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Itasca County rebuffs power boondoggle’s pipe request, for now
The denizens of my favorite mushrooming boondoggle, Excelsior Energy, were at the county board begging to be included in the planning for a natural gas pipeline to be built through state bonding funds for the Minnesota Steel project near Nashwauk. Excelsior wants to build its Mesaba Energy Project close to nearby Taconite and also needs…
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The awesome (old) new boat
People have been clamoring to see pictures of the boat after my column from Sunday (Well, my friend C.O. anyway). So here it is. It’s a meld of fixtures and a motor from a 1957 wooden speedboat and a 1962 fiberglass hull from a similar boat. The original 35 horse (though not really) motor is…
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Obama campaign doubles efforts on the Iron Range
It’s that special time of year when the national campaigns dispatch their people into the field for the fall push. The Republicans got a small notice in the papers and TV stations over the weekend by opening their John McCain office in Duluth, where Obama has had several staffers stationed most of the summer. Now…
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Range town’s PUC claims right to close meetings ("Guffaw!" replies newspaper)
The Nashwauk Public Utilities Commission has a legal judgment that they believe allows them to close meetings regarding the infrastructure for the proposed Minnesota Steel project in Nashwauk. The Hibbing Daily Tribune has the story. Really, really bad idea. This is a public policy issue, not a missile silo. (Or IS it?) Related posts: No…
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Bobby Aro highway named
The renaming of Highway 7 as the Bobby Aro Highway has been officially named in honor of the Iron Range polka legend who recorded a 1957 hit about the highway. Check out the story. I grew up on Highway 7. Related posts: No related posts.
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KSTP resorts to wrestling-style gimmicks
State Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virgina), the sentimental icon of the Iron Range legislative delegation, has turned down an invitation to debate former State Rep. and Taxpayers’ League conservative Phil Krinkie on KSTP, the station that aired last month’s ridiculously unfair story about Ironworld. Rukavina said his beef is with KSTP, not Krinkie. This story tells…
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Excelsior vows to fight on
Now that a couple days have gone by I’m starting to calm down about Thursday’s news about the PUC’s denial of Excelsior Energy’s mandated power purchase agreement with Xcel. The company’s outrageously optimistic reaction to this news, a serious setback for EE’s Mesaba Energy Project, is driving me nuts, but it’s really all they can…
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Coleman tours the Iron Range
A Republican contact has informed me that Sen. Norm Coleman will be in Hibbing on Tuesday for an 8 a.m. town hall meeting at the Hometown Restaurant (formerly Country Kitchen, because all things on the Iron Range used to be something else). The last time (also the first time) I interviewed Norm Coleman was during…
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Range journalism club to meet
Passing this along: Hey, Iron Rangers! Are you a writer (active or in your heart)?Get together with like-minded people forming a Community Journalism Club. Monday, August 25, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.Room C156Mesabi Range Community & Technical College1001 W. Chestnut StreetVirginia, MN 55792 The Community Journalism Club is designed for anyone interested in using the Internet…
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Iron Range steel project again faces Iran problem
Oh, global economy. Why must you be so complicated? Let me start this locally and spread it out. LOCAL: Here on the Iron Range, people have enjoyed great hopes of a massive economic boost from a combined iron mine and steel plant near Nashwauk, a proposed project now known as Minnesota Steel. This idea has…
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Steelworkers settle with U.S. Steel
I meant to put this up earlier, but the Steelworkers have reached a tentative agreement for their contract with U.S. Steel, which owns the area’s top ore producer at MinnTac in Mt. Iron and KeeTac in Keewatin. The deal must be approved by union membership. U.S. Steel produces almost half the taconite pellets on the…
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There Will Be Pelts
Check out this innocuous headline from yesterday’s Hibbing Daily Tribune: “Chisholm wins bid for national conference“ Snooze, right? Small town jibber jabber. I didn’t even click on the story when I saw it online. Then later I saw the print version of the paper. Guess who’s coming to the Iron Range in August 2009? Trappers!…
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Same now as it ever was
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Aug. 10, 2008 Hibbing Daily Tribune. Same now as it ever wasBy Aaron J. BrownMost people know the political tradition here on the Iron Range: Independent, but generally Democratic, and heavily influenced by the past and present labor movement. Sadly, it’s almost impossible to talk about politics…
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Building independent public media on the Iron Range
I was in studio for this week’s “Between You and Me” at KAXE in Grand Rapids this morning and I’ll be back there next Saturday guest hosting a show about “The Future.” I have done odd jobs and special projects for KAXE over the past few years, which is why I’m now putting out the…
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Smackdowns aplenty: Business North brings the news
If you aren’t getting Business North’s weekly e-alerts, you should. On Thursday, Wayne Nelson and the staff at BN put out some great stories. Cleveland-Cliffs merger with that Appalachian coal company is being held up by Wall Street dealmakers. Apparently Cliffs has played the opening chords of the banjo music from “Deliverance” and are waiting…