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Range’s biggest paper uses bloated boondoggle to endorse Coleman
First, the least surprising news in the history of the Iron Range: the Mesabi Daily News endorsed Norm Coleman for re-election on Sunday. This could have been predicted from the very beginning of this election from the paper’s heavy spin of Coleman as the “jobs” candidate and the constant pushing of anti-Franken stories and editorials.…
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Iron Range division on Legacy Amendment (and my thoughts)
Minnesotans are starting to see a fairly intense effort to pass the Minnesota Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, which would create a set fund from state revenue for environmental and arts initiatives. In this story, the Mesabi Daily News profiles former State Sen. Bob Lessard, who first pioneered the idea, while explaining what the…
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Range readies for belated impact of economic downturn
Peter Passi at the Duluth News-Tribune has this Sunday story about the economic downturn’s inevitable impact on the steel industry and the Iron Range. Right now, the economic slide has not yet hit the Range. In fact, for a lifelong Ranger, this has been a strange couple of months as the local economy has been…
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Steelly Down
A poll published in Steel Business Briefing shows that 50 percent of the publication’s readers, mostly steel industry insiders, believe steel prices will drop 25-50 percent in 2009-2010. Almost 90 percent expect a drop of more than 10 percent. Meantime, other metals are also plummeting in price right now, especially copper and nickel. (Good thing…
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One retired miner represents the struggles of many
Today, the Hibbing Daily Tribune has a nice profile about John Flynn, the retired miner and Vietnam vet who was asked to introduce Hillary Clinton at Tuesday night’s Iron Range rally for Barack Obama. Flynn’s story, including lost health care, pension funds and a suspended retirement, is shared by many on the Iron Range. Last…
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Photos from Hillary’s Obama rally on the Range
This should be my last post on the Hillary event. As you know, I’ve already posted my report and analysis and a roundup of local media coverage. I took some additional pictures and I’ve gotten a few from friends in the ol’ e-mail. Above, here’s another I took of Hillary from my vantage point 12…
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UPDATED: Hillary Clinton in the Duluth/Iron Range media
Here’s a roundup of coverage of Hillary Clinton’s visit to the Iron Range. I was there and filed this report and analysis. Duluth News Tribune: “Clinton hits pocketbook issues in Iron Range rally for Obama” by Janna Goerdt. Straight forward event story, starts by talking to Clinton supporter who’s still backing the ticket; I’m quoted…
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Hillary delivers on the Iron Range
Let’s not bury the main point of this post. I am now fully convinced that Barack Obama will carry Minnesota, in part by holding strong DFL numbers on my native Iron Range. On Tuesday night, Sen. Hillary Clinton, stumping for Obama, spoke to a crowd of 4,600 (fire department estimate) at the Hibbing Memorial Building…
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Last chance to RSVP for Hillary Clinton on the Range
You can still RSVP for the Hillary Clinton event for Barack Obama in Hibbing tonight at the Memorial Building on 23rd Street. Doors open at 6, but get there early. No tickets are needed but the RSVP helps them prepare for the right number of people. There is nothing as cool as a full arena…
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On race, the Range and what really matters
Last night, the Daily Show lampooned a McCain spokeswoman who referred to her candidate’s support in “real” Virginia. That quote set off a firestorm on the blogs and cable news shows, but what wasn’t reported as often was that the spokeswoman also referred to other areas being part of “real America.” Among them, western Pennsylvania,…
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Hillary in Hibbing
It’s official. Sen. Hillary Clinton will speak at the Hibbing Memorial Building on the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 21. Doors open at 6 p.m. and you should RSVP if you want tickets or press access. The program begins at 7 p.m. I’m sure there will be more juicy tidbits about this program as the day…
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Sustainability: Iron Range style
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008 Hibbing Daily Tribune. A shorter version of this piece aired as an essay on KAXE’s “Between You and Me” last month. I will be reading a longer version of this piece for the Nov. 5 Northeast Higher Education District Sustainability Conference at Hibbing Community…
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How solving an Iron Range problem could deliver 94 electoral votes to Barack Obama
On Thursday, Iron Range miners and retirees affected by the 2003 bankruptcy of National Steel met in Keewatin to demand action from local leaders and representatives of federal leaders on the workers’ decimated pensions. The Hibbing Daily Tribune has the story, and summaries of the comments of the local leaders. I wish I could say…
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Brown on the Air: IRON RANGE FOREVER!
The million dollar question: Is Grand Rapids part of the Iron Range? That is no small query. Legally and geologically, yes. Culturally? Less so. Since I moved to Itasca County (the Western Mesabi Range) from the central Range in 2005, I’ve heard many neighbors talk about the Iron Range as though it were another country,…
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Hillary on the Range this Tuesday
I was at the book signing so I didn’t get to post the big news that Hillary Clinton will be on the Iron Range this Tuesday campaigning for Barack Obama (and Al Franken). We’re still waiting on some of the details, including the location. We’re told it’s between Hibbing and Virginia. The issue is probably…