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Oberstar mentioned for Obama cabinet position
With the resignation of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today, former U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN8), the former House Transportation Chair and Iron Range political veteran, is being mentioned as a potential successor. Oberstar was mentioned four years ago as well, but passed in order to keep his chairmanship. After his 2010 re-election defeat, he finds…
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And Bingo was its name-o, ashes to ashes, Amen
On Wednesday night, the Fortune Bay Resort and Casino near Tower will call its last bingo numbers. Waning bingo popularity has caused the gaming facility to cut bingo from its gambling offerings, something sure to make several people we know roll in their graves … literally. Well, perhaps “literally” is not the right word, but…
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You can never go home again
Offered without commentary: @minnesotabrown will be visiting Cherry tomorrow to talk politics and social media— Kristen Cooper (@cherrytech) January 29, 2013 @cherrytech Before return to alma mater, I demand amnesty on matters pertaining to the beaver cartoon published in the school paper in 1997.— Aaron Brown (@minnesotabrown) January 29, 2013 @minnesotabrown @cherryprincipal Mr. Carey will…
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Rukavina to work for Nolan’s office
Old news to some, but former State Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Pike Lake) will be taking a position in the office of U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan (D-MN8). According to this Duluth News Tribune story, the position’s details have yet to be worked out. It’s possible that it could be related to a constituent office on the…
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Mining jobs, jobs, jobs in the news, news, news
Mining careers continue to dominate discussions about northern Minnesota’s economic future. And it’s true; a number of jobs are coming down the pike. Those jobs were the subject of a career fair held last week at the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm. Interviews were held on the spot and I don’t doubt some hires will…
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Fire on second floor of Sportsmen’s building in Hibbing
There is an active fire going on on the second floor of the Sportsmen’s Restaurant building in Hibbing. Other businesses are also in that building. UPDATE: Breaking News at Hibbing Daily Tribune site. Also, Duluth News Tribune. Related posts: No related posts.
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President Obama writes to Ely; ice fishing invite stands
Yesterday, NBC’s Today Show aired a feature story on the Iron Range city of Ely. A local resident wrote a letter to President Obama asking for a letter to put in the town’s 50-year time capsule. After a while, with hope fading, a beautiful hand-written two page letter from the president himself arrived in the…
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Celebrating the meaning of ‘the mountaintop’ on the Range
This seems like the best way to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the Iron Range: The North East Area Labor Council will feature a showing of the 1993 documentary “At the River I Stand” on Monday, Jan. 21, 6 p.m., at the Iron Range Operating Engineers Local 49 Hall, 8381 Enterprise Rd, Mt.…
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The complicated emotional baggage of admitting it’s cold
We’ve got quite a predicament here in northern Minnesota. It’s cold. We’re under a wind chill advisory right now. Tonight at midnight we have a wind chill warning, with -50 wind chills and a high tomorrow of -14. That’s a high. If we’re lucky, -14 is as hot as it’ll get. Exposed skin will experience…
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COLUMN: The broadband crossroads
This is my Sunday column for the Jan. 20, 2013 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. The broadband crossroadsBy Aaron J. Brown Last week I chatted with my cousin and his new wife. They were in Philadelphia; we spoke through an internet video phone connection at my grandparents’ home in Keewatin, Minnesota. While my cousin…
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NY Times highlights Sax-Zim bog in recent story
Oh, my bog! The Sax-Zim Peat Bog, the location of my childhood, is in the New York Times. It’s a bird story. You gotta like birds. The picture at right, which often appears on this blog, is of a former road sign once found in the Sax-Zim Peat Bog. Every year I write a predictions…
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Trampled by Turtles to mark 10th anniversary with MN tour
Trampled by Turtles announced their 10th Anniversary Minnesota Tour this week and tickets just went on sale. My Cheapskate bride and I nabbed a pair of tickets for the May 8 Grand Rapids, Minnesota, show at the Reif Center. Get your tickets here. I’m sure this show will have me scheming for my June 29…
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EPA issues plan for taconite industry to cut haze
The Duluth News Tribune reports on the EPA’s plan to reduce haze from taconite plant emissions on Minnesota’s Iron Range and in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It seems like the mining companies are still sorting out exactly what the regulations will mean, but certainly some environmental upgrades at most taconite plants are in the offing. The…
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Now we know what happened to the toilet garden in Skunk Hollow
Lee “Woody” Jackson, a local septic system entrepreneur, has written a letter in today’s Grand Rapids Herald-Review about the fate of his toilet garden in a part of the northern Minnesota town known as Skunk Hollow. This letter should rightly shame city leadership. I, too, miss the toilet garden. Related posts: No related posts.
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Grand Rapids readies for Hockey Day showdowns
This weekend, Hockey Day comes to Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Saturday, Jan. 19 brings outdoor hockey to Pokegama Lake. Some of the state’s top prep hockey teams will play a triple header that is aired on statewide cable network Fox Sports North. First on deck, Eagan vs. Hibbing. Need I say more?UPDATE: I should say more.…