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Source: Bakk plans primary run for gov
A source tells me that, at a fundraiser for State Sen. Tom Bakk yesterday, the Iron Range lawmaker is telling people that he’s running for governor in 2010 and that he’ll run in the DFL primary regardless of the endorsement. This isn’t a surprise, but I think other candidates can now count on Bakk being…
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MinnPost reports on Blandin’s rural broadband work
MinnPost republishes a post from Minnov8 about the Blandin Foundation initiative to increase rural broadband access, a top issue here at MinnesotaBrown. This post gives a great idea of what Blandin is doing but leaves me with the same feeling I had after I learned that Hibbing voted down Fibernet. We aren’t getting anywhere until…
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Rudy, RIP, still taking flak from the papers
The Chicago Tribune used the biography of the Iron Range native and late former Gov. Rudy Perpich as grist for an attack on current Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich last week. More than a few Iron Rangers will take issue with the characterization of Rudy, as did a Tribune reader and transplanted Iron Ranger now living…
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Obama more like ‘us’ than Cokie and Steve Roberts
Today, the Hibbing Daily Tribune ran a syndicated column by Cokie and Steve Roberts that bears the headline “Is Obama one of us? We’re not sure.” If the question is, is Obama an overrated national pundit thriving off of insider status, I suppose the answer would have to be “no.” But I still have no…
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They’re baaaaack …
It’s been a rather pleasant several weeks not discussing Excelsior Energy’s boondoggle Mesaba Energy Project proposed for the Iron Range. It reminds me of what I imagine the future will be like: a world where this terrible idea is merely a memory of the bad things that can happen when massive amounts of state and…
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Bobby Aro Highway
The St. Louis County Board is taking up a measure to rename Co. Hwy 7 after the late, great polka star Bobby Aro, who wrote and performed the 1957 hit “Highway 7.” Speaking as someone who grew up on Highway 7 not that far from the Aros, I think that’s a pretty good idea. Maybe…
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Modern life exposes soft underbelly of human nature
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Aug. 3, 2008 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Modern life exposes soft underbelly of human natureBy Aaron J. BrownFor all our bluster, we humans are really just soft, pink beings that consume more than we should and run much more slowly than other mammals our size.…
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The Iron Range from ‘The Outside’
Sometimes an outside perspective opens new understanding. Friday, the local paper for North Marion, Ind., profiled teachers who visited northern Minnesota‘s Iron Range this summer to learn about the history and importance of the region. The statistics listed in the article are well established, but maybe not well known even to Iron Range natives. Check…
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Get busy on Da’ Range
Are you a young person looking for a job in the traditionally difficult job market of Duluth (and, by extention, the Iron Range)? This Patrick Garmoe DNT story has some tips. Know people. Not tomorrow, but already. And, though it may not be news to some or even remotely interesting to others, this Business North…
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State of the Blog
Hello, readers. Well, I wrote 102 posts in July. In case you’re wondering I work from home in July. That insane pace can’t continue forever. You’ll still get daily posts here, often multiple posts when news merits, but I’m going to be more selective as my fall work schedule heats up. That’s why it’s more…
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FiberNet pulls plug on the Range; now what?
FiberNet officially bit the dust; however, as this Hibbing Daily Tribune story explains, at least one of the project’s strongest backers, Hibbing City Administrator Brian Redshaw, believes there is hope for high speed internet delivered Range wide in the future. I agree and share those hopes. We need to prepare infrastructure for the future of…
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Good times rolling on the Range … for some
Significant, but not surprising: Cleveland-Cliffs posts a record profit for the second quarter of this year. Cliffs, along with U.S. Steel, is one of the major powers in the taconite mining industry of northern Minnesota’s Iron Range. Steel prices are way up, taconite is key to producing steel, the good times roll, but who is…
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Sunday’s Iron Range news roundup
Here’s a roundup of Range stories from this morning. State Sen. Tom Bakk offers a tepid endorsement of Al Franken for U.S. Senate in today’s Mesabi Daily News. Bakk is one of a small cadre of Minnesota officials who were shocked, shocked!, to learn that Franken had once made a living as a late night…
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A dose of intrigue in Range House races
As I’ve said before, State Rep. and House Majority Leader Tony Sertich faces a primary challenge from Marc Pocrnich (check out his official website) this year and there is a Independence Party primary in my home District of 3A between Bill Hamm and Chris Pfeifer. I have way too many conflicts of personal interest to…
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Building trades officially "encourage" Bakk to run for governor
Are you growing tired of the “hard facts” of the 2008 election? Wouldn’t your rather resume the political analysis based on hearsay and guessing we all enjoyed last year? I have just the item for you. State Sen Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook), one of two Iron Rangers and 50-plus other DFLers considering a run for governor…