on the story of the possible long term summer shutdown of the ArcelorMittal Minorca Mine in Virginia. In short, it’s being discussed but a rise in pellet demand by summer could belay the shutdown. Related posts: No related posts.
-
An Iron Range argument goes to the sewers
The editorial back and forth between State Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia) and Mesabi Daily News editor Bill Hanna over a wastewater plant editorial continues to, uh, well insert your own sewage joke here. Here is an excerpt from Rukavina’s letter to the editor saying he was misquoted in the MDN editorial about being opposed to…
-
Good news? It’s mostly bad
A busy weekend in Range news: A stretch of Highway 169 by Chisholm might be threatened by collapsing underground mine shafts beneath (from Saturday’s Duluth News Tribune). These are the same patchwork collection of tunnels that caused structural damage at nearby Ironworld a couple years ago. All I’ve got to say is that if you…
-
‘We are stardust’
This is my weekly column that ran in the Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. ‘We are stardust’By Aaron J. Brown During my elementary years people would ask me my favorite subject in school. Science, I would say. Science seemed the most real. Reality is a valuable substance where I am…
-
Another Range mine faces temporary shutdown until economy recovers
ArcelorMittal’s Minorca Mine in Virginia is preparing for a possible three-month shutdown from May through June because of the flagging economy and weakening demand for steel. WDIO broke this story. This means that almost every mine on the Range is either stopping or dramatically slowing production in 2009. Related posts: No related posts.
-
Laskiainen is coming
Here’s a story from the Mesabi Daily News about an author’s event at the Laskiainen Sliding Festival in Palo (on the East Range). Laskiainen is in its 72nd year on the Iron Range and features classic winter sliding and ethnic foods with a special emphasis on the Finns. Unfortunately I couldn’t do the book event…
-
Empty Bowls filled with love, soup
Passing along some information about a worthy cause in Itasca County: Coming together as a community to help feed hungry people is at the heart of the Empty Bowls Project. And what a community it is! Teachers and students, potters and restaurateurs, bakers and citizen volunteers, non-profits and for-profits. People of all ages and experience…
-
Northern Minnesota online movement taking shape
I’ve been neglecting to pass along some important information about new media projects in Northern Minnesota. First, from Jennifer with e-democracy: New Resource: Minnesota Voices OnlineAre you using technology to communicate at the local level? E-lists, websites, blogs, wikis? The Minnesota Voices Online discussion is for people using technology to build community at the local…
-
N-K, Greenway boards talk future
The Nashwauk-Keewatin and Greenway school boards met to discuss planning for the future. (Story from today’s Hibbing Daily Tribune). Consolidation is what needs to happen, and some officials are willing to say the word aloud, but the story makes lots of references to “collaboration.” Hey, call it “happyfunsharing” if you want, but this is the…
-
Tonight, it’s a man’s world at the Grand Rapids library
Tonight I’ll be speaking with the Grand Rapids Men’s Book Club at the Grand Rapids Public Library. The club meeting starts at 7 p.m. and, as I understand it, they’re always looking for new members. The club has been reading my new book “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range.” I am happy to visit…
-
An important week for rural broadband
As you might remember, I have been an advocate of increasing available broadband internet speeds to more Americans, especially rural folks and those on the Iron Range. (“A Little Less Hooey, a Little More Huey”). I see it not just as a more convenient way for e-commuters like myself to do our jobs, but as…
-
From behind storm clouds, light can be shed on Range’s troubled cities and schools
Here’s an update to my Sunday post about Iron Range cities sharing services. That post was original prompted by the Mesabi Daily News‘ Sunday editorial calling on East Range cities to get behind a joint wastewater plant, which I agree with. What I didn’t mention was that the editorial said that State Rep. Tom Rukavina…
-
MinnesotaBrown, ‘Overburden’ on KARE 11 last night
Last night, KARE 11 in the Twin Cities ran a story by Boyd Huppert about how the bad economy is affecting the Iron Range. It’s a very interesting look at the culture of our boom and bust way of life. A recent column of mine and my book “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range”…
-
Iron Range: Join, share, rebuild, grow
The Mesabi Daily News ran an editorial Sunday calling on lawmakers to push local governments to support shared services. I agree. This falls in line with my recent call for an Iron Range Congress for local governments and schools to start meeting as soon as possible to discuss consolidation and maximization of our increasingly limited…
-
Money, money, money …. money (it helps to have music behind this headline)
The MDN continues its coverage of the pay rates of public officials with stories about compensation of local superintendents and lawmakers. You make more as a superintendent but it’s hard to tell what you make as a lawmaker. Related posts: No related posts.