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The economics of taconite and melting ice
Last Sunday, Robin Washington at the Duluth News Tribune raised an interesting question. With melting polar ice, new shipping lanes are opening in the Arctic Circle. The Russians are capitalizing by running ore boats through the slush, cutting down massive costs. The United States? Our trade routes this far north are questionable, but with steel…
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Leading by Skype? Not at public meetings, says attorney
An interesting question for local governments has been raised in the small northern Minnesota town of Cohasset. Recently, a city councilor participated in a meeting via Skype, from somewhere in California. According to this Lisa Rosemore story in the Grand Rapids Herald-Review, councilor Dennis Blankensop was involved in discussions and voted. The city believes this…
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Rain, ice, elevated panic abound up north today
St. Louis County is advising no travel on gravel roads along the Iron Range region. Now, I live just over the line in Itasca County but it’s pretty much the same deal here. And considering that I live at the end of a long gravel road surrounded by impenetrable forest, you have a pretty good…
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Iron Range Rep. Tom Anzelc fights cancer
Today my friend State Rep. Tom Anzelc announced he has prostate cancer. He found out after the election. It’s a tough disease, but Tom and his doctors are optimistic and have a treatment plan. His main challenge right now is the fatigue that comes from treatment. With an important session coming up, he’ll be balancing…
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Iris Kolodji and friends to play two shows on the Range
One of the side benefits of hosting the Great Northern Radio Show on Northern Community Radio is meeting some of the best musicians in Minnesota. We highlight original music that tells the story of this place. We also provide an outlet for young, up-and-coming artists. It’d be an honor to know that one of them…
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New Minnesota legislature about to convene (LIVE)
The Uptake is providing live coverage of the pomp and circumstance of the convening of the Minnesota State Legislature today. Here’s the House feed: Watch live streaming video from theuptake at livestream.com You can follow the Senate feed here. Yesterday, responding to Don Ness’s “Gangnam Style” moves, I stoked a Twitter feud in which an…
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Legacy Fund delivers $700,000 to Mesabi Trail
The Mesabi Trail will receive northern Minnesota’s largest grant from the Minnesota Legacy Fund’s Parks and Trails program, in the form of $700,000 for improvements and development. This trail will one day extend from Grand Rapids to Ely along the iron formation of the Mesabi Range. About 115 miles are now complete, with some remaining…
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Duluth mayor Don Ness does Gangnam Style
I suppose I could complain that infectious sounds of Korean pop rocker Psy’s “Gangnam Style” are only now reaching the shores of Lake Superior. This was, after all, the top internet sensation of 2012 and new holder of the all-time YouTube record. So many parodies have surfaced that another surely could not be needed. But…
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COLUMN: The Oracle is keen on 2013
This is my Sunday column for the Jan. 6, 2013 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. The predictions column is part of an old New Year’s tradition of mine, which also includes my annual “top words” column and “top posts” item. The Oracle is keen on 2013By Aaron J. Brown My hands burn on the…
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Minnesota DNR to investigate moose population losses
WDIO reports that the Minnesota DNR is researching why moose population numbers have dropped so much in the past year. It occurs to me that I forgot to include this graphic in my annual list of top traffic and favorite posts from 2012. I spent a whole morning on it some time ago. Anyway, I…
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After Newtown: fast response in Grand Rapids, MN
This morning, we were working here at the house and my wife and I both got notification calls from the Grand Rapids (Minn.) School District. Law enforcement had contacted the superintendent about a potential danger at one of the schools in the district (not our kids’ school). Here is the notification we got from Superintendent…
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Iron mining has strong 2012; poised for bumps in 2013
The Star Tribune reported yesterday the strong year by northern Minnesota taconite operations and the potential for a slight slow-down in 2013. The Iron Range economy is deeply tied to national and international trends. All our line graphs roughly resemble the national ones. The difference is timing. We don’t always go up or down at…
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Great Northern alum headlines ‘Acoustic Cafe’ tonight in Chisholm
I haven’t been writing about it every week, but you should know that the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm has continued its free Thursday night live music events called “Acoustic Cafe.” From 5-9 p.m. the cultural center offers free admission so you can hear the tunes and check out what’s new around the former Ironworld.…
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Land auction may scuttle beleaguered Range project
UPDATE: The land in question was sold at auction today … to Excelsior Energy! Some thoughts below. The hard luck story of Excelsior Energy’s failed Mesaba Energy Project reaches a new milestone today as a land auction could deprive the proto-company of the site it named for its proposed power plant. The company had initially…
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The ‘Pussyfoot’ behind Prohibition in northern MN
Students of Iron Range history might have heard the name William E. “Pussyfoot” Johnson. In addition to holding a fantastically literary name, Johnson holds significance in northern Minnesota history. After all, he was the man who famously brought prohibition to the Iron Range, a place that vehemently, violently didn’t want it. The Hibbing Tribune editorial…